Farmers urged to contact their lawmakers by next week to sign and support Appropriations letter on daily electronic reporting for dairy
By Sherry Bunting, Farmshine, April 23, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. and HARRISBURG, Pa.--Just one day after price discovery was highlighted by virtually all who testified Tuesday (April 20) at the U.S. House Ag Committee field hearing on Farm Bill dairy policy, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) and Rep. Tim Holden (D-17th) championed the way forward on USDA’s implementation of daily electronic reporting for dairy products.
Specter, a member of the Senate Ag Appropriations Subcommittee and Holden, Vice-Chair of the House Agriculture Committee, co-authored a letter to the leadership of House and Senate Ag Appropriations Subcommittees Wednesday, which is being circulated for supporting signatures from other members of Congress this week and next.
The letter specifically supports funding to implement section 1510 of the 2007 Farm Bill, which calls for the more frequent electronic reporting and quarterly auditing.
“I’m concerned about what’s going on in the dairy industry,” said Specter during a Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon in Harrisburg Monday (April 19), where he was the guest speaker and spoke on a variety of current topics. “In order to ensure fair and accurate prices for farmers, Congressman Holden and I are leading the fight to implement Farm Bill section 1510, which requires increased electronic reporting of dairy commodities. This simple yet significant change in dairy price reporting will greatly enhance market transparency, price discovery, and producer confidence.”
Holden had also highlighted his support for daily electronic reporting during a February meeting with dairy farmers in Lebanon, Pa.
The Dairy Policy Action Coalition (DPAC) has been working with members of Congress and USDA on this issue. Government relations consultant Dennis Wolff reported Wednesday that USDA is supportive of implementing the daily electronic reporting provision, provided the funding is included in the upcoming agriculture appropriations bill. During meetings with DPAC earlier this month, USDA estimated the cost of implementation at $600,000 for technical start-up and $1 to $2 million per year in human resources to facilitate the price reporting and increased auditing.
The letter initiated by Sen. Specter and Rep. Holden seeks to provide this funding.
Sen. Specter and Rep. Holden seek as many Congressional signatures as possible before they deliver this letter next week to Senate Ag Appropriations Chair Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Ranking Member Sam Brownback (R-KS) and to House Ag Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Ranking Member Jack Kingston (R-GA).
Dairy producers are encouraged to personally contact their Senators and Representatives this week to ask for their support of funding for daily electronic reporting. To add their signatures to the letter, members of Congress should contact Adam Tarr at Sen. Specter’s office (adam_tarr@specter.senate.gov) or Jake Kuhns at Rep. Holden’s office (jake.kuhns@mail.house.gov).
A full copy of the Congressional letter to the leadership of the the House and Senate Ag Appropriations Committee can be found here.
Click here for a sample letter you can use and edit for contacting your Senators or Representatives about supporting this funding for daily electronic reporting.
