NMPF Board Calls for Milk-Pricing Fairness, Leads on H5N1 Response

NMPF leadership expressed confidence that farmers would soon see a fairer federal system for milk pricing and highlighted dairy farmers’ robust response to H5N1 influenza in dairy cattle at the organization’s Board of Directors meeting June 4-5.

“Even with all the stresses on the farm, there’s still not a better industry,” said Randy Mooney, a dairy farmer from Rogersville, MO, and a member of the Dairy Farmers of America cooperative, in remarks at the meeting. “I’m proud of where we’re at, producing high quality, nutritious food for the consumer. It’s amazing how dairy farmers do it.”

Board members spent two days reviewing recent policy developments, including Federal Milk Marketing Order deliberations, the progress of the 2024 Farm Bill, and up-to-date information on H5N1, which has led to significant federal and farmer investments in biosecurity and testing. NMPF Chief Science Officer Dr. Jamie Jonker led discussion on the issue.

The meeting was held with NMPF’s annual Young Cooperators fly-in (see separate story), in which young dairy farmers meet with lawmakers to advocate for the industry. Dairy farmers urged passage of a Farm Bill, expanded market access for U.S. dairy products and federal action toward integrity in milk labeling, restricting the use of dairy terms to animal products in line with Food and Drug Administration standards.

The Board also examined potential improvements to the NMPF-led Cooperatives Working Together program (see separate story), the 21-year-old farmer self-help initiative that is up for renewal after 2024. A member task force has been weighing a range of options to expand the use of CWT’s export assistance program. The NMPF Board approved a series of five directional goals for CWT as it considers the program’s parameters in 2025 and beyond.

The board also elected three new members: Dave Peterson of Minnesota, representing Associated Milk Producers, Inc.; Alex Peterson of Missouri, representing Dairy Farmers of America; and Mike Schoneveld of Washington, representing Darigold.

Steady Consumer Confidence, Strong Federal Backing Highlight H5N1 Response

U.S. dairy farmers and their cooperatives continued adjusting to new federal rules for interstate dairy cattle movement in the second full month of response to H5N1, as FDA reaffirmed milk’s safety and consumer sales saw little effect of the outbreak on buyer behavior.

USDA on May 30 announced an $824 million investment to ensure the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) can continue its work with state and local partners to identify and address cases of H5N1 in livestock and poultry. The funds will support diagnostics, field response activities, pre-movement testing requirements, surveillance and control activities, vaccine development and food safety studies.

The most recent round of assistance followed earlier federal moves to address the challenge posed by H5N1. USDA on May 10 announced new support to bolster farm biosecurity, boost worker safety and ease costs associated with testing for farms affected by H5N1. Farms affected by the virus also became eligible for indemnity payments through USDA’s Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees and Farm-raised Fish Program. That financial assistance was expanded on May 23, helping farmers make investments to keep their herds and workers healthy and reduce the risk of virus spread.

NMPF applauded the moves, thanking USDA for effectively using its existing authority to offer necessary assistance for dairy farmers as they meet the challenges of H5N1 in dairy cattle. “We look forward to continued collaboration and consultation with USDA and other federal agencies as we monitor, understand, and contain this outbreak, and we will do what we can to help dairy farmers understand and benefit from these initiatives as swift implementation is put into motion,” Gregg Doud, NMPF president and CEO said in a May 10 statement.

USDA’s announcements came as investigators identified the second and third human cases of H5N1 linked to the outbreak in dairy cattle. With more cases in cattle, and potentially more human cases, expected, NMPF is continuing communication with the entire dairy supply chain while informing its members of the latest developments and needs via member alerts, webinars and other media.

Visit www.nmpf.org/hpai for more information and a full listing of H5N1 and biosecurity-related resources.

NMPF, FARM Respond to Avian Influenza Cases with Information, Guidance

NMPF and the FARM Program helped guide dairy farmers through an emerging biosecurity concern with timely, accurate information and industry-leading resources as the first cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) appeared in U.S. dairy cattle.

While the scope of bird flu in dairy is limited – a handful of cases scatted among several states – and no risk is being posed toward consumers, the new challenge has galvanized the industry toward identifying best practices in containing illness and minimizing impacts on dairy farmers and processors, with NMPF serving as a central information resource and FARM Biosecurity proving its value as an essential resource for farmers and dairy companies.

NMPF Chief Science Officer Dr. Jamie Jonker served as a leading industry expert and spokesperson shortly after the first USDA confirmation of HPAI in Texas dairy cattle March 25. Working with Senior Director of Communications Theresa Murphy, NMPF began crafting member alerts offering resources and information to farmers the previous week. Since then, NMPF has released five more alerts and created a web page dedicated to bird flu information, complementing the FARM Program’s Biosecurity page as a critical resource to manage bird flu-related challenges.

Jonker also led an April 1 NMPF member and FARM participant webinar on the topic that also featured Dr. Mark Lyons from USDA and Dr. Fred Gingrich from the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, giving the latest information on the fast-moving situation. The webinar attracted 1,380 registrants and will be followed up by more informational sessions in the future.

NMPF members and FARM Program participants with questions on HPAI should contact Dr. Jonker at jjonker@nmpf.org