NMPF Senior Vice President of Communications Alan Bjerga discusses NMPF’s new resource page for dairy farmers experiencing natural disasters and how that effort, as well as NMPF’s coronavirus page, is set up to serve dairy farmers and all of agriculture in times of need, on the “Adams on Agriculture” podcast.
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.
Resources in Spanish
REMINDER: The signup deadline for USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program is Friday, September 11. Click here for more information.
NMPF Senior Vice President for Policy Strategy and International Trade Jaime Castaneda says the U.S. needs to be careful in how it handles concerns about trade with Mexico of seasonal agricultural products, given the ripple effect Mexican trade has across agriculture. Castaneda also discussed the USMCA trade agreement, dairy sales to China and other issues on the “Adams on Agriculture” podcast.
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.
NMPF submitted comments to USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Aug. 21 supporting enhancements to the National List of Reportable Animal Diseases. These proposed changes will streamline state and federal cooperative animal disease detection, response, and control efforts.
In addition to supporting the proposed enhancements to the National List of Reportable Animal Diseases, NMPF comments included detailed suggestions to provide additional clarity including:
NMPF also encouraged USDA-APHIS to rapidly develop a single portal for both federal and state personnel to receive notifiable disease reports simultaneously, which would minimize paperwork for accredited veterinarians and laboratories. Dual reporting requirements would be made much less burdensome for the states, diagnostic laboratories, and other animal health professionals with such a new information technology system.
Zoonotic and foreign animal diseases remain an ever-present risk to U.S. dairy farmers and their animals, and domestic and international confidence in purchasing U.S. dairy products is intimately tied to the health of the U.S. dairy herd. A foreign animal disease incursion would disrupt the nation’s ability to maintain or expand exports of US dairy products valued at $6.02 billion, or 14.5 percent of production, in 2019.
Building on the robust support that NMPF received for its most recent grassroots advocacy campaign to comment on the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s Scientific Report, the organization’s website has added a permanent feature offering advocates a one-stop-shop for current advocacy efforts. Dairy advocates also have the option to sign up to receive alerts and stay informed on how they can influence federal policies crucial to U.S. dairy farmers and their cooperatives.
NMPF’s new “Take Action” page represents an evolution in grassroots advocacy that takes advantage of the increased opportunities industry advocates have to directly connect to federal officials and to organize on behalf of important issues. The central role federal policies play in the dairy economy, from farmer assistance and nutrition guidelines to international trade rules, makes it increasingly important for dairy farmers and their allies to speak up and make their voices heard.
The new page makes available tools dairy advocates can use to send an email, make a call and use social media to engage with lawmakers in a centralized, user-friendly format. Current advocacy opportunities include writing a letter to urge congressional leaders to prioritize dairy in upcoming disaster assistance and sharing stories about how agriculture labor reform inaction impacts dairy farms and communities.
