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Immigration solution? Dairy hiring firm helps bridge vexing challenge

John Oncken
Special to the Capital Times  —  12/13/2007 10:41 am

Despite what will be a record year for income, all is not rosy on the Wisconsin dairy scene.

Presidential candidates have been discussing the immigration issue. Many opinions have been offered, but none have found significant backing from lawmakers or the public.

Diego Duarte of Sun Prairie, who owns Dairy Solutions & Services, may be the closest person to being an expert on the subject in southern Wisconsin. His business provides dairy producers with employees, most of whom are Hispanic, to milk cows, feed cattle and manage other aspects of the dairy operation. Spanish is the primary language of the employees on most every Wisconsin dairy herd milking over 150 cows. Duarte, with his ability to speak and read the language, can communicate with the producer and employee.

Duarte was born and raised on a top level dairy farm in Colombia in South America. He earned an MBA at Javeriana University in Bogota before coming to the U.S. to attend the UW-Madison Farm Short Course from 1996-1999.

Since the home farm in Colombia was too small for two families, Duarte returned to the U.S. to work at the Alvin Francis farm at Evansville and at ABS as a representative working with dairy producers. Farmers began asking for assistance in hiring Hispanic milkers which led to the formation of Dairy Solutions & Services in 2004.

Today, Duarte works with dairy producers across southern Wisconsin and is in the process of consolidating his business with that of his cousin, Oscar Duarte who operates OMMA International, a similar business in Kaukauna. (Oscar Duarte was a veterinarian in Colombia prior to coming to the U.S. in 1991.)

Diego Duarte is concerned with the immigration issue and has definite thoughts on the subject.

"Hispanics are not taking American jobs," he says. "There are plenty of jobs available that don't involve getting up early in the morning and working at a professional level with cows that must be milked two or three times a day, 365 days a year. I will employ non-Hispanics and I wish I could.

"My workers are men and women who want to work and have a strong work ethic," Duarte adds. "They usually spend their money locally. It's probably the first time they had any money."

The challenge in hiring Hispanics centers around confusing rules and lack of a real program, Duarte contends. But he has some ideas.

• Open the border and allow those who want to enter the U.S. to do so. They would apply for a work permit to enter the country to look for a job. The permit is good for 30 (or 60) days during which time a background check would be made. If they did not get a job and sponsorship, they would have to leave. The same rules would apply for current workers.
• Law breakers would be sent back to Mexico if that is where they came from.
• A work permit would allow the worker to pay taxes, Social Security and eventually apply for a "green card."
• Let all immigrants apply for a driver's license. "This will allow them to take driver's training and learn the laws and read the signs," Duarte says. "Without a license, they will not learn how to drive properly and will be a public danger.''

Duarte realizes there are many other aspects to be considered. A fence on the border? "It won't help,'' he says. "You can go under or over."

Farmers who use employees see Duarte as a major help.

Marty Mulcahy of Dane, who expanded to 360 cows in July, hired Dairy Solutions.

"Duarte is a proven success,'' Mulcahy says. "I don't speak Spanish but wanted good, experienced employees. He takes care of any issues that come up."

Steve Schmitt and Ed Niesen milk 450 cows at Sweetwater Dairy near Dane. They have five Hispanic employees and depend on Duarte to fill out the forms, take care of the details in the hiring process and ensure the workers know the milking process.

Duarte is proud of his employees. They get two weeks to a month training in milking routines and procedures. "They are well trained by my company,'' he says.

"I also work with the dairy owners on how to work with and understand employees," Duarte adds. "If the employees aren't happy, they will leave."

Jose Olivieri, an attorney with Michael Best & Friedrich LLP. summed up the Hispanic worker process at a recent DBA seminar. Employers cannot knowingly hire undocumented workers and employers must attest via Form 1-9 that the worker has documentation, can't refuse legally acceptable documents or ask for specific documents.

If most everyone from government to attorneys to political candidates are unsure of the whats and whys of immigration, it's no wonder that a dairy family milking cows on a family farm in Wisconsin has questions that may not have easy answers.

They will readily admit that life would be a lot easier if the whole immigrant challenge would be cleared up. They're waiting.

Dairy Solutions & Services can be reached at 608-445-0585. John Oncken is owner of Oncken Communications, a Madison-based agricultural information and consulting company. He can be reached at 222-0624 or e-mail jfodairy@chorus.net

John Oncken
Special to the Capital Times  —  12/13/2007 10:41 am