Grassroots efforts to urge Congress to pass the DAIRY PRIDE Act (DPA) continued during May, with over 600 letters of support sent to lawmakers through NMPF’s Legislative Action Center – a 50-percent increase within the last month. This surge in outreach from dairy farmers was driven by a new Facebook advertising campaign (featuring images such as the one at left) asking NMPF’s online community to express their support for proper dairy product labeling.

In addition, Florida dairy producer Ben Butler of Southeast Milk, Inc., submitted an opinion article to a major southern newspaper. In his op-ed for the Orlando Sentinel, Butler insisted on enforcing the country’s food-labeling laws to better protect milk from imposters.

“People are slowly returning to real, natural food,” he said. “Perhaps the best part about cow’s milk is that it’s been real and natural all along.”

NMPF continues to publish legislative action alerts, news articles, infographics and other materials that advocate support for DPA. NMPF strongly encourages cooperatives to share these materials with staff, producer-members and on social media to garner additional congressional support for the DPA measure.

The bipartisan DAIRY PRIDE Act would require the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to enforce the long-standing regulation that milk must come from an animal source, thus prohibiting plant-based “milks” from using dairy terminology on their labels. NMPF has continued to build support for the House and Senate companion bills since their introduction in late January, including working with farmers to publish several op-ed pieces in major regional newspapers.

To date, congressional support includes Angus King (I-ME), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Jim Risch (R-ID) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) in the Senate; and Reps. Peter Welch (D-VT), Mike Simpson (R-ID), Sean Duffy (R-WI), Joe Courtney (D-CT), David Valadao (R-CA), Susan DelBene (D-WA), Collin Peterson (D-MN), Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), Ron Kind (D-WI), Thomas Rooney (R-FL), James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), Richard Nolan (D-MN), Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and James Comer (R-KY)  in the House.

Cooperatives Working Together assisted member cooperatives last month in winning 54 contracts to sell 8.1 million pounds of cheese and 1.6 million pounds of butter to customers in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Oceania in May 2017. The U.S.-made dairy products will be shipped from May through August 2017.

These transactions raise the total CWT-assisted product sales so far in 2017 to 37.7 million pounds of cheese and 3 million pounds of butter. These sales are going customers in 17 countries in five regions, and will move the equivalent of 415.8 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis overseas through August 2017.

Assisting CWT member cooperatives gain and maintain world market share through the Export Assistance program in the long-term expands the demand for U.S. dairy products and the U.S. farm milk that produces them. This, in turn, positively impacts all U.S. dairy farmers by strengthening and maintaining the value of dairy products that directly impact their milk price.

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 also available on the CWT website.

The U.S. average all-milk price dropped to $16.50 per hundredweight in April, an $0.80 decline from March, as reported by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). This was the fourth straight monthly drop in the benchmark national milk price, driven by lower Class I and Class III federal order prices. The Class III price continued during the spring to come under pressure from milk production growth, which has increased domestic cheese production and stocks.

Compared to March, feed ingredient prices announced by NASS and USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service for April were lower for corn and soybean meal, but higher for alfalfa hay. These feed ingredient price changes were completely offset in the monthly Margin Protection Program (MPP) feed cost formula, which computed the same feed cost of $7.95 per hundredweight in April as it did in March. The MPP monthly margin for April was $8.55 per hundredweight, down from $9.35 per hundredweight in March. This created a bimonthly MPP margin for March-April of $8.95 per hundredweight, meaning there will be no payments for the second of the six two-month windows in 2017.

USDA’s current MPP margin forecast, based on late May CME futures settlements, projects the margin will remain well above $8 per hundredweight during 2017, with virtually no probability that it will fall below the $8 level for the remainder of 2017. USDA’s MPP margin forecasts are updated daily online. NMPF’s Future for Dairy website offers a variety of educational resources to help farmers make better use of the program.

NMPF joined the U.S. dairy community in May to prepare for the formal launch this month of Undeniably Dairy, a new marketing campaign that celebrates the many benefits of dairy foods and dairy farming.

Undeniably Dairy, launched by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy in partnership with dairy farmers through their checkoffs, is a multi-year, multi-stakeholder initiative that brings the dairy community together to spark connections with consumers by sharing stories that build dairy trust and relevance. The campaign underwent a soft launch in mid-May, releasing several short videos promoting the many uses of dairy, and a new logo. NMPF has been actively promoting the campaign, from reserving a section of its website for Undeniably Dairy content, to sharing the videos on its social channels.

“Undeniably Dairy is about re-establishing the connection between the enjoyment of the product and the hard work and pride of the people who make it possible,” said Beth Engelmann, chief marketing communications officer at Dairy Management Inc. “This campaign is unprecedented in that it unifies a vast and diverse dairy industry and array of dairy products behind a single platform.”

To celebrate the start of June Dairy Month and World Milk Day, the initiative formally kicked off June 1. NMPF shared a variety of facts about the positive nutritional contributions of milk during the launch.  Throughout June, consumers will learn more through the campaign about how milk is responsibly produced, as well as farmers’ commitment to their communities, through a partnership with the Food Network. The channel will air the “Dairy, Dairy, Dairy” commercial, along with a farm-to-table profile featuring farmers’ commitment to animals and environmental stewardship.

Also in June, farmers will be featured at Upworthy, a website with a monthly audience of 20 million, by sharing emotionally compelling content. These stories include farmers’ undeniable story of responsible production, economic and community contributions, and people’s love of dairy for its taste, versatility and nutrition.

All relevant Undeniably Dairy social content is available through the Dairy Amplification Center for a link to share on your social channels (non-members can visit this site for information on how to join). Social media users can join the campaign by including the #UndeniablyDairy hashtag when sharing dairy- positive content. NMPF will continue to share fresh Undeniably Dairy content in celebration of June Dairy Month, in addition to highlighting farmers on social media and facts about America’s favorite dairy products.

As the new Trump trade policy team settles into the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) office, NMPF has recommended ways the U.S. government can build on the positive trade balances that America’s dairy sector already enjoys in many key foreign markets. 

USTR, along with the Department of Commerce, asked NMPF and other stakeholders for input on the U.S. balance of trade with 13 partners: Canada, China, European Union (EU), Japan, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

NMPF noted that of the 13 partners listed, the U.S. dairy sector has a trade surplus with 11, excluding only the EU and Switzerland.  In total, the United States exports almost twice as many dairy products to the 13 partners as it imports. The U.S. dairy sector’s top seven dairy export markets included six on the list: Mexico, Canada, China, Korea, Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam (Canada’s inclusion on the list of top dairy export markets is misleading, given that a sizable portion of dairy ingredients imported into Canada for further processing are not consumed there, but are re-exported, often to the United States).

In its recommendation of how trade relations with these nations should be handled, NMPF stated that “any effort to achieve balanced trade by focusing on trade deficits must take into account that for some sectors, including ours, trade surpluses are already in place, and are generating benefits to American farmers, workers and companies. We would strongly support efforts aimed at removing tariff and nontariff barriers to trade that constrain even greater access for U.S. dairy exports. Trade policies aimed at such outcomes would drive further returns to our farm sector and rural communities across the country in particular.”

In its country-specific submissions, NMPF focused on several priorities. These priorities are in line with the trade-promoting approach NMPF has advocated that the Trump Administration pursue, including:  

·        Preserving NAFTA and focusing modernization negotiations on safeguarding those economic sectors that have already been opened to free trade while creating more open trade in other areas, such as in Canada;

·        Encouraging trade negotiations with various Asian trading partners, particularly Japan;

·        Tackling barriers to U.S. exports that hold back the potential for even greater sales, such as:

• Canada’s habitual use of nontariff measures to distort dairy trade;
• Misuse by the EU and Switzerland of geographical indications to seek to monopolize sales of common food products; and
• India’s long-standing refusal to engage in productive negotiations to reopen its dairy market despite benefiting substantially from unilateral access to the U.S. market under the U.S. Generalized System of Preference program.

This comment period provided the opportunity for NMPF to elaborate on many of the market-opening points conveyed to the Trump Administration since the beginning of 2017.  NMPF will continue to share recommendations with the Administration to further expand dairy exports.

Since the beginning of 2017, NMPF has been helping to shape the focus of discussions over the modernization of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In May, the Trump Administration formally launched that process by notifying Congress that it plans to proceed with a renegotiation of the 24-year-old trade pact. NMPF will actively participate in that process through the submission of recommendations on U.S. dairy farmer priority areas, meetings with administration officials and participation in a high-profile NAFTA hearing at the end of June.

As this multi-year effort begins, NMPF’s key message remains clear: Preserve opportunities created through NAFTA (particularly in Mexico); improve on the existing agreement through new rules that ensure a continued growth in commerce; and address remaining tariff and nontariff concerns related to Canada, including the elimination of the Canadian Class 6 and 7 pricing schemes hurting American dairy exports.

To amplify these messages, NMPF has engaged with Congress and the Trump Administration, while sharing its priorities at public discussions about the future of trade across North America. NMPF’s Shawna Morris (right) spoke last month at a National Press Club event held by the Global Business Dialogue that focused on key areas of the NAFTA relationship. The event’s focus aligned with NMPF’s NAFTA goals: “Maintain Mexico; Crack Canada.”

Also in May, the leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Chairman Pat Roberts and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow wrote to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), reinforcing NMPF’s concerns about the impact of Canada’s new Class 6 and 7 pricing systems. The letter asked Trump Administration officials to “evaluate all tools available to help mitigate any damaging effects that directly result from this program and allow U.S. dairy producers to compete with Canada on a level playing field.”

ARLINGTON, VA – As part of the commemoration June 1 of World Milk Day, the National Milk Producers Federation said the public health case for the consumption of milk and other dairy foods is stronger today than ever – a fact that is increasingly recognized by health experts and consumers in the United States and across the globe.

ARLINGTON, VA – As part of the commemoration June 1 of World Milk Day, the National Milk Producers Federation said the public health case for the consumption of milk and other dairy foods is stronger today than ever – a fact that is increasingly recognized by health experts and consumers in the United States and across the globe.

“Today’s celebration – which coincides with the start in the United States of national June Dairy Month – acknowledges the inimitable role that milk and other dairy foods play in our diets,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “The undeniable good news about dairy products starts with its unmatched value as a superfood – no other food source comes close to providing the same nutrition.”

Mulhern noted that each glass of milk represents the No. 1 source in children’s’ diets of nine essential nutrients: Calcium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12, riboflavin and niacin. Over the years, “this consistent nutritional package has earned dairy its unparalleled wholesome reputation – a healthy halo – that consumers recognize and trust. Meeting government nutrient recommendations is extremely difficult without including milk and dairy in your diet.”

He said that the federal Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee found that when foods from the milk family were not part of people’s eating habits, intakes of many key nutrients fell below federal recommendations. In fact, Mulhern said, “milk is the top food source for calcium, potassium and vitamin D, three of the four ‘nutrients of public health concern’ — nutrients that many Americans, including children, are most lacking in their diets,” according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

“Since more than 90 percent of the U.S. population falls short of the recommended three daily servings of milk and milk products, including this fresh, simple and wholesome beverage at mealtimes can play an important role in healthy eating and well-being through adulthood,” he said.

When measured by the price per serving, milk is also one of the most cost-effective means to deliver a wide range of nutrition. Mulhern pointed to research from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which found that dairy is among the most economical foods across a variety of metrics, and that milk was among the lowest-cost sources of protein, vitamin A, calcium, vitamin B-12 and riboflavin.  If families try to replace dairy in their diets, “they will likely have to spend more in order to maintain the same nutrient intake,” he said.

Promoting the irreplaceable nutritional value of milk has been part of NMPF’s focus for the past six months as it has urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to strictly enforce food labeling regulations intended to distinguish between real and imitation dairy foods. FDA regulation says that anything labeled “milk” must be from an animal, but the agency has not enforced this rule “as plant-based food companies continue to co-opt dairy-specific terminology on their nutritionally inferior products,” Mulhern said. “Ignoring food product standards can mislead consumers into believing ‘fake food’ products offer the same nutrition as cow’s milk, which they definitely do not.”

In January, in support of NMPF’s efforts, a bipartisan group of senators and congressmen introduced the DAIRY PRIDE Act (DPA), which would require the FDA to take action to enforce food labeling regulations. NMPF, along with other dairy organizations, continues to build support in the House and Senate for the DPA.

“World Milk Day offers us a great opportunity to remind consumers here at home, and around the world, of the important benefits of real milk. It may have its imitators, but no other product can duplicate or replace the same unprocessed, natural goodness of the real thing,” Mulhern said.

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The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance the well-being of dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. The members of NMPF’s cooperatives produce the majority of the U.S. milk supply, making NMPF the voice of dairy producers on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more on NMPF’s activities, visit our website at www.nmpf.org.

ARLINGTON, VA – The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program, in collaboration with Colorado State University, is conducting a dairy farmer survey to learn more about perceptions of the FARM Program and how it can continue to improve the resources it offers producers.

The voluntary survey will probe producers’ knowledge of the program and the value they think it provides to their operations. The study will help FARM Animal Care better provide cooperatives and farmers with the appropriate guidance and materials required of FARM Program participants. Survey questions address topics such as the producer’s familiarity with the program, where they seek additional FARM Program information, and why stewardship practices, as assessed by FARM, are important to them. Those interested in taking the survey can do so by clicking here.

“Participants in the FARM Program produce more than 98 percent of the U.S. milk supply by volume, so it’s important that we understand producers’ thoughts on how FARM can further positively impact their businesses,” said Emily Meredith, chief of staff for NMPF, which launched the program in 2009. “Just like dairy farms are on a path of continuous improvement, the FARM Program wants to continuously improve how we work with our participants.”

The information gleaned from this survey will help advance the FARM Program by increasing its efficiency and impact for farmers. Improving the FARM Program will also assist the dairy industry in forming uniform objectives on animal welfare, and assist FARM Program staff in understanding and  catering to producers’ needs, Meredith said.

The study, titled “Dairy Producer Perceptions of the National Dairy FARM Program” is being led by Dr. Noa Román-Muñiz and Kayla Calvin from Colorado State University’s Department of Animal Sciences. The survey is confidential and only summarized data will be shared with the primary researchers, so participants cannot be identified directly.

Processors and cooperatives can contact dairyfarm@nmpf.org or Kayla Calvin at Colorado State kaylacalvin26@gmail.com if they want their organization to participate. Individual producers can take the online version or contact the FARM Program to be mailed a copy.

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The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance the well-being of dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. The members of NMPF’s cooperatives produce the majority of the U.S. milk supply, making NMPF the voice of dairy producers on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more on NMPF’s activities, visit our website at www.nmpf.org.

After years of frustrating inaction by government regulators who have failed to protect the integrity of dairy food labels, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can no longer ignore the growing demands that it enforce its own regulations against fake dairy foods. This is a welcome development for the entire dairy chain, which for decades has done a slow burn as the FDA turned a deaf ear to our complaints that standards of identity for products like milk, cheese, and yogurt are being violated by an expanding list of plant-based imitators that are undeniably not dairy foods.

A welcome indication that our effort to challenge the mislabeling of dairy imitators has reached a tipping point is the passage of a resolution at last month’s biennial meeting of the National Conference of Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS).  As FDA officials gathered in Grand Rapids to consult on milk safety issues with state milk regulators and industry groups like NMPF, the conference voted unanimously to ask the FDA to work with them to ensure the proper use of milk product labeling terms.  State officials have witnessed the same concerning trend all of us in the dairy community have seen:  when the regulatory cop is not on the beat, clever marketers will capitalize on that void and violate long-standing food labeling standards by marketing almond “milk," soy “cheese” and rice “yogurt.”  And when the latest “milks” are coming from pulverized quinoa, algae and hemp, it’s past time something needs to be done.

Through the NCIMS resolution, state regulators delivered a clear message that they need federal assistance in the supervision of all products utilizing standardized dairy terms.  This wake-up call to FDA not only should generate clarity for regulators and dairy marketers; ultimately, it also will benefit consumers, who face an increasingly bewildering assortment of imitation dairy products, all wanting to bask in milk’s halo without offering the same consistent level of nutrition.

This same concern is behind efforts on Capitol Hill to pass the Dairy Pride Act, which was introduced in the Senate and House earlier this year.  The DPA is Congress’s expression of distress about FDA’s passivity in the face of an explosion of alt-dairy foods that are in violation of the Code of Federal Regulations.  The Dairy Pride Act doesn’t change those standards of identity; it merely requires the FDA to enforce what’s already on the books.  We’ve been working closely on a bipartisan basis with lawmakers to move the DPA forward. (You can use our website to send a letter to Congress in support of the measure). And I was greatly encouraged by the recent endorsement of the DPA by the American Cheese Society.  “Cultured nut products” calling themselves cheese is yet another disturbing trend that defenders of real dairy foods need to work together to challenge.

Beyond these two important developments, what’s been fascinating to see is how the makers of the plant-based imitators are responding to this pressure.  On the one hand, they’ve dissed the Dairy Pride Act, and the need for FDA to take enforcement action.  But at the same time, they appear to be feeling the heat. Just a few weeks ago they held an industry meeting to review the potential compliance challenges their products may have with FDA’s standards of identity.  Despite their cheeky public disregard of FDA policy, these fake food marketers know full well that they are playing fast and loose with labeling regulations in a manner that exposes them to potential legal liability. They appear to recognize that a continued reliance on FDA to do nothing is a shaky strategy, placing their brands in jeopardy going forward.

So what’s the end game here?  Certainly, there’s a market for dairy alternatives that, while small on a volume basis, is going to be filled by some non-dairy beverages.  We have never contended that consumers should be denied that choice.  But the purpose of government food standards is to prevent false and misleading labeling.  Co-opting the name, imagery and packaging of real milk, while not offering the same nutritional content, is absolutely false and misleading marketing. Other countries actually do a much better job of enforcing milk labeling terminology, which is why terms such as “almondmilk” and “soy milk” are not found on plant beverages sold in the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada. Plant-based imitators in those places have found other ways to label their products.

One big irony is that that if a dairy processor did what purveyors of these fake milks are doing – mixing dried dairy powders (like whey and lactose) with water and selling it in the dairy case as “milk” – consumer advocates and the FDA would be howling about such a deception. Real milk is undeniably dairy. The imitators may try hard to deny their products’ origins through clever formulations and splashy packaging, but the FDA needs to deny them the use of dairy names.

ARLINGTON, VA – The second annual National Dairy FARM Program Evaluator Conference will be held in Indianapolis, Ind., from July 18-19, with an optional farm trip to Fair Oaks Farm on July 20. More than 400 certified FARM Program evaluators will have the chance to network and discuss relevant topics in animal care, environmental stewardship and antibiotic stewardship.

Starting on Tuesday, July 18, FARM evaluators will spend a day with key Elanco staff, focusing on professional development and learning more about Elanco’s global business of feeding a growing population. Wednesday, July 19, features a full day of programming, including presentations on “The Economics of Animal Well-Being,” as well as insight from a panel of farmers and veterinarians on the importance of protocol development and employee training.

“We are excited to host a dedicated group of FARM evaluators for what will be three full days of enlightening conversation and learning,” said Emily Meredith, chief of staff for the National Milk Producers Federation. “Nurturing strong relationships among members of the animal care community will only enhance our ability to share the industry’s great story of top-notch animal care.”

Elanco is also a sponsor for this year’s event, in addition to Zoetis and Merck Animal Health.

Thursday’s optional trip to Fair Oaks Farms includes a tour of the dairy’s facilities and a discussion with co-founder Mike McCloskey, farm veterinarians and management staff about how Fair Oaks implements training and protocols for the high-level care of their animals and land. Located in Fair Oaks, Ind., the agritourism operation offers educational opportunities about dairy, hog and crop farming.

Registration is $199, with the optional Fair Oaks tour costing an additional $50. For more information and to register for the conference, please visit the conference website.

This is the second Evaluator Conference hosted by the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program. The first was held last fall in Nashville, Tenn., after the NMPF Joint Annual Meeting. Created in 2009 by the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), the FARM Program raises the bar for the entire dairy industry – creating a culture of continuous improvement.

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The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance the well-being of dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. The members of NMPF’s cooperatives produce the majority of the U.S. milk supply, making NMPF the voice of dairy producers on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more on NMPF’s activities, visit our website at www.nmpf.org.