Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association urges Senate committee to advance Farm Bill
The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association called on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry to continue work on a comprehensive Farm Bill after the committee failed to advance the package in a 10-11 vote. The association said dairy processors of different sizes depend on stable federal farm policy for processing innovation, access to overseas markets and competitiveness in international dairy trade.
The Senate draft included an increase in the annual authorised funding for the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives to $36m. The initiatives provide technical assistance and expansion grants for regional milk processors. The bill also proposed permanent statutory authority for Mandatory Cost Surveys and the Dairy Forward Pricing Program.
Trade provisions formed another part of the draft. Funding mechanisms for the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development Program would have been expanded. The committee text also instructed federal negotiators to seek protection for common food names, including parmesan, gouda and feta, in international trade agreements where geographical-indication rules could restrict their use.
The proposed legislation would have broadened dairy nutrition incentives to cover cheese, yoghurt and other cultured dairy products. Dairy groups had also found broad agreement on provisions concerning risk management, export promotion and investment in processing, according to the association.
Disagreement over the bill centred on administrative cost-sharing for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. A proposal requiring states to take on part of SNAP’s administrative expenses prevented the committee from approving the wider package. Processing representatives said disputes over nutrition policy should be resolved through collaboration rather than leaving rural agricultural economies without updated risk-management provisions.
The association’s appeal came as dairy processors faced volatility in farm-gate prices and pressure from input costs across major milk-producing regions. It said the sector continued to seek predictable risk-management arrangements, broader domestic nutrition incentives and improved export access. Dairy organisations said they remained willing to work with federal lawmakers on a comprehensive revision of the Farm Bill.
