RutlandHerald.com - We Are Vermont

Milk retailers gouging our kids



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Published: April 8, 2009

As a dairy farmer for the past 32 years, I am certain the pricing mechanism is definitely marked in favor of the retailers and milk companies. The proof is now stark — $3.50 a gallon in the stores; 90 cents a gallon for the farmer. To make matters worse, most milk is skimmed with the cream making butter, yogurt and cheeses included in the 90-cent-a-gallon for the farmer.

The milk companies are even gouging our children in school. Here in Weathersfield our kids pay 40 cents for a half pint of Hood milk. That is $6.40 a gallon. Remember, they buy it from me for less than 90 cents a gallon. Sounds a lot like the AIG bonuses.

The leaders of the milk industry have adopted a program to eliminate cows from the nation's herd. This, they say, will lower the price. It's kind of like OPEC not pumping oil.

This has already been done several times, with wild swings of results. Some of the problem lies with the federal pricing system. The system tells the price farmers get, but fails to go further, with no questions for handlers or retailers. The government either needs to go further or get completely out of the pricing equation.

I do not support the actions of the "cooperatives working together." I do not support killing the very animals we as farmers worked so hard to develop.

There is another answer. Do not let agriculture follow the way of the steel industry, clothing industry and now the automakers. We need to cancel all promotion that we dairy farmers now fund. Instead, pour all these funds into research and development. I'm sure people laughed when the idea of running a car on corn came up. And I'm sure people also laughed when someone said to make electricity out of cow manure. So laugh now. Let's make cars run on milk protein. Let's think out of the box.

If you are serious about saving farms, let's not reduce production. It will provide incentive for young people to be involved. I've met many who want to but are limited by the whole pricing problem.

The stakes are high right now. If the current climate continues, a disaster will face Vermont's landscape. If you agree, call our congressional officials — Mr. Leahy, Mr. Sanders and Mr. Welch. Ask them to fund more research and development for agriculture. And while you're on the phone, ask them to investigate our milk company friends who find it necessary to fleece our children.

DAVID T. FULLER

Perkinsville








READER COMMENTS


Is it a business or isn't it? I suspect that it is and as with any other business, you either learn to run it effectively or you don't and fail.
I'm getting a little chuckle just imagining the look on a bank officer's face as he goes over a business plan with a loan application from some of the dairy farmers here in VT.
Just to make a couple notes: Dairy farms are the only farming practice that is failing and dairy products are completely unnecessary in our human diet and as I see it, an unnecessary "treat". Those other crop and vegetable farmers seem to be doing fairly well and are profitable.
I am not against farming but I am against subsidizing a business that is mismanaged and destined to fail based on their flawed business model.
If in my former business I sold a paint job on a car for $500 that cost me $600 to produce, how long would I be in business? Not long...
-- Posted by steve Nunya on Thu, Apr 9, 2009, 9:19 am EST

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Steve Nunya are you insane? Farming is NOTHING like the businesses you mentioned!!!! There is such a huge overhead in farming and with the economy the way it is, farm bills are also skyrocketing! Farms have to grow crops to feed cows to produce milk. If the quality of the crops aren't there, the quality and output of the milk is bad. It takes a lot of equipment to maintain a farm. Equipment like everything else requires maintenance and if the farmers do not have the expertice to make such repairs, it has to be hired at extremely high labor rates plus parts. It also takes a lot of fuel to run the tractors to do all of the work to keep farms running. The electric bill to run the milking operation is very high. Farmers have large veterinary bills to keep cows healthy and bred to keep producing milk. When milk prices crash, there is not much left over for the farmers pay checks to support thier families. When you consider the number of hours a farmer puts in a day and then called out in the night when a cow is sick or calving, the farmer is paid significantly below minium wage. I am sure you would not live like that! There is no padding the pockets and fancy frills purchased from skimming the money in a milk check like the said businesses you mentioned. What would you and everyone else in this country do if the farmers had to go out of business due to debt and you could no longer drink mik, eat dairy products or have any fruits or vegetables to eat. Think about the saying "Don't talk about Farmers with your Mouth full".
-- Posted by L P on Wed, Apr 8, 2009, 11:30 am EST

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We buy fresh milk directly from a farm in Springfield.
Because the milk is fresh, clean, has its full cream content, and comes from happy grass-fed cows from an organic farm, we are delighted to pay $6 per gallon.
The farmer puts that cash right in his pocket.

Let's support Vermont in expanding the rights of farmers and consumers, so that fresh milk can be made more widely available: Healthy farms, healthy kids, healthy economy. Cut out the middleman, and support biologically sustainable farming practices. Everybody will profit.

(steve Nunya, are we to understand that you meet all of your own food needs independently?)
-- Posted by None None on Wed, Apr 8, 2009, 11:05 am EST

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Farming is a business like making and selling cars. Why should we continue to subsidize farmers if they cant make their business work any better than AIG or General Motors?
-- Posted by steve Nunya on Wed, Apr 8, 2009, 9:05 am EST

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Quota systems work. I know that farmers don't like them, but it gives a real benefit to small farms, and gives a farmer something to retire on.....(when you stop milking, you can sell your quota to someone down the road, and get a chunk of monry for it)

Milk is not advertised like pepsi is, and you would be surprised that even some Drs say kids don't need the calories from milk! As a lifelong milk drinker, I know that at 46, I am a whole lot healthier than my friends who didn't drink milk cause it made you fat. My 2 kids go through at least a gallon a day, and I gladly pay whatever Monument farms or Thomas' ask, because its worth it. As my grandfather said, you might as well buy food as medicine, and he was right.

So, get that marketing guru from the dept of ag to start earning their keep......

And, I am wondering... has there been any research about giving young boys soy milk and how it effects their testosterone and development?
-- Posted by Colleen Wright on Wed, Apr 8, 2009, 8:35 am EST

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