'It's a challenging time right now:' Dairy farmers discuss problems they face as milk prices decline

Breakfast on the Farm

FRANKSVILLE -- Weeks after Governor Scott Walker announced the development of a Dairy Task Force, farmers who work in the dairy industry say there is a problem -- and it's growing. One farmer is looking to solve the problem.

Out at a Breakfast on the Farm event in Racine County is where you'll find Rachel Crane -- a dairy farmer who's got more on her plate than just scrambled eggs.

"It's a challenging time right now," Crane said. "Milk prices have been low for some time now."

Crane said she knows of numerous dairy farms closing across the state. A problem that is so serious that Governor Scott Walker created a Dairy Task Force.

Rachel Crane

"We'll have a series of recommendations that further enhance the dairy industry here in the state and our prominence around the world," Walker said.

So here's what farmers say is the problem. Whether you have one cow or you have hundreds of cows -- while the overhead may be different, the price that each farmer gets when they go to sell is the same.

"If I don't like the cost of a loaf of bread at one grocery store maybe I'll drive to the next town over and buy it for less," Crane said. "It doesn't work like that with selling our milk."

Milk prices are influenced at the federal level, but some states also have a say in the price of dairy products. But for this farmer -- the solution is simple.

"It needs to be fixed from the standpoint of we need to somehow find a way to stabilize milk prices," Crane said.

So while the dairy industry struggles, it's arguably never been more efficient. Farmers who've just gotten too good at what they do.