[AT] Dairy farming. Dying industry?

[Mike Sloane]

The only way the dairy farmers in our county can stay afloat is to sell 
their development rights to the county/state and put the land into 
farmland preservation. Then they can keep on farming until the money's 
gone. A lot of them have started planting extra hay to sell and working 
other crops to supplement the income from dairy operations. Right now, 
the co-op is paying less for milk than it costs to produce it.

And they aren't buying any new machinery, just fixing up the old stuff 
or picking up stuff at auctions when their neighbors quit farming. In 
the last two years I worked as selling new tractors, I didn't sell a 
single one to local farmers. I did sell a few balers, discbines, tedders 
and spreaders, but not many. (And the only reason they bought from me 
was that all the other tractor/equipment dealers in the area had closed 
down.)

Mike

CEE VILL wrote:
> With the list being pretty quiet, it seems a good time to toss in this 
> article from a Pa. newspaper which I read yesterday.  Sad but 
> interesting read if you are interested.
> 
> Charlie V.
> 
> P.S.   (tractor ref.) These guys use a lot of tractors.  Fodder for 
> future collectors.
> 
>    02/24/2007
> Casey hears concerns of local dairy farmers
> BY DAVID SINGLETON
> TIMES SHAMROCK WRITER
> 

-- 
Mike Sloane
Allamuchy NJ
<mikesloane at verizon.net>
Website: <www.geocities.com/mikesloane>
Images: <www.fotki.com/mikesloane>

It's hard to argue against cynics - they always sound smarter
than optimists because they have so much evidence on their side.
-- Molly Ivins 1944-2007