Policy Statement

Western States Dairy Producers Association supports immigration reform that solves the two most pressing labor issues that dairy farmers face – adjusting the status of current workers on dairy farms and creating a flexible agricultural visa program for future labor needs. We feel strongly that for any immigration legislation to succeed, it must include provisions for both of these classes of workers.

The U.S. exports approximately 15% of farm milk production.  The equivalent of about one day’s milk production a week is marketed offshore.
U.S. dairy exports grew from less than a billion dollars in value a year to over $5 billion a year in just the last two decades.  Due mainly to lower U.S. farm milk prices, U.S. dairy export sales totaled $4.7 billion in 2016.