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Senator raises milk-marketing order change; delegation staff asked to relay concerns to Congresswoman Ballant
Summary
Committee members discussed a recent change in the federal milk-marketing order that sets class prices by using the higher of certain measures; senators said Vermont dairy farmers welcomed the change and asked the delegation to relay local concerns about preserving the order.
Senator Clarkson told the Senate Committee on Government Operations on Feb. 13 that recent changes to the federal milk-marketing order have been welcomed by Vermont dairy farmers and urged the delegation to convey local concern about preserving that change.
"The federal milk marketing order at the moment has been changed so that the 4 classes of milk will determine instead of the average of those prices individually, the higher of them, to reflect what the price per hundred weight of the class 1 fluid milk is," Clarkson said, describing the technical change and its effect in raising the milk price for producers.
Clarkson said farmers view the higher price as necessary for profitability. "In order for a dairy farmer especially to be profitable, the hundredweight milk price has to be somewhere north of $20 a hundredweight, probably more like 22," Clarkson said, recalling that in 2002 prices reached about $25 per hundredweight and producers were profitable at that time.
Committee members requested that delegation staff pass the information to Congresswoman Becca Ballant; Ryan McClellan agreed to relay the committee's concern and provide the bill language where applicable. Delegation staff did not propose specific federal action during the session; the item was a request for attention and follow-up.
