Missouri dairy farmers are urging lawmakers to override Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of legislation authorizing financial incentives for their industry.
The dairy cattle incentives are included in two broader agriculture bills that Nixon vetoed because they would shift regulation of deer farms from the Conservation Department to the Agriculture Department.
The deer provisions have dominated the public debate about the bills.
But the Missouri Dairy Association says the proposed industry incentives are important to keep farmers from closing their dairy operations.
The bills would authorize state subsidies to farmers participating in a new federal insurance program for dairy production that begins next week. They also would authorize 80 college scholarships of up to $5,000 each for students who work at dairy farms and remain in Missouri agriculture after graduation.
