parr rosson, professor & head department of agricultural economics texas a&m university the...
DESCRIPTION
Motivations Over Past 7-8 Years, Increasing Shortages of Labor in Agriculture Construction, Oil/Gas Expansion, Hurricane Relief & Increased Enforcement of Immigration Laws Are Main Reasons Ag & Producer Groups Concerned About Impacts of Labor Losses on Farms & Industries Current Population Survey Estimates 57% of Ag Workforce is Foreign Born Lack of Information Our Profession Has a RoleTRANSCRIPT
Parr Rosson, Professor & HeadDepartment of Agricultural EconomicsTexas A&M University
The Role of Immigrant The Role of Immigrant Labor on US Dairy FarmsLabor on US Dairy Farms
Fanning Lecture SeriesFanning Lecture SeriesUniversity of GeorgiaUniversity of Georgia
November 15, 2012November 15, 2012
OverviewOverview
Motivations for StudyMethods & ResultsImplications
MotivationsMotivations Over Past 7-8 Years, Increasing Shortages of
Labor in Agriculture Construction, Oil/Gas Expansion, Hurricane Relief & Increased
Enforcement of Immigration Laws Are Main Reasons
Ag & Producer Groups Concerned About Impacts of Labor Losses on Farms & Industries
Current Population Survey Estimates 57% of Ag Workforce is Foreign Born
Lack of Information Our Profession Has a Role
What Was Done?What Was Done?
National Mail Survey of 5,005 Dairy Farms in 2008 Random Sample of 715 Farms in 7 Regions 1,344 of 2,071 Returned Surveys Were Analyzed Flynn Adcock, David Anderson, Dwi Susanto &
I Conducted in Analysis Only Farms With Hired Labor Were
Analyzed Sample Size Varied by Question
Survey RegionsSurvey Regions
California
FLORIDA
MISSISSIPPI
WESTVIRGINIA
RHODE ISLAND
WASHINGTON
OREGON
IDAHO
MONTANA
WYOMING
NORTHDAKOTA
SOUTHDAKOTA
NEBRASKAIOWA
MINNESOTA
WISCONSIN
ILLINOISINDIANA OHIO
MISSOURIKANSAS
COLORADO
UTAH
NEVADA
CALIFORNIA
ARIZONANEW MEXICO
OKLAHOMA ARKANSAS
KENTUCKYVIRGINIA
TEXAS
MASSACHUSETTS
GEORGIAALABAMA
SOUTHCAROLINA
NORTH CAROLINATENNESSEE
PENNSYLVANIA
MARYLAND
NEW JERSEY
NEW YORK
CONNECTICUT
VERMONT
NEW HAMPSHIRE
MAINE
DELAWARE
LOUISIANA
MICHIGAN
SouthwestSoutheast
NortheastMidwest
North Northwest
Survey ResultsSurvey Results
Farm Structure & CharacteristicsHired Labor, Wages & Employee
CharacteristicsWorker Documentation &
EnforcementSouth Is Emphasized
Milk Production per FarmMilk Production per Farm
62% of Milk 62% of Milk Production from Production from Farms Employing Farms Employing Immigrant LaborImmigrant Labor
Share of Income from Dairy FarmShare of Income from Dairy Farm- % of Farms -
Employees per FarmEmployees per Farm
47% of Farms 47% of Farms Employed Employed Immigrant Immigrant
LaborLabor
Employee Origin & WagesEmployee Origin & Wages
98% of 98% of Immigrant Immigrant Labor from Labor from
MexicoMexico8.78.7
1.71.7
Non-Wage BenefitsNon-Wage Benefits
Labor Shortages & TurnoverLabor Shortages & Turnover
20% of 20% of Farms Had Farms Had
Labor Labor ShortageShortage
Impacts of Labor ShortagesImpacts of Labor Shortages
Reactions to Labor ShortagesReactions to Labor Shortages
Employee Documents RetainedEmployee Documents Retained
Confidence in DocumentsConfidence in Documents
38.438.4 38.638.6
Concern About ICE RaidsConcern About ICE Raids
46.646.6
ImplicationsImplications
Immigrant Labor, Especially from Mexico, Is Important to Dairies in the South
Dairies Employing Immigrant Labor Pay Higher Wages
Labor Shortages & Turnover Had Negative Impacts on Some Dairies
ImplicationsImplications
Increasing Wages May Not Attract More Labor
Some Farmers Concerned About Documentation
Lack of Immigration Policy Reform May Make Labor Situation Worse