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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | May 15, 2024 09:05 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Elder A. Vogel, Jr. and Sen. Judith L. Schwank |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Increasing PA Dairy Farmer Access to the Dairy Margin Coverage Program |
| In the near future, we intend to introduce legislation that would allow Pennsylvania dairy farmers to receive assistance in enrolling in the federal Dairy Margin Coverage program. The Dairy Margin Coverage Program, or DMC, is a voluntary federal risk management strategy farmers can use to offset losses that can occur during sudden drops in the price of milk. Payments are triggered when the national average of income over feed costs falls below a coverage level selected by farmers. These payments can help farmers weather unexpected downturns in milk prices, and this proposal was included in Governor Shapiro’s proposed 2024-2025 budget. Our legislation would allow the state to offer assistance to farmers who want to enroll in the program. This is a similar approach other states have taken – Maryland and Virginia being the closest examples. By helping dairy farmers pay for DMC, we are encouraging them to be proactive about managing risk. We encourage our colleagues to join us in supporting this important piece of legislation. |
Introduced as SB1229
Memo Updated: May 15, 2024 09:08 AM