10-11 IAN Simpson Dairy

 More good news for dairy producers. Peterson, Simpson Introduce The Dairy Security Act of 2011.  U.S. House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin C. Peterson, from Minnesota and Idaho’s Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho just  introduced The Dairy Security Act of 2011. The legislation will replace current, outdated dairy programs with new risk management tools addressing the realities of today’s dairy industry, such as rising input costs and a growing export market.?

 Rep. Peterson said “If we have another crisis like we had in 2009, when milk prices dropped and input costs skyrocketed, I fear we could lose half our dairies. The dairy safety net did not work then and it won’t work if similar events occur now. Producers cannot wait for another crisis or a new farm bill for Congress to fix the broken dairy safety net,”.

 Here’s Rep. Simpson spokesperson Nikki Watts: ““It’s been helpful to hear from Idaho’s dairy industry about changes that we can make to the dairy program to prevent another economic crisis like that the industry faced in 2009. We appreciate the cooperative spirit and contributions of the members of the dairy industry thus far and look forward to continuing this conversation as the legislation moves through the committee process. We’re  confident that the Dairy Security Act of 2011 will provide an effective economic safety net for the U.S. dairy industry while saving taxpayer dollars,”