GET ME REWRITE: Trump's nativism makes it "extremely difficult" for South Dakota dairy farmers to hire workers

 

Photo credit: Golden Dakota Farms

Headline:  South Dakota Searchlight, 1/5/2025

Joshua Haiar reports:

South Dakota’s dairy industry has grown rapidly over the past two decades, but an industry leader warned Monday that maintaining the momentum could depend partly on the number of workers allowed into the United States. 

During a Downtown Sioux Falls Rotary panel discussion focused on the state’s dairy industry, Tim den Dulk, a dairy farmer and processor, was asked if uncertainty around labor is a concern. The federal government has implemented stricter immigration enforcement during the current Trump administration. 

“We expect it to be extremely difficult to find employees, especially if we don’t allow more laborers in,” den Dulk said. 

The dairy industry in the state has been affected by immigration enforcement actions. Drumgoon Dairy, near Lake Norden, lost 38 of its 50 employees this summer after a federal Department of Homeland Security audit flagged workers for inaccurate, outdated or incomplete proof of U.S. citizenship or permission to work in the country.

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