Representative: Spearheads Bipartisan Effort Urging House Backing Of Senate-Passed FY10 Dairy Price Support

Letter

Congressman Joe Courtney today led a bipartisan group of Members of Congress in sending a letter a letter to House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-WI), House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), and respective Ranking Members, Representatives Jerry Lewis (R-CA) and Jack Kingston (R-GA), seeking their support for a Senate-passed amendment to the Fiscal Year 2010 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Appropriations bill that would add $350 million to the budget to support America's dairy farmers and price support.

During Senate consideration of the FY2010 agriculture appropriations bill, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) passed an amendment with the bipartisan support of 60 members of the Senate to increase Farm Service Agency funding by $350 million in order to provide relief to dairy farmers suffering through the worst dairy market in more than 30 years.

The House-passed proposal did not include the funding, which is why the 40 Members are urging House leaders to support the Senate version when the two Chambers meet in conference.

The bipartisan group wrote, "The Sanders-Udall amendment included in S. 1406 provides the USDA with much needed funds to provide farmers further support to weather the current dairy price crisis."

Later, they urged "the conferees to retain the Sanders-Udall amendment in the final FY2010 Agriculture Appropriations conference report."

Congressman Courtney is a Co-Chairman of the House Congressional Dairy Farmers Caucus and is working with House conferees to ensure that support is provided for dairy farmers in the legislation. Earlier this year, Courtney and other members of Congress successfully lobbied Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to increase the Dairy Product Price Support Program which provided approximately $243 million in relief for the dairy industry.

The text of the letter is below:

September 14, 2009

Dear Chairman Obey, Chairwoman DeLauro and Ranking Members Lewis and Kingston,

We are writing to express our support for the recently-approved $350 million dairy amendment to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) budget included in the Senate version of the FY2010 Agriculture Appropriations bill (S.1406).

You are no doubt aware, the dairy industry is facing a dire situation. The price paid to dairy farmers for fluid milk has plummeted over 40 percent since this time last year. Every region of the country has been impacted by these record-low prices. In response, the United States Department of Agriculture recently announced a short-term increase in the Dairy Product Price Support Program (DPPSP) to bolster dairy prices. While this emergency increase in DPPSP prices will be helpful to farmers and is a welcomed and positive step, more will be required if we are going to save thousands of struggling farmers across the country from going under. The Sanders-Udall amendment included in S. 1406 provides the USDA with much needed funds to provide farmers further support to weather the current dairy price crisis.

America needs a strong, diverse dairy industry to feed our nation and sustain rural communities. This is an issue of concern to members from every part of the country and from both sides of the aisle. The recently formed Congressional Dairy Farmer Caucus which has 85 bipartisan members is evidence of this diversity. USDA assistance funded through this amendment will enable many farmers to sustain their operations until prices rebound. We urge the conferees to retain the Sanders-Udall amendment in the final FY2010 Agriculture Appropriations conference report.

Thank you for your consideration and for your work on behalf of all of America's farmers.

Sincerely,

Source