A number of dairy processing plants in America are not able to hand their respective produces. With the schools, businesses, restaurants and other food businesses shut down the dairy farmers are forced to dump their respective produces in to the drain. Golden E Dairy near West Bend is one of the dairies who are facing a similar situation and farmer Ryan Elbe while talking to a leading daily revealed that they are forced to dump about 30,000 gallons of milk in the drain per day. The coronavirus pandemic has shut down many markets and since many markets are not functional, the milk consumption has reduced remarkably.
It is noticed that about one third of the dairy products in the state are sold in food service trade and most of it is cheese. Elbe said that they never thought this would happen and added that while everyone is rushing to the stores to buy groceries, they have food that has to be dumped down the drain. However, Elbe’s cooperative Dairy Farmer’s of America has for the time being agreed to pay for the milk that is being dumped everyday. But it is only the cooperatives like the Dairy Farmers of America could afford to do so to help the farmers. Not everyone can afford to do that.
And now the biggest farm groups in Wisconsin are appealing the U.S Department of Agriculture to help under the federal coronavirus stimulus bill and buy dry milk in large amounts. This will also include cheese and butter that are usually bought by the restaurants and the other food industry related firms. There are fears that the low demand of the dairy products could lead to decreasing prices of milk which would not be afforded by many of the farms.
Talking about Elbe, his parents ahad started the dairy business with 80 cows in 1991 and now they have about 2,400 cows.
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