WASHINGTON, D.C. — The video shows what looks like a creme-colored water main break — but it’s actually 3,600 gallons of milk, made in Ohio, being dumped down the drain because of the coronavirus.
- Dairy farmers dumping milk; ethanol demand dropping
- Congress has, so far, committed $9.5 billion to agriculture producers
- Ohio lawmakers agree more needs to be done, but still figuring out plan
Hartschuh Dairy Farm in Crawford County posted the video on Facebook on April 3, explaining that it had to be done (for the first time ever) because restaurants and schools being closed for the virus means supermarkets are full and there’s nowhere else for the milk to go.
It’s one example of the many challenges Ohio’s 78,000 farmers are facing during this pandemic.
“I don’t know which parts of agriculture, which farmers are getting hit the worst in terms of supply and demand, but I think that we need to look at that as part of a package on coronavirus number four, coming up I assume, in late April,” Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said in an interview last week.
Brown sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee and was talking about the next coronavirus relief package Congress is expected to pass in the coming weeks.
The $2.2 trillion “Phase 3” bill that was signed into law last month will help farmers in certain ways.
Farmers can apply for those new small business loans that can turn into grants if used correctly.
In addition, $9.5 billion was set aside specifically for agriculture producers.
In a letter to the agriculture secretary last week, Brown and other senators asked for a guarantee that part of that money goes to local farmers who sell directly to places like schools, consumers, and the likes.
But there is bipartisan agreement that more will be needed, especially for Ohio farmers who struggled through a rain-filled 2019, like in Representative Bob Latta’s (R, 5th Congressional District) northwest Ohio district.
“The producers out there just had an awful year,” Latta said in an interview last week. “Going out of last year and coming into this year, everybody thought, ‘OK, we’re going to forget about 2019. And now it’s time to start thinking about 2020.’ And now we get hit with this.”
The Ohio Farm Bureau released a new episode of its “Our Ohio Weekly” podcast on Monday that featured interviews with farm leaders from across the state.
Here’s some of what they discussed:
- The Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association said the demand for ethanol will likely drop 25 to 50-percent this year because no one is driving right now.
- The Ohio Soybean Association reported prices are down 10-percent so far, and planting is being delayed because of more wet weather.
- The Ohio Pork Council said pork prices were already non-profitable this year, and it’s getting worse.
- The Ohio Cattlemen’s Association canceled the Ohio Beef Expo for the first time in 33 years and is dealing with dramatic price swings.
- The American Dairy Association Mideast said there’s too much milk because grocery stores can only hold so much, and the supply normally sent to restaurants and schools isn’t packaged in a way supermarkets can use.
The overarching question is, how many more federal dollars will farmers get from Congress?
In my conversations with Ohio lawmakers so far, they can’t say.
Negotiations are ongoing about what a “Phase 4” package will include, but because the timeline of this virus is unknown, the longterm impact of this pandemic on the agriculture industry is unknown too.
I also asked Rep. Marcia Fudge (D, 11th Congressional District), who sits on the House Agriculture Committee, what more she thinks Congress can do.
She sent me this statement:
“The coronavirus has stressed our health care system and threatened the well-being, and financial security of Americans across the country. From the way we work and socialize to how we obtain basic necessities, this pandemic will have a lasting impact on every aspect of our lives long after the crisis subsides.
“Keeping this in mind is the reason I supported inclusion of relief for urban and rural farmers in the CARES Act. The bill dedicates $9.5 billion to help farmers experiencing financial losses from the coronavirus, particularly fruit and vegetable growers, dairy and livestock farmers, and local food producers, who have been shorted from receiving emergency assistance in the past. The bill also includes provisions making farmers and ranchers eligible to receive up to $10 million in small business interruption loans from eligible lenders, including Farm Credit institutions, through the Small Business Administration.
“While the CARES Act is another step closer to protecting the safety, health and livelihoods of people across the country, the bill is far from perfect. We must ensure agricultural businesses and farmers impacted by the pandemic have access to small business loans, as well as provide relief for producers of perishable food items, particularly dairy farmers, impacted by declining demand. Additionally, relief is needed to protect workers and support facilities maintaining our food supply during the public health emergency.
“It is clear, further measures will be necessary to prevent people responsible for feeding America from facing financial ruin as a result of the pandemic. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to prioritize efforts to ensure our agricultural community receives the assistance needed during this crisis.”