MOSINEE, Wis. (AP) - A cheese factory in central Wisconsin is offering a lifeline to a handful of dairy farms threatened by Canada's milk pricing policies that may force other farms to close.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Mullins Cheese Vice President Bill Mullins signed contracts to buy milk from eight family-owned operations.
A local milk processor, Greenwood-based Grassland Dairy Products, recently said it was dropping several farms because it lost millions of dollars when Canada changed its milk pricing policies in a way that favors Canadian farmers.
That means dozens of dairy farms in the U.S. will no longer have a milk processor as of May 1.
Wisconsin agriculture officials say Grassland canceled milk contracts with nearly 60 farms. As of Friday, about 40 didn't have a milk buyer.