As central Pa. dairy farmers face darkest times, concern for their mental health rises
A Harrisburg-based non-profit that helps dairy farmers has put out word it can connect farmers to mental health care, and that it is also trying to assemble more.
"Every day farm families wage their own personal battles - whether it is working through a very challenging financial environment, dealing with increasing regulations in almost every area of their business, struggling with market loss or just finding a way to navigate through the dynamics of running a family business into today's world," said a March 13 news release from the Center for Dairy Excellence.
Central Pennsylvania dairy farmers, many of them smaller, family-run operations, have been facing a price slump for many months.
The situation turned still darker in early March, when about two dozen dairy farmers in Lebanon and Lancaster counties were told their milk was no longer needed by a Texas-based firm which runs a milk processing plant in Lebanon County.
The firm, Dean Foods, which will end its contracts with the farmers on May 31, cited a glut of milk and declining milk consumption related to factors including changing attitudes toward milk and the rise of non-dairy alternatives such as almond and soy milk.
Weeks after being notified, most of the affected farmers had not been able to find a replacement processor. That prompted a town hall meeting where they made a public appeal for a letter-writing campaign asking Dean Foods to extend their contracts until the end of the year. A response from the company said in part, "We can't continue to purchase milk for which there is no demand."
Link: http://www.pennlive.com/news/2018/03/as_pa_dairy_farmers_face_darke.html
Am guessing this isn't only happening in PA
= new reply since forum marked as read
are also facing very hard times 
