Amid Low Prices For Farmers, Agri-Mark Sends Suicide Hotline Info With Milk Checks

For dairy farms in New England, the outlook for milk prices is not good this year. The stress has been tied to suicides among dairy farmers. One effort to get them help is sparking some criticism.Will Rogers and his girlfriend, Heather, run a 75-cow dairy farm in Warren, Massachusetts. It's just the two of them, and sometimes, short-term, part-time workers."Other than that, it's seven days, 365, 14, 16 hours a day that we're at it," Rogers said."Financially, mentally, physically -- [it's] very very draining," he said. Rogers said it was all the more draining on Monday, when he opened his twice-monthly check from Agri-Mark, his milk co-op, which also owns the Cabot Creamery cheese company."You know, you got a milk check that ain't worth much of nothing," he said.That check comes with a letter. This week, it was all about the stresses on farm families, and contained a list of suicide and mental health hotlines.