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.

ARLINGTON, VA. – The National Milk Producers Federation today announced it has reached a settlement agreement to end a class-action lawsuit concerning a herd retirement program that ended in 2010 and was administered through NMPF’s Cooperatives Working Together initiative. The settlement will safeguard ongoing efforts to aid U.S. dairy producers, lift a years-long legal cloud and allow NMPF member cooperatives and the current CWT program to move forward with greater legal and fiscal certainty.

The plaintiffs (generally larger retailers and companies who directly purchased butter and cheese from CWT member cooperatives) in First Impressions Salon, Inc. v. National Milk Producers Federation et al, (pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois), and defendant NMPF have agreed to a settlement of $220 million in exchange for a release from all claims. Based on antitrust rules that mandate a tripling of any damages, that amount is less than 6 percent of the damages sought by plaintiffs. The settlement amount will be paid through existing CWT mechanisms, ensuring no disruption to other business operations.

Neither NMPF nor any of its member cooperatives admit any wrongdoing as a result of this settlement. NMPF is the sole defendant to be a party to the settlement, but the settlement extinguishes claims against all the defendants.

“There is no way to sugarcoat a settlement of this size, especially given that the Herd Retirement Program was a well-publicized effort designed to serve dairy producers in difficult times and was praised by two Secretaries of Agriculture as well as leading members of Congress,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF, the nation’s largest organization representing dairy farmers. “Given the potential damages and the uncertainties surrounding any jury trial, resolving this case eliminates the possibility of a truly crippling outcome. Lifting this cloud will aid us in our work advancing the well-being of U.S. dairy producers, which includes the current robust CWT export assistance program.”

The plaintiffs’ litigation sought damages relating to the so-called Herd Retirement Program operated under Cooperatives Working Together. The program offered dairy farmers financial incentives to market their milking herds for beef. It operated between 2003 to 2010 and was openly lauded by USDA secretaries and congressional agriculture committee chairmen from both parties at the time as an important, appropriate way to help struggling dairy farmers.

NMPF’s decision to enter into this settlement recognized the uncertainties inherent in any jury trial, the very large damages sought by the plaintiffs and the fact that the successful Export Assistance Program is entirely unaffected by the settlement.  In 2018, CWT assistance aided 57 percent of American-type cheese exports, 44 percent of butter exports, and 39 percent of whole-milk powder shipments, helping U.S. dairy producers expand trade relationships in an extremely challenging world trade environment.

(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