Dear Friend,

June is National Dairy Month, during which we recognize our hardworking farmers and processors across Minnesota.

Our state produces nearly 10 billion pounds of milk each year, and Stearns County, in the Sixth Congressional District, is the largest dairy-producing county. Nationally, Minnesota ranks in the top ten in both milk and cheese production and is fourth in the nation in the total value of manufactured dairy products, at $5 billion.

Since coming to Congress, I have helped Minnesota’s dairy industry by:

• Fighting for access to foreign markets. Minnesota is a top-ten dairy exporter. You may recall that I sent a letter last year to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai expressing concerns about Canada’s manipulation of obscure milk protein rules to limit American dairy market access, in violation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Unfortunately, Canada still hasn’t gotten the message, which is why I joined colleagues in sending another letter to Ambassador Tai urging her again to press for Canadian compliance with the provisions of the USMCA. I will keep leading the charge on this issue until it is resolved, because Minnesota dairy exporters deserve a fair playing field.
• Urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to enforce product labeling standards that provide consumers and producers with fair and accurate information. Minnesota’s consumers shouldn’t have to worry about whether the “milk” they pick up in a supermarket is actually from a cow. I recently joined a letter to the FDA urging the agency to enforce longstanding dairy standards of identity, and I will continue to press Washington bureaucrats to follow this commonsense guidance.
• Ensuring the Dairy Margin Coverage program is flexible enough to meet the needs of farmers. I introduced legislation to achieve this goal in the past Congress, and I will continue to emphasize the importance of ensuring our farmers are protected. The U.S. Department of Agriculture seems to have taken note: this year, the agency expanded the DMC program to allow producers to enroll for additional assistance for calendar years 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Sincerely,

This mailing was prepared using official funds authorized by the U.S. House of Representatives