Calif Dairies Going Broke Due to Feed, Milk Prices
By GOSIA WOZNIACKA
ABCNews.com
September 29, 2012
In nearly six decades of running a dairy in central California, Mary Cameron made a name for herself in a male-dominated industry: She led several dairy organizations and was honored as Outstanding Dairy Producer of the Year.
But the 82-year-old Cameron — who still drives a tractor and supervises her Hanford dairy — is on the brink of losing her life’s work. She can no longer pay the bills. Her bank has classified her loan as distressed. And she can’t afford enough feed for her 900 milking cows and 1,000 heifers.
“I have been in this business for 57 years and I have never been in financial trouble like I am right now,” said Cameron, who runs the Atsma-Cameron Dairy with her two sons. “I’m on the verge of bankruptcy. It’s horrible and inexcusable.”
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