[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 78 (Tuesday, May 9, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H2143-H2144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   PROUD DESCENDANT OF DAIRY FARMERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about 
something near and dear to my heart: dairy.
  As you may know and may have heard me say in the past, I have milk 
flowing through my veins. As a proud descendant of dairy farmers, I 
know how important this industry is to Pennsylvania's 15th 
Congressional District, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and our 
country.
  As a longtime supporter of dairy, I am proud to continue to use my 
voice to recognize our dairy farmers. Recently, I introduced the Whole 
Milk for Healthy Kids Act with 36 of my colleagues and bipartisan 
support. We currently have 47 cosponsors, and I encourage my colleagues 
to join this legislation. This bill would allow for flavored and 
unflavored whole milk to be offered in school cafeterias.
  Whole milk is rich with health benefits and has 13 essential 
nutrients vital to the healthy development of our children. From better 
bone health to lower blood pressure, milk is a powerhouse of nutrients. 
In fact, according to the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 
milk is a source of three out of four underconsumed nutrients: calcium, 
potassium, and vitamin D. No other beverage comes close to this level 
of nutritional value.
  Sadly, bad Federal policy has kept whole milk out of our school 
cafeterias for too long. In 2010, Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-
Free Kids Act, which amended nutrition standards in the school lunch 
program. Among the changes, the law mandated that flavored milk must be 
fat-free within the program. This law, along with lower participation 
in the program--mostly, I would say, due to a bad milk experience--led 
to an alarming decline in milk consumption in schools since 2010.
  From 2014 to 2016, schools served 213 million fewer half-pints of 
milk, even though public school enrollment was growing. Children over 4 
years old are not meeting the recommended daily servings of milk in the 
Dietary Guidelines of America. Given the nutritional value of milk and 
the fact that young minds need to be well nourished to perform at their 
best, this is a cause for concern.
  Mr. Speaker, in order for students to excel in the classroom, they 
must have access to proper nutrition. It is my hope the Whole Milk for 
Healthy Kids Act will give children a wide variety of milk options and 
bolster milk consumption, a win-win for growing children and America's 
dairy farmers.
  As I mentioned earlier, dairy is a crucial part of Pennsylvania's 
15th Congressional District and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I am 
proud to represent more than 1,040 dairy farms across 18 counties. 
Across the Keystone State, we have 500,000 cows producing more than 
10.2 billion pounds of milk annually.
  This level of production puts Pennsylvania as the seventh highest in 
milk production across our country. We are also the second nationally 
in terms of the number of dairy farms, with 6,200 farms. The 
Pennsylvania dairy industry provides 52,000 jobs across the 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and generates $14.7 billion in annual 
revenue.
  In fact, Pennsylvania is now home to a new record Holstein cow, 
Chrome-View Charles 3044. This 13-year-old registered Holstein cow is 
in her 10th lactation and broke the record with her lifetime milk 
production record of 478,200 pounds of milk, 14,447 pounds of fat, and 
12,576 pounds of protein and counting. She is a member of the Mason's 
Chrome View herd, where they have 500 registered Holstein cows.
  This monumental milk production record surpasses the total record of 
460,720 pounds of lifetime milk set by Stone-Front Leader Hilda in 
2020. Prior to Hilda, Koepke K0017229-1660 broke the record in 2003 
with a lifetime milk total of 458,616 pounds. The record was

[[Page H2144]]

established in 1978 by Breezewood Patsy Bar Pontiac, with her final 
lifetime total of 425,769 pounds. Her owners say that the new record 
holder is your typical dairy cow, spending her time eating, chewing her 
cud, being milked, or resting in one of her three favorite stalls.
  Mr. Speaker, 3044 is no ordinary cow. Her 478,200-pound lifetime milk 
production record total is equivalent to 55,605 gallons of milk, 
889,674 cups of milk, 47,820 pounds of cheese--enough cheese for 
127,520 12-inch pizzas--or 593,120 scoops of ice cream.
  Mr. Speaker, like I said at the beginning of my time on the floor, I 
am proud to have milk running through my veins. Dairy is more than an 
industry for those in Pennsylvania. It is a way of life, and I will 
continue to advocate for this industry and way of life.

                          ____________________