A reduction in the number of foreign-born laborers could cause the price of milk to nearly double in the United States, according to a new study.
The study, completed by Texas A&M AgriLife Research for the National Milk Producers Federation, found that one-third of dairy operations in the U.S. employ foreign-born employees. Those dairies produce about 80 percent of the nation’s milk.
If those operations were left without laborers, the study found that retail milk prices could rise to $6.40 a gallon.
The findings of the study clearly illustrate the importance of immigrant labor on dairy operations across the U.S. and the impact of their potential loss on consumer retail prices, said Parr Rosson, head of the department of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University.
A loss of immigrant labor would result in 208,000 fewer jobs nationwide and 77,000 directly on dairy farms.
The study was conducted last fall and is an update to a 2009 study.