Dairy Practices Council Works For Mutual Benefit
The Dairy Practices Council is a collection of representatives from three different
sectors of the dairy industry regulatory, educational, and production/processing.
Here, a representative of the dairy industry of Washington state talks about proactive
work the industry did there to curtail environmental concerns with the industry.
(Continued from Pago A3O)
and lecturer, and served as deputy
commissioner to the Vermont
Department of Agriculture, Food
and Markets, prior being named to
head the Northeast Dairy
Compact.
He discussed the Compact, the
loss of small dairy farms that char
acterize Northeast production, the
positive effect the Compact has
had upon New York dairy produc
ers (they are in an adjoining non
member state and they provide
about a quarter of the milk in the
Compact), and the fact that while
dairy production may have
increased within the Compact, it
hasn't been shown to necessarily
be a consequence of the effects of
setting a marginally profitable pro
ducer price for milk.
He said that while consumer
prices and producer prices were
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different when it first started up,'
the current consumer prices are
very close to those outside of the
Compact region. He said the prices
ate about a cent different on drink
ing milk.
“The Compact isn't .gouging
consumers, but is providing stabil
ity of consumer prices, and prices
for producers.”
That lack of price stability was a
growing concern and the Northeast
Dairy Compact was seen as a way
to allow Northeast dairy producers
to transition to market-driven pro
duction without governmental
support
During Farm Bill negotiations
that allowed for the temporary
establishment of a Northeast Dairy
Compact, it was widely predicted
that continued instability of dairy
price, especially dips into the sub
production level prices, would
only add to the demise of the open
spaces and rural economic support
that the small family farms provide
in the Northeast.
Arguments for the Compact
have also been offered that without
the'small family farms, the tourist
industry would falter and farmland
preservation efforts diminish.
Becker said that while the gen
eral public wants to retain its fami
ly farms and open spaces, and
seems willing to support them in
that concept, they were not willing
to continue to support a broadly
applied, tax-based federal com
modity support program.
The regional approach
g.
encompassed in the Compact is
seen as a way to eliminate the fed
eralism (and distrust of potential
system comiption at a national
level) of farm support, while main
taining the benefits of a local fami
ly farm sector.
The Northeast Dairy Compact
was to have been ended in April
1999, and the short-lived nature of
the Compact has been given as a
major reason to oppose its expan
sion (by the time different state
legislatures could discuss the mer
its of joining, it would be too late to
be of benefit to join).
That is still seen as the case by
many, although Becker said that a
recent 6-month extension granted
the Compact by the United States
Legislature and President Clinton
leaves open the life of the
Compact.
He noted that a pre-November
election federal omnibus spending
bill included authorization for the
continuation of the Northeast
Dairy Compact past its April
cutoff.
Becker cited the fact that several
non-contiguous states and low
dairy production states have
passed legislation authorizing
joining the Compact.
However, New York State
would have to authorize and join,
and Pennsylvania would have to
authorize and join, in order for
most of the states with enabling
laws to participate.
Some have expressed the opin
ion that members of those states'
legislatures approved Compact
enabling legislation knowing full
well it would not come to pass in
their states, but that, as harmless
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 14, 1998-A3l
legislation, it would serve to pla
cate a portion of their political
constituencies.
The reasons given for the exten
sion of the Compact is the delay in
the implementation of a new feder
al milk marketing order system.
There are a couple of proposals
for a new system still being
weighed and debated, although a
new system was to go in effect in
April.
Becker said that to handily dis
pense with the Compact won’t
necessarily work, because, “As a
matter of public policy, there are a
number of groups that support the
Compact.”
He said the other groups aren’t
necessarily agricultural in nature
or commitment.
There are pressures from those
concerned with the loss of open
spaces and protection of water
sheds who see the support offered
by the Compact as a means for sec
uring their real desires.
For example, he cited the con
cerns expressed in New York state
about its Delaware County, which
comprises a significant and critical
area in (he watershed that supplies
drinking water to the city of New
York.
(For years, a scries of intercon
necting reservoirs within the Dela
ware River watershed have pro
vided fresh clean water to New
York City.)
There ate a number of small
family dairy farms in the area that
sell milk into the Compact and,
because of it are considered to be
economically feasible.
Becker said that while pollution
(Turn to Pago A 32)