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 © 2024 NEW MEXICO NEWS SERVICES  6/16/25

Who’s going to milk your cows?

By Sherry Robinson

All She Wrote

    When the Dairy Producers of New Mexico meet in Ruidoso this week, the most important topic won’t be on the agenda. The conversations in the hallway and on the golf course will be about labor in a time of ICE raids.

    After federal agents crippled a Lea County dairy, an industry newsletter warned, “Your operation is next.”

    Dairy is one of New Mexico’s success stories. Our 182 dairy farms are nearly all family owned. They have made us 9th in the nation for milk production and 4thfor cheese production, according to NMSU. The industry’s direct and indirect economic impact is $4.45 billion.

    However, nationally 51% of dairy workers are immigrants. New Mexico’s reliance is probably higher.

    On June 4 masked, rifle-toting ICE agents raided Outlook Dairy Farms in Lovington, arrested 11 workers for fake documents, and forced owner Isaak Bos to fire another 24 on the spot.

    “Losing 35 out of 55 workers at that particular facility meant milk production had effectively ceased,” the Albuquerque Journal reported, “with all available hands — including nonfarm staff, family members and some high school students on summer break — focused on caring for the livestock until more workers could be found.”

    Bos said: “We’re barely able to keep going. And the next problem is going to be the labor I have left, pushing it to the limit.”

    The Bullvine, an online newsletter by and for dairy professionals, wrote: “The Lovington raid isn’t just another enforcement action; it’s a stark preview of what happens when immigration policy meets the reality of who actually milks America’s cows.

    “Outlook Dairy Farms in Lovington went from operating normally to crisis mode in one morning… (A)gents didn’t just arrest workers—they dismantled an entire operation that depends on precise timing and experienced hands.

    “But here’s the kicker that should terrify every dairy producer: this wasn’t random enforcement. The raid followed an employment audit conducted months earlier, proving federal agents are systematically targeting agricultural operations with surgical precision.”

    Dairy farmers face a Catch-22: They can’t find workers, but the H-2A temporary worker visa is designed for seasonal work, and cows must be milked 365 days a year. Also, the government’s E-Verify system, which employers use to check employee paperwork, is broken, say ICE agents. 

    “So, let’s get this straight,” writes The Bullvine’s managing editor, Karen Hunt.”You’re legally required to verify employment eligibility using systems that federal enforcement admits don’t work, yet you face severe penalties when those systems fail…

    “The choice facing every dairy producer is simple: Who’s going to milk your cows, and what will it cost when there’s nobody left?”

    Technology can help, but it’s not the answer. “Dairy operations require experienced workers who can identify health issues, handle birthing complications, and manage the countless variables that arise with living animals,” says Hunt. 

    What happens after ICE has hollowed out the industry? The nation would lose 7,000 dairy farms, and milk prices would nearly double, predicts The Bullvine. “For an industry already operating on razor-thin margins, these aren’t just statistics—they’re operational death sentences.”

    To reach the targeted 3,000 daily arrests set by the Trump administration, agriculture is ripe for plucking. (So are the state’s tourism and hospitality industries.) Do they chase ag workers until the food supply fails?

    Congress is still dithering on the only remedy – the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. Meanwhile, countries like New Zealand, The Netherlands and Canada run worker programs that ensure reliable labor pools with no enforcement disruptions.

    Lately, the president observed: “Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace… We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!”

    Next he ordered a pause in arrests at farms, restaurants and hotels, only to reverse the order a few days later.

    Here’s what’s troubling, aside from the fear and panic spreading through communities. Zoom out with me for the 30,000-foot view. Pull thousands of people out of the economy, and they’re not buying groceries or clothing or furniture, they’re not making car payments, and they’re not paying rent or buying houses. The logical end is grim. 

    “The Lovington raid isn’t just one farm’s struggle—it’s a preview of American agriculture’s future under current policies,” writes Hunt. “We’ve built a food system that depends on immigrant labor while criminalizing their presence. That’s not sustainable economics; it’s systematic dysfunction.”