STONY POINT, NC — The milk Iredell County cows produce is going for such low prices. 

• Back in the 1970s, officials say there were more than 200 dairy farms in Iredell County
• Today there are 22 farms
• County commissioner Jeff McNeely wants the state’s department of agriculture to help market milk

County leaders say their cows, along with dairy farms, are are disappearing.

“We’re the last remaining dairy farm on that road,” says Jimmy Gray of Grayhouse Farms, Inc.​  “A lot of them were family members.” 

Experts say the county is the state’s top dairy producer. Iredell County Commissioner Jeff McNeely says in the 1970s, there were more than 200 dairy farms in Iredell County. Today, there are 22.

“If something don’t change we won’t have a local milk supply, we’ll depend on other places in the country to get milk to us,” he said. "We're sinking fast."

This month, McNeely wrote a series of resolutions submitted to the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners. He’s asking the state to reinstate the NC Milk Commission to monitor what processors pay producers. He also wants the state’s department of agriculture to help market milk. 

The proposals are set to be presented as legislative goals to state lawmakers.