These significant farm troubles in are not yet attributable to Comrade Casino's republican policies, but those policies are making the troubles worse. Rather, you might say their financial troubles arise out of the larger, global republican greedy-grabber approach to market economics which squeezes the heart out of small farms.

"Get Big or Get Out" - republican mantra (sung to the tune of "grab and go."

I put it up on our refrigerator so my husband can think about it when we write our checks out for taxes tomorrow, and reminded him about how 45 brags that he doesn't pay taxes because he's "smart".

And our despicable DINO governor does nothing.

The legislature in PA is republican, they are the ones that make policy vis a vis farming. A lot of those republicans come from farm country and farmers overwhelmingly vote them into office.

... unless it involves opioids. Worst governor ever; he has not even addressed the issue of struggling small dairy farms. And sure, the GOPigs in the over-funded General Assembly don't care, either.

He has kept out all the draconian Republican bullshit legislation from being enacted. He expanded Medicaid when Corbett pussyfooted around with it. His being there allowed for the redistricting of the gerrymandered Congressional Districts to FINALLY happen.

I expect you are a Tom Corbett fan?

I still miss Rendell and even Casey. Wolf if the biggest phony ever to hold the office.

I was skeptical about Wolf but reading his background and knowing this state is not "just Philadelphia", I expected that he would fit in just fine being from the center of the state and having a background in business (to appeal to that crowd) and liberal policies (to appeal to the big cities). Plus he had enough money to fund his own campaign and to this day, doesn't take a salary or live in the Governor's mansion.

Rendell is more the one who is the "3rd Way" type and after 2 terms of him here as mayor and 2 terms here as DA (and 2 as governor) I think his time was done. He was and still is one of the biggest "triangulators" and was as big a weathervane as Tweety.

Casey was a bit of a pushover and I don't think he would have been able to effectively deal with the teabagger crew that have come into office here in PA of late.

So far, you have just tossed out insults toward him.

Rick Snyder appointed people who gave kids lead poisoning.

The absurd lack of objectivity to call a Democratic governor the worst governor ever makes it hard to take your assertions seriously.

Small farms? You will lose your ability to exist if you can't buy yourself a Republican politician or two. Giant corporate farms pay for politicians and get to set the rules to put small farmers out of business.

Dairy farmers in the Midwest are benefiting from a new Walmart milk processing plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Their gain is likely Pennsylvania farmers' loss.

“By operating our own plant and working directly with the dairy supply chain in the Midwest, we’ll further reduce operating costs and pass those savings on to our customers so that they can save money," said Tony Airoso, senior vice president of sourcing strategy for Walmart.

Industry observers say Walmart's move is a major factor in Dean Foods' decision to end contracts this spring.

Almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk: they're not technically milk, and they're big competition for dairy products.

Forbes reports people are increasingly finding dairy alternatives to combat increasing lactose intolerance, for purported health benefits and because of sustainability concerns. It also reports that dairy has come under fire for a number of health concerns, including the industry's use of bovine growth hormone.

Wentworth thinks the non-dairy products simply have better marketing.
But the growth of dairy alternatives is just part of bigger picture. Americans are drinking less milk than they used to: 42 percent less than they did in 1970, to be exact.
And while some dairy products like cheese and yogurt are more popular, it's not enough to make up the difference.

The range of specialty dairy products is enormous, perhaps even greater than beer or wine.

The giant industrial dairy business is loathsome and its negative environmental impacts are huge. Animals live in hellish conditions, not the grassy green fields of milk advertisements. Many slaughterhouses are places of terror and pain for the animals, with abusive working conditions for the humans.

I won't feel bad if people drink less milk and eat less dairy cow beef.

My wife and I always had milk in the house when our kids were small because that's what our moms were told to do in the 'fifties and 'sixties. My wife and I hardly even thought about it. You have kids, you buy milk and breakfast cereal, just as you were raised. But by the time our kids were teens they preferred almond or soy milk and we quit buying dairy milk. If I was raising kids all over again I'd skip the dairy milk entirely.