Save these farmers

Local dairy producers deserve state aid and action

The decline of manufacturing and the travails of blue-collar families have been much discussed since the 2016 presidential election, but too little attention has been paid to the chronic struggles of another group toiling in Middle America — farmers.

At risk now are the livelihoods of 40 or so Pennsylvania dairy farmers soon to lose a buyer for their milk. Gov. Tom Wolf must jump on this problem with both feet and hustle to find one or more replacement buyers, even if that means offering the kinds of economic incentives the state normally offers to companies looking to put down stakes here.

Like the coal and steel industries, agriculture is subject to the caprices of the market, including disruptions wrought by innovation, changes in consumer appetite and overseas demand. In a scenario all too familiar to places like Braddock and Clairton, bereft since the demise of steel, the loss of an agricultural market can lay waste to rural communities, bankrupting farms, killing other businesses that depend on agriculture and those engaged in it, and eroding property values and the local tax base. What happened to the company towns can just as easily, and quickly, befall the countryside.

This is the prospect facing farming communities with Dallas-based Dean Foods’ announcement that it will stop buying milk May 31 from 100 dairy operations in eight states, including 40 or so in Pennsylvania. Among those affected are farms in Clarion, Venango and Mercer counties. Dean blamed its decision on a number of factors, including increased production that’s at odds with lower overseas demand and Americans’ growing interest in dairy alternatives such as soy and almond milk.

In addition, Walmart has opened its own dairy processing plant near Fort Wayne, Ind., affecting Dean’s milk sales to the super-retailer and need to buy from dairy farms. This kind of ripple effect is nothing new. As Charles Fishman described in a 2006 book, “The Walmart Effect,” the company has transformed numerous industries with its unflagging drive to realize efficiencies and keep prices low. Ironically, Walmart likely is the dominant or only shopping venue in some of the farming communities to be hurt by the loss of a milk buyer.

Schneider’s Dairy of Whitehall has agreed to purchase milk from four farms in Clarion and Venango counties, and Charlie Walls, a milk hauler who works with some of the affected Pennsylvania farms, is trying to find buyers for others. But this is no time for catch as catch can.

Much as it would respond to the potential loss of a manufacturer, the machinery of state government — in this case, the departments of agriculture and community and economic development — should step into the breach. The state should oversee efforts to find new buyers and keep the farms operating, making use of the incentives routinely offered to attract companies to Pennsylvania. Agriculture is just as important as other sectors — even more considering the enduring impact of rural values on the American experience.

But carrying the farms through the current crisis is just one challenge. The state should work to make dairy operations and other agricultural enterprises more stable and competitive so that they are able to embrace technology, operate more efficiently, diversify into new markets and weather market forces outside their control.