Paul Wenger tells congressional committee, “E-Verify without a workable, economical way to ensure a legal agricultural work force will be a disaster for American agriculture.”

AUDIE CORNISH: In Kansas, a coalition of conservative farm businessmen and liberal social advocates is pushing for an unusual law, one that would create a state-sanctioned work program benefitting illegal immigrants. Peggy Lowe, of Harvest Public Media, reports that their fiercest opponent is the Kansas politician who wrote Arizona’s tough immigration law.PEGGY LOWE: It’s a long way from Forget-Me-Not Farms to the Kansas state capitol. But T.J. Curtis drove the 300 miles because he needs more workers for his family’s dairy farm in the far western part of the state.

Exit interviews can give you good incite on how to improve employee management.

Dairy interests say decision could spawn ‘copycat’ legislation in other states and significantly affect employers who employ undocumented workers.

The goal is to have at least 20 producers per state participate to get a more accurate picture of dairy labor rates.

“The withdrawal of the proposal is a victory for common sense,” says Jerry Kozak, President and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation.