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Congressional push for dairy program updates

A bipartisan group of law makers are calling for U.S. Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue to prioritize dairy updates in implementing the 2018 Farm Bill.

The legislators say the situation for dairy farmers is urgent and the government shutdown has delayed improvements in the 2018 Farm Bill more than a month. 

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson of Minnesota and senior committee member Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson of Pennsylvania led the House effort while Senate Ag Committee Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Missouri Senator Roy Blunt were behind the push from the Senate.

House leaders say farm milk prices have dropped 40 percent since 2014 and they want USDA to take any and all actions to make an immediate market injection and offer financial assistance that will directly support U.S. dairy farmers equally, while being cautious to not stimulate overproduction further.

In the interim, the Senators want the USDA to invest in outreach, training, and staffing to ensure that every eligible farmer receives personalized information about the updates.

The letters were signed across party lines by 77 House members and 38 Senators.

The National Milk Producers Federation is thanking the lawmakers for making dairy a priority in the farm bill and during implementation.