According to a recent report from the Associated Press, the University of Vermont said recently it will reduce the number of its dairy cows in an effort to save money to make up for higher costs and cuts in its budget. It will sell 255 Holsteins, while faculty at the school will continue their work at private facilities.
"We're really excited because we feel that this is really a new model that land-grant institutions can work toward," said Tom Vogelmann, dean at the school's college of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Vermont isn't the only school that is doing so. For example, the University of Minnesota and Michigan State University are planning on selling some of their cows.
Some help has been offered to farmers through providing emergency loans from the federal government. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Justice Department are taking a closer look at competition within the dairy industry.
