The cost of milk has fallen and, with it, the spirit of Connecticut’s dairy industry.
This hour: disheartened and distressed. We look at why some local farmers are opting to leave the dairy business. We also find out what supports are available to those who remain in it.
Plus: next-gen agriculture. We learn how up-and-coming farmers are reshaping the landscape of food production.
And finally: tracking the U.S. farm bill. POLITICO reporter Liz Crampton joins us with an update from Capitol Hill.
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
GUESTS:
- Greg Hladky - Environment and agriculture reporter for the Hartford Courant (@GregoryBHladky)
- Kies Orr - Fourth generation owner and herdswoman at Fort Hill Farms, a member of The Farmer’s Cow (@holstein1708)
- Tracie McMillan - National Geographic contributor, Senior Fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University, and author of The American Way of Eating (@TMMcMillan)
- Darlene Yule - Farm Education Manager at Auerfarm in Bloomfield, Connecticut
- Liz Crampton - Agriculture reporter for POLITICO (@liz_crampton)
READING LIST:
Hartford Courant: Connecticut Dairy Farmers Losing Hope, Selling Herds - "There are barely 100 dairy farmers left in Connecticut, and their dairy herds number between 19,000 and 20,000 cows, according to state and federal statistics. Experts say those remaining dairy operations are facing an uncertain future involving international trade worries as well as the high costs of doing business in Connecticut."
National Geographic: Menu of the Future: Insects, Weeds, and Bleeding Veggie Burgers - "As the world’s population climbs above 9 billion by mid-century, our food needs will grow by 70 percent. How do we meet them without mowing down every forest or without resorting to industrial agriculture, which the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has cited as the most significant contributor to climate change? How do we maintain soil health, and keep it from washing away, so that crops can thrive? These questions get into murky territory. But here’s one thing that’s clear: Dinner in 50 years won’t look much like dinner today."
POLITICO: Farm bill focus turns to Senate -- and compromise - "It was a big win for House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway and the entire agriculture sector, but merging starkly different bills from the House and Senate is all but guaranteed to be a challenge in a Congress mired in partisanship."
Chion Wolf contributed to this show.
