LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. — At Brook-Corner Holsteins Farm in South Annville Township, Lebanon County, farming is a family passion which runs three generations deep.
"I love being a dairy farmer because I know I am producing something people need and is valuable," said Owner Diane Hoover.
Unfortunately, Hoover says COVID-19 disrupted dairy markets in a way many farmers had never experienced. It drove down prices and even forced some farmers to toss surplus product after the virus caused turbulence across the country. The number of places that needed milk slowed down almost overnight. Dairy-buying restaurants shutdown. Customers instead packed grocery stores and cooked more home meals. That created an increased retail fluid demand, and forced many dairy processors to pivot.
"The pricing of milk was in upheaval was the best way I can describe it," explained Hoover. "We were, at the beginning of the year, we were looking at a very good year with exports increasing and demands increasing, and that changed on a dime, like the rest of the world did."
Now, about six months later, Hoover says, thankfully, the situation doesn't appear to be as sour.
"The dairy situation today is a whole lot better today than it was in the COVID-19 shutdown," she said.
Fortunately for her family, Hoover says more than 350 Holstein cows on the farm continued to be milked three times per day throughout the pandemic, and they never had to toss excess milk.
"I am hopeful for all the dairy industry has done. I think they have done a great job finding partners," said Pam Miller, a USDA administrator.
On a tour of the farm Wednesday afternoon, Miller expressed optimism for the industry as a whole as the year rounds out. Miller says schools and food banks are two examples of new partnerships formed during a tough year: With more people struggling financially because of the pandemic, food banks needed more milk, and with many more children at home, schools served grab and go meals, which included milk.
"We're giving the youth of today a lot of good nutrition, along with other farmers. We're not alone in this," said Hoover.
There is other good news for the dairy industry: Hoover says it appears butter and cheese consumption are on the rise. On the contrary, she believes more plant-based drink consumption poses an additional challenge to dairy farmers.