Submission Type
Poster
Abstract
Due to barriers set in place by various state agriculture policies, small dairy farmers in New York have a hard time making a profit, and staying afloat in the industry. As a result, it can be difficult to make dairy farming a career as a smaller dairy farmer, as the labor intensive work doesn’t have as many benefits as other careers do in today's society. However, the dairy industry isn’t growing, it’s just becoming more capitalized. With the rise of corporate farming, and the decrease in small/local farming, there is less diversity in the industry. This leads to a multitude of issues within the dairy policy realm, like a lack of competition in the industry and price gouging, which leads to structural issues and unfair advantages in some instances. Researching these policies and identifying issues helps promote changes in the industry to help farmers. My research aims to answer the question “what are dairy policies that create barriers within the dairy industry?” I have analyzed the intentions behind dairy policies in our state, emphasizing issues within the policy that may be unintentionally harming the industry and markets as a result; specifically price gouging, labor laws, grants for “small farms”, sustainability practices, and dairy industry promotion/advertisement, as these are most harmful today. Looking forward, I am sending out surveys and conducting interviews with small scale dairy farmers throughout the state, trying to grasp farmers opinions on these policies, and highlight what changes can be made to help them thrive.
Recommended Citation
Livermore, Delaney, "163 - New York State Agriculture and Dairy Policy" (2025). GREAT Day Posters. 41.
https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/great-day-symposium/great-day-2025/posters-2025/41
163 - New York State Agriculture and Dairy Policy
Due to barriers set in place by various state agriculture policies, small dairy farmers in New York have a hard time making a profit, and staying afloat in the industry. As a result, it can be difficult to make dairy farming a career as a smaller dairy farmer, as the labor intensive work doesn’t have as many benefits as other careers do in today's society. However, the dairy industry isn’t growing, it’s just becoming more capitalized. With the rise of corporate farming, and the decrease in small/local farming, there is less diversity in the industry. This leads to a multitude of issues within the dairy policy realm, like a lack of competition in the industry and price gouging, which leads to structural issues and unfair advantages in some instances. Researching these policies and identifying issues helps promote changes in the industry to help farmers. My research aims to answer the question “what are dairy policies that create barriers within the dairy industry?” I have analyzed the intentions behind dairy policies in our state, emphasizing issues within the policy that may be unintentionally harming the industry and markets as a result; specifically price gouging, labor laws, grants for “small farms”, sustainability practices, and dairy industry promotion/advertisement, as these are most harmful today. Looking forward, I am sending out surveys and conducting interviews with small scale dairy farmers throughout the state, trying to grasp farmers opinions on these policies, and highlight what changes can be made to help them thrive.
Comments
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