Milk Producers Seek Strong Safety Net in Next Farm Bill

The National Milk Producers Federation has approved farm bill policy priorities covering the commodities conservation trade and nutrition titles. Chris Galan is the vice president of membership services and Strategic Initiatives with the National Milk Producers Federation.

“One of the key things is making certain that we have the most robust risk management safety net that's possible in the Farm Bill. We've come a long ways since seven or eight years ago when the concept of having margin insurance was first introduced in the farm bill back then. So we're basically looking at ways to strengthen the value of the dairy margin Coverage Program, and also make certain that programs that would benefit larger producers programs, there would be the livestock gross margin program and the dairy Revenue Protection Program, just our efforts will be to bolster all of those so that farmers have a suite of options to choose from.”

Galen says the biggest challenge is there is not any new money to work with in the upcoming Farm Bill.

“Times are tight. They always seem to be but this will be a year where there's not going to be any extra money sitting around to put into the dairy title or the commodity title of the Farm Bill. So we are basically asking Congress to see what they can do, maybe to shift some things around or to come up with some new money.”

Chris Galen, Vice President of membership services and Strategic Initiatives with the National Milk Producers Federation.