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Fourth-Generation Dairy Farmer Quits the Milking Business

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LOUISVILLE, Ohio (AP) – A dairy farm operated by an Ohio family for four generations is halting milk production.

The (Canton) Repository reports Dwight Raber, of Raber Dairy Farms in northeast Ohio’s Stark County, was scheduled to auction off his dairy cows and much of the dairy equipment Wednesday.

The 58-year-old farmer says he can no longer make a living by milking cows and has lost money the last two years.

Ohio Department of Agriculture statistics show the number of dairy farms in the state dropped by more than 600 between January 2017 and January 2019.

Raber’s farm in Nimishillen Township was founded by his great-grandfather who came to the U.S. from Switzerland in 1891.

Raber plans to grow his beef cattle herd and sell crops formerly used to feed his dairy cows.