KAUKAUNA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — It’s another Wisconsin business that’s taken a hit.
“The beef and the dairy, which are our two main sources of income, are just in the toilet right now,” said Kaukauna dairy farmer Bob Schuessler.
2020 was looking up for his industry, until about two months ago when the coronavirus arrived in the United States.
“The markets for the schools and markets and exports have all been disrupted or vanished and the processors don’t know what to do with the product, so of course the price goes down,” said Schuessler. “My accountant and my attorney have been working with farmers for over 30 years and they’ve told me they’ve never seen it this bad.”
The struggles on Wisconsin farms are trickling down.
“The industries we pay money to every month, the feed mills and the equipment dealerships and the veterinarian services, they’re all hurting too, because farmers don’t have any money,” said Schuessler.
Dairy farmers are looking for any sort of lifeline as they fight to stay above water.
“It’s just a bad situation for dairy farmers and everybody wants to help the farmers, but there’s really been nothing yet that’s come to help us,” he said.
That’s where the Wisconsin Hunger Task Force non-profit hopes to step in, with the Dairy Recovery Program.
“We see it as a sign of hope for them,” said Sherrie Tussler, the Wisconsin Hunger Task Force Executive Director.
The task force will pay up to $1 million which will purchase dairy from farmers around the state. They’ll then use the products from that dairy to help feed Wisconsinites in need during the pandemic.
The task force says they’ll rely on the Wisconsin Dairy Farmers Association to direct them to the farms that need the most help.
“They know the pain points are with there farmers throughout the state and they will identify the producers and the farmers that we can add additional resources to hopefully buy up those products and make sure the supply chain remains intact and that hungry people get some Wisconsin dairy,” said Tussler.
Schuessler said he’s appreciative of any help he gets, but thinks the state needs to take a bigger role.
“I think the farm economy and the farm life is a great thing for Wisconsin,” he said. “Wisconsin just needs to get something organized to help the farmers survive this.”
The Dairy Recovery Program, which was announced Wednesday morning, will begin its first phase later this week.
