Wisconsin cheesemakers urge Senate to continue Farm Bill work

The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) has urged the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry to continue negotiations on a Farm Bill after a 10-11 vote failed to pass a recent proposal.

The committee's proposal included several dairy industry priorities, such as increasing annual funding for the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives to $36 million, enhancing export promotion through the Market Access Program, and expanding dairy nutrition incentives to include products like cheese and yogurt. It also sought to permanently authorize Mandatory Cost Surveys and the Dairy Forward Pricing Program.

Despite bipartisan support for many of these measures, the bill's passage was derailed by disagreements regarding the implementation of a cost-shift to states for administrative expenses related to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).