Boise, Idaho

9,453 Farmworkers Total in Idaho. Around 80% are in the dairy industry and around 20% work with potatoes and sugar beets.

Observations from Our Recent Visit

National “belonging deficit” impacting individualism, isolationism and fear of the immigrant “other;”
Catholics opposed to immigrant outreach;
Importance of “incarnational ministry” aka direct contact with immigrants; Ex-farmworkers in parishes are bridge people between farmworkers & parishioners;
Greater mechanization in agriculture replacing farmworkers; Growing number of H-2A workers;