Country World Archives 2001-2008
Dairy compact held up in committee
Texas House Committee has until Monday to vote on fate of House bill
From Staff Reports
May 3, 2001 -- As of Monday, April 30, the Texas House Agriculture Committee had yet to vote on HB 1039, the Southern Dairy Compact. If no action is taken on the measure as of midnight Monday, May 7, the proposed legislation will fail.
"If there's no signature on this by Monday, it's dead in the water," said Don Smith, a Hopkins County dairyman and county Farm Bureau officer.
The proposed legislation is co-authored by Rep. Mark Homer.
"We are all working hard on this," Smith said on April 30. "Any time we can do something for this we are doing it."
Smith said a copy of the editorial written by Country World staff writer Davy Moseley, published April 26, as well as the current Milk Market Administrator's Report, were being faxed to the committee to support passage of the bill.
The bill would allow Texas dairy farmers to join the Southern Dairy Compact. The compact could mean dairymen could earn as much as 12 to 15 percent more for their milk than what was received in the past several years.
On April 19, the committee heard testimony on the proposed legislation. Besides Homer's presentation, others testified on behalf of the compact, including AgriLand Farm Credit Services President Dwyatt Bell.
The same legislation passed in the Texas House of Representatives two years ago but did not have the momentum to gain passage in the Senate.