Washington, Jun 15 -

Yesterday, Congressman Murphy voted to pass H. Res. 1368 to support the goals of National Dairy Month.  Murphy was a co-sponsor of the resolution.  June is National Dairy Month, which is an opportunity to commend dairy farmers for their hard work and commitment to the Upstate New York economy, and to renew our commitment to the preservation of local dairy farms.  

“From day one, I have been focused on providing relief and resources to our dairy farmers in Upstate New York,” said Rep. Murphy.  “These are difficult times for family farms.  In the past year, we have watched milk prices fall far below the cost of production.  As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, I will continue to work with our dairy farmers to ensure that they have all of the resources that they need to succeed.  We need to continue focusing on the needs of our dairy farmers, not just in June, but every month.”

Murphy voted to support National Dairy Month after hosting a Buy Local Agricultural Conference in Easton with local farmers, consumers and community leaders to discuss different strategies and approaches to help farmers and agriculture businesses succeed.  This is the second Buy Local Conference that Congressman Murphy hosted as part of his tour to discuss his Renew Upstate New York economic development agenda. 

As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, Murphy is committed to representing the agriculture and dairy community in Upstate New York to ensure that they stay competitive in the global economy and preserve the rich tradition of family farming in Upstate New York. 

Below are details about Murphy’s record on dairy issues since coming to Congress:

• Introduced H.R. 3322, The Dairy Relief and Market Stabilization Act – Legislation would provide a two-step strategy to provide much-needed support to dairy farmers in the short-term, while working to balance the market long-term.

o The proposal would provide for an immediate and retroactive increase in the MILC safety net program.  Currently, participating dairy farmers are eligible for a federal payment whenever the minimum monthly market price for farm milk used for fluid consumption in Boston falls below $16.94 per cwt.  Eligible farmers receive a payment equal to 45 percent of difference between the $16.94 target price and the lower monthly market price. The payment quantity is limited to 2.985 million pounds of annual product.  The Murphy proposal would double the payment rate from 45 percent to 90 percent for the period beginning on March 1, 2009 through November 30, 2009.

o In an effort to reduce milk supply and balance the dairy market, the proposal would also direct the Secretary to establish a herd retirement initiative in coordination with a third party organization to reduce the dairy herd size by the number of cows necessary to balance dairy supply with current demand.  Under the program, the Secretary would be authorized to enter into a contract with a third party to retire an adequate number of dairy cows to balance dairy supply with demand.

• Joined the Congressional Dairy Farmers Caucus – Murphy joined a bipartisan group of 75 members of the House of Representatives that is committed to providing a voice for dairy farmers in Congress.  The caucus works to advocate on behalf of pro-dairy legislation, educate members and staff and work with dairy farmers, advocacy groups and industry. Joined with other members of the caucus to send a letter to the House appropriators expressing support for the recently approved $350 million dairy amendment to the United States Department of Agriculture budget included in the Senate version of the FY 2010 Agriculture Appropriations bill.

• Helped Secure FY 2010 Agriculture Appropriations for Dairy Farmers – Along with other Members, Murphy helped secure $350 million in emergency aid to dairy farmers in the FY 2010 Agriculture Appropriations bill.  Under the compromise language, farmers would receive $290 million in direct payments, and $60 million would go to the purchase of cheese and other dairy products to reduce surpluses that have driven down farm income.