NMPF’s Executive Vice President Paul Bleiberg explains for listeners of Dairy Radio Now what’s in the Farm Bill draft for dairy farmers as the House Agriculture Committee votes on May 23. Bleiberg describes how the measure handles the economic safety net for farmers, and assesses the prospects for the farm bill measure after this spring on Capitol Hill.
Tag: 2023 farm bill
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.”
NMPF’s Galen on Farm Bill Progress
NMPF Senior Vice President Chris Galen discusses the state of play in the upcoming farm bill on Dairy Radio Now. Current spending debates are slowing progress on the five-year reauthorization of USDA programs, which include nutrition assistance and commodity payments. The current law expires Sept. 30 — because many commodity programs, including dairy, run on a calendar-year basis, any threat of near-term disruption is limited, Galen said.
Young Leaders Promote Dairy Priorities
By Theresa Sweeney-Murphy, Director, NMPF Young Cooperators Program
Farm bill negotiations, an effort to modernize the Federal Milk Marketing Order system, and an ongoing dairy labeling battle provided up-and-coming dairy leaders with no shortage of topics to discuss with members of Congress and their staffs on Capitol Hill.
Young Cooperators (YC) from across the country were in Washington last week for the National Milk Producers Federation’s annual Dairy Policy and Legislative Forum, a two-day issues and advocacy training that equips young dairy farmer leaders to effectively advocate for dairy’s interests.
Forty-nine producers from 21 states ranging from Maine to California brought dairy’s voice to Capitol Hill to promote NMPF’s policy priorities while sharing how these issues uniquely affect their businesses.
NMPF’s effectiveness in Congress depends heavily on grassroots engagement. With fewer people than ever directly involved in dairy, farmers must continue to punch above their weight to maintain relevance in an increasingly urban Congress. NMPF’s National YC Program equips them to do that, providing opportunities to learn background information about the many issues affecting the industry, and empowering them to become — and stay — politically engaged.
The National YC Program is open to producers under the age of 45 who own or are employed on an NMPF member cooperative dairy farm.
The program’s webinar series is open to all eligible dairy farmers and industry affiliates and available at no cost. The 45-minute webinars, each covering a different topic, are held quarterly. Recent topics include an update on NMPF’s modernization efforts, finding work/life balance on the farm, and a panel discussion about challenges women face in reaching dairy leadership positions.In addition to its Dairy Policy and Legislative Forum, NMPF’s YC Program has other in-person opportunities this year. The program will host a workshop and reception on October 5 at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. Later that month, the National YC Program is hosting a Young Farmer Forum at the International Dairy Federation’s World Dairy Summit October 17 to 18 in Chicago, Ill. The next month, it will host its annual Leadership and Development Program from November 12 to 13 in Orlando, Fla.
Click here and check the National YC Program box to stay up-to-date on program activities and contact your cooperative to learn more about the program and how you can be involved
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This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on June 15, 2023.
CDI’s Vanderham, NMPF’s Bjerga discuss California flooding
NMPF Board of Directors member Cory Vanderham of California Dairies, Inc., and NMPF Senior Vice President of Communications Alan Bjerga talk about the challenges of California dairy producers and the need for long-term policy solutions on RFD-TV. While record snowpack is replenishing water supplies battered by multi-year drought, it also is bringing chaos to producers who are facing extreme weather conditions that require immediate reaction. For more details on how Vanderham has handled this year’s deluge, check out NMPF’s recent Dairy Defined podcast.
NMPF’s Bjerga Discusses Benefits of Milk-Price Modernization
NMPF Senior Vice President of Communication discusses how the Federal Milk Marketing Order Modernization plan the organization submitted to USDA this week would create a firmer foundation for the U.S. dairy industry, with farmers being paid a price that better reflects the quality of their milk and sharing their price risk more equitably with processors. Ultimately, once needed updates are fully in place, everyone will benefit from milk that’s valued appropriately across the industry, he said. Bjerga speaks with Mike Pearson on the Agriculture of America podcast.
Focus on Farm Bill Begins After Tumultuous Speaker Election
The tumultuous start to the 118th Congress has implications for the farm bill due later this year, as changes to House procedures may lead to a more free-wheeling approach to passing legislation.
Following a midterm election that saw Republicans win control of the House of Representatives by a smaller margin than anticipated, the opening of the 118th Congress saw the most contentious race for Speaker of the House in a century, with Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) prevailing after 15 ballots once a handful of members agreed to drop their opposition following an agreement on overall House rules and floor procedures.
McCarthy gained by victory by making agreements with a small group of recalcitrant Republicans, which include plans to allow a wider array of floor amendments to be debated and voted on major pieces of legislation this Congress. This may have significant implications for the next farm bill. While past farm bill debates have featured scores of amendment votes, the last House floor farm bill debate in 2018 included fewer amendments.
McCarthy’s election also allowed House committees to organize. Reps. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (R-PA) and David Scott (D-GA) have formally become the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee, respectively, and will be the House’s farm-bill drivers. Separately, and with significant importance for key dairy trade and tax issues, Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) won a contested race to become Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee while Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) will serve as the committee’s Ranking Member, continuing in his position as its top Democratic member.
The House farm-bill process is already underway. Chairman Thompson led a bipartisan delegation of members in January to Harrisburg, PA for a farm bill listening session at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. NMPF staff attended the session, which featured multiple dairy speakers voicing support for maintaining and tweaking the Dairy Margin Coverage program and improving the Federal Milk Marketing Order system, including restoring the Class I mover to its previous ‘higher of’ formula on account of the asymmetric risk farmers bear under the current mover.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate kicked off the new Congress more quietly. But Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR) have also signaled a quick start to the farm bill process. The duo plans to continue holding farm bill hearings this winter and spring. NMPF looks forward to working with the House and Senate to finalize a farm bill this year that maintains and improves current policy regarding dairy safety net and risk management issues, conservation and sustainability, trade, and nutrition.
