Lower Prices For Milk Hit Farmers Hard
Milwaukee — Charlie Jones got into dairy farming four years ago when the industry was on the mend after one of the worst downturns in recent history. Now he’s getting a taste for what it’s like when milk prices plummet and profits become scarce. Jones milks 140 cows. He and thousands of other Wisconsin farmers recently enjoyed high milk prices, only to see them drop more than 30 percent this year. “I would say we are right at the...
Vt. Speaker Mulls Campaign
Montpelier — An oversupply of milk is bringing down prices in the Northeast and driving large dairy cooperatives to dump their product in manure pits, experts say. Although low prices for milk products can be a short-term positive for consumers, the low prices are causing a hard time for farmers who otherwise enjoyed the benefits of record high milk prices for the past five years. That’s according to Doug Dimento, a spokesperson for...
Milk Supplies Overwhelming Dairies in U.S.
Chicago — There’s so much milk flowing out of U.S. cows these days that some is ending up in dirt pits because dairies can’t find buyers. Domestic output is set to be the highest ever for a fifth straight year. Farmers are still making money as prices tumble because of cheaper and more abundant feed for their herds. Supplies of raw milk are topping capacity at processing plants in parts of the U.S. and compounding a global surplus...
Farmers in Settlement Want Lawyers Out
Burlington — After nearly six years in a national class action lawsuit against major powers in the milk-pricing market, some dairy farmers want to fire their lawyers. Jonathan Haar, a dairy farmer, just finished two days of essentially prosecuting his own attorneys in U.S. District Court for alleged misconduct in reaching a $50 million settlement with the Dairy Farmers of America, a marketing co-op based in New Hampshire. Haar and his...
Demand Strong for Organic Dairies
Cologne, Minn. — Mark Wickenhauser stood in the doorway of his weathered 1910 barn and viewed the dark soil that will soon sprout a pasture rich with alfalfa and other grasses. He has worked all his life at the family dairy farm here but switched from conventional to organic farming in 2005. “It wasn’t the popular thing to do, but I guess I didn’t care,” he said. “It just made a lot of sense to me.” Organic dairy has come a long way...
