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Pocono News Section
Dairy Farmers Rally for Federal Help
Dairy Farmers Rally for Federal Help - Wednesday, February 11, 2009 at 6:02PM EST
Reported by: Eric Deabill
Wednesday, Feb 11, 2009 @ 06:02pm EST
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. | | |
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