Farmers Hear About Pending Farm Bill
BOBWARREN; By BOBBY WARREN |
Or, more exactly, it was a topic that arose during a recent update about the pending farm bill organized by Sen.
When Shultz opened the floor up for questions, he mainly received suggestions to make the farm bill better.
When
The goal would be to limit the amount of milk so dairy producers would get a better price.
As Kozak sees it, the dairy safety net would not be of much help. "It is
Additionally, if dairy producers want that safety net, then they will have to cut production anywhere between 4 percent to 8 percent.
"No other commodity has to do that," Kozak said. Supply management is not a part of the crop insurance program, and "dairy shouldn't have to put up with that."
The way the bill is written, Kozak is skeptical enough farmers will sign up for the program for it to be effective. If about 25 percent of dairy producers sign up for the program, then the burden will be on them to try to balance milk production in this country.
Shultz spoke earlier about some of the risk management tools in the
With drought conditions affecting much of the country this summer, the cost of feed has increased, and it is hurting producers who have to buy their feed and do not grow any, Kozak said.
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Kozak said he hopes there is some way the amendment becomes part of the House bill. While the provision is not perfect, he said he believes it was the fairest to dairymen.
"It's better than anything else out there," Kozak said.
Shultz agreed with Kozak that over the past few years the pressure has switched from crop producers to livestock producers. "I don't think there is any disagreement about the protection on the margins," Shultz said, adding the supply argument will be one that will continue to be debated.
Kozak contended most producers do not want supply management. National Milk, which represents co-ops, wants it, not individual producers, he added.
"I'm a dairy producer, and I support supply management,"
National Milk opposed the Goodlatte-Scott amendment, arguing it would "undo the significant dairy policy reforms proposed for the 2012 Farm Bill."
National Milk favored the Dairy Security Act, which would provide a basic level of margin protection and those who wanted supplemental insurance to cover a wider gap between the cost of feed and the milk price would have to temporarily cut back on milk production when margins are poor, according to a statement on its website.
"I don't want to see that end because we put in a supply management program," Noyes said. "I don't want to just produce milk for this country and lose opportunities corn and soybean producers have. I want to capture that opportunity as this world population and economy grows. There's tremendous opportunity."
While dairy producers need some margin insurance, they do not need supply management, Noyes said.
"Supply management has been an effective tool," Logan said. "Nobody wants to see us limit supply so that we become a deficit nation, but to the extent supply is managed on a global scenario, it is necessary to establish some stability in the marketplace. I don't know how you do it.
"Enticing farmers to produce, produce and produce is counterproductive. American farmers have shown they can out produce themselves."
"I think it is still an open question," Shultz said. I think it could change. It's up for grabs."
Reporter
Copyright: | (c) 2012 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |
Source: | Proquest LLC |
Wordcount: | 883 |
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