7/13/2009 10:10:00 AM Taking "No Bull" Dairy producers voice frustrations, exchange ideas at Minnesota Farmers Union action session
Dean Lubitz, a dairy producer from Perham, Minn., spoke passionately to fellow producers during an MFU action session on June 29. “We (dairy farmers) have hid too long in the bush being quiet. We need to stand now or we will go down one by one,” Lubitz said. (photo by Jennifer Burggraff)
Roger Schaefer owned and operated a dairy farm with his family until a few months ago when he sold his cows due to the low milk prices. On June 29, Schaefer told his story to those present at the “No Bull” Action Session organized by the Minnesota Farmers Union in New York Mills, Minn. (photo by Jennifer Burggraff)
Jennifer Burggraff Staff Writer
NEW YORK MILLS, Minn. - Desperate times often call for desperate measures, and for dairy producers across the nation there has never been a more desperate time than the present.
On June 29, dairy producers, business people and government officials came together at Eagles Café in New York Mills during the first of two "No Bull" Action Sessions organized by the Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) to discuss the desperate times in the dairy industry and the measures that need to be taken for dairy farmers to make it through. The second session was held June 30 at the John and Kris Miller dairy farm near Plainview.
"These are emotional times for dairy farmers," MFU president Doug Peterson said as he opened the meeting and addressed the 30-plus people in attendance.
Throughout the meeting, selected dairy producers and other representatives of the dairy industry had a chance to speak to the crowd, each sharing their unique stories, their passion for dairy and their ideas on how to bring the industry back up. The floor was then open to anyone in the audience who wanted an opportunity to speak.
"If you can make money on $11 milk, more power to you, but I can't," Perham area dairy producer, Dean Lubitz, said, trying to rally fellow producers to make their voices and concerns heard. "We (dairy farmers) have hid too long in the bush being quiet. We need to stand now or we will go down one by one."
Lonnie Nelson, a Menagha area dairy farmer, said finances became tight enough on his family's dairy that his son had to get an off-the-farm job two weeks ago because he could no longer afford to pay him.
"I'm tired of being lied to," Nelson said. "The milk price is based on greed and stupidity. There is not surplus production in the U.S. [contrary to popular belief]; dairy is being imported. [According to a report done by New York dairy farmer, John Bunting], last year Americans consumed 193 billion pounds of dairy products. We produced 188.8 billion pounds."
Those numbers pencil out to 4.2 billion pounds of dairy products imported into the United States in 2008, not including milk protein concentrates (MPCs) or casein products, the report stated.
Other producers voiced their frustrations concerning the lack of affordable health insurance for dairy farmers.
"We (dairy producers) own the creameries. We pay for the creamery employees' health insurance and yet we cannot get under the same insurance as them," Roger Schaefer of Becker County said. "How many of you don't have any insurance, all because you can't afford it?"
Schaefer owned and operated a dairy farm with his family up until a couple months ago, when he sold the cows because he was losing too much money.
"I was going more in the hole every time the milk truck drove into the yard. For every 100 pounds of milk I was losing $3," Schaefer said. "For me, it was a choice between going deeper in the hole or getting out."
Producers also shared their thoughts on how to improve the dairy prices and bring the industry back up. Suggestions included rallying support for the S889 bill and the new Holstein Association USA's proposed milk price stabilization program, implementing a supply management program, taking control of corporate America who currently set the prices for the products they buy instead of farmers setting the prices for the products they sell, merging the dairy co-ops into one, and the implementation of make-allowances in the pricing system.
Another suggestion concerned the milk checkoff program and the amount of money producers are putting into it. Dairy producers are currently paying $0.15 per hundredweight of milk to the national dairy checkoff program, which funds dairy promotion and programs across the nation.
"The average per year spent on the checkoff by one farm is $3,000," Peterson said. "That adds up to $250 per month that could be going to other necessities."
Mark Rohr, a dairy producer from Bluffton, suggested that the checkoff price fluctuate with the milk price.
After listening attentively to all that was said, Senator Dan Skogen, Sharon Josephson (from the office of Representative Collin Peterson) and Dave Fredrickson (from the office of Senator Amy Klobuchar) each addressed the audience.
"What we need from you (the dairy producers and organizations) at the state level is for all of you to sing from the same hymnal," Skogen said. "We need all of the organizations to carry the same message ... We need a strong and unified voice of what the dairy industry wants us to do."
Sharon Josephson agreed with Skogen, but cautioned those present to remember that what goes up eventually must come down.
"Prices go up and they go down. When they are good, it's hard to remember that," she said. "That's one of the real frustrations for us. We have to remember during the good times the bad times that can follow."
Although Representative Collin Peterson is working in support of the dairy industry, Josephson said it is sometimes difficult to rally support from other government officials when the majority does not have an understanding of agriculture.
"Part of our problem is ag is only two percent of the population," Josephson said. "It's hard to explain your situation when you are trying to educate the other 98 percent."
Following the meeting, Doug Peterson said the next step the MFU will take is to write a letter highlighting what was brought forth during each "No Bull" Action Session. He, along with other MFU members will then travel to Washington D.C. and present the letter to U. S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, Rep. Peterson and Sen. Klobuchar.
"We need to press upon our elected officials that we need help now," Peterson said. "We have to keep the issue of the dairy price for farmers in front of people."
Reader Comments
Posted: Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Article comment by:
Erin J.
I forwarded this article to practically everyone in my email address book and this is what I wrote: There is this article in the Dairy Star (a free newspaper that all dairy farmers receive) that I thought shed a little light on our situation and is something that the general public should also have the chance to read. Anyone that knows me probably knows how I feel about what we do and why we choose to continue farming even though circumstances are hard right now. We take a lot of pride in our lifestyle and hard work. The industry itself is something I feel like we have no control over and right now we take it one day at a time. No one knows if or when things will get better. There is not much optimism from anyone out there right now and we just received a postcard in the mail announcing another herd retirement sign up. This is also known as a “dairy buyout” where a farmer’s entire herd will be bought (usually for a good price), but every animal will go for slaughter and the farmer is usually not allowed to buy back any more animals for so many years. The theory behind this program is to lower milk production and raise prices. If and when the prices get better it will be a long time of playing “catch up” before farmers are breaking even or making any profit. I don’t believe God will let the farmer suffer forever. We take care of his creation every day and I don’t think anyone can farm without having faith. We pray in times like this, we pray for favorable weather for our crops and we pray to give thanks. I feel it is ironic that farmers feed the world and yet sometimes we struggle to put food on the table of our own family. This country was built by farmers (George Washington himself was a farmer) and yet it seems like we have been forgotten. The general public needs to have a face to go along with the food they eat everyday. For everything you eat someone produced that product. I don’t want people to just think of some guy driving a tractor, but picture a farmer’s family. Our children work along beside us another generation is trying to be raised on these farms. You know, there are positive things to hard times. They can either tear a family apart or bring them closer together. I think for us, we stick together and appreciate the little things and are truly grateful for what we receive. In today’s world I feel there are many good qualities are children learn from this lifestyle. Last spring as Loren attended a creamery meeting a creamery representative stood up and gave a speech about how the creamery had a boomer year and made millions. Well, they made all that money with cheap labor, on the backs of people like us. So please remember when you buy your gallon of milk that the farmer is not receiving even half of the amount you are paying at the store. We are living off the same milk price the generation before us received in 1970 and paying 2009 prices on expenses. My intent on sharing this is not to receive pity or to complain I just want to help inform non-farmers of what the current situation is. I don’t have any answers to the problem all I know is that sitting down and staying quiet never solved anything. I simply ask for your prayers.
