US Farm Bill – milk to increase by small margin

No cream to top US dairy incomes

By Libby Price

Thursday, 03/01/2013

Dairy farmers in the United States say the deal which has resolved the “fiscal cliff” crisis means they now won’t be getting a substantial milk price increase later this year.

They were expecting prices to go up by nearly a third if there was no deal.

But now, the five year Farm Bill which started in 2008 will be extended, and they’ll have to renegotiate the next farm bill.

Executive Director of the Maine Dairy Farmer Association Julie-Marie Bickford says they now don’t want dairy pricing to be regulated by the Farm Bill, but negotiated separately and simplified.

“They did extend the Milk Income Control Loss Program which kind of puts a safety net underneath the price of milk, but we’re not expecting a whole lot, we might get two cents maybe four cents, when the Federal price is the lowest.” from ABC