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DairyTalk 246: The Myth of Cheap Labor: Why Robots Become a Math Problem - by Helmut Demmelhuber
This article dismantles the idea of “cheap labor” in modern dairy farming by exposing the hidden costs embedded in programs like H-2A, including housing, transportation, compliance, and legal risk. At the same time, robotic milking and targeted automation are evaluated not as silver bullets, but through hard financial math - balancing capital costs, interest rates, and long-term labor savings. The source highlights how rising production costs and competition for workers from other industries are forcing mid-sized farms into strategic crossroads. Three viable paths emerge: selective…
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