Author: Alan Bjerga
NMPF’s Morris Says Ports Crisis Requires Federal Action
Current supply chain strains at U.S. ports will need improvements in federal policies to provide both short- and longer-term solutions, NMPF Senior Vice President for Trade Shawna Morris said in an interview with the National Association of Farm Broadcasters. “The fact that the market is not improving, that things are not sorting themselves out and that we don’t seem to be around the corner,” Morris said, “really points to the need for more government introduction into this process through the legislative side and through the administration side to help deal with this.”
NMPF’s Bjerga Discusses Dairy’s Joint Annual Meeting
National Milk Producers Federation Senior Vice President of Communications Alan Bjerga discusses NMPF’s joint annual meeting with allied dairy organizations this week in Las Vegas. More than 600 dairy farmers and industry professionals are converging for discussions on policy and marketplace accomplishments in 2021, as well as future challenges. Bjerga says a united dairy sector can face whatever comes its way.
NMPF Statement on President Biden’s FDA Commissioner Nomination
From NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern:
“Robert Califf will bring a steady hand and proven leadership to FDA at a challenging time for the agency. We expect that, upon his confirmation, he will be able to hit the ground running on critical public health issues, most notably the continuing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We also expect that, given his experience, he will be able to guide the agency toward the positive resolution of other long-standing concerns, such as the continued mislabeling of non-dairy products that flout FDA’s own standard of identity for milk. We look forward to working with him in resolving that issue, as well as other important matters, and wish him well in his confirmation process.”
U.S. Dairy Highlights Supply Chain Challenges at White House Roundtable
National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) Executive Vice President for Policy Jaime Castaneda joined members of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force to discuss the challenges facing the export industry regarding current supply chain disruptions.
The virtual roundtable held today featured a handful of groups in the agricultural export industry. NMPF and USDEC are pleased that the supply chain issues adversely affecting U.S. dairy exports are gaining broader attention.
“These issues warrant the focus of the entire federal government in order to address the negative economic effects on both businesses and consumers from these challenges,” said Castaneda. “This discussion was a first positive step which we hope will continue to drive high-level attention to the obstacles affecting U.S. supply chains and exports.”
Since the onset of COVID in early 2020, supply chains have been severely imbalanced, with significant consequences for many American industries. USDEC, NMPF, and other agriculture organizations and companies have been leading the policy push for supply chain improvements to mitigate congestion limiting U.S. exports and in particular ensuring that containers leave U.S. ports full of agricultural products.
During a Nov. 3 U.S. House Agriculture Committee hearing, Mike Durkin, President and CEO of Leprino Foods, noted that “this export crisis may well result in irreparable harm to American agriculture as customers around the world are questioning the U.S. dairy industry’s reliability as a supplier.”
NMPF and USDEC expressed appreciation for the opportunity to share with the White House Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force how the Administration can help address the nation’s supply chain issues, and specifically, focus its attention on the challenges facing the U.S. dairy industry, shippers, and exporters.
The organizations have also urged the administration to convene a meeting with food and agriculture industry CEOs to discuss how the White House and Congress can take immediate action to implement additional measures, such as passing ocean shipping reform legislation, addressing critical transportation industry labor and shipping equipment shortages, and other steps that will help American agriculture producers reach their foreign markets effectively.
NMPF’s Bjerga Discusses Global Labeling Integrity, Dairy Defined
The U.S. needs to follow international norms on the proper labeling of butter and dairy terms, NMPF Senior Vice President of Communications Alan Bjerga said in an interview with RFD Radio. A recent decision by the Codex Alimentarius reaffirms labeling integrity internationally, with the FDA planning guidance on similar matter next year. Bjerga also discusses NMPF’s Dairy Defined series of informational essays and podcasts.
NMPF’s Castaneda Discusses Ports Backup
NMPF and U.S. Dairy Export Council Executive Vice President Jaime Castaneda discusses backups at U.S. ports, how delays in dairy shipments can threaten trade reliability and relationships, and how federal policy can be improved to alleviate dairy export challenges on the Adams on Agriculture podcast.
NMPF’s Bjerga Discusses Opportunity in Reconciliation
NMPF Senior Vice President of Communications Alan Bjerga discusses opportunities for dairy in budget reconciliation legislation being discussed in Congress — and beyond — on RFD-TV.
Farmer Focus: Young Farmers Create Opportunity with Aged Cheese
When Kevin Lussier and his wife Shelby came back to the family dairy in Hawthorne, FL in 2016 after graduating from college, they saw an opportunity for innovation and sustainability with artisanal cheese. They now operate Hawthorne Creek Creamery and sell a selection of four cheeses made with milk from their specialty herd of Jerseys. Sustainability, both in their supply chain and on the dairy itself, is a priority for the operation, Kevin says.
“I think sustainability is an amazing thing and something that every dairy farmer would tell you is what they want to focus on, but if we’re not economically sustainable, we can’t become environmentally sustainable,” Kevin says.
In the latest Farmer Focus, Lussier shares the challenges that came with starting a business right before the pandemic and the successes they have found in selling to their community and to consumers across the state.
For more Farmer Focus stories, co-sponsored by NMPF and the FARM Program, check out NMPF’s Sharing Our Story page, which also includes its Dairy Defined thought-leadership series and CEO’s Corner, a monthly column from NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern.
NMPF’s Bjerga on Rising U.S. Dairy Consumption
NMPF Senior Vice President of Communications Alan Bjerga discusses how U.S. per capita dairy consumption rose to its highest since 1960 on RFD-TV.
Ports Crisis Costing Dairy Farmers, NMPF’s Castaneda Says
U.S. dairy exports are being hindered by supply chain backups as U.S. ports, NMPF Executive Vice President Jaime Castaneda says in an interview on RFD-TV. “It is holding up the amount of product that we can export overseas, therefore that actually impacts the price of every single producer in the country,” Castaneda said.
NMPF’s Bleiberg on the Need for Class I Reform
NMPF’s Senior Vice President for Government Relations, Paul Bleiberg, discusses a Sept. 15 Senate House Agriculture subcommittee hearing on milk pricing on the “Adams on Agriculture” program.
