October 05, 2001
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email:CGalen@nmpf.org
After three days of debate, members of the House approved the Farm Bill draft today by a final vote of 291-120. The measure's passage was "a great tribute to the hard work and bipartisan cooperation demonstrated all throughout the year by the leaders of the House Agriculture Committee," said Jerry Kozak, President and Chief Executive Officer of NMPF. "The process followed by Committee Chairman Larry Combest and Ranking Democrat Charlie Stenholm was inclusive, balanced and thorough. In the end, I think most farm organizations like ours were well pleased with the outcome of the process." NMPF testified twice this year on the dairy portions of the Farm Bill.
The final version of the Farm Bill draft includes the following provisions backed by NMPF:
Re-authorization of the dairy price support program at $9.90/cwt;
Extension of dairy promotion assessments to imported dairy products, and elimination of the sunset date of the processor promotion program;
80% increase in conservation funding over current programs and elimination of size restrictions on Environmental Quality Incentive Program participation;
Dairy Export Incentive Program funding and a dramatic increase in MAP funding, both export programs used by the dairy industry;
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Authorization for a Johne's Disease program for research, testing, and education;
Stronger language to improve the mandatory dairy price and inventory reporting system.
Prior to final passage, the House also approved an amendment offered by Rep. James Walsh (R-NY) to the Farm Bill directing the USDA to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the various elements of national dairy policy.
"Dairy farmers should feel glad that the deliberative process followed by Congress worked. The end result is a sensible, fair program that provides an economic safety net for them while also recognizing the importance of the marketplace," Kozak said.
The Senate Agriculture Committee is still working on its own version of the 2002 Farm Bill. It has yet to hold hearings on dairy policy. Kozak said that NMPF "is hopeful that the Senate looks favorably upon the dairy provisions included by the House in the Farm Bill draft." Current farm programs are scheduled to run through 2002.
The National Milk Producers Federation, headquartered in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance the well-being of U.S. dairy producers and the cooperatives they collectively own. The members of NMPF's 31 cooperatives produce the majority of the U.S. milk supply, making NMPF the voice of 60,000 dairy producers on Capitol Hill and with government agencies.
For more on NMPF's activities, visit our Website at www.nmpf.org.
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