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Farmers Union continues push for dairy policy changes

National Farmers Union members say they reminded elected officials about the importance of good safety net programs during a recent trip to Washington D.C.

Nick Levendofsky with Wisconsin Farmers Union tells Brownfield fixing the Margin Protection Program remains a top priority.  “I think as we move further down the line with the farm bill talks, MPP reform has to happen.”  Fixing the MPP program is a goal Farmers Union shares with other groups including National Milk Producers Federation and Farm Bureau.

Levendofsky says they also brought up the large milk supply.  “We have to talk about issues like supply management or inventory management, or whatever you want to call it because these are all things that, after the Grassland issue and after all of the other little issues that have popped up along the way, and I think there are probably more to come,  We can’t continue to ignore this.”

Unlike most farm organizations, Farmers Union supports supply management.  Levendofsky says changes are necessary to preserve small family farms.

He says Wisconsin lost more than 400 dairy farms last year and more than 300 so far this year.