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Milk haulers still have not been able to reach at least four dairy farms in Vermont because of washed out roads and bridges due to Hurricane Irene.

With roads and bridges washed out, milk haulers have had to go to smaller sized trucks that can navigate seasonal roads and even farm and field lanes.

There is a high demand for hay because of the drought that has forced many ranchers to stretch their limited supply or sell off their livestock.An even worse scenario is what lies ahead. With no rainfall of significance on the horizon, there’s no time to produce much hay across the Lone Star State to neither catch up with the demand nor restock the barns for winter.

“The feed situation is as bad as I’ve seen it in my 50 years of dairy farming,” says Larry Purdon, MDA president and Purdy, Mo. dairy farmer.

National Milk Producers Federation says the plan’s Dairy Margin Protection Program helps farmers insure up to 90% of their milk production against low margins.

Dairy prices are up 27% over last year, and beef prices are up nearly 20%. But, 2012 might be a different story as feed costs increase.

Due to the impact of this natural disaster on dairy farmers in the Northeast, USDA is taking administrative action to include this milk as part of the Federal Milk Marketing Orders pool for the months of August and September.

The awards will recognize dairy farms, businesses and collaborative partnerships for efforts that deliver outstanding economic, environmental and/or social benefits.

The fat-free TruMoo milk that will be offered in schools contains just 130 calories per serving and only 10 grams of added sugar. That meets the industry target of good tasting flavored milks that contain no more than 150 calories and less than 25 grams of added sugar per 8 oz. serving.

‘Saving for a rainy day’ and liquidity is key to surviving downturns.