The Dairy Crisis & Why We Should All Care

By Celeste Longacre

            Our country right here, right now, is experiencing a colossal national security crisis and few people seem to notice. Dairy farms all across our nation and particularly in our state are failing at an alarming rate. It is estimated that, by the end of this year, there will be no dairy farms left in the state of New Hampshire. None. Not a one. Zero. To me, this is completely and utterly unacceptable.

 The problem, it seems, is with the price of milk which has fallen 50% since last December. Milk prices are set nationally by the Chicago Mercantile and based on cheese futures. We routinely gamble the value of this precious commodity on the stock market. Farmers have no say in what they can charge and it bears no connection to the amount of money it takes to produce it. [Ed. note: Currently our diary farmers are receiving $9-10 per "hundred weight" of milk, and it costs them $17-19 per hundred weight to produce it.]

There are those who would like to see all of the small farms fail. Huge, factory farms in California are allowed to dehydrate their milk, ship it across country, re-hydrate it and sell it at the supermarket as “fresh milk” (no special labeling required). China, also, is sending us freighters full of powdered milk that they produce “on the cheap.” And, how many Chinese babies died in the last adulteration of their milk?

If we lose all of our dairy farms, we will become a region that can no longer feed itself. A region that can no longer feed itself has become—by definition—enslaved.  What happens if there is a disruption in the distribution networks? Any combination of  natural disasters or terrorist attacks could result in such a scenario. Think of the danger in which we place our children and grandchildren if we lose all of our farms! No farms—no food. Period.

It is time to take action to support our local farmers. We need a huge, loud and insistent demand that action be taken on the national level to stop the hemorrhaging of our small farms. Call, write or email (or do all three!) our Senators, Congressmen and the Governor. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, 520 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510, (202) 224-2841. Senator Judd Gregg, 201 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC, 20510, (202) 224-3324. Congressman Paul Hodes, 1317 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC, 20515, (202) 225-5206. Governor John Lynch, Office of the Governor, State House, 25 Capitol St., Concord, NH 03301, (603) 271-2121.