(January 17, 2001) A House committee heard two days of testimony and various proposals on how to address the dairy crisis gripping Minnesota.

The House Agriculture & Rural Development Finance Committee heard from individual farmers and dairy association representatives on the causes and potential remedies for the poor condition facing state milk producers.

Greg Jans, who owns 500 cows in Grove City, reassured the committee that "we all grumble, but none of us wants to get out of dairy." Such optimism contradicted the testimony of Eugene Hansen, a dairy producer in Rushford. "We are going to bleed black and white," he said.

Several witnesses testified to the mixed blessing of federal subsidies. Harmony farmer Dennis Barnes testified that his dairy business suffered because of federal subsidies provided to grain producers. Because his farm grows enough feed for his cows, he misses out on the low-priced grain supplied by farmers benefiting from U.S. subsidization, he said.

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