The Farm Labor Landscape is Changing

Agricultural labor policy is on the move, and dairy has a direct stake in the outcome. Join this members-only webinar for an update on two recent ag labor developments: a new policy memo clarifying how dairies could be considered for the H-2A visa program, and Congressman GT Thompson’s newly introduced Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act (SAWA), which includes reforms long sought by dairy farmers. We’ll cover what these developments mean for dairy, how farms are currently using H-2A and what to expect as SAWA moves through Congress in the coming weeks and months.

Alan Branch is a second-generation dairy farmer in Idaho’s Magic Valley. He farms alongside his family, milking 2,200 cows and operating a 4,000-head feedyard, and farming 3,500 acres of irrigated crops. Branch serves on the Idaho Dairymen’s Association board of directors and the AgWest Farm Credit advisory board and is involved in his church. Branch earned his bachelor’s degree in ag education and agronomy, taught high school ag for a couple of years and then worked as an agronomist before returning home in 2015.

Trey Forsyth is Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs for NMPF, where he leads legislative and regulatory strategy and works with Congress and federal agencies on dairy issues. He previously served at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in senior food safety leadership roles, on the Senate Agriculture Committee, at Land O’Lakes and as a policy advisor at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

Maria Brockamp is Senior Manager of Government Relations at NMPF, where she tracks dairy policy developments and coordinates advocacy efforts with member cooperatives. She holds a B.S. in Agricultural and Consumer Economics with a minor in Crop and Soil Management from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and previously served as State Relations Manager at the American Soybean Association.

This session is intended for cooperative staff, dairy farmers and associate members of NMPF. Participation in this webinar and other members-only activities is limited to staff, board members and farmer-owners of NMPF cooperative members, as well as staff and board members of NMPF associate members. Participants must list their cooperative or associate member affiliation when registering to confirm eligibility. NMPF reserves the right to deny registration or participation to ineligible individuals. Please contact us at info@nmpf.org for information about becoming an NMPF member. The webinar will not be recorded.