MONTEZUMA, Ga. — Across the state, farmers are struggling right now.
Governor Brian Kemp addressed their plight in his address Wednesday.
Dairy farmers have had to go through some gut-wrenching measures right here in Central Georgia.
Last week, dairy farmers across the state dumped 3.4 million gallons of milk. Just to give you some perspective on that, it's equal to about 70 truckloads. It didn't all go to waste -- some of it fed cattle and some of it fertilized fields, but still, it never made it to the consumer.
Dairy farmer Pete Gelber had to dump 30 loads of milk. A load equals about the size of a tractor trailer
"It was unnerving. That's how we get paid is by selling milk, so it's like somebody taking your paycheck right out of your pocket," Pete explained.
That paycheck equaled a little over $200,000 out the window for Gelber.
His operation milks 10,000 cows three times a day.
"What happened with this coronavirus with all off these restaurants closed, all of the cheese and heavy cream that gets used in cooking quit being used," Pete said.
According to the Georgia Milk Producers, those restaurants make up 40 percent of milk sales across the state.
Add in shutdown schools, which is another seven percent of sales, and you can see that almost half of sales have dried up.
Farrah Newberry is the executive director of the Georgia Milk Producers Association. She says COVID-19 could have ripple effects.
"Our margins are very slim, so when we have something like this happen, it's definitely going to impact the industry for awhile," she said.
But it may mean good news if you're going to the grocery store.
Newberry says you may see milk run a little bit cheaper.
Gelber agrees.
"The price of milk is the same as it was when I was in high school, and as you can tell by my mustache, it's been a long time since I was in high school, and we're getting paid at a rate that we couldn't go on if it's lasts a long period of time," Pete said.
There is plenty of milk in the supply chain now. Gelber and other farmers are just waiting for the markets to come back.
Newberry says they've had conference calls with Governor Brian Kemp to make him aware of the situation.
And this problem isn't just a Georgia problem -- last week, farmers across the country dumped milk.
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