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Some dairy farmers are reluctant to speak out about milk pricing
A dairy organization leader says many farmers are reluctant to speak out on dairy pricing reform, even though the present system has harmed them.
Laurie Fischer is the President of the American Dairy Coalition, which recently hosted an online discussion about dairy pricing issues. She says, “One of the items that came up and it continues to come up in our conversations is a fear for dairy farmers to speak up on fear of losing a home for their milk.”
Fischer says some farmers are starting to talk openly about the problems with depooling milk, negative producer price differentials, make allowances, and other things that impact the producer’s bottom line.
Fischer tells Brownfield dairy farmers are using these meetings to let elected officials know about the unintended consequences of the last farm bill. “We really didn’t know last time how you were changing our milk price. We weren’t involved, or if people were involved, it was at a very, very low level and so I think what they’re really trying to say to the legislators is it was messed up in the last farm bill and we need you to fix it in this farm bill.”
Fischer says the farmers she’s working with want to return to the previous rules until a better pricing system can be created after USDA holds hearings on the federal milk marketing order system.
Those hearings on federal milk marketing orders might not happen. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack has already said he’s not inclined to open those hearings until the dairy industry comes to an agreement. Fischer says ADC supports a bill by New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand that would require hearings on the federal orders.
