The spirited group held up bright signs such as "Don't milk the farmer," and were greeted with car horns and thumbs up by many passersby, including truckers who were hauling tankers of milk in and out of the plant.

Robert Cotterman, president of the Farmers Union of Ashtabula, Geauga, and Lake counties, raises beef on 477 acres. He explained that dairy farmers are currently receiving only $9.90 per hundredweight for three-fifths butterfat milk, and consumers are paying roughly $31.80 per hundredweight for lowfat milk.

"Why are the conglomerates not charged with price-fixing?" he asked. "Why does Congress only have a band-aid plan for farmers? How does the government expect us to continue to plant and produce at current prices? Who is getting the profits?"

"Not us," was the answer given by one of the young workers in the dairy who had stepped outside for a cigarette and was surprised to see a sidewalk filled with farmers.

Chad Smith, 25, who works on the dock for Dairyman's and is a member of Teamsters Local 336, expressed support for the farmers who are being driven into debt. "I believe that they are telling the truth," he said.

Scott Reichard, 24, who has worked at Dairyman's for seven years, said, "It seems like they're not getting a fair price for their milk. It doesn't seem right."

A maintenance worker in the plant criticized the farmers saying, "It's the government not the company that sets the price, so why are they here?"

Stanley Smolen, 78, a lifelong farmer from Jefferson, Ohio, came to the protest with his son-in-law, also a farmer. He explained that Dairyman's pays whatever they please and it's not enough to cover the farmers' cost of production.

"If they cut your wages by half, there would be an uprising. Well that's what's happening to us," Smolen said. "Prices are the same as they were when I was milking cows six years ago, but the cost of equipment and fuel has gone up. The only thing going down is the price we're paid, which went from $16.60 to $9.90."

Another union member said the dairy foreman had warned employees not to talk or listen to the protesters. Other workers offered encouraging words to the farmers as they left for the day.

George, a dairy farmer for 20 years who has 54 milk cows, said these were the lowest prices he's seen. "This can't go on very much longer or it will be curtains for the next generation."

Tom Yuhasz, who is a grain farmer and runs a grain elevator, said he came to the protest because "it's not just dairy farmers, it's all of agriculture. They are trying to take the land from the little people. My dad was a member of the Steelworkers and I know that if we don't unite they won't give us anything."

Several of the farmers and their supporters are planning to attend the March 21 Rally for Rural America in Washington, D.C. The Ohio Farmers Union is organizing three buses for the event.

Eva Braiman is a member of United Auto Workers Local 2400.  
 
 
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