Lawmakers: Slash subsidies for dairy farmers
A legislative committee yesterday recommended slashing subsidies to Maine dairy farmers by $4.8 million, according to the Bangor Daily News.
The $4.8 million the Agriculture, Forestry and Conservation Committee recommends cutting from the milk subsidy program represents about 37% of what the program is expected to cost in the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, the paper reported. The committee's recommendation will head to the Appropriations Committee today.
The potential cuts would be a blow for Maine dairy farmers, who also face crashing milk prices. Last June, farmers received $19.56 per hundredweight, or 100 pounds, of milk. In March, they are expected to only receive $11.54 for the same hundredweight of milk, the paper reported. The Bangor Daily News cites a yet-to-be-released University of Maine study that says the cost of milk production in Maine is roughly $24.50 per hundredweight.
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