Three migrant farmworkers arrested in northwestern Vermont have been deported to Mexico, according to Migrant Justice.
The deported workers were among the eight people arrested last month by federal border agents at Pleasant Valley Farms in Berkshire on suspicion that they were in the country without proper documentation. Farmers across the state have been keeping a close eye on this case because Vermont鈥檚 dairy industry depends very heavily on migrant workers.
开云体育鈥檚 Bob Kinzel spoke this week to Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts about how this case could affect the future of dairy farming in Vermont. This interview was produced for the ear. We highly recommend listening to the audio. We鈥檝e also provided a transcript, which has been edited for length and clarity.
Bob Kinzel: I'm not sure that a lot of Vermonters are aware of just how dependent the state's dairy industry is on migrant workers.
So tell us about this: How many workers are there, and what would happen to these dairy farms if these workers were no longer able to be employed there?
Anson Tebbetts: Well, these workers are essential. They've been in Vermont for a very long time, decades. Many of them have been on the same farm for a long time. They're part of the fabric of the farm. Many farmers tell them they consider them members of their family.
So, you know, some estimates have been anywhere from 750 to 850 workers from foreign countries are helping out with dairy. That does include, maybe, family members that they have as well, because there may be some children, there may be a spouse, there may be a significant other, as well.
Bob Kinzel: So without these workers, these dairy farms would be in big trouble. How would they cope with that situation?
Anson Tebbetts: Well, they're essential workers. They do a lot of work around the farm. They milk cows, they do the cropping, they take care of the calves.
And the reason that we rely on a migrant workforce is because there is not enough local help. And this is not unique to Vermont. Every state has this situation, whether it's, maybe, in the produce world 鈥� they rely on help from other other countries. So it's not unique to Vermont, and it's been with us for a while. And they're members of our community. Some of them, the children go to their schools.
So, it's essential if we want food. If we want to, every day, we can go on to the supermarket or the co-op, or the food bank 鈥� everywhere we go, we have an abundance of food. And we are relying on a tremendous amount of foreign help to produce that, package it and get it to the store shelves.
Whether you're red or blue or whatever state we're in, we're going to need this workforce if we want the abundance of food that we have now.Vermont Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts
Bob Kinzel: Would most of these folks be considered 鈥渦ndocumented鈥�? And what does that mean?
Anson Tebbetts: Well, I think most would say that, you know, some are here with the, you know, the proper paperwork, and there's some, most likely that may be undocumented workers. So I think that's a given, and that's been in place for a number of years. You know, I think it started in, may have started in dairy in Vermont, but it's extended to other industries, as well, as they've faced the same pressures of finding a workforce.
Bob Kinzel: You鈥檝e been in touch with a lot of dairy farmers from all across the state in the last couple of weeks. What are you hearing from them about this issue? Is there much concern out there?
Anson Tebbetts: I think there is concern. They're worried about their workers. They care about them. As I mentioned, you know, some of them really feel them as part of their family. And of course, they're important to their livelihood as well. So I think there is concern.
I think some of the reaction is, some of the migrant workforce is not going off the farm as much now as they may have prior to the new administration. So they're changing their shopping habits. Maybe they're not going out as much. Maybe they're going to a different community, maybe a smaller community, etc. So all those things. And I think our farmers are helping in any way they can to make our workers, you know, feel safe and protected and valued as they are.
Bob Kinzel: So when they express these concerns to you, what do you tell them?
Anson Tebbetts: Well, we're kind of in a difficult spot. For the most part, this is a federal issue that at some point I hope we can address in a meaningful way. You know, the workforce is here. It's been here. You know, we hear things from Washington that, we're going to protect the borders, we're going to secure the borders, we're going to do that and some of the, you know, violent criminals that they believe are here are going to be, you know, taken care of, and maybe deported.
So maybe those things happen, and maybe we achieve that, and maybe there is a climate now to sit down and have real reform, like, what does this look like? Because we're going to need this workforce in every single state, whether you're red or blue or whatever state we're in, we're going to need this workforce if we want the abundance of food that we have now.
Bob Kinzel Are you optimistic about the future of Vermont's dairy industry?
Anson Tebbetts: I am. We just . You know, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that everything's rosy. That's not the case. But we did find that it is still a major player in the farm economy, and it supports other industries as well.
So it's about a $5.4 billion economic engine in Vermont. There are some warts. There are some factors in play that Vermont doesn't have a lot of influence on and that's, you know, the federal milk pricing sometimes is still a yo-yo for everybody to follow.
