The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a Batavia newspaper."The department of agriculture in Batavia reports that the number of dairy farms throughout the country is now 25 percent greater than it was 10 years ago. During this same time perio

The aforementioned argument is well-presented and appears to be relatively cogent at first glance: Since the price of milk at the local Excello Food Market has increased over the tem years, the it seems plausible to regulate the prices of milk for the benefits of consumers. However, as more light is shed on the issue and more detailed facts are concerned, the lack of answer to questions leads me to question the validity of the argument.

First of all, the author should answer the question whether the increased percentile of daily farms over ten years engender the decrease in milk price. Since the percentage of dairy farm now is 25% greater than it was 10 years ago, the author hastily believes that the increase in milk supply will result in the decline in milk price. However, It is likely that the overall population of the country has increased at an exponential rate so the demand of milk may override the supply of milk. If it were true, the increase in the number of dairy farms does not indicate that the milk prices needed to be decrease over the ten years.

Another question the author should answer is whether the increase in price of milk yields significant benefits to farmers in the country. Over the ten years, the price of milk at the local market has increased from $1.50 to $3.00 per gallon, so the author believes that farmers reap a myriad of benefits from this increased price. However, the author should take into account that the price has naturally increased due to inflation. In other words, along with the economic development, the overall prices of goods have increased, so that farmers would not gain significant profits from it. If this would be the case, it is far-fetched to argue that the price increase contributed to tremendous merits to farmers. Therefore, the author should provide detailed information on the effect of inflation on overall products.

Lastly, more answers are needed on the soundness of the conclusion that governmental regulation in retail milk prices will effectively ensure fair prices for consumers. The author rashly believes that implementing a regulation will impede farmers to take a toll on customers. However, in all likelihood, farmers may decide to reduce their milk supply and as result, the price of milk may increased due higher demand of milk. Even if the regulation does not influence farmers action, regulating retail milk prices may not affect farmers since they are mostly sell milk to wholesale businesses. Thus, the author should provide more solid evidence to verify the effectiveness of the government regulation.

In conclusion, the argument is not persuasive in many respects. To strengthen the argument, the author should answer the questions, which mention above.