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Dairy farmer is dumping 7,000 gallons of milk each day

With fewer restaurants buying milk, Jerry Dakin says he has so much extra at his farm that he has to dump it.

MYAKKA CITY, Fla. — This has been a tough time for farmers. With many restaurants closed and fewer buyers for produce or even milk, many are choosing to either sell it at a loss or just toss it. 

A dairy farmer in Myakka City says he's dumping 7,000 gallons of milk a day. That’s about $12,000 worth. 

With stores limiting how many dairy products you can buy at a time, Dakin Farms is only processing at about 40 percent of their capacity. Instead of four semi-loads going to restaurants, it's more like two pallets. That's why he's looking for some to help bottle it and give it away.

“We have the milk. It’s just we just need somebody to step up that will help donate this milk to consumers and everything. There’s so many people that need it,” Dakin said.

Storing it in a tanker isn't an option. Under state law, he would have to move it within 72 hours.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried says she's asking retailers to stop setting limits on how much milk you can purchase at the store. She says that will help both shoppers at the store and retailers.

“We’re working with federal and state agencies to increase their purchases of Florida milk, and we’re working hard to help our dairy producers move their products to market,” Fried said.

RELATED: COVID-19: Your produce is still safe

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