Russ In Idaho - 7/20/2018 01:25

Piss poor reporting! Yes I know there is illegals working in the dairy industry. But it's the same for hotels, restaurants, maid services, auto repair, factory jobs and heaven forbid even in meat packing plants! But to use the statement "foreign born labor" is very misleading. I know a darn lot of foreign born workers, dear friends, college professors, etc. that are foreign born. But you know what they have their citizenship to the U.S. Just because their skin is darker and they talk with an accent doesn't mean they are illegals! There is third generation foreign workers here that the parents were and are still legal citizens.




This country would flat fall on it's face without immigrate labor to do mundane labor tasks. For the simple fact we have ingrained into our society that our people don't have to work hard for a living or to eat. I feel you pain and frustration with the system in general and the dairy industry. But in my opinion supply management or a base system will never be put into place. Because if that was implemented, it wouldn't allow the processors, middlemen, CME, and the retailers of mega dealers like Wal-Mart to take advantage of the industry.

I really feel sorry for the dairyman that have agreed to ship milk to Wal-Mart. I figured it would be somebody like DFA that would jump at contract to supply them. It then would be put on the burden of the dairymen to pay freight to them. Wal-Marts tract record is to undercut suppliers after they get them signed on. I'm sure that will be the same with the milk.

Just remember Wal Mart operates in a federal order if they do something to try to break that up or skirt it's pay structure every CO-OP better file a class action suit so fast that the milk won't even have time to warm up on the truck.

Dairy is a very tough industry to regulate production, because the process starts two years out in breeding heifers for production. By the time those heifers are ready to milk the markets have fluctuated greatly over those two years.

If you really want to shake up the dairy industry or all agriculture, close the CME to all agricultural products being traded. You would put this country on it's knees when they didn't have control of your production to speculate on and make a profit without ever lifting a hand to raise or process the product.

These previous two sentences should be explored more but I think in a different thread

This is a very complex problem, one that I feel will never be fixed as long as the CME is around. You know that will never happen, so what's the answer. I know an immigration policy will still not have much affect on the industry. If they can't get workers, it's going to shift to robotic milkers. In fact that is happening right now as I type this. The sad news is it's going to take a foothold in production, it's going to be better for the processing industry because they will have a more consistent product, much higher milk quality. Because you will remove a lot for error factor of human labor directly milking the cows.

Like it or not you better get used to your milk coming from Milkatron 2000 where they never have a hangover, never have to leave work because their kid got sick. Didn't have the Friday flu, and their spouse didn't run off with the mailman

Well be easy on me guys in the morning at daylight when you respond to my post. I'm not the sharpest fellow around, Forrest Gump and I are best of bud's.

P.S. Not all Idaho dairyman support Rick and Bob Naerbout's opinions of the number one problem to the Idaho dairy industry.