Growing up in a family of dairy farmers on a mountain range in eastern Turkey, the biggest danger we faced was from wolves. When wolves attacked, they wouldn’t just kill one goat or sheep — they would kill them all. If we weren’t careful, in just a few minutes, we could lose the entire flock we relied on to make the yogurt and cheese we’d sell to market.
American farms are the backbone of rural communities. If Congress is serious about its often-stated goals of strengthening its ties to rural America, it should start with dairy farmers. It should find a way to put government on the side of families who milk cows up to three times a day on family farms — through all kinds of weather and on every holiday — to put dairy on America’s tables. We need more markets for dairy and a stable international trade policy. But strengthening America’s national milkshed isn’t just a job for government.
It requires some real change from companies that depend on milk — a holistic approach that includes committing to local sourcing and helping farmers look at ways they can be more efficient. We need the collective might from all dairy makers and others that use dairy as a key ingredient to look at ways to improve the entire system, not tackle a single issue in isolation. Because, we have to face it: The current model is broken for farmers, and it’s leaving consumers questioning everything, including the treatment of animals and workers, as well as where their food is coming from. We want to empower farmers to lead with their values and look at their way of life as a business that must be leaner, meaner and stronger to survive in a tough time for the industry.
As a step in that direction, Chobani — in partnership with many groups, including Fair Trade USA, the World Wildlife Fund, National Milk Producers Federation, Cornell University and state and community foundations in Idaho and New York — is starting a program called Milk Matters.
And finally, we’re partnering with World Wildlife Fund and the National Milk Producers Federation to assess greenhouse gas emissions and energy use on dairy farms to reduce their environmental footprints while also identifying potential ways to identify cost savings on the farm.
It will cost us more to buy our milk and run our business. But it’s clear that if we don’t act, this depression won’t end. For too long, we’ve lacked a community approach — a playbook that all can rally behind.
Back home, if wolves killed a herd, every local farmer would donate an animal to the stricken family to rebuild, because every little bit counts. We must do the same with our dairy farmers today.
This program alone won’t provide the relief farmers all over the country need. Ultimately, we need a better coalition between the government and private sector. But it is a small step from the private sector with a big message: The future of milk — and the wellbeing of dairy farmers — matters to all of us.
Source : CNN