Answer Man: Milk dumping happening locally? Extra pay for city workers?

Today’s batch of burning questions, my smart-aleck answers and the real deal:

Question: I recently read in a national publication that because of COVID-19 virus-related supply chain interruptions, farmers were having to dump milk, as processing plants could not handle the supply from farmers they were contracted with. Apparently, this is because demand overall for their product has been reduced. Asheville has the Milkco plant, which I believe handles a large volume of milk every day. Could you find out how they’re dealing with this issue during the current pandemic, and the impact it's having on their industry and sales?

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My answer: I just know the cows I've spotted in the pastures lately are not adhering to social distancing rules at all. Yes, they're making it a moooooooooot point. Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week.

Real answer: Milkco, a subsidiary of Ingles Markets, is located off Deaverview Road in West Asheville and processes tens of millions of gallons of milk every year. 

"Our milk processing volume has been volatile the past few weeks due to school and restaurant shutdowns on the one hand, but increased grocery shopping on the other," said Ron Freeman, chief financial officer for Ingles Markets, based in Black Mountain. "We are aware of dairy farmers in other parts of the country having too much raw milk, but that has not been our experience here."

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I also reached out to former Buncombe County Commissioner and state legislator Nathan Ramsey, as his family runs a sizable dairy in Fairview. Ramsey currently serves as executive director for the Land of Sky Regional Council, a voluntary association of local governments.

"Our family dairy supplies Milkco with about 1,500 gallons of milk per day," Ramsey said. "That represents about 1% of Milkco’s total processing volume. Most of the milk from dairy farms within 100 miles of Asheville goes to the Milkco plant in West Asheville."

His brother, Bart Ramsey, who runs the family farm, said the COVID-19 pandemic "has been very disruptive to the dairy industry.

"We thought we were going to have a good year after experiencing five bad years," Bart Ramsey said. "I am very thankful to Ingles Markets and their subsidiary Milkco for purchasing the milk from local dairies. So far no local dairies have had to dump milk."

Bart Ramsey said an estimated 10% of the milk in the United States "is being dumped due to Covid-19 which is putting tremendous downward pressure on prices."

Buncombe, Haywood and Henderson have a total of 10 dairies remaining, Bart Ramsey said, noting that Buncombe has three of those. The Ramseys' operations milks 160-170 cows and produces 1,300-1,500 gallons a day.

Question: The city of Asheville has some employees who are essential. Some non-essential employees are sent home to safety, but some of the essential people still have to work, potentially exposing them to the coronavirus. I personally know a guy who has two small children and still has to go to work every day. Is the city going to compensate these employees in any way for their work and for going above and beyond, so to speak?  

My answer: Each week they get two free gallons of milk. 

Real answer: In a nutshell, no, according to city spokeswoman Polly McDaniel.

"The city is not supplementing any of the essential employees’ compensation at this time," McDaniel said.

She offered more explanation, noting that the city's top priority is the health and safety of its employees and the community.

"All employees — whether working onsite, working remotely, or temporarily staying home at the city’s direction — are helping to protect all of us," McDaniel said. "Based on the scope of an employee's assigned duties, proper personal protection is provided, along with guidelines to follow on when and how to use this equipment."

City workers will keep getting paid during the pandemic.

"All city employees will continue to receive a paycheck for the duration of this event; hazard pay is not being offered at this time," McDaniel said. "The guidelines we are using for our employees are those recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Buncombe County Public Health." 

This is the opinion of John Boyle. To submit a question, contact him at 232-5847 or jboyle@citizen-times.com