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Dairy in the middle of the farm bill discussion

The House-Senate Farm Bill conference committee will hold their first public hearing on Wednesday and dairy is expected to be in the middle of the discussions. Not only the supply management provisions contained in the Senate version of the Dairy Security Act but not in the House version but the differences in funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Senate bill cuts about $4 billion in funding over ten years while the House bill cuts nearly $40 billion. USDA says SNAP recipients spend between 10 and 12 percent of their food budget on dairy products so any cut in funding will most likely affect dairy consumption.

Another big issue for dairy is once again…if Congress does not get a bill passed by January 1, we would revert to 1949 law and a substantial increase in the price of milk, no one wants to see that happen.