Why a Stable, Legal Workforce is Our Only Path Forward

Wed, 13 May 2026 13:48:21 GMT

As I’ve traveled across the country this past year, visiting producers from the High Plains to the Northwest, one conversation consistently rises above the rest. It isn’t just about milk prices or component levels — it’s about people. My conclusion is firm: A stable, legal workforce is the only way we keep the “Made in the USA” label on the milk carton.

Food security is national security, and that security starts with the hands that harvest the milk. If our industry cannot secure a permanent, legal solution for our workforce, the domestic supply chain American families rely on is at risk of fracturing.

The 365-Day Harvest Paradox

Federal policy remains stubbornly stuck in a seasonal mindset. Programs like H-2A were built for crops planted in the spring and picked in the fall. However, dairy is in a state of continuous harvest. Cows don’t take a season off and neither can our workers.

A year-round guest worker program is no longer just a lobbyist’s wishlist item; it is a survival requirement. Without a legal framework that recognizes the 24/7 reality of dairy, producers remain in a legal limbo that threatens the foundation of our “Made in the USA” promise.

Fill the Void, Not Just the Tank

Automation is often viewed as a replacement for the human element, but in reality, it is a essential supplement. Technologies like cow-side health sensors, automated gate systems and smart feed pushers are surging because human hands are simply unavailable in many corners of rural America.

We are seeing a fundamental shift in the dairy job description: moving from a world of milkers to a world of managers. Our teams are becoming data analysts and technicians who happen to work in a barn. These systems allow us to keep the lights on, but they still require a skilled, stable and legal team to oversee them.

Culture as a Competitive Advantage

In 2026, a paycheck is no longer enough to win the talent war. Recruitment is expensive, but retention is profitable. The most successful dairies treat labor management with the same scientific rigor they apply to a TMR or a breeding value. If your farm culture is broken, your bottom line will eventually follow. We must move from finding help to building elite teams.

Ultimately, the “Made in the USA” label is a promise of quality and domestic origin. We cannot fulfill that promise without a workforce that is legal, stable and respected. The heartbeat of the dairy isn’t just the cows in the stalls — it’s the people in the parlor. The dairies that will thrive in 2026 and beyond are those that realize our most valuable asset has two legs, not four. It’s time our national policy reflected that reality.

Valuable Tips to Build a World-Class Dairy Workforce

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:14:24 GMT

In the dairy industry, the conversation around labor has shifted. It is no longer enough to simply find a milker to fill a shift. As dairies grow in scale and complexity, the focus has moved toward organizational development, cultural transformation and the science of human behavior.

At the High Plains Dairy Conference in Amarillo, Texas, in a panel moderated by Ryan DeWit of Twin Circle Dairy, three experts — Jorge Delgado, Jorge M. Estrada, and Tom Wall — shared a blueprint for moving a workforce from basic hiring to high-performance results.

The Foundation of “Why": Relevancy and Understanding

Delgado with Alltech kicked off the discussion by addressing the psychology of the dairy worker. He argues effective training is built on three pillars:

Relevancy
No Anonymity
Measurement

According to Delgado, the most powerful tool in a manager’s arsenal is the answer to one question: “Why do you do what you do?” For the vast majority of dairy workers, the answer is familia. When training is framed as a way to protect the farm’s success — and by extension, the worker’s ability to provide for their family — the relevancy of a milking protocol or a biosecurity measure skyrockets.

Delgado also emphasizes the need for no anonymity. High-performance teams are built when every member participates and feels seen. To move from participation to true understanding, Delgado uses visual and tactile tools, such as 3D models of udders and biological cells, to show workers the unseen impact of their actions. This is supported by modern technology, such as QR-code-based training modules (Knowby) and bilingual on-farm support posters that provide five-step rules for everything from cow movement to calving protocols.

The Systems Approach: Organizational Development

While Delgado focuses on the individual worker, Estrada of Leadership Coaching International takes a large systems view of the dairy. Estrada’s approach to organizational development is a structured, six-month journey designed to move a dairy from its current state to a desired state.

“Organizational transformation isn’t an event; it’s a process,” Estrada notes.

His model begins with a deep needs assessment and a culture/leadership audit. From there, he designs interventions that include on-site practice, dialogic approaches and intensive executive coaching.

The goal is to increase awareness of how behavior impacts the bottom line. By the end of the six-month program, the dairy should see observable changes in behavior and a new culture where leadership and transformation are integrated into the daily routine. Estrada’s message to owners was clear: if you want high-performance results, you must first design an organization capable of producing them.

The Coach’s Playbook: COR-4 and the Results Pyramid

Wall, known as “The Dairy Coach” and founder of PeopleCor, brought the panel home with a focus on the mechanics of management. Wall’s philosophy is centered on the COR-4 model:

Clarify
Communicate
Connect
Recognize

Wall argues many labor problems are actually clarity problems. If an employee doesn’t know exactly what is expected of them, they cannot be held accountable. This led to his results pyramid model.

At the base of the pyramid are the three essentials: clarity, discipline, and accountability. These three foundations support the development of habits. Once the right habits are ingrained in the workforce, the results follow naturally at the top of the pyramid.

Wall’s approach emphasizes that management is a daily discipline. Connect refers to the relationship between the manager and the worker, while recognize ensures high performance is incentivized and rewarded. Without the base of the pyramid — clarity — the habits will be inconsistent, and the results will be mediocre.

The consensus of the panel was that the high performance dairy of the future is one that treats people as its most valuable asset. By combining Delgado’s focus on the why and visual learning, Estrada’s systematic organizational design and Wall’s disciplined management playbook, producers can build a workforce that is not only efficient but deeply resilient.

As DeWit concluded, moving from hiring to high performance requires a shift in mindset. It’s about moving away from managing tasks and toward leading people.