The Department of Food and Agriculture, after consulting with its dairy advisory committee, shall complete a study of various proposals affecting regulated milk pricing and pooling programs by April 15, 2002. In particular, it shall study the following:

(a) The impact of the current federal forward price contract program on the regulated pricing and pooling programs operating in federal milk marketing orders and review other risk management tools available to dairy farmers and dairy processors.

(b) The impact of current forward price contract programs administered by California dairy farmer cooperatives on participating producers, on proprietary processors in procuring milk, and on affected products in the marketplace and the comparability of those programs with those operating within federal milk marketing orders.

(c) The impact of the various forward contract programs in use or proposed on pool revenue and price when those contracts are performed within the California milk pooling program.

(d) The impact of the various forward contract programs in use or proposed on pool revenue and price when those contracts are performed outside the California milk pooling program.

(e) The study may also include a review of the impact of requiring class 2 and 3 milk to be reported to the pool.

(f) A review of the advantages and disadvantages of a protein pricing payment system that is similar to the system used in federal milk marketing orders.

(g) This study shall be submitted to the respective chairpersons of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources and the Assembly Committee on Agriculture.

(Added by Stats. 2001, Ch. 828, Sec. 1. Effective October 13, 2001.)