A USDA official says the rural landscape is changing with fewer farmers owning the land, and hired workers needing special housing. Stan Gruszynski, State Director of Wisconsin Rural Development Programs, says they are focusing on housing for these farm workers and their families.
“It’s not just a case of migrant farmers these are people that come year round. They stay for the long haul.”
The farm families are grateful for the labor. “They tell us they would not be able to exist were it not for the help they are getting from other parts of the state, from families that are coming in from Mexico, Central America and otherwise.”
Gruszynski says accommodating these families is “essential” for the rural economy as they act as an economic driver for nearby businesses.