11-7-13 baldwin urges caution on milk program changes

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Sen. Tammy Baldwin and seven other Wisconsin lawmakers are expressing concern that a new farm bill might contain provisions putting Wisconsin dairy farmers at a disadvantage when compared with those in other states.  Negotiations on a farm bill are going on now in Congress, with lawmakers working to merge the House and Senate bills. The Senate bill calls for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to re-examine how it sets the minimum price for milk used to make cheese.  The lawmakers say in a letter dated Tuesday that federal rules currently set the price for milk for cheese lower than milk to drink and that hurts Wisconsin farmers who mostly sell to cheesemakers.  Baldwin says if changes are to be made, the USDA should look at all its milk pricing formulas.