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Having worked on a dairy farm for a few months, I know how difficult the life can be. At least in that case the final products were artisanal cheeses selling for upwards of $20 a pound. I can't even think what it is like to run a dairy farm selling milk. Even with government subsidies, many of the farmers actually end up selling the milk for less than their costs to produce it. In the Hudson Valley region of NY near me, there were 67 dairy farms in 1997. By 2002 there were only 45, and best estimates are that 23 remain active as of today. All these beautiful old farms are now becoming housing communities the ex-farmers can't even afford to live in. I am a big fan of buying local and regional products and try to support all the little farmers struggling to make a living. I was very glad to hear about a new member based non-profit company called Hudson Valley Fresh. They buy high quality, hormone free milk from five dairy farms and sell it locally so that consumers can know that their milk is from nearby, not a farm thousands of miles away. The milk isn't certified organic since that is an expensive multi-year process, but it is very good milk that is going to be much fresher than milk that has traveled long distances to get to your store. It may cost a bit more, but the money is passed back to the local farmers who are getting paid much more than the average price for their milk.
New York isn't the only area where local milk is being sold. There are two producers in Rhode Island, Rhody Fresh and The Farmer's Cow offering local milk. So far these local milks are only available in limited quantities but sales are good which means that more will soon be available.. We have to support our local farmers. It's a hard life that requires great dedication and I for one like to know where my food comes from. I also want to keep as many of my dollars in my local community, helping small and family run businesses to not only survive, but to actually make a decent living. I ask all of you to do the same as much as possible I know that it is very difficult to live off of purely local products, but we can all try to do what we can.
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11-14-2006 @5:38PM Alex said... I don't know what it's like in America, but in the UK, the large supermarkets really put the squeeze on dairy farmers, as milk is seen as a loss leader.
In the UK at least - try to buy milk from a local producer and support the dairy industry!
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11-14-2006 @7:12PM Robyn said... My husband grew up in a rural area and he said his brother used to bring home fresh milk once in awhile from his dairy job. He said it was the best milk he ever tasted. I think they had to drink it quickly though because it didn't go through the same process as the stuff in the supermarket. I don't really like milk but I hope that I can try this one day because I suspect that my idea of milk only applies to the supermarket kind.
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11-14-2006 @7:54PM mike said... The attractive feature for farmers is that they're guaranteed $20 per hundred pounds of milk, more than $7 above the current regulatory price. Simon says the system guarantees farmers a living wage.
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