KLA recently participated in a workforce roundtable discussion with Sen. Roger Marshall and staff representing Reps. Derek Schmidt and Sam Graves of Missouri. The roundtable was organized by KLA, Dairy Farmers of America and the American Business Immigration Coalition. Other agricultural and business organizations and business leaders also participated in the discussion.
During the meeting, KLA staff highlighted the importance of securing the border, as well as the workforce. For livestock producers, securing the workforce includes providing legal status for long-term employees with no criminal record. Ranchers, cattle feeders and dairy farmers also need access to guest worker programs that provide for the year-round labor needs of livestock operations. Staff also highlighted how President Donald Trump has stated multiple times the need to accommodate long-term, hard-working employees in agriculture and other critical industries.
KLA is actively engaged in addressing workforce issues facing the livestock industry. Association staff and volunteer leaders have described these challenges in several interviews with national media outlets over the past several months.