"We didn't feel we were getting a fair return on the work we were putting in. We felt the farm was more valuable to us if we sold it, " is the comment of Pete Walrod in a Sunday Post Standard story explaining his decision in 2006 to escape the ups and downs of a volatile milk market and sell his 150-head dairy farm in Madison County.
His experience may unfortunately become more commonplace in Upstate New York in the near future, given the economic turmoil that has seen milk prices drop significantly in January -- reportedly one of the largest drops in 50 years.
Cornell Cooperative Extension organized a milk producer summit last week in Morrisville to help local dairy operations prepare for what is expected to be even lower milk prices paid to farmers in the coming year. Cooperative Extension serves urban, suburban, town and rural areas by offering public enrichment programs in five broad areas: Agriculture & Food Systems; Children, Youth, & Families; Community & Economic Vitality; Environment & Natural Resources; and Nutrition & Health.
A representative of a local farm credit service said the milk price forecast for 2010 was better, but the challenge for area farms will be getting through 2009.
Read the full story at: http://www.syracuse.com/poststandard/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-13/123650260031920.xml&coll=1
