ITHACA, N.Y. — Many New York dairy farmers have come to rely heavily on Hispanic employees to fill laborintensive positions over the past 20 years. Cornell University & Cornell Cooperative Extension conducted research over the past year to learn more about the current situation of these NY dairy farm owners and their Hispanic employees. In the initial survey, 36 farmer managers and 205 Hispanic employees were interviewed about demographics, wages, benefits, and overall job satisfaction. A follow-up focus group study with 12 of the original farm owner participants brought to light their thoughts and concerns regarding the current and potential future impacts on the dairy industry.
One of the most relevant findings included just how dependent farmers are on Hispanic employees: 69% of the farms surveyed had a workforce composed 50-100% of Hispanic employees. Survey results indicated a primarily positive and mutually beneficial relationship between Hispanic workers and farm managers. Yet in looking to the future, the focus group members were cautious, agreeing that mandatory e-verify would be crippling to the industry. They expressed the importance of educating policy makers and the public about the challenges they face in hiring a legal workforce, and the contributions that their Hispanic workers bring to their farms and local communities.
The full reports can be found here:
EB 2017-03, Workforce Issues and the New York Dairy Industry: Focus Group Report https://dyson.cornell.edu/outreach/extension-bulletins/documents/Cornell-Dyson-eb1703.pdf
EB 2016-12, Survey of Hispanic Dairy Workers in New York State 2016 http://publications.dyson.cornell.edu/outreach/extensionpdf/2016/Cornell-Dyson-eb1612.pdf
–Cornell University
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