The Missouri Dairy Association (MDA) has joined a coalition of 27 dairy farmer organizations supporting the Dairy Security Act in the 2012 Farm Bill. In a letter to Senators Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; and Pat Roberts, Ranking Member of the Committee, the coalition stated: “It is time to reform federal dairy policy by enacting the Dairy Security Act (DSA) as part of the next Farm Bill. Over the past several years, the dairy farmers represented by these organizations have suffered financially because of extreme margin volatility - dramatic swings in the difference between milk prices and feed costs. Our current dairy safety net policies are simply unable to be effective in this roller coaster of volatility.
The Dairy Security Act is an update to our safety net policies for the 21st century. It provides flexibility and options for each individual dairy. Not only can the provisions in the legislation be customized to each dairy, there is also an option for any dairy to completely exempt itself from the programs.”
“Our Missouri dairy farmers are on a roller coaster of volatility right now as our farm level milk prices are slumping but our feeds costs continue rising,” says Larry Purdom, MDA president and a dairy farmer from Purdy. “Feed cost represents roughly half of our input costs for making milk.
Our board of directors recognized the urgency of our situation and unanimously agreed this is a good start to make some reasonable, sound changes to our federal dairy policies.
We will also encourage Missouri Senators Roy Blunt and Claire McCaskill to support the Dairy Security Act,” says Purdom.
The dairy farmer organizations signing the letter included:
- Alabama Dairy Producers
- Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI)
- Agri-Mark
- Dairy Farmers of America (DFA)
- Dairy Farmers Working Together
- Dairy Producers of New Mexico
- Dairy Producers of Utah
- Dairylea Cooperative Inc.
- Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery
- Holstein Association USA, Inc.
- Idaho Dairyman’s Association
- Land O’Lakes
- Maryland Dairy Industry Association
- Michigan Milk Producers
- Midwest Dairy Coalition
- Milk Producers Council
- Missouri Dairy Association
- National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
- National Farmers Organization
- National Milk Producers Federation
- Northwest Dairy Association/Darigold
- Oregon Dairy Farmers Association
- South Carolina Dairy Association
- St. Albans Cooperative Creamery
- United Dairymen of Arizona
- Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc.
- Washington State Dairy Federation PD
