Dianne Feinstein: “I spoke on the floor in December about how devastating the original farm bill would have been to the California dairy…”

“I spoke on the floor in December about how devastating the original farm bill would have been to the California dairy industry. And I have said California cannot be left out of any dairy equation. California is the largest dairy State in the nation. Last year, California dairy farmers produced 32.2 billion pounds of milk--over 19 percent of the nation's supply. With over 2,100 dairy farms in the state, California leads the Nation in total number of milk cows at approximately 1.5 million. The original bill agreed to in the Agriculture Committee would have cost California dairy farmers $1.5 billion over 9 years and driven up prices for consumers by $1.5 billion over 9 years. The bill on the floor, however, will hold California harmless. While it is difficult to project exactly how much income California dairy farmers will receive, I believe that by supporting the dairy language in the farm bill, an even better result can be achieved for California's dairy farmers. I wish to thank a number of Senators for working together to find a way that the California dairy industry can be held harmless by the dairy provisions in the farm bill.”