Minnesota farmers pitch ways to offer small dairies relief

Minnesota farmers are considering ways to prevent the closure of small dairies during a sustained slump in milk prices.Roughly 80 farmers recently gathered in Greenwald to voice concerns about the loss of small dairies, which face higher milk production costs than mega-dairies, the Star Tribune reported.Minnesota has seen more than 1,100 dairy farmers leave the industry in the past six years. Many have reached a breaking point, as the median income at a dairy farm in the state dropped from about $43,000 in 2017 to less than $15,000 last year.Levins outlined a proposal to address the "operating cost imbalance" between small and large dairies. The legislation hasn't been written, but it would make emergency federal payments to farmers based on production costs.