By Rob Moritz
Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — The Senate approved two bills Thursday designed to help struggling dairy farmers stay in business — House Bill 1451 by Rep. Johnny Hoyt, D-Morrilton, and Senate Bill 934 by Sen. David Wyatt, D-Batesville.

“This is an industry right here that we need to protect,” the senator said.

The Senate passed SB 934 by a vote of 33-0. The bill now goes to the House. HB 1451 was approved 32-1 and goes back to the House for approval of Senate amendments.

Sen. Steve Bryles, D-Blytheville, who presented HB 1451 in the Senate, said the two bills were developed to address the rapidly declining dairy farm industry in the state. In the past 10 years, the number of farms has dropped from about 800 to less than 140, he said.

Under HB 1451, milk wholesalers across the state would be assessed a fee of 30 cents per 12 gallons of milk. For consumers, that would amount to about 2.4 cents per gallon of milk, 2.5 cents for a pound of cheese and 1.5 cents for a pound of other dairy products.

SB 934 would create the Arkansas Agriculture Department Dairy Stabilization Fund and an incentive program to fund farmers. Dairy farmers would be eligible for funds if the cost of producing milk falls below 70 percent of the monthly average cost of production in Missouri and Tennessee. The fee is expected to generate about $4.1 million a year.

If funds are available, farmers also would be eligible for up to $50,000 in milk production and quality grants.