Milked : how an American crisis brought together Midwestern dairy farmers and Mexican workers /

Former editor in chief of The Progressive Conniff presents stories of how two crises--the alarming rate of farm bankruptcies in the Midwest and the politics around immigration--are changing rural America. The book contains numerous interviews with immigrant laborers in the U.S., weaving a tale of interdependence, culture, economics, and politics. Conniff talks about how NAFTA impacted the Mexican corn market, crashing the price, which bankrupted farms. This drove Mexican immigrants north to find work, with about 80 percent working on dairy farms in Wisconsin, and most of them undocumented. Their stories reveal reasons that immigrants seek farmwork in the U.S., including being driven out of their home country by the lack of jobs, sending money home for use in building concrete, modern dream homes, and providing their children with better educational opportunities. Conniff also addresses the similarities of the decline in farming in both nations and how this drives interdependence of labor and economics. Readers will find more than a story of farming and politics; they will be drawn in by personal stories and friendships that transcend culture.

Journalist Conniff debuts with an empathetic account of how Wisconsin dairy farmers and undocumented Mexican laborers have been "thrown together by global economic forces beyond their control." Over the past decade, she notes, Wisconsin has lost nearly half of its dairy farms to "low milk prices and massive consolidation," and the state is currently ranked number one in farm bankruptcies. Many farms that have survived have cut costs and expanded operations by hiring undocumented immigrants. (A major part of the problem, Conniff notes, is that dairies require year-round work, while visas for unskilled agricultural jobs are seasonal only.) Interweaving economic data and deeply personal stories from migrant workers, their families in Mexico, and the white farmers who hired them, Conniff spotlights the shared experiences and mutual respect between immigrants and rural Americans, despite the Republican Party's efforts to pit one against the other. Ironies abound--one third-generation farmer voted for Donald Trump twice, despite his attachment to the undocumented immigrants who have worked for him and his outrage over a state law requiring proof of legal residency for a driver's license. Sensitively reported and cautiously optimistic about finding common ground, this is a worthwhile look behind the headlines. (July)