The Latest on the Dairy Crisis – Including NPR segment!
NPR (National Public Radio) devoted 20 minutes to the low milk price story. Listen to it below or head here to read it:
Update: Dairy Farmers’ Movement for Change
Week of August 20, 2009
From: United States Dairy Farmers
United We Stand…Coast to Coast usdairyfarmers@yahoo.com
The latest from New York….
5 items, 3 with Calls for Action:
*Summary of Aug. 14 Rally
– Roger’s Allen Act (NY Producers) – Call for Action Item
– $60 million stimulus $ (NY Producers) – Call for Action Item
– Sen. Gillibrand Hearing Aug. 27 in Batava, N.Y. – Call for Action Item
*Support Price Increase Fall-Out
*MILC
*Propel Healthcare Talk to Dairy Talking Points
*Comment to Department of Justice: Tell their stories about how antitrust abuses, concentration and consolidation have personally affected you and your farm
1. Summary of Aug. 14 Rally
by Tammy Graves
Almost unanimous support in the crowd of 200 for Federal Milk Marketing Improvement Act of 2009 (s.1645)
1) NY Ag Commissioner, Pat Hooker, realizes he must do something. Rogers Allen Act – over-order pricing – maybe $0.25 to $.50
2) NY Senator Seward says they are pursuing a repeat of the 2006-2007 Dairy Reinvestment Program with stimulus money received by NY. In ‘06-07, the program distributed $30 million. This amount being pursued is $60 million so it would be double the payment dairy farmers received in ‘06-07.
3) Sen. Gillibrand upcoming hearings for long-term milk pricing solutions is Aug. 27 at Genesee County Community College in Batavia. 2-4 p.m.
4) Price support increase will not mean anything if the processors/manufacturers do not sell to the government
Pre-rally media coverage:
http://www.wwnytv.com/news/local/53220037.html
1. Action Item a.
a. Call your cooperative leadership and tell them to petition NYS Commissioner of Ag to enact the Rogers Allen Act.
*Dairylea
Greg Wickham (800) 654-8838
Clyde Rutherford
*Upstate Niagara
Bill Young 716-768-2247 1-800-724-MILK (ext. 6425) e-mail: byoung@upstateniagara.com
*Agri-Mark
Neil Rea neilrea@yahoo.com 978-689-4442 ext. 4929, 4931, 4932 information@agrimark.net
*Schoharie County Cooperative Dairies
Art Graulich 518-284-2710
*Holland Patent Co-op
Ray Paddock 315-865-5281
*NYS Ag & Markets
Pat Hooker, Commissioner of Agriculture: ph 518-485-7728 fax 518-457-3087
Jerry Cosgrove, Deputy Commissioner Dairy Division NYS Ag & Markets: 518-485-7728
1. Action Item b
b. Call, email, write Gov. Paterson to utilize $60 million of the stimulus money for dairy farmer crisis. This is being led by Sen. Seward, Assemblyman Lopez and Assemblyman Magee. Email: http://161.11.121.121/govemail
