Jeff King of King Brothers Dairy in Schuylerville says costs are rising in every aspect of the business. He’s seeing higher prices for the diesel for the delivery trucks and tractors, for the fertilizer, and the feed for the nearly 2,000 cows on his farm.
We spend a fair bit of money to purchase corn and soybean and grains and so forth. Our costs are up at least 30% over 4-5 months ago.” King said.
He says inflation is even impacting the packaging for their products.
“We’ve had some of our suppliers talk to us and say you should really think about ordering enough packaging for 8 to 12 months because they’re not even sure that we’re going to be able to get some of that!” He said.
King says as much as they’ve fought it, they have raised their prices – including the delivery fee for home milk delivery. He says prices are up about 20% in some instances.
King says he’s very thankful for loyal customers, but the uncertainty of the future is a big cause for concern for his small business.
I’m worried about the future and I hope that our economy can level out we can slow this inflation train down a little bit.” King said.
Right now, a gallon of milk at Kings Brothers is $3.89. The Regional Dairy Management Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension tells me, the average cost of milk nationwide is the highest it’s been in years.
CBS6 looked at the USDA’s Retail Milk Price Report, which shows the average cost of a gallon of whole milk. Milk in the Syracuse area costs about $3.92 this month. The data shows it has increased more than 30 cents since the start of the year. The report did not list data for the Capital Region, Syracuse was the closest city listed.
