{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://pingree.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/pingree-new-england-congressional-leaders-call-usda-provide-relief-dairy", "Pingree, New England Congressional Leaders Call on USDA to Provide Relief to Dairy Farmers", "2017-08-23", "2017", "2017-08", "Democrat", "House", "ME", "Chellie Pingree", "P000597", "pingree.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC\u2014Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and more than two dozen federal lawmakers from across New England sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue requesting that dairy milk be designated as an agricultural commodity eligible for Federal Crop Insurance and that the Risk Management Agency (RMA) to develop additional insurance products for dairy farmers. \u00a0\nFarm milk prices have dropped almost 40% in the last few years, and dairy farmers in New England are struggling to bring in the revenues they need to stay afloat. Pingree has been outspoken in urging the USDA to provide emergency assistance to dairy farmers and to take greater action to support New England dairy producers.\nThe New England Congressional leaders\u2014including Maine\u2019s entire federal delegation\u2014wrote:  \n\t\u00a0  \n\tDear Secretary Perdue:  \n\t\u00a0  \n\tWe write today to urge the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to use its existing authority to provide relief to dairy farmers in New England and across the country. Specifically, we request you take necessary steps to make milk an agricultural commodity eligible for Federal Crop Insurance and ask that you work with the Risk Management Agency (RMA) to develop additional insurance products for dairy farmers.  \n\t\u00a0  \n\tWhile New England dairy farms tend to be smaller, our dairy community is doing its best to run productive operations that turn a profit. New England\u2019s nearly 1,500 dairy farms are almost all family owned and operated. These dairy farms produced 4.25 billion pounds of milk in 2016, an increase of 68 million pounds from 2014. \u00a0Despite this growth and efficiency, dairy farmers have had to cope with double-digit price declines year over year since 2014. \u00a0  \n\t\u00a0  \n\tThese struggles are amplified by ongoing difficulties with the Margin Protection Program (MPP) and a lack of other risk management options. In 2015, over 700 New England farms enrolled in MPP buy-up coverage. The program\u2019s failure contributed to its dramatic decline in participation. In 2017, enrollment in this buy-up coverage plummeted by 96 percent, with fewer than 30 New England farms purchasing buy-up coverage. Low signup is clear evidence that MPP isn\u2019t providing farmers the needed risk protection. As Congress begins work to reauthorize the Farm Bill, we intend to make necessary reforms to this program.  \n\t\u00a0  \n\tIn the meantime, we believe it\u2019s imperative that the USDA take action to address issues created by MPP\u2019s failure. We urge you to utilize existing authorities to expand and enhance insurance products for dairy farmers. Milk, a commodity by any measure, must be eligible for a range of policies through the Federal Crop Insurance Program.  \n\t\u00a0  \n\tExisting statute defines the term \u2018livestock\u2019 as the actual animal and not the product produced. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017 included report language clarifying that Congress did not intend for livestock products to fall under the limitation of livestock insurance policies. Both existing statute and follow-on clarification illustrates USDA has the authority to determine livestock and livestock products are distinct commodities. We request that RMA work with the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to determine milk as a distinct agricultural commodity eligible for Federal Crop Insurance coverage. Additionally, we would urge the RMA to use existing authorities to develop additional dairy insurance products.  \n\t\u00a0  \n\tThank you for considering these concerns, and we look forward to working with you in your new role.\n BACKGROUND\u00a0 \nIn Congress, Congresswoman Pingree has been an outspoken advocate for Maine\u2019s struggling dairy farmers. Last December, Pingree convened a roundtable for farmers to directly relay their concerns to a key USDA Farm Service Agency official who oversaw the nation\u2019s Dairy Margin Protection Program.  \n\t\u00a0  \n\tWhile still a major contributor to the state\u2019s agriculture economy, the number of Maine dairy farms has severely declined in recent years\u2014there are currently fewer than 300. \u00a0A number of factors converged to make the last few months especially changing for those farms that remain. Milk prices have sharply dropped\u2014triggering a price protection program for the first time in Maine\u2014and a drought in New England limited the amount of hay that farmers could cut for the coming winter, forcing them to purchase feed.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://pingree.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/pingree-new-england-congressional-leaders-call-usda-provide-relief-dairy"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 4.914636956527829, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}