The improvements to the dairy safety net are going to be implemented at a critical time for the industry. The enhancements made to essential dairy programs were included as part of the 2018 Farm Bill. Representative Jim Costa, who serves as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture, highlighted the perilous position of the overall dairy economy during his opening remarks at Subcommittee Hearing on Reviewing the State of the Dairy Economy.
“The reality is, is we’ve lost almost 20,000 licensed dairies in the last ten years,” Costa noted. “Let’s be clear about the facts. The dairy industry provides nearly one million jobs in the United states, an economic impact of over $200 billion. In my district alone dairy contributes over $2 billion to the local economy. When we lose a dairy farm, we lose those jobs, we lose the investments that the farm provides.”
During his address Costa also highlighted the progress that is being made on the Dairy Margin Coverage program and also expressed appreciation for USDA’s sense of urgency in getting the program implemented.
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