US Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced yesterday that USDA will establish a Dairy Advisory Committee and is requesting nominations to the committee. This committee will review key issues impacting the dairy industry and generate additional ideas about how USDA can help struggling producers.
I have been working jointly with my counterparts in New England and the Northeast including New York and Pennsylvania to encourage USDA to put a dairy advisory committee in place over the past few months, said Vermont agriculture secretary Roger Allbee. We are extremely pleased that he has taken this step.
The Obama Administration is committed to working with all sectors of the dairy industry to develop changes to the dairy pricing system to avoid the boom and bust cycle behind the crisis facing many dairy farmers this year, said Vilsack. The input provided by the members of this committee will play an important role in building a more stable market for dairy producers for years to come.
Earlier this month, Secretary Vilsack promised to move forward with establishment of a charter creating the committee for two years. Once appointed, the committee will review the issues of farm milk price volatility, and dairy farmer profitability. The committee will also offer suggestions and ideas on how USDA can best address these issues to meet the dairy industry s needs. USDA is establishing the committee under the authority of the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972.
We know that the milk pricing system in the U.S. is antiquated and broken. It doesn t serve our current market and allows for volatile price swings that are hurting farmers, consumers, communities and rural economies, said Allbee. To make the changes necessary to address this problem we need action at the federal level and we need collaboration from all dairy states.
The Secretary of Agriculture will appoint up to 15 representatives of the dairy industry to serve in an advisory capacity on the Committee. Representatives will include: producers and producer organizations, processors and processor organizations, handlers, consumers, academia, retailers, and state agencies involved in organic and non-organic dairy at the local, regional, national and international levels.
Written nominations must be received on or before September 28, and should be sent to Judith Lindsay, secretary to Brandon Willis, Deputy Administrator, Farm Service Agency, Farm Programs, USDA Room 3612-S, Stop 0501, Washington, D.C. 20250-0501; faxed to (202) 720-4726; or e-mailed to: [email protected].
Advisory committee members will elect the chairperson and vice-chairperson who will each serve a two-year term. As Deputy Administrator of the FSA Farm Programs, Willis will serve as the committee s executive secretary.
Details will be published in the August 28 Federal Register. More information on the committee is available at www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/DairyAdvisoryCommittee.
Source: Vermont Ag Dept