Bill · S. 4906· Senate(119-S-4906)
Milk From Family Dairies Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 6/24/2026
- Last activity
- 6/24/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Sponsored by
- Peter Welch
- Cosponsors
- - 2 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The bill establishes a Dairy Market Stabilization Program to manage milk production and guarantee a minimum price for producers based on herd size. It creates national and regional producer boards to oversee production bases, market access fees, and dividend payments. Certified organic farms are excluded from the producer definition under the program. The legislation also reforms dairy import licenses, tariff-rate quotas, and reporting requirements for market consolidation. Additionally, it provides funding for regional dairy infrastructure grants, training programs, and farmworker transition assistance.
Yes· 3 of 12
Would farmers be better off under this?+7
The bill establishes a floor price and redistributes market access fees as dividends to producers.
Does this make it easier to run a small business?+7
The bill establishes grant programs and infrastructure investment funding specifically for small-scale dairy operations.
Would business owners be better off under this?+6
The bill provides various supports, grants, and infrastructure funding for small-scale dairy business owners.
The opposite
Does this make trade with other countries easier?-4
The bill implements import control reforms by increasing license fees and lowering quotas on dairy products.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Section 6(a)(2) establishes a program to provide grants, loans, and technical assistance to help dairy farmworkers transition to dairy farm ownership, which could benefit farmworkers looking to run their own farms.
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Section 6(a)(3) creates a dairy production apprenticeship program carried out in coordination with Regional Boards, providing structured learning and career development opportunities in dairy production.
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Section 6(c) establishes a funding program for small-scale dairy infrastructure investments to support the development of new dairy processing plants, regional processing capacity, and on-farm processing, which can aid regional small dairy operations.
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Section 3(a), specifically section 142(b)(5)(B), establishes a variable floor price for milk based on herd size and on-farm production costs, ensuring producers receive a minimum price for their milk.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Section 3(a), specifically section 143(b), requires the assessment of market access fees on milk produced in excess of a producer's allowable milk marketings, which creates financial penalties for overproduction.
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Section 3(a), specifically section 143(h), prohibits monetizing, leasing, selling, or trading allowable milk marketings for financial or material gain and imposes penalties, including fines and permanent reductions in allowable marketings, for violations.
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Section 3(b) suspends several existing support systems, such as Dairy Margin Coverage and Dairy Revenue Protection, while the Dairy Market Stabilization Program is in effect, which may remove certain risk-management options currently relied upon by some dairy producers.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Farmers+7Good For Business Owners+6Good For Rural Residents+5Good For Students+4Good For Low Income Households+2
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Small Business Support+7Increases Job Creation+5Improves Economic Growth+4
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Rural Development+6
- Education And Technology
- Increases Scientific Research Funding+5
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+4
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Improves International Trade-4
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+3
- 9/23/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/29/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/22/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 6/24/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
John FettermanDemocrat · Pennsylvania
Angus KingIndependent · Maine
Bernie SandersIndependent · Vermont
Elizabeth WarrenDemocrat · Massachusetts