It s been a whirlwind nine months.
The pandemic and resulting lockdown had a swift and merciless impact on the dairy industry. People were shocked when Berks producers for Clover Farms were told to dump thousands of pounds of milk on March 31 and April 1 because the dairy was full.Â
Dairy farmer Dave Wolfskill of Mar-Anne Farms, in Lower Heidelberg Township, dumped a total of 47,000 pounds. Paul Hartman, who with his two brothers manages Scattered Acres farms in seven townships in Berks and Lancaster counties, ended up dumping 64,000 pounds of milk.
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Along with milk dumping, the pandemic brought meat processing plant closures and marketplace disruption affecting commodities including poultry and beef. The pandemic has been a huge struggle for farmers due to the closure of schools, restaurants and other supply chain disruptions.