One of the stories on the wire this morning about Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) featured a little push back from at least one New York state dairy producer that heard the Senator speak at the state fair. From the Rochester ABC13 WHAM website:
John Mueller of Willow Bend Farms in Clifton Springs, said he has seen better days. "This year is going to be a tough year, it might even be the toughest year ever,” he said. "In 2007 we made a lot of money, it was our best year ever. So in 2009 I'm just giving it all back." Speaking at the New York State Fair, Schumer said he's urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide $600 million in emergency funds to keep farmers in business. The money would come from the department's Commodity Credit Corporation, which has $10 billion at its immediate disposal. However, Mueller doesn’t think a “milk bailout” is a good idea. "I understand Schumer's intentions, and he's got good intentions, but it's the wrong thing to do,” he said. It's all about the market for Mueller, who says supply and demand are out of whack. Consumers are paying less for milk at the store; farmers are earning less because supply is so high. “The market is telling us we got to have less milk on the market, and by him putting more money into dairyman's pockets--it's going to keep milk on the market--it's going to prolong this low-price situation,” he said. "We need to just ride it through, we need to suck it up, get through it, and we'll be in better shape just like we were in 2007."
Another article on wisconsinagconnection.com notes that the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation plans to lobby for a set of proposals that are not in step with where Washington has been headed:
"Our members are rightfully concerned that when the government purchases dairy products it actually works to prolong low milk prices," [WFBF President Bill] Bruins explained. "The milk price was forecast to begin a recovery this fall. When the government releases these dairy products back onto the market, it will work to blunt the up-tick in price."
The battle continues to heat up.
Schumer Callas for $$$ for Dairy Farmers; Some Say "No Thanks"
Wisconsin Farm Bureau Adopts New Dairy Policies
