Farmer Referendum Scheduled For Milk Marketing Order Reform

July 15, 1999

Dairy farmers will begin voting Aug. 2 on USDA's plan to consolidate and revise the milk marketing order system. They will have until Aug. 6 to mail ballots to USDA. Two thirds of eligible voters in each order must approve the changes.

The USDA plan consolidates the current 31 marketing orders into 11 as required by the 1996 farm law. Other, far more controversial, changes would affect the pricing of fluid milk. Congress is considering mandating a change in pricing fluid milk from what USDA is proposing.

It is possible that since voters in each order must approve the changes, an order could defeat the package and be left without a federal marketing system. Voting is not on sections of the orders as reformed; the vote is on the entire package.

USDA will publish details of the referendum in the Federal Register.