Sen. Charles Schumer is calling on the United States Department of Agriculture to help dairy farmers in central New York sort through the recently passed Farm Bill. During a stop in Chenango County recently, Schumer said the updated milk portion of the bill is good for farmers, but confusing.
“We put in the Farm Bill some money for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to come and educate dairy farmers," Schumer said. "You know the big farms, they can figure this out, hire somebody, etcetera. But here in Chenango County, we have lots of small dairy farms and they need to learn about this program pretty soon.”
Schumer says he wants the USDA to come to central New York to help farmers sift through the new rules.
"This is a more complicated program," the senator said. "Farmers can decide how much of their milk they want to insure, and at what rate. So it gives them the flexibility they want, but it’s a little more complicated.”
Schumer says this information needs to be in farmers' hands by early summer. The Farm Bill approved earlier this year included the biggest overhaul of the milk pricing system in years.
