“The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has taken a significant toll on several of our state’s top industries, and dairy farms are no exception. As schools, restaurants and other food service businesses that normally make up large portions of a dairy farmers business face closures, many farmers are now facing a severe shortage in demand and are being forced to dump excess, unusable milk.

“Farmers can’t actually limit their output as cows still need to be fed and milked every day, regardless of whether the product is being sold or not. That’s why I am supporting our farmers’ and the Farm Bureau’s initiatives and I’m urging the federal government to step in and offer some much-needed relief to this critical industry. It is crucial for farmers to be included in any future stimulus legislation and for the floor price per hundredweight of milk to be set to cover average production costs for the next four months. Furthermore, the federal government should buy up dairy farmers’ excess product for redistribution to food banks or other nonprofits to help both the farmers dealing with an oversupply of milk as well as those in need during this trying time.

“I refuse to stand idly by and watch the hardworking men and women in this industry struggle. Dairy is vitally important to the North Country and this pandemic has made it abundantly clear that we need to protect our farmers and find a solution to help them navigate through this economic downturn.”