Dairy Farms on the Decline in Alabama

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The number of dairy farms in Alabama continues to shrink, and those who have been watching the trend aren't surprised.

SHORTER, Alabama -- The number of dairy farms in Alabama continues to shrink, and those who have been watching the trend aren't surprised.


James Bannon, an official with Auburn University's Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, said Wednesday that only 94 dairy farmers remain in the state, compared with 300 in 1985.


The sharp reduction in dairy farms was one of several topics of discussion during a field day event at the E.V. Smith Research Center Dairy Unit.


Bannon said hard work is the main reason why so many dairy farmers have shifted to beef cattle or the catfish industry during the past two decades.


"Young people today don't want to go into a 24-7 operation, and the dairy business is just that," said Bannon. "Many of those setting up new dairy operations in Alabama are from other states and are here to take advantage of the grass and year-round forage."


Bannon said the high cost of maintaining a herd, combined with the fluctuating price of milk, are among the reasons so many farmers are leaving the business. He said one dairy farmer told him Wednesday he was getting out.


The field day event drew more than 100 farmers, support personnel and vendors from across the state. They listened to officials discuss everything from waste management procedures to milk prices and other dairy issues.


Most of those who attended the event and continue in dairy farming married into the business or inherited it from a family member.


For Jeff and Renee Kimbrough of the Mount Hope community in Lawrence County, their entry into dairy farming began as a hobby and continues to expand. They started in 1997 with one cow and kept adding.


"I've been out in the rain in the middle of the night, holding an umbrella over the vet as he delivered a calf," said Renee Kimbrough. "Jeff and I have asked ourselves many times why we got into the business, but we're not ready to get out yet."


Jeff Kimbrough works for a plant in Decatur and his wife has taken over most of the dairy operation. Together, they make sure the milking is done on time and their 80 cows are kept content.


Alabama's dairy herds are relatively small when compared with those in other states. Bannon said the herd size at the experiment station is about 275. He said herds in other states can exceed 6,000.


Two Dallas County cousins, Eli and Freeman Weaver, grew up on soybean farms more than two decades ago. When high interest rates and low prices drove many bean farmers into bankruptcy in the early 1980s, the Weaver cousins shifted gears and went into other lines of work.


They recently went into the dairy business and have combined herds of about 400 head at the farms they manage in the Orrville community west of Selma.


Freeman Weaver, 41, said the decision to raise dairy cows instead of planting soybeans made a lot of sense.


"You can always drink milk or eat beef, but you can't do much with soybeans," he said, as he waited for the field day to continue after a lunch of barbecue.


Steve Jenkins of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management explained some of the rules and regulations that dairy farmers must observe. He said he and others who work for ADEM are available to help, not hurt, farmers.


"We're not here to jump out of the bushes and grab you," Jenkins said. "We want to do all we can to help you in any way we can."


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