meta House OK’s $2 million to assist state’s dairy farms :: The Bullvine - The Dairy Information You Want To Know When You Need It

House OK’s $2 million to assist state’s dairy farms


A $2 million emergency relief fund for the state’s struggling wholesale dairy farms cleared the House of Representatives on Thursday with bipartisan support, despite the protests of opponents who said the proposal was “milking New Hampshire taxpayers.”

The 257-96 vote on SB 10 came after amendments were adopted changing the distribution formula and inserting guarantees against double-dipping by dairy farmers into both the state relief fund and federal crop insurance.

“If someone has suffered a loss, let’s compensate them for it, but not pay twice,” said state Rep. Neal Kurk, R-Weare, sponsor of the amendments and a member of the task force that worked on the legislation.

Because Kurk’s amendments were adopted, the bill now goes back to the Senate where it initially passed 13-9. A spokesman for Gov. Chris Sununu said the governor will sign the bill if it reaches his desk.

“Gov. Sununu recognizes the severe impacts of last year’s drought on our dairy farmers and intends on signing SB 10 that provides the much needed relief,” said David Abrams.

The House vote was the latest step in a proposal that was first floated in September by members of the Milk Producers Emergency Relief Fund. A survey of wholesale milk producers at that time indicated that 19 of 120 had pulled out of the market after the long drought of the previous summer had destroyed any hope of harvesting adequate feed.

Supporters said without some state assistance, the dairy industry could collapse, with cascading consequences for local economies that rely on agriculture, and the loss of valuable open space. Opponents called it a government bailout for a private enterprise.

Those same arguments were repeated in Thursday’s floor debate in the House.

“This bill takes money from people who can’t afford to pay their tax bills, and gives it to people who own large tracts of land,” said Rep. Michael Sylvia, R-Belmont, who moved unsuccessfully to table the bill.

Rep. John Burt, R-Goffstown, argued that the relief is a year too late to make much of a difference, since many of the affected dairy farms have already had to sell off a substantial portion of their herds.

“If we were going to help them and truly wanted to, we would have made the money available last September so they wouldn’t have to ship those cows,” he said, “but the damage has been done.”

The bill came out of the Environment and Agriculture Committee with an 18-0 “ought to pass” recommendation.

State Rep. John O’Connor, R-Derry, who spoke in support of the measure, said he wasn’t amused by the various attempts at humor during the debate, including the “milking the taxpayers” reference and jokes about Speaker Shawn Jasper, R-Hudson, once owning chickens.

State Rep. Chris True, R-Sandown, introduced an unsuccessful amendment that called for private donations to finance the relief fund, suggesting that if lawmakers were so bent on helping farmers, they could donate their own money.

“I am disturbed by the manner in which the other side was presented,” said O’Connor. “This is no joking matter.” He argued that the Milk Producers Relief Fund was created for exactly this type of situation.

The ongoing drought, one of the worst on record, has already caused many farms to close, with others on the edge, according to O’Connor.

“Many have already slaughtered young calves along with milking cows,” he said. “Spouses have taken on second jobs, and they have done all they can to get through the winter.”

If the revised bill passes the Senate and is signed into law by the governor, the money will be distributed to farms on the basis of a complicated formula that takes into account a farm’s cost of feed, milk production and payments already received from the federal government.

Grants will be used primarily for the purchase of feed from outside sources to replace what the farmers were unable to grow on their own land.

Source: The New Hampshire Union Leader


Send this to a friend