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Economic impact of crisis being felt by ag and dairy lenders

Quoted: Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at University of Wisconsin–Madison, said producers earn a dollar selling milk, that dollar is spent on services such as veterinarians, or to buy groceries or tools at the local hardware store. When the milk price is down and those dollars earned are down, it does have an effect on the local economy, Stephenson said. “As we have financial distress on farms, it ripples through these rural communities,” he said.