In 2007 three Minnesota counties alone had 986 dairy farms. With the 50 percent decrease in dairy prices, farmers are struggling.

A statement released by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said the USDA is planning to step up and assist dairy farmers by purchasing dairy products from the market and make them available to food pantries, school food programs and Indian reservation programs.

The USDA plans to buy 200 million pounds of dry milk. The program is not expecting to fully solve the current economic problem, but the USDA wants to help farmers who are in need. “There’s more to bed one,” Klobuchar said. “I am completely sympathetic to our dairy farms.”

Farmers and agriculture figures are excited about the plan. Bob Lefebvre of the Minnesota Milk Producer Association told the St. Cloud Times he thinks “it certainly is a step in the right direction.”

Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) agrees. He said, “This is a win-win situation that will offer relief to our nation’s dairy farmers who are suffering from high input costs and declining milk prices and to low-income American families who are finding it harder to put healthy food on the table during these difficult economic times.”

If you are interested in purchasing farm land now is a great time to do it. Low rate farm loans are available through Farm Plus today. Call 866-929-5585 or visit online for more information regarding farm loans.

Tags: dairy, dairy farms, milk, usda

This entry was posted on Monday, April 6th, 2009 at 6:15 pm and is filed under General, Minnesota Farm Loans. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.