Though Hispanics account for a large number of farm workers on county, state and national levels, surrounding communities don't always have a full awareness of what they bring to the agricultural sector, said Luis Torres, western New York director for Rural and Migrant Ministry.

”They don't know the contributions they provide to the area,“ Torres said. ”A lot of that industry wouldn't be able to be done without migrant workers.“ Little connection between farm workers and the general population can lead to misconceptions about non-domestic workers, he added.

But Bob Church, dairy manager at Patterson Farms in Aurelius, believes that while Cayuga County residents aren't always aware of laborers' contributions, overall, they are accepting of Hispanic workers.

The farm hasn't received any complaints about its seven Guatemalan workers, even when the men lived in the middle of Union Springs (they now live in a house by the farm, as a bar near their old apartments was too loud).

”If it was going to surface, that would have been the time,“ Church said of potential conflicts.

Judah Rodriguez Sierra, who volunteers with the Hispanic Community Center in Auburn and who acts as a surrogate mother for Mario and Edgar, two Guatemalan dairy workers in Fleming, believes the county has been very accepting of its increasing Hispanic population because of the area's strong immigrant base.

She recalls one time when a Ukrainian man approached her while she shopped with Edgar. The man stared at Edgar, and Sierra feared that he planned to say something negative. Instead, Sierra said, he asked friendly, intelligent questions about Edgar's background. He wanted to know about his family, his job and if he knew about galumpkies and perogies.

”He saw a working young man, and I think he saw himself,“ Sierra said.

When she hears an unkind comment or stereotype about the workers, the former Auburn Correctional Facility counselor is quick to set the record straight.

The reports of the Genoa Guatemalan worker drowning in June because of alcohol and other illegal incidents reported during the summer are not representative of the entire community, Sierra said.

Cayuga County Sheriff Robert Outhouse confirmed Sierra's statement. He said that the county's Hispanic population is mostly ticketed for traffic violations and a couple domestic disputes but no more so than the general population. Illegal workers, he added, are turned over to the appropriate authorities.

Hispanic workers pay taxes, Sierra continued. They pay medical bills. And they're not taking jobs away from Americans.

Edgar recognized his contribution.

”Perhaps,“ he said, ”they are jobs that Americans don't want to do.“