CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – I’ve been to four dairy breakfasts for June Dairy Month. And over the years I’ve seen many different dairy farms around Central Wisconsin.
I’m in awe of how dairy families manage their business in such a precarious environment.
I remember in one of our Ag reports from a few years ago, dairy farmers were told they would have to scale up their operations in order to survive. The message was harsh. No one is assured of success. The quaint farm where a family milks 40 or 50 head is obsolete. You’ll still work very, very hard, but the economics won’t work out. A year of low prices or just bad luck could wipe them out.
Over the years I’ve seen how dairy farms have responded. Almost all are bigger operations now. Many have automated. I was convinced that cows aren’t very smart when I saw five workers on a mostly automated farm milk among 2,000 cows. If the cows weren’t down with the program, and turned on the workers, the milkers would have been killed.
Other farms have become niche operations, focusing on organic milk or specialty cheeses. Some have become mini tourist attractions with their own milk and cheese-themed retail operations. The farm store is probably the difference between staying viable or going out of business.
This city-boy knows this: no dairy farm is big enough to dictate price. Milk and cheese are commodities, traded on exchanges like gold and crude oil. Farmers have to take the price that’s offered. If the price is up, they live to fight another day. If the price is down, they have to suffer the losses. And in a good market or bad, the work is the same. Milk twice a day, maybe three. No vacations, unless someone is able to cover for you.
A business where I might do everything right, and still fail just because of low prices would be maddening to me. I wouldn’t do it; putting my family’s finances at risk based on things I have no control over. The only reason so many farm families do it is because they love the land; they love the work. I salute that for June Dairy Month.
Chris Conley
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