For Immediate Release
May 16, 2007
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Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee to hold hearing on dairy policy

HARRISBURG – The Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee will be holding an informational hearing on Pennsylvania milk pricing and dairy policy, Committee Chairman Mike Brubaker (R-Lancaster) said today.

The hearing will be held on Tuesday, May 22, from 9 to 11 a.m. in Hearing Room 1 of the North Office Building at the Capitol.

"Throughout the listening sessions that my Committee has been holding over the past few months, we have heard repeatedly that our dairy farmers are facing a crisis," Brubaker said. "Milk prices are simply not keeping pace with the increased costs of feed, energy and other input costs, and many farmers have already gone out of business or will in the next few months."

Brubaker said that Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff has developed a comprehensive set of proposals intended to improve current dairy policy on both the federal and state level, which will be presented to the Committee during the hearing. In addition, producers and processors will also attend to provide the Committee with further information on this complex subject.

"I am looking forward to this opportunity to raise awareness of the issues facing our dairy industry and the steps that we can take to ensure that it remains successful and profitable for the Commonwealth's farmers," Brubaker said. 

Contact:

Kristin Ebersole, Executive Director
Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee
717-787-4420