FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Doug McGinn July 14, 1999 (202) 225-3031 RYAN URGES WISCONSIN DAIRY FARMERS TO PARTICIPATE IN USDA MILK MARKETING VOTE
WASHINGTON - First District Congressman Paul Ryan today urged Wisconsin dairy farmers to participate in the upcoming vote on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to consolidate and modernize the nation's milk marketing order system. Dairy farmers must mail their ballots to USDA between August 2 and August 6. The reforms would reduce to eleven the number order regions from the current 31 and attempt to equalize the minimum price paid for fluid milk dairy producers. Under the established procedures, a two-thirds majority of votes is needed in each of the proposed eleven milk marketing order regions for the plan to take effect. "To say that producers in other regions can't compete under free market policies is a falsehood that continues to hammer away at the bottom line of Wisconsin farmers."
Under the current system, developed in the 1930s, minimum milk prices are set geographically - the further away from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the higher the price a farmer could receive for milk. The pricing system was designed to help dairy farmers survive in areas where dairy production was less profitable - working to ensure each area of the country would have an adequate supply of milk. The program does not accommodate for technological advances in production, storage, or transportation. Dairy farmers in other regions of the country favor the current system because it provides them higher, set prices, but this is done at the expense of farmers in the upper Midwest.
While the reforms that will be voted on still place Wisconsin dairy farmers at a disadvantage, they are a step in the right direction of creating a free and open market for dairy products. Ryan has been battling with legislators from other regions of the country that enjoy higher prices who have mounted a campaign to kill the reforms.
"Our dairy producers are being hamstrung by horse-and-buggy policies even though we have seen great technological gains in dairy production, storage, and transportation," said Ryan. "To say that producers in other regions can't compete under free market policies is a falsehood that continues to hammer away at the bottom line of Wisconsin farmers."
"While these reforms were not all that we had hoped for, they do represent a dramatic shift for the dairy industry. These reforms constitute a good first step to a free and open market for Wisconsin dairy producers. I urge all Wisconsin dairy farmers to participate in this important vote."
For additional information, or to schedule an interview, please contact Doug McGinn at (202) 225-3031.