agriculture

Diary prices started to slump in the fall, and continued in the winter, as we reported in ... and the trend continues. A search of Google News for "dairy prices" shows bad news across the country.

WBTA's Geoff Redick started a five-part enterprise story today on dairy prices. Listen to Part One here.

UPDATE: Part Two is posted here.

A farm worker in Darien has been accused of stealing and selling 150 head of cattle from Herdsman at Reyncrest Farms and selling them for more than $250,000.

Charles G. Baldwin, 37, 4 John St., Akron, is charged with grand larceny and now held at Genesee County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.

Baldwin allegedly stole the cattle between July 2007 and May 2009 from the farm located at 9666 Route 77, Darien. The farm is owned by the Reynolds family, who reportedly employed Baldwin.

The alleged crime was investigated by William T. Ferrando, an investigator with the Sheriff's Office.

Two groups of farmers took a slow drive on the Thruway through Genesee County today, slowing traffic and sending a message to Albany about a proposed bill that opponents call the Farm Death Bill.

The bill would change farm labor law. Among the provisions, farmers would be required to pay workers time-and-half for overtime. Farmers say it would cost the New York agriculture industry $200 million and drive hundreds of farms in the state out of business.

The bill has already passed the Assembly and now awaits consideration by the dysfunctional Senate.

Le Roy dairy farmer Dale Stein, who helped lead the protest, said it appears the protest was effective. He received a call this evening and was told Gov. David Paterson heard about the protest and immediately called a meeting with the agricutlure commissioner to discuss the legislation.

Two groups of farmers -- one starting in Batavia and another Le Roy -- participated in the protest. The Batavia group, comprised of representatives from about 20 farms, headed east and the Le Roy group headed west.  Each group drove 35 to 40 m.h.p., but blocked both lanes in each direction for only a portion of the drive.

Stein said he's heard of only one ticket being issued, to a van in the Le Roy group, and even though State Police were in the area of the eastbound group, no vehicles in that group were stopped.

The protest was organized, Stein said, on only about two or three hours notice.

Stein said State Police did not interfer with the eastbound protest, but he heard of a ticket being issued to a westbound driver.

Sgt. Derrick Harris of the State Police said that actually, six tickets were issued to westbound drivers. He said there were only six drivers involved in the westbound lanes. He said no action was taken in the eastbound lanes.

Listen: Audio of an interview after the protest with Stein.

The aptly named "Farm Death Bill" is going to be the subject of a protest today, but what I don't get ... on the Thruway?

Here's the announcement I just got:

There is going to be a caravan along the thruway this afternoon to protest  the farm labor bill.  The caravan will start at 3:45 PM today beginning at   Boyle’s Motors on Route 98 in Batavia.  From there they will head to the   thruway.  Anyone is welcome to participate driving whatever they would like.    Any questions please call Maureen’s cell xxx-xxx-xxxx.  We need as many  people to participate as possible.  Thank you.

So that's only 15 minutes from now.

But the Thruway?  One of the very things that has helped to destroy WNY (diverting traffic from its city and towns), not to mention for any kind of visibility of the protest, it's going to be hard to follow or view for most people.

UPDATE: I'll have video and pictures shortly (in a separate post). Representatives from about 20 farms showed up, according to Dale Stein. The plan is to drive 40 m.p.h. doublewide out to Genesee Community College, and then merge into one lane.  People while, another group started in Le Roy and is driving to Batavia.  No idea on how big that group is right now.  The area's best agricutlure reporter, Tom Rivers, was there, so look for his report in tomorrow's newspaper.

Not surprising, but good to know - Sen. Mike Ranzenhofer has come out against the "Farm Death Bill" -- the piece of legislation introduced by a Queens assemblywoman that would mandate time-and-half for New York's farm workers, as well as other rule changes that will drive up the cost of farming in the state.

Full press release after the jump:

Pembroke, NY –  At his first Agricultural Advisory Committee Meeting last Saturday at Pembroke Town Hall, New York State Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer discussed proposed legislation that could cripple the local agricultural industry by mandating overtime pay for farm workers.
 
“The proposed legislation would put New York farmers at a competitive disadvantage with other states and devastate the local agricultural industry.  Mandating overtime pay in the agricultural industry will pass higher prices along to consumers at the grocery store, force farms to close, and leave consumers with unsafe produce from other countries instead of from our own backyard.” said Senator Ranzenhofer. 
 
The proposed legislation (S5212) requires mandatory overtime, one day of rest per week and contributions to federal unemployment insurance for farm workers.  Currently, farm workers are excluded from time and a half pay and unemployment insurance under New York State law.  The legislation has received criticism from numerous members of the agriculture community.
 
“Mandatory day of rest would require more migratory employees to manage the harvest, creating more burdens on a limited H2A farm laborer system.  Leaving crops unharvested and wasted in the fields will not help to feed our consumers with local, fresh, safe food.  While the legislation has a feel good sentiment, the impact would leave the food, high quality food lay to waste,” said Shelley Stein from Stein Farms, LLC in LeRoy.
 
Senator Ranzenhofer has formed the Agricultural Advisory Committee to discuss State issues important to preserving the financial and economic stability of the local agricultural industry.  Agriculture, a critical economic engine in Genesee County,  is the largest industry in New York State. 
 
Focusing on scientific based legislation rather than over burdensome regulations, streamlining the dual layer of regulations between the State and federal government and supporting research institutions such as Cornell University were among the topics discussed at the inaugural meeting.
 
“Committee members can bring issues to my attention that I may be unaware of and I can ask for their input on pieces of legislation.  I do not pretend to know everything about agriculture, but with the help of the Agricultural Advisory Committee, I will ensure that the agricultural community’s voice is heard clearly in Albany,” said Senator Ranzenhofer. 
 
“It was a great idea for the Senator to reach out to the Agricultural community.  He listened intently to our problems and issues,” said Hans Mobius from Equine Maple Row Farm in Clarence.
 
Members of the committee include: Bill Crocker and Tom Wheeler, Carolina-Eastern Crocker, LLC in LeRoy; George Squires, Genesee County Soil and Water Conservation District; Hans Mobius, Equine Maple Row Farm in Clarence; Hal Kreher, Kreher’s Farm Fresh Eggs in Clarence; John Duyssen, Duyssen Farms in Stafford; Robin Denniston-Keller, Genesee County Farm Bureau and Denniston-Keller Jersey Farm; Bill Young, Upstate Niagara Cooperative;  Shelley Stein, Stein Farms LLC in LeRoy; Craig Yunker, CY Farms in Elba; Maureen Torrey-Marshall, Torrey Farms in Elba; Patrick and Charlene Spoth, Kelklenberg Farms in Clarence; and Mike and Louise Badding, Badding Brothers Farm in East Amherst.

With all this talk about Lamb Farm, I went hunting and found their website.

It is well worth the time to look through it all.  Make sure you click on the videos of the clipper and the milking merry go round.

Fascinating.

http://lambfarmsinc.net/index.html

Remember the wayward Angus calf reported by Jonathan Lamp of Oakfield a few weeks ago?

I spoke with Lamb today and he said the rancher who owned the calf recovered it, but that wasn't the only calf to escape.

The report of the missing calf was seen on The Batavian by a niece of the rancher, and the rancher recovered that calf within two hours of the initial post. But the second calf remains, well, on the lamb.

So if you see a young, all-black bovine wandering around Oakfield, let Jonathan Lamb know so he can notify the rancher.

Purple boxes are being spotted all over Genesee County. They can be seen hanging from trees and look rather curious.

The hanging prisms are intended to help USDA and state officials spot any new infestation of the Emerald Ash Borer, a pesky little beetle that munches on Ash leaves, but worse, lays larva in the Ash bark, which bores into the wood, disrupting a trees circulation system, eventually killing the tree.

Emerald Ash Borers have killed 10s of millions of Ash trees in North America, according to Sharon Lucik, a public information officer for the USDA in Michigan, where the beetle was first spotted in the U.S. in 2002.

No beetles have been found in New York, yet, with the borers being found in Canada and Pennsylvania, the USDA and state officials want to know as soon as it is spotted in the area, if ever, and make sure the area is quarantined, which means no wood can be transported from that area.

Apparently, the Emerald Ash Borer loves the color purple. The traps also contain a lure that smells to the beetle like a distressed Ash tree, such as one that has been damaged by man or mother nature.  The beetles will attack a healthy tree, but are quick to head to a tree it suspects is in a weakened state.

The beetles like Ash and only Ash.

Reader Gary Diegelman, who alerted us to this story and did some initial research, said he found out the boxes are placed on road right of ways approximately every 1.5 miles. The boxes will be hanging around most of the summer.

There is no government eradication program, Lucik said. It's up to each individual property owner to decide what to do if a beetle is found on his or her property.  The options include doing nothing, spraying a pesticide or removing the invested trees.  Of course, in the third option, the wood cannot be taken from the quarantined area.

The Ash Borer is a native of Asia and there is no known predator for the pest in North America.  It probably arrived in the U.S. riding in packing create wood or pallets aboard cargo ships.

The beetle would probably only migrate no more than half a mile a year on its own, Lucik said, but when people use Ash for fire wood or building material, the Ash can be transported up to hundreds of miles. 

The USDA program is designed aimed at quick detection so any invested Ash doesn't leave the area.

(Trap picture borrowed from a government Web site. It is not a local picture.)

A bill sponsored by a New York City Democrat that could cost the state's farmers $200 million a year, or drive many farmers out of business, and many farm workers out of state, as well as increase the cost of New York-produced food, today passed the state Assembly 85 to 57.

The Farmworkers Omnibus Labor Standards Bill, AB 1867, or as its opponents call it, "The Farm Death Bill," will require farmers to pay time-and-a-half for over time, allow farm workers to join labor unions, require a day off during harvest season, will require farmers to pay into the unemployment system, among other provisions.

The bill is sponsored by Catherine Nolan, who represents Queens.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley voted against the bill.

I spoke with Hawley about the bill Friday in his Main Street insurance office, and Steve noted that a farm worker who might, under current law, work 60 hours a week at $16 or $17 an hour and would therefore earn $1,000 is likely to see his earnings cut in half by the bill, because a farmer would find it more economical to hire a second worker rather than pay time-and-a-half to the original worker.

In a press release this evening, Hawley noted that the bill passed rather ironically the day before is slated to honor the state's dairy farmers with its annual "Dairy Day."

"Dairy farmers and agribusinesses come from all over the state to be lauded by legislators as the ‘pride of New York,’" Hawley said. "How hypocritical for lawmakers to, on the eve of this day, pass the bill that will kill these businesses.  Once our farms close up shop, they will be closed forever.”

Hawley's full press release after the jump:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, I, C - Batavia) today voted against the Farmworkers Omnibus Labor Standards Bill, dubbed the "Farm Death Bill."  By imposing unnecessary and expensive mandates on farmers, the cost of the bill, ranging in the thousands, depending on farm size, has the potential to put farms and agribusinesses across the state out of business.

"My family has a long tradition of farming.  Our Western New York community's backbone is in agriculture - both socially and financially.  This bill will be the final nail in the coffin for New York State agriculture and more people will suffer the consequences of our farms closing than just the farmers or farm workers.  The price of food will skyrocket and further hurt hard-working middle-America families that are just squeezing by right now. This bill is a disaster for the state economy," said Hawley, who is a former crop and hog farmer and Genesee County Farm Bureau President.

Hawley debated the bill on the floor, citing the fact that from April 2008 to April 2009, milk prices received by farmers dropped from $18.20 per 100 weight to $11.80; corn from $5.86 to $3.98; and wheat from $9.20 to $4.24. These price drops signify that farmers in New York State are already struggling to make ends meet.  This is compounded by production costs, which for milk are currently around $14 per 100 weight, meaning that farmers are already losing money on their products.  Additionally, New York State has lost over 2,000 farms over the last decade.  Hawley argued that the new provisions that the bill mandates will push struggling farms over the edge and force more farms, especially smaller operations, to permanently close.

During the debate, Hawley also commented on the comparison of New York State's agriculture to that of California.  He stated, "In California, they have farms that operate year-round.  Their agricultural industry is 12 months a year and operates on a much larger scale.  Here, in New York, many farms only operate 1 to 2 months per year and during these months everything from planting to harvesting happens."

Hawley, who also serves as a member of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, was among the first legislators to oppose the Farm Death Bill, or Assembly Bill 1867.  With the entire bipartisan Assembly Agriculture Committee, he sent a formal letter of opposition to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver outlining the devastating effects of the bill.  Hawley has worked with New York Farm Bureau President Dean Norton, a former dairy farmer in Batavia, local farmers and a bipartisan delegation of state legislators, to openly and publicly oppose the bill as well as to wage a public campaign urging New Yorkers to contact the sponsors of the bill in opposition.

Despite this, the Assembly passed the legislation by a vote of 85 to 57. Hawley stated, "Tomorrow, the State Legislature is celebrating their annual 'Dairy Day,' a day when dairy farmers and agribusinesses come from all over the state to be lauded by legislators as the 'pride of New York.' How hypocritical for lawmakers to, on the eve of this day, pass the bill that will kill these businesses.  Once our farms close up shop, they will be closed forever."

A cow has been reported in the road on Route 5, just past Le Roy Motors, walking west toward Batavia.

Farm Bureau President Dean Norton tells the Watertown Daily Times that a bill that would raise farm worker wages isn't necessary and will do more harm than good, for farmers and workers.

"If passed, this bill would put our industry into a major tailspin and wreck the already struggling upstate and Long Island economy," said Dean Norton, President of New York Farm Bureau and a Batavia dairy farmer.

Mr. Norton spoke at a press conference in Albany on Monday afternoon.

"The tragic irony of the situation is that the sponsors are primarily from New York City or urban areas, and most of them have never been on a farm," Mr. Norton said. "If the bill's sponsors spent some time understanding the issue, talking to farmers and farm workers, they would know that the bill doesn't actually benefit the worker."

The bill is scheduled for an Assembly floor vote this week and could increase farm costs by $200 million per year.

Sen. Catharine M. Young is critical of the legislative leadership for letting the bill get this far, because if it goes to a floor vote, there may be hard-to-resist pressure on many members to support it.

Sen. Catharine M. Young, R-Olean, said, "The only way to stop it is for it never to come to the floor for a vote."

She is the ranking minority member on the Agriculture Committee. She called the Times and criticized Sen. Aubertine for not quashing the bill in committee by talking to Majority Leader Malcolm A. Smith. Mr. Aubertine, however, is not on the committee that will send the bill to the floor.

She said union special interests are driving the bill.

"If it is allowed to come to the floor, people are going to have to be held accountable," she said. "There's a chance it will pass and it will be devastating for the upstate economy."

The Farm Bureau argues that the bill, besides being burdensome, is unnecessary:

Among other provisions, the omnibus bill would also allow farm workers to unionize, mandate one day off per week for farm workers, call on farms to provide unemployment insurance, workers compensation and disability insurance for injuries off the job.

According to the Farm Bureau, farm workers already have stronger protections in the state than under federal law. Medium- and large-sized farms already provide unemployment insurance. All farms follow a state sanitary code for migrant and seasonal housing that is stricter than the federal code.

Farms provide free housing, transportation and utilities for their workers. New York is one of two states with a housing program for farm workers. Farm employees also have work agreements for the type of work, wages, work hours, pay period, benefits and vacation and other arrangements.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley opposes the bill and posted a column alerting the public to the pending legislation last week.

Pictured above are Hawley and members of the Farm Bureau. The picture was submitted this morning by Hawley's office.

UPDATE: Additional coverage from the D&C, which quotes a proponent of the bill:

"We deserve to have a day of rest, to be paid overtime and to join a union if we choose — just like anyone else," farm worker Salvador Solis said in a news release from the Justice for Farmworkers group, which is pushing the bill.

As a former hog and crop farmer and Genesee County Farm Bureau President and a current member of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, I work very hard to ensure that our farms, agriculturalists and rural quality of life are protected.  Newly introduced legislation, Assembly Bill 1867, seriously threatens our farmers and farm workers and I would like to take a moment to share with the public the provisions of this bill.

I have already received many letters, calls and e-mails from residents of the 139th Assembly District expressing their opposition to this bill, which is known as the Farmworkers Omnibus Labor Standards Bill.  While this legislation attempts to establish benefits and bargaining rights for farm workers, the bill threatens the very existence of farm workers by imposing expensive labor mandates which will force more farms, many of which are struggling in this tough economy, to go out of business.

To explicitly outline our concerns with this legislation the entire Assembly Agriculture Committee and I drafted, signed and sent a letter to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.  Paramount among our concerns is the fact that for the last 30 years, both state and federal laws have been strengthened to protect farmworkers from injustices and unfair treatment, with most farms undergoing a review or inspection on an annual basis.  Any problems that occur on farms are quickly caught by the authorities, making this new legislation redundant and an unnecessary expense to place on farmers and our agricultural community as a whole.

I urge all members of the public to write Speaker Silver as well as the legislation's sponsor, Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan to express your concerns with this measure.  You can write to Speaker Silver at LOB 932, Albany, NY 12248 or e-mail him at speaker@assembly.state.ny.us; or contact Assemblywoman Nolan at LOB 836, Albany, NY 12248 or e-mail her nolanc@assembly.state.ny.us to express your opposition to this bill.

As The Batavian reported two months ago, Genesee County's dairy farmers have been squeezed by falling prices and higher production costs -- with prices being driven from excess milk supplies during the recession.

The New York Farm Bureau, lead by local dairyman Dean Norton, has convinced the federal government to increase dairy exports, which should help tighten supply and bring prices back in line with production costs.

The move comes after months of advocating from Farm Bureau's farmer/members who directly lobbied USDA with Congressional visits in Washington, sent e-mail messages and called or wrote hundreds of letters to Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack.

"Our members should be proud of their hard work in lobbying for USDA to activate the Dairy Export Incentive Program to help alleviate our dairy crisis," said Dean Norton, president of New York Farm Bureau and a dairy farmer from Batavia.

An Angus calf has been roaming around Batavia-Townline Road for two days, according to Jonathan Lamb.

Lamb and neighbors have tried to capture the young animal, but it runs any time anybody approaches it.

"Maybe you remember Woody from last year -- I don't know if we have another Woody on our hands, but I've called all the neighbors and nobody knows who it belongs to," Lamb said.

The calf is wandering in a field near the road, Lamb said.

If anybody is missing an Angus calf, Lamb said the owner should e-mail him at jonathanl (at) lambfarmsinc dot net.

A bunch of teenagers in red T-shirts spent Friday toiling in the sun to fix up an old barn off Route 77 in Corfu. And they did so willingly, even enthusiastically.

They spent the day scraping off old paint, powerwashing, brushing on new red paint, replacing worn out two-by-fours and doing landscaping. They'll do the trim and wrap things up Saturday and then enjoy a well-deserved banquet Sunday.

The workers are students from BOCES in Batavia and Albion High School in Orleans County and the barn is one of only five chosen nationwide to get an overhaul thanks to a generous donation from the Campbell's Soup Company.

It's all part of a project to help sustain family farms and aid the next generation of farmers. It also provides scholarship money for a prestigious six-week leadership conference this summer in Washington, D.C..

The Campbell's initiative is being done in conjunction with the national Future Farmers of America (FFA) Alumni Association, FFA student chapters, farm families and the agricultural community.

The soup maker ponied up $250,000 for the coast-to-coast campaign called "Help Grow Your Soup." Of those funds, $75,000 was set aside to refurbish five specially selected barns (at about $5,000 each) and provide scholarships to FFA students.

The barns, iconic symbols of family farms, had to be visible to the community and belong to a multi-generational farm family that produces something used to make soups.

The local one belongs to the Reynolds family, who operate a 600-cow dairy (for cream of broccoli, maybe?). The Reynolds also own 1,500 acres of land on which they grow feed crops. They sell their milk to Syracuse-based Dairylea Cooperative.

The other "Help Grow Your Soup" barns are in Illinois, Oregon, Tennessee and Kansas.

The hulking Allegheny Road structure is about 60 feet long and 40 feet wide and built sometime in the 1800s, no one seems to know exactly when. It's been used for hay storage but used to be where cows were fed and milked by John Reynolds' late parents.

The Reynolds built a new milking structure in 1997 and a new barn last year. Since the old barn was no longer essential, the family thought of tearing it down.

But family friend Barry Flansburg sort of intervened. He's also a Future Farmers of America alumnus and thought the Reynold's barn would be a good choice for the Campbell's opportunity. Apparently, his lobbying efforts weren't wasted.

"You're the first person I thought of, and you're right off Route 77," Flansburg said to Shelley Reynolds, who is delighted her family was chosen for the refurbishment project.

She likes what she and John do for a living, too.

"There's something about raising calves and seeing them become milk producers," Shelley said. "Sometimes you have to do chores on Christmas Eve, but you're responsible for it all and it's a good life. My kids never spent one day in day care. ... we operate as a family."

The family also includes Tyler, 18, MacKenzie, 17, and Andrew, 15.
Incidentally, MacKenzie is this year's Genesee County Dairy Princess and Tyler will be a freshman at Cornell this fall.

She says the kids say after college they'll come back to Corfu to run the dairy.

"It's their choice," she said, adding that it wouldn't be a bad one either.

Pictured above: Left: Christina Kirby, 11th grader at Albion; Right: Sarah Connor, 10th grader at Albion.

Genesee County farmers may soon have an opportunity to see their products sold in urban farmers markets in New York City, thanks to a bill unanimously passed by the State Senate last month.

The program creates a revolving loan program to help entrepreneurs open farmers markets in NYC's urban neighborhoods, providing residents in those neighborhoods with fresh farm products from New York State farms.

“One of our goals as a state must be to put quality New York produce from our farms on the plates of New York consumers,” said sponsor, Senator Darrel J. Aubertine (D-Cape Vincent), a retired dairy farmer who continues to raise livestock and grow crops on his farm in Northern New York. “This legislation is an important step toward achieving that. By giving consumers the opportunity to buy the highest quality and freshest products from New York farmers, we are giving our farmers new opportunities to sell their products, bringing healthy foods to underserved communities, and helping our environment by encouraging people to buy local.”

Hat tip to Lorie Longhany for finding this bill.

Commodity traders pushed down the price of hogs yesterday and the trend continues so far today, which has Charlie Miller, owner of Willow Ridge Farms in Darien, just a little worried.

Miller's operation sells 200 to 250 hogs every week, and the worldwide recession had already sent prices down from 80 cents per pound two months ago to around 70 cents. Yesterday, prices dropped to 66 cents.

The reason? Panic over Swine Flu.

Never mind that health officials state flat out that the disease cannot be transmitted from eating food. Commodity traders -- who place bets on the anticipated future price of items -- believe the flu scare will deepen a trend of over supply in pork.

Miller said as of this morning, the cash market, the current price of hog meat, had not yet been effected.

"We have six families involved in ownership and operations of the farm," Miller said. "When things don't go well in the market, it impacts more people beyond just individual needs. And it also impacts everybody we do business with."

The National Pork Producers Council reiterated points made by the National Center for Disease Control that eating pork cannot transmit the disease to humans. Further, there is no evidence that the current strain was contracted by humans from pigs.

Miller noted that the current outbreak shouldn't even be called Swine Flu because it is a different strain with more in common with Avian Flu. "It should be called North American Flu," he said.

The World Health Organization has identified only 79 cases worldwide, and the only reported deaths have been in Mexico, according to ABC Radio News.

"Often times things like this happen and people get worried and emotional," Miller said. "I encourage people to use the information from groups such as the Center for Disease Control to make their food-buying decisions."

Photo Illustration courtesy Flickr member The Pug Father.

Local dairy farmers are hurting, according to Dean Norton, president of the New York Farm Bureau.

Prices have plummeted -- because of decreased demand for dairy products at home and abroad -- while costs have increased substantially. 

Currently, milk is selling for $10.50 to $11.50 per 100 weight (about 8.5 gallons), while the cost of production is $15 and $16 per 100 weight.

Last year, milk sold for about $20 per 100 weight.

"The area economy stinks and it's a tough year," Norton said. "Receipts are down and individuals might be exiting the dairy industry."

Exports have dropped and domestic demand has been driven down as people eat out less during the recession, so there is shrunken demand for dairy products.

To help address the plunging prices, Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has initiated a herd retirement program, which will help reduce the number of milk-producing cows and lower supply.  Bids must be postmarked by May 1.

Dairy farmers throughout the nation are hurting according to The Rural Blog:

“The number of dairy cows being sent to slaughter has risen by about 20 percent from last year, as desperate farmers cull their herds and sell at fire-sale prices,” Sue Kirchoff writes for USA Today. “Adding to the problem, banks are less willing or able to extend farmers’ loan payments amid the financial turmoil.” John Murawski reports for the News & Observer in Raleigh, "Several dozen dairy farms in North Carolina are expected to go under this year." (Read more)

The National Dairy Federation has called on President Obama to aggressively address the problem, or thousands of jobs could be lost.

“There are several reasons for the implosion: oversupply, falling export demand and continued high prices for supplies such as feed,” Kirchoff explained. “The dairy sector in the past has been less prone to huge price swings than other areas of agriculture, but that’s changing as the industry relies more on the markets and less on government programs.”

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a program to buy 200 million lbs. of nonfat dry milk surpluses for domestic low-income programs.

Neighboring Wyoming County is being especially hard hit by the downturn in the dairy market, according to a story by Tom Rivers.

The $60 million in reduced revenue is compared to 2008 prices, when dairies averaged about $17.50 per hundredweight. This year the prices are forecast to average $12.80 for the year. The prices are expected to climb above the current $11 level and top $14 in September, which is still below most farms' production costs.

The county's 47,970 cows, which outnumber the county's residents, produced $178.9 million worth of milk products in 2007, by far the most in the state.

"The market is saturated and these prices are likely to be with us until mid-summer," Norton said.