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.
