Struggling dairy farmers in Kentucky, Southern Indiana and throughout the Southeast are preparing to take a lawsuit against Dean Foods and others to trial this year, hoping to prove what they believe is a conspiracy to pay farmers less for milk.
The farmers contend that Dean and cooperatives that are the major buyers of their product worked together to keep prices artificially low, in part by buying bottling plants and thereby limiting competition.“There really hasn't been any competition for milk in the Southeast,” which has resulted in prices that don't keep up with the cost of doing business, Shelby County dairy farmer John Kalmey said.
“All of our expenses are going up pretty drastically,” Kalmey said, so many farmers are barely breaking even. “We're working way too hard to be doing this as a hobby.”
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