Summer 2008
Helping Hands
Migrant labor provides essential help for dairy farms
Photographed by Caleb Kenna
with reporting by Chris Urban and Sky Barsch
There are currently an estimated 2,000 Hispanic migrant farm workers in Vermont. According to a Vermont Farm Bureau survey, roughly half of all the milk now produced in the state is the result of their labor.
The lives of these workers and the dairy farmers who hire them have become interconnected, yet language barriers and cultural differences can sometimes complicate everyday interactions. To facilitate greater public awareness of the issues facing both farmers and workers, photographer Caleb Kenna and Chris Urban, a former English as a Second Language teacher for the Vermont Migrant Education Program, decided to join forces with the Vermont Folklife Center in Middlebury. Their mission? To offer a more human perspective on a topic that is often overshadowed by laws and politics.
The result is a multimedia exhibit that will be held at the Vermont Folklife Center this fall. Named The Golden Cage project after the Spanish song "La Jaula de Oro,* the exhibit includes photographs and recorded interviews with both the workers and farmers.
The stated goal for the exhibit is not to politicize the issue, but to help create a safe platform for people to share their thoughts, beliefs and perspectives on their lives on Vermont dairy farms. The exhibit, which will feature many of the images shown here, will run Sept. 5-Nov. 22.
"They're just here to earn something that they could never provide for their family, you know, and their goal, every one of 'em that I talk to, their goal is to give their family an education, give 'em a chance. It's the same goals that every American moved to this country with: We want a chance.
— Vermont dairy farmer
Migrant laborers often do the twice-daily milking, feeding, cleaning and maintenance essential for running the farm, thus allowing the land to continue in agricultural use. As dairies have become increasingly dependent on migrant workers as a source of reliable and affordable labor, many communities have responded with kindness. In Addison County, which provides work and a home for approximately 500 Mexican migrant workers, there are Spanish church services, free English classes, and Spanish translators at health clinics. Bilingual volunteers offer food, clothing and friendship.
All of the people in these photographs have given written permission for their images to be used in The Golden Cage project and on these pages. Their willingness to be photographed allows a more intimate glimpse into their daily lives.
"We don't come to cause trouble. We want to do our best at work and to help others with their work. We also want to help our own people in our own land. We aren't bad people. I don't know what you guys think of us, but we think you're good people.
— A worker from Tabasco, Mexico, at a Champlain Valley dairy farm
*"La Jaula de Oro is sung by the popular Mexican-American group Los Tigres del Norte, whose members were once undocumented migrant workers.
- What: The Golden Cage project
- When: Sept. 5-Nov. 22
- Where: Vermont Folklife Center, Middlebury
- Cost: Free admission. Donations appreciated.
- Contact: 388-4964; www.vermontfolklifecenter.org