ARLINGTON, VA – The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program, the dairy industry’s on-farm quality assurance program, today released a proposed Workforce Development evaluation tool for input from industry stakeholders.

FARM Workforce Development (WFD) is the FARM Program’s newest initiative. It focuses on human resources and safety management and has brought together stakeholders from the entire dairy value chain to create educational materials for U.S. dairy owners and managers.

FARM WFD is developing an on-farm evaluation tool that FARM Participants can choose to implement with their dairy producers. The tool is meant to help farms:

• learn about HR and safety management best practices;
• identify which best practices will be most useful to implement on their farm; and
• track improvement over time.

Also, by performing on-farm evaluations, FARM Participants can provide important assurances to supply chain customers: our dairy buyers and retailers.

The evaluation tool was developed in consultation with the FARM WFD Task Force and Working Group members, along with subject matter expert input.

FARM is also getting direct feedback from dairy producers through a pilot program that runs through the end this year. Nine cooperatives have volunteered to test the evaluation tool to solicit feedback. About 60 dairy producers are participating from across the cooperatives. Public Comment will complement the pilot.

After the comment period closes on Jan 20, FARM staff, the WFD Task Force and the NMPF Executive Committee will review and consider revisions based upon the comments, then present a final proposed evaluation tool for approval by the NMPF Board of Directors in March. The FARM Program encourages all those involved in the dairy supply chain to participate. To review the draft evaluation tool and provide feedback, please visit this link.

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The National Milk Producers Federation, based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, making NMPF dairy’s voice on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more, visit www.nmpf.org.

Created by the National Milk Producers Federation in partnership with Dairy Management Inc, the National Dairy FARM (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) works with all U.S. dairy farmers, co-ops and processors, to demonstrate to dairy customers and consumers that the dairy industry is taking the very best care of cows and the environment, producing safe, wholesome milk and adhering to the highest standards of workforce development.

ARLINGTON, Va. – One of America’s many innovative dairy companies, Chobani Inc., is drawing attention with a new line of oat-based products meant to capitalize on diverse consumer tastes.

In reality, the real game-changer is likely to be its new line of dairy creamers, which will go a long way toward getting the delicious taste of real cream (rather than chemically-colored white liquids made from vegetable oil) into more U.S. coffee cups – a market that dwarfs the plant-based beverage sector

But amid the inevitable publicity about a dairy company developing a non-dairy product, it’s important to note something else about what Chobani’s doing: They aren’t using dairy terms on their plant-based offerings. And that proves an important point, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers updates to its labeling guidelines on dairy terms: Responsible marketers follow the law, and they don’t have to falsely call a plant-based beverage “milk” to compete.

One of the biggest mischaracterizations of dairy-farmers’ positions on plant-based beverages is that they somehow want to “stifle” them. Um, no. Consumers simply deserve products that call themselves what they are – and as people who know a lot about milk, dairy farmers aren’t keen on sharing that term with imitators who use dairy terms to peddle goods that offer inferior, wildly varying levels of nutrition, misleading consumers into thinking those products have benefits that they don’t.

Chobani Oat exposes the fallacy of cries from plant-based manufacturers that their products must be called milk, or cheese, or whatever – or else consumers might be confused. Standing up for labeling transparency isn’t only honest, it’s commercially viable. And don’t just ask Chobani. Ask Trader Joe’s …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or Sunnyside Farms …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or Pacific Foods …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or Dream Plant Based Beverages (a division of Hain Celestial) …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contrary to what plant-based lobbyists want consumers to believe, dairy farmers embrace responsible competition and understand that proliferating choices are a 21^st-century reality. That’s why products like dairy/plant-based blends are entering the marketplace, and that’s why a smart company like Chobani adds both oat beverages and milk-based creamers to its offerings.

But the competition should be based on merit, not manipulative marketing. Plant-based is one of several classes of beverages competing with milk for consumer dollars, and after 40-plus years of false and misleading labeling, it’s still only managed to gain about a ten percent share of the milk market. And though plant-based is far from milk’s biggest competitor (that would be water), it’s the only one whose manufacturers insist on calling their products “milk,” “cheese,” “butter” and “yogurt,” directly trying to use dairy’s success against it.

Until the bad actors stop violating existing regulations on their own – or the FDA begins enforcing its own rules — we commend the companies who do labeling right. They’re showing integrity, and more of that is badly needed to help consumers make the best decisions for themselves and for their families.

 (Note: NMPF’s Dairy Defined explores today’s dairy farms and industry using high-quality data and podcast interviews to explain current dairy issues and dispel myths.)

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The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, making NMPF dairy’s voice on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more, visit www.nmpf.org.

ARLINGTON, VA. – Deadlines for Dairy Margin Coverage program signup and Market Facilitation Program payments are nearing for dairy farmers, and the National Milk Producers Federation is urging producers to visit their local Farm Service Agency offices to take advantage of programs meant to provide risk management tools for farmers and provide some relief against financial hardship.

Dairy Margin Coverage signup for 2020 coverage runs through next Friday, Dec. 13. The popular DMC program, which paid dairy farmers more than $308 million in benefits for 2019, offers insurance against low prices and high feed costs. All farmers who signed up for 2019 are encouraged to re-enroll for 2020, given the unpredictability of dairy markets. Farmers who elected to enroll for the full five-year life of the program need to visit their FSA office to keep their information current for the upcoming year.

The second tranche of 2019 Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments, which USDA announced in November, is designed to help farmers suffering from damage due to foreign trade retaliation against U.S. agricultural products. In the past, NMPF has urged USDA to enhance payments for U.S. dairy farmers by using current production data.  Signup for the payments runs through this Friday, Dec. 6.

NMPF has a resource page on its new website with more information about the program, including this 4-page brochure summarizing key facts about the DMC and this video specific to 2020 signup.

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The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, making NMPF dairy’s voice on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more, visit www.nmpf.org.

(Note: NMPF’s Dairy Defined podcast explores today’s dairy farms and industry using high-quality data and podcast-style interviews to explain current dairy issues and dispel myths.)

ARLINGTON, Va. –  Dairy’s future will depend on its next generation of farmers, many of whom are already hard at work on farms across the country. Young farmers are an important part of the agricultural landscape, and their continued involvement and leadership is needed to preserve a bright future for our dairy cooperatives. Ensuring these farmers can sustain their livelihoods is critical to the future of the dairy industry.

The average age of all U.S. farm producers in 2017 was over 57 years, continuing a long-term trend of aging in the U.S. producer population, according the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s in part because younger farmers face unique challenges, said Paul and Nancy Pyle, owners of a 150-cow dairy in Zeeland, Michigan. They’re members of the Michigan Milk Producers Association and chairs of the National Milk Producer Federation’s Young Cooperators Program. They work hard to ensure their milk is wholesome and responsibly-produced, but “it doesn’t matter how good your product is. If you can’t make money selling it, there’s a problem,” Nancy said.

To listen to the full podcast, click here. You can also find the Dairy Defined podcast on Spotify,  SoundCloud and Google Play. Broadcast outlets may use the MP3 file. Please attribute information to NMPF.

ARLINGTON, Va. – “Disruption” is a present-day buzzword, and dairy has had its share. From the globalization of markets to the rise of plant- and cell-based competitors, farmers are grappling with a shifting landscape, even as dairy farms themselves have changed.

But none of that is as personally disruptive as a missed milk check – the interruption of the cash flow that’s necessary to keep a dairy operating. That’s the disruption some farmers have worried about in recent weeks, following the Dean Foods bankruptcy announcement. It’s one we at National Milk have followed closely, and it’s one that forcefully reminds us of the value of the cooperatives we serve, from their farmer-owners to the consumers who depend on them.

Cooperatives have played a crucial role in protecting their members’ economic interests for more than a century. As the industry deals with the uncertainty surrounding what the processing landscape will look like post-Dean Foods, hundreds of dairy farmers have no doubt been wondering what ultimately will happen to their milk as the bankruptcy sorts itself out.

Some cooperative members might be among those wondering — but their membership in a co-op can help provide more certain answers. Finding markets for milk is what cooperatives do, 365 days a year, regardless of disruptions that may develop. With the strength of the co-op backing them up, farmers know they have expertise and networks they can rely upon to help handle the unexpected. Even in temporary situations when milk deliveries exceed processing capacity, co-op members still have steady, predictable access to markets for their milk.

When processors struggle, co-ops help protect farmers and consumers. Cooperatives also allow farmers to become processors themselves, giving them more opportunity to profit from the production and sale of dairy products and react to changing consumer tastes. It’s no surprise, for example, that as the popularity of butter has risen, the number of cooperative-owned processing plants has risen by 8 percent since 2012, and that the cooperative-created volume of popular dairy products such as butter is rising.

This all comes down to the essence of what a cooperative is: a self-help organization in which farmers stick together in good times and bad – sharing in profits and navigating through difficulties.

Protection against supply-chain disruptions was one of the reasons cooperatives formed the National Milk Producers Federation in 1916. Public desire to see farmers succeed pushed adoption of the Capper-Volstead Act of 1922, which allowed farmers to gain greater influence in their own markets. That same collaborative spirit led NMPF in the 1930s to push for the Federal Milk Marketing Order system, which levels the playing field for farms of all sizes in all parts of the country, helping harmonize pay for producers regardless of the end use of their milk while stabilizing prices for consumers nationwide.

And it animates our efforts to the present day, through initiatives such as Cooperatives Working Together, which helps boost U.S. dairy exports, and NMPF’s own collaborations with organizations including Dairy Management Inc., the U.S. Dairy Export Council, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, the International Dairy Foods Association and numerous other dairy groups that span states, regions and the globe.

Cooperatives, to be sure, can’t completely insulate anyone from disruption. But dairy is resilient, and cooperatives are fundamental to that resilience. Despite changing consumer tastes and never-ending, inaccurate campaigns against them, per-capita U.S. consumption of dairy products last year was its highest since 1962. Exports are again rising despite trade turbulence, and with potential new leadership at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, we’re even more hopeful that our decades-long battle against milk imitators who inappropriately claim our product names will be resolved in our favor.

Dean’s bankruptcy is creating uncertainty for some producers. But seen from another angle, it’s just another disruption this sector will be able to withstand, due in no small measure to the strength of cooperatives and their dairy farmer-owners. That’s worth remembering as disruption continues to challenge dairy.  We’ve always been a much stronger industry when farmers have worked together. That’s true today, and it will remain true in the months and years to come.

(Note: NMPF’s Dairy Defined explores today’s dairy farms and industry using high-quality data and podcast interviews to explain current dairy issues and dispel myths.)

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The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, making NMPF dairy’s voice on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more, visit www.nmpf.org.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Milk Producers Federation thanked Senator Tammy Baldwin for her advocacy for public health and labeling transparency in her questions for Dr. Stephen Hahn during today’s hearing on his nomination to be commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“As the nation’s top health official, Dr. Hahn would face many challenging issues, labeling integrity high among them. It’s heartening to hear the nominee pledge that an FDA under his leadership will immediately examine this crucial unfinished business,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF.  “Given his stated commitment to science- and data-based decision-making and his concern for public nutrition, we expect FDA will soon begin enforcing its own standards – which clearly reserve dairy terms for real dairy products, not plant-based imposters who mislead consumers by mislabeling nutritionally inferior products. We thank Senator Baldwin for pressing for urgent action today as part of her ongoing efforts to resolve this health and nutrition issue.”

In response to a question from Sen. Baldwin asking him whether and when the FDA will begin enforcing its own labeling standards, Dr. Hahn voiced his support for “clear, transparent, and understandable labeling for the American people.

“The American people need this so that they can make the appropriate decisions for their health and for their nutrition. I very much will look into this issue,” Dr. Hahn said, later adding he would “look at this as soon as I am confirmed.” Video of Dr. Hahn’s exchange with Sen. Baldwin is here.

The National Milk Producers Federation, which has been speaking out on plant-based imitators for four decades, has been encouraged by recent, long overdue FDA attention to the issue. For more background on NMPF’s position and statements of support from public-health organizations, click here.  NMPF also in February released a “road map,” found here, for how the agency can adapt existing standards to reflect the current marketplace and protect labeling integrity.

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The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance     dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, making NMPF dairy’s voice on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more, visit www.nmpf.org.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Milk Producers Federation today called for the House Judiciary Committee to advance a bipartisan agricultural labor bill that would be a significant step in addressing America’s agriculture labor crisis, especially given the full House has not voted on such legislation in decades.

The committee today is considering H.R. 5038, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, a bipartisan agriculture labor bill introduced late last month by Immigration Subcommittee Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Congressman Dan Newhouse (R-WA). NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern urged members of Congress to move the bill forward so work can continue on the measure.

“Our dairy farmers face unique workforce challenges that require a solution from Congress,” Mulhern said. “Advancing the Farm Workforce Modernization Act is essential for us to have the opportunity to continue bipartisan efforts to address the labor crisis hurting dairy farms across the U.S. NMPF thanks Chairwoman Lofgren and Congressman Newhouse for their bipartisan leadership in drafting a bill that’s capable of moving ag labor reform through Congress.”

The Farm Workforce Modernization Act advancement enjoys wide support from the agriculture and business community. Nearly 300 organizations on Monday called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to move the bill through the chamber.

“While the bill does include a few provisions that raise significant concerns for the agricultural community, we are committed to working together throughout the legislative process to fully address these issues,” the groups said in their message. “It is vital to move the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (H.R. 5038) through the House as a significant step in working to meet the labor needs of agriculture, both now and in the future.”

To watch the Judiciary Committee Markup, click here.

(Note: NMPF’s Dairy Defined podcast explores today’s dairy farms and industry using high-quality data and podcast-style interviews to explain current dairy issues and dispel myths.)

ARLINGTON, Va. – Despite a recent stretch of low prices, a better safety net for dairy producers and an improving market is making now a better time for dairy farmers, said Steve Schlangen, owner of a 60-cow farm outside Albany, MN and the chairman of Associated Milk Producers Inc.

A dairy farmer since 1986, Schlangen said that if he had to start all over again, he’d go into dairy farming “in a heartbeat.” Of the new Dairy Margin Coverage program – the new safety net for producers that went into effect this year, “to know that’s going to be here for the next five years, it just makes you start focusing again on what plans you might have down the road, because you don’t have to worry about just surviving,” Schlangen said.

To listen to the full podcast, click here. You can also find the Dairy Defined podcast on Spotify,  SoundCloud and Google Play. Broadcast outlets may use the MP3 file. Please attribute information to NMPF.

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The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, making NMPF dairy’s voice on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more, visit www.nmpf.org.

Listen to the latest updates on trade and immigration policy from NMPF Senior Vice President of Membership Services and Strategic Initiatives Chris Galen on Dairy Radio Now.

Associated Milk Producers, Inc. earned the Chairman’s Plaque, winning the overall award at the 2019 National Milk Producers Federation’s Championship Cheese Contest.

Every year NMPF hosts the annual cheese contest member cooperatives.  This year 15 NMPF cooperative members submitted 237 entries, totaling 3050 pounds of cheese to be judged.  This year — with high-quality American-made cheeses from our membership — the contest celebrates and promotes the REAL® Seal.  AMPI’s winning Hand-Crafted Parmesan entry, crafted at its plant in Hoven, SD, earned a score of 99.20 in the Hard & Mold Ripened Cheese category. This cheese was judged the best cheese in the Championship round of this year’s contest.

AMPI’s Hoven plant specializes in making 22-pound wheels of Parmesan, Asiago and Romano.

Extra cheese from the contest and dairy products from the Dairy Bar were donated to the New Orleans Mission. The New Orleans Mission strategy is to RESCUE men and women from homelessness, abuse, human trafficking, and addiction, provide the tools and environment necessary for a sustainable RECOVERY, and later foster the successful RE-ENGAGEMENT back into society as a healthy and skilled individual, ready to lead a productive, purpose-driven life.

Winners in each of the 19 contest classes are as follows:

 

Mild Cheddar

First place: Tim Karr, Dairy Farmers of America, Pavilion, NY

Second place: Middlebury Team Agri-Mark, Middlebury, VT

Third place: Agri-Mark, Chateaugay, NY

 

Medium Cheddar

First place: Team 2, Tillamook County Creamery Association, Tillamook, OR

Second place: Team Cabot, Agri-Mark, Inc., Cabot, VT

Third place: Blair Cheese Floor, AMPI, Blair, WI

 

Sharp Cheddar

First place: Agri-Mark, Middlebury, VT

Second place: Cabot Team, Agri-Mark, Cabot, VT

Third place: Doug Snortheim, Foremost Farms USA, Marshfield, WI

 

Extra Sharp Cheddar

First place: Agri-Mark, Middlebury, VT

Second: Team 2, TCCA

Third place: Team 4, TCCA, Cape Meares

 

Mozzarella

First place: Jay Thomas, Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Campbell, NY

Second: Heather Stalbird, Upstate Niagara Cooperative

Third place: Fran Holmes, Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Campbell, NY

 

Provolone

First place: Mark Forester, Foremost Farms, Clayton, WI

Second: Team D, Foremost Farms, Appleton, WI. Smoked

Third place: Mike Breznak New Wilmington, PA

 

Mild Hard and Mold Ripened Italian

First place: AMPI, Hoven, SD. Hand Crafted Parmesan

Second: Caves of Faribault Team, Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., Faribault, MN. St. Pete’s Select Blue

Third place: Caves of Faribault Team, Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., Faribault, MN. AmaGorg

 

Natural

First place: Team 1, TCCA, Colby Jack

Second: Bill Stocker, Midwest Dairymen’s Company, Shullsburg, WI. Colby Jack Longhorn

Third: Tillamook Team 2, TCCA, Tillamook, Monterey Jack

 

Swiss

First place: Prairie Farms Dairy, Shullsburg, WI. Baby Swiss

Second place: Bruce Workman, Select Milk Producers, Inc., Monticello, WI. Sweet Swiss

Third place: Prairie Farms Dairy, Luana, IA. Swiss

 

Plain Processed American

First: AMPI, Portage, WI. Colored Slice-On-Slice

Second: Team Wohlt, Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, New London, WI. Swiss American

Third place: AMPI, Portage, WI. Swiss Slice-On-Slice

 

Flavored Processed American

First place: Jorge Espinoza, Bongards’ Creameries, Norwood, MN. Peppers Slice-On-Slice

Second place: Team Wohlt, Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, Swiss Onion Blend

Third: AMPI, Portage, WI. Monterey Jack & American with Red Bell and Jalapeno Peppers

 

Hot or Spicy Flavor

First: Bruce Workman, Select Milk Producers, Inc., Monticello, WI. Habanero Havarti.

Second place: Ellsworth Creamery, Comstock, WI. Ghost Pepper Monterey Jack.

Third place: First District Association, Litchfield, MN. Cheddar with Red Peppers

 

Unique or Mild Flavor

First place: Bill Stocker, Midwest Dairymen’s Company, Buffalo Cheddar

Second place: Team 1, TCCA, Trask Mountain

Third: Bill Stocker, Midwest Dairymen’s, Bourbon Barrel Smoked Black Pepper Cheddar

 

Open Class

First place: Ann White, Upstate Niagara Co-op, Campbell, NY. Whole Milk Ricotta

Second: Justin Riesman, Upstate Niagara Co-op, Ricotone

Third place: Prairie Farms Dairy, Luana, IA. Cream Cheese

 

Reduced Fat

First place: Troy Kittleson, Foremost Farms, Clayton, WI

Second: Team Cabot, Agri-Mark, Cabot, VT

 

Cottage Cheese

First: Rory Hundly, Prairie Farms Dairy, Carbondale, IL

Second: Bison, Upstate Niagara Co-op, West Seneca, NY

Third place: Quincy Team, Prairie Farms Dairy, Quincy, IL. 4%

 

Reduced Fat Cottage Cheese

First place: Rory Hundly, Prairie Farms Dairy, Carbondale, IL

Second place: Prairie Farms Dairy, Quincy, IL

Third: Ryan Stetzel, Prairie Farms Dairy, Fort Wayne, IN

 

Flavored Cottage Cheese

First: Ryan Stetzel, Prairie Farms Dairy, Fort Wayne, IN. Garden Veggie

Second: Ryan Stetzel, Prairie Farms Dairy, Peach

Third place: Ryan Stetzel, Prairie Farms Dairy, Fort Wayne, IN. Pineapple

 

Natural Cheese Snack

First place: Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, Ellsworth, WI. Cajun Cheddar Cheese Curds

Second place: Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, Ellsworth, WI. Hickory Bacon Cheddar Cheese Curds

Third place: Cut & Wrap Team, Agri-Mark, Cabot, VT. Extra Sharp Cracker Cut

The 41 sales contracts CWT assisted member cooperatives in securing in October brings the year-to-date total export sales CWT is helping members move overseas to 100.1 million pounds. The total is made up of 45.4 million pounds of American-type cheeses, 4.6 million pounds of butter, 277,782 pounds of anhydrous milkfat (AMF), 43.8 million pounds of whole milk powder and 5.9 million pounds of cream cheese. The milk equivalent of these sales is 897.5 million pounds on a milkfat basis.

Looking at October activity specifically; 22 contracts for 4.1 million pounds of American-type cheese, one contract for 125,664 pounds of butter, 5 contracts for 1.9 million pounds of whole milk powder and 13 contracts for 892,872 pounds of cream cheese were secured by member cooperatives with CWT’s assistance. The products will be going to customers in Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, Central America, Oceania and South America and will be shipped to 29 customers in 11 countries during the months of October 2019 through April 2020.

Assisting CWT member cooperatives gain and maintain world market share through the Export Assistance program positively impacts all U.S. dairy farmers by strengthening and maintaining the value of dairy products that directly impact their milk price. It does this by expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products beyond the domestic market thereby increasing the total demand for U.S. farm milk.

The amounts of dairy products and related milk volumes reflect current contracts for delivery, not completed export volumes. CWT will pay export assistance to the bidders only when export and delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.

All cooperatives and all dairy farmers benefit from CWT’s activities and should add their support to this important program in 2019 and beyond. Membership forms for 2019-2021 are available at http://www.cwt.coop/membership.

NMPF has announced its support for the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (H.R. 4916), a bipartisan immigration bill that advances agriculture immigration reform sponsored by Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Congressman Dan Newhouse (R-WA). NMPF worked closely with the bill’s authors and other members of Congress to develop the measure.

The legislation works to address the dairy industry’s two key priorities by providing legal status to current agricultural workers and their families and reforming the H-2A guest-worker visa program to permit dairy and other year-round agriculture sectors to participate. The efforts of Chairman Lofgren and Representative Newhouse, both longtime champions for agricultural labor reform, are greatly appreciated by dairy farmers, who cannot wait any longer for action.

“America’s dairy farmers are eager to advance and improve this legislation as it moves through the Congress,” said Mike McCloskey, dairy farmer and chairman of NMPF’s Immigration Taskforce. “As producers of a year-round product, dairy farmers face a unique labor crisis because our jobs are not seasonal or temporary. From our years of work on these issues, we know first-hand just how hard immigration reform is. But we simply cannot and will not stop working to find a solution. Dairy needs workers for our industry to sustain itself. It’s that simple, and it’s that dire.”

Jim Mulhern, NMPF President and CEO, thanked the lawmakers for putting forward this essential step for agriculture labor reform, saying the bill is a critical first step in the process of getting a measure enacted into law during this Congress.

“We have supported numerous efforts to address dairy’s acute labor needs. Passing legislation in the House is a critical step in the process.  We urge the Senate to work with us on this important issue so we can get an ag worker bill across the finish line in this Congress,” Mulhern said. “The bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act provides an important starting point for badly needed improvements to agriculture immigration policy. NMPF would like to thank Chairwoman Lofgren and Congressman Newhouse for their bipartisan leadership, and we look forward to continuing to work with them as this important legislation moves forward.”