Farmers across the commonwealth said the Massachusetts agriculture industry, which includes more than 6,000 farms, is in danger of extinction unless the government provides better funding, they told lawmakers yesterday.
Farmers cited low milk prices, a lack of consumer support for locally grown food and encroaching development as factors in statewide financial farm woes during Agriculture Day at the State House.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, the commonwealth’s 6,075 farms maintain about 518,500 acres of open space and generate more than $400 million in revenue per year, but those numbers are falling fast.
“This is a vital, vital industry,” said Executive Office of Environmental Affairs secretary Ian Bowles. “But there are unfortunate matters here.”
Emily Tchorz, executive director of the Bristol County Farm Service Agency, said rising energy prices have driven up operating costs as the land’s high value tempts farmers to sell their properties to developers.
“The costs are going way high,” she said. “What farmers need right now is money.”
Leyden dairy farmer Angric Facey said low milk prices cost her dairy farm more than $100,000 last year.
“It costs us $1.65 to make a gallon of milk,” Facey said. “$1.14 is what we get [in the market].”
Facey asked the government for a $12 million short-term relief plan, as well as a long-term plan to sustain the dairy industry in the future.
“[Without relief], I bet you that half of the farms would be out of business next year,” she said.
“Massachusetts has always been on the cutting edge of farming innovation,” Tchorz said, adding that direct marketing, which allows farmers to sell their products straight to the consumer, is a well-developed industry in the Massachusetts.
Advocates said consumers must recognize the need to buy locally grown food.
“If you don’t support local farms, they will get turned to houses,” said Barbara Zheutlin, executive director of farmers’ support group Berkshire Grown.