How the Federal Government Impacts the Dairy Industry:

Did you know:

- The Federal Government sets your milk prices.

- Large Milk Cooperatives such as Dean Foods and Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) own 96% of the milk market in the US today.

- DFA's solicitation of the Secretary's help in eliminating producer-handlers as a competitor in the Pacific Northwest and Arizona is the same strategy DFA has employed in other marketing areas encompassing the Appalachian, Mideast , and Southeast regions of the nation.

- The USDA recommends imposing upon certain producer-handlers a "pool obligation" estimated to be over one million dollars per year. If permitted to take effect, the result will be that producer-handlers will either raise their prices to cover this new expense or leave the market entirely. Either option will increase costs for the consumer .

- The government's proposed Milk Marketing Order decision threatens th e life work of our families by taxing us millions of dollars and giving that money to our competitors.

- Based on statistics provided by USDA, the number of producer-handlers has declined from 6 to 2 in the Arizona-Las Vegas order and from 52 to 8 in the Pacific Northwest order between 1980 and 2003.

- That Alaska milk prices will go up at least 50 cents per gallon if the proposed order is allowed to stand because they import milk from two producer-handler dairies in Washington State . The Washington Dairies will be forced to raise their prices for the Alaska market because of the USDA milk marketing order.

Write a letter to the U.S. Congress!

Tell them to get the Federal Government out of the milk business.