The head of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation (WFBF) says federal lawmakers have an opportunity to boost support for family farms as they craft the next farm bill.
WFBF yesterday announced its top 2023 Farm Bill priorities for farmers in the state, pointing to dairy issues, crop insurance and conservation funding as particularly important. In an interview yesterday, WFBF President Kevin Krentz said the organization wants legislators to expand the Dairy Margin Coverage Program, which is currently capped at 5 million pounds.
Authorized under the 2018 Farm Bill, this is a voluntary risk management program for eligible dairy producers that pays them when the difference between the national milk price and the average cost of feed falls below a certain level, according to a USDA overview.
“As the average size farm continues to grow in Wisconsin, we would like to expand that program by at least a couple million pounds — 6, 7 million pounds — so we can continue to protect the average-sized farms in Wisconsin,” Krentz told WisBusiness.com.
He said this move would provide greater margin protection, noting farmers’ expenses have “gone up enormously over the last 10 years.” Plus, he said WFBF wants the program to account for supplemental feed costs as well.
“There’s a lot of minerals and vitamins that we provide for feed for our animals, that really aren’t added into feed cost,” he said. “Being able to add in all of the feed that goes into the cows is a much clearer picture for the dairy margin coverage program.”
Krentz also stressed the importance of maintaining “robust” crop insurance for farmers through the bill.
“Again, helping family farms protect their livelihood,” he said. “And it’s really more than that, because this is a food and farm bill. This is food security. We’re protecting a supply chain of food, fiber and fuel for the people of this country, for the people of Wisconsin here. And that’s really what the crop insurance program helps with.”
He also underlined the impact of capital availability for young farmers, supported through a loan program funded by the farm bill. WFBF is seeking to “streamline” the process for participating in this program and make it easier for young farmers to work with agricultural lenders, Krentz said.
Depending on the federal legislative process, Krentz said the bill could come together “very quickly,” potentially in the fall, or could be pushed into early 2024. Meanwhile, he said WFBF is carefully watching ongoing negotiations around U.S. debt relief and how that might influence the group’s policy priorities.
