The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Published Saturday, Feb. 12, 2000

LAWRENCE COUNTY

Dairyman dumps 1,500 pounds of milk
* * *
Farmerprotestinglow prices
* * *
SAYS MILK PRICING DOESN’T COVER PRODUCTION COST

By Tom Fontainei
Herald Staff Writer

Sean Nolan said a dairy farmer can only dump so much milk.

At his Wilmington Township farm in Lawrence County Friday, Nolan dumped about 1,500 pounds of milk to protest the plummeting prices dairy farmers receive for their product and the federal government’s blatant disregard of dairy farmers like him.

Nolan called himself a grass-roots farmer, a family farmer and an endangered species — a dairy farmer who has fewer than 300 head for milking.

The government is lowering prices to rock-bottom levels because the dairy supply has outraced demand, Nolan said. Nolan blames the surplus on the over-importation of milk from other countries andmegafarms 100 times the size of his farm, which has 30 head.

“We’ve got a so-called surplus for you,” Nolan said as he released the valve on his bulk tank and emptied about 176 gallons of milk.

Wearing knee-high barn boots, Nolan stood in the yellowish milk and explained that he feels like he’s dumping milk every time he ships it to a processor.

“The federal government has made a mess of milk pricing. The pricing formula has allowed the price I’m paid for my milk to drop to a 1978 base level,” Nolan said.

Nolan said Friday’s dumped milk took three days for 17 of his 30 cows to produce. For the amount, Nolan would’ve been paid about $150.

Nolan said he was paid $9.91 for every 100-weight of milk he sold to Farmer’s Cheese in New Wilmington last month.

“This was a net price after deducting (the cost of) hauling the milk to the milk plant, advertising and promotion fees, marketing fees and co-op dues,” Nolan said.

“The pricing they’ve set up doesn’t consider my cost of production,” Nolan added. Although dairy farmers provide the milk and pay fees to get it in stores, Nolan said the processors are making money and the farmers are going broke and losing their farms.

According to information provided by Nolan and his mother, Gail, retail prices for milk range from $2.26 a gallon for skim to $2.46 a gallon for whole milk.

Each 100-weight of skim milk can be sold in stores for $26.58, while the same amount of whole milk goes for about $29.

The milk Nolan dumped Friday could have been sold in stores for about $400 and $434, for skim and whole milk respectively.

Ms. Nolan added that the butterfat in the milk is not considered in the pricing formula either. “What happened to the butterfat that is skimmed off?” she asked.

“The processor uses this butterfat to make butter, ice cream, cottage cheese, yogurt and other products that increase the value of the milk.”

Nolan and his mother have written or e-mailed dozens of lawmakers, agricultural officials and even the president calling for reform.

On Feb. 2 — the same day the Nolans and more than 50 picketers gathered outside the Dean Dairy Products plant in South Pymatuning Township — the Nolans e-mailed nine U.S. senators and received only three form letters in response.

The e-mail called for “a cost-of-production emergency floor price of $15.50” for every 100 pounds of milk sold.

“We would like you to consider the family farmer and give less weight to the talking heads from the large farm sector. They are out of touch with the grass-root farmer,” the letter read.

Back to TOP // Herald Local news // Local news headlines // Herald Home page

Questions/comments: online@sharon-herald.com
For info about advertising on our site or Web-site creation: advertising@sharon-herald.com

012700