References to “migrant labor” and all?
There wasn’t any when I was farming in the Northeast—and now it’s the norm. “Migrant” labor has allowed farms to pay only dirt-cheap wages and not consider working conditions or the attractiveness of their jobs much at all. Thus, the automation was able to replace a full-time and part-time worker that combined—including payroll taxes and benefits—were only costing the farmers $60K a year. Like all illegal-infested industry sectors, the cheap labor has led to stalled capital investments, low wages, and relatively poor working conditions.
Two things ... When I was in a conversational Spanish class, most of my classmates were farm family members who needed to commuicate with the help.
Also, DeLaval has a robotic milker on display at our county fair every year. A couple of local farms are using them and they are working out well.
Once the farm is too big for the family to take care of, you either have to hire people or mechanize/automate.
The robotic milker won’t be no-call, no-show; won’t show up drunk or high or hung-over; won’t have paperwork and immigration problems; neither you nor the robot have to speak Spanglish; and the heavier producing cows are able to get milked more often and be more comfortable.
The American way is to throw technology at it, which is why US agriculture is so productive.