Over 160 farm, food and agriculture organizations today sent a letter to the White House Coronavirus Task Force calling for the federal government to take additional steps and devote new resources to help farmers, ranchers and growers across the country protect their employees from the novel coronavirus.

“Farmers continue to do our best to provide a safe workspace for all employees, promoting safety on and off the farm. Across the agriculture sector, employers have instituted best practices including social distancing, enhanced hygiene and sanitation procedures, employee training, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE),” the letter states. “With the broad strain on PPE availability, testing, and other resources, however, we ask for your help as we continue to promote the health and safety of our farm employees and rural communities.”

Among the actions the groups recommend that the Task Force take are:

• Adapting farmworker housing requirements to facilitate greater social distancing and allow for the use of alternative housing structures;
• Ensuring that COVID-19 testing resources are accessible to agricultural employers and their employees and that results are available in a timely fashion;
• Helping farmers offset the costs of COVID-19 mitigation expenses, while maintaining existing farm programs, by increasing Commodity Credit Corporation funds;
• Prioritize PPE and future vaccine distribution for the food and fiber supply chain;
• Leverage networks, in cooperation with states, counties, associations and community-based non-profits, to address the areas of community exposure risks to our workforce that are outside the occupational setting and ensure care is available and accessible to those who become ill, even in rural communities.

The letter notes that across many of these recommendations, expanding the pandemic response beyond the farm gate and into farming communities will be critical to ensuring the well-being of employees, their families and their neighbors.

A copy of the letter is available here.

 

About the Agriculture Workforce Coalition

The Agriculture Workforce Coalition (AWC) brings together organizations representing the diverse needs of agricultural employers across the country. AWC serves as the unified voice of agriculture in the effort to ensure that America’s farmers, ranchers and growers have access to a stable and secure workforce. For more information, please visit www.agworkforcecoalition.org.

One year ago, Dairy Defined debuted with a simple piece of myth-busting, noting that, for all the vegan-activist-inspired dreams of the “death of dairy,” dairy products are growing only more popular, with U.S. per-capita consumption at a 56-year high. This information is now out of date.

U.S. per capita dairy consumption is no longer at a 56-year high. It’s at a 60-year high.

Increases in cheese and butter use last year pushed per-capita U.S. dairy to its most popular year since 1960. (People ate a little more ice cream too, but not thaaattt much more. Nothing to feel guilty about. Really.) Here’s the trend since 1975, when declining consumption stabilized and began to rise.

Yes, fluid-milk consumption dropped a little bit, and that’s always what dairy opponents like to cite when they talk about “decline.” Much of that decline, as we’ve noted, has to do with the rise of bottled water sales, not fake milk. But other dairy products more than offset the small fluid loss, with butter demand at its highest in more than five decades and cheese reaching another record, doubling its per-capita consumption from its levels during (speaking of cheese) the days of disco.

Even the fluid-milk numbers had its positives — whole milk consumption, for example, continued to rise, proving again that consumers are continually discovering that the more their milk tastes like milk, the more they like it. It’s worth noting that because these numbers are from 2019, aka Year 1 P.C. (Pre-COVID), it’s too early to tell how the pandemic will affect numbers next year. Restaurant and school disruptions have been a struggle that’s caused hardship for dairy producers. But robust retail sales bode well for the future, as did the emphatic vote of confidence dairy received from consumers when crisis set in.

Raise a glass to another milestone year in dairy demand. At Dairy Defined, the work of refuting the “death of dairy” is feeling a little bit easier than a year ago, though doing so remains as satisfying as ever, knowing that sometimes, actual facts still can carry the day. But the work is never done, as new myths inevitably arise. We look forward to dispelling them.

Following the USDA’s announcement last week of a new round of disaster assistance to agricultural producers, with signup beginning today, the National Milk Producers Federation has created a resource guide to help farmers understand and apply for the program. The toolbox, part of NMPF’s ongoing service to the dairy community during the coronavirus crisis, includes a breakdown of what the latest Coronavirus Food Assistance Program includes for dairy, as well as a link to relevant application resources.

“Helping dairy farmers understand complex government programs to gain their full benefits is especially important during this challenging time,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “The best way to do that is to be there at the beginning, and we hope farmers will find these resources useful as they consider their options, starting today.”

Highlights of the so-called CFAP 2.0 include:

• A dairy payment amounting to $1.20-per-hundredweight on a farm’s production during the last nine months of 2020. Dairy payments will be based on actual milk production from April 1 to Aug. 31, 2020. Milk production for Sept. 1, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2020, will be estimated by FSA, using daily average production from the April-August base period of known production.
• 100% of the payment will be made once a farm’s eligibility is determined, meaning there will be no 20% holdback as with earlier assistance.
• For dairy beef, producers are eligible for cattle inventory payment on bull calves and dairy steers, but not for breeding stock. The payment is $55-per-head on eligible cattle in inventory on a date between April and the end of August selected by the producer.
• Significantly, this round’s payment limitation provision has been expanded to include trusts and estates for both rounds of CFAP payments, meaning those who were disadvantaged by restrictive trust-related payment interpretations in the first round will have their situation resolved for that round as well as in the latest tranche of aid. The application of direct attribution is also modified so payment limits won’t be reduced based on ownership shares, providing more equitable support to dairy farmers of various ownership structures.

A full range of coronavirus-related materials to help guide dairy producers, processors and allied businesses is available at nmpf.org/coronavirus. NMPF also has set up a separate webpage dedicated to resources to help dairy farmers struggling through natural disasters. That’s at nmpf.org/disaster-resources/.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Friday announced information on the second round of Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) payments, which will provide additional aid to dairy farmers due to losses generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are a producer whose operation has been impacted, you are likely eligible for this second round of direct support. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting CFAP 2 applications now through Dec. 11, 2020. See below and visit farmers.gov/cfap for more information.

 

AVAILABLE SUPPORT

The dairy payment will amount to $1.20/cwt. on a farm’s production during the last nine months of 2020. Dairy payments will be based on actual milk production from April 1 to Aug. 31, 2020. Milk production for Sept. 1, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2020, will be estimated by FSA, using daily average production from the April-August base period of known production.

For dairy beef, producers are eligible for cattle inventory payment on bull calves and dairy steers, but not for breeding stock. The beef payment is $55 per head on eligible cattle in inventory on a date selected by the producer between April and the end of August. Click here for a full list of eligible commodities and payment rates.

100 percent of the payment will be made once a farm’s eligibility is determined.

 

ELIGIBILITY

Dairy operations applying for CFAP 2 must be producing and commercially marketing milk at the time of application. Dairy operations that dissolve or have dissolved on or after Sept. 1, 2020 are eligible for a prorated payment for the number of days the dairy operation commercially markets milk from Sept. 1, 2020, through Dec. 31, 2020. Dairy operations that dissolve before Sept. 1, 2020, are ineligible for CFAP 2 payments.

Producers will also have to certify they meet the Adjusted Gross Income limitation of $900,000 unless at least 75 percent of their income is derived from farming, ranching or forestry-related activities. Producers must also be complying with Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation provisions.

 

PAYMENT LIMITATIONS

The payment limitation per person or entity, for all commodities combined, is $250,000. Entities structured as corporations, limited liability companies, or limited partnerships may qualify for additional payment limits when members actively provide at least 400 hours of personal labor or personal management for the farming operation.

Due to NMPF’s persistent lobbying of Congress and USDA about payment restrictions affecting farms held in family trusts, this version’s payment limitation provision is expanded to include trusts and estates for both CFAP 1 and 2, meaning those who were disadvantaged by restrictive trust-related payment interpretations in the first round will have their situation resolved for that round, as well as Round 2. The application of direct attribution has also been modified both for CFAP 1 and 2, so that payment limits will not be reduced based on ownership shares. Previously, each owner’s share of the operation was applied to the payment limitation, not to the overall CFAP payment to which the operation is entitled, but Friday’s announcement solves that problem for both rounds of the program.

 

HOW TO APPLY

Producers can apply for assistance beginning Sept. 21, 2020. Applications will be accepted through Dec. 11, 2020.

Additional information and application forms may be found at farmers.gov/cfap. Documentation to support the producer’s application and certification may be requested. All other eligibility forms, such as those related to adjusted gross income and payment information, may be downloaded from farmers.gov/cfap/apply. For existing FSA customers, including those who participated in CFAP 1, many documents are likely already on file. Producers should check with their FSA county offices to see if any forms need to be updated.

Customers seeking one-on-one support with the CFAP 2 application process can call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer assistance. This is a recommended first step before a producer engages with the team at the FSA county office.

 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• USDA Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Webpage
• Coronavirus Food Assistance Program FAQ
• NMPF Applauds Latest Disaster Assistance Efforts, Calls for Further Legislation

Visit www.nmpf.org/coronavirus for a full listing of coronavirus resources for dairy farmers and co-ops. Please email info@nmpf.org with questions or comments about CFAP 2 and how it is being administered in your local office.

The National Milk Producers Federation thanked President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for providing additional support to dairy through its latest round of disaster assistance to agricultural producers, as well as Congress for providing the funding in the CARES Act in the spring.

“Federal dairy assistance has been critically needed as the nation’s dairy farmers face economic uncertainty and markets that remain anything but normal,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “We look forward to learning more of the plan’s details to better understand how this will help producers who have been dealing with COVID-19 disruptions, challenges compounded in recent days by natural disasters.”

NMPF is activating its grassroots advocacy to assist in its efforts to meet dairy’s needs. More information on how to help can be found at NMPF’s new “Take Action” page. Additional resources to help the dairy community meet the coronavirus challenge can be found at www.nmpf.org/coronavirus. NMPF has also launched a page to assist producers affected by natural disasters, https://www.nmpf.org/disaster-resources/.

A recent Midwest windstorm, wildfires raging across western states and an active hurricane season are adding natural disasters to the many challenges dairy farmers are facing in this year of COVID-19. To help them better prepare for and respond to these crises, the National Milk Producers Federation has created a new webpage for dairy farmers, www.nmpf.org/disaster-resources, offering natural-disaster-related resources and information.

“2020 has been difficult enough with the COVID-19 pandemic. But as with COVID-related disruptions, NMPF is here to help its members and the broader dairy community,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF.

Many producers are facing urgent needs to take precautions to protect themselves, their workforce and their livestock. And because emergencies and disasters can occur at any time and without warning regardless of where a farm is located, all producers should consider developing or updating Emergency Action Plans on their farms. NMPF’s page includes information compiled from authoritative sources on topics ranging from fire safety for livestock to on-farm hurricane preparation and the USDA’s Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool.

Election-year politics is complicating efforts to push additional agriculture aid through Congress, but already-authorized spending may allow USDA to aid dairy farmers facing unstable roller-coaster prices and shifting supply chains, said Paul Bleiberg, NMPF’s vice president for government relations, in an NMPF podcast.

An announcement on what mix of disaster assistance and direct purchases farmers may receive is expected “very soon,” Bleiberg said. That spending was provided for in legislation passed earlier this year offering relief from coronavirus-related price and supply-chain disruptions. But for any additional infusions to occur, dairy farmers may need to pin their hopes on a spending bill Congress needs to pass to keep the government funded this year, rather than any broader coronavirus related program, he said.

“Political needs and pressures are going to dominate everything that happens in the Capitol,” he said. “They will find some path forward to keep the government funded past Sept. 30. Beyond that, I don’t expect too much to get done.”

Bleiberg also discusses dairy’s political strength in key swing states this year, and how dairy producers can make their voices heard on issues ranging from farm programs to fake milk, in the full podcast here. You can also find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,  SoundCloud and Google Play. Broadcast outlets may use the MP3 file below. Please attribute information to NMPF.

It’s been more than six months now that COVID-19 has upended supply chains and strained markets, yet dairy farmers and their workers have continued to milk, feed, clean and provide high-quality care for their animals. Producers have worked hard to make sure their farms continue to be a safe place for workers. Personal protective equipment has become an even greater priority in the milking parlor and has become commonplace during farm visits and virus-necessitated activities. Stepped-up sanitation measures also have been implemented to prevent the spread of disease, as have social distancing measures and additional training.

Managers must remain vigilant so as not to jeopardize the health of their workforce, their families and their communities. Guidance for the prevention and management of coronavirus on dairy farms is listed below. Visit www.nmpf.org/coronavirus for additional resources and the latest updates.

• Employee Health and Food Safety Checklist for Human and Animal Food Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic, FDA and OSHA
• Interim Guidance for Agriculture Workers and Employers, CDC and U.S. Department of Labor
• Agricultural Employer Checklist for Creating a COVID-19 Assessment and Control Plan, CDC
• Dairy Farmer Handbook on Coronavirus Prevention and Management, NMPF
• Recommended Protocols for Dairy Farms When an Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19, NMPF
• COVID-19 Recommendations for Dairy: What to Do on Your Farm, Center for Dairy Excellence
• COVID-19 and Your Dairy, Cornell Cooperative Extension
• Use of Respirators, Facemasks, and Cloth Face Coverings in the Food and Agriculture Sector During COVID-19, FDA
• COVID-19 Agricultural Employer Training Guide, UC Davis

Resources in Spanish

• Interim Guidance for Agriculture Workers and Employers, CDC and U.S. Department of Labor
• Dairy Farmer Handbook on Coronavirus Prevention and Management, NMPF
• Staying Proactive on the Farm: COVID-19, Adapted from Dairy Farmers of America materials
• Poster: What You Need to Know Now About Coronavirus (COVID-19) on Your Dairy, Alltech
• Video: COVID-19 Recommendation for Agricultural Workers, Cornell Cooperative Extension
• Video: What is a Virus and How Can We Protect Our Loved Ones? Alltech

REMINDER: The signup deadline for USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program is Friday, September 11. Click here for more information.

Many of the workers who most deserve celebration this unique Labor Day aren’t taking the day off.

That’s because they’re in hospitals, working on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. They’re taking extra time to prepare classrooms, hoping their efforts might lower the risk of an outbreak as students return. And they’re working on dairy farms, because wholesome nutrition is a never-ending need. Cows don’t stop producing milk because it’s a holiday. Dairy never stops, and neither will its workforce.

They deserve recognition every day, but today presents us a unique opportunity.

Even as technology becomes an ever-greater part of agriculture, much of dairy farming remains labor-intensive. Cows must be fed and milked two or three times a day, 365 days a year, around the clock. Many farmers rely on skilled workers and or family to care for their animals, milk cows and tend crops. The average dairy farm has five employees, and larger farms even more, making success a team effort. Together, dairy farmers, dairy workers and their families are pillars of rural communities nationwide.

That’s been especially true this year. As COVID-19 has upended supply chains and strained markets, dairy farmers and their workers have continued to milk, feed, clean, and provide the high-quality care for their animals. In the first days of the crisis, these workers were deservedly recognized as part of the nation’s essential critical infrastructure, an acknowledgement of the importance of their work. Their efforts have kept milk, cheese, and other dairy products in stores, refrigerators, food banks, and meal programs for children and seniors, providing essential nutrients in the diets of millions of Americans.

Dairy farms large and small have worked hard to make sure their farms continue to be  a safe place for workers. Personal protective equipment has become an even greater priority in the milking parlor and has become commonplace during farm visits and virus-necessitated activities. Stepped-up sanitation measures also have been implemented to prevent the spread of disease, as have social distancing measures and additional training.

When Prairie Farms Dairy workers donated milk to community members in need in Illinois, masks were mandatory. Meanwhile, managers at Fair Oaks Farm in Indiana have been trained in capacity limitations for buildings and exhibits and are required to complete a health check assessment prior to returning to work and before each shift. Examples like these abound across the country. Together, the dairy industry through its FARM program has developed guidelines to reduce risk and prevent and control the spread of coronavirus in the workplace and on the farm, and farmers are continuing to adjust their operations based on federal guidance and these industry best practices.

Aside from the coronavirus, other challenges continue, and some are getting worse. A big challenge  for the dairy workforce – part of an agricultural labor sector that is over half composed of immigrants – is that there simply aren’t enough native workers eager to work on dairy farms despite being offered higher wages and benefits. (Dairy farmers can speak out on their labor needs here.) NMPF has pursued agricultural labor reform for decades – the House of Representatives got closer to it late last year with the imperfect, but promising, Farm Workforce Modernization Act, but urgent attention to COVID-19 stopped progress cold in the Senate.

But like dairy farming itself, efforts to improve dairy’s labor situation can’t stop either. The H-2A guest-worker visa program, used by many in agriculture to attract seasonal foreign labor, doesn’t fit dairy’s year-round needs, but with a few tweaks could be improved to be workable. Without solutions, workforce uncertainty continues to harm individuals, businesses and communities. And dairy will continue to push for solutions.

What is certain is that dairy farmers working side by side with their workers will continue to rise to provide the nation with the healthy food it needs. Just as coronavirus has made people think more about who’s working to provide their food, the importance of those workers is as clear as ever. Dairy farmers are proud of the hard work that happens every day on their farms. And for everyone who today is getting a much-needed rest – we hope with a delicious dairy product – remember, as you enjoy it, that many of the people who helped get it to you are still on the job. And give thanks for their labor.

Cooperatives Working Together in August assisted member cooperatives in securing 48 contracts to sell 2.4 million pounds of American-type cheeses, 645,955 pounds of butter (82%), 518,086 pounds of anhydrous milkfat, 4.7 million pounds of whole milk powder, and 641,545 pounds of cream cheese. The product is going to customers in 16 countries in Asia, Central America, the Middle East, Oceania, and South America. The product will be shipped during the months of August 2020 through February 2021.

These contracts bring the 2020 total of the CWT-assisted product sales contracts to 74.255 million pounds of cheese, 6.934 million pounds of butter, 1.982 million pounds of anhydrous milkfat, 5.023 million pounds of cream cheese and 36.019 million pounds of whole milk powder. These transactions bring the total milk equivalent CWT will assist member cooperatives moving overseas to 736.3 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis overseas.

Exporting dairy products is critical during these challenging times to the viability of dairy farmers and their cooperatives across the country. Whether or not a cooperative is actively engaged in exporting cheese, butter, anhydrous milkfat, cream cheese, pasteurized process cheese, or whole milk powder, the moving products into world markets is essential. CWT provides a means to move domestic dairy products to overseas markets by helping to overcome U.S. dairy’s trade disadvantages.

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 dairy farmers are encouraged to add their support to this important program. Membership forms are available at http://www.cwt.coop/membership.

NMPF submitted comments to USDA’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda Aug. 1, highlighting the U.S. dairy industry’s sustainability goals and the need for technology and innovation to help us get there.

The agenda was seeking comments in four innovation areas identified in the 2019 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Report. Topics identified in which research and innovation would be the most helpful for the dairy industry include economic and environmental sustainability; producing more competitive dairy products; and increasing job availability.

The comments supported and aligned with comments from Newtrient and DMI to support the 2050 Sustainability Goals and Net Zero Initiative.

“One of the greatest opportunities that exists for dairy farmers is their ability to provide real solutions to many of today’s biggest environmental challenges like carbon emissions, soil health, water quality, and water quantity,” the comments state.

These comments are a part of NMPF’s work for the Net Zero Initiative, which aims to reach carbon neutrality across the entire U.S. dairy industry by 2050.

The National Dairy FARM Program hosted training and recertification for evaluators and trainers in August and also interacted with stakeholders at a virtual field day, creatively continuing its mission of farmer service online.

The training took place on August 17-19 over four virtual sessions. The agenda began with a trainer session covering best practices, key training competencies and facilitation guidance, then moved on to the four evaluator segments: the FARM program itself, how best to communicate while administering an evaluation, a technical review, and animal observation calibration practice. Participants then reviewed material and took the final exam required for recertification. The virtual recertification gave FARM trainers and evaluators a comprehensive learning experience and an opportunity to stay current on their evaluator status.

FARM also participated as an exhibitor in the inaugural virtual Farm Journal Field Days, Aug. 25-27. Farmers viewed and interacted with on-screen trade show “booths” and interacted with sponsor organizations on the online platform. Visitors to the FARM booth watched videos, learned about program areas and asked FARM staff questions.

The event featured keynote speakers Eric Snodgrass, Principal Atmospheric Scientist for Nutrien Ag Solutions; David Kohl, Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Finance and Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech; and Gian Paul Gonzalez, Motivational Speaker, Founder and Director of Hope + Future Foundation.