CEO's Corner:
Labor Looms Large. Farmers Need Action
September 29, 2025
Heading into another harvest season, no policy issue looms larger in agriculture than the acute, worsening shortage of workers on American farms.
An independent analysis of Labor Department data suggests that the U.S. agricultural workforce decreased by 7% between March and July. Well-publicized stories of aggressive immigration enforcement, including on dairies, can’t help but raise concerns.
The need for a stable, secure workforce is certainly top-of-mind in dairy, where in some ways the shortage is even more challenging because of milk production’s year-round nature. Many dairy farmers rely on foreign-born labor to care for animals, operate complicated equipment, and the physical rigors of chores that goes on day and night. With the U.S. border effectively closed, with many workers returning to their home countries, and with more intense immigration enforcement, the finances and futures of many dairies are less certain now than they would be with a solid immigration policy that brought reassurance to anxious farmers.
And that’s why, on this politically and emotionally difficult issue, we’re working with both the administration and with lawmakers to find solutions that put the dairy workforce, and dairy farms across America, on sound footing moving forward.
The hard-working folks who contribute to dairy farms and rural economies have documents. They’ve been on these farms 10, 15, 20 years. Meanwhile, dairy farmers have done their best to navigate the less than perfect process of immigration documentation requirements as they pursue the necessity of having employees on their farms.
But the lack of an adequate visa program that meets dairy’s needs injects unnecessary risk and uncertainty into the foreign-born workforce that’s necessary to fill positions that native-born Americans have time and again proven unwilling to do. The current H-2A program for seasonal workers doesn’t meet year-round needs, and simply churning through workers every six months for positions that require specialized skills and knowledge of animals—who can be as idiosyncratic as people—is a recipe for a failed business. If you work on a dairy farm, you are unquestionably a skilled worker.
People who know agriculture and the unique needs of dairy farmers understand this; we’re not lacking for advocates in Washington. Secretary Brooke Rollins has been a vocal supporter of a stable workforce. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer has shown a great grasp of dairy’s needs and a willingness to hear what we have to say. President Trump also has made encouraging statements that show his understanding that not all foreign-born workers need to be included in the same dragnet meant to expel criminals from U.S. soil.
On the congressional side, we’re excited to see House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson working on legislation that would modernize the H-2A program to recognize dairy’s unique labor needs. Chairman Thompson has been a tireless advocate for dairy farmers and their cooperatives, and has the ability, through ag-labor reform, to help solve one of the longest-running challenges for farmers. We’ve been thrilled to speak with him on proposed legislation, and we certainly stand ready to throw our full weight behind it as it moves forward.
To avoid empty store shelves or greater reliance on imported foods, we need solutions. In the end, the most lasting solution to agricultural labor challenges needs to come from Congress and better law, even more so than any help that can come from the executive branch. But even then, the power of the executive is meaningful—this Congress is much more likely to act with a positive signal of support from the president. Many members of Congress are eager for this. We’re hoping to see it too.
The last time we passed major immigration legislation in this country was in 1986. We are painfully aware of previous reform efforts that, despite every effort by agricultural interests, failed to pass Congress. Let there be no illusions here, it will require an enormous effort in order to bring success. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to figure out a way to have a program that works for us, and we’ve got to get Congress engaged on this. Finding immigration solutions for dairy is important to the nutrition of Americans, the livelihoods of rural communities, and the continued promise of America as a land of opportunity for those who want to work hard and play by the rules.
As a nation, we can do better, and we need to do better. Dairy promises to do its part.
Gregg Doud
President & CEO, NMPF
