A group of bipartisan lawmakers is ready to present an infrastructure package to the Senate. It comes as a coalition of ag groups, Farmers for Free Trade, urges Congress to act quickly. The group includes farmers, truckers, and port workers who say that upgrades are vital if we are to compete on a global scale. The National Milk Producers Federation is among the coalition. NMPF Senior Vice President for Communications Alan Bjerga recently discussed the biggest hurdles facing the milk industry on RFD-TV.
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FAQ: COVID-19 Vaccinations and Dairy’s Safe Return to “Normal”
Dairy farms and their cooperatives are an important part of the National Vaccine Month of Action, a push to ensure that 70 percent of U.S. adults have at least one shot by July 4. COVID-19 vaccinations provide safe and effective protection from a pandemic that has taken the lives of nearly 600,000 Americans. See below for information about the vaccine, its availability and what to expect after you and your workforce are fully vaccinated.
Why should I get a COVID-19 vaccine?
- COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective at preventing COVID-19. Based on what CDC knows about vaccines for other diseases and early data from clinical trials, experts believe that getting a COVID-19 vaccine also helps keep you from getting seriously ill even if you do get COVID-19.
- COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. The development of the COVID-19 vaccines did not cut corners on testing for safety and efficacy. The vaccines were made using processes that have been developed and tested over many years, and which are designed to make — and thoroughly test — vaccines quickly in case of an infectious disease pandemic like COVID-19.
- Once you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing more. After you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing some things that you stopped doing because of the pandemic.
- Time is of the essence. Waiting too long to be vaccinated allows the coronavirus to continue spreading in the community, with new variants emerging. Severe COVID-19 can be very dangerous: The sooner you get vaccinated, the sooner you are protected.
How do I find a COVID-19 vaccine?
Visit Vaccines.gov to find vaccination providers near you. You can also text your zip code to 438829 or call 1-800-232-0233 to find vaccine locations near you.
What safety measures are recommended once you have been fully vaccinated?
Authorized vaccines are highly effective at protecting vaccinated people against symptomatic and severe COVID-19. According to the CDC, fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state and local rules, and regulations.
Employees should still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if they have been around someone who is sick. Employees with symptoms of COVID-19 should get tested and stay home and away from others.
How can I help my workforce get vaccinated?
Employers can help employees who seek vaccination by removing barriers that may prevent them from doing so. They can also encourage vaccination by offering incentives. Ways to support employees include:
- Leading by example.
- Helping to identify when and where workers can get vaccinated.
- Offering internet access or language support services to help employees schedule appointments.
- Relieving concerns about vaccine costs
- Providing paid time off to employees who get vaccinated.
- Providing transportation to and from vaccine appointments.
- Partnering with a local public health department or other providers to offer on-site vaccinations to employees.
- Considering providing small prizes, rewards or other modest financial incentives to employees who get vaccinated.
What measures should employers take once employees are vaccinated?
Fully vaccinated employees may be able to start doing some things they had stopped doing because of the pandemic. However, vaccinated employees may still need to take steps to protect themselves and others in many situations due to the presence of others who are non-vaccinated and the continued circulation of the virus. Employers should continue to follow CDC’s Guidance for Businesses and Employers Responding to COVID-19.
Can my business require proof of COVID-19 vaccination?
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has indicated in recent guidance that it is generally permissible for employers to ask employees about COVID-19 vaccination status. That’s because this simple question alone is not likely to elicit information from the employee about possible medical conditions, an inquiry that otherwise would invoke federal or state disability laws.
If you require proof of vaccination, you should ask the employee to provide documentation from the immunization source showing the date(s) the vaccine was administered. To avoid potential legal issues related to this process, you should affirmatively inform employees that they do not need to provide any additional medical or family history information.
More Resources
- Coronavirus Resources, NMPF
- COVID-19 Vaccination & the Food and Agriculture Sector, FDA
- Workplace Vaccination Program, CDC
- Essential Workers in Agriculture Toolkit, COVID-19 Community Corps
NMPF’s Bjerga Discusses CEO’s Corner, Trade Growth
NMPF’s Senior Vice President for Communications, Alan Bjerga, discusses NMPF’s “CEO’s Corner” for June, which deals with U.S. dairy’s growing leadership in sustainable dairy exports. The monthly thought-leadership series highlights key dairy issues of the day from an NMPF perspective and is part of the organization’s “Sharing Our Story” initiative that spotlights farmer voices and industry commentary. Bjerga spoke on WEKZ radio, Janesville, Wisconsin.
U.S. Dairy has “Big Wide World” of Trade Opportunity, NMPF’s Morris Says
All of agriculture will benefit from U.S. insistence that trade agreements be enforced, even as dairy seeks export opportunities around the globe, says Shawna Morris, NMPF’s Senior Vice President for Trade.
“Having the willingness to be able to go ahead and enforce what’s needed when it becomes clear that, that’s what’s required, we think sets a good tone,” said Morris in a Dairy Defined podcast released today, referring to the U.S. Trade Representative’s recent decision to pursue a dispute settlement over Canadian practices related to the USMCA trade deal.
Meanwhile, even as existing agreements need enforcement, new deals must be pursued, she said. “One of the biggest things that’s on our radar is simply the drum beat about the importance of pursuing new market opportunities,” she said. “USMCA is a piece of that. We want to make sure the market opportunities we got in that agreement just last year, we maximize, but it’s a big wide world out there.”
The full podcast is here. You can also find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts. Broadcast outlets may use the MP3 file. Please attribute information to NMPF.
CWT-Assisted Export Dairy Sales in May Top Six Million Pounds
The 58 contracts Cooperatives Working Together member cooperatives secured in May added 3.4 million pounds of American-type cheeses, 524,700 pounds of butter, 908,305 pounds of whole milk powder, 1.6 million pounds of cream cheese, and 4,409 pounds of anhydrous milkfat to CWT-assisted sales in 2021. These products will go customers in Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, and South America, and are being shipped May through October.
CWT-assisted 2021 dairy product sales contracts total 17.9 million pounds of cheese, 10.4 million pounds of butter, 7.1 million pounds of anhydrous milkfat (AMF), 6.9 million pounds of cream cheese and 16.6 million pounds of whole milk powder. This brings the total milk equivalent for the year to over three-quarters of a billion pounds on a milkfat basis. All these products are scheduled to ship in the first ten months of 2021.
Exporting dairy products is critical 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, or whole milk powder, 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.
Virtual FARM Meetings Continue
Registration is now available for the 2021 FARM Evaluator Conference which will be held virtually July 20-21. The conference will include program area specific Town Halls and sessions focused on best practices for safety training, the profitability of quality animal care and Biosecurity – FARM’s newest program area. Evaluation resumption will be a significant focus of the discussion time. Evaluators will also be able to ask questions, learn about the FARM Program’s progress since last year, and meet new staff members.
NMPF and the FARM Program will host this year’s Virtual Dairy Industry Stakeholder Summit on July 14-15. All companies and organizations who serve the dairy industry are invited to join the virtual meeting for an organizational overview and discussions on current policy work, FARM program priorities and industry initiatives. Sessions will run from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. ET each day.
FARM Receives PAACO Certification
The Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO) has certified the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Animal Care Program as an approved animal welfare evaluation. PAACO provides training and certification credentials for animal welfare auditors and audits for all sectors of food animal production.
“PAACO’s certification of FARM Animal Care affirms our commitment to the highest standards of animal welfare,” says Emily Yeiser Stepp, Vice President of the FARM Program. “This provides another layer of assurance to the supply chain that FARM is a comprehensive and rigorous tool that ensures dairy products are produced responsibly.”
To receive PACCO certification, the FARM Program went through a thorough review process of its Animal Care Version 4 standards, resources and evaluator training materials as compared to standards set by the PAACO Board of Directors. The review ensured that the FARM Program evaluation includes all the key components required for evaluation of livestock animal welfare and is committed to continuous improvement. “The FARM program has met requirements for audit structure, auditor expectations, and oversight and measurement of animal outcomes, facilities, and documentation” said PAACO Executive Director Collette Kaster.
FARM staff will also participate as members of the instruction team for PAACO dairy welfare auditor trainings. PAACO auditor certifications provide professional development opportunities for those looking to grow their animal welfare evaluating skillset.
PAACO was developed in 2004 in response to the growing use of animal welfare audits by the retail and food service sectors. This created the need for training, certification, and continuing education. Since its creation, PAACO’s vision is to be the trusted authority on animal welfare auditing, providing consistency and science-based training of auditors as well as rigorous, science-based audit standards.
Dairy Defined Podcast Offers Sponsorship Opportunities
NMPF invites business and organizations to reach their customers and key audiences through sponsoring an episode of the Dairy Defined podcast. NMPF’s biweekly podcast is essential listening for dairy and the broader agriculture community. Guests on crucial dairy-related topics have included USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, the chairs of both the House and Senate agriculture committees, experts on key agricultural issues such as climate change, and more. Dairy Defined has even profiled an Olympic athlete training for the Tokyo games on a dairy farm.
The Dairy Defined podcast is available on all major listening platforms and online at www.nmpf.org. Since its launch in September 2019, its episodes have been downloaded over 25,000 times. Sponsorship will help significantly expand that reach and help build true partnerships with its listeners.
Sponsorship includes:
- Exclusive sponsorship of an episode, including your organization’s name and logo in the episode description published online;
- A 30-second advertisement scripted by the sponsor and read by the podcast host;
- Recognition on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, with a minimum of one post per platform; and
- $150 in social media advertising promoting each sponsored episode.
Click here to request more information.
Dairy Voice Network Launches
NMPF hosted the first in its series of virtual training sessions for the Dairy Voice Network May 25. The program, which aims to help farmer leaders further develop their roles as dairy advocates, kicked off with a “Spokesperson 101: How to Lead Dairy Through a Media Minefield” training led by NMPF’s Alan Bjerga, senior vice president of communications.
The Dairy Voice Network is tasked with equipping a select group of dairy farmers with the tools necessary to communicate to the broader public about issues important to the dairy community. Participants are undergoing training through one-on-one coaching and virtual sessions on working with the media to effectively communicate dairy’s message in interviews.
The program’s 31 participants, representing 11 member cooperatives and 17 states, were nominated by their cooperatives earlier this year and reflect a diverse dairy community, with farms ranging in size from 45 to 10,000 cows. The second session, held June 1, featured a panel on subject-matter expertise from NMPF senior vice presidents Paul Bleiberg and Shawna Morris, who respectively lead NMPF government relations and trade functions, along with Chief Science Office Jamie Jonker; and an interviewing sessions and training led by Bjerga and Senior Vice President for Membership Services and Strategic Initiatives Chris Galen.
Net Zero Initiative Policy Path Moves Forward
NMPF worked throughout May to leverage regulatory and legislative opportunities to improve dairy farmer access to financial resources as well as voluntary ecosystem services trading markets that enhance affordability and revenue opportunities, continues its advocacy on behalf of U.S. dairy farmers as global leaders in addressing climate change,.
These most recent efforts included comments to USDA to improve NRCS conservation practice standards to meet real-world dairy farm needs; meeting with FDA to streamline regulatory approval of feed additives which may reduce enteric methane; and working through coalitions such as the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance to advocate for legislation to make access to voluntary ecosystem service markets easier.
NMPF on April 29 submitted a series of comments to USDA on the Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. President Biden issued the Executive Order on Jan. 27 “to pursue action at home and abroad in order to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of that crisis and to seize the opportunity that tackling climate change presents. Domestic action must go hand in hand with United States international leadership, aimed at significantly enhancing global action.” The comments spoke to the ability of U.S. dairy and U.S. agriculture in general to be environmental solutions to climate change. The three sets of comments are:
New Directors Join NMPF Board
NMPF’s Board of Directors has welcomed five new members this spring, from four member cooperatives. New members include: Melvin Medeiros and Ed Gallagher from Dairy Farmers of America; Duane Hershey from Land O’Lakes; Tony Freeman from Northwest Dairy Association; and Craig Caballero from United Dairymen of Arizona.
They are replacing retiring board directors Case Van Steyn and Greg Wickham of DFA; Levi Ransom of LOL; Leroy Plagerman of NDA; and Keith Murfield of UDA.
DMC Margin Payment Falls in April as Milk Prices Improve
The April payment under the Dairy Margin Coverage program fell $0.48/cwt from March to $2.56/cwt for $9.50/cwt coverage, as higher milk prices that easily outstripped rising corn costs boosted margins. The April U.S. average all-milk price rose a full dollar per hundredweight from a month earlier to $18.40/cwt, while the April DMC feed cost calculation was $0.52/cwt higher, due almost entirely to a higher corn price.
Current futures prices indicate that the DMC program margins will continue to rise at a moderate pace, thus reducing monthly payments, and surpass $9.50/cwt by late summer. USDA reported last week that as of May 24, estimated DMC payments for this year have exceeded $344 million.
