Farm Women United (FWU) was established to be a voice for farmers, who are the real stewards of the earth and the foundation of any free and civilized society. FWU seeks to maintain a serious, honest, and open dialogue, which, by necessity, must include the demand that a fair value be placed on the life-sustaining food which farmers produce.
From its beginning, FWU has backed the Federal Milk Marketing Improvement Act which would base farm milk prices on the national average cost of producing milk, while providing for a sensible dairy farmer-funded supply management program, if needed.
Several programs have been implemented over the past number of years which have been praised by politicians as benefitting dairy farmers but have been predictably and woefully insufficient to address the real needs of dairy farmers, namely a consistent, fair milk price that covers the average cost of producing milk.
The milk price crash blamed on the coronavirus plummeted milk prices to pre-1980 milk price levels. This followed more than five years of low farm milk prices and heavy losses. At 1980 prices, dairy farmers have about one-third of the buying power compared to 40 years ago. This is the last straw for many dairy farmers and clearly shows the need for a new and fair milk pricing formula in order to save what is left of the family dairy farms and help ensure our nation’s food security. Even though farm milk prices are rising, though still insufficient, there are no protections in place to prevent price crashes in the future.
FWU strongly supports Progressive Agriculture Organization (Pro Ag) efforts to get the Federal Milk Marketing Improvement Act re-introduced in the US Senate and House of Representatives and passed into law.
Gerald Carlin, Chairman of FWU Policy Development
August 29, 2020 at 12:25AM
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Farm Women United want fair market value for milk | PennLive letters - pennlive.com
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