Karl Wedemeyer joined others from Michigan and Indiana
By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com
An Ohio dairy producer met with legislators in Washington D.C. to address issues facing the U.S. dairy industry.
Karl Wedemeyer, who runs White Diamond Farm, a 120-head Jersey operation with his family in La Rue, Ohio, accompanied government representatives from Michigan and Indiana to meet with federal lawmakers from his home state.
“I volunteered to go so I could get our message across to legislators,” he told Farms.com today. “There’s several issues that have a significant impact on the dairy industry that are front and center right now. And the policies they implement will have an impact here at the farm level.”
Those issues, he said, include the Farm Bill, NAFTA, immigration laws that would allow dairy farmers to bring in year-round labor, and the Margin Protection Program (MPP).
The MPP is an insurance-based program to help farmers during times of low commodity prices.
Farmers pay a premium to protect a certain level of profit margins. The premium is based on milk prices and feed costs. But some of the assessment tools are inaccurate, meaning farmers aren’t receiving any payouts, Wedemeyer said.
“The feed cost adjustor isn’t really accurate to real market conditions,” he said.
“So the program isn’t working the way it was intended to. Farmers are paying their premiums to protect their margins but, because the feed cost analysis is incorrect, there’s actually no insurance kicking in at times during low prices.”
Dairy producers want legislators to reassess the feed cost adjustor to accurately reflect market conditions, he said.
Wedemeyer considered himself fortunate to be able to meet with representatives in Washington, he said, adding more farmers should make an effort to contact politicians any way they can.
“I would absolutely encourage all farmers to voice their opinions and concerns on issues,” he said. “I think some farmers feel like it can take a lot of time or effort, but sending an email or making a phone call doesn’t take a lot of time. Our legislators want to hear our stories and how their decisions impact us.”
Top photo: Karl Wedemeyer/Ohio Farm Bureau