The Land of Milk and Money

They’re eating the dogs! They’re eating the cats! … They’re milking the cows? Donald Trump has been milking the anti-immigrant fervor for all its worth, and threatening to round up and kick out millions of illegal immigrants—while simultaneously complaining about the high prices of groceries. But in reality (a place less frequented these days, but still there) the two issues are connected and in ways that don’t support the round ’em up philosophy. Unless you’re lactose intolerant, your other intolerances may not work out quite how you imagine. In NYT Magazine (Gift Article), Marcela Valdes takes you to an Idaho dairy farm to document some hard truths about undocumented workers in America. What a Crackdown on Immigration Could Mean for Cheap Milk. “Undocumented labor quietly props up the entire American economy — but nowhere more dramatically than on dairy farms.” The issue is complex and finding reasonable strategies in this political climate is like trying to milk a duck.