Co-op to dairy farmers: ‘Go out of business if need be’

By TOM KANE

WAYNE COUNTY, PA - Dairyman Joe Davitt was so shocked he was speechless. Fellow dairyman Brian Smith’s reaction was to laugh.

This mixed reaction came in response to a remark by Greg Wickham, CEO of the Northeast regional office of the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA). Davitt and Smith were among a group of eight people from the local dairy industry who met with Wickham to protest the poor price they are getting for raw milk, and the need for the co-op to go to bat for them in Congress where the new farm bill is being written. Dairy farmers have asked that Congress link their production costs to the money they receive, getting a higher price whenever their costs go up.

DFA is the major cooperative that collects, processes and markets all or most of the milk from dairies in New York and Pennsylvania. The co-op also determines what price the farmers get in their milk checks every month. DFA is also under investigation by a federal agency for price manipulation.

“I told him that I would rather work hard and end up dying on my farm than do anything else on earth,” Davitt said. “I don’t want any other job.”

When Wickham asked Smith what price for his milk he is looking for, Smith, who is also the chairman of the Wayne County Commissioners, said that farmers needed to get at least $25 per hundred weight to be efficient and profitable like any business.

Currently, dairy farmers are getting $19 per hundred weight, which is considerably below the price they have gotten historically. What is especially grievous is that prices for feed, fertilizer, electricity, gasoline, health insurance and farm equipment are skyrocketing.

“You’re not going to get $25 in the next 12 months,” Wickham said. “We’re against the cost of production in determining the price of milk; we’re working with immigration to get some legitimate workers. We support the farm bill. Joe, you can continue working on your farm and end up dying there and the rest of you do what you have to make ends meet. If that means going out of business, then so be it. We’re not able to help you.”

Dairy farmers are at the mercy of the co-op since it is extremely difficult for them to process and sell their own milk, although a few farmers are attempting to do that and be self-sufficient.

After the shock wore off, Smith said, “What is really painful is that this is the kind of attitude on the part of co-op officials who should be trying to help us maintain our way of life and receive a decent income. Make it on your own or get out! This kind of attitude has got to change in the minds of people like Wickham.”

Davitt and Smith are not alone in their sense of desperation that is facing dairy farmers here in New York and Pennsylvania; it’s happening all over the country.