Role of immigrants in rural economy, culture on the rise

By Jeff Caldwell

Today's agricultural processing sector is largely dependent upon immigrant labor. Many farm communities depend on immigrant workers, and immigrant workers depend on farm communities.

The confluence of immigrant labor and small communities in rural America has in many areas become a typical part of life. Often the immigrant work force can put strains on the infrastructure of those same communities causing a drain on financial resources.

But, immigrant workers are more often today becoming mainstream members of American society, due largely to civic and corporate leaders working to ensure workers from abroad are able to thrive in and become members of their new culture--and economy--in the U.S.

Companies like Tyson Foods, Inc., for example, are recognizing the needs of a largely immigrant employee base. Through a series of community programs and infrastructure, the corporation is helping immigrant employees become acclimated to their new, sometimes temporary, surroundings in the U.S., specifically when it comes to integration into the area's economy.

These steps have yielded well in some small towns affected by, specifically, the evolution of the meatpacking industry in the Midwest, particularly when it comes to the shifting of immigrant populations.

Yet, some questions remain unanswered, even in towns where immigrant labor is most prevalent and civic leaders are best equipped to assimilate many cultures into one. Some unintended consequences are causing civic and educational leaders to think differently about the place of immigrants in the community.

When an employer leaves

In February 2006, Tyson announced a realignment of its eastern Nebraska beef processing plants. In the process, as part of the company's market-driven "strategy to operate more efficiently," Tyson closed facilities in Norfolk and West Point, Neb., consolidating their operations in a new plant in Dakota City.

"The consolidation will enhance the performance of our beef business, both now during this time of challenging market conditions and later when these conditions improve," said Noel White, Tyson Fresh Meats vice president, upon announcing the move.

On the other side of the spectrum from this macro-level economic streamlining was two small towns, the economies of which were largely influenced by the packing plants and the immigrant workers they employed.

"We were really unsure what the impact was going to be," says Tom Goulette, West Point city administrator. "We had a lot of long-term employees who were residents of West Point."

Was the exodus of 365 packing plant employees--the bulk of whom were immigrant workers--a painful blow to West Point, a city of approximately 3,660 people? Goulette says such change has not been evident yet, a sign that perhaps the blow to the community's economy will be lighter than expected.

"It's still one of those moving targets we haven't determined yet," he says.

Goulette says while it's been marginal to date--and may continue to be so--the full economic effect of the loss of 10 percent of the city's residents due to the Tyson plant closure will likely not be fully known until this fall, when school enrollment numbers will most accurately indicate what sort of population swing, if any, the closing will create.

"In my opinion, I don't think we'll be able to quantify this thing until the next school year, if we see a sign at all, like a drop in enrollment," Goulette says. "I'm reluctant to downplay it because we haven't gone through the whole cycle. It will be clear in September as we approach the next school year, when we can say we have lost X-number of people with the Tyson plant closing."

Softening the blow

The reduced impact on West Point is due in part to the steps the company took in the consolidation process. Facilities that employ largely immigrant workers require certain steps to meet the specific needs of men and women who went to the area solely for employment in order to avoid the typical throes of such a shift.

According to Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson, that process began well ahead of the Norfolk and West Point plant closures and the expansion of operations in Dakota City. It started, he says, with fostering awareness of some of the simplest life skills among non-native employees, as well as helping the immigrant workers transition to other Tyson locations if so desired.

"Some plants invite local banking representatives to address new team members, teaching them about such things as establishing credit or opening a checking account. In order to foster good communications, we provide interpreters for our non-English speaking team members," Mickelson says. "Tyson offered qualified Norfolk and West Point team members cash relocation incentives of up to $5,000 if they transferred to a Tyson plant in Dakota City, Lexington, Neb., or Emporia, Kan."

But, this process was not simply targeted at the employees themselves. By including other community members in the transition, immigrant workers can more easily gain access to community services otherwise difficult, especially when a language barrier exists.

"Many Tyson plants have a 'community liaison' who addresses employee-related issues in plant communities," Mickelson says. "Their roles range from helping new team members find housing or medical care to arranging for utilities and registering children for school."

Low unemployment stifles growth

Despite efforts like these toward the assimilation of large immigrant populations employed by the ag processing sector, such a demographic makeup does have economic consequences. What is often considered an indicator of economic well-being, the unemployment rate can also weigh on the economy of a given area, according to Bob Wetmore, president of the Dodge City/Ford County Development Corporation in Dodge City, Kan. This comes, Wetmore says, when the rate is too low, as a certain level of unemployment is important to the economy's function. Today, Dodge City--a city with a population of around 26,000, 18,000 of Hispanic origin--has an unemployment rate of around three percent.

"Numbers like three percent are almost unheard of. Economically, we strive for four percent," Wetmore says. "You need a certain number of unemployed people for the turnover of jobs. Once you get below that, some businesses can't find people to employ."

Because of the size of the beef processing sector in Dodge City--two plants employ around 2,800 apiece, with largely immigrant workers--combined with the tight unemployment margin overall, the strain of too little unemployment is spread throughout the city's business community.

"That creates a problem," Wetmore says. "If a fast food restaurant needs to hire someone, there's nobody available to hire."

Dodge City's generations of immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala and other Central and South American nations are carving a growing niche in the area's economy. Immigrant workers, whether coming here legally or illegally, are no longer arriving alone. Instead, Wetmore says there are more families migrating north, bringing with them more purchasing power and needs for community and civil services.

"The old story of employment in a Dodge City packing plant is that it's five guys coming here, living in an apartment and working for a year, then going back to Mexico," he says. "That's no longer true. They come here as families, they want their kids to go to school and they stay an average of three to four years. It's now a family market."

Strains on the school system

With almost 70 percent of Dodge City's population comprising immigrants of all ages, the younger members of this population create special needs within the local school system.

In just 13 years, minority enrollment has increased from 28 percent to 66 percent in 2005 Ford County schools. Minorities comprise an even bigger percentage of Ford County enrollment in K-6, numbering 72 percent.

According to Wetmore, 23 languages and dialects are spoken by students of Unified School District 443 in Dodge City. Because of this diversity, instructors and administrators have created programs to help ensure all students receive a consistent high level of education. The Dodge City Migrant Education Program is an effort to that end, according to program director Robert Vinton.

"The program ensures that migratory students have the opportunity to meet the same challenging state content and performance standards that all children are expected to meet," according to Vinton. "It designs programs to help migratory children overcome educational disruption, cultural and language barriers, social isolation, various health-related problems and other factors that inhibit the ability of the children to do well in school."

The program, which provides transition assistance, dual language and English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction, cultural education and a "career ladder program," is designed to cater to the approximately 2,500 "second-language learners" currently enrolled in Dodge City schools.

Administrators and instructors do recognize there are questions surrounding added expenditures of both human and financial resources for a migrant population. Yet, in view of the drawbacks of an absence of migrant education resources, it's clear the payoff is there.

"When migrant children move with their families, their education as well as their lives are disrupted, often many times a year. Migrant children may come from large families with inadequate living space and low incomes," according to Vinton. "Poor nutrition, housing and sanitary conditions may cause a high incidence of health problems. Migrant children may have limited English speaking skills and little experience with success at school.

"These problems, combined with irregular school attendance, often lead to overall frustration and low academic performance, causing many migrant children to drop out of school in their teens. The families' frequent moves result in disrupted education and lack of knowledge of other kinds of work."

The education of converging cultures does not end with the migrant newcomers to the area. According to Wetmore, programs are offered to help native students acclimate to their new classmates.

"Social services have to accommodate all these languages, and that's why early childhood education is so important. We even have a Spanish as a Second Language (SSL) program," he says. "It's a great opportunity. Obviously you have to deal with it, and it works so well when you grab the kids at an early age."

Currently, Wetmore says there is a waiting list for most SSL courses offered in the Dodge City school system.

Immigrants add to prosperity

The ag processing sector keeps the demand for social and educational services high and the unemployment rate low, but without the industry, Wetmore says Dodge City--like other towns depending on immigrant-driven ag processing--would not be as economically prosperous as it is today. That's why, he says, it's important lawmakers factor the ag processing sector's health into the immigration reform equation.

"The American economy depends on immigrant labor, illegal or legal. Go ahead and build a wall along the border, but figure out that if we've got X-number of immigrants, whether legal or illegal, you'll end up shutting down whole feedyards and dairies," Wetmore says. "Solve the issue, come up with legislation, but if you want to shut the border, make sure you do what it takes to make immigrants able to come here legally."

Jeff Caldwell can be reached by phone at 515-280-5405 or by e-mail at jcaldwell@mchsi.com.

Date: 6/28/06

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