Pro Ag Urges Senator Gillibrand to take additional steps to help ALL dairy
farmers.
Arden Tewksbury, manager of the Progressive Agriculture Organization (Pro-Ag)
from Meshoppen, Pennsylvania, has recently commended Senator Kirsten
Gillibrand (D-NY) for placing the plight of area dairy farmers on the front
burner one more time.
Robin Fitch, a dairy farmer's wife from West Winfield, New York (Herkimer
County) said "its rewarding to have a U.S. Senator like Senator
Gillibrand to illustrate her concerns for New York State dairy
farmers."
However, Tewksbury said, "We will be urging Senator Gillibrand to tackle
the REAL problems facing all dairy farmers."
They are:
1. Dairy farmers deserve and need a new pricing formula that covers the
average cost of producing milk and returns profitability to the dairy farmers
as well as revitalizing the rural economy not only in New York State, but all
across the United States.
2. Everyone must realize the dairy farmers' problems are not just inadequate
prices, but the costs to operate a dairy farm are accelerating. Pro-Ag
strongly feels the conversion of corn and other feed grains to ethanol is one
of the main culprits for the rising feed costs to all animal growers.
(especially dairy farmers) While most animal growers depend on grain for
growth, however dairy farmers depend on grain for growth, but even more
importantly for production.
Tewksbury said, "we certainly don't begrudge any grower of grain to
receive a fair price, however dairy farmers must have a new pricing formula
that will allow them to recover their cost.
3. Dairy farmers don't want to receive any funds like the MILC payments.
(milk income loss payments) The MILC payments were legislated a few
years ago to help bridge the gap on low prices dairy farmers received on milk
that is bottled. The MILC payments do not cover low prices received on
milk used to manufacture dairy products. The MILC program basically
became a reality when the U.S. Congress failed to reauthorize the Northeast
Interstate Dairy Compact.
4. Competitive Pricing - Everyone must remember that milk used for
manufacturing purposes is a National Market, and must be priced
nationally. Competitive pricing is part of the National Milk Producers
Program which is called "Foundation For The Future"?
Representatives of National Milk claim that under competitive pricing the
bothersome cost of make allowances will be eliminated. This is not
true!
Under competitive pricing many manufacturers of dairy products will be
surveyed regarding the price they choose to pay dairy farmers.
Make allowances for manufactured processes will be disguised in the price they
choose to pay dairymen.
5. Electronic reporting. Let us not be lulled to sleep on this one.
As we see it, electronic reporting only means the results of surveys on dairy
products may be published a few days earlier, but the results will be
basically the same. Some federal officials have recently claimed the
same results.
6. However, we do agree any attempts to mandate more reliable reporting of
dairy products in cold storage as well as dairy products held by the commodity
credit corporation is needed. We have been harping about this for years.
7. Imports of unneeded dairy products. In our opinion no pricing
formula will work without a new bill to place tariffs on unneeded,
bothersome dairy products.
8. Finally we feel there has to be a true milk supply program to be used, if
necessary. Give the dairy farmers the right price, and they will be
able to fund this program.
Again we commend Senator Gillibrand for her efforts, but her efforts must
be accelerated in other directions in order to correct the inequities facing all
dairy farmers. A new program must cover the dairy farmers' costs- plus,
must contain a milk supply management program, and address the problems of
imported dairy products. According to USDA figures the total cost of
producing milk in New York State in 2010 was $25..37 per cwt.
We need a complete new way of pricing milk. No more patch work!
We hope that Senator Gillibrand will help take the lead on this movement.