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
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 [...]
