Returning Stability to the Dairy Industry

Floor Speech

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Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, today I will introduce legislation to help put our dairy legislation on track and prevent future dairy crashes like the one we're now in. The Daily Price Stabilization Act is not just about trying to elevate dairy prices. It's about returning stability to the dairy industry. I was raised on a dairy farm, and we know that dairy boom and bust cycles have always existed. But in the past decade, booms have gotten shorter and the busts longer and more severe. These highs and lows have forced many dairies to shut down. In the last 2 years, we've lost over $12 billion of equity in the industry; and, sadly, some dairymen have taken their own lives.

This unsustainable cycle must stop. Dairies can no longer survive on milk checks that are lower than their cost of production. Our bill gives dairymen the option to grow as they see fit, provides incentives to better align supply and demand. Mr. Speaker, we must take swift action now to protect our local dairy farmers across the Nation. I encourage my colleagues to join in this effort.

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