Agricultural labor is a top priority for the American Farm Bureau Federation. South Dakota Farm Bureau President Scott Vanderwal, who also serves as AFBF vice president, cites the dairy industry’s inability to source H2-A workers. “I’ve had dairymen tell me the biggest threat to their operations is not financial, it’s the lack of labor and not being able to hire enough people to help,” said VanderWal. “Obviously, it is an animal welfare issue; the cows need to be fed and milked every day and if that’s not done, that’s not good.” The ag labor issue was one of the topics addressed in the Dakotafest forum schedule. Listen to the interview.
