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Specter Talks With Frustrated Dairy Farmers

Specter Talks With Frustrated Dairy Farmers - Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 5:00PM EST

Reported by: Eyewitness News
Thursday, Aug 27, 2009 @ 05:00pm EST
SPRINGVILLE TWP., SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY- Local dairy farmers have big concerns about the way the price of milk is calculated. They say the current methods favor profit for big corporations, while the farmers suffer financially. In Susquehanna County Senator Arlen Specter heard what area dairy farmers had to say.

Roger Sherman said, "If things don't get better, there's going to be a pile of farmers eliminated. I mean there's already been a lot of farmers lost, & there's going to be a lot more."

That's the thought of farmer Roger Sherman of Springville Township. U. S. Senator Arlen Specter heard the concerns of nearly three dozen area farmers and community leaders Thursday morning. Specter said, "It is desperate - there are dairy farmers going out of business everyday."

Area dairy farmers tell us the biggest issue the way milk prices are calculated - the new federal milk marketing act hopes to address that.

Arden Kewksbury of the Progressive Agriculture Organization said, "Senator Specter is a very strong advocate for dairy farmers, & he has introduced a dairy bill that dairy farmers are facing currently. They are going about 1/2 the price of milk they deserve."

"I co-sponsored a bill 2 add 350 million dollars to price supports & it passed the Senate,...put that bill in for 350 million," added Specter.

As farmers continued to sound off about also struggling with other issues like health care, and energy costs, Specter told the crowd that he hopes the bill will pass the house by September 30.

The Progress Agricultural Organization estimates the average dairy farmer could lose up to $150,000 this year.

They add if the current pricing method is not fixed, the total national economic loss could be 76 billion dollars.
 


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