National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson wants Congress to know that serious work on U.S. dairy policy is appreciated but it must protect small producers as well as large.

“While we are very appreciative of Ranking Member Peterson’s proposal to initiate meaningful and necessary dairy reform, our Board of Directors feels that the proposal in its current form is inadequate,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “The current proposal would not provide a safety net for all dairy farmers, particularly family-sized operators. A fundamental problem with this proposal is that it appears that the largest farmers will reap the greatest benefits at the expense of smaller family farms.”

Johnson is speaking of U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, D-MN, ranking member on the House Committee on Agriculture, and the effort he is leading to push dairy reform, likely before the 2012 Farm Bill. Peterson’s latest proposal draws heavily from the National Milk Producers Federation “Foundation for the Future” work.

In a recent meeting, the NFU Board of Directors passed a resolution speaking directly to Peterson’s approach on dairy reform. The NFU resolution outlines several reform oriented solutions to the ongoing crisis for dairymen, especially smaller family farmers.

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