Ashley Kennedy used to spend up to 10 hours a day in a milking parlor, milking cows.
But a few years ago, her farm in Huron County decided to make an upgrade by introducing automated milking systems.
“Basically, it's like a box and (cows) can walk in, get fed in there and this mechanical arm goes under and actually milks the cow,” she said.
Kennedy said part of the reason for installing the machines was driven by a lack of reliable, good workers.
"We depend on our employees and we have a fantastic crew, but now we're able to have a smaller workforce," Kennedy said, adding, "And it seems to be really advantageous when you can tell somebody that they won't have to milk cows in a parlor."
Although she’s happy with the machines for the flexibility they offer, Kennedy said other farmers haven’t been so lucky, as they’ve struggled to find workers.
A shortage in farm workers isn’t a new problem to agriculture.
According to John Kran, who serves on the National Legislation Council for the Michigan Farm Bureau, there has been a steady decline in workers for decades, and even more in recent years.
He said the decline -- driven by a lack of interest in farming, among other factors -- has left farmers turning to more options like guest workers.
In addition to domestic migrant workers, H-2A workers or temporary workers, who come to the US with a work visa, are becoming the growing source of labor on farms.
Kran said the Farm Bureau works with farmers to bring in guest workers through H-2A, but the system is flawed: H-2A isn’t always user-friendly or accessible to farmers and it only really addresses seasonal agricultural needs.
“(The Michigan Farm Bureau has) continued to advocate on farmers’ behalf to Congress and to the federal administration for a long-term solution like immigration reform that would help address agriculture's long-term needs,” Kran said.
Kran said current solutions to the worker shortage like the H-2A program and technology are only temporary fixes, and it’s going to take more forward-thinking initiatives to address the needs of farmers.
Although farm workers are becoming harder to find, farmers -- who own and manage land -- are also dwindling in numbers.
Roger Bentz is a Farm Business Management Educator for the MSU Extension. He said decreasing farmers has been the trend, but a shortage of farmers isn’t as concerning across the state.
Likewise, Bentz said the average age of Michigan farmers, which puts them at 56 years, is also a misleading statistic since many farms are passed down through families.
“People look at the stats and say, ‘oh my gosh, this is terrible,’ but from an economic standpoint, we're just more efficient in what we do,” Bentz said. “There’s a constant economic pressure that’s reducing farmers, asking, ‘how many farmers do you need?”
Bentz said with increasing operation efficiency, farms are less in need of farmers to oversee the land, but employees that do the more labor-intensive work are still in high demand.
Migrant and H-2A workers are becoming the norm on Michigan farms, but technology is also a growing part of the conversation when considering the farm of the future.
Kennedy said she understands technology is an investment that changes a farm’s entire operation and the transition can be a daunting task for farmers.
“Putting a robotic milking unit into a farm is not just changing how you milk cows -- it also changes how you manage your farm, your outlook, how you are feeding your cows and essentially every aspect of your farm,” Kennedy said. “If you're not willing to (make those changes), I have absolutely seen (technology) fail.”
Current technology isn’t a fail-safe solution for the worker labor shortage. Kran said it’s not always cost-effective, and there are still limited options across different sectors.
“Necessity has driven some technological advancements in agriculture,” Kran said. “We have a long way to go for that to become a reality for all crops and all types of agriculture. That's something that's going to continue to develop as we face worker shortages.”
Despite the current challenges, Kran and Kennedy said they’re still hopeful for the future of agriculture.
“I think (the worker shortage) is a very serious problem, but I think problems help us to get creative with solutions and find new solutions,” Kennedy said. “They might not come tomorrow, but they're coming.”
This story was produced as part of the Michigan News Group internship. You can read a print version of this story in the July 9 edition of the Huron Daily Tribune.
Photo Caption: A cow waits to be fed and milked, as the "Lely Astronaut" machine prepares to clean the cow's udders. While milking, the machine monitors the cow and collects data about the cow's health.
