| Washington, D.C., June 8, 2009 —Thirty-six conservation groups, farm organizations, local governments and others across the Northeast have joined together requesting that Congress and the Obama administration take quick action to address the crisis facing dairy farmers. Dairy farmers in the Northeast and around the country are facing severe and prolonged low milk prices—prices that are well below the farmers’ costs of production. This sustained price slump has caused the loss of some dairy farms already and threatens the future of thousands more in the Northeast.
“Without federal action, New York and New England will continue to lose farms that produce a fresh and dependable milk supply for millions of nearby consumers,” said Cris Coffin, New England Director of American Farmland Trust.
Dairy farms are the “anchor tenants” of Northeast agriculture. According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, dairy farmers own or manage 3.5 million acres of land in farms in New York and New England. An additional 2.7 million acres are used for hay and corn production, much of which is used to feed dairy cows. This acreage represents 55 percent of the region’s land in farms.
Gil Livingston, President of the Vermont Land Trust, said, “Dairy farmers and healthy dairy enterprises are critical to our region’s economy, agrarian communities and environmental health. Because they steward millions of acres of farmland across the region, dairy farms are important allies in protecting water quality, natural communities and other important resources, and they play a role in mitigating the impacts of global warming.”
Dairy farms are also a significant economic engine. The region’s 7,472 dairy farms produce $3.3 billion in dairy cattle and milk sales annually. The multiplier effect of that production is significant; according to Penn State’s Center for Dairy Excellence, 85 percent of a dairy farm’s income is spent locally and each farm dollar recycles 2.5 times through the economy.
“Dairy farms are critical to the health of our region’s economy. They purchase supplies and services from machinery dealers, veterinarians, hardware stores and other local businesses while supporting thousands of food processing jobs,” said Dean Norton, President of New York Farm Bureau. “It hurts all farmers when dairy farms go out of business as it makes it more likely that these support businesses will leave the region.”
The 36 groups urged Congress to provide a better federal income safety net for dairy farmers through the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program. In addition, they have called on Congress to make federal funds available to dairy farms, as have been made available to other industries and businesses, to allow farmers to consolidate debt and restructure loans.
Organizations that joined on the call to Congress include:
Teri Ptacek
Agricultural Stewardship Association
Cris Coffin
American Farmland Trust, New England Office
David Haight
American Farmland Trust, New York Office
Narain Schroeder
Berkshire Natural Resources Council
Phil Korman
Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture
Steve Reviczky
Connecticut Farm Bureau
Henry Talmage
Connecticut Farmland Trust
Eric Hammerling
Connecticut Forest and Park Association
Gordon Gibson
Connecticut State Grange
Lynda Brushett
Cooperative Development Institute
Lucy Nolan
End Hunger Connecticut
Nancy Goodman
Environmental League of Massachusetts
Rich Hubbard
Franklin Land Trust
Eric Grace
Genesee Valley Conservancy
Bill Bell
Maine Association of Conservation Districts
Jon Olson
Maine Farm Bureau
John Piotti
Maine Farmland Trust
Jennifer Ryan
Massachusetts Audubon Society
Doug Gillespie
Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation
Bernie McHugh
Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition
Ryan Owens
Monadnock Conservancy
Leigh Youngblood
Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust
Maureen Knapp
New York Agricultural Land Trust
Dean Norton
New York Farm Bureau
Al Bettencourt
Rhode Island Farm Bureau
Cindy Trahan-Liptak
Rutland Land Conservancy
Kathy Orlando
Sheffield Land Trust
Carolyn DeMoranville
Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership
Linda Garrett
Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust
Jeanie McIntyre
Upper Valley Land Trust
Jackie Folsom
Vermont Farm Bureau
Gil Livingston
Vermont Land Trust
Robin Chesmer
Very Alive
Terry Jones
Working Lands Alliance
Barbara Hanley
Westport Agricultural Commission
Barbara Hanley
Westport Agricultural & Open Space Trust Fund Council
Town of Westport
Drew Shapiro
Wyoming County Department of Planning and Development
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****Note to editors: dairy photos for illustration are available via email to Jennifer Morrill, director of media relations at: jmorrill@farmland.org
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