Oregon Bill SB 197 Would Harm Dairy Industry Says Dairy Farmers Association

A bill that could impact Oregon dairy farms is working its way through Salem, but many in the dairy industry are concerned.

Tami Kerr with the Oregon Dairy Farmers Association said the bill would target the industry with new requirements and regulations, despite work that is already being done.

“Producers have voluntarily implemented a lot of best management practices over the last nearly 10 years. We’ve installed methane digesters, better used to capture gas, and we have made changes in our feeding to our cows and storing of our silage.”

Kerr also noted that they have changed how they use manure when spreading it for fertilizer.

The bill is aimed at larger dairies that proponents say have negatively impacted air quality, an assertion that Kerr disputes.

“First of all there is really no air quality problem in Oregon, so I don’t know what problem they’re trying to solve because we don’t have a problem. I’d like to see information that they could share that shows that we do have a problem in Oregon.”

Kerr said producers have the truth on their side and if they just tell their story and show the work they’ve done, people will realize they don’t need to put in more regulations.

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