Paul Ryan: “I have watched the debate over agriculture appropriations for the past two days. Farmers are the backbone of my state.…”

“I have watched the debate over agriculture appropriations for the past two days. Farmers are the backbone of my state. The economy of Wisconsin is based on agriculture--if our farmers suffer, the economy of our entire state suffers. These issues are vital to the people of the district I serve; however, no issue in agriculture is as vital to the farmers of Wisconsin as the reform of the dairy market order system. This country, one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, continues, at the behest of Congress, to force an antiquated system of price-fixing in the dairy industry that violates every free market principle. Congress has been manipulating the dairy industry for far too long. This system had a purpose in the 1930's; it was designed to encourage milk production in regions of this country that were suffering dairy shortages. But this system has outlived its usefulness. Advances in technology and transportation have eliminated the need for this system. The current marketing order is unfair and inefficient for a number of reasons. Not only does it force higher prices for dairy products based on distance from my home state of Wisconsin; it also allows the Northeast Dairy Compact to operate. This is not a free market system; in fact, it is a system that violates most free market principles. It encourages overproduction and inefficient methods of production.”