Empty cartons, broken dairies : the unsustainability of Vermont's iconic milk industry and its hidden reliance on undocumented, abused labor
(Book - Regular Print)

Thesis,MSFS,Green Mountain College,2018

Includes bibliographical references.

Dairy and Vermont are synonymous. For more than a century, dairy farming has shaped Vermont's economy, ecology, and culture. Thousands of hardworking family operations gave rise to its modern, multi-billion-dollar industry. Dairying is arduous, labor-intensive work, with thin profit margins. Today, to keep operations afloat financially, more and more dairy owners employ undocumented migrant workers, mostly from Mexico, to dampen expenses and control costs. The official position of Vermont, facing a sever labor shortage, was to "look the other way". When dairy farmers in Vermont, known for its liberalism and progressive ideals, and it's government openly flout federal immigration laws, the desperation of the state's dairy industry becomes clear. The tragic 2009 workplace death of a young migrant dairy worker from Ciapas, Mexico, sparked the birth of Migrant Justice of Vermont, which now advocates for workers' constitutional protections, food sovereignty, and a reformed federal agricultural visa program. The migrant workers, who live in isolation on dairy farms and in fear of detection and deportation, are viewed as "illegals" by federal law enforcement. Vermont's reliance on undocumented workers is unsustainable and counter to its groundbreaking statewide sustainability goals, outlined in the Farm to Plate Strategic Plan. Vermont provides a unique window into the world of undocumented workers, desperate farmers, and large ignorant consumers. This capstone examines undocumented migrant worker exploitation; the history of using Mexicans as temporary farm labor; the free trade impact; the racialized food system, and how Vermont food justice advocates can respond to the Trump Administration's anti-immigrant policies.