SR0034 LRB094 06293 JAM 36366 r

1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The dairy industry is a traditional component of
3 this State's vital agricultural economy, but unstable milk
4 prices have taken a toll on the number of milk producers in
5 Illinois; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The number of milk cows in Illinois currently
7 averages 108,000 head, a 6% decrease from the 2004 average; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Milk production in Illinois totaled 168,000
9 pounds in December of 2003, and although production per cow had
10 improved, this total was 3% less than the December 2002 figure;
11 and
 
12     WHEREAS, One factor in slowing the dairy production losses
13 in Illinois has been the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC)
14 program, authorized by the 2002 federal Farm Bill and
15 administered by the Farm Service Agency; and
 
16     WHEREAS, Under the MILC program, participants who
17 commercially produce and market cow milk in the United States,
18 or who produce milk in the United States and commercially
19 market it outside the United States, receive financial
20 compensation when domestic milk prices fall below a specified
21 level; and
 
22     WHEREAS, The MILC program, and its beneficial impact upon
23 the Illinois dairy industry, expire September 30, 2005, unless
24 the United States Congress acts to extend that expiration date;
25 therefore, be it
 
26     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL
27 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the members of
28 the Illinois congressional delegation to support the extension
29 of the expiration date of the federal Milk Income Loss Contract

 

 

SR0034 - 2 - LRB094 06293 JAM 36366 r

1 program, appreciating the important role this program's
2 financial assistance plays in sustaining the Illinois dairy
3 industry and in encouraging dairy industry growth; and be it
4 further
 
5     RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
6 each member of the Illinois congressional delegation.