Posted on 11/25/2011 9:54:24 AM PST by Recovering_Democrat
...dairy farmers across the country are pushing to overhaul federal dairy policy in a way they say would save the government money while preventing [price busts that caused them to lose money last year] from happening again.
...dairy farmers want to retire the current price-support program, saying it doesn't keep prices of milk high enough to cover the surging cost of corn they feed their cows. Instead, farmers want federal subsidy checks tied to declines in their profit margin.
The catch: The idea would likely raise the prices that consumers pay for milk and other dairy products.
To keep the government costs of the new subsidy lower than those of the current program, the U.S. would have to get in the business of managing the nation's milk supply. The proposed overhaul would force dairy farmers to cut production when milk prices fall toward unprofitable levels—a throwback to the way some crop-subsidy programs worked before the 1990s.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
How about getting the gubmint out of managing the production of ANY legal agricultural product?
Pray for Texas dairy farmers. The drought is causing them much troubles.. As with all Texas ranchers and farmers.
“How about getting the gubmint out of managing the production of ANY legal agricultural product?”
Every government program creates a constituency which then pours money into political coffers for those who support that constituency. It’s called “rent seeking.” Winning the lottery is more likely than getting the smallest rent seeker program eliminated.
Amen! Don't need no Commissariat Of Milk...or anything else.
Guaranteed profits guarantee waste, inefficiency, and inflated prices.
It also leads to ME “buying” my neighbor's ice cream for him, whether I want to or not.
Used to be a “land of milk and honey”; now, it is a land of political thieves stealing the honey, and milking the public.
Bureaucrats and many people stupidly think that they can devise a system to “outsmart” the market. I can’t be done.
If milk farmers are suffering its exactly because of Gov’t interference. Nearly every agriculture commodity in the world has increased in price over the last decade, and especially over the last 3 years, because of new demand from Asia, and massive money-printing by the Worlds’ Central Banks. Like corn, soy, orange, sunflower and every other Ag. commodity out there, dairy farmers “should be” enjoying excellent profits.
the other thought is - maybe many dairy farmers are prospering. It could just be some arguing for an additional boost in their Gov’t checks.....
>>the surging cost of corn they feed their cows.
Cows weren’t designed for eating corn.
They would be healthier if grass-fed, and the milk would make healthier dairy products too
Here in EasT Tennessee, farmers are loading their excess hay and bringing it to Texas.
They had 5 cuttings and the excess is just laying around unused apparently there are flatbed drivers who will back haul it to texas at no charge
There should be no such thing as subsidies and price supports.
That's right. Corn was made for fueling SUV's. /sarc
They would be healthier if grass-fed, and the milk would make healthier dairy products too
That's a fact. About 10 years ago I had to quit drinking the pasteurized, homogenized, subsidized milk because it made me sick. I assumed lactose intolerance. Then I was introduced to Happy Cow several months ago and now I'm drinking about two gallons a week without any issues. Also, I don't think they're subsidized because it cost over $5/gal.
If I'm paying less, then the market is being manipulated.
At its most basic level they want the same thing the OccuTards want.
For every subsidy, there are ten-thousand unintended consequences.
End all subsidies. Period.
That’s good to hear. God bless all involved in that.
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