The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“SENATE RESOLUTION 52--CONCERNING THE NEED TO ADDRESS THE CURRENT MILK CRISIS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Senate section on pages S1239-S1240 on Feb. 11, 1997.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SENATE RESOLUTION 52--CONCERNING THE NEED TO ADDRESS THE CURRENT MILK
CRISIS
Mr. SPECTER (for himself, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Jeffords, and Mr. Leahy) submitted the following resolution; which was ordered to lie over, under the rule:
S. Res. 52
Whereas, during the last few months farm milk prices have experienced substantial volatility, dropping precipitously from $15.37 per hundredweight in September, 1996 to $11.34 per hundredweight in December, 1996, while simultaneously there have been record high costs for cattle feed;
Whereas, there is a strong sense of financial crisis in the dairy industry;
Whereas, many dairy farmers have looked to the Federal government for relief because minimum milk prices under the Milk Marketing Orders are established by the Department of Agriculture;
Whereas, the price of cheese at the National Cheese Exchange in Green Bay, Wisconsin influences milk prices paid to farmers because of its use in the Department of Agriculture's Basic Formula Price under Federal Milk Marketing Orders;
Whereas, less than one percent of the cheese produced in the United States is sold on the National Cheese Exchange and the Exchange acts as a reference price for as much as 95 percent of the commercial bulk cheese sales in the nation;
Whereas, there has been some concern among dairy producers that the prices at the National Cheese Exchange may have been manipulated downward, benefiting processors at the expense of dairy farmers;
Whereas, it is in the national interest to ensure that market prices for milk, cheese, and other dairy products are determined by a fair and competitive marketplace; Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the Sense of the Senate of the United States that the Secretary of Agriculture should act immediately pursuant to his legal authority to modify the Basic Formula Price for dairy by replacing the National Cheese Exchange as a factor to be considered in setting the Basic Formula Price and to establish in its place an equivalent pricing mechanism more reflective of the actual market conditions for cheese and other dairy products nationally.
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