George Mertens (seen here with Representative Lynn Woolsey), during a recent visit to the nation’s capital.
Submitted photo
Longtime Sonoma Valley dairy farmer George Mertens traveled to Washington, D.C. recently to thank House members for passing the 2007 farm bill and to urge Senators to do the same.
Mertens joined more than 45 other members of the Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. who went to the nation’s capital on Sept. 6 to visit members of Congress. Among the notables with whom Mertens met was Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-California).
“Delivering our message is important to the dairy industry,” said Mertens, who milks 650 cows and farms 1,100 acres with his sons at the family farm off Bonneau Road. “As dairy farmers we need our elected officials to understand the issues that directly affect our farms. They need to know why we support the house version of the farm bill and why…it is so important to our industry.”
In addition to the farm bill, Mertens also highlighted other critical issues facing the dairy industry, including AgJOBS, the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and Clean Water Act.
Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. is a dairy marketing cooperative that serves and is owned by more than 19,000 dairy farmers in 49 states. It supports key parts of the 2007 legislation including dairy price support, milk producer security and risk management programs, expansions in nutrition, public and animal health programs, export incentive and promotion programs, and improvement in conservation programs.
