Milked: How an American Crisis Brought Together Midwestern Dairy Farmers and Mexican Workers

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)