New Group Explains Focus: Dairy Pricing
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 01/22/2010 - 3:40pm.
Charlene M. Shupp Espenshade
Special Sections Editor
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The newly formed Dairy Policy Action Coalition (DPAC) held a meeting at the Pennsylvania Farm Show last week for farmers to discuss what makes the group unique and what’s next on its agenda. More than 40 farmers came to learn about the coalition.
“We have identified what we believe every dairyman in the country would agree on — the system is not working. It lacks transparency and price discovery is terrible,” said Dennis Wolff of Versant Strategies, hired by the group to tackle policy issues.
Wolff said the group is also focusing on key pieces of the 2007 Farm Bill that still need to be implemented.
Farmers asked questions on what made the group unique compared to other organizations and how it would achieve a national voice for dairy farmers.
Wolff, who worked on dairy policy for the Farm Bill when he was Pennsylvania secretary of agriculture, said the first step would be to follow the same pattern used by the Northeast Dairy Leadership Team, which was established as a regional coalition to address important issues in New York and New England.
Wolff said there is a “lot of power” behind Northeast agriculture because of the congressional and senatorial leadership on the agriculture committees.
The first step the group is looking at is how to develop dairy price policy. Wolff and Sherry Bunting, dairy writer and one of the group’s organizers, will be gathering information on proposed dairy bills, such as the Casey-Specter Bill, as well as proposals from other organizations, the current pricing system and the pricing systems of other countries. The information will be given to the dairy price committee for review.
Wolff believes that change is possible based on the new dairy programs and changes included in the 2007 Farm Bill. The key to making change happen is being informed and making reasonable requests, he said. Some of the tougher requests in the 2007 Farm Bill process resulted in the formation of a USDA dairy advisory committee.
“I am encouraged that the voice of a person still makes a difference down there” in Washington, said Wolff.
Cliff Hawbaker, DPAC chair, responded to the question on the need for the group when there are other dairy organizations in the state. DPAC’s difference, he said, is its single-focus purpose on milk pricing.
“This is the only thing that we are focusing on right now, the price of milk,” Hawbaker said. “We attack one issue.”
DPAC is working on writing a dairy policy and then hoping to lobby for implementation.
Hawbaker also stressed that farmers do not need to pay dues to participate, but that DPAC reflects the “community” of dairy farmers. It’s funding is from donations, not membership dues.
Vice Chair Rob Barley said, “We are not here to go against co-ops or any single group. We are here to work together for the best price for dairy producers. It’s not about pointing fingers because that does not accomplish a whole lot.”
Charlene M. Shupp Espenshade can be reached at cshupp.eph@lnpnews.com.
Charlene M. Shupp Espenshade
Special Sections Editor
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The newly formed Dairy Policy Action Coalition (DPAC) held a meeting at the Pennsylvania Farm Show last week for farmers to discuss what makes the group unique and what’s next on its agenda. More than 40 farmers came to learn about the coalition.
“We have identified what we believe every dairyman in the country would agree on — the system is not working. It lacks transparency and price discovery is terrible,” said Dennis Wolff of Versant Strategies, hired by the group to tackle policy issues.
Wolff said the group is also focusing on key pieces of the 2007 Farm Bill that still need to be implemented.
Farmers asked questions on what made the group unique compared to other organizations and how it would achieve a national voice for dairy farmers.
Wolff, who worked on dairy policy for the Farm Bill when he was Pennsylvania secretary of agriculture, said the first step would be to follow the same pattern used by the Northeast Dairy Leadership Team, which was established as a regional coalition to address important issues in New York and New England.
Wolff said there is a “lot of power” behind Northeast agriculture because of the congressional and senatorial leadership on the agriculture committees.
The first step the group is looking at is how to develop dairy price policy. Wolff and Sherry Bunting, dairy writer and one of the group’s organizers, will be gathering information on proposed dairy bills, such as the Casey-Specter Bill, as well as proposals from other organizations, the current pricing system and the pricing systems of other countries. The information will be given to the dairy price committee for review.
Wolff believes that change is possible based on the new dairy programs and changes included in the 2007 Farm Bill. The key to making change happen is being informed and making reasonable requests, he said. Some of the tougher requests in the 2007 Farm Bill process resulted in the formation of a USDA dairy advisory committee.
“I am encouraged that the voice of a person still makes a difference down there” in Washington, said Wolff.
Cliff Hawbaker, DPAC chair, responded to the question on the need for the group when there are other dairy organizations in the state. DPAC’s difference, he said, is its single-focus purpose on milk pricing.
“This is the only thing that we are focusing on right now, the price of milk,” Hawbaker said. “We attack one issue.”
DPAC is working on writing a dairy policy and then hoping to lobby for implementation.
Hawbaker also stressed that farmers do not need to pay dues to participate, but that DPAC reflects the “community” of dairy farmers. It’s funding is from donations, not membership dues.
Vice Chair Rob Barley said, “We are not here to go against co-ops or any single group. We are here to work together for the best price for dairy producers. It’s not about pointing fingers because that does not accomplish a whole lot.”
Charlene M. Shupp Espenshade can be reached at cshupp.eph@lnpnews.com.
