USDA ESTABLISHES DAIRY INDUSTRY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
News Date September 01, 2009
USDA announced the establishment of a Dairy Industry Advisory Committee and is now seeking nominations. The Committee, which will consist of 15 members, will be representative of producers and producer organizations, processors and processor organizations, handlers, consumers, academia, retailers, and state agencies involved in organic and non-organic dairy at the local, regional, national and international levels.
According to USDA, the Committee will review issues facing the dairy industry, which will include volatility in farm milk prices and dairy farmer profitability. "The Obama Administration is committed to working with all sectors of the dairy industry to develop changes to the dairy pricing system to avoid the boom and bust cycle behind the crisis facing many dairy farmers this year," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "The input provided by the members of this committee will play an important role in building a more stable market for dairy producers for years to come." (Contact: David Hickey)