Washington — Sen. John Boozman (R-AR), Ranking Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, released a farm bill framework that reflects Senate Republican priorities. The Senate Republican framework includes several IDFA priorities, including an outline for the SNAP Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program (DNIP), which would expand the SNAP Healthy Fluid Milk Incentive (HFMI) program to include all types of milk, cheese, yogurt and cultured products. The outline of the DNIP in the Senate Republican framework mirrors the bipartisan Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program Act co-sponsored by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) in the Senate and Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA) and Nick Langworthy (N.Y.) in the House of Representatives, which has IDFA’s support and is central to IDFA’s farm bill advocacy in 2023. The Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program bill currently has eight bipartisan co-sponsors in the Senate and 15 bipartisan co-sponsors in the House. The program would expand the HFMI Project, a 2018 Farm Bill program currently testing best practices for encouraging milk purchases among SNAP recipients in 19 states, to include a variety of nutritious milk and dairy products.
“IDFA commends Senator Boozman and Republican Senators for leading the effort to increase access to nutritious dairy products with a strong Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program. IDFA also thanks Chairman Stabenow for expanding the current incentive program in the Farm Bill framework. IDFA will work with members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees to ensure a strong program that mirrors the widely supported, bipartisan Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program Act is part of the next Farm Bill,” said IDFA President and CEO Michael Dykes, DVM.
The Farm Bill framework released today also includes several other IDFA priorities: Importantly, the outline ensures that proposed changes to Class I mobile blending will be determined by USDA through the ongoing Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) process, consistent with IDFA’s stated goals.
“USDA’s process to change its FMMO system through federal order hearings has been ongoing for over a year, and USDA is expected to release its recommended FMMO decision shortly,” Dykes said. “IDFA members feel strongly that the Farm Bill should not predetermine the outcome of USDA’s ongoing FMMO process.”
The Senate Republican outline of the 2024 farm bill also promises cost studies to ensure benefits accurately reflect the cost of producing dairy products. This provision is consistent with IDFA’s request for cost studies of butter, cheddar cheese, skim milk powder and whey in the next farm bill.
Today’s summary makes the dairy futures pricing program permanent, eliminating the possibility that the futures pricing program for Class II, III, and IV proprietary plants and their producers could expire if a new Farm Bill is not passed before the expiration of the existing Farm Bill.
Finally, the framework would also allow schools to offer whole milk and low-fat (2%) milk to students under House Agriculture Committee Chairman Thompson’s Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which IDFA supports (Section 12403 – page 914).
“There is still much work to be done by both committees and Congress as a whole to craft a bipartisan farm bill that can pass both chambers and become law,” Dykes said. “IDFA and its member leaders will continue to work with the bipartisan committee leaders and their respective staffs to ensure that all of our industry priorities are reflected in future farm bill drafts and, ultimately, that a bipartisan farm bill becomes law.”
International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)Headquartered in Washington, DC, IDFA represents the U.S. dairy manufacturing and marketing industry, which supports more than 3.2 million jobs, generates $49 billion in direct wages and a total economic impact of $794 billion. IDFA members range from multinationals to single-plant businesses, from dairy companies and cooperatives to food retailers and suppliers, all of whom are at the forefront of innovation and sustainable business practices. These companies represent most of the milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, fermented products and dairy ingredients produced in the United States and sold around the world. Delicious, safe and nutritious dairy products provide unparalleled health and consumer benefits for people of all ages.
