Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)

Dairy Press Conference

September 15, 2009

 

Dairy farmers are hurting.  The dairy farmers that American families depend on for fresh milk and for so many products.  The dairy farmers who are among the hardest working people any of us know.  Our dairy producers are facing the worst prices in 30 years, and we need to continue to work together on both short-term and long-term solutions to stabilize dairy prices.

 

In July, this coalition of dairy Senators convinced the Secretary of Agriculture and OMB to inject $250 million into dairy price supports which increased fluid milk prices by nearly 20 percent. 

 

That increase was a welcome step forward to halt the downward slide of dairy prices and will increase dairy farmers' revenue.  I am thankful for the responsiveness of Secretary Vilsack and the Administration on this help for farmers.  

 

With the approval of Senator Sanders’ amendment, we now have an additional $350 million that has been added to the Senate Agriculture Appropriations bill.  We are going to work together to retain this important Senate funding in the Appropriations bill as we move forward with the conference.

 

Our dairy farmers cannot stay in business with the gap between the cost of production and the milk price continuing to grow to unprecedented levels.  Vermont alone has lost more than 250 dairy farms in the past five years and 32 so far this year alone.  Without further action, the severity of this crisis will increase and result in major blows to rural communities across America.

 

The best long-term solution is for farmers to get a fair price for their product from the market.  I remain hopeful that dairy farmers across the country can come together and agree on a long-term solution that will help not only Vermont’s dairy farms, but also those in Wisconsin, California, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and everywhere in between.

 

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