Wisconsin dairy farms rely on immigrant workers

The Rosenholm Dairy in Cochrane.

Omar Guerrero assists a veterinarian performing fertility checks at Drake Dairy Inc. in Elkhart Lake.

A pedestrian walks past one of a number of businesses that cater to Mexican immigrants in Arcadia in western Wisconsin.

Roberto Tecpile, left, a Mexican immigrant, replaces the bearings while repairing an irrigator with the help of dairy farm owner John Rosenow at Rosenholm Dairy in Cochrane.

Omar Guerrero vaccinates a cow at Drake Dairy in Elkhart Lake.

Roberto Tecpile replaces the bearings while repairing an irrigator at Rosenholm Dairy in Cochrane.

A worker drives a skid loader in one of three barns at Drake Dairy Inc.

Employee timecards at Rosenholm Dairy in Cochrane. The farm employs nine workers who are immigrants from Mexico.

Workers take care of dairy cattle at Drake Dairy Inc. in Elkhart Lake.

A worker checks on cows at Drake Dairy Inc. in Elkhart Lake.

A skid loader moves feed at Drake Dairy Inc. in Elkhart Lake.

A cow follows veterinarian Jeff Bleck while he performs fertility checks Oct. 30 at Drake Dairy Inc. in Elkhart Lake.

Dairy cows are shown between milking at Drake Dairy Inc. in Elkhart Lake.

A flyer on a convenience store bulletin board in Abbottsford seeks workers for Butternut Dairy in Edgar.

Blanca Hernández worked for years at a Wisconsin dairy farm before returning to Texhuacán, in Veracruz, México.

Blanca Hernández, center, walks with friends Lucero Quechulpa, left, and Fátima Anastasio in Texhuacán. The three worked at dairy farms in Wisconsin or Minnesota before returning to México.

Roberto Tecpile's wife, Verónica Montalvo, and his mother, Concepciona Acahua, in the home that Tecpile's family is building in Astacinga, México, thanks to his work at a Wisconsin dairy farm.

Salvador Salas spent more than six years working at dairy farms in Wisconsin and Minnesota. He returned to Astacinga, Mexico, in 2019.