Angry Farmer Asks the Real Question

Editor:

Another milk check has come and gone. Things still don’t look too good.
We read articles about meetings to discuss the dairy dilemma — people joining together to share worries, frustrations and ideas. Another government committee forms to look into the possibility of maybe doing, or not doing, something to help.

We see articles such as, “When Is It Time to Quit,” “Direct Market or Get Out” and other such wonderful self-help items.

If you are shipping milk to a co-op that owns a processing or bottling plant you should see a huge rebate at the end of the year. They have made tremendous profits, and certainly they will be glad to share with their producers. If you don’t have the money perhaps you will finally realize who your enemy really is.

The real question is, are you angry enough yet? Are you willing to roll over and die or stand up and fight?

These people are stealing from us and the public. They are stealing from our children’s future and the future strength and security of our nation.

There is an old Native American saying, “We do not inherit this earth: we borrow it from our children.” Isn’t it time to start taking steps to make sure there is something left?

We must take control of our milk. There is no surplus, and there has not been for many years. It is time to cut them off for a while, until the co-ops are ready to work with us. It would .800not take long. There is nowhere else to.700 get milk except from us.

Let’s do some math:

1 cow - 50 pounds milk x 30 days = 1,500 pounds
1,500 pounds x $.10 per pound (10 cwt) = $150 per cow per month
$150 per cow x 12 months = $1,800 per cow per year
Now watch what happens if you would dump your milk for one month:
1 cow - 50 pounds milk x 30 days = 1,500 pounds milk
1,500 pounds per month x $.11 (11 cwt) = $165 per cow
$165 per cow x 11 months (you have dumped one month) = $1,815 per cow per year

We could dump a whole month of milk and if it would drive the price $1 per hundred weight, you would still make $15 a cow more than now. I don’t think it would take a whole month to make it work, but we must work together and stand together, if not for us, for our children and nation.

So, are you angry enough yet?

— Dan Vaughan                                                                              White Hall, Md.