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Farmers Union, Farm Bureau seek emergency “higher of” milk formula

The National Farmers Union and American Farm Bureau are seeking a return to a milk pricing formula that was taken away in the last farm bill. “That got taken out of the formula in the last cycle through the federal order systems, and dairy farmers haven’t been too happy with that.”

Wisconsin Farmers Union President Darin Von Ruden tells Brownfield the current formula used to price fluid milk is costing dairy farmers money. “National Farmers Union and American Farm Bureau are on the same page on this one. Let’s get the higher-of Class III or IV into the Class I pricing, which will help raise farmers’ prices. You know, it’s definitely not a cost-of-production level, but it’s going to give us a few more dollars per hundredweight.”

The two organizations issued a joint letter to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack Thursday asking USDA for an emergency return to the “higher of” Class III and Class IV when determining the Class I fluid milk price.  The two organizations say dairy farmers have lost around 55 million dollars since the first of January.

Read the joint letter below.