Amid an ongoing dairy crisis, the former commissioner of agriculture for New Hampshire is closing his 48-year-old dairy farm in Meriden. While Steve Taylor will no longer produce milk, he will continue to make cheese and maple products.
Taylor, who served as ag commissioner for 25 years, cited the inelastic nature of milk and current overproduction as reasons for declining milk prices. He noted that when he became commissioner in 1982, New Hampshire had more than 500 commercial dairy farms. Today, he says, the state has “barely a hundred.”
He also said that despite the fact that many dairy farms have shuttered, the number of cows across the country has remained relatively stable. As a result, overproduction continues, and prices stay low. “A 1,500-cow dairy is roughly the equivalent of 35 of the traditional 50-cow dairy farm,” he told NHPR. “On its face, it’s hard to explain, but the fact of the matter is not only are we having fewer dairy farmers but the remaining farms have been getting bigger.”
The dairy crisis has most affected farmers in the Northeast, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, though producers across the country have had contracts cut by cooperatives and processors. Congress and the Department of Agriculture are seeking to expand support for dairy farmers through a dairy-specific insurance program. To read more about proposals to change dairy policy and shore up farmers, click here.