Learn How to Bring Skilled Professionals to the Farm Using the Visa Programs

Mar 22, 2023

Dairy farmers who want to hire employees from other countries can learn more about using the U.S. visa program during the April 13 I-29 Moo University webinar.

Miguel Rangel, an employee recruiter and visa recipient, will explain benefits and considerations when using the United States visa programs to hire from foreign countries. The webinar runs from noon to 1 p.m. CDT.

Miguel Rangel

“Listeners will gain a better understanding of what visas are available to them when hiring qualitied employees,” said Fred Hall, dairy specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

This discussion will cover the most common visas available for dairy producers and will include a discussion of situations in which each visa may be used, the benefits of various visas and the requirements to qualify for different visas. Rangel will also discuss the application process, rights and responsibilities of employers and employees and will clarify common misconceptions.

Rangel received his veterinarian degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City. As an employee recruiter and recipient of a TN visa himself, he knows the process and the industry firsthand.

Rangel has also been the owner and operator of Optimum Dairy Consulting and Recruiting since 2021, specializing in maximizing profits in dairy operations and the recruiting of skilled professionals. Prior to that, he spent 16 years working in various aspects of the dairy industry, including managing the ISU Dairy Farm from 2018 to 2021.

Source : iastate.edu

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.