On Tuesday, April 13, 2010, the Progressive Agriculture Organization arranged for thirty dairy farmers and ten supporters to meet with the agriculture aides of several members of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate in an effort to gain support for immediate emergency action to be taken to prop up prices paid to all US dairy farmers.

The trip was sponsored by many agricultural businesses and banks. Also in attendance was Katherine Ozer, Executive Director of the National Family Farm Coalition , in Washington, D.C.

The group strongly insisted that either the US Congress or the US Secretary of Agriculture must take immediate steps to raise the support price on manufactured dairy products to a level of $18.00 per cwt or establish a floor price between $18.00 to $20.00 per cwt under all manufactured dairy products with the existing Class I differentials added to the manufactured price.

Additionally, for a long-term solution to the dairy farmers’ financial crisis, all members of the group are urging Congress to pass S-1645 , “The Federal Milk Marketing Improvement Act of 2009.” The recent Bill was introduced by Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA), and it has the support of Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). It is hoped that the same Bill will be introduced in the House of Representatives in the near future.

Arden Tewksbury, Manager of Pro Ag, who, along with fellow dairy farmer Gerald Carlin from Meshoppen, Pennsylvania, helped compose the new Dairy Bill with Senator Specter and Senator Casey, claims that S-1645 would restore and stabilize a fair price for dairy farmers in all sections of the United States.

Hal Drick, a dairy farmer from Allenwood, Pennsylvania, stated, “I am here today to make sure our elected officials in Washington get the message loud and clear that dairy farmers want action on this problem right now. Dairy farmers want their cost of production factored into the federal milk pricing formula. That’s only fair.”

Everyone who made the trip to Washington continued to insist that positive action must be taken immediately to prevent a large number of dairy farmers from being forced out of business. New York dairy farmer Gretchen Maine reported, “The situation is dire everywhere and not just for the dairy farmers. These low milk prices that come in way below the dairy farmers’ cost of production are impacting the rural businesses, too. They don’t get paid if dairy farmers don’t get a fair milk price that includes our cost to produce the milk.”

The group, composed of dairy farmers from New York, Pennsylvania, California, and Virginia, was privileged to meet with 18 agriculture aides representing Congressmen from New York and Pennsylvania. The aides listened intently to the concerns of the dairy farmers.

Dave and Robin Fitch from West Winfield, New York, emotionally explained the hardships they have been experiencing as they try to continue their dairy operation under the current inadequate milk prices. They reported how difficult it was to obtain credit just to buy hay and grain for this spring. Mrs. Fitch stated, “Everyone must remember that our dairy farmers are the backbone of the nation.”

Loren Lopes, a Pro Ag member from California, told the agriculture aides that California dairy farmers are experiencing the same problems as all other dairy farmers.

Lopes said, “It might even be worse in California, since many of the large farms are unable to secure any form of credit, and we could be seeing a collapse of the dairy industry in California.”

Traveling with the dairy farmers were members of the Future Farmers of America (FFA), accompanied by their advisor Nathan Schanbacher, from Tunkhannock High School in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania. The presence of the young people sent a powerful message to the federal elected officials that America’s next generation of dairy farmers understands what is at stake when farmers do not receive a fair price for raw milk.

Eight-year-old Dylan Frantz traveled with his great-grandmother, dairy farmer and Pro Ag member, Donna Hall, from Muncy, Pennsylvania. Hall said, “Dylan came because he is worried about our cows. He has told me, ‘Gram, please don’t sell the cows.’ These young people are the future of America’s food supply. How will they be farming if we do not pay American dairy farmers a fair milk price?”

During the afternoon, the dairy farmers and the FFA students called on all of the Pennsylvania and New York Congressmen whose agriculture aides had not been able to attend the earlier meeting. Ken Dibbell, who farms in New York, stated “Congress and USDA have allowed these low milk prices to plague our dairy farmers ever since federal Order Reform was passed in 2000. Now it is time for both Congress and USDA finally to step up and fix the problems that Order Reform caused.”

In the afternoon, Gary Genske from California, Floyd Hall from New York, and Loren Lopes were also in attendance at a Department of Justice session that gave them the opportunity to testify about the problems in the dairy industry. The trio also attended part of the meeting of the US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s Dairy Industry Advisory Committee.

Earlier in the morning, the entire group, along with agriculture aides from Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA), Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), met with three officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The main topic was the safety of milk protein concentrate (MPC).

Although the three officials claimed that MPC is safe, Donna Hall raised questions concerning the safety of any MPC, whether imported or produced domestically, and pressed the need for scientific, safety, and nutritional testing to assure MPC is safe for human consumption.

Hall stated, “As a powder, untested MPC can be easily stored, shipped, transshipped, mixed with other powders, and popped onto the market ‘whenever’ to drop dairy farmers’ prices worldwide to ‘World Market,’ lowest possible prices. Will MPC use force so many U.S. dairy farmers out of business that the consumers’ food supply will be at risk? Who exactly is looking out for our dairy farmers and consumers?”

Brenda Cochran, a Pro Ag member and dairy farmer from Westfied, Pennsylvania, also brought up questions regarding whether U.S. authorities were conducting adequate inspections of the dairy farms in the foreign countries that are shipping MPC into the United States.

Tewksbury strongly recommended that another meeting with the FDA officials should be arranged at a later date to probe further the MPC issue.

Pro Ag can be reached at 570-833-5776 or by e-mail at progressiveagricultureorg@gmail.com

PHOTOS:
TOP RIGHT: Arden Tewksbury, right, manager of Progressive Agriculture Organization, participates in a recent meeting in Washington, D.C., set up by Adam Tarr, center, staff member for Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA). Pro Ag visited Washington to urge lawmakers to support legislation for higher milk prices.
TOP LEFT: Loren Lopes of California tells congressional aides his concerns about the serious problems in his state’s dairy system during their recent meeting with Progressive Agriculture Organization in Washington, D.C. From left are Jake Kuhns of Congressman Tim Holden’s office; John Busovsky, agricultural aide for Congressman Glenn Thompson; Pro Ag Manager Arden Tewksbury; and New York Pro Ag member Ken Dibbell.
MIDDLE RIGHT: FFA and animal science students from Tunkhannock High School visit Union Station during a recent trip to Washington, D.C. with the Progressive Agriculture organization. In the front, from left, are: Marsha Bliss, Natasha Carey and Brenna Sickler. Back, from left: Jamie Noble, Cole Wright, Mason Gannon, Garrett Bellas, Nathan Nystrand and adviser Nathan Schanbacher. Pro Ag and the students spent the day in meetings with government officials and visiting legislators' offices to urge them to support Senate Bill 1645, discuss correcting low milk prices, and sharing other concerns.
MIDDLE LEFT: Progressive Agriculture Organization member Donna Hall of Muncy, Pennsylvania, talks during a meeting with Food and Drug Administration staff members in Washington, D.C. Pro Ag visited the capital to discuss issues such as milk prices and milk protein concentrate with officials.
Photos courtesy of Pro Ag.