It is final. Make Plans to Join us.Dairy Does D.C. in December
When: Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009
Where: Washington, D.C.
Who: All Dairy Crisis Interested Parties
How: Reserve your bus seat.
Buses departing on Dec. 1 from
Utica, N.Y. (Bryan Gotham: blcgotham@yahoo.com) and
Hornell, N.Y. (Lisa Robinson robinsonfarms@zooninternet.net).

• Everyone riding, driving or flying to D.C. will convene at Union Station in D.C. at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2 to kick-off our Dairy Day. Can't travel? Visit your Congressman and Senators district offices during the week of Nov. 30. Use the priority issue messages summarized below.
• Want assistance making appointments?Contact Tammy Graves, gravesarborgraphics@yahoo.com/315-858-0163.
• To learn more read below and/or join the next conference call
  • Monday, Nov. 16, 2009
  • 8:30 p.m. EST
  • # 1 (605) 715-4900 code 466980
    
• Confirmed and requested appointments to date cover the following states: California, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wisconsin, New Hampshire.
  • Please submit appointment requests to Tammy Graves or advise her of your appointment confirmations for the master schedule. Thanks.
    
• Summary of our D.C. messages:
• Short- and long-term priority dairy issue items
  1. Big tariffs on milk protein concentrate (MPC) needed because MPCs are not approved for food use
  2. mandatory audit of food companies’ dairy product inventory is necessary for dairy farmers to have honest price triggers and supply management
  3. a temporary floor price of at least $17 (cost of production)
  4. Long term: new price discovery mechanism utilizing a percentage of cost of production and/or a percentage of retail coupled with supply management.
• Questions?
  • Please contact Tammy Graves, gravesarborgraphics@yahoo.com or
  • Bryan Gotham, blcgotham@yahoo.com

==NEWS RELEASE FOLLOWS==For Immediate Release : November 14, 2009

• Contact: Tammy Graves, communications support
• United States Dairy Farmers and Friends
• usdairyfarmersandfriends@gmail.com (315) 858-0163
  
• DAIRY FARMERS WILL BE IN WASHINGTON, D.C. DECEMBER 2 TO BALANCE INFLUENCE AND TO BUILD URBAN BRIDGES
• Richfield Springs, N.Y. : Building upon an unprecedented dairy farmer presence in Washington, D.C. for the final House Agriculture Committee hearing in July, dairy farmers and their allies will descend on Washington, D.C. Wednesday, Dec. 2.
• Politicians are being influenced by messages, particularly from cooperatives and processors that do not appropriately portray the state of the industry. Dairy farmers and their allies will be delivering their messages on December 2 as they did in July to keep checks and balances in the political influence as well as building bridges with Congressional representatives of suburban and urban areas.
• All interested parties are welcome: farmers, consumers, breed association members, state assemblyman and senators, Chambers of Commerce directors, Land Trusts, FFA teachers and students, agribusiness, financial representatives, college faculty and students.
• The day's itinerary includes appointments with House and Senate Agriculture Committee members as well as House Education and Labor Committee members and attending the Future Trends in Animal Agriculture Symposium - The Future of Animal Agriculture: 2030 What Will Animal Agriculture Look Like?,
What Should Animal Agriculture Look Like? For registration info and symposium details, go to http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/news/FTAADec09.pdf
• This will be a coast-to-coast, coordinated effort with messages being delivered simultaneously to district offices of Congressmen and Senators. You need not be in D.C. to be a part of this message delivery. For assistance with scheduling district office appointments or writing letters, contact Tammy Graves at gravesarborgraphics@yahoo.com, Facebook or 315-858-0163.
• "Dairy farmers know their dues-taking organizations are not acting with conviction or speaking on their behalf," says Barbara Borges-Martin, a California dairy farmer. "I'll be echoing the D.C. voices in to my representative’s California offices."
• The summary of messages includes three short-term items and one long-term item: 1) big tariffs on milk protein concentrate (MPC) needed because MPCs are not approved for food use 2) mandatory audit of food companies’ dairy product inventory is necessary for dairy farmers to have honest price triggers and correct supply management data 3) a temporary floor price of at least $17 to reflect cost of production and 4) Long term – a new price discovery mechanism utilizing a percentage of cost of production and/or a percentage of retail coupled with supply management
• "We are excited to be launching our campaign of building bridges with metropolitan representatives," says Debbie Windecker, a dairy farmer from Frankfort, N.Y. "Just as dairy farmers and consumers need to connect, we will be building bridges between our rural and urban politicians. I have been told first-hand and repeatedly that there is a real disconnect between them."
• She adds that they will be asking "do your constituents accept and approve of their food coming from the world's lowest-cost producer regardless of what country that may be and rely on other countries for food as we do for oil?" In regards to milk, the U.S. will never be the lowest-cost producer in the world, according to Windecker.
• A bus will depart from Utica, N.Y. (Riverside Shopping Area) at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 1 and arrive in Washington by 7 a.m. December 2. The bus will depart Washington, D.C. at 5 p.m. Call Bryan Gotham at 315-405-6456 or blcgotham@yahoo.com to reserve your seat - $30/seat and fundraising will continue.
• A bus will depart Hornell, N.Y. (Wegman's parking lot) on Tuesday, Dec 1. Call Lisa Robinson to reserve your seat - $50/seat and fundraising will continue - 607-525-6329 or robinsonfarms@zooninternet.net.
• Other states are finalizing arrangements. To receive an update on your state's trip plans. Please contact Bryan Gotham at blcgotham@yahoo.com, on Facebook or call 315-405-6456.

Contact E-mails for staff:

• Dave Rama Sr-- daveramasr@cattlexchange.com
• Merry Rama -- merryrama@cattlexchange.com
• Dave Rama Jr -- daveramajr@cattlexchange.com
• Jason Pullis -- jasonpullis@cattlexchange.com
• Amber Newman -- ambernewman@cattlexchange.com

• John Bunting's Dairy Blog Web Site

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