NJ dairy farmers say they hope NAFTA revamp gives them a boost

<p>Some of New Jersey&rsquo;s struggling dairy farmers say that they hope that a trade agreement announced Monday by President Donald Trump will help their business.</p>

News 12 Staff

Oct 1, 2018, 11:42 PM

Updated 2,330 days ago

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Some of New Jersey’s struggling dairy farmers say that they hope that a trade agreement announced Monday by President Donald Trump will help their business.
Hunterdon County dairy farmer Heidi Kovacs say that she loves being a dairy farmer, but hates the price she is getting for her cows’ milk.
“My heart was always in the Jersey cows, and dairy farming, I just like it for some reason,” she says, but adds, “The milk price has been down for about three years now.”
She says that price she receives for milk sold in bulk amounts to around $1.60 per gallon, which is less than what it costs to produce.
Kovacs says that she has had to open a small store on her farm this summer to sell some of her farm-raised products for additional income.
“Anything we can do to sell our products directly to the consumer to try to balance the low milk prices,” she says.
The new trade deal would open Canada’s restricted market to more United States dairy products, which could help farmers like Kovacs.
Fifteen years ago there were around 115 dairy farms in New Jersey. Today, Kovac’s 30-acre farm is only one of 48 left in the state. Slumping prices have driven most out of business.