Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold has proposed a series of amendments to the Farm Bill that would help dairy farmers in Wisconsin and across the country. Feingold’s amendments focus on ensuring democracy for dairy producers, improving U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversight and ensuring a new national commission that oversees milk marketing orders takes the needs of dairy farmers into account. The first amendment, ensuring democracy for dairy producers, is based on Feingold’s legislation to ensure individual farmers are able to vote separately from their cooperative board on issues, should they so choose. Right now, dairy marketing cooperatives can cast votes on behalf of all cooperative members through "bloc voting", which means that individual farmers have no chance to make their individual voices heard. Under Feingold’s proposal, the cooperative would retain the ability to vote on behalf of all the members who do not exercise the new right to vote individually.

“I have heard from dairy producers in Wisconsin that they are often barred from voicing their opinions separately from those of their co-op," Feingold said. “Our farmers should have the right to freely express their opinions and we can do it in a way that doesn’t slow down the process.”

Another amendment Feingold proposed would improve USDA oversight of dairy price reporting and markets. A recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) showed that the cash cheese market remains susceptible to manipulation. The report also exposed the lack of oversight by USDA, which has failed to ensure accurate dairy price reporting after being given the authority to do so over six years ago. This spring, it was also discovered that an error in reported non-fat dry milk prices had been allowed to go on for over a year before USDA took action to correct the problem, costing dairy farmers at least $50 million in underpayments.

“The USDA must improve its oversight of the prices it receives in order to better protect our hard-working dairy farmers,” Feingold said. “The findings by the GAO and the price reporting error discovered earlier this year highlight the need for the USDA to take its responsibilities much more seriously.”

Feingold also expects to propose additional dairy-related amendments to make sure a national commission of the federal milk marketing orders takes dairy farmers’ well being into account and requires a report on what the government is doing to make sure high-protein imports such as gluten, casein and milk protein concentrates are safe.