New Hampshire’s struggling dairy farmers may soon get some help from a relief program in the works at the Statehouse.
Backed by the majority leaders in both the New Hampshire House and Senate, the Joint Dairy Farmers Task Force moved Monday to aid farmers affected by this year’s drought.
The program is aimed at dairy farmers who have suffered financial losses from “unreasonably low” milk prices, and meager feed crops.
Nineteen of New Hampshire’s 120 dairy farms stopped producing milk this year.
This isn’t the first time the state has helped out the dairy industry. In 2007, when milk prices were similarly bad, the state provided emergency assistance.
Rep. Tara Sad stressed the importance of doing something about the “dairy issue.”
"We came in with a dairy crisis," Sad said. "And we're going out with a dairy crisis, and I really would hate to see the 101 remaining dairy farms we have in the state go under. Because once they do, they're not coming back."
The task force hopes to see the program launched before any more of New Hampshire’s dairy farms have to close up shop.
