LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION memorializing the United States Congress to take
decisive action to include milk subsidy money for the USDA's MILC
program in the 2008 Farm Bill

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to memorialize the
United States Congress to take decisive action to include milk subsidy
money for the USDA's Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program in the
2008 Farm Bill; and
WHEREAS, The dairy industry is a keystone industry which not only
supports rural communities, but enhances other sectors of agriculture,
providing open space for recreation, sportsmen/women, and tourism; and
WHEREAS, The dairy industry provides an economic impact of an esti-
mated $14,000 per cow/per year, primarily in the local economy; and
WHEREAS, The lack of stable prices, concentration of processing and
capacity, outdated regulations and labor shortages are creating a crisis
in the industry; and
WHEREAS, A significant loss of capacity would create a dependence on
imported milk and other dairy products and reduce our Nation's food
security; and
WHEREAS, The 2008 Farm Bill creates a review process for federal milk
marketing orders; and
WHEREAS, The USDA's MILC, administered by the Farm Service Agency
(FSA), compensates dairy producers when domestic milk prices fall below
a specified level; the 2008 Farm Bill authorizes the MILC program
through September 30, 2012; and
WHEREAS, Eligible dairy producers are those who, beginning October 1,
2007, through September 30, 2012, commercially produce and market cow
milk in the United States; or they produce milk in the United States and
commercially market the milk outside the United States; and
WHEREAS, The Congressional Budget Office has calculated that the
savings from the use of the loan program could fund an increase in MILC
payments from 45 percent of the legislative price difference calculation
to 79 percent during the remainder of the fiscal year at no net costs to
the government; with the severe farm milk price declines expected, that
revenue would be sorely needed by dairy farm families; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body joins the State agricultural and rural
leaders in acknowledging the importance of the dairy industry nation-
wide, as well as the unique aspects of the dairy industry region by
region by: funding and implementing the federal milk marketing order
study as outlined in the 2008 Farm Bill, with regional representation
from producers, processors, and State policy makers; implementation of
fair tariffs on imported dairy solids; setting regional prices to
reflect accurately and realistically the cost of production; and
addressing the problems of labor shortages within the dairy industry by
providing more opportunity for training and education, as well as a fair
and sensible approach to imported labor; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Congress of the United States be and hereby is
respectfully memorialized by this Legislative Body to take decisive
action to include milk subsidy money for the USDA's MILC program in the
2008 Farm Bill; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the President of the Senate of the United States, the Speaker
of the House of Representatives, and to each member of the Congress of
the United States from the State of New York.