Independent dairy farmers in the United States are urging Congress to act on the Milk from Family Dairies Act, a bill meant to steady farm milk prices and slow the consolidation that has closed thousands of small dairies, FoodNavigator reports. Senator Peter Welch of Vermont introduced the bill in June, with Senator Bernie Sanders as a cosponsor; it was referred to the Senate Agriculture Committee and still awaits a hearing.
On 23 October the National Family Farm Coalition and 87 farmer, rural, labour, processor and environmental groups wrote to Congress asking for immediate action. They say the price paid to farmers has been below the cost of production for decades, and that while the number of licensed dairy herds fell by almost two-thirds in twenty years, national milk output grew by more than 30%, leaving small farms exposed to export markets.
Senate Bill 4906 would set minimum milk prices based on herd size and production costs, give each farm a production allowance and charge fees on milk above it. A Dairy Market Stabilization Program run by USDA, advised by a producer-led national board and regional boards, would match national production to national demand. Allowances could not be sold or leased, and new producers would join regional waiting lists.
Juliette Albrecht, who runs a 100-cow dairy in southwest Missouri, said the number of independent dairy farms has fallen from about 200,000 in 1980 to about 23,600 by 2025, while processors dictate terms through cancelled pickup routes, high hauling fees and exclusivity clauses. "A lot of producers are scared to speak out because the fear of retaliation is very strong in dairy," she said.
The National Milk Producers Federation, which represents producers and their cooperatives, opposes the bill. "Government-mandated supply management has a track record of unintended consequences," said Trey Forsyth, its vice president of government and regulatory affairs: it limits farmers' ability to grow, penalises those who have expanded and raises consumer grocery costs. Critics compare it with Canada's quota system; Albrecht argues that the ban on trading allowances would keep them from becoming a barrier to young farmers.
Photo: Corey Coyle (Kalscheur Dairy Farm) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Source: FoodNavigator
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