ST. PAUL -- Legislators who want to help struggling dairy farmers should require that only the best milk to be served in Minnesota schools, at least one dairy farmer says.
Jerry Jennissen of Brooten, in west-central Minnesota, told a House agriculture finance committee Tuesday that his daughter came home from school recently saying the milk smelled like something from a janitor's closet.
Jennissen told committee members, while updating them on dairy issues, that students in a state known for its dairy industry should have the best milk available. As it is, he said, schools buy milk from the lowest bidder.
Another western Minnesota farmer, Larry Amundson of Thief River Falls, said the Minnesota Dairy Producers Association plans to push a bill this legislative session to require schools to stop selling carbonated soft drinks during school hours.
"Can we somehow substitute all the pop consumed in schools with milk?" he asked.
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If so, he added, "we know we will have healthier kids."
The committee did not debate either proposal, and no bills have been introduced to do what they suggest.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Don Davis at (651) 290-0707
