Hearing hears support for vote on milk quota petition
Inthemost recenthearing,KingsCounty farmer Dino Giacomazzi, who represents UDFC, testified the organization formed last year “specifically to deal with the con- tentious issue of quota,” which he likened toa “civilwar”betweendairy farmerswho want to keep the programand those who want to end it. Though the program has existed for more than50yearsandmostdairy farmers understood there was a cost to it, it wasn’t until the state joined the federalmilkmar- keting order in 2018 and retained a stand- alonestatequotaprogramthatmilkchecks
revealed howmuch producers were con- tributing to theQIP. “It was nearly impossible to have a con- versationwithfellowdairymenaboutquo- ta, who has it, who doesn’t,” Giacomazzi said. “Butmostly thestorieswereabout the fights: best friends refusing to talk to each other, neighbors in violent arguments, families canceling holiday events and fist- fights at the auction yard.” Though UDFC was not formed to take a position on quota, he said, its purpose
ByChing Lee A public hearing to consider a petition to end the state milk quota program by 2025 faced no opposition about whether it shouldnowmove toanup-or-downvote by CaliforniaGrade Amilk producers. The petition was submitted in June by UnitedDairyFarmers of California, which seeks a producer referendum on its pro- posal to sunset thequota implementation plan, orQIP, byMarch2025 and to change the regional quota adjusters immediate- ly so the quota premium in all counties equals $1.43 per hundredweight. TheCaliforniaDepartment of Food and Agriculture qualified the petition in July, after verifying it met the 28% signature threshold of market milk producers oper- ating in the state. In a meeting in August, the state Producer Review Board, which advises CDFA Secretary Karen Ross on dairy issues, recommended the petition go through a formal hearing process. Administrative Law Judge Timothy Aspinwall, who presided over the virtual hearing last week, willmake a recommen- dation to Ross on whether the petition shouldadvance toaproducer referendum. Topass,a65%supermajorityvoteisneeded. The hearing was notably less heated than the one Aspinwall presided over in
June to consider a petition fromthe group Stop QIP, which sought to suspend the quota implementation plan with a sim- ple majority vote of 51%. In that ruling, Aspinwall recommended the state deny a referendum on the Stop QIP petition, a decisionRoss formally adopted inAugust. StopQIPhas since filedacourt actionchal- lenging the decision.
See QUOTA, Page 22
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My conversationwithTara—ona tough topic—was uplifting, and I thank her so much for sharing her story. I also thank her for lending her voice and using social media to help people see it’s OK to talk about mental health. You can learnmore about Tara and her work on her blog at www.beavervineyards.com/blog. Just talking about this issue is such an importantpart of thesolution. If launching a podcast where we’ve talked about rural stress helps onepersonwho is feeling lost, it has beenmore thanworth it. We’ll keep talking about mental health and other issues on Farmside Chat. I hope you’ll join us and listen: www. fb.org/podcast/category/farmside-chat. As we do with every communication on rural stress, I want to say that if you feel you’re burdened by stress and need help, talk with someone. If you’re not comfort- able talking with your friends or family, call your local Farm Bureau. They’ll find a way to help you. Look up resources on- line. You can find a lot of resources on our FarmState of Mindwebsite: www.fb.org/ programs/farm-state-of-mind. Just know you are not alone. And if you know someone who seems to be strug- gling, don’t wait for them to ask for help. Reach out and see how they’re doing. Let themknowyouwant to listen. (Vincent “Zippy”Duvall, apoultry, cattle andhayproducer fromGeorgia, ispresident of the AmericanFarmBureau Federation.)
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October 7, 2020 Ag Alert 3
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