Feds to probe low milk prices paid to NY farmers

A top antitrust investigator from the U.S. Justice Department is investigating why New York farmers are getting record low payments for milk and consumers are seeing just a fraction of the savings.

[Ann]

Good! We need to look out for our farmers. They are the ultimate hard working people and have been getting screwed over for too long.

[upset]

our government is no longer the one we created

what our government is, is destined to fail

you cannot expect a government that doesnt know whether it is a capitalistic or socialistic government to succeed

by having the mix of what we have now with all the bs that has taken place we have made it impossible for our country to succeed, this is just one of the areas that are being destroyed by ignorant decisions by law makers

no matter what they do, they will not fix the situations

[WNY CONSERVATIVE]

TWO WEEKS AGO I PAID $1.48 FOR A GALLON OF WHOLE MILK AT BJ's IN HENRIETTA. WITH MILK AT THAT PRICE (EVEN IF IT IS A GIMMICK) NOT EVEN THE PROCESSOR IS MAKING MUCH.

I FAULT THE MILK MARKETING ORDER SYSTEM WHERE MIK IS ASSIGNED A CLASS BASED ON ITS NEED IN LIQUID PROCESSING OR MANUFACTURED PROCESSING (ie CHEESE, BUTTER, ICE CREAM, ETC). EVERY FARMER WANTS TO GET AS MUCH OF HIS MILK SOLD AS CLASS I BECAUSE CLASSES II & III BRING CONSIDERABLY LESS RETURN. I ALSO FIND FAULT WITH THE MILK COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATIONS BECAUSE THEY ARE TRULY NOT DOING THE JOB FOR THEIR FARMER MEMBERS. MOST COOP CEOS & THEIR CHOSEN ADMINISTRATIVE SUBORDINATES ARE SOMETIMES TOO COZY WITH THE PROCESSORS. FOR EXAMPLE I WILL USE THE ITALIAN PROCESSOR, PARMALAT, WHICH ALMOST DESTROYED THE MILK MARKETS IN THE SOUTHEAST STATES. IT TAKES A LOT OF WINING, DINING AND JET-SETTING TO GET AS MUCH OF YOUR COOP's MILK PLACED A PROCESSOR LIKE PARMALAT AS CLASS I. THE OWNER OF PARMALAT WAS SIMILAR TO THE TRENDY SIR ALAN STANFORD; HE TOO HAD AN EXPENSIVE SOCCER TEAM TO MAINTAIN AND KEEP STOCKED WITH SOME OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE SOCCER PLAYERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. WE NOW HAVE PROCESSOR,KRAFT, TRYING A HOSTILE TAKEOVER OF CADBURY FOR APPROXIMATELY $17-20 BILLION; DON'T PLAN ON THE KRAFT STOCKHOLDERS TO TAKE THE HIT ON PAYING THAT AMOUNT OFF. DEAR OLD DAIRY FARMER AND CONSUMER ARE GONNA PAY DEARLY.

NOW TO THE DAIRY FARMER. WE HAVE 9 MILLION PLUS DAIRY COWS NATIONWIDE. ALL DAIRYMEN HAVE STRINGER COWS (THOSE COWS EITHER MAKING JUST ENOUGH MILK TO PAY FOR THEIR FEED OR EVEN CAUSING A FINANCIAL LOSS BY NOT MEETING THEIR FEED COSTS); THOSE STRINGERS NEED TO BE CULLED FROM HERDS. WE DON'T NEED 9 MILLION COWS ANY LONGER TO PRODUCE MILK. HARD TO BELIEVE BUT OUR NATION's HERD SIZE WAS ABOUT 11 MILLION BACK IN THE MID-70's. HOW PRODUCTION PER COW HAS INCREASED IN 30 OR SO YEARS. NOW FOR THE REAL KICKER TO THE BAD IMAGE PRESENTED TO THE AMERICAN CONSUMER BY SOME OF THE POOREST QUALITY FARMERS. THIS AFTERNOON MY WIFE AND I WERE EATING WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN A PICTURE OF A DIRTY MUDDY MANURERY COW COMES ON THE TV. THE MILKER WAS ATTACHING THE MILKING MACHINE BETWEEN THE COW's REAR LEGS. MY WIFE IMMEDIATELY DROPPED HER FORK AND LOOKED LIKE SHE WAS GOING TO BE SICK. I TOLD HER THAT'S HOW LITTLE SOME DAIRY FARMERS CARE ABOUT HYGIENE AND MILKER EMPLOYEE TRAINING. THESE FARMERS THAT JUST WANT A CHECK AND DON'T STAND BY THE QUALITY OF THEIR PRODUCT NEED TO BE PUT OUT OF THE DAIRY BUSINESS.

BEST OF LUCK TO ALL YOU QUALITY DAIRYMEN. I THINK CHUCK SCHUMER, CHRIS LEE AND OTHER GOVERNMENT LEGISLATORS WILL DO OVER AND ABOVE FOR YOU IN THE BATTLE TO GET ALL OF YOU A DECENT RETURN FOR YOUR PRODUCT. I LOVE MY WHOLE MILK AND ALWAYS HAVE EVEN WHEN I'VE HAD IT STRAIGHT FROM THE MILK TANK. JUST GIVE ME THE BEST PRODUCT YOU CAN AND DON'T RELY ON THE PROCESSORS TO STRAIN OUT THE DIRT AND OTHER CONTAMINANTS.

[Annabelle]

As long as they don't probe the cows, as bestiality is against the law.

[I TEAM ME]

the ONLY reason the feds are getting involved is because they want to know where their cut is!!!!!

they could care less about the farmers and consumers ;)

[Ha Ha]

Annabelle wrote:

As long as they don't probe the cows, as bestiality is against the law.

unless you are a cop ...
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/20...

[Jeff]

Squeezing consumers? I paid $1.40 for a gallon of milk yesterday at Walmart. How much less can they possibly charge. I personally think the farmers deserve at least $1 more per gallon.

[julie]

I remember not too long ago when milk costs were way more than gas. Now the costs have flipped. How are farmers supposed to cover the gap when they are losing? With taxpayers money. I'm sick of this state and country mismanaging OUR money and then repairing their screw ups with more of OUR money. Every time the federal and state governments say they are giving money to whatever, that's OUR MONEY. The government isn't bailing out and giving money to people do they can buy cars, WE ARE! New Yorkers should be angry! WE ARE BROKE!! If they didn't overspend we and New York farmers would have more of our hard earned money back in our hands.

[farmer bob]

Whats not being mention is part of the reason milk prices are so low is that we are importing milk proteins ( i think its protiens) from China. They use the proteins to make yogurt, cheese, stuff like that. Don't hold me to this, having a hard time remembering what my dad was telling me exactly. But its crazy to import this from china, they have NO standards about cleanliness ex.... yet again screwed by the chinese