Courtney Signs Off on Letter Calling for USDA Dairy Assistance

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney has signed a letter sent to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack last week asking for assistance for dairy producers struggling with declining milk prices.

The USDA has an office in Tolland at 344 Merrow Road.

The He was joined by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and a "bipartisan coalition of 57 other members of the House and Senate," according to a news release.

The letter specifically asks USDA to use its authority under the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act to expand and maintain U.S. domestic markets.

“I have witnessed firsthand the struggle that dairy farmers around the country face with decreasing milk prices,” Couirtney said. “As milk prices have steadily declined over the last half century, Connecticut has seen its dairy industry shrink from over 800 farms to about 150 today. Reopening or starting a new dairy farm is a herculean task, which is why when one closes, more often than not, no farm will replace it. The American dairy industry is an integral part of our agriculture economy and as we face yet another milk crisis, it is more important than ever for the Department of Agriculture to lend a hand to our dairy farmers before it’s too late.”

The letter comes as milk prices have dropped 40 percent since 2014, Courtney said.

The decrease is due to both an increase in U.S. production levels and changes in the European Union’s regulation of milk production. Farmers in vastly different dairy market regions of the United States are facing similar margin shortfalls while still adjusting to changes in federal dairy support programs from the 2014 Farm Bill, he said.

The full letter can be found here.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel