More news on this as it is announced. What do you think about extending the MILC program?
An endangered federal subsidy for dairy farmers picked up support today from the Senate Appropriations Committee. The panel agreed in a voice vote to a proposal by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., to extend the program for one month at a cost of $31 million. The new expiration date of Sept. 30 would coincide with other farm commodity programs that are up for renewal in a new farm bill. The provision was inserted into a $121.6 billion emergency supplemental spending bill the Senate will consider next week.
Sen. Herb Kohl, who co-sponsored the Leahy provision, said in an interview that the Milk Income Loss Contract program helps all dairy farmers when market prices while imposing a cap on federal payments that limit its value to large dairy farms.
Kohl indicated the chances for getting the extension enacted into law were good, given that the House has an extension in its emergency-spending bill. The House provision, inserted by Rep. David Obey, D-Wausau, would extend the program by 13 months through the end of the 2008 fiscal year.