Oct. 2012, Farmer Sally Goodrich talks about her farm in Danville, Vt. Congress' failure to act on a farm bill before the election recess has put small dairy farms in limbo. Already strapped by soaring feed and fuel costs that are putting some out of business, small farms from New England to the Midwest no longer have a safety net that provided them a boost when milk prices fell to a certain level. (Toby Talbot, Associated Press)
Associated Press
Our take: Most dairy farmers are feeling in over their head as the Milk Income loss Contract expired in 2008, protecting them if the feed price was higher than the milk price, according to David Sommerstein reporter from NPR. While Americans face a fiscal cliff, dairy farmers are facing a cliff of their own. Sommerstein reports on the problem:
"There's more than one cliff drawing controversy this month. The federal farm bill is one of many items caught in congressional gridlock. The bill resets U.S. agriculture policy every four years, and most farmers are still covered by crop insurance and other programs until next planting season. But there's one exception: dairy.
Dairy farmers now have no safety net if milk prices fall. And with feed prices soaring, many feel they're falling off a cliff of their own."
Read more about Dairy farmers' cliff on NPR.
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I know dairy farmers in Montana who were bought out by our government to quit their businesses. Said there was a glut of dairy products, but now, much of our dairy products are imported.
One reason for our high unemployment.
Feed prices are up and global dairy prices are down to half of break even.
I accept some price supports as a liberal and even government loans and insurance support. But what I can't stand is the hypocrisy of farmers that vote More..
Liberals are destroying the diary farmers.
California is broke.
May our liberal friends get what they voted for,----and leave the rest of alone.