Bill makes special category for Tennessee milk

Tennessee dairy farmers are hoping to get a boost from legislation that was unanimously approved by the Senate.
The measure sponsored by Republican Sen. Mike Faulk of Kingsport passed 26-0 on Wednesday. The companion bill overwhelmingly passed the House last year, and the two chambers most now reach an agreement before the measure goes to the governor.
The legislation would establish a category of milk called “Tennessee Prime Milk,’’ of which at least 80 percent is produced in Tennessee.
Faulk says it would give Tennessee dairy farmers a “niche between organic milk, which is very expensive, and the normal milk that you find in the grocery stores.’’ He says he wants to jump start the state’s dairy industry, which has struggled.