Program Impact
In the seven years since Milk with Dignity’s founding, the Program has brought unprecedented improvements to the living and working conditions of hundreds of farmworkers in Vermont and New York. Over 50 participating farms have benefited from the millions of dollars in Milk with Dignity premium and other program supports. Milk with Dignity’s farmworker-authored standards and strong enforcement mechanisms have turned workers into frontline defenders of their own human rights on the farm.
Milk with Dignity's First Seven Years, by the Numbers
- 256 qualifying workers on 54 participating farms across 2 states
- 20% of Vermont’s total dairy production covered by the Program
- $5.35 million invested in workers’ wages and bonuses and in improvements to labor and housing conditions
- 1,611 inquiries from workers and farmers on the 24/7 Worker Support Line
- 611 violations of the farmworker-authored Code of Conduct resolved following worker complaints
- 212 farm audits, including 941 farmworker interviews, 315 management interviews, 268 worksite inspections, and 218 housing unit inspections
- 2,281 audit findings addressed through Corrective Action Plans agreed to by farmers
- 247 Program education sessions, with 1,291 worker and manager participants
The Milk with Dignity Program has released four public reports documenting in detail the tremendous progress that farmworkers and farm owners in the program have made so far for better working and housing conditions. Read our 2024 Program Report here!
For past reports, please download the files below to read farmer and farmworker testimony describing the major steps forward that workers and farm owners have made. The reports also include data on key health and safety, wage, and other indicators. Paper copies are available upon request to info (at) milkwithdignity (dot) org.
