U.S. Reps. John R. “Randy” Kuhl, Jr., R-Hammondsport, and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-Greenport, both members of the House Agriculture Committee, led 43 bipartisan Members of Congress in sending a letter to House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson and House Agriculture Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Subcommittee Chairman Leonard Boswell urging the committee to include funding for the Milk Income Loss Contract program in the 2007 Farm Bill. The MILC program is not included in the initial draft.

“Our family dairy farmers are in immediate need of relief from the growing costs associated with high gas prices, high feed prices and increased transportation costs,” Kuhl said. “We have a very serious problem if the MILC program is not reauthorized in the 2007 Farm Bill. Small to medium sized dairy farms define the Northeast dairy industry— and these farmers rely on the MILC program to get them through times of low milk prices.

By not acknowledging the program in the initial draft of the 2007 Farm Bill, we are sending the wrong message to our local dairy farmers.

“We can’t just abandon small and medium- sized dairy farmers. Giving up on the MILC program gives up on thousands of dairy families, which should not be acceptable to us as Members of Congress. I am hopeful that we can resolve this crisis on our nation’s dairy farms as Farm Bill discussions continue.”

Gillibrand said MILC was essential to preserving Upstate New York. “Without MILC, our dairy farmers will not have the safety net they need when milk prices go too low,” she said. “The economy and the character of Upstate New York would be changed forever if our small farms can’t survive. I am committed to working in committee to preserve the MILC program and our New York dairy farms.”

The letter, led by Kuhl and Gillibrand along with Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Appropriations Chairman David Obey, D-Wisc., garnered the support of 43 bipartisan members of Congress.