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Dear John,

June is Dairy Month! In this newsletter we'll illustrate the state of dairy in the U.S. today; highlight an innovative program that's helping consumers choose local dairy; and introduce you to a Vermont dairy farmer.

The decline in American dairy has been drastic. In 1934, some 5.2 million dairy farms dotted America’s countryside. Since that peak, a noticeable decline has ensued: Between 1997 and 2017, the U.S. lost half of its 72,000 remaining dairies and today, fewer than 28,000 licensed dairy herds remain. Along with this loss has come farm foreclosures, hard economic times, a rise in the rate of death by suicide among farmers, and a migration out of rural communities.

How did dairy arrive at its current crisis? A combination of poor industry regulation, bad policy, price fluctuations in the market, and a lower demand for dairy have all contributed to dairy’s decline. Read on to learn why we should care and how you can help this vital industry. [[link removed]]

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CURRENT STATE OF DAIRY IN THE U.S. [[link removed]]

Dairy farmers have always suffered ups and downs in the markets, which is why decades ago the concept of check-off programs was developed. These programs promote commodity farm products like milk. Farmers pay ten cents for every 100 pounds of milk that they sell into these programs, and in turn the check-offs fund research and promote the commodity. The idea is that producers benefit from these programs, but check-offs have come under fire recently, and dairy provides a good example of why. Millions of dollars paid by struggling farmers have funded marketing sponsorships with major league sports teams, corporations and celebrities. It’s difficult to trace those dollars back to a thriving local farmer. That’s where Granite State Dairy Promotion is different. [[link removed]]

We recently sat down with Amy Hall, Director of Granite State Dairy Promotion, a small and local check-off program dedicated to New Hampshire dairy farmers. Her commitment to farmers is strong and her program has helped consumers have a direct impact on New Hampshire dairy.

READ ABOUT GRANITE STATE DAIRY'S NEWEST CAMPAIGN TO HELP FARMERS [[link removed]]

Each year, we visit farms across the festival region to share farmer stories on the Farm Aid stage. Here is one about dairy farmer Earl Ransom [[link removed]] of Rockbottom Farm in Strafford, Vermont. Learn from Earl about some of the challenges and opportunities in dairy farming today.

GET TO KNOW DAIRY FARMER EARL RANSOM [[link removed]]

Deydra Steans is a Texas rancher and our Farmer Hero. She has an unwavering commitment to reestablishing her community’s connection to the land in the face of structural racism and historical discrimination. She brings a range of skills—derived from years of ranching experience, deep historical research, and teaching the economic benefits of regenerative agriculture—to the work of keeping Black farmers on their Texas land.

A week ago, as a nation we celebrated Juneteenth. To Steans this holiday demonstrates the importance of her work: [[link removed]] “We’ve always celebrated Juneteenth in my family because June 19, 1865 is when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas, and that meant real freedom. It’s great to see that it has become a National holiday, but here at home we celebrate it because it means we are going to be here, we’re going to keep producing and feeding the people in Texas.”

CLICK TO READ MORE ABOUT DEYDRA STEANS [[link removed]] Forward [link removed]

Farm Aid

501 Cambridge Street, 3rd Floor,

Cambridge, MA 02141

Second Photo by Jean Carlo Emer [[link removed]] on Unsplash [[link removed]]

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