PRESS RELEASE
NEW: Cinde Warmington Announces Support For Temporary Gas Tax Suspension
CONTOOCOOK, NH — In Case You Missed It, Democratic candidate for governor Cinde Warmington visited Bohanan Farm in Contoocook, where she announced her support for temporarily suspending the state gas tax to deliver immediate relief to working families and small businesses being squeezed by rising gas prices.
Cinde visited the farm to discuss how Donald Trump’s tariffs and war with Iran have driven up costs — all while Kelly Ayotte sides with Trump instead of putting Granite Staters first.
Ayotte has failed to support a gas tax suspension and has been notably silent on Trump’s war with Iran — despite how “central confronting Iran was to Ayotte’s efforts to build a national profile during her time in the US Senate in the 2010s.”
Read more below.
WMUR: Warmington discusses rising fuel prices with New Hampshire dairy farmers
Democratic candidate for governor Cinde Warmington visited Bohanan Farm on Friday afternoon and spoke with farmers about rising costs.
Dairy farmers said they are dealing with wild fluctuations in the cost of diesel fuel and fertilizer, and they are very worried about the new 50% tariffs on Canada.
"Listening to Jamie and a lot of others across the state, the cost of fuel is through the roof," Warmington said. "I think it's time we took a look at a gas tax suspension in the state and give them some immediate relief."
The farm produces 16,000 8-ounce servings of milk every day. It has been in operation for five generations.
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Union Leader: Tariffs hit NH dairy farm hard as gubernatorial candidates spar over relief
Jamie Robertson, the patriarch of a five-generation dairy farm in Contoocook, remembers how stunned he was by the spike in diesel fuel and fertilizer due to the Trump administration tariffs and the Iran war.
He recalled a phone conversation with Si, his oldest of three sons who each run distinct operations on this farm that has nearly 300 cows and nearly 500 acres of owned and rented land where they grow corn.
“We try and cut the grass about every 28 days and when we get done, I’ll be out delivering and the phone rings and Si asks, ‘You’ve got enough money in the checkbook to get fertilizer?’ I say, ‘I don’t know, ask your mother (Heather Bohanan).’”
The looming 50% tariffs President Donald Trump recently announced for Canada are “really scary,” Robertson said.
“Our fertilizer comes out of Canada, our grain comes out of Canada and all the diesel comes out of Canada right now and of course our glass (milk) bottles also come out of Canada,” Robertson said.
Democratic candidate for governor Cinde Warmington of Concord came to the farm Friday and vowed to be even tougher than Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte has been in fighting the Trump tariffs.
“We need to stand up and make sure that Washington hears what the impact is on the tariffs of local people like this and I want to tell you, listening to Jamie and a lot of people across the state, the cost of fuel is through the roof,” Warmington said.
“I think it’s time we took a look at a gas tax suspension here in the state and give them some immediate relief on these costs they’re facing.”
In May, Ayotte said she’d continue to monitor gas prices, but she did not embrace a gas tax suspension at that time.
Robertson said a governor can help make the case for how destructive tariffs can be.
“When we put a tariff on China and they retaliate with tariffs on the U.S. it’s almost always on food production,” Robertson said.
“We are sending milk out of this farm, New Hampshire farms, the two co-ops in New Hampshire that buy milk are sending milk to China. You know, they dry it down and they send it to China. You’re in a world market as a dairy farmer in Contoocook, New Hampshire.”
His sons, Si, Nate and Bram, are helping them start to grow their own grain and create an even larger vegetable operation to become more tariff-proof.
Started in 1907, the Bohanan Farm operated as a wholesale, massive-output dairy operation until the 2008 real estate collapse helped create a “disaster dairy year” in 2009, forcing Robertson to shift gears.
“We had to flip the switch and change the farm into a diversified close to retail operation and it was a pretty hard 10 years,” Robertson said.
In 2011, they launched the Contoocook Creamery to sell glass-bottled milk, cheese and butter through more than 160 locations including farm stands, small grocers and supermarkets.
These are a few of the nearly 300 cows that the Bohanan Farm in Contoocook that produce 16,000 eight-ounce glasses of milk a day and 10,000 pounds of beef a year.
Today, they generate 16,000 eight-ounce glasses of milk a day and 10,000 pounds of beef a year, the latter of which they supply to many outlets including the Tucker’s Restaurant chain.
Warmington criticized Ayotte for signing a state budget that cut state aid to the University System of New Hampshire by more than 15%.
“As we know the University of New Hampshire (budget) cuts are so damaging, damaging to all of our programs,” Warmington said.
Si Robertson said specialists with the UNH Cooperative Extension just visited the farm to see an example of an invasive new weed that just started showing up on New Hampshire farmlands.
“That’s the second or third time they have been out this summer to work with us and that’s really important,” he said.
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