HAVILAND, Ohio — Dairy farms across the country are currently facing several challenges. But one of their main concerns is their workforce. 

What You Need To Know

  • Dairy farms across the country are starting to worry about their workforce 

  • According to the National Milk Producers Federation, immigrants account for 51% of dairy farm workers

  • Ohio dairy farmer, Trent Sollers, said new immigration policies and tariffs can make an already challenging job even harder 

Most dairy farm workers are immigrants. At a northwest Ohio dairy farm, owners there had to have difficult conversations with their workers. 

“I would say probably the number one concern for dairy farmers currently is workforce,” said Ohio dairy farmer Trent Sollers. 

Sollers has been a dairy farmer for 15 years and said new polices are making it harder to earn a living, especially for dairy farm workers. 

His farm has more than 1,500 cows, and they need to be milked three times a day every day. Challenges like new immigration policies and inflation make an already challenging job even harder. 

“We have come through a period that we've seen equipment and imports and building costs and those type of things in increase,” said Sollers. 

According to the National Milk Producers Federation, immigrants account for 51% of dairy farm workers. Some of Sollers' workers are immigrants, but he said his farm makes sure they go through a vetted visa process to ensure job security. 

“We go to great lengths to try and get the best workers that we can. We very extensively use a visa program that has allowed us over the years to get some tremendous workers,” said Sollers.

Despite the obstacles the farmers are facing, the CEO of the Ohio Dairy Producers Association Scott Higgins said he agrees with the current administration’s policies when it comes to both tariffs and immigration. 

“While we appreciate the government’s goals, the current administration’s goals of locking down our borders, we also value immigrants and immigrant labor. And we encourage them to be apart of a legal pathway into the United States,” said Higgins.

Although Sollers said his farm works hard to provide the best milk, he says this industry is only going to face more challenges with potential tariffs on the way. 

“Certainly, we understand, and the dairy industry would be a very patriotic group. Probably our hope would be that something could be worked out in the near future,” said Sollers. 

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