Dairy Community Pulls Together

Rick Worthington

Over the past couple of days - we have been laying out many of the problems that Dairy Farmers are facing right now.

Those issues are big - and complex - and can't really be solved until people get back to work.

There is another story that needs to be told - it's what is happening behind the scenes during these difficult Days.

Kristi Spence with Dairy West explains.

Dairy groups are scrambling to figure out ways to prevent more milk from going to waste without further harming the industry.

The National Milk Producers Federation and the International Dairy Foods Association have estimated that supply exceeds demand by at least 10% and have asked the USDA to provide financial incentives to dairy farmers to reduce their supply by that much for about six months. They've also asked the USDA to compensate dairy farmers for the discarded milk for about three months.

The groups are asking the government to purchase dairy products and donate them to food banks, a way to both feed people in need and prevent demand from plummeting further.

Those steps, among others, could help stabilize the dairy sector and reduce dumping.