Leahy bill would fix Labor Department’s exemption of dairy farms from seasonal workers Visa program
Leahy bill would fix Labor Department’s exemption of dairy farms from seasonal workers Visa program WASHINGTON (Thursday, Feb. 11) – Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Thursday said he will introduce legislation to address the U.S. Department of Labor’s new rules that exclude the dairy industry from eligibility for certification in the seasonal agricultural worker program, [...]
The dairy producer’s voice missing in the downturn
Oversupplying the market with cheap food at their own expense creates no sense of urgency for anyone to help the farmer.
Vermont Receives $5.7 Million in Emergency Dairy Payments
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today announced that $5.7 million in emergency support to more than 1,000 Vermont dairy farmers has been released. The assistance, coming at a time when dairy farmers have experienced the lowest prices in 40 years, is part of a $350 million dairy assistance measure sponsored by Sanders.
Keep Local Farms lands two contracts
Ten cents of every pint of milk students at the University of Vermont and Harvard University buy will be passed on to dairy farmers. UVM launched its Keep Local Farms fund-raising campaign on Monday. Harvard joined the program on Oct. 19. The slight price hike is part of a fund-raising and marketing campaign to raise [...]
On the dairy beat
Fair dairy? State hopes consumers will pay more for milk, make donations to farmers The cost of production calculus Dairy farmers tough out costliest downturn Economist says state could lose 150 farms by next summer Vermont’s dairy industry blip on national radar Communities where dairy is king take a hit economically Losses driving farms deep [...]
Fair dairy?
State hopes consumers will pay more for milk, make donations to farmers Got milk? Got a little extra money to pay for it? And by the way, wanna donate cash for a T-shirt? Those are the questions Vermont’s Agency of Agriculture is putting to the public on the new Web site it’s unveiling today at [...]
The cost of production calculus
“You’d have to kind of wake up and think that the planets and stars are all lined up against you. A poor harvest at the same time you have low milk prices and high feed prices – that combination is like three hits in the gut in a row.” — Bob Parsons, agricultural economist for UVM Extension
Desperate times for dairy farmers
Economist: 150 farms could go out by next summer You’ve read the headlines. The dairy industry is in crisis. Milk prices have fallen to 30-year lows. Worldwide demand for cheese and powdered milk has plummeted because of the global recession. Farmers are eating into their equity to survive. But how bad is it, really? If [...]
Dairy: The big picture
How Vermont compares with the rest of the nation Vermont is more dependent on one single commodity – milk – than any other state in the nation. Seventy percent of the state’s agricultural production comes from the dairy industry, according to Bob Parsons, University of Vermont Extension agricultural economist. So it’s not surprising that dairy [...]
Losses driving farms into debt
Lenders see large increase in borrowing for expenses State officials and lenders say Vermont dairy farmers have been losing $100 per cow a month. That means the average farm with 120 cows has lost about $84,000 since milk prices plummeted to historic lows in February. Large farms of 700 to 1,000 cows have lost $490,000 [...]
