So far, Vermont is down 22 farms in 2022. Coming back from COVID-19 and struggles related to the war in Ukraine around feed and fertilizer prices remain immediate concerns.
The task force says its eyes are set on legislation this year that won’t just focus on Band-Aid style fixes, but more long-term solutions.
“This year in 2022 we are seeing a little difference between what is happening in the organic dairy world and with conventional dairy farms,” said Diane Bothfeld of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture.
Bothfeld says both conventional and organic dairy concerns are familiar; costs continue to cripple farmers from feed to fertilizer, as well as questions about the next generation of dairy farmers.
All of this has been voiced to Vermont’s Dairy Revitalization Task Force.
“Vermont’s dairy industry has its ups and downs,” Bothfeld said.
Bothfeld says farm numbers continue to drop. Since January, out of 14 counties, all but five have lost at least one farm.
Milk sales prices are high, but because of high costs, she says farmers are at best breaking even.
Milk production, though, remains on pace with previous years. Bothfeld attributes that to more efficient milking methods.
“The task force as well as the Legislature supporting dairy with maybe not huge amounts of money but targeted amounts of money can be very helpful,” Bothfeld said.
Money for things like on-farm processing capacity continues to increase across the state, allowing for more direct-to-consumer products and offering more control to the farms.
Also, insurance programs can give farmers peace of mind about the money they see coming in.
All of this is being discussed at the Vermont Dairy Revitalization Task Force’s meetings.
“Whenever you start out on a journey you better have a pretty good map laid out,” said Sen. Bobby Star, D-Essex-Orleans, who co-chairs the task force.
This year, the task force is taking on questions around price regulation, specifically, can Vermont legally regulate our milk pricing to better benefit our farmers?
They’re also looking at weight laws on our roadways, in-state processing and costs around environmental laws like water quality standards.
“What we can do, what we can’t do and that’s really important to move forward in the right direction,” Starr said.
All of these meetings will ultimately culminate in agricultural legislation for the coming session.
Looking forward, Bothfeld says there are big ticket items she has her eyes set on.
“I think it’s really important that the task force is really looking at are there ways to stabilize or augment the price paid to farmers,” she said.
As prices rise and fall, what other ways can farmers be compensated? She looks at the potential of the payment for ecosystem services program– monetary compensation for environmental services like carbon sequestration.
Looking forward, Bothfeld says we can’t overlook any type of solution.
“I think there is always room for areas of new opportunities,” she said.
Those new opportunities could be programs like the payment for ecosystem services or finding new markets for the milk, all things the task force will be exploring.
As for the 22 farms that stopped operating as dairy farms, I asked Bothfeld what happens to them. She said many have stayed operating as farms but have switched to beef, maple syrup and vegetables– markets that could prove more stable. Others have chosen to rent the land to neighboring farmers.
