Demand a Fair Pricing System for Dairy

We are losing our farms and losing our footing in our own agricultural marketplace. If we want to drink safe, healthy milk, made via animal-friendly farming techniques, that's produced locally and doesn't have to travel thousands of miles, then we need to encourage politicians to change the milk pricing system.

Did you know that the price of milk is determined by the price of cheese auctioned at the Chicago Merchantile Exchange? What does this mean? It means that the price of milk is controlled by a few people and that it's not based on the market needs and costs. Secondly, it means that the price of milk is based on an unrelated commodity. (Cheese has long shelf-life. Milk doesn't). The price also does not reflect the market prices of grains and fuel that are needed to produce milk. In this way, farmers have been paid such small amounts of money for their product relative to the price of production, that they are losing thousands of dollars per cow per month. 

Fortunately, a very thoughtful group of farmer in Ohio have come up with a proposal that would fix these problems. A three-pronged pricing system proposed by farmers in Ohio would create an effective framework to ensure a diverse, regional, safe supply of milk. One part considers the regional cost of production for milk. The next part would be a price signal from processors. The third would consider prices to consumers.

Let's encourage politicians to take a look at the Ohio Farmer's Union plan (OFU). Please sign our petition.
Please also consider signing our sister petitions:
Asking politicians for farmer support until fair pricing is in place: 

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/support-new-york-state-family-dairy-farms

Asking politicians to adopt Country of Origin Labeling for dairy products: 

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/demand-country-of-origin...

Thanks for your support!

Thanks!