MONTPELIER, Vt. – Vermont’s top elected Democratic officials urged U.S. Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle on Thursday to push reauthorization of the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact.

They signed a letter to Daschle and staged a media event to illustrate what they said was an issue of vital importance to agriculture and Vermont’s image of itself.

“Senator Tom Daschle needs to hear from us that we are backing up our congressional delegation very, very strongly,” said Lt. Gov. Douglas Racine.

Racine and nine other Democratic leaders cast reauthorization of the compact as a struggle to maintain Vermont’s way of life.

“We believe the future of the dairy industry and by extension agriculture here in Vermont is at stake here,” Racine said. “It’s our effort to make sure the dairy industry remains alive and well.”

The dairy compact is a pricing plan that guarantees farmers in the region are paid a basic minimum rate for the milk they produce, regardless of fluctuations in the market.

An economic study has concluded that $60 million has been paid to Vermont farmers over the four years of its existence simply because of the compact. That translates into an average of $10,000 per farm around the state, 75 percent of which milk 100 or fewer cows.

“It is enough impact to keep them in business,” said Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Sara Kittell, D-Franklin. “Our national dairy policy must reflect different regional needs.”

The dairy compact is scheduled to expire on Sept. 30 and an act of Congress is required to keep it alive. It faces stiff opposition among Midwestern senators, where large dairy processors see it as little more then price fixing.

But New England farmers argue that the compact is a vital tool to keep small family farms in business, guaranteeing a steady supply of locally produced milk.

The compact has enjoyed largely bipartisan support in New England, and support and opposition in Washington tend to break down along regional lines instead of partisan ones.

Vermont Democrats decided they needed to speak as a single voice in communicating with Daschle because the U.S. Senate is now controlled by their party.

“I’ve dealt with Republicans in Washington and New York and Massachusetts and Connecticut,” said Rep. Robert Starr, D-Troy, one of the original proponents of the compact. “Now Democrats are in charge in Washington and the last thing I want to see is the compact die on our watch.”