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Organic milk dump planned for Thursday
A collection of organic dairy groups are advocating an organic milk dump this coming Thursday at the La Crosse Interstate Fair at West Salem, Wisconsin. The action would be just before a scheduled town hall meeting at the fair with U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The Cabinet members will be there as part of the Obama Administration’s Rural Economic Development Tour.
Secretary Vilsack has already acknowledged the plight facing America’s dairy producers and promised to announce a new program in the near future to help dairy farmers get through the current financial crisis. Organic milk producers say they are being hit even harder because some large organic dairy farms have put too much organic milk on the market. Mark Kastel with Cornucopia Institute says an estimated 20 of these large dairies are “producing as much as 40 percent of the nation’s organic milk supply.” Kastel says two of the nation’s largest organic processors, Dean Foods and HP Hood have informed some organic producers they will not have their contracts renewed this year.
The dump is being organized by Family Farm Defenders, The Cornucopia Institute, Center for Rural Affairs, Missouri Rural Crisis Center, Midwest Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, Church’s Center for Land and People, National Family Farm Coalition, and the Interfaith Program Action Council.
Tags: Consumer Issues, USDA, Wisconsin
A milk dumping, while certainly a familiar expression of protest in Southwest Wisconsin, hasn’t really been effective in solving the problems. And if this action should occur it will probably result in arrests.