Westport dairy farms hard hit by coronavirus crisis

Westport dairy farms hard hit by coronavirus crisis



By Jeffrey D. Wagner / Herald News


Some markets have dried up and Garelick plant temporarily closed


WESTPORT — There are fewer than a handful of dairy farmers in town and all have had it worse than any other farming market locally, according to Agricultural Commission Chairman Ray Raposa.

“It’s been tough, as if the business isn’t tough already,” multi-generation farmer Andrew Ferry said during an interview on Tuesday.

Ferry owns Pine Hill Dairy at 272 Pine Hill Road. His father, Michael Ferry, also does dairy work at his farm on Gifford Road. The Ferry family has farmed for generations.

The two say that the COVID-19 epidemic has been especially tough for business in an already difficult time for dairy farming.

Their businesses, as well as Shy Brothers Farm, are part of a Dairy Farms of American cooperative, which ships milk to be processed at a Garelick Farms plant in Franklin, Raposa said.

A worker at the plant tested positive for COVID-19 and that shut the plant down for more than a week, forcing some locally produced milk in Westport to be dumped at a waste processing site, said Ferry.

Andrew Ferry has a stand outside his Pine Hill Road operation, an “honor system” where travelers can stop and buy raw milk. But, all excess milk goes to the Garelick Farms plant.

Luckily, the plant is operating again, according to Andrew Ferry. Ferry and his dad, Michael, say that they are hoping to build their own processing plant later this spring on Michael Ferry’s Gifford Road property.

The duo have a bottling plant already, so a processing facility would allow the Ferrys to do everything on site, and make different products as well.

“It is the only hope that I have right now,” Andrew Ferry said.

Raposa says he believes every dairy farmer in town has reported some milk dumping during this time.

State Rep. Paul Schmid, also a farmer, noted local dairy farmers rely on three markets — schools, retail and export. Schmid said schools and export markets have taken a major financial hit during this pandemic.

Schmid said last year he and state Sen. Michael Rodrigues of Westport worked to create legislation that allows farmers to earn a tax credit whenever milk prices drop to a certain level. Schmid said that the tax credit is on its way.

Schmid and Rodrigues have also been working with a Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources commissioner toward securing federal funding. However, he does not see that funding becoming available to local farmers until June or July.

Katie Greene, a spokesperson for Westport Business to Business, said that her association was holding a Zoom meeting on Thursday morning with guest speakers discussing federal Small Business Administration loans, as well as the economic impact COVID-19 is having on local businesses.

Despite the promise of federal money and other prospects, longtime farmer Jay Tripp, of Tripp’s Dairy Farm on Old Pine Hill Road, was not optimistic.

“Milk prices are down. Beef prices are down. I haven’t heard of anyone getting government money. The SBA money is a little confusing; banks aren’t up to speed, especially since the application says farmers aren’t eligible. I haven’t heard anything from the Farm Service Agency,” Tripp said. “Otherwise, business as usual.”

Raposa and Ferry reported some silver linings. Raposa, who owns Hay Ray’s Farm & Feed on Main Road, said there has been a slight uptick in sales at his store. He says people at this time are opting to avoid box stores and are buying farm and feed products from his business.

Raposa said interest in raising chickens and becoming more self-sufficient is also on the rise.

Ferry said more people are buying milk from his stand, where they can also easily practice social distancing.

“It is pretty clean — customers come in, take their gallon, and put money in a box,” Ferry said. “During times like these, it is convenient for people.”

But, perhaps the biggest benefit during this pandemic — “it’s a contact-less system,” he said.