Got Milk?

GOT MILK? Then thank an immigrant.

A recent Associated Press story highlights the part Latino immigrants have played in saving what is left of the family dairy farm in Vermont and other states throughout the country. These dairy farms do not fit neatly into the usual media description of large, greedy corporate villains that are exploiting undocumented workers -- and keeping jobs from US citizens in order to cut payroll costs. The fact is, even if times as tough as these it is hard to find citizens who are willing to work on the farm. These are jobs that offer difficult hours, bad weather, and physical exertion; the pay is not necessarily bad -- but it is not enough to say attract unemployed software engineers from Boston or unemployed autoworkers from the mid-west. Yet there are still workers who will journey from Guatemala or Mexico for these jobs and other farming jobs around the country in what some like to call the "Real America".

To link to the story: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20090514/NEWS02/90514008