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Dairy producers, Representatives and Senators need to talk

National Milk Producers Federation is asking dairy producers and members of Congress to talk to each other during the August recess. National Milk president and CEO Jerry Kozak says producers need to take the message to their elected officials and he hopes Members of Congress will take time to visit local dairy farms to get an up-close look at what dairy producers are facing right now. He hopes the representatives will “understand why it is so imperative to pass a five-year farm bill which includes a better safety net for farmers.” Kozak says we are approaching the same type of crisis situation dairy producers faced in 2009 when they lost $20 billion in equity and thousands of farmers went out of business.

“When you factor in additional operating costs, such as labor and energy costs, on top of the sky-high price of feed caused by the ongoing drought, dairy farmers are currently selling their milk for far less than the cost of production,” said Kozak. “The Dairy Security Act would give producers and their bankers the assurances they need to continue their operations through these tough times.”

Kozak said that farmers themselves should take this message to their elected officials during the next four weeks, with the hope that Congress can be spurred to action after Labor Day.