Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a hearing Wednesday to discuss the topic of improving milk prices and other dairy reforms.
A panel will discuss the need to modernize the Federal Milk Marketing Order System for dairy prices to meet the pricing market of today.
The USDA uses a formula to determine the price of milk and it currently does not include the cost of production for the farmers.
Farmers are leaving the industry entirely because they cannot cover the costs.
Since 2003 licensed dairy farms have decreased in the U.S. by over 50% and there are only 30,000 remaining.
Gillibrand explained during a press conference on May 26 that there is clearly an issue if that many farmers leave the industry and it needs attention.
The senator wants to give dairy farmers a chance to say how things really are.
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