We Need A Labor Program That Works For Dairy; Idaho's Naerebout

The conversation about ag labor and immigration reform has become very loud in 2025. And many sectors of agriculture are trying to make sure their voice is heard and not lost in the shuffle. A good example of this is the Idaho Dairymen’s Association.

IDA CEO Rick Naerebout continues to stress that the H-2A program does not work for livestock, since its focus is on temporary workers. But what a workable program looks like, Naerebout says they aren’t going to get too caught up in the details, whether that’s an update to the existing program, or starting over from scratch.

“We just we need a livable visa program. So, you know that's going to be our focus. And the other piece of our focus will be legalizing the existing workers. So, work them into whatever that visa program looks like, find a way to work them into it. And that involves, you know, a background check and a monetary penalty. We understand they've committed a misdemeanor being in a country without status and that there should be some sort of background check with them being in country, we've got no issue with that. We've got no issue with paying a monetary penalty.”

Politics Continue To Get In The Way

Naerebout noted that if those hurdles can be cleared, then the dairy industry should be in a good position to continue to feed the United States and the world. But the question remains, does D.C. understand the needs of the farming community, specifically the livestock sector?

Naerebout said the Idaho delegation gets it.

"It does feel like every time we start to get some momentum, when we start to get a piece of legislation to move, you've got other politics that come into play that disrupted it and derail the effort. And we end up with nothing. But those are those are things that are completely out of our control.”

Naerebout said other delegations and states will need step up if true ag labor reform is going to take place.

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