Articles Tagged with ''Farm Bill''

Dairy farmers attending the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., spoke out today about the dangers of a dairy supply management program included in the Farm Bill. But other farmers support the measure.

"You can read that report until the proverbial cows come home and you will not find anywhere that it concludes that the Dairy Security Act is the best approach for dairy farmers, as was falsely claimed by the National Milk Producers Federation," said Jerry Slominski, IDFA senior vice president of legislative and economic affairs.

The International Dairy Foods Association today responded to Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer’s concern that the Republican nominee for President, Mitt Romney, raised milk fees. IDFA shares concerns about industry fees and cautioned that a new Farm Bill proposal, recently endorsed by Secretary Tom Vilsack, would both raise fees and increase domestic milk prices.

The Dairy Business Association and the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association say they appreciate Rep. Reid Ribble's support of Wisconsin's dairy industry through his vote in favor of the Goodlatte/Scott amendment to the 2012 Farm Bill. As Wisconsin's only member on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, Congressman Ribble worked to find a compromise to eliminate a so-called 'dairy stabilization plan,' a complex government intervention in commercial transactions intended to control the supply of milk from farms. Congressman Ribble supported reducing milk price volatility without restricting milk supply, said Laurie Fischer, Executive Director of DBA. 

The Dairy Market Stabilization Program as proposed by H.R. 3062, the Dairy Security Act, would manipulate both the supply of and demand for milk in order to push U.S. milk prices higher than open markets otherwise provide, says the president of the International Dairy Foods Association. "Given the importance of exports to our industry's ability to grow and create new jobs, it makes no sense at all for Congress to pass a new supply management program that will restrict our ability to be reliable suppliers and will negatively impact investment decisions by processors regarding new facilities," said Connie Tipton, IDFA president and CEO. 

Dairy industry leaders today called for the Senate Agriculture Committee to remove a new dairy program that is designed to control milk prices from the draft 2012 Farm Bill and instead focus on providing proven safety-net programs, such as revenue insurance, typically used for other commodities.

South Dakota dairy manufacturers wrote to Senator John Thune (R-SD)  to express their opposition to a proposed milk supply management program expected to be included in the draft Farm Bill.