Dairy farmers impacted as price of milk drops

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) — It could be another tough year for Wisconsin dairy farmers, as milk prices continue to drop.

In the past year,  there’s been a drop in dairy product exports… and a decline in milk sales.

Milk used to make cheese is also down 19 percent from a year ago,  and 41 percent from its peak in the fall of 2014.

The founder of the Dairy Pricing Association says farmers will be dealing with some huge losses in the year to come.

“We’re going to lose dairy producers, there’s no doubt. I mean, you can just only fight that battle uphill for so long. When you’re out of energy, out of money, you’ve burnt your equity, you have no choice, but to sell the cows and find some other means to make a living,” said Robin Berg, the founder of the Dairy Pricing Association.

Dairy farmers do have insurance through the federal government to help cover some of their loses.