You may not see them, but they are very much welcome guests at our Thanksgiving table. Most of us won’t actually see the farm and meatpacking workers at our family feast this year, but that doesn’t mean their presence won’t be felt or should go unappreciated. From delicious side dishes like green beans and corn, to main courses like turkey with gravy or roasted ham, to desserts like pumpkin pie served with a healthy dollop of whipped cream, these essential workers labored in fields, orchards, dairy farms, and factories to feed us, our families and friends.
And a major percentage of these skilled and essential workers are immigrants, many of whom lack legal immigration status.
In fact, of the roughly 2.4 million farmworkers who help feed our nation from coast to coast, at least half are undocumented. This number is even more pronounced in agriculture-rich states like California, where as many as 75% of workers lack legal immigration status. Meatpacking plants similarly rely on foreign-born labor, with immigrants making up nearly 40% of meat processing workers. Not only are these workers the backbone of these industries, our Thanksgiving celebrations simply couldn’t happen without their labor and contributions.
For example, green bean harvesting can be a grueling experience for farm laborers, UnitedFarm Workers (UFW) noted last year. “Stephanie is shown picking green beans in Fresno, CA. She spends up to 8 hours on her knees filling buckets amid temps that can reach 103° or higher. This work is piece rate, instead of workers being paid an hourly wage.” While certain varieties of green beans must be harvested by hand, sturdier ones can be picked by machine, the union noted.
Stephanie is shown picking green beans in Fresno, CA. She spends up to 8 hours on her knees filling buckets amid temps that can reach 103° or higher. This work is piece rate, instead of workers being paid an hourly wage. (Some lower quality beans are sturdy enough to be harvested by machine.)
— United Farm Workers (@ufw.bsky.social) 2024-11-27T22:18:10.299Z
How about a sweet potato casserole with a crunchy pecan topping? Some of the California laborers who help get sweet potatoes from farm to table begin their day as early as 4 in the morning. “‘Marie’ shared this pic from where she is sorting sweet potatoes based on their shape and size in Merced county CA,” UFW wrote on Bluesky this month. “Each day our team of six people usually fill about 8-10 of these bins that could weigh more than 1,000 lbs each,” Mari said.
And while the nearly two-thirds of nuts harvested in the U.S. come from California, the pecans for that sweet potato casserole topping are likely from Georgia. In that state, most agricultural workers are foreign-born.
"Mari" shared this pic from where she is sorting sweet potatoes based on their shape and size in Merced county CA. "Each day our team of six people usually fill about 8-10 of these bins that could weigh more than 1,000 lbs each." #WeFeedYou
— United Farm Workers (@ufw.bsky.social) 2025-11-13T15:01:00.353Z
If your Thanksgiving specialty is a charcuterie board, it also wouldn’t be possible without the contributions of farmworkers in dairy states like California, Idaho, Utah, Vermont, South Dakota and Wisconsin, which are largely responsible for producing the fresh milk, delicious cheeses, and other dairy products that are enjoyed by Americans all over the country.
“Workers from Mexico and other Latin American countries make up an estimated 70% of the labor force on Wisconsin dairy farms,” the Wisconsin Examiner reported in 2024. And, many may not realize that dairy work can be dangerous work. Idaho dairy worker “Rosa” starts her day by ushering thousands of cows into a milking area. Each can weigh up to 1,000 pounds. “There are a lot of ways to get hurt on a dairy farm, and being crushed by cows is one of them,” the New York Times reported last year. “The animals are languid and gentle, but they startle easily. In a panic, they can move fast.”
Reynaldo is a mechanic at a OR dairy farm. He took a break to get a drink of cool water on a 93° day saying, "It is very difficult to work in the high temperatures under the summer's sun". #WeFeedYou #WaterBreakForWorkers
— United Farm Workers (@ufw.bsky.social) 2024-08-15T20:51:30.971Z
There’s no dispute among dairy experts about what would happen without the skills and contributions of essential immigrant workers like Rosa. “When I mentioned to Pete Wiersma, the president of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, that I’d read a study predicting that the price of milk would nearly double if foreign-born workers were removed from the industry, he shook his head,” wrote the NYT’s Marcela Valdes. “‘I don’t think there would be milk,’ Wiersma said. ‘I just don’t think we could get it done.’”
How about some pumpkin pie with whipped cream? Every fall, immigrants are among the essential farmworkers who help harvest approximately two billion pumpkins so we can all carve, decorate, and bake our way through Thanksgiving. “The local workers wouldn’t do this work,” one Pennsylvania pumpkin farmer said in 2019. “I couldn’t operate without [migrant labor], and I wouldn’t even try to.”
Esteban was working in muddy, wet fields cutting these pumpkins from their vines. It was warm, but you’ll note he is entirely covered, including a mask. Pumpkin vines have very irritating hairlike fibers that can become embedded in the skin, eyes and respiratory system.
— United Farm Workers (@ufw.bsky.social) 2024-11-27T22:51:15.295Z
Of course, we can’t forget the star of the Thanksgiving feast: turkey. The factories where meat and poultry products are processed before heading to consumers “are filled with hard-working immigrants like the Martinez family,” who “moved to Iowa from California in the 1990s to work in Tyson’s Perry plant for double what they were earning in California,” WFYI reported in 2021.
It also can be dangerous work, and not just because of sharp cutting tools. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, meatpacking plants were hit hard by the virus, nearly killing Concepcion Martinez, the patriarch of the Martinez family. 730 workers were sickened at his Perry, Iowa plant alone, WFYI said. Mr. Martinez, described as a workaholic by his son Amner, initially refused to say how sick he really was. Risks extend to other essential workers. Extreme heat can be deadly for workers who labor outside. It’s why advocates continue to urge the passage of heat standards that ensure outdoor workers get water, shade, rest breaks, and relevant training needed to protect their lives.
“I know exactly the hard part of [the job],” Amner told WFYI. “And I also know the opportunity that has provided my entire family to just move out of poverty, really.”
Happy Thanksgiving! Check out cartoon by artist Lalo Alcaraz: This #Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for farmworkers! #WeFeedYouFeliz día de acción de gracias. Vea la caricatura del artista Lalo Alcaraz: ¡Este Día de Acción de Gracias, estoy agradecido por los campesinos! #SoyEsencial
— United Farm Workers (@ufw.bsky.social) 2024-11-28T14:00:14.721Z
“Despite these conditions, immigrant farm workers continue to toil in our fields, serving as the backbone of America’s food production. Without their labor, many farms would struggle to produce enough food,” the American Immigration Council said last year. “The threat of mass deportations under the current political climate looms large. Undocumented workers make up a sizable portion of the agricultural workforce, and their removal could have devastating consequences. Beyond the immediate impact on farms, such actions could disrupt supply chains, increase food prices, and strain communities that rely on agriculture.”
It’s a shameful way to treat workers who are deeply enmeshed in our society as contributors, parents to U.S. citizen children, and long-settled community members of a decade or more. The simple fact is, that without these workers, no matter their legal immigration status, farms and factories couldn’t operate and we couldn’t enjoy our everyday meals, much less Thanksgiving. As many of these workers now face unprecedented attacks, this year more than ever, it’s essential to recognize these invisible guests at our tables and to continue fighting for them.
