The Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program is set to expire at the end of this week (Sept. 30). The 2006 agriculture appropriations bills approved by the House and Senate do not include funding for the MILC program and the best chance to extend the program is now placed in the House-Senate Conference Committee.
The MILC program pays dairy farmers on their first 2.4 million pounds of milk production whenever the price of Class 1 fluid milk in Boston falls below $16.94 per hundredweight. Since the MILC program was first included in the 2002 Farm Bill, it has been extremely helpful to dairy producers – especially in 2002 and 2003 when farm milk prices were at historic lows the MILC program provided a safety net for producers.
The National Grange grassroots delegates adopted a policy that the federal government should extend MILC program beyond the September 2005 cut off date with the intent of supporting dairy farmers during times of low prices without encouraging increased production.
Action Needed:
Please urge your U.S. Senators and Representative to immediately pass an extension for the MILC program!
Sample letter: (Please feel free to copy and paste this letter in your e-mail )
Dear Rep. / Sen. __________:
One of the most hard-pressed sectors of agriculture today for family farm sized operations is the dairy industry. The Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program has helped keep many dairy farmers in business when the milk price is extremely low. The MILC program not only provides important financial support to dairy farmers, it is critical to the economic well-being of many rural communities.
As a member of the nation’s oldest family farmers advocacy organization, National Grange, I urge you to support immediately extending the MILC program until September 30, 2007. It is not a good policy to remove the significant dairy subsidy program to deal with the federal budget problems. Your prompt attention is now needed to assure that thousands of family dairy farmers across the nation receive the financial support that they deserve.
Thanks for your help.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
(Name)__________________________
(Grange name and number) __________________________ |
Capitol switchboard: (202) 225-3121
For contact information of your Senators and Representative, click SENATE / HOUSE.
If you have any questions or comments please contact Legislative Research Analyst Chil-Sook Hwang by e-mail: chwang@nationalgrange.org by fax: 202-347-1091 or by phone: 1-888-4GRANGE, ext 109.
Are you a Grange member who is interested in discussing public policy issues with other Grange members? CLICK HERE
Thank you for your grassroots participation in the National Grange Legislative program. |
