, , , , , , ,

Members Of Wisconsin Congressional Delegation Seek Aid For Dairy Industry

Baldwin, Kind, Pocan Sign On To Letter Seeking Federal Support With Declining Milk Prices

By
Milk for sale at a Milwaukee grocery store
AP Photo/Dinesh Ramde

Three members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation have signed a letter seeking federal support for the dairy industry.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and U.S. Reps. Ron Kind and Mark Pocan were among more than 50 lawmakers who sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack this week. The lawmakers are asking for assistance for dairy farmers struggling with declining milk prices.

“Current expectations are that the dairy market will continue to struggle with depressed prices and we seek your help as we search for ways to swiftly assist our nation’s struggling dairy farmers,” the letter read.

Stay informed on the latest news

Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Milk prices have plunged this year, down about 50 percent from 2014 levels.

“If you look at the futures market, it looks like we may have hit the bottom of this trough,” said Brian Gould, professor of agricultural economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “In 2014, we had all-time record highs, so that’s a tremendous percent drop in an 18-month period. And it’s a continuing problem, and we’re always trying as an industry to deal with it.”

The demand for dairy products from countries overseas is down while U.S. dairy farmers are producing more milk per cow than any other time in history, researchers at the UW-Madison Department of Dairy Science recently said.

Gould said lawmakers may consider making changes to an insurance program that helps farmers cope with market volatility.