Trade Dispute With Canada Hitting Local Dairy Farmers

4/6/17 – Many of Wisconsin’s federal lawmakers have asked President Donald Trump to get involved in a trade dispute with Canada. Provinces have adopted import taxes, and they’re no longer accepting duty free ultra-filtered liquid milk for cheese that’s made in Wisconsin. That has a number of dairies in the Badger State stuck with excess milk supplies. Grassland Dairy Products of Greenwood and the Nasonville Dairy near Marshfield has told 100 farmers they’ll no longer take their milk within the next few weeks — and state Agriculture Secretary Ben Brancel tells the Wisconsin Ag Connection his agency is scrambling to help producers by trying to get other processors to accept milk from the farms that are being dropped. Green Bay House Republican Mike Gallagher calls it an anti-competitive move on Canada’s part — and Senate Democrat Tammy Baldwin is among those seeking a federal investigation on whether the milk exports are being blocked in violation of trade agreements.