Dumping Milk: Coronavirus crash takes toll on dairy sales

With schools and restaurants closed, dairy farmers are being forced to slash production. WMTV's Gabriella Rusk reports.

(NBC News) Wisconsin dairy groups are calling on the federal government for assistance during the Covid-19 crisis.

“We just have an unprecedented situation,” says Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association Executive Director, John Umhoefer. “There’s nothing to compare this to.”

With a number of schools and restaurants closing, the Wisconsin dairy industry has lost nearly half its market.

“It’s exactly what we don’t want to see in the dairy industry,” Umhoefer says. “It’s the worst possible outcome and we feel terrible for the farms that are involved.”

Sauk City dairy farmer Mitch Breunig says he’s sad to see fellow Wisconsin dairy farmers forced to dump out their milk.

“It’s really disheartening,” Bruenig say. “It’s pretty emotional to actually watch all that work just go away.”

Breunig, who owns Mystic Valley Dairy, hasn’t had to flush away any of his milk, but is cutting back on production.

“We might have to do it,” says Breunig. “It’s just going to be a really disappointing thing if we have to do.”

Another problem is at the grocery stores. Some stores have started putting a limit on how many gallons of milk a family can purchase.

Read more here.