Senator Nozzolio Announces $30 Million In Relief To Dairy Farmers

To apply to the New York State Dairy Assistance Program, please click here.


New York State Senator Michael Nozzolio today joined with New York dairy farmers to publicly announce the approval of the Dairy Investment Act, a $30 million program included in the 2007-08 state budget that will provide direct and immediate financial relief to New York’s dairy farmers.

The State Senate included $60 million in funding for dairy farmers in their original budget proposal, while the budget proposals advanced by Governor Spitzer and the New York State Assembly provided no financial assistance package for the beleaguered dairy industry. Throughout the budget process, members of the Senate Majority Conference fought to ensure that aid for dairy farmers would be included in the final state budget.

"As the State Senator representing one of the largest agricultural districts in New York, I know how important the dairy farm industry is to our region and our State," said Senator Michael Nozzolio (R-C, Fayette). "This critical funding in the State budget is an integral part of our continued aggressive efforts to help New York's dairy farmers remain viable and competitive. It was a pleasure to work to secure this state funding for New York's dairy farmers, although we did not get the full amount included in our budget proposal, and they can be assured that I will continue to fight on their behalf."

"The dairy industry serves as the backbone of the upstate economy and the economic impacts of our $3 billion industry ripples through a large number of local economies across New York," said John W. Lincoln, President, New York Farm Bureau. "This considerable investment in the dairy industry will go a long way in helping to financially strengthen dairy farms in a time of extremely low commodity prices and very high energy and livestock feed prices. Moreover,this major investment in the dairy industry will also be felt by the many businesses in our rural communities that support the farm industry. Quite simply, this investment is a win-win for upstate New York. We thank Senator Nozzolio and the entire Senate Majority for their support of agriculture."

The State Budget passed by the Legislature establishes a new Dairy Assistance Program within the New York State Department of Agriculture. The program, which is similar to an initiative used in the State of Vermont, will pay eligible farmers the difference between target prices established by the Agriculture Commissioner and the combined Northeast Federal Order Statistical Uniform Price, plus the amount of the Milk Income Loss Contract X payment rate on a per-hundredweight basis.

Dairy Producers will receive payments from the State in the form of a separate check based on pounds of milk produced during the 2006 calendar year. These payments will be made within thirty days of the proposal's enactment.

Dairy farming is a vital part of the fabric of the state’s rural communities, generating tens of thousands of jobs both on and off farms, and productively employing millions of acres of farmland. Unfortunately, high fuel and feed costs, labor shortages and flooding have created a "perfect storm" scenario that has had a devastating economic impact on many milk producers. In addition, low milk prices, an outdated price control system administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the escalating cost of running a family farm have resulted in unprecedented losses for dairy farms across the State.

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