Immigration Task Force, State Dairy Associations and NMPF Board:

We need your support on urgent immigration-related legislation.

Over the weekend, NMPF sent out the Dairy GREAT notice below, urging producers to email and call their Senators in support of the Emergency Agriculture Relief Act (EARA) Amendment. The Emergency Agriculture Relief Act (EARA) is very similar to AgJOBS and aims to help alleviate labor pressures facing producers. On a temporary basis, it would make adjustments to the agriculture guest worker program, H-2A that would make the program more workable and allow dairy to participate in it. In addition, EARA would allow undocumented workers employed in agriculture to stay here lawfully for 5 years. Thus, EARA addresses both critical pieces of the immigrant labor situation – albeit on a temporary basis.

Please pass this message along to your producer members. Dairy GREAT (http://capwiz.com/nmpf/home/) provides information on the issue and the appropriate contact information for each producer’s Senators. Producers can use the link below and the Alert in the previously mentioned website to send a message, even if they do not choose to register with Dairy GREAT to receive future Action Alert notices on legislative priorities needing grassroots action. Talking points on the EARA are also attached.

Senator Feinstein is seeking as many cosponsors as possible for her initiative. While contact with all Senate offices below is strongly desired, focused grassroots attention should be particularly targeted towards the following Senators, requesting not only their support but also for them to cosponsor EARA: Bayh (IN), Stabenow (MI), Coleman (MN), Klobuchar (MN), Domenici (NM), Bingaman (NM), Johnson (SD), Feingold (WI).

Full EARA Target List:

DEMOCRATS – Baucus (MT), Bayh (IN), Biden (DE), Bingaman (NM), Brown (OH), Cantwell (WA), Cardin (MD), Conrad (ND), Dorgan (ND), Feingold (WI), Johnson (SD), Klobuchar (MN), Lincoln (AR), McCaskill (MO), Nelson (NE), Sanders (VT), Schumer (NY), Stabenow (MI), Tester (MT), Webb (VA)

REPUBLICANS – Bond (MO), Cochran (MS), Coleman (MN), Collins (ME), Crapo (ID), Dole (NC), Domenici (NM), Graham (SC), Hatch (UT), Lugar (IN), Martinez (FL), McConnell (KY), Smith (OR), Snowe (ME), Specter (PA), Warner (VA)

Make the Call on Immigration Reform Today

Tell your Senators to Support the Emergency Agriculture Relief Act Amendment!

Take Action!

Call and Email Your Senators ASAP!



Many dairy producers across the country rely on immigrant labor to run their farms more efficiently. Current enforcement efforts are putting increasing strains on those who are forced to employ immigrant workers on their dairies. The Emergency Agriculture Relief Act (EARA) aims to help alleviate those pressures in a way very similar to AgJOBS. Urge your Senators to support EARA today!