Legislative efforts are currently underway to spin up the effective date, but no changes can possibly take effect until the new budget is passed. Farm Bureau s Agricultural Youth Scholarship is available to high school juniors who are involved with agriculture. Each of New York s eleven districts will have the opportunity to select a representative to compete for this scholarship, which will be awarded at the New York Farm Bureau State Annual Meeting in December. Please call the New York Farm Bureau office for an application, which must be submitted no later than June 15, 2000. USDA Announces Proposed Rule on Forward Contract Pilot Program USDA proposed a rule to implement the Federal Milk Order Forward Contract Pilot Program.
Forward contracting is voluntary for both dairy farmers and milk handlers.
All other Federal milk order regulations are unchanged. The pilot program expires after Dec. 31, 2004. The pilot program applies to federally regulated milk used for manufactured dairy products only. USDA has designed a Fact Sheet that explains the nature of the pilot program, the risks involved, and provides guidelines the producers should consider in deciding whether to enter into a forward contract. The Legislative Commission on Rural Resources and the Senate Agriculture Committee recently held a timber theft hearing where New York Farm Bureau testified on behalf of its more than 30,000 members.