La Crosse, Wis. [August 16, 2023) – The Dairy Margin Coverage program and other Risk Management Agency tools were dramatically improved in the 2018 Farm Bill and should be maintained. It’s important that dairy producers continue to have access to the combination of safety net and risk management tools.
FarmFirst supports updating the production history calculation to better reflect current on-farm production levels, as well as updating the current production threshold between Tier I and Tier II premiums to reflect growth in the average dairy farm size.
Jeff Lyon, FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative General Manager, provided these insights at the Farm Bill Listening Session hosted today in La Crosse, WI by Representative Derrick Van Orden, Senator Ron Johnson, and Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson.
In addition, the Farm Bill should continue to provide funding for important conservation programs, increase funding for trade programs, and ensure that SNAP is kept in the Farm Bill with robust support to continue the long-standing connection between agriculture and nutrition.
Lyon also expressed appreciation for work that has been done on the Whole Milk for Health Kids Act, DAIRY PRIDE Act, and the upcoming hearing on full-scale modernization of the Federal Milk Marketing Order system.
FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative appreciates Chairman Thompson, Representative Van Orden, and Senator Johnson for hosting this listening session and considering our input on the 2023 Farm Bill.
FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative, established in 2013 and based in Madison, Wis., represents farmers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana by providing legislative and regulatory advocacy, dairy marketing services, disaster protection, laboratory testing opportunities and industry promotion. Learn more about FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative by visiting: www.FarmFirstDairyCooperative.com.
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