WE ARE TAKING OUR MESSAGE TO A BIGGER FORUM. YOU CAN STILL PARTICIPATE IN OUR BLOG AND WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO SO AT www.dairyfarmersunite.org. THE WEBSITE HAS INFORMATION AND POSTINGS RELEVANT TO OUR CAUSE OF GETTING A FAIR PRICE FOR OUR PRODUCT SO WE CAN MAKE A LIVING. THERE IS A BLOG AND THERE IS A CHAT ROOM WHERE YOU CAN CONVERSE WITH OTHERS. LETS MAKE THIS COUNT! GET THE WORD OUT.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
A LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA
The following is a letter my father wrote and sent to President Obama. We are sending copies to government officials as well as other producers. PLEASE JOIN US!
He received emails from The Secretary of Agriculture's Office. The Special Assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture David Lazarus also needs to receive calls. Call him at 202-720-3631.
We also need to call the Assistant to the Deputy Administrator, Dairy Programs, Agriculture Marketing Service, United States Department of Agriculture at 202-690-2998 or 202-720-5751.
Let us know what kind of responses you are getting. We need to organize to get get this accomplished!
January 24, 2009
President Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Obama,
I am a 75 year old dairy farmer in Ft. Defiance, Virginia and am very disturbed concerning the dairy industry in the United States. The Federal governments along with State and Local governments have studied the problems in this industry for many years and it remains a system that has punished the dairy farmer to the extent that the numbers of operating dairies have been greatly reduced. The dairy farmer receives a minute portion of the dollar for the milk he produces. The Cooperatives and higher organizations within the industry siphon the dollars rather than the dairy farmer receiving the dollars from their product. Many studies and investigations have been made over the years. Court cases, studies and complaints from the dairyman are found by the dozens on the computer. The loss to the dairyman by the efforts of these higher headquarters taking the monies which rightfully belongs to the dairyman causing the dairies to dissipate and at the same time the dairymen producing our milk and many other byproducts are upside down in their businesses. They literally cannot make it on the small amount of monies received from their efforts. These dairy farms leaving the industry and those trying to work on the small amount of monies they receive from their product are families within this nation of ours who are suffering from lack of proper control of milk distribution, milk processing, untruthful and unreliable leadership within the dairy industry who are bringing this situation to the dairy farmer.
President Obama, I understand from all your good efforts and hard work in winning the election that you are for the people of this nation. This situation is as important to many people, of many farms, as are the banks to have rules and regulations Federal government wise to insure that all people are treated fairly. It is imperative that someone at the federal level immediately takes action to look into these problems as soon as possible. By the time you get this letter, no doubt, more dairies will be gone. There are many people in the Department of Agriculture that have been and still are very much aware of the problem with the fairness of milk price to the producer. There is a great amount of dollars between the producers amount received than the amount sold at the retail stores. The in between processors are taking the money and living “high on the hog” with huge and outrageous salaries and commissions, health benefits and many other gratuities.
Yes, I realize that there are many more important things that need immediate attention in our government; however, I don’t think there is a more important thing than having milk for our babies and for our families for consumption daily. It is expected that a day will come when milk, along with many other food items will have to come from a dehydrated food in a box from China or some other nation, because the farmer in this country has been left out on programs such as the 800 Billions of dollars program presently being discussed. It is strongly suggested that a forensic audit be done by the government of the entire industry to flush out the corruption and make a livable condition exist for the dairy farmer. The dairy producer has been taken for many years with only talk to provide a better situation to his occupation.
It is with great respect that I write this letter and I would request that I have your permission to have this letter printed through the nation’s newspapers and I would like to be able to print yours or your designated representatives answer to this correspondence also throughout the nation.
In closing, I pray that you will see favorably to my honorable request.
Thank you, President Obama.
Respectfully,
Frank W. Keel
He received emails from The Secretary of Agriculture's Office. The Special Assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture David Lazarus also needs to receive calls. Call him at 202-720-3631.
We also need to call the Assistant to the Deputy Administrator, Dairy Programs, Agriculture Marketing Service, United States Department of Agriculture at 202-690-2998 or 202-720-5751.
Let us know what kind of responses you are getting. We need to organize to get get this accomplished!
January 24, 2009
President Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Obama,
I am a 75 year old dairy farmer in Ft. Defiance, Virginia and am very disturbed concerning the dairy industry in the United States. The Federal governments along with State and Local governments have studied the problems in this industry for many years and it remains a system that has punished the dairy farmer to the extent that the numbers of operating dairies have been greatly reduced. The dairy farmer receives a minute portion of the dollar for the milk he produces. The Cooperatives and higher organizations within the industry siphon the dollars rather than the dairy farmer receiving the dollars from their product. Many studies and investigations have been made over the years. Court cases, studies and complaints from the dairyman are found by the dozens on the computer. The loss to the dairyman by the efforts of these higher headquarters taking the monies which rightfully belongs to the dairyman causing the dairies to dissipate and at the same time the dairymen producing our milk and many other byproducts are upside down in their businesses. They literally cannot make it on the small amount of monies received from their efforts. These dairy farms leaving the industry and those trying to work on the small amount of monies they receive from their product are families within this nation of ours who are suffering from lack of proper control of milk distribution, milk processing, untruthful and unreliable leadership within the dairy industry who are bringing this situation to the dairy farmer.
President Obama, I understand from all your good efforts and hard work in winning the election that you are for the people of this nation. This situation is as important to many people, of many farms, as are the banks to have rules and regulations Federal government wise to insure that all people are treated fairly. It is imperative that someone at the federal level immediately takes action to look into these problems as soon as possible. By the time you get this letter, no doubt, more dairies will be gone. There are many people in the Department of Agriculture that have been and still are very much aware of the problem with the fairness of milk price to the producer. There is a great amount of dollars between the producers amount received than the amount sold at the retail stores. The in between processors are taking the money and living “high on the hog” with huge and outrageous salaries and commissions, health benefits and many other gratuities.
Yes, I realize that there are many more important things that need immediate attention in our government; however, I don’t think there is a more important thing than having milk for our babies and for our families for consumption daily. It is expected that a day will come when milk, along with many other food items will have to come from a dehydrated food in a box from China or some other nation, because the farmer in this country has been left out on programs such as the 800 Billions of dollars program presently being discussed. It is strongly suggested that a forensic audit be done by the government of the entire industry to flush out the corruption and make a livable condition exist for the dairy farmer. The dairy producer has been taken for many years with only talk to provide a better situation to his occupation.
It is with great respect that I write this letter and I would request that I have your permission to have this letter printed through the nation’s newspapers and I would like to be able to print yours or your designated representatives answer to this correspondence also throughout the nation.
In closing, I pray that you will see favorably to my honorable request.
Thank you, President Obama.
Respectfully,
Frank W. Keel
CALL THE USDA TODAY !!! 202-720-3631
Forget the local support efforts. We need to hit this nationally! If we expect to get any help whatsoever in our pricing, the milk price corruption must end. We are losing hundreds of family farms as we speak. The dairy farmer is a hard worker. The government and the industry is using our product as a loss-leader. We are not a loss-leader industry! As dairy farmers we provide one of the most essential food products in everyday life. We have to band together to demand a fair price for our product and not let the corrupt pricing take us under. Tomorrow 200 more fellow dairymen will be out of business either due to foreclosure or not being able to feed their cattle. We need to DEMAND that we are paid enough to make a living. TIME IS RUNNING OUT! Call Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack TODAY at 202-720-3631. Tell him your story. Demand action. We can't wait until it's too late. My father, who is 75 years old, is spending every hour of every day, going on very little sleep, contacting everyone. He is RELENTLESS! We need more like him. Just like our product is perishable, so are we. We do not have a long shelf life. No one can go on for long when it costs them more to make the product than we can sell it for. We need a profit like everyone else in business. Our animals and our milk are the most important things to us. Are we supposed to cull 50 per cent of our herd to lower the supply and create demand? NO! Our daily costs are extraordinarily high. We must receive a fair market price for our product. The MILC program is a joke. There is a cap -- how can they put a cap on our product? There is no cap on our inputs. And we get a 1099 to boot! Call Secretary Vilsack -- ask him why the dairy farmer is told to tighten our belts and ride it out. Are the corrupt banks and car industry told to tighten their belts and ride it out? Are we second class citizens? Are we less-than Americans? Do we not count as much as the banks and the car industry? And who knows who else got money in that bail-out package? DID YOU KNOW that Section 325 of the bailout provides essential tax breaks for the wool research fund? DID YOU KNOW that Section 503 gives $6 million in tax breaks for the manufacturer of wooden arrows for toys? DID YOU KNOW that Section 309 provides $192 million so that Puerto Rican and Virgin Island rum producers can make more rum? DID YOU KNOW that Section 502 gives $10 million to independent film productions? And DID YOU KNOW that Section 317 gives a tax break to racetracks? All of this is more important than our dairy farmers and our milk supply? Look it up -- there's more! We must work from the top. The only place to go is to the Secretary of Agriculture. The local powers-that-be just don't have the clout. BUT WE DO IN NUMBERS! We need thousands of calls! We need to work together like never before! Join me, join my father. If Obama taught us anything is has to be that if we work together to get our fair price it is possible. YES WE CAN!
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