This month, a federal judge in Burlington approved a $50 million settlement to be paid by a national dairy marketing cooperative to thousands of Northeast dairy farmers, including farmers in Vermont.
Dairy Farmers of America will pay an average of $4,000 to about 8,860 farms to settle a lawsuit that accused the marketing group of trying to drive down milk prices. Deputy Agriculture Secretary Diane Bothfeld explains to Vermont Edition that the settlement means both a cash payout, and new ways for farmers' interests to be represented to the cooperatives.