Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative recently joined over 300 other agricultural organizations calling for swift action by the House of Representatives in moving the farm bill forward.
In early March, the House Agriculture Committee approved the legislation with bipartisan action, with a vote of 34 to 17.
Edge and other organizations are urging House members to take timely and bipartisan action on the bill to finalize the remaining portions of the farm bill.
“We are asking the House to take action on finalizing the farm bill, which is long overdue,” Heidi Fischer, president of the Edge board, said. “It has been nearly 8 years since a comprehensive farm bill has been passed. Much has changed in our industry since then. We need a comprehensive farm bill in place to provide certainty among farmers in these challenging times.”
The House is expected to take up the farm bill next week. If passed by the House, the next step will be action by the Senate.
Included in the current House version is permanent authorization of the Dairy Forward Pricing Program.
“We are pleased to see permanent authorization for this program included,” Fischer said. “Farmers use forward pricing to stabilize revenue for a portion of production, particularly in volatile markets where feed, labor, and energy costs are unpredictable.”
