A new bill making its way to the Missouri Senate could help Missouri Dairy Farmers.

The Missouri Dairy Revitalization Act of 2014, would help dairy farmers pay for catastrophic insurance. The insurance would protect them if they lost their crops. In 2011, and 2012 drought caused many farms in The Ozarks to close.

If passed, the act would be funded by a portion of the taxes paid on dairy products in Missouri. This would not be a new tax - it would instead take money currently going into the general revenue fund, and redirect it.

Farmers in the Ozarks say the revitalization act is important to keeping thousands of jobs.

"We have a lot of people that depend on us," explained dairy farmer Marilyn Calvin. "For instance: my farm supports 4 families, just my small farm. But we have milk haulers, we have people that sell us grain, supplies. Not only that, we have people that work in our plants that have good jobs in this area that depend on us for those jobs."

The revitalization act also funds a scholarship program for students majoring in agriculture.

Calvin says young people are vital to the future of farming in Missouri.

"The general population of farmer's is aging in our country. And it's not just here, it's not in the dairy industry, it's in the entire agriculture industry, and we've got to get these young people into agriculture and into the dairy industry in order to sustain our agriculture in the United States," said Calvin.

The Missouri House of Representatives has already passed the bill by a vote of 137-4. The bill is now being heard by The Missouri Senate.

Source - http://www.kspr.com/