The Last Days of Butter Ridge

Key Points:

• Brad Watson, a 41-year-old dairy farmer, is struggling to keep his family dairy business afloat amid rising costs and stagnant milk prices, leading to significant daily losses.
• Despite a lifelong commitment to farming and a deep connection to his cows, including the recent loss of a prized cow named Meg, Brad feels forced to give up the family tradition.
• The Watson family has been dairy farming in northern Pennsylvania since before the Civil War, but like many others, they face the harsh reality of a declining industry with fewer than 25,000 dairy farms left in the U.S. compared to nearly 700,000 in the 1970s.
• Economic pressures have been exacerbated by recent tariffs and geopolitical tensions, which have driven up the costs of feed, fuel, and fertilizer by as much as 70 percent, undermining Brad's financial stability despite his support for pro-farmer political promises.
• Ultimately, Brad arranged the final sale of the Watson family dairy herd, marking the end of a generational farming legacy amid a challenging and changing agricultural landscape.