South Dakota

Agriculture in the Bull's-Eye: Raids Reportedly Resume on Farms, Meatpacking Plants

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 18:40:22 GMT

After President Donald Trump reportedly ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) to pause raids on farms and meatpacking plants last week, new reports say the administration is reversing course again. The on-again, off-again reports regarding ICE raids is sowing confusion for those who rely on immigrant labor and already causing labor shortages due to employees not showing up for work.

There was an update again late Friday, with President Trump saying he’s looking at new immigration policy steps that would allow farms to take responsibility for people they hire.

The Washington Post first reported Monday that ICE officials told leaders representing field offices across the country they must continue to conduct raids at worksite locations, which is a reversal from guidance issued just days earlier.

Officials with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wouldn’t confirm the Washington Post’s report, but an agricultural association told Farm Journal the article is accurate based on their discussions with the administration.

Instead, DHS told us this:

“The president has been incredibly clear. There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts,” says DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safe guard public safety, national security and economic stability. These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets and expose critical infrastructure to exploitation.”

By Friday, there was another update. Reuters reported President Trump said he was looking at immigration policy steps that would allow farms to take responsibility for people they hire.

“We’re looking at doing something where, in the case of good, reputable farmers, they can take responsibility for the people that they hire and let them have responsibility, because we can’t put the farms out of business,” Trump told reporters. “And at the same time we don’t want to hurt people that aren’t criminals.”

According to Farm Journal’s Michelle Rook, the recent ICE raids are already creating absenteeism and labor shortages that could severally disrupt the U.S. food supply. Ag groups are again calling for immigration reform with hopes the issue will finally come to a head.

Ripple Effect of Immigration Crackdown

Joe Del Bosque, owner of Del Bosque Farms in Firebaugh, Calif., is experiencing the rollercoaster with labor, saying the shifting policy strikes fear in farmers and workers.

“There’s so much uncertainty as to what the administration’s going to do,” Del Bosque told Rook on AgriTalk this week.

Del Bosque says the raids on California produce farms are disrupting the harvest of perishable produce.

“They haven’t been really huge sweeps. They’re usually picking up a few people. But it creates a lot of fear, and people don’t show up to work. That’s just as bad as if they were taken away,” he says.

According to an exclusive report by Farm Journal’s The Packer , the ripple effect of Trump’s immigration crackdown on agriculture could be far-reaching — if the administration revives its focus on ag.

Kevin Kelly is the CEO of Emerald Packaging — the largest flexible packaging supplier to the leafy greens industry. Based in Union City, Calif., the company has been in the packaging business for 62 years. Kelly says the immigrant workforce in California is feeling uncertain and afraid.

“We’ve certainly heard folks aren’t turning up to work in the fields, and we’ve seen it in our facility. We verify everybody, so we know everybody in our facility is documented and can legally work in the United States,” Kelly tells Jennifer Strailey, editor of The Packer. “In our case, it’s brothers and sisters being deported, and other family members being afraid. Our employees are staying home to help their family members move, to take care of them or to take them to see an attorney — that kind of thing.”

Dairy operations in several states have also been raided recently. Dairy producers say they rely on immigrant labor to provide a stable year-round work force and to keep the U.S. food supply stable.

“We need these people to take care of our animals so we can produce food. Without animal care, we won’t have milk, cheese, butter — nothing,” Greg Moes, MoDak Dairy in Goodwin, S.D., told Rook.

The recent ICE arrests at Glenn Valley Foods of Omaha, Neb. have also led to absenteeism at meat processing plants.

“At the beginning of the Trump administration, we had this same worry with the crackdown — whether this was going to impact absenteeism and things like that,” says Brad Kooima, Kooima Kooima Varilek in Sioux Center, Iowa. “So, hopefully we can put that in our rearview mirror.”

By the Numbers: A Heavy Reliance on Immigrant Labor
The news this week of the Trump administration putting a pause on raids of farms and meat processors is welcome news for those in agriculture. From dairies and produce farms, to meatpacking plants across the U.S., these sectors rely heavily on immigrant labor.

Immigrant labor makes up a substantial portion of the meat processing workforce, with estimates ranging from 37% to over 50%. However, states like South Dakota and Nebraska have even higher concentrations of immigrant workers in meat processing — reaching 58% and 66%, according to the nonprofit Migration Policy Institute.

And a large portion of U.S. dairy farms rely on immigrant labor, with estimates indicating that over half of all dairy workers are immigrants. Specifically, these workers account for 51% of the total dairy workforce and are responsible for producing 79% of the U.S. milk supply.

Farmworker Justice estimates 70% of the produce industry’s farmworkers are immigrants. USDA’s estimates are lower — closer to 60%.

Report Shows Ranchers and Farmers Paid Less and Hired Fewer

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:29:12 GMT

Farmers and ranchers in the Northern Plains hired fewer workers this year than in 2015, and paid them less this October during the key harvest period than they did a year earlier.

That’s the news from a farm labor report issued on Thursday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture ag statistics office in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The report said farmers and ranchers in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas hired 34,000 workers this summer, down 8 percent from the same week in 2015.

They kept the same number of workers the week of Oct. 9-15, this year; but that was 15 percent below the 40,000 they hired the same week in 2015.

Comparing July 2016 to July 2015, farmer labor earned more this year and livestock workers earned less, and worked fewer hours.

But the October wages fell this year from last year’s figures, the Capital Journal reported .

It follows lower cattle and crop prices this year over 2015, for the most part.

USDA officials have said they expect net farm income to fall again this year for the second year in a row.

Cattle producers in the state said prices for the feeder calves coming off pastures this fall are about 50 percent of the record levels seen two years ago at sale barns.

USDA reported that farm operators in the Northern Plains Region paid their hired workers an average wage of $14.49 per hour during the July 2016 reference week, up 4 percent from the July 2015 reference week.

Field workers received an average of $15.17 per hour, up $1.51. Livestock workers earned $12.83 per hour, down 48 cents.

The field and livestock worker combined wage rate at $14.10, was up 60 cents from the 2015 reference week. Hired laborers worked an average of 44.0 hours during the July 2016 reference week, compared with 39.6 hours worked during the July 2015 reference week.

Farm operators paid their hired workers an average wage of $14.56 per hour during the October 2016 reference week, down 1 percent from the October 2015 reference week.

Field workers received an average of $15.33 per hour, up 74 cents. Livestock workers earned $12.50 per hour, compared with $13.86 a year earlier.

The field and livestock worker combined wage rate, at 14.15, was down 15 cents from the October 2015 reference week.

Hired laborers worked an average of 44.8 hours during the October 2016 reference week, compared with 41.0 hours worked during the October 2015 reference week.

Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Taking Aim at Invasive Trees

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:02:55 GMT

The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe is looking to wipe out invasive trees that are reducing grazing area for cattle.

The tribe’s Department of Wildlife, Fish and Recreation plans to remove eastern red cedar trees from 130 acres of land on the Lower Brule Reservation over the next four years, The Daily Republic reported .

“In reality, that should all be flat, clear rangeland,” Wildlife Biologist Shaun Grassel said.

The work is to begin this summer. The tribe also plans to spray nearly 3,000 acres of land over four years to kill weeds, beginning in the fall.

The tribe is taking advantage of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “StrikeForce” program, which will reimburse part of the cost of the projects. The program provides aid to counties with high poverty levels.

“We identify total acreage that we are going to control each year,” Grassel said. “What will happen is we will get reimbursed for a portion of that, then use that reimbursement to treat more land.”

Thirteen South Dakota counties have utilized StrikeForce resources since the first year of the program in 2013, according to Jeff Zimprich, state conservationist in South Dakota for the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service. Last year, $76 million went to nearly 1,300 projects.

“It’s not like USDA strolls in and says, ‘We’re here to help you,’” Zimprich said. “It’s people going, ‘We really have this need, and we’re trying to figure out how to solve it.’”

USDA files administrative complaint against The Fruit Club

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:08:06 GMT

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has filed an administrative complaint against The Fruit Club, Sioux Falls, S.D., for violations of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act.

The Fruit Club allegedly failed to pay $367,040 to four produce sellers from June 2016 to October 2017, according to a USDA news release.

The Fruit Club can request a hearing. If the USDA finds the company violated the PACA, it could be barred from the industry as a PACA licensee for three years, according to the news release, or two years with the posting of an approved surety bond.

The company’s principals could be banned from the industry for up to two years, according to the release, or one with a USDA-approved surety bond.

Related articles:

USDA sanctions produce companies for PACA violations

USDA sanctions The Fruit Club, three others under PACA

Consumer fruit distributor, logistics firm to build warehouse

New Survey Shows Labor is Serious Challenge for Ag Industry

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 18:00:19 GMT

A new survey from the Minneapolis Fed found ag bankers rank labor availability as a top concern for their farm clients.

The survey, which was conducted with ag bankers from the ninth district (Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin), found the issue is viewed as a “serious challenge” for 63% of respondents and a minor challenge for the majority of the remaining 37%.

“It’s becoming more and more difficult to obtain the labor needed to operate,” a Minnesota-based banker told the Minneapolis Fed.

The availability of livestock workers was seen as more limited than crop workers and those surveyed also shared that finding long-term help is more difficult than temporary help due to the seasonal nature of the ag industry.

As far as how this compares to past conditions, 39% of respondents said labor availability has gotten “much worse” over the past five years and 44% said it’s “a little worse”.

The Minneapolis Fed attributes this challenge to the region’s low influx of migrant workers and aging workforce.

According to U.S. Census Bureau data, 10% of animal production employees in the area are foreign born, compared to 18% nationally. The number is even lower for crop production with just 5% of workers being foreign born, compared to 32% nationally.

The region also has some of the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S.

(Farm Journal)

At the same time, the median age of workers in the region rose from 51 to 56 in 2021. The number of workers between 45 to 54 has declined over the past decade with a small increase of those between the ages of 25 to 44 and a large increase of those over 55.

(Farm Journal)

Top retailers in the Southwest by market share

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:42:31 GMT

Each year, The Shelby Report showcases valuable retail market share data. In the interactive map below, find each major market around the Southwest. Also, highlighted are the major cities in each market.

All markets are “labeled” or identified by their primary state (with metros or key cities). Percentages are estimates based on annualized sales, industry data, institutional research and store footprints. Shares are updated as market metrics dictate and retailers supply their store lists.*

Market shares are for chains, independents and/or the wholesalers (voluntary or cooperative) which supply them within each region’s distribution area, extending well beyond typical metros or CBSAs. Each market is defined by the sphere of distribution, not by a rigid geographic boundary.

Major cities in each market:

Colorado/Wyoming/Nebraska/South Dakota - Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs,
Ft Collins, Pueblo, Grand Junctiion, Cheyenne
West Texas/New Mexico/Colorado/Kansas - Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, El Paso, Amarillo,
Lubbock, Wichita Falls, Abilene, Odessa
South Texas - San Antonio, Austin, Waco, Laredo,
Corpus Christi, McAllen, Brownsville
North Texas/Louisana/Arkansas/Oklahoma - Dallas, Fort Worth, Tyler, Longview, Shreveport
East Texas/Louisiana - Houston, Pasadena, Galveston, Bryan,
Beaumont, Port Arthur, Lake Charles
Oklahoma - Oklahoma City, Tulsa
Springfield, MO - Springfield, MO; Fayetteville, Bentonville, AR