Cheese Could Get More Expensive If Donald Trump Becomes President

Impact

Attention all people who like cheese. And milk. And ice cream. You might want to consider not voting for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump this November. 

Trump has long been pushing to deport undocumented immigrants and build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, and if he pulls it off, America's dairy industry could experience some major drama, the Chicago Tribune reported

How this could affect you: Lattes, cheeseburgers and ice cream cones could be much more costly. That doesn't sound like making America great, huh?

How this could happen: The dairy industry is heavily reliant upon immigrant farmers, many of whom are Hispanic. Unlike other farms that only need seasonal labor, dairy farms need people to work "around the clock," milking and taking care of the cows, the Chicago Tribune noted. 

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Even though the industry pays pretty well — typically $11 per hour or more with benefits like a 401(k) — farmers have a difficult time getting family members or local staff to take on the work, the Tribune reported. So they turn to an immigrant work force. 

According to a survey from Texas A&M, 51% of all dairy farm workers are immigrants. If undocumented immigrants were deported from the country, many dairy farms could close, causing production levels to drop and milk prices to double, found a study funded by dairy producers. 

If Trump trumps: If immigrant labor were to be eliminated completely, as Trump would like to see it happen, Americans could expect to pay almost 90 percent more for dairy products, the study found. Perhaps Trump doesn't realize that if he follows through on his words, his beloved taco bowls would increase in price (unless he's willing to forgo both the sour cream and cheese).

So think long and hard about your milk preferences hard in the months leading up to November. Could you live in a country that ran on nut milk alone? Or does your morning cereal depend on the full on dairy stuff?