Dairy groups are focused on labor solutions this year. It is a problem they say has plagued the industry for years and warns is getting worse.
“It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking row crop agriculture or animal agriculture. For decades now, these are not jobs filled by Americans or a domestic workforce. These are jobs that immigrants typically fill, and largely that’s due to the fact that we have an economy that creates more jobs than we have for a domestic workforce,” said Rick Naerebout, CEO of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association.
Naerebout adds a lack of adequate labor is a big reason kids are leaving the farm and not coming back, and he says he has been pushing for what he calls a simple solution for years.
“We’re asking for access to a visa program. We’re asking the existing workers who are here without authorization, do a background check on them, have them pay a penalty, and then give them legal status. If they can pay the penalty and pass a background check and they don’t have a criminal record or even legal status, let them continue to fill the jobs that they’re filling and support our economy.”
The E-Verify system is largely used by employers to check immigration status, and groups say they would happily adopt it once an immigration fix has been found. Representative Dan Newhouse agrees, saying E-Verify would be welcomed, but says there needs to be a legal source of workers to begin with.
Industry leaders representing more than 40 nations gathered to discuss the future of ethanol and other corn-based products.
October 27, 2025 12:44 PM
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Farmers display a unique optimism — planting with the expectation that weather, basis, and prices will improve by harvest — asserting that the profession is an identity, not just a job.
October 27, 2025 12:12 PM
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Imported lean beef continues to play a critical role in U.S. hamburger and ground-beef production, with any added volume from Argentina serving as a supplement — not a market overhaul.
October 27, 2025 11:51 AM
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A fast-moving series of trade signals from the White House and key partners is resetting the near-term outlook for U.S. agriculture.
October 27, 2025 11:41 AM
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R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard joins Market Day Report for his insight on the USDA’s plan to strengthen the U.S. beef industry.
October 24, 2025 01:28 PM
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RFD-TV Markets Expert Tony St. James breaks down the USDA’s newly unveiled plan to rebuild the US beef herd and the industry’s spectrum of responses to it.
October 23, 2025 03:06 PM
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Sen. Roger Marshall explains which types of beef are imported into the United States, how there’s room for new imports, and logical reasons for current high prices.
October 23, 2025 12:10 PM
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U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) discusses the USDA’s new cattle plan, ethanol policy, and the broader challenges ahead for rural America.
October 23, 2025 11:24 AM
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Bioethanol continues to gain ground as the bridge fuel connecting agriculture, aviation, and maritime industries in the global shift toward lower-carbon energy.
October 23, 2025 10:14 AM
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