Dairy rally draws crowd of 150 or more

By Justin Head

The Evening Tribune

Sat Aug 29, 2009, 08:34 PM EDT

Canisteo, N.Y. -

Dairy farmers from several western New York counties and as far as central Pennsylvania who are worried about losing their farms attended a dairy rally at the Canisteo American Legion Friday afternoon and discussed the Federal Milk Marketing Improvement Act of 2009.

A group of more than 150 dairy farmers, their family members, a handful of local officials, farmer union leaders and Congressman Eric Massa, D-29, addressed the audience and talked about the act. The proposed legislation, brought forward by Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa, and Sen. Robert Casey Jr., D-Pa., would change the amount farmers are paid for milk to the national average cost of production, eliminate reference to the Chicago Mercantile exchange in determining milk prices paid to dairy farmers and encourage new dairy farmers to produce milk by allowing them to be exempt from inventory management costs in their first year, among other things.

“This will provide a floor under the price of milk that will keep a majority of our dairy farmers in business, give them an opportunity to pay their bills and have an extremely modest level of income,” said Larry Breech, president of the Pennsylvania Farmers Union.

Breech said there is tremendous amount of opposition to the legislation, but it insists that dairy farmers all of the country will begin closing if some governmental action is not taken.

“Dairy co-ops have miserably failed to represent their members and that’s why we are at the pint we are at now,” he said.

“Right now dairy farmers have seen a 47 percent drop in the prices they were getting last year and we have to get them some short-term relief immediately,” said Arden Tewksbury, manager of the Progressive Agriculture Organization.

“There are many farms that are going to be closing soon. People argue the number is as high as 25 or 35 percent,” he said.

Lyle Wade, a dairy farmer from Jasper with a 50 cow farm, has been operating since 1982. He said if doesn’t get support soon he is going to close his farm.

“It’s really disheartening ... we like to think our hard work is appreciated,” he said adding, “If we don’t support (the act) we are lost.”

Wade said he is losing $10 for every hundred pounds of milk he produces. “We need to make a decision in the next month about wether or not we can continue in the next few months,” he said.

According to the USDA’s August figures, farmers in the Buffalo region are receiving a uniform price of $10.94 per hundredweight, 10 cents less than the Rochester region at $11.04.

Wade said he is receiving half of the pay he used to make and can’t afford his bills.

“I’m losing about $30,000 a month,” said Joe Cochran, a dairy farmer from Westfield, Pa., who who has been in business for more than 50 years. Cochran has a farm with about 250 cows.

Dairy farmers at the rally said they are getting as low as $10 to $12 a hundredweight, an amount they say doesn’t even cover operation costs.

A study by Cornell University estimated that farmers need to be paid at least $17 per hundredweight to cover production expenses.

Massa agreed action needs to be taken.

“Because we have married ourselves to a free trade system that gives everything away and does not protect our consumers the international market collapsed and here we are sitting on huge surpluses,” Massa said. “By the way, you saw the price of milk at the producer drop by 50 percent, but we never saw the price of milk in retail drop that much. Now, somebody is making a hell of a lot of money, and candidly, it is not much different then we saw in the petroleum industry. The price of crude went from, what was it, $140? To $50 a barrel and yet the prices at the pump did not drop that same ratio.”

He said he supports stabilizing the market, and the creation of a new price floor.

Flyers explaining the act and instructing farmers how to contact officials to support it was handed out at the event

Dairy Farmer Rally

Reported by: Nick Natario
Email: nnatario@wetmtv.com
Last Update: 8/28 11:48 pm

CANISTEO - Dairy farmers from across the Twin Tiers are fed up.

Some say the price they get for milk is so low, they can't even afford to feed their families.

“We can't even feed ourselves. That's all I have to say”, said a dairy farmer.

More than one hundred dairy farmers from across the Twin Tiers MET at the American legion in Canisteo.

Dairy farmers say they need help, because the money they are receiving for their milk is far less than what it costs them to produce.

“The irony is everyone says there is a surplus and that's why the price is so low and we're saying no. It's a manipulated market place and it's a manipulated pricing system and something needs to change”, said Pennsylvania farmers’ union president Larry Breech.

The rally was aimed at looking at what help is out there from the federal government, and whether to supporting it.

“Here are several specific legislative issues that we are fighting to make happen, said US Congressman Eric Massa.

Congressman Massa says he is working with the USDA to raise the floor price of milk.

But for some farmers, that's not enough.

“So who’s telling the truth here. Who are we going to actually trust to do what we’re doing? There’s nobody out there giving us answers”, said a dairy farmer.

Dairy Rally in Canisteo, New York

Dairy Farmers Rally Over Milk Crisis (VIDEO)
Laura Hutchinson

August 28, 2009 CANISTEO-- Local dairy farmers are fearing the worst - if milk prices don't come up. Farmers from all over the Twin Tiers got together in Canisteo Friday to rally for change. Right now, dairy farmers say they're only making about half what they need to cover production costs, not to mention keep a roof over their heads. They say it's getting to the point where if something isn't done, they're going to have to close up shop, and the numbers tell it all. Some farmers say they're losing an average of nearly $150 thousand dollars a year. Now they're starting to panic. “I am in business to make money, this is a business, and that's the way it should be treated. I'm not just here for the love of the cows,” said Rick Vanetten, of the Four Winds Dairy LLC. Vanetten is not alone. A lot of farms in the Twin Tiers have been passed down from generation to generation but it's getting to the point where it's not working anymore. Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter drafted a bill to provide a minimum market price for milk that could cover production costs, and regulate how much milk is produced. Some farmers who rallied in Canisteo say that's what they need to survive. “We think things have got to change so we can keep our supply of fresh whole milk in this area and other areas,” said Arden Tewksbury of Northeast PA. Others aren't sure they support the bill. They say the free market is bad - but it's better than government regulation. “We definitely can't afford a supply management issue. Supply management gives you no opportunity to grow, gives you no opportunity to increase your production,” Vanetten added. What they all can agree on is something needs to change. If it doesn't - they fear the worst will happen. “Between 25 and 35 percent of the existing dairy farms will be gone by the first of the year,” Tewksbury said. The movement is gaining a lot of support in Washington. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is trying to attach it to a war funding bill.

Dairy Product Price Support Program News Report Channel 16 8/3/09

Help for Local Dairy Farmers

By Kena Vernon

5:45 PM EDT, August 3, 2009

Help is on the way for struggling dairy farmers. The government will be increasing the price for dairy products.

Dan Puzo fed his dairy cows Monday. He runs Goff Farms in Franklin Township near Montrose.

Puzo said it's been a struggle for him and other dairy farmers. He added within the past year the price of milk has dropped and the money he makes does not cover the high cost of production. "Right now there really is no profit. We are just try to kind of breeze by and hold on to things as long as we can," said Puzo.

Recently the U. S. Department of Agriculture announced help is on the way. It's called the Dairy Product Price Support Program. Under the program, the government will buy surplus dairy products at a higher cost. The government will pay 12 cents per pound extra for dry milk and 18 cents per pound extra for cheddar blocks. The goal is to lower the surplus in dairy products which in effect would raise prices.

The program is suppose to bring in $240,000,000 in revenue for dairy farmers but Puzo said it's just a short-term fix. "In the past they've tried things like this and it helps a little but not really enough to make a big impact," added Puzo.

Arden Tewksbury has been a dairy farmer his whole life but now is retired. Currently he works with the Progressive Agriculture Organization. He added prices should be regulated and this program is just too little too late.

"If we don't get a fair price for our dairy farmers here locally you're going to lose just about all the dairy farmers in this area and you are going to lose a whole fresh supply of milk," said Tewksberry.

The Dairy Product Price Support Program will be in effect from August through October.

Pro Ag Calls for Kraft Boycott

Local News

Pro Ag calls for Kraft boycott

MESHOPPEN -- Got milk? Not if you're eating certain Kraft cheese products, according to an area dairy farmers' advocacy organization that is calling for a boycott of the company.

BY GRACE DOVE / TIMES-SHAMROCK WRITER

Published: Saturday, December 28, 2002 1:00 AM EST

The Progressive Agriculture Organization says Kraft products, including Velveeta processed cheese spread and individually wrapped slices of American and Swiss cheese, list milk protein concentrate, or MPC, as an ingredient.

The group said MPC is an imported dairy waste -- a powdered by-product that's left after milk is processed to remove its more valuable components -- that is not approved as a food ingredient by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Cheese producers use it to enrich cheese.

"They can make more cheese from less milk" by adding MPC to the mix, Pro-Ag manager Arden Tewksbury said.

He said the process forces dairy farmers' milk prices down and results in a poorer quality of cheese.

At a meeting of Pro-Ag's board of directors Friday, U.S. Rep. Don Sherwood, R-Tunkhannock, said MPC is imported under a legal loophole. In mid-September, he asked the FDA to investigate Kraft's use of MPC in its cheese products.

The FDA sent Kraft Foods North America Inc. a warning letter Dec. 18.

While inspecting three Kraft cheese plants, FDA investigators found workers adding MPC to mixes for several of its products.

The FDA also accused Kraft of mislabeling its Velveeta pasteurized process cheese spread, which doesn't conform to government regulations because MPC is listed as one of its ingredients.

Kraft has broken the FDA rules, said Mr. Sherwood. "They'll have to use wholesome American-produced milk."

In a statement, Kraft said it will add more calcium to its American Singles and change its label to read "pasteurized prepared cheese product."

"This labeling change is consistent with recent statements from the FDA clarifying its position on the use of milk protein concentrate in standardized cheese products," the statement said.

Kraft officials said the food industry has used MPC for more than 20 years and it didn't know there was "a significant regulatory issue" with its use.

"What frustrates me is that the quality of dairy products in the stores is going down, and it might be a bad reflection on us as dairy farmers," said Pro-Ag member Gerald Carlin.

Mr. Tewksbury said MPC hurts farmers through lower milk prices and misleads consumers who think they're buying a product made from American milk.

Pro-Ag and similar groups are urging people to boycott Kraft cheese products and any products containing MPC, and to urge their congressmen to get rid of MPC.

New Dairy Bill Introduced

03/16/2007

ProAg drafts new dairy bill to equalize milk pricing

By:Louise A. Whitaker

The "Federal Milk Marketing Improvement Act of 2007" will be introduced shortly in Congress, according to Arden Tewksbury, Manager of the Progressive Agriculture Organization (ProAg). Tewksbury and ProAg member Gerald Carlin have drawn up a Bill which would require the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to "determine the price of all milk used for manufactured purposes by using the national average cost of production..."
ProAg, a member of the National Family Farm Coalition, a Washington, DC based organization with 33 member organizations, has put together the draft Bill for the Coalition. Starting their preliminary work in August, Tewksbury and Carlin began in earnest around Carlin's kitchen table at Thanksgiving time. The resulting first draft was sent to agriculture supporter Senator Arlen Specter's staff and several dairy farmers. Members of the National Family Farm Coalition, from Maine to California, also had input using bi-monthly conference calls. Together they worked at drafting a Bill that would be acceptable to a wide range of dairy farmers to get the best possible Bill to submit to Congress.
At this time, the draft Bill is getting its final touches from the Congressional legislative council, which writes bills that will go before Congress. Another review of the draft and it should be ready for Congressional introduction and sponsorship.
At a press conference in Honesdale (Wayne County) on March 7, Tewksbury, Carlin and about 25 dairy farmers presented their draft Bill to three U.S. Congressional representatives. Present were Kevin Washo from Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.'s office, Staff Assistant Christopher Sheperis from Senator Arlen Specter's office and Field Representative Ed Zygmunt from Representative Christopher P. Carney's office.
What they heard were the three main points or "thrust" of the Bill. First, the Bill would establish a "minimum price for Class II milk (based) on the average cost of producing all milk in the 48 contiguous States" (the national average cost of production). This would be done annually no later than November 1 of each year, with adjustments made on April 1, July 1 and October 1. The Class II milk price would be "the basic formula price for all Federal milk marketing orders" while the Class I milk price would be "equal to the basic formula...plus the opportunity cost of unpaid labor for producing all milk." An estimation of Class II milk production and domestic consumption would be due by November 1 of each year.
Next, the Secretary of Agriculture would establish the total quantity of milk produced to determine if there has been excess production.
Lastly, excess production will be determined in conjunction with a "maximum quantity limitation" of imported milk and milk products.
After the "Commodity Credit Corporation has purchased the maximum quantity practicable of excess milk and milk products" from the national domestic market and IF there has been an excess production according to the above limits, the Secretary would allow a price reduction "for not more than 5 percent of all milk produced in the 48 States." That reduction could not be more than "half the minimum price of Class II milk." If the reduction is still not sufficient, the Secretary could reduce the price to a producer who has increased his production over the previous calendar year (exempting new producers). An appeal process would allow for evidence to be offered to contest that increased amount.
Additionally, the cost of hauling milk and the conversion of raw milk to manufactured products would not be charged to producers. Milk handlers would assume title for milk when it is pumped into the milk hauler's truck, and the handler would pay for all transportation costs.
Tewksbury said that dairy farmers have been further shortchanged on prices since last September. "The USDA has not been using the high priced powered milk in the formula.... It could have been $3 more a hundredweight if they had brought in the powdered (price)." He asked people to call USDA in Washington (202-690-2168) and talk with Charmarie Wilson to ask why dairy farmers were shortchanged. "It needs more investigation," Tewksbury said. "If it had been added to the price this past fall and winter, we may not have been meeting here today."
Politics is part of the problem, he implied, saying the Justice Department's findings a couple years ago was put on U. S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales' desk in September, and it is still there. He said that Gonzales is from Texas, Bush is from Texas and Dean Foods, the biggest processor, is also from Texas. He cautioned those present that the large Friendship Manufacturing Plant west of Elmira, NY may be purchased by Dean Foods and then the whole Northeast could be largely controlled by co-op Dairy Farmers of America and by Dean Foods.
Ninety-three percent of all dairy farmers are classified as small businesses according to USDA. They aren't about to go out and get much larger. They need a decent price for their product, not a band aid. The dairy farmers in attendance were very critical of dairy co-ops for not tackling the real pricing problems.
If this proposed Bill were implemented today and premiums were removed, it would raise the price to consumers by only seven cents a gallon over what they are currently paying. Zygmunt from Representative Carney's office said that if the extra money goes to dairy farmers, he thinks consumers would support the Bill.
The Congressional representatives said they would bring the draft Bill back to their bosses, but they need to see the final wording of the Bill. Senator Specter is always a supporter of the dairy farmer, and Washo of Senator Casey's office said that "something needs to be done." Representative Paul Kanjorski did not have an aid present but has been very supportive of dairy farmers in the past.
New York was represented by several dairy farmers from Delaware County at the press conference, and they will be working with Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Charles Schumer of New York to make sure they are on board to support this Bill which will benefit the dairy farmers of their important dairy state.

New Legislation

Pennsylvania senators introduce new dairy bill

Warren Howeler

GateHouse News Service

SAYRE, Pa.

U.S. Sens. Bob Casey Jr., D-Pa., and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., on Thursday introduced a new dairy bill that was originally written by Arden Tewksbury, manager of the Progressive Agriculture Organization, and Gerald Carlin, a dairy farmer from Meshoppen.

The dairy bill, which is identified as the Federal Milk Marketing Improvement Act of 2007, was developed by Pro Ag in conjunction with the National Family Farm Coalition in Washington, D.C. Pro Ag is a member of the coalition.

The bill would price all milk in the United States based on the national average cost of producing milk. In addition, the proposed legislation calls for the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to adjust milk prices four times a year based on the dairy farmers' cost of production.

“This formula would take the rollercoaster ride out of milk prices,” Tewksbury said. “The ups and downs in milk prices have been extremely painful to dairy farmers and very confusing to consumers.”

The proposed bill also contains a supply management program that would not allow unnecessary buildup of milk supplies, Tewksbury said.

Tewksbury noted that Casey and Specter have been strong proponents of having the dairy farmers' cost of production brought into the formula that prices milk to dairy farmers.

“There are several other dairy proposals being introduced, the Specter-Casey Dairy Bill is the only bill that allows the dairy farmers' cost to be brought directly into the pricing formula, and the Specter-Casey Bill is the only proposed dairy bill that eliminates any necessary payments of any kind to dairy farmers,” Tewksbury said.

Specter and Casey noted that the bill will be completely funded by dairy farmers and there will be no direct cost to United States taxpayers.

“Rapidly increasing energy costs and feed costs are driving dairy farmers to the brink,” Casey said. “They are struggling to make ends meet, and their livelihoods are in jeopardy. These bills will help make sure that these dairy farmers don't lose money and are able to keep their farms. I look forward to continuing to work with Sen. Specter on this important issue.”

Specter said, “I am pleased to work with Sen. Casey to establish a more stable and fair dairy pricing system for the farmers of Pennsylvania. These two bills will address the increasing costs of milk production and help to protect our dairy producers' crucial industry.”

Tewksbury thanked Carlin for helping to write the dairy proposal and the National Family Farm Coalition's dairy subcommittee, which was helpful in reviewing the provisions of the proposed legislation.

Contact Warren Howeler at whoweler@morning-times.com.

In the News

WYOU News report on Hillary Clinton Rally held on Thursday, April 3, 2008

Dairy Farmers Rally for Federal Help

Reported by: David DeCosmo

Thursday, Apr 3, 2008 @02:36pm EST

MESHOPPEN, WYOMING COUNTY- Dairy farmers from Northeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New York staged a rally in Wyoming County Thursday morning. The farmers are calling for Federal legislation that would tie the price of milk to their production costs.

One of the speakers was Huge Rodham, Senator Hillary Clinton's brother. The farmers say their production costs are increasing while the price they get for the milk they produce continues to drop.

According to the 'Progressive Agriculture Organization' the price for farm diesel fuel has gone up from $2.25 cents a gallon in 2007 to $3.94 cents a gallon currently. Fertilizer costs have increased over $100 a ton over the save period as have some feed costs.

A sign displayed for those attending the rally proclaimed, "There are only 59,135 Licensed Dairy Farms left in the whole United States."

Farmer Kenneth Teel who hosted the rally said that unless legislation is adopted to tie milk prices with production costs more dairy farmers will be forced out of business.

Clinton brother to pass along farmers’ worries

BY JOSH MROZINSKI
STAFF WRITER

04/04/2008

MESHOPPEN — The brother of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., told about 40 farmers on Thursday he had heard their concerns about dairy pricing and would bring them to the presidential candidate.

“I really appreciate what you told me today,” Hugh Rodham said. “I will convey what you said in the strongest terms to my sister.”

Mr. Rodham was speaking at a farm owned by Ken and Connie Teel at a rally organized by the Progressive Agriculture Organization, the first stop in a seven-day bus tour by Mr. Rodham to 18 locations.

“I think he’ll listen and hopefully he’ll take it back to Hillary,” Mr. Teel, 64, said. “I’m backing Hillary because she’s the only one of the candidates who wants to do something for dairy farms.”

He said a decrease in the price of milk and the high cost of fuel are making it difficult for him to operate his farm.

“It would be pretty devastating if I couldn’t keep the farm in my family,” he said. “It would be devastating to me, because I’ve worked all my life to build the farm with the hope of family taking it over.”

Concerns about the viability of dairy farms, as well as the security of the agricultural industry, were also voiced.

“We’re experiencing hyper inflation in agriculture, and milk prices have to reflect that,” Gerald Carlin, owner of Hillview Dairy Farm in Meshoppen, said.

Pro-Ag manager Arden Tewksbury said he invited representatives from the campaigns of Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain to the event.

Floyd Hall, of LaFargeville, N.Y., is not sure who he will back because none of the candidates seems to be interested in helping dairy farmers.

“I’m supporting whoever will give us what we should have,” Mr. Hall, 65, said.

Contact the writer: jmrozinski@timesshamrock.com

Farmer Rally 2/11/09

Dairy Farmers Rally for Federal Help

Reported by: Eric Deabill

Wednesday, Feb 11, 2009 @05:02pm

LAPLUME, LACKAWANNA COUNTY - If you've noticed the price of milk dropping at the grocery store, you're not alone. While it may be good for your wallets, its hitting area dairy farmers hard. Some are even going out of business. They say they're just not making enough money and held a rally Wednesday afternoon in Lackawanna County.

"We've run a pretty tight ship. We've weathered a lot of storms in the past, but this is the worst we've ever seen," Meshoppen dairy farmer Gerald Carlin said.

Many farmers say they're making only a dollar a gallon. That isn't enough.

"We're literally watching our farms crumble around us because we can't afford to repair things that need to be repaired," Milanville dairy farmer Brian Smith said.

Eric Place is a fourth generation farmer in Auburn Township, Susquehanna County. He fears for his survival.

"After milking cows on that farm for 110 years, I'd hate to see it all fall apart under my shift. I'll work as hard as I can," Plane said.

"Who's going to step in and take their place? Where's the food going to come from? That's the problem. That's going to happen, South Caanan dairy farmer Joe Davitt said.

Farmers are now calling on the Department of Agriculture to change its pricing formulas. They want prices to be set by the cost of production. Without that, they predict huge economic losses.

"We're predicting its going to be at least five billion across Pennsylvania and 70-75 billion dollars across the U.S.," Arden Tewksbury of the Progressive Agriculture Organization said.

More than ten percent of dairy farms in Pennsylvania have been forced to close within the last five years.

Dairy Farmers Rally

Posted: Feb 11, 2009 05:00 PM EST

Last Updated: Feb 11, 2009 05:11 PM EST

By Kurt Aaron

Dairy farmers from northeastern Pennsylvania a held a rally Wednesday in Lackawanna County. They want more money for the milk they produce.

The rally was a way for local dairy farmers to speak out against what they call unfair prices for their milk. They're asking state and local officials to step in and help.

Dairy farmers from said the current price they're being paid for milk will leave the average diary farmer with a $150,000 loss in 2009, losses they said they can not afford.

"Because eventually it will catch up with us and there will be a food shortage in this country," said Gerald Carlin of Meshoppen. "It could very well happen."

Right now, farmers receive less than one dollar per gallon of milk. They said it costs more than two dollars a gallon to produce milk. One farmer said he was surprised by the response he got from officials with Dairy Farmers of America or the DFA, an organization designed to help dairy farmers around the country.

"A CEO from DFA said to me continue working on your farm and die there. There's nothing we're going to do to help you out," said Joe Davitt of Honesdale.

Officials with DFA have not returned our phone calls.

Back in 2000 dairy farmers dumped out the milk they produced for a few days to protest low milk prices. Some of these dairy farmers think it's time for another protest like that.

"The federal government doesn't seem to want to help us. The co-ops aren't helping us. The farmers need to stick together. Let's dump it for a couple of days. It's going to create a shortage but people will still want the product. That will give us a say in what the price should be then," added Davitt.

These farmers said the solution is a fair pricing plan formulated on what it cost to produce the milk.

"We have those figures, we've presented them to people in Congress and we're not getting anywhere with them. Maybe when these prices are this low, maybe they'll finally step in and do something about it," said Arden Tewksbury of Meshoppen.

Farmers are hoping state and local officials can help change the formula for how milk is priced.

La Plume Rally

02/18/2009

NEPA dairy farmers seeing red

By David Singleton


	Pauline Fallon of Lenox: “Somebody is still making a profit between the processor and the consumer, and it’s not us.”

Gerald Carlin isn't certain how much it will cost to repair a water well pump that broke this week at his dairy farm in Susquehanna County's Auburn Twp.

But the fourth-generation dairyman knows it is yet another expense he must add to a balance sheet that will be splashed with red ink by end of 2009 - if his farm survives.

"How long can I hold on? That depends how much debt I want to go into," Carlin said Feb.11. "You don't want to dig yourself into too deep of a hole, but a deep hole will have to be dug this year to stay in business."

Carlin was one of about 30 stressed dairy farmers who gathered outside LaPlume Country Market on Routes 6 and 11 to share their stories and call for action to save the dairy industry in Northeast Pennsylvania.
At issue are falling milk prices that barely cover the rising costs of production, and sometimes not even that.

With farmers receiving about the same price for their milk that they got 30 years ago, and with even lower prices looming, Arden Tewksbury, manager of the Progressive Agriculture Organization, said the average farmer is staring at a loss of $150,000 this year.

He urged dairy farmers here and elsewhere to get behind federal legislation to stabilize dairy prices. Legislation introduced by Sens. Bob Casey and Arlen Specter in 2007, but which died when the last Congress did not act on it, needs to be revised and reintroduced, he said.

Translating her costs into figures that consumers could more easily relate to, farmer Pauline Fallon of Lenox, Susquehanna County, said she received just $1.39 a gallon in December.
"That's not profit. From that we have to buy the feed. We have to pay the mortgage," she said.
"Somebody is still making a profit between the processor and the consumer, and it's not us," Fallon continued.
And the price is continuing to fall
.
Eric Place, who runs a farm in Auburn Township just outside Meshoppen, says farmers won't be able to live on the same income they were getting decades ago.
"It comes down to us getting only a dollar a gallon starting this month," Place said. "A dollar a gallon is not survivable."

Brian Smith, a Wayne County commissioner who operates a dairy farm in Milanville, said consumers do not realize how fragile their food supply is or how many farmers are being pushed to the brink.
The only reason many farms are surviving is because their owners are dumping their off-farm income and their savings into the operation "just because they have pride," he said.

"We can't keep it up; we won't keep it up," Smith said. "The bottom line is the farmers have to have a profit to run a business."

Carlin said he gets about $12 for every 100 pounds of milk produces, down from $22 a year ago. He was able to get a little ahead in 2007 and 2008, but that money is gone, he said.
"The way the prices are now, you can just pay basic operating costs," he said. "You can't weather any problems at all. It's a worse situation now than it's ever been."

Some farmers feel threatened by those who purchase the milk from them, not just because that's who is making the profit, but also because the processors don't seem to care about the producers.

Farmer Joe Davitt of Honesdale, Wayne County, said his processor actually told him that not long ago.
"He told me to me continue working on your farm and die there. There's nothing we're going to do to help you out," Davitt said.

Michael J. Rudolf contributed to this story.

Calling all Dairy Farmers

Calling all dairy farmers!!

Posted by Debbie Groom/The Post-Standard March 05, 2009 11:19AM

A rally to try to come up with a new way to compute farm milk prices is coming up next week.

Farmers interested in the amount in their milk check and how to change it should come to the Federated Church of West Winfield at 1 p.m. March 10. Scores of political representatives and people from farm organizations will be there along with dairy farmers across New York state.

Special speaker will be Arden Tewksbury, of Pennsylvania, who is manager of the Progressive Agriculture Organization (Pro Ag). He has written several editorials warning of the chaos that dairy farmers are experiencing with low milk prices.

The Pro Ag manager, along with dairy farmer Gerald Carlin, wrote the Specter-Casey Bill (S-1722) known as "The Federal Milk Marketing Improvement Act of 2007" that was introduced in the last Congress. David Fitch and Richard Becker, two Herkimer County dairy farmers, believe S-1722 or a similar bill that would address the needs of the dairy farmers must be re-introduced.

Fitch and Becker want as many farmers to be at the rally as possible.

West Winfield, NY Dairy Rally

THE EVENING TELGRAM

HERKIMER, N.Y.

DAIRY FARMER RALLY IN WEST WINFIELD, N.Y.

By Julie McCaulley

Evening Telegram

Wed Mar 11, 2009, 08:00 AM EDT

West Winfield , N.Y.

About two hundred area dairy farmers met at a rally at the Federated Church of West Winfield to address the imminent crisis they are facing. The rising costs of production have joined with the abysmal drop in price per hundred weight of milk has many dairy farmers in New York anxious about their futures. Progressive Agriculture Organization (Pro-Ag) manager Arden Tewksbury spoke to the gathered farmers, trying to find a way through the frightening morass that the agriculture world has become, looking to the farmers themselves for insight as members of Pro-Ag, and other agricultural organizations, look to head to Washington to meet with Pennsylvania Senators Arlen Spector (R) and Bill Casey (D) in an effort to reintroduce a dairy bill, “The Federal Milk Marketing Improvement Act” (S-1722) back into the senate for consideration. Originally drafted in 2007, the bill was designed to correct the many inequities that dairy farmers face as they struggle to maintain, not only their way of life, but also the production of fresh, locally generated milk and milk products to American consumers.

Farmers are the backbone of America . They are the foundation upon which this nation was built. The average American doesn’t give it much thought as they peruse the grocery aisles, but for every food product that we purchase, somewhere there is a farmer who grew, raised and farmed the essential ingredients. For dairy farmers who are paid by the hundred weight of product, the future is looking bleak. The pricing formula is exasperatingly complicated, but the bottom line is, currently, farmers are being paid about 95 cents per gallon of milk, while it costs them about $1.50 to produce that same gallon. The average dairy farmer is losing over $14,353 per month, and projecting that loss over the next five months, which are crisis months for these farmers, they are looking at a loss of about $71,765.

The re-introduction of bill S-1722 into Congress would mean a raise in price per hundredweight from just under $12 to $22.46 Across the nation, dairy farmers are closing up shop, no longer able to sustain themselves and their families due to the disparity in payment versus cost. These next few months are make or break months for New York State dairy farmers. They must decide whether they are going to plant their fields of hay and feed corn, the cost of which between the seeds, fertilizers and fuel, can run the average farmer well over $20,000. Many of them are struggling simply to make ends meet, all of their labors throughout each day end up costing them dearly, because the price they are paid for the product they produce has been so drastically undercut.

Current New York State Commissioner of Agriculture Pat Hooker also attended the rally, fielding questions from concerned farmers and promised to seek solutions to their most immediate needs. “One thing that is lost amid all of the chaos of the pricing system is that this isn’t just about the price farmers are paid for their milk,” said Hooker, “It is also that costs across the board have skyrocketed.” Fuel costs, feed and grain costs, equipment repair and purchase costs have all risen steadily over the years, while, according to Tewksbury, dairy farmers are being paid about the same prices for their product as they were in the 1970’s. And many dairy farmers simply cannot compete in such a market.

According to Floyd Hall, agricultural activist and member of Pro-Ag, in the 1950’s there were more than 150,000 dairy farms in New York State . “These days, you would be hard pressed to find 5,000 left in the entire state,” said Hall. In fact, dairy farmers nation wide make up less than 1 percent of the entire population, about 60,000 in the entire country.

Orange County dairy farmer Tunis Sweetman in addressing the problem of dairy farmers going out of business, posed the question, “How can you have a viable economy in a country where there is no agriculture?” He continued, “The government has been trying to put a Band-Aid on a program that should have been amputated a long time ago.” The milk pricing system has put too many farmers behind the economic eight ball, and the re-introduction of S-1722 is meant to address these issues.

Representatives from Senator Schumer, Senator Seward and Assemblyman Butler were among those in attendance, and promised an open-door policy to dairy farmers in need, encouraging farmers to make their voices heard to the governmental bodies that ultimately control their fate. The issue was raised that the stimulus package that is so eagerly awaited by so many people, failed to include any assistance at all for the agricultural sector of the nation, because the bill went forward before milk prices collapsed.

Commissioner Hooker pointed out that time is rapidly running out to file for a state of emergency assistance for dairy farmers, as the state’s budget goes into effect in three weeks. “It is not an impossible feat, but it will be difficult,” said Hooker, “What we need is everybody’s voice to be heard, a petition to submit before the budget is enacted.”

David Fitch, Winfield dairy farmer and rally organizer made this astute observation, “The politicians involved in policy making about these issues are book smart, but common sense stupid,” he continued, “It is frustrating to be in one of the only fields of business where we have to purchase everything at retail cost, and sell our product at wholesale. It just doesn’t make any sense.” His final words should strike a chord in all of us, “People need to realize that the country cannot live and survive without its farmers.”

To find out more information, and to find out how you can help the local dairy farmers remain an active and viable part of this community, contact Pro-Ag at 570-833-5776 or via e-mail at proagorg@yahoo.com. Or consider contacting your local, and state legislature, and congress members to make the voices of the dairy farmers of New York State heard.

Crowd of over 200 people attended.

Feature speaker Arden Tewksbury, Manager, Pro Ag

New York State Ag Commissioner Hooker along with Arden Tewksbury.

Progressive Agriculture Organization

Dedicated to the preservation of our Family Farms and Rural America