The Milk from Family Dairies Act, which aims to stabilize the dairy market, was introduced in the Senate on June 29, led by Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and co-sponsored by Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont). The bill would ensure market transparency and fair prices for dairy farmers, maintain consumer access to reliable and reasonably priced dairy products, and revitalize rural communities by establishing a Dairy Market Stabilization Program to ensure dairy farmers get a fair price for their milk based on their cost of production. The Dairy Market Stabilization Program would be administered by the USDA with guidance from producer-led national and regional boards. A notable provision includes price floors based on the scale of the operation.
Additionally, the legislation would better align dairy supply with domestic demand, reducing the U.S. dairy sector’s reliance on export markets, while providing investment and incentives to rebuild regional dairy infrastructure.
“America’s dairy industry is in crisis, and Vermont’s dairy farmers know this all too well,” Welch said in a statement. “Hardworking small and family dairy farms in our state – a majority of which milk fewer than 200 cows – have been hit especially hard by consolidation and price shifts over the last two decades. Too many farms are unable to break even and too many have shuttered completely.”
Sanders adds, “Dairy farms in Vermont and across the country are being forced out of business every day. Over the past decade, Vermont has lost over half its dairy farms, many family-owned for generations. Enough is enough. It is time to give our dairy farmers the support they need. This legislation is an important step in protecting dairy farms – especially our smallest – and the rural economies they support.”
The legislation has been endorsed by more than three dozen farmer advocacy and dairy organizations.
“Farmers and their customers need a return to commonsense farm policy that stops the endless cycle of consolidation, low prices and overreliance on export markets,” said Jim Goodman, co-president of the National Family Farm Coalition and a retired dairy farmer. “The Milk from Family Dairies Act is the best dairy legislation we’ve had in many years.”
Wisconsin Farmers Union President Darin Von Ruden says they are proud to endorse this legislation because it has the potential to give small and midsized dairy farmers a “fighting chance against a heavily consolidated market.”
“Dairy farmers need fair prices that cover their cost of production and ensure farm viability for future generations,” Von Ruden said.
The Milk from Family Dairies Act recognizes that strong rural communities depend on fair markets and family farms deserve a fair shot, says Farm Action Fund President Joe Maxwell.
“America cannot afford to lose another generation of family dairy farmers,” Maxwell said. “For too long, consolidation and unfair market conditions have pushed independent dairies out of business while concentrating power in the hands of a few.”
The following organizations are among those voicing their support for the bill:
Agrarian Trust; American Agriculture Movement; American Economic Liberties Project; Ashtabula, Geauga; Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment; Dakota Resource Council; Dakota Rural Action; Farm Action Fund, Farm Aid; Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance; Family Farm Defenders; Food for Maine’s Future; Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement; Kansas Farmers Union; Kentucky Black Farmers Association; Lake Counties Farmers Union (Ohio); Land Stewardship Project; Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance; Minnesota Farmers Union; Missouri Farmers Union; Missouri Rural Crisis Center; Montana Cattlemen’s Association; National Family Farm Coalition; North American Marine Alliance; Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance; Northeast Organic Farming Association – Connecticut; Northeast Organic Farming Association – Massachusetts; Northeast Organic Farming Association – New Hampshire; Northeast Organic Farming Association – New Jersey; Northeast Organic Farming Association – New York; Northeast Organic Farming Association – Vermont; Northern Plains Resource Council; Ohio Farmers Union; Pennsylvania Farmers Union; Powder River Basin Resource Council; R-CALF USA; Rural Coalition; Rural Vermont; Wisconsin Farmers Union; and the Women Food and Agriculture Network (WFAN).
