NMPF’s senior vice president Chris Galen assesses the challenges of 2023 for dairy farmers, but also the reasons to be grateful during the Thanksgiving season.
Uncategorized
NMPF Chairman Mooney Discusses Dairy’s Strength Through Consensus
NMPF Board of Directors Chairman Randy Mooney of Dairy Farmers of America explains the organization’s role as the essential advocate for dairy farmers in Washington and how the organization works with other groups to advance industry prosperity in an interview with RFD-TV. Mooney also talks about what challenges the industry faces and how resilience is the key to future success. The segment also highlights Prairie Farms’ overall win in this year’s NMPF cheese contest.
Overcoming challenges is what we do
By Randy Mooney, Chairman, NMPF Board of Directors
We’ve had a lot of achievements this year, but it’s also been a challenging time.
A year ago, costs on the farm were extremely high, but we had prices that would cover that. This year, costs are still high, but prices are down. That’s a lot of stress on the farm. And we’re also dealing with problems that we’ve dealt with for years.
There are labor problems; you just can’t find anybody to work. Supply chain disruptions are closer to the farm this year. It’s milk trucks getting milk off the farm; it’s feed trucks bringing feed into the farm. It’s getting simple parts that we took for granted we could get anytime we wanted to. There are geopolitical issues and extreme weather events.
We have challenges all the time, but it just seems like we continue to have more. It seems like we’re in the eye of a storm. But as farmers, we always anticipate a moment before the dawn, before things turn, before things get good again.
One of the things I’ve learned is that a lot of the world is envious of what we have.
They’re envious because we have the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program, a self-governing program. We have a government that recognizes what we’re doing with sustainability — it’s not being mandated down from the top.
We’re taking care of our own. Today, we produce more milk using fewer and fewer natural resources. We’re revitalizing rural communities. For every dollar generated in dairy farming, it turns over three to seven times in local communities, generating $750 billion in the United States. That‘s pretty impressive.
We’re nourishing families around the world through milk’s unbeatable nutritional value. I’ve dairy farmed for a long time, through good times and bad times, but there’s never been a time that I haven’t laid my head down on my pillow at night and been proud of what I accomplished on my farm. We’re putting the most nourishing, most nutritious product known to man in that milk tank. And when that truck leaves, I know I’ve done something good.
Our ability to evolve how we work and adapt our resiliency is becoming more and more important. This year, we came together as an industry to unite around issues that helped build that resiliency. NMPF worked with member co-ops, farm bureaus, and state dairy organizations to come to consensus on the most substantial issues. Even going back to 2021, when you talk about Federal Milk Marketing Order modernization, we’ve worked hard to get these things done. Nobody knows what the outcome’s going to be, but you telling your story has made a difference.
Beyond that, we’re going to get a farm bill passed — we’re going have an extension. We’ve been working to implement the next version of FARM, FARM 5.0, that goes into effect in July. We also will work on promoting dairy’s sustainable nutrition. Dairy offers the most complete nutritional package available, and what’s amazing is that as we produce more milk, we’ll continue to use fewer natural resources. That’s the definition of sustainable nutrition.
For years, we’ve talked about sustainability in terms of environmental stewardship and how that translates into financial value for farms. Now, the financial values are there. You take solar panels, wind, methane digesters, and a lot of things happen on a farm that’s generating electricity to run your farms and to run your neighbor’s households. We’re there now. What we need is conservation funding in the farm bill through USDA grants through state and federal programs. There’s real money available to help us continue to do that, and we will.
No imitation food from a nut, a bean, or grain can hold a candle to dairy’s nutritional package. We all know that. That’s why it’s important to keep fighting the fight on plant-based alternative labeling. In the guidance that was issued earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognized and admitted that plant-based alternatives are nutritionally inferior to real dairy.
Dairy protein plays a critical role in feeding people around the world, and it can’t be replaced by alternatives, including plant-based. Consumers have the right to understand how they’re nourishing their families, and we’re going to continue to advocate for the Dairy PRIDE Act to try to get that passed in Congress.
We’re going to continue to fight for more flavored milk in schools and higher fat levels, especially for those children whose main source of nutrition is through the school milk program. Milk is essential to their diets, and we’re not going to give up that fight. We’re all part of an industry that’s doing remarkable things. We are winning.
This has been adapted from Chairman of the NMPF Board of Directors Randy Mooney’s speech at the National Milk Producers Federation annual meeting in Orlando, Fla., on Nov. 14, 2023. This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on Nov. 22, 2023.
Douglass, an NMPF Young Cooperator, Discusses Dairy Leadership
Sarah Douglass, a northeast Ohio dairy farmer and an NMPF Young Cooperator, talks about the crucial issues facing younger farmers and the importance of training the next generation of dairy leaders, in an interview with RFD-TV. Douglass spoke at NMPF’s annual meeting in Orlando, which features two days of programming specifically directed at younger dairy leaders.
NMPF’s Bjerga on the Return of the FMMO Hearing
NMPF Executive Vice President of Communications & Industry Relations Alan Bjerga speaks on WEKZ Radio, Janesville, WI, about the resumption of USDA’s Federal Milk Marketing Order hearing in Carmel, IN, next week. The hearing, which was originally expected to last until mid-October, may now slip into 2024. Scheduling issues and unexpected confrontations are pushing back the timeline for the necessary modernization many farmers are hoping can take effect to help their operations thrive, Bjerga said.
NMPF Statement on Farm Bill Extension in Funding Law
From NMPF President & CEO Jim Mulhern:
ARLINGTON, VA – “We commend House and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairs Glenn Thompson and Debbie Stabenow, as well as Ranking Members David Scott and John Boozman, for their bipartisan work to finalize this farm bill extension as part of the congressional spending agreement President Biden signed today.
“Along with continuing critical programs for dairy farmers, the legislation allows the Dairy Margin Coverage program to continue operating without the uncertainty of a potential disruption. DMC is an important and effective safety net for dairy farmers nationwide. This legislation includes the 2019 production history update as part of the program, and we look forward to 2024 DMC sign-up in the coming weeks.
“With this bill passed, we stand ready to work closely with the House and Senate Agriculture Committees to deliver a strong, five-year farm bill as swiftly as possible.”
NMPF’s Doud Discusses Dairy’s Future
Incoming NMPF President & CEO Gregg Doud explains NMPF’s role in Washington policy formulation and dairy farmer priorities, including a new farm bill, Federal Milk Marketing Order modernization, integrity in plant-based labeling and dietary guidelines that maximize the benefits of dairy, in an interview with RFD-TV. He also emphasized the importance of international trade and global issues to U.S. dairy’s future. “We need to look five, 10 years ahead and see what this industry needs,” he said.
Lights, camera … Bjerga! Live from the Dairy Experience
NMPF Executive Vice President for Communications & Industry Relations Alan Bjerga takes viewers on a tour of the Dairy Experience at this week’s Joint Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL. From information booths to ice cream, this year’s event brought together a diverse dairy community, showing farmer unity and industry pride during a time of transition at NMPF.
NMPF’s Chairman Mooney Spotlights Dairy Leadership
The dairy sector has benefited from strong leadership, as farmers work together to meet today’s challenges, National Milk Producers Federation Chairman Randy Mooney said in a Dairy Defined podcast.
A new farm bill, a national hearing on modernizing the Federal Milk Marketing Order system, and ongoing challenges in sustainability and risk management have challenged dairy farmers, Mooney said in the podcast, taken from his remarks at the organization’s annual meeting in Orlando on Tuesday. Farmers have responded with their trademark resilience, uniting to advance their industry, he said.
“This year we came together as an industry to unite around a number of issues that helped build that resiliency. Together we worked to make every drop count, every meeting, count every call, every email, every handshake,” he said.
The full podcast is here. You can also find the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Broadcast outlets may use the MP3 file below. Please attribute information to NMPF.
NMPF’s Mulhern Reflects on Policy, Legacy
NMPF President & CEO Jim Mulhern, who is retiring at the end of this year after a decade at the helm of the organization, discusses dairy’s current policy challenges in an interview with RFD-TV. “A lot of this focus of the farm bill for us is in the bucket of either economic risk management issues, conservation issues, trade issues, and nutrition,” he said. “I would say the biggest challenge for the future is to lean in, to take on the challenges that we all see out there and look for workable solutions.”
Dairy’s Long-Term Outlook Bright, Doud, NMPF Economists Say
The future of U.S. dairy farming is bright as global growth and American capacity for innovation and production combine to create a powerhouse, the National Milk Producers Federation’s (NMPF) incoming president and CEO and the organization’s economists highlighted in presentations at NMPF’s annual meeting in Orlando, FL.
“In terms of the world of protein, dairy is a huge part of the future,” said Gregg Doud, who will take over NMPF’s reins on Jan. 1, in remarks at the meeting, held jointly by NMPF, the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board and the United Dairy Industry Association. Doud, a former chief agricultural trade negotiator for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, said opportunities are there for U.S. dairy’s taking with robust outreach and appeals to consumers worldwide.
“My message to you today is very simple,” he said. “Let’s go. Let’s get it in gear.”
Dairy producers in the past year have faced operating margins at their lowest since the federal dairy safety net was adopted in its current structure in 2014 as prices plummeted from record highs. In a panel of NMPF economists following Doud’s remarks, forecasts showed an improving price outlook next year, even as inflation continues to pose challenges for consumers.
“We see a road to recovery in 2024,” said Will Loux, head of the joint economics unit serving NMPF and the U.S. Dairy Export Council. “Things aren’t all roses, we still have really significant headwinds on the demand side both here at home and abroad, but we look at the world with a lot of optimism still, especially in the long run.”
The joint annual meeting concludes today.
NMPF’s Mooney Highlights Dairy’s Persistent Strength at Annual Meeting
National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) Chairman Randy Mooney commended U.S. dairy farmers for their persistence in supporting positive change for their industry at the organization’s annual meeting in Orlando, noting that challenges are nothing new to producers and that their unity has brought progress in encouraging better federal farm policy.
“We’re nourishing families around the world through milk’s unbeatable nutritional value,” said Mooney in remarks at the meeting, which is held jointly by NMPF, the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board and the United Dairy Industry Association. “I’ve dairied for a long time, through good times and bad times, but there’s never been a time that I haven’t laid my head down on my pillow at night and been proud of what I accomplished on my farm,” said Mooney, a Dairy Farmers of America member-owner who farms near Rogersville, MO.
Dairy producers in the past year have faced operating margins at their lowest since the federal dairy safety net was adopted in its current structure in 2014 as prices plummeted from record highs. Meanwhile, the U.S. farm bill has expired, and dairy farmers are seeking a fairer milk pricing system through a USDA-led Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) hearing, which began in August and will resume Nov. 27 after a temporary pause.
Following Mooney onstage was NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern, who is retiring at the end of this year after leading the organization for a decade. In his remarks, Mulhern reflected on the challenges dairy farmers have met and how they will meet the challenges to come.
“I’ve tried to remain true to what I see as the hallmark of the dairy community: people who work hard, approach things with common sense, care passionately about the product they produce,” Mulhern said. “You all strive to do the right thing. And I can tell you, looking over the course of my career, those are qualities that can take you a very long way.”
Also at the meeting, NMPF’s Board of Directors approved the organization’s policy positions and elected new members. New directors elected to the Board of Directors and approved by NMPF delegates include Brad Bateman of Dairy Farmers of America and Rick Burkhamer of Foremost Farms. Burkhamer, who farms near Richland Center, WI, was also named to NMPF’s Executive Committee.
Along with adopting official federal policy positions, NMPF’s membership also raised funds for the organization’s college research scholarships and held its annual cheese and dairy product contest in conjunction with the meeting.
The Chairman’s Award for the NMPF Cheese and Yogurt Contest went to Prairie Farms Dairy for its Cave Aged Rinded Swiss, produced in Faribault, MN. Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery won the Chairman’s Reserve Award for its Pepperoni with Marinara Rub produced in Menomonie, WI. This year’s contest included 252 entries from 14 participating NMPF co-ops, a total of 3,350 pounds (1.52 metric tons) of cheese and yogurt.
NMPF’s official portion of the meeting concludes tomorrow. Highlights include a dairy economics forecast by NMPF staff; awards in the organization’s annual dairy contest; and an address by incoming President and CEO Gregg Doud, who takes over from Mulhern Jan. 1.
