PINE ISLAND, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota dairy farmer frustrated by the industry's rising financial pressures took to social media to voice his concerns in an emotional video that's been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.
Mark Berg tells the Star Tribune that he posted the six-minute-long Facebook video Monday after arguing with his family about how to save their Pine Island dairy. Brushing back tears, he talks about the desperation he says many dairy farmers feel. The 26-year-old says his family has been taking out loans to pay their bills.
Berg says his family must sell cattle on their 200-cow farm due to depleted feed supplies and years of low milk prices.
He says he posted the video because he "had to get something off his shoulders." It's been viewed more than 270,000 times.
