Photo by Samantha Davis Eduard Espinoza (left) and Juan Vizcaino (right) currently work on TN Visas on local pork farms and have brought their families up from Mexico on the TD Visa. Vizcaino works on Boerboom AG Resources farm for Laurie Boerboom (middle), and Espinoza works for Vande Ag, which Boerboom contracts with to raise pigs.

MARSHALL — The pork industry continues to seek employment, and works with a professional Visa program, the TN Visas, to bring in qualified workers for a range of agricultural occupations. 

Established as a part of the North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA] in 1994, the TN Visa is a non-immigrant program agreement between Canada, Mexico and the United States to allow people to work in the states for up to three years. Per TN regulations, those seeking United States employment must have a four-year degree in agronomy, veterinary science or engineering to qualify. 

Laurie Boerboom, of Boerboom Ag Resources in Marshall, a family farm that focuses on raising quality pork, currently has 10 TN employees including Juan Vizcaino on their farm and Eduard Espinoza, who works with Vande Ag and is their first TN employee. Vande Ag contracts with Boerboom Ag to raise more pigs. 

“We really do value the TN Visa program … These guys come and they’re educated, they have experience,” Boerboom said. “It’s nice to be able to have some quality employees through the program.” 

Boerboom said they mainly hire animal breeders, animal scientists and agriculturists under the TN program for their pork farms. 

Despite the employment opportunities the Visa program can present, there are struggles that are ongoing like separation from family, slow-moving processes and restrictions with spouses working. 

“As far as the challenges we’re facing right now, I think in Mexico there are only three consulates that handle TN Visa applications, so it can take up to six months just to get an interview,” Boerboom said. “The other problem is the state department has been denying Visas at a very high rate, people who are very qualified and meet all the criteria, and they’re not giving us a reason why they’re denied.” 

Both Vizcaino and Espinoza worked at Keken Pork in Yucatan, Mexico, a large pork farm, before coming to the United States. 

Vizcaino, who has a veterinary medicine degree from Mexico, was first employed by the Boerboom farm 2018-19, before returning to Mexico for some time. He came back in June 2023 and currently works there, where he takes care of one nursery and two finishing barns. 

Espinoza joined Vande Ag earlier this year, and manages two finishing barns. He has an  agricultural agronomy degree, and worked for a farm near Red Wing in 2019 beforehand. 

Nursery barns house pigs for six to eight weeks after they are weaned, then are moved to finishing barns for a few months until they are sold. Each barn has nine to 10,000 pigs at a time. 

Both Vizcaino and Espinoza work to care for the pigs every day, to ensure they are being raised professionally. 

Vizcaino, before getting employed by the Boerboom’s, first came to work in the states at a farm in Illinois as a TN for a few months, which resulted in him going back to Mexico due to lack of support and personal struggles.

That’s when Boerboom presented an opportunity to interview Vizcaino, and brought him back in 2018. 

“I was looking to get back [to the United States] again, because I like the U.S.A., and it’s very good for a career,” Vizcaino said. “I worked for a year and a half as a worker here on the south farm. I went to visit my family every year, I missed them so much and I wanted to be together with them. I went back to Mexico [again].” 

Both Vizcaino and Espinoza have had long, personal journeys to get to where they are now. A significant challenge was not having their families with them at the start of their careers.  

TN Visa holders are allowed to bring their families on a TD Visa, but again, it can be a long process.