The Washington Dairy Products Commission will seek commentary from members of the dairy industry on a proposal to increase the assessment all dairies pay on milk production during two public hearings in July.
The dates and locations of the hearings are as follows:
Go deeper with GlobalData
July 11, 2001, beginning at 10:30 a.m.
Bellevue Community College 3000 Landerhom Circle S.E. Conference & Lecture Hall N201 Bellevue, WA 98007 For directions, phone 425/564-2376
July 18, 2001, beginning at 10:30 a.m.
Washington State Department of Agriculture 21 N. First Avenue 2nd Floor Conference Room Yakima, WA 98902 For directions, phone 509/225-2650.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataBoth meetings will be open to the public and conducted under the auspices of Debbie Anderson, Hearing Officer for the Washington State Dept. of Agriculture.
For those unable to attend the meetings, written comments will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 31, 2001. Written comments should be submitted to:
Steve Matzen, General Manager Washington Dairy Products Commission 4201 198th St. S.W. Ste. 101 Lynnwood, WA 98036 smatzen@havemilk.com 425/672-0674 (facsimile)
Proposed assessment increase
Currently, all dairy farmers in Washington are assessed 15 cents on every 100 pounds ($.15/cwt.) of milk produced on their farms. The revenues generated by this assessment are used to fund promotional and educational programs targeted at consumers. Federal law prohibits their use for any purpose other than to fund demand-building programs.
A recommendation to increase the assessment to $.15625/cwt. was made in October 2000 by the Dairy Task Force 2000, a dairy farmer group. On current production levels, it is estimated that the increased assessment would generate an additional $340,000 per year. These additional revenues would not be subject to federal use restrictions and would be used to fund legislative representation, producer education concerning legislative and regulatory matters, interaction with regulatory agencies and other activities as allowed by state law [RCW 15.44.060(10)].
The Washington Dairy Products Commission — a state-chartered agency — has the authority to adjust the producer assessment up to 1 percent of the Class I milk price by a vote of its board of directors. Under state rule making procedures, a minimum of one public hearing is required prior to the vote. The Commission’s board is scheduled to vote on the proposed assessment increase at its regular meeting in Lynnwood, Wash., on Sept. 25, 2001. If approved, it would become effective on milk produced from Jan. 1, 2002.
Washington Dairy Products Commission
Established by an act of the state legislature in 1939, the Washington Dairy Products Commission conducts year-round advertising, promotions, communications and education programs intended to encourage consumption of dairy products made in Washington. The Commission’s activities are supervised by a board of directors composed of dairy farmers, producer-handlers, processors and representatives of the state Dept. of Agriculture. The Commission is distributing this news release in fulfillment of its mandate to make public notice of proposed rule changes affecting its operations.
