Last year the New York City Food Museum did a story on the history of milk strikes and consumers and farmers working together.
We should consider having history repeat itself! All of the work done back then by dairy farmers to gain control has truly been lost! Our nation’s dairy farmers suffer at the hands of corruption and manipulated markets. I post this as I just read that Dean Foods, Kraft, and all major dairy cooperatives have reported another quarter of profits, most reported yet again record profits. All this profit while dairies are in financial dispair.
In Canada, the consumers pay the same for their dairy products and we do here in the US. In Canada, dairy farmers receive about $24.00 per hundred weight. US dairy farmers are receiving about $11.50. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the “middle man” is making all of the profit! I don’t mind processors making a profit…but it should not be at the demise of the dairy farmer.
http://www.nyfoodmuseum.org/milk/index.php
I encourage you to check out the attached link to the NY Food Museum and read about the milk strikes back in depression. My New York dairy farmer friend, Lorraine Lewandrowski sent this out to dairy farmers and I thought I would share it with you.
She is a great activist and believes like I, that we must unite…from “Coast to Coast”, dairy farmers must take back our control of OUR product which we work so hard to bring to the consumers. It is all of our risk. It is all of our blood, sweat, and tears..yet we don’t know what price we are going to get at the end of the month!
Another dairy farmer friend and activist, Evelyn Borba of Turlock, has a quote on every email she sends out and it says… (Funny, I have never personally met Evelyn or Lorraine but communicate with them via e-mail and social media and do feel them as friends and appreciate what they do for our industry)
“It’s sad when in an industry, your only hope is to be the last man standing.”
– Dairy Farmer from Chino, CA
This really says it all doesn’t it? I do believe in free enterprise…BUT free enterprise only works properly if dealing in a fair and non-manipulated market….that is not what us dairy farmers are dealing with. Re-gaining control means regaining control of our SUPPLY!
Let us stop and not wait to see who the last man standing is going to be!
Great post! I was so discouraged yesterday to read in Progressive Dairyman that we will make history just by surviving another year as a dairy farm. That is just terrible!!
I think a lot of it is apathy. Consumers don’t care as long as it’s plentiful. Time after time I’ve seen calls for good cows – good herds disbanded that would solve the production issue but then saw large farms get larger to deal with volume – which cuts off the point of lowering production.
Consumers in most states don’t have a choice anymore to purchase direct so dairies that ARE doing a great job don’t have that market, unlike beef or pork or other farmers. Twenty years ago I was asking why good farmers were paid the same as poor farmers – there was no premium for quality. I’ve seen things done on a then-large (1,ooo milking 3x) that were NOT representative of the industry.Yet 1 example was justified by many and to me that’s just unacceptable.
In general from the outside it’s too easy to say “if you can’t survive do something else.” From the dairy side I know that’s not always an option. But the minority(dairy) among the minority (farmers) means it’s tough to get the word out & educate and tougher to put any real strategy to change it.The government is too busy spending money to deal with those who need it.
Dairy Goddess: Hello there. It was just fantastic that the Food Museum in New York City did a story on the dairy industry. We are finding more and more interest among New York City residents as to where their food and beverages come from. So many great people out there. Are you having the same experience in California? I saw that Los Angeles Foodshed discussions were beginning. New York City is really awakening to its foodshed. Hopefully some positives will come out of this for the dairy farmers. It is too late for some farmers, like my neighbors who are selling out to “second home” people from New Jersey. Hang in there! Lorraine
Great post, and your so articulate about talking about the inherent unfairness in our pricing system.
I think part of the problem is that farmers are stoic do-it-yourself folks who do not want to ask for help. Being part of a union or strike seems anathema to them.
I think it is interesting that women seem to be making such a huge impact in advocating this issue maybe we are better at talking about hardships?
There is long history of agrarian protest in America but now that we have so few farm, and so few know about the issues that we face it is so wonderful SM to share this with the world.
Ulla, you are so right about the woman in the dairy industry appearing to be the one’s fighting for this injustice system. You are so right about the pride of a farmer not to ask for help. That is why so many of us fear the suicides across rural America as farmer’s are forced out of the multigeneration family business. Consumer’s are our only chance at stopping these injustices.
Barbara, thanks for your fight and great writing! Someday we must all meet face to face!
Maybe the problem lies within the convoluted way in which milk is priced in America, along with the entire milk pooling system. I don’t know. I’ve had people explain milk pricing to me and it’s amazing how fast my eyes glaze over, even though was honestly trying to understand the process.
It sounds to me like there’s no true supply and demand system within the dairy industry. You milk your cows and the creamery comes and picks it up, regardless of the amount of milk your cows created. Again, as an educated side-line observer I’m sure it’s much more convoluted than that — which I think gets to my point.
You mention Kraft and Dean Foods, but what about the cooperatives, that are supposed to be owned by the milk producers themselves? Why do they pay the same amount for your milk that the proprietary plants pay?
Why does milk leave California in a truck, only to be run through the pipes of a plant in another state, then pumped right back onto the same truck and shipped back into California? It happens. I’ve talked with drivers who’ve hauled that milk from point A to point B and back to point A again.
[…] Processors Report Record Profits–While Watching the Demise of Dairy Farmers! Why Aren’t We H… […]
[…] Processors Report Record Profits–While Watching the Demise of Dairy Farmers! Why Aren’t We H… […]