Dairyman asks supervisors for support on ag legislation
NORWICH – One of Chenagno County’s most ardent dairy promoters, Ken “Mr. Milk” Dibbell, lobbied several county lawmakers last Tuesday to enlist their support for legislation intended to help struggling family dairy farms.
Dibbell has been drawing attention all year to the Milk Marketing Improvement Act of 2011, formerly known as the Spector-Casey Bill, as the means to keep dairies in business. The bill would price raw milk at the farm gate based on the average cost of production as determined by the United States Department of Agriculture. For example, the USDA’s calculated cost was $25/cwt in New York in April 2010, but the pay price at the farm was $15.10/cwt.
In addition, the MMIA carries no government subsidy; no taxpayer cost.
Dibble said Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey has already marked up the proposed legislation, known as Senate Bill #1640.
“It’s ready. It’s sitting there. We need to get it (the bill) introduced on the Senate floor and moved onto the House,” he told New Berlin Supervisor Ross Iannello, Greene Supervisor Jack Cook and others within earshot following last week’s annual government organizational meeting.
Chenango County lawmakers officially backed #1640 in a resolution adopted by the board of supervisors in late November.
The New Berlin dairyman planned to pressure U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna and other New York and Pennsylvania legislators to “get this thing going in the House.”
Rep. Hanna, R-Barneveld, met with farmers last week to discuss the impacts of the bill, but said “some have differing opinions on the value of #1640.
“The Congressional Budget Office is currently in the process of scoring the cost of the bill, and this is of particular interest to me. Of course, I always look for ways to help our farmers make a good living and create agriculture-related jobs. Eighty percent of Upstate New York's economy comes from the agriculture sector and it’s clear farms have a positive impact on our local economy,” he said in a press statement Friday.
Dibbell said several legislators were on board to sponsor the proposal in both the House and Senate, but the “industry lobby” got to them and they have backed away. An alternative bill, from the National Milk Producers Federation, represents dairy coops rather than family farms. Dibbell said the bill “has nothing in it that would prevent market manipulation” and taxpayers would end up paying for margin insurance.
“It (the Federation’s bill) could turn out worse than what we’ve had,” he said.
There were 250 dairy farms in Chenango County in 2007 versus 213 today. The nation boasted 450,000 dairies 30 years ago, but that number has dropped to only 50,000 in operation today.
Dibbell has been drawing attention all year to the Milk Marketing Improvement Act of 2011, formerly known as the Spector-Casey Bill, as the means to keep dairies in business. The bill would price raw milk at the farm gate based on the average cost of production as determined by the United States Department of Agriculture. For example, the USDA’s calculated cost was $25/cwt in New York in April 2010, but the pay price at the farm was $15.10/cwt.
In addition, the MMIA carries no government subsidy; no taxpayer cost.
Dibble said Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey has already marked up the proposed legislation, known as Senate Bill #1640.
“It’s ready. It’s sitting there. We need to get it (the bill) introduced on the Senate floor and moved onto the House,” he told New Berlin Supervisor Ross Iannello, Greene Supervisor Jack Cook and others within earshot following last week’s annual government organizational meeting.
Chenango County lawmakers officially backed #1640 in a resolution adopted by the board of supervisors in late November.
The New Berlin dairyman planned to pressure U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna and other New York and Pennsylvania legislators to “get this thing going in the House.”
Rep. Hanna, R-Barneveld, met with farmers last week to discuss the impacts of the bill, but said “some have differing opinions on the value of #1640.
“The Congressional Budget Office is currently in the process of scoring the cost of the bill, and this is of particular interest to me. Of course, I always look for ways to help our farmers make a good living and create agriculture-related jobs. Eighty percent of Upstate New York's economy comes from the agriculture sector and it’s clear farms have a positive impact on our local economy,” he said in a press statement Friday.
Dibbell said several legislators were on board to sponsor the proposal in both the House and Senate, but the “industry lobby” got to them and they have backed away. An alternative bill, from the National Milk Producers Federation, represents dairy coops rather than family farms. Dibbell said the bill “has nothing in it that would prevent market manipulation” and taxpayers would end up paying for margin insurance.
“It (the Federation’s bill) could turn out worse than what we’ve had,” he said.
There were 250 dairy farms in Chenango County in 2007 versus 213 today. The nation boasted 450,000 dairies 30 years ago, but that number has dropped to only 50,000 in operation today.
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