April 14 2017 06:01 AM

The dairy farmers represented by the American Dairy Coalition (ADC) are elated with U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI), co-chair of the Congressional Dairy Farm Caucus, for his leadership in introducing a new immigration reform policy for dairy operations.

The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.

The new legislation — known as the DAIRY Act — will help to provide a reliable labor force, ensuring dairy producers have the workers necessary to care for their animals as well as provide healthy and affordable dairy products to our nation and across the globe.ADC highly supports the efforts of Rep. Duffy in his work to allow the dairy industry to utilize the H2-A visa program. Previously, the dairy industry was excluded due to its 365-day-a-year need for labor. Dairy farmers have been waiting for a provision to utilize the H2-A visa category to legally employ immigrant workers to fill important roles that domestic workers continually pass up. The H2-A visa is a vital tool to provide year-round labor for dairy operations.

The American Dairy Coalition has worked diligently on several immigration reform bills, which each representing various tools dairy farmers can utilize to access the labor so desperately needed to ensure they can successfully maintain their businesses. ADC will work hard with Rep Duffy to move this bill over the finish line.

About the American Dairy Coalition:

The American Dairy Coalition is the united voice of the dairy, agriculture and livestock industry. Successful policy making, in order to best serve this industry, starts in Washington DC. We focus only on top priority issues in order to remain nimble and quickly adapt to the ever changing federal policy making environment. ADC is the only national organization solely focused on advocating to advance the growth and success of progressive producers and agriculture companies. ADC has collaborated with many groups and individuals to make a significant impact on the agriculture industry.