(click on image to enlarge)
There is no doubt dairy farmers need better milk prices. If you get the government out, contrary to some opinion, and this includes the federal orders, the door is open for vertical integration as in chicken and pork.
A government role is necessary to limit the power of bullies. In order for the government to be involved there needs to be a clear and compelling public interest.
Dairy farmers are not the only ones hurting and the hurt started from the same attitude as we have in dairy pricing. See: http://www.economicsecurityindex.org/?p=home
The site is interactive and the graph shown above will change.
So, the question is both simple and broad - what is the public's interest in a healthy dairy system? Only if that question is answered very carefully, will we have a chance in Washington, DC.
