The "Got Milk? Probably Not From Lancaster's Plain Sect!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  The headline in the Sunday News read ... "Milked", and got my attention right away.  Began reading and found the story to be a warning for Lancaster County that plain sect farmers (Amish and Mennonite) fear they are being forced out of the dairy business.  Can't be good!  

Bus trip through the cow barn.

Last summer I visited a large dairy farm in nearby Manheim, Pennsyl- vania and told of the impressive mechanized collection and distribution systems of milk from the hundreds of dairy cows the farm had on their property.  Lancaster County is the largest producer of milk in the state of Pennsylvania.  But, many fear that the milk cooperatives that have formed might put many plain sect farmers out of business.  The plain sect milk farmers have come together, and have taken legal action over the way milk is controlled, priced and sold after leaving their farms.  

Everything on this dairy farm is mechanized.

These farmers claim that they lack representation within the milk coopera- tives that are assuming control of the dairies and milk processors.  The coopera- tives deduct the costs of transportation and marketing from dairy farmer's checks and show no transparency as to where that money goes.  And, the Plain sect farmers don't like it one bit.  "Got Milk", the age old slogan may be slipping away from many farmers in Lancaster County in the near future.  From 2006 to 2016 the amount of dairy cows in the county has decreased 4.8% and the number of dairy farms has decreased 22.8%.  An alarming number to say the least.  But, the total milk production has increased .7% in the same time period.  More than likely due to milk producers such as the dairy farm I visited last year.  Milk has increased in price 15.3% during the 10 year time period I listed with the farmers receiving 16.1% more for the the milk they produce.  But, the Plain Sect farmers claim they haven't seen much of that 16.1% increase, since some of the milk cooperatives have kept the money for themselves.  

A bucolic scene from a Plain Sect farm in Lancaster County.

In Pennsylvania consumers pay 17 cents a gallon surtax on milk, but out-of-state milk producers don't have to pay the tax even though they sell their milk in Pennsylvania.  Make sense to you?  In 2015 a bill was introduced in the PA state government that would require more transparency from the milk cooperatives on what they are doing with the milk money collected from consumers to benefit the farmers.  All of Lancaster County legislators supported the bill, but it died before a vote, since it was supported buy the dairy cooperatives.  So ... what's up?  Sound like a whole lot of skimming milk to me.  

These cows seemed to be interesting in what I was doing.

Plain Sect farmers are finding it hard to hold on to their businesses with the way pricing and distribution is handled.  Many are building broiler houses just in case.  Many also complain that milk consumption is down, especially with almond milk, soy milk and rice milk taking up much of the market for milk.  But, these products aren't technically milk since they do not contain "the lacteal secretion, practically free from colostrum, obtained by the complete milking of one or more healthy cows."  The exodus of Plain Sect farmer's may have already started.  Dairy farms are going on the auction block as well as farmers selling their herd of cows is increasing.  This past year six dairy farms in Lancaster County have been sold.   These farmers are switching to produce or renting out their land to other farmers.  Small milk producers, such as most of the Plain Sect farmer are, aren't wanted by the large cooperatives.  What can be done?  The Plain Sect farmers wish they knew.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.