Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Senate ag committee advances dairy pricing bill after farmers describe steep losses
Summary
House Bill 17‑29, which would require co‑ops to pass through federally set class‑1 milk value to producers, received emotional testimony from Arkansas dairy farmers about steep price declines and passed the committee as amended by voice vote.
The Senate Agriculture, Forestry & Economic Development Committee voted to advance House Bill 17‑29 after lengthy testimony from Arkansas dairy farmers who told the panel the state—s remaining family dairies are struggling under pricing practices by large cooperatives.
Cassie Davis, a third‑generation dairy farmer, told the committee that ‘‘the pay price of our milk is set by the federal milk marketing order 7’’ and that cooperatives were paying farmers ‘‘up to $6 a hundred weight less than class 1 price,’’ a difference she said can cost ‘‘a 90 cow dairy up to $70,000 a year’’ (Cassie Davis). She…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
