Congressman Marc Molinaro introduced a new bill to strengthen the safety net for Upstate New York dairy farmers after concerns over rising feed costs.
Molinaro introduced the Dairy Farm Resiliency Act yesterday which will help out dairy farmers in Upstate New York by improving the Dairy Margin Coverage program. The DMC program is intended to protect dairy farmers during tough times when the cost of feed is high, but revenue falls due to low milk prices. According to Rep. Molinaro, the program has been overall beneficial but is still in need of updates.
“My bipartisan bill will make essential upgrades to the Dairy Margin Coverage program, safeguard the livelihoods of dairy farmers in Upstate New York, and ensure they have the resources to stay afloat during a tough year,” Rep. Molinaro said.
This bipartisan bill is being introduced after dairy farmers at Rep. Molinaro’s Farm Bill Listening Session raised concerns with the DMC in light of rising feed costs. According to Rep. Molinaro’s Press Office, the level of production that farmers can cover under the program is still based on data from before 2014. In the release it states, that this poses a serious risk for local farms who have grown since then and now outproduce what their DMC plan covers, sometimes leaving millions of pounds of milk uninsured and farmers vulnerable to devastating financial losses.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-jessicahyde
Categories: New York, Livestock, Dairy Cattle