Sixth-generation Vermont dairy farmer and NMPF Board Member Harold Howrigan urged the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee to swiftly advance a five-year farm bill that renews the Dairy Margin Coverage program while also addressing other major dairy issues.
Howrigan, a board member of Dairy Farmers of America, a Kansas City, KS-based NMPF member cooperative, testified on NMPF’s behalf at a hearing held last Wednesday.
Howrigan focused on the dairy industry’s ongoing work with USDA and the Food and Drug Administration to safeguard dairy herds and farm employees from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A H5N1. NMPF is pressing for swift advancement of effective H5N1 vaccines for dairy cattle, combined with a risk-based vaccine deployment strategy which mitigates trading partner concerns.
“We appreciate USDA’s work to accelerate vaccine development and urge that a vaccine be made available as soon as possible,” Howrigan said.
Howrigan also touted the revamped dairy safety net authorized in the 2018 Farm Bill and strengthened by subsequent legislative and administrative actions.
“The Dairy Margin Coverage program has served farmers well during difficult times. Since it was implemented six years ago, my farm has consistently purchased the maximum $9.50 coverage,” he said.
Howrigan called labor and trade issues essential priorities for dairy farmers and the cooperatives they own, urging Congress to pass long-overdue immigration legislation that meets dairy’s unique labor needs and to work with the administration to seek new market access worldwide.
“Failing to act risks damaging the vitality of our entire sector,” he said.
Finally, Howrigan urged the committee to pass the bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, spearheaded by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-KS, and Sen. Peter Welch, D-VT. As he reminded members at the hearing, “Dairy is a nutrition powerhouse but continues to be under consumed by most Americans.”
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