NMPF’s Cooperatives Working Together members gained 37 contracts in January to sell 4.288 million pounds of cheese, 2.866 million pounds of butter and 1.866 million pounds of whole milk powder to customers in Asia, Central America, the Middle East, North Africa, Oceania and South America. The product will be shipped from January-July 2016.

These CWT-assisted transactions will move the equivalent of more than 113 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis to customers in 11 countries on five continents.

Helping CWT member cooperatives gain and maintain world market share through the export assistance program expands the demand for U.S. dairy products and the farm milk that produces them. This positively impacts all U.S. dairy farmers by strengthening and maintaining the value of dairy products that directly impact their milk price.

The amount 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.

“In light of the ongoing weakness in world market prices, CWT is again proving to be a very important program to help move U.S. dairy products overseas, thereby improving the supply-demand balance in the domestic market,” NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern said.

All cooperatives and dairy farmers are encouraged to add their support to this valuable program. Membership forms are available online.

The U.S. government has set a goal to conclude trade talks with the European Union on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) by the end of this year. NMPF, USDEC and the International Dairy Foods Association joined last month to meet with the inter-agency team of the U.S. Trade Representative, Department of Agriculture, and Food and Drug Administration, in order to reiterate the importance of focusing TTIP non-tariff dairy discussions on the $1 billion dairy trade deficit between the U.S. and the EU. The united industry message reinforced what dairy organizations have insisted is essential from the outset of TTIP: streamlining and simplifying the EU’s dairy certification requirements by securing approval of the safety of the U.S. dairy system and an accompanying commitment to avoid introducing unwarranted new import requirements.

As the U.S. and EU work to intensify TTIP negotiations this year and the EU pushes aggressively to capitalize on its $1 billion trade advantage, NMPF is focused on ensuring that any potential agreement address the trade barriers confronting U.S. dairy exporters in attempting to access the European market. This focus also includes a strong drive to combat the EU’s efforts to abuse geographical indications as a non-tariff barrier designed to hamper competition from U.S. cheese companies.

“We will oppose any agreement that seeks to impose GI status on generic cheese names, and we are heartened by the strong Congressional support for our view that has been expressed in numerous bi-partisan communications on the subject,” said NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern. “TTIP’s focus needs to be on removing barriers to US dairy exports to the EU and other key global markets, not on allowing the EU to secure protection for its GIs while ignoring the creeping threat of nontariff barriers confronting US exports as a result of the EU’s policies.”

Testifying on behalf of the U.S. Dairy Export Council and NMPF, USDEC President Tom Suber told the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) last month that the U.S. dairy sector is completing its evaluation of the potential impact of the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement finalized last fall.  NMPF and USDEC have collaborated closely on TPP to present a united U.S. dairy industry view on the agreement.  

USITC held three days of hearings to gather information for an economic analysis of TPP as mandated by Trade Promotion Authority legislation. That analysis includes the agreement’s impact on specific business sectors, such as agriculture. The dairy industry testimony, following detailed written comments to USITC submitted jointly by USDEC and NMPF in December, outlined the U.S. dairy sector’s issues and concerns related to TPP.

NMPF’s economic analysis of the market access elements of TPP remains underway. Thus, Suber’s testimony focused on landmark non-tariff achievements in the agreement dealing with sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules and geographical indication (GI) provisions. TPP is the first U.S. trade agreement to include rules and disciplines on SPS measures that go beyond those contained in the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement. Furthermore, prior to TPP, U.S. trade deals were virtually silent on GIs. TPP’s groundbreaking GI provisions are intended to establish a more equitable international model for dealing with GI registration, in sharp contrast to the flawed European Union approach that uses GIs as bargaining chips for market access.

The joint submission also identified a number of additional factors pertinent to USITC’s assessment efforts, and urged the agency to take them into account. Those factors include TPP’s impact on U.S. exports in existing free trade partner markets such as Mexico and Peru, in light of competition from Australia and New Zealand; the impact of U.S. tariff elimination on milk powders and cheeses; the expected level of exports from Canada to the United States; the likelihood of obstructive regulatory barriers; the degree of flexibility created by the agreement’s rules of origin; and the use of new TPP safeguard provisions by the United States.

The Senate Agriculture Committee approved legislation on Jan. 20 that would enhance America’s child nutrition programs, including provisions sought by NMPF that would help reverse the decline of milk consumption in schools.

This bill, a product of several years of coordinated effort by NMPF and the International Dairy Foods Association, directs the Department of Agriculture to review milk consumption in both the school meal program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). It also calls for adjustments to promote greater consumption of milk as recommended by the federal dietary guidelines, which were released in early January.  The new federal dietary guidelines reinforced the need for three servings of dairy foods per day, and provide the basis for USDA programs governed by the child nutrition act.

The Senate legislation includes language similar to a House bill that NMPF and IDFA endorsed in 2015. The bipartisan School Milk Nutrition Act (H. R. 2407) is still awaiting action in a House subcommittee.

NMPF has warned USDA in the past that milk consumption in schools would likely continue to decline if flavored milk servings remain limited to nonfat-only. NMPF has argued that many children dislike the taste of nonfat milk, choosing other beverages instead. Since milk is the number one source of nine important nutrients — including calcium, potassium and Vitamin D — in children’s diets, this means fewer beneficial nutrients, , are consumed by schoolchildren who aren’t drinking milk.

NMPF applauded the Senate committee action in a statement after the January hearing.

“The nutrition bill reflects the latest findings of the DGA, which indicated that consumption of dairy foods provides numerous health benefits, including a lower risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and obesity,” the statement said.

 

One of the key focus areas of NMPF across its 100-year history has been the development and advocacy of federal policies ensuring Americans have access to the best nutrition possible, through a diet that features daily consumption of dairy products.  This emphasis has generated benefits both for farmers and consumers. 

As 2016 unfolds, we’re once again in the middle of a campaign to remind policy makers in Washington that dairy foods provide an unparalleled package of nutrients that delivers quantifiable benefits to all Americans.

The latest chapter in the nutrition policy story began unfolding over the last couple of years, as the federal Dietary Guidelines for America were revised.  The advisory committee charged with updating those guidelines received input from a variety of stakeholders, including NMPF, where our dairy science expertise provided a clear, credible and convincing message that foods including milk, yogurt and cheese need to be singled out in the dietary advice for their critically important role in human health. 

Working with other dairy industry stakeholders, including the venerable National Dairy Council, we submitted extensive comments detailing why the key nutrients in dairy are so crucial.  The recently-issued report of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee noted that “vitamin D, calcium, potassium and fiber are under consumed and may pose a public health concern.” The first three of these nutrients are found in abundance milk.  In fact, milk is a major source of nine important nutrients in the human diet that are hard to replace with other foods, even the dairy imitations that some people naively assume are a suitable substitute for real milk.

Fortunately, when the final version of the Dietary Guidelines was released in January, the recommendations didn’t waver in their endorsement of three servings a day of milk, yogurt and cheese.  While the USDA tends to focus its “foods to encourage” directive on fruits and veggies, as well as whole grains, the fact is that dairy foods are also woefully under-consumed by most age groups in America.  The need for more servings of dairy is just as acute as is the need for more broccoli and bananas. NMPF will continue to work in 2016 with the nutrition experts at the Department of Agriculture to ensure that the high-impact, low-cost advantages of dairy nutrition are not lost amid the discussion of other foods which we need to eat more of.

Shortly after the latest guidelines were released early in the New Year, Congress also turned its focus to deliver optimal nutrition through federal feeding programs.  Just as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are refreshed every five years, the Child Nutrition Act, which governs key programs such as school meals and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition programs, must likewise be reauthorized every five years.  That process was supposed to be concluded last fall on Capitol Hill, but child nutrition policies stirred controversy between the public health and public school communities, leading to delays in the effort.

Even while pitched battles have ensued over the best way to deliver more produce and whole grains, NMPF has urged the USDA to rethink its treatment of flavored milk.  In 2012, USDA removed 1% flavored milk from the school lunch line. This was done even though we told them it was a mistake that would lead to a decline in school milk consumption, and despite the fact that the 2010 Dietary Guidelines encouraged the consumption of low-fat flavored milk to help kids get proper nutrition.  

Unfortunately, after that change our concerns were realized: milk consumption in schools declined. From 2012 to 2014, schools served 187 million fewer half-pints of milk, even as total public school enrollment grew during that period.  Low-fat white milk is still allowed under USDA regulations, but the loss of low-fat flavored milk is a blow to school lunch participation, and ultimately, to the health of the kids served by USDA feeding programs. NMPF and its allies have reminded policymakers of the consequences of that change.  In fact, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, during a hearing last summer on Capitol Hill, noted that if offering a low-fat flavored option would encourage kids to drink more milk, “we should do that,” he said.

The good news is that Congress’s work on the Child Nutrition Act represents a chance to reverse this situation.  The Senate Agriculture Committee recently approved a comprehensive nutrition bill that directs the USDA to review milk consumption in both school meal and other feeding programs, and make necessary adjustments to promote greater consumption of milk as recommended by the DGA. The House is also considering legislation to address the issue.

The fact is that the composition of our diets has been a political hot potato for some time.  The intense focus on the Dietary Guidelines, and the congressional emphasis on child nutrition, reflect larger societal concerns about everything from sugar and sodium, to sustainability and climate change.  Policymakers have to negotiate this dietary minefield, and every decision seems to have a critic.  While the new guidelines still reflect the now 40-plus years of demonization of fat, they do contain some incremental improvements.

The good news for the dairy community is that experience demonstrates time and again that milk, in its many forms, is a cost-effective, enjoyable and potent source of nutrition – for children, and their elders.  Our role – refined repeatedly over the decades – is to remind the “experts” about these facts, with the understanding that the next generation does not automatically have the same appreciation for dairy foods as those in the past. 

(Washington, D.C. – January 20, 2016) The Senate Agriculture Committee today approved legislation to enhance the quality of nutrition in federal feeding programs, including provisions that would help reverse the decline of milk consumption in schools and improve the health of America’s children, according to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF). The two dairy associations praised Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) for constructing child nutrition legislation that is inclusive and bipartisan.

IDFA and NMPF support the nutrition bill because almost all age groups consume less dairy than recommended by the newly-released 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), and this legislation offers the opportunity to improve dairy intake among the nation’s youth. The nutrition bill approved today reflects the latest findings of the DGA, which indicated that consumption of dairy foods provides numerous health benefits, including a lower risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and obesity.

“Along with dairy’s long-established role in promoting bone health, reducing the risk of insidious chronic diseases and conditions demonstrates why milk is offered with every school meal and dairy foods are prominent parts of other nutrition assistance programs,” said Connie Tipton, president and CEO of IDFA.

The measure approved Wednesday directs the Department of Agriculture to review milk consumption in both the school meal programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). It also calls for adjustments to promote greater consumption of milk as recommended by the DGA.

Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF, said that passage of the legislation “will help reverse the trend of declining milk consumption in schools, a trend that unfortunately is in direct conflict with federal Dietary Guidelines, which say children should be drinking more milk for lifelong health. If the trend is allowed to continue, it will have serious consequences for children’s health today and throughout their adult lives,” he said. Mulhern noted that from 2012 to 2014, schools served 187 million fewer half-pints of milk, although total public school enrollment grew during that period.

The Senate bill also calls on USDA to address the needs of lactose-intolerant students by offering lactose-free milk through the USDA Foods Program.

The child nutrition reauthorization bill is now expected to move to the full Senate for consideration. The House has begun consideration of a similar measure but has not approved any legislation so far. Authorization for federal child nutrition programs formally expired at the end of September 2015, but the existing programs continue to operate pending approval of the reauthorization bill.

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About IDFA
The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 550 companies within a $125-billion a year industry. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), the National Cheese Institute (NCI) and the International Ice Cream Association (IICA). IDFA’s nearly 200 dairy processing members run nearly 600 plant operations, and range from large multi-national organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent more than 85 percent of the milk, cultured products, cheese, ice cream and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States. IDFA can be found online at www.idfa.org.

About NMPF
The National Milk Producers Federation, based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance the wellbeing 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 more than 32,000 dairy producers on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. Visit www.nmpf.org for more information.

ARLINGTON, VA – Paul Bleiberg, formerly a top legislative staffer for Rep. Reid Ribble (R-WI), has joined the National Milk Producers Federation as Senior Director of Government Relations.

Bleiberg brings 10 years of government and agriculture policy experience to NMPF. For the last five years, he’s worked for Rep. Ribble as both legislative director and later deputy chief of staff. His duties included managing Ribble’s legislative operations in the House of Representatives, and advising him in the areas of agriculture, trade and transportation. Bleiberg has played a significant role in several pieces of legislation, including 2015’s massive transportation reauthorization bill. In 2014, he worked with Rep. Ribble to secure the inclusion of the Wisconsin dairy industry’s priorities in the 2014 farm bill conference report.

Prior to his position in Ribble’s office, Bleiberg worked for two years as a consultant to agriculture and food industry clients regarding dairy policy, nutrition and food safety, among other topic areas. He also worked as a legislative assistant in the Capitol Hill offices of former New York Republican congressmen Randy Kuhl, Jr., and Sherwood Boehlert.

“Paul is widely recognized as one of the go-to staffers on dairy policy in Congress,” said NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern. “His connections to farm policy, our member co-ops and rural America make him a valuable addition to our team.”

Bleiberg is a native of New Hartford, N.Y. He graduated from Hamilton College with a bachelor’s degree in government.

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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.

The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) continued to play an active role in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement process this week, as USDEC President Tom Suber testified before the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) representing the U.S. dairy industry.

USITC held three days of hearings to gather information for an economic analysis of TPP as mandated by Trade Promotion Authority legislation. That analysis includes the pact’s impact on specific business sectors, such as agriculture. Suber, following detailed written comments to USITC submitted jointly by USDEC and NMPF in December, sought to outline issues and concerns of the U.S. dairy business. (To view a copy of the full written comments, click here.)

“USDEC, working with NMPF and other organizations in the dairy industry, is still completing its overall analysis of TPP,” said Suber. “The deal falls short in providing the degree of market access we had been seeking, but it also avoids a disproportionate opening of the U.S. market to dairy exporters. While we don’t give the pact a failing ‘grade,’ until we have come to a final analysis of its net benefits, we felt it was important to participate in USITC’s assessment and identify points we believe the agency should consider in its economic analysis.”

The agreement for example contains landmark non-tariff achievements dealing with sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules and geographical indication (GI) provisions. TPP is the first U.S. trade agreement to include rules and disciplines on SPS measures that go beyond those contained in the World Trade Organization (WTO) SPS agreement.

“The strengthened SPS commitments address the escalating threat that unwarranted and sudden SPS measures are posing to U.S. agricultural exports around the world,” said Suber. “Nearly all the ‘WTO-plus’ provisions are enforceable through the TPP’s settlement mechanism.”

Furthermore, prior to TPP, U.S. trade deals were virtually silent on GIs. TPP’s groundbreaking GI provisions establish a more equitable international model for approaching the issue of GI registration in sharp contrast to the fundamentally flawed European Union approach that uses Gis in trade negotiations as bargaining chips for market access.

“These achievements may be difficult to quantify through traditional economic modeling, but are certainly relevant to the economic gains the United States may hope to achieve through TPP,” Suber said.

USDEC also identified of number of additional factors pertinent to USITC’s assessment efforts and urged the agency to take them into account. Those factors include TPP’s impact on U.S. exports in existing FTA partner markets (like Mexico and Peru) and elsewhere in light of TPP-region competition from Australia and New Zealand; the impact of U.S. tariff elimination on milk powders and specific cheeses; the expected level of exports from Canada to the United States; the likelihood of intentionally obstructive regulatory barriers; the degree of flexibility created by the agreement’s rules of origin; and the use of new TPP safeguard provisions by the United States.

“We stand ready to work with USITC analysts following these hearings to discuss these recommendations and to assist in their efforts,” Suber said.

Legislation mandates that USITC deliver its assessment to the president and Congress no more than 105 days after the president signs the agreement. The earliest the president can sign the agreement is February 4, which would make the USITC report due by May 18.

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The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) is a non-profit, independent membership organization that represents the global trade interests of U.S. dairy producers, proprietary processors and cooperatives, ingredient suppliers and export traders. Its mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and assist the U.S. industry to increase its global dairy ingredient sales and exports of U.S. dairy products. USDEC accomplishes this through programs in market development that build global demand for U.S. dairy products, resolve market access barriers and advance industry trade policy goals. USDEC is supported by staff across the United States and overseas in Mexico, South America, Asia, Middle East and Europe.

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), based in Arlington, Va., develops and carries out policies that advance the well-being of U.S. dairy producers and the cooperatives they collectively own. The members of NMPF’s 30 cooperatives produce the majority of the U.S, milk supply, making NMPF the voice of nearly 32,000 dairy producers on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more on NMPF’s activities, visit www.nmpf.org.

The U.S. Dairy Export Council prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, disability, national origin, race, color, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, political beliefs, marital status, military status, and arrest or conviction record.

The National Milk Producers Federation is now accepting applications for its National Dairy Leadership Scholarship Program for academic year 2016-2017.

Each year, NMPF awards scholarships to outstanding graduate students (enrolled in Master’s or Ph.D. programs) who are actively pursuing dairy-related fields of research that are of immediate interest to NMPF member cooperatives and the U.S. dairy industry at large. 

Graduate students pursuing research of direct benefit to milk marketing cooperatives and dairy producers are encouraged to submit an application. Applicants do not need to be members of NMPF to qualify.  The top scholarship applicant will be awarded the Hintz Memorial Scholarship, which was created in 2005 in honor of the late Cass-Clay Creamery Board Chairman Murray Hintz.

Recommended fields of study include but are not limited to Agriculture Communications and Journalism, Animal Health, Animal and/or Human Nutrition, Bovine Genetics, Dairy Products Processing, Dairy Science, Economics, Environmental Science, Food Science, Food Safety, Herd Management, and Marketing and Price Analysis. 

Applications must be received no later than Friday, April 8, 2016.  For an application or more information, please visit the NMPF website or call the NMPF office at 703-243-6111.

This January marks the start of NMPF’s 100^th year of leadership and advocacy on behalf of America’s dairy farmers. A century ago, dairy farmer leaders gathered in Chicago to create a cooperative organization to tackle the policy challenges they faced. Today, 100 years later, the specific objectives may have changed, but the need for an industry-wide collaborative effort has not.

To help commemorate this milestone, the NMPF centennial booklet is available for purchase for $20. This publication chronicles the Federation’s entire history through in-depth chapters and historic photos. If you’re interested in buying one, please contact Maddy Berner, mberner@nmpf.org.

The new NMPF new logo, which still features the Capitol dome but with a more modern look, is being deployed across a variety of media, from digital uses to stationery. Starting this month, all NMPF communications materials will feature this refreshed design.

Also on the centennial agenda is a new website feature titled “This Week in NMPF History.” Each Monday throughout the year, the home page of the NMPF website will cite an historic event that occurred during that same week at some point in the Federation’s history. These notable events will also be shared on Twitter and Facebook. The goal for this campaign is to share more about the Federation’s many endeavors throughout its century-long history of helping America’s dairy farmers and co-ops.

NMPF staff have received Lead Instructor training from the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) to become instructors for the FSMA Preventive Controls for Human Food rule.

Among other things, the Preventive Controls (PC) rule requires each food processing facility to have a “preventive controls qualified individual” on staff who has successfully completed training in the development and application of risk-based preventive controls at least equivalent to that received under a standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by FDA or is otherwise qualified through job experience to develop and apply a food safety system. 

The FSPCA course — which NMPF staff are now able to offer — is the standardized curriculum that FDA considers adequate; taking the FSPCA training will meet the requirements in the rule for training of a preventive controls qualified individual.

NMPF will offer the dairy processing industry the necessary training to become compliant with the PC rule.  NMPF is already planning two courses for the dairy industry, one in Arlington in April and one in May in the Chicago area. Additional course offerings will be scheduled as requested.

The course agenda and materials for these courses were developed by FSPCA under a grant from FDA; the same training is being given to FDA and state inspectors. Each course will last 2½   days, providing attendees with the knowledge to allow them to develop the necessary food safety plans to meet the new and enhanced FDA requirements that go into effect over the next three years, and to fulfill the required training that FDA recommends.

Attendees will receive a registered Certificate of Attendance that is a part of the requirements to be a “Preventive Controls Qualified Individual.” This will allow those individuals to demonstrate that they have attended the recommended training to be able to develop, implement and monitor a company’s food safety plan.

The course is divided into 16 chapters, which can only be conducted by FSPCA-approved trainers who have attended the required Lead Instructor class.  Please contact Beth Briczinski or Clay Detlefsen for further details about NMPF course offerings.

The FARM program will be having a train-the-trainer and evaluator training in Denver, Colo., at the Westin Denver International Airport on February 23-25.

The train-the-trainer session will be held on Tuesday, February 23^rd and Wednesday, February 24. Trainers will spend the second day on a nearby dairy farm receiving live evaluation training. Trainers are certified to conduct on-farm evaluations for the FARM animal care program and be certified to train evaluators.

The evaluator training session is classroom only and will be held at the Westin on Thursday, February 25th from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Evaluators are certified to conduct on-farm evaluations.

Subsequent training dates and locations will be announced in early 2016. However, this will be the only training on the current version of the FARM Program—all other trainings will be held in the 2^nd half of 2016 and will focus on the new version of the Program. If you wish to train or recertify staff to complete evaluations this year, these trainings will be your only opportunity before we begin training on Version 3.0 (which will formally launch January 2017) in the fall.  Reserved rate booking with the hotel ends February 1, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. Register for the Denver trainings here. Book your hotel for the Denver trainings here.

Webinars for Co-op Sales and Field Staffs

This month the National Dairy FARM Program will host several webinars to help dairy organizations’ sales team and field staff improve their knowledge and understanding of the FARM Program. For sales teams, these webinars will provide key talking points to help them answer key customer questions about animal care. For field staff, webinars will provide answers to questions they might hear from producers in the field.

Each webinar is scheduled for one hour with plenty of time to answer all questions. For more information, please contact Emily Meredith or Ryan Bennett.