A California producer says the dairy risk management tools put in the 2018 Farm Bill were a step in the right direction.
But, Tony Lopes told a House Ag Committee listening session Tuesday some adjustments are necessary in the next farm bill. “Due to inflationary pressures, constraints related to how much milk volume can be enrolled in these programs, as well as regionally different cost structures in calculating the milk to feed margin within the DMC, $9.50 is not the same as it was years ago, and it’s different in every region and every size and shape of operator.”
And when it comes to the Dairy Revenue Protection Program, he says, “We ask that our industry be afforded the same opportunity as our friends in the livestock sector to protect at 100% price coverage level, similar to that of the livestock risk protection program.”
Lopes says he agrees with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, that California’s dairy farmers need a level playing field with other regions across the country.
