It isn't FAIR! Wahhh! Price of milk going up, Hershey raises prices.

I know about families that need milk. We have been living out of the food bank for over 6 months now and we sometimes can't afford all the milk we would like. The food bank doesn't always give us milk. I live right in the middle of big dairy country so I know exactly what you are talking about. Farmers in Quebec have to buy the right to sell a certain amount of milk per month to the government. It's called quota. If they go under their quota they pay a fine and lose some quota so they need to produce less. If they produce too much (over their quota) the government milk collection truck will make them dump it on the ground. They aren't supposed to consume it themselves or sell it privately because it is uninspected and unpasteurized. Of course many farmers do these things anyway because it's a shame to see milk get wasted because of government bureaucracy. Also the farmers get a really low price for the milk. It gets jacked up over the chain as it gets processed, packaged, and shipped to stores so consumers are presently paying over $5 a gallon or thereabouts at the store. Another problem with quota is that it assumes cows produce the same all the time. Changes in season, birth rates, and other things can change how much cows produce. The government system doesn't allow for this. Many farmers breed their cows privately to raise more cows. Some have to pay the cost of artificial insemination. There are vet bills and vaccinations. If a cow gives birth to a male calf, this is often a waste to the milk farmer. Because of government regulation they can't legally feed to raise and then slaughter these bulls for meat for the own use. They can't sell them for beef because they are a milk breed. No farmer needs more than one bull, if any at all. All along there are unfair laws which are supposedly for good reasons. It seems really unfair to dump milk on the ground just because of a law, when so many are having problems to feed their families.

amen

Confess? No, I am keeping my mouth shut.

Last week we got a big cannister of chocolate powder for milk from the food bank. I hid it because if I put it in the kitchen, my stepson will consume LITERALLY a gallon of milk a day until the powder is done.

This is a good idea.

I am low income, and yet I am a very serious chocolate-and-coffee-aholic. Sometimes I get asked how I can afford to have like 10 pounds of coffee and chocolate, almost all certified organic, in my apartment at all times. I tell them that I shop at all the liquidation and bargain places to scout out whatever organic chocolate and coffee I can find, even if it is not my first choice of brand, as long as it tastes good. This is just stuff I have learned through the years from having battled to make ends meet from month to month.

Thanks for the ideas. I may use them.