Local dairy going out of business after 58 years

By Megan R. Harrell
Star Correspondent

One of only five active dairy farms in Carter County is going out of business. This week, after nearly 60 years of producing milk, the Allen family will send its cows to their milking parlor for the last time.
   When John Allen took over the farm that had been in his family for three generations he believed that the dairy business held promise. More than 12 years later, the local farmer is convinced that it is impossible for average sized dairies to sustain themselves.
   "You cannot earn enough money to support the farm," Allen said. "You have to have at least 200 head of cattle. You can't get enough labor to run 200 head, so then you end up doing it all yourself when you get below that."
   Allen has known for quite some time that the day when he would have to sell off all his cattle was fast approaching. Over the past two years he has been gradually selling off his herd that once numbered as many as 250 head.
   This week, the remaining 100 of Allen's cows will be loaded on trucks en route to Saltville, Va. The cattle will be divided among three farmers in the southwestern region of Virginia.
   Some of Allen's cows will be sent to dairies such as the mega dairy operation proposed in Mountain City.
   Allen believes that the trend in dairy farming is the new mega dairies that milk a minimum of 500 cows. He stated that the large operations are much more cost effective because the farmer does not have to absorb the cost of feeding the cattle and maintaining crops.
   Because the large operations hire outside companies to feed their cattle they are able to turn much larger profits than smaller private farms. Allen is among a growing number of farmers who believe the mega farms will one day completely absorb smaller, family farms.
   "I do not see another generation of farmers in our family," Allen said.
   The local farmer believes that the entire infrastructure of milk sales adds to the small farmer's plight.
   Consumers may not realize that when they are buying a $3 gallon of milk that the farmer sees very little of the sales profit. Farmers must foot the bill to have their milk trucked to a dairy plant. They also have to pay for advertisement and sales fees.
   "People think that farmers are getting rich off the milk and they are not," Allen said.
   Life after farming will be an adjustment for Allen, who has been milking cows since he was a little boy.
   Watching the last of the cattle leave on trucks could prove to be an emotional time for the entire Allen family. Three of Allen's siblings, as well as his parents, continue to live within close proximity of the farm.
   "It is going to be rough," Allen said.
   Allen stated that he has approximately six months of repair work to do at the farm. He is currently unsure of his long-term plans.