Tag: dairy cooperatives

NMPF Joins Agricultural Leaders in Urging Farmers and Rural Communities to Get Vaccinated

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF and several of its member cooperatives are among the more than 30 state and national agricultural organizations representing farm, commodity and agribusiness communities that have joined together to promote vaccination among farmers and other rural Americans, sending an open letter to association members to add another voice to the call to get vaccinated.

“With a presence in all 50 states, dairy farmers know well the impacts vaccinations have on communities and how important it is for businesses and the economy to move beyond the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation. “We’re proud of dairy’s leadership in the agricultural community on this crucial issue and pledge to do what we can to help make our communities safe.”

NMPF Chairman Randy Mooney, along with Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, co-bylined an editorial published in the Des Moines Register last week to share a message about the important connection between agriculture, science, and health.

“The key to defeating coronavirus, like it was for polio, measles, and other diseases that left their mark across the countryside, is the vaccine,” the two wrote. “Success will only be achieved one decision — and one person — at a time.”

The effort is in response to the continued challenge of the COVID-19 Delta variant cases increasing precipitously among the unvaccinated populations across the country. Many rural communities have been hit hard by the Delta variant, which has stressed healthcare systems and threatens to greatly impact those we depend on for a safe food system. Agricultural leaders in the letter are asking farmers to protect their health and their communities by getting vaccinated saying, “Farmers make science-based decisions every day to protect their farms and their communities – they should make these same decisions to protect their health as well.”

Dairy Farmers Welcome Ambassador Tai to Trade Forum Hosted by Rep. Kind

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) today commended Representative Ron Kind (D-WI) and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai for hosting a trade forum at a Wisconsin dairy farm. Several dairy farmers had the opportunity to voice their concerns and priorities for dairy exports with Ambassador Tai and highlight the impact of trade policy on American dairy producers.

USDEC and NMPF members participating in the event emphasized the need for greater market access for dairy products and the impediments trade barriers pose to greater international trade. At the event, dairy farmers belonging to NMPF and USDEC members Associated Milk Producers, Inc., Dairy Farmers of America, FarmFirst, and Organic Valley, among others, praised Congressman Kind for his leadership as he continues to encourage the Biden Administration to work toward greater opportunities in international markets. The event was hosted by Hamburg Hills Farm, an Organic Valley member located in Stoddard, Wisconsin.

“On behalf of dairy producers and their cooperatives, NMPF thanks Congressman Kind for his ongoing advocacy in securing trade opportunities for dairy farmers in Wisconsin and nationwide. We’re grateful that Ambassador Tai and hardworking USTR staff are pursuing a dispute settlement case to finally secure Canadian market access granted under USMCA,” said Jim Mulhern, President and CEO of NMPF. “We look forward to working with Ambassador Tai, Representative Kind, and their staff to reduce foreign trade barriers through country-to-country dialogues and new trade agreements.”

“Obtaining and expanding market share abroad is critical to U.S. dairy manufacturers and exporters. The global dairy industry is more competitive than ever, so we greatly appreciate Congressman Kind hosting Ambassador Tai on a dairy to provide tangible examples of why the U.S. dairy value chain depends on international trade,” said Krysta Harden, President and CEO of USDEC. “We’re thrilled the ambassador could visit the farm to see for herself how America’s dairy farmers are producing for the global marketplace. We appreciate both of their personal efforts to ensure Canada meets its tariff-rate quota obligations under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).”

Dairy’s Challenges are Wide-Ranging. So Are We.

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

While Washington’s wheels turn – slowly – the day-to-day realities of farming are making 2021 another challenging year for dairy nationwide.

The western U.S. is in its worst drought in two decades. The milk-price outlook is cloudy, but higher feed costs are a reality, squeezing margins and balance sheets. The economic recovery tied to the U.S. emergence from the coronavirus pandemic carries with it uncertainties not typical to an upturn, with questions about how consumers will react to the reopening. And all expectations are tempered by the possibility of a virus resurgence, be it through a variant or insufficient vaccination worldwide.

The National Milk Producers Federation has existed since 1916 to improve dairy farmers’ lives by working for better federal policy, and that remains central to our mission today. But as the only national organization that takes the most comprehensive approach to serving dairy farmers’ policy needs, our efforts reach far beyond the Beltway, helping farmers adapt and address the challenges they face.

That’s why we provide leading economic analysis through our Dairy Market Report, helping to explain market trends and encourage effective risk management. It’s why we administer the FARM Program, enabling continuous improvement in areas from animal welfare to biosecurity. It’s also why we’re always looking for new ways to serve our members and meet them where they are – on farms and in the marketplace – so we can better connect policy priorities in meaningful ways with the farmers whose hard work inspires our own.

Since the pandemic began in 2020, we’ve been working to assist producers and help them weather the market disruptions. Our efforts have brought more than $6 billion in federal support to dairy farmers across the country. We’ve also been adapting and expanding our web resources to meet evolving farmer needs. Our coronavirus webpage continues to be a go-to resource for business management during the pandemic, with updates recently focused on dairy’s leadership in nationwide vaccination efforts. Last summer we also created a page dedicated to natural disasters including drought and wildfires, which are an unfortunate likelihood as this summer progresses. Working in tandem with FARM and our members, we strive to be useful in helping farmers meet whatever they face, providing information and guidance that serve them.

Resources that assist farmers meet immediate challenges, be it on webpages or our frequent online “toolboxes” on emerging issues that we sent to members, also help us in our policy work by keeping our own priorities tied to the most pressing needs. That’s been true throughout coronavirus, when massive supply chain disruptions required both understanding and action, and it’s true for other fast-changing situations such as natural disasters. As the summer progresses and needs develop, farmers and industry professionals shouldn’t hesitate to contact us at info@nmpf.org with whatever observations or questions that might be helpful in getting through another challenging time.

Both long-and short-term efforts matter. In Washington, we’ve seen recent progress in some years-long policy fights. The passage of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act in March brings the only House-approved piece of agriculture labor legislation since 1986 closer to reality. Senate approval of the Growing Climate Solutions Act last month promises to add key pieces to the puzzle of how to move our industry toward its commitment to be net-zero in carbon emissions by 2050.

But for more immediate needs, we need regular communication with cooperatives and their farmer-members, and that comes from continued relevance to what those members are going through each day.

It’s going to be another long, hot summer – but when it comes to seeking solutions, we pledge to never come up dry. That’s important as we serve our mission to craft better policy but not be bounded by the Washington Beltway. Today’s challenges are defined by the local weather forecast as much as they are by national headlines. We’re right there with you.

NMPF’s Bjerga Discusses CEO’s Corner, Trade Growth

Posted on by Alan Bjerga

 

NMPF’s Senior Vice President for Communications, Alan Bjerga, discusses NMPF’s “CEO’s Corner” for June, which deals with U.S. dairy’s growing leadership in sustainable dairy exports. The monthly thought-leadership series highlights key dairy issues of the day from an NMPF perspective and is part of the organization’s “Sharing Our Story” initiative that spotlights farmer voices and industry commentary. Bjerga spoke on WEKZ radio, Janesville, Wisconsin.

Farmers at the Heart of Nation’s Solutions, Leader of Black Farmers Group Says

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

From building small communities to solving environmental issues, farmers stand at the center of solutions to national problems, says Cornelius Blanding, executive director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives Land Assistance Fund, a Georgia-based non-profit cooperative association of Black farmers, landowners, and cooperatives.

“Farmers are at the heart of the solutions of our country,” said Blanding in a Dairy Defined podcast episode released today. “They’re probably one of the most important pieces of our nation, and it’s about time for us as a country to understand that.”

Blanding in the podcast discusses how Black farmers are working to overcome the legacies of racism, how that cause was advanced through Congress’s recent coronavirus stimulus bill, and how Black farmer gains create opportunities to advance family-farm interests across agriculture. The full podcast is here. You can also find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts. Broadcast outlets may use the MP3 file below. Please attribute information to NMPF.

Dairy Helps Get Rural America Vaccinated, With Co-ops Leading the Way

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The robust pace of U.S. COVID-19 vaccinations is the most important story in the country right now – and not just because vaccinations make the U.S. healthier and safer. They’re also important to building back economies – in the case of dairy, they get people into restaurants, keep schools open for in-person learning (and nutritious school lunches), and revive outlets for dairy-farmer products that have been hampered by pandemic-era life.

But herd immunity, the threshold at which the spread of the virus is broken, doesn’t happen on its own. It takes a lot of shots in a lot of arms — and a lot of trust, as people who for whatever reason may be hesitant to receive a vaccine shy away from inoculation. This is frequently the case in rural areas, where many lives are naturally socially distanced, human interactions are fewer and access to health care facilities and educational materials may not be as readily available.

That’s where dairy farms and their cooperatives come in. Dairy farmers are leaders in their communities, as well as significant employers. They’re also usually part of a cooperative, which has expertise and resources that can be applied in many areas, including public health. They’re no stranger to shots – people who work with cows knew the word “coronavirus” for decades before it became socially distanced coffee shop conversation – and they know how to organize a vaccination effort.

For all these reasons, and more, dairy has emerged as a key part of outreach to medically underserved rural areas, making sure those regions – and with it, the nation — has its fair chance to overcome COVID-19. Below is only a sampling of grassroots efforts in the dairy community to keep America safe and get it moving again.

  • Farmers and cooperatives across the country are putting together vaccination events for farmers, staff and farmworkers in the fields where they live and work. Natural Prairie Dairy, a member of Select Milk Producers Inc. organized a vaccination event for 300 of its employees at its organic dairy farm in Dalhart, Texas. And Michigan Milk Producers Association has been driving employees to vaccination sites when necessary: “We worked with the local health department and got all employees that wanted a vaccine scheduled on a few different dates,” said Gertie van den Goor, an MMPA member and dairy farmer outside Marlette, MI. “We drove everyone who needed transportation up there, and most of them were able to go during work time. We have around 80-90 percent of our employees fully vaccinated.”
  • At Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Association, employees receive a $50 Amazon gift card upon receiving a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine; at Dairy Farmers of America, co-op employees are offered two hours of pay for each vaccine they receive; and at Lone Star Milk Producers, employees can take paid time off to get their shots;
  • Northwest Dairy Association/Darigold, Prairie Farms and Associated Milk Producers Inc., among others, have organized vaccinations at their processing plants;
  • And at NMPF, we’re offering our COVID-19 vaccination resource toolkit, with materials in English and Spanish, to make sure that people who have been putting themselves at risk every day as part of the essential dairy workforce have access to the information they need. That’s in addition to the wide range of materials we’ve developed and publicized on how to maintain a safe work area and ensure best practices throughout the pandemic.

To get the nation where it needs to go in COVID-19 protection, it’s going to take efforts big and small, from organizations that care, across the country. To be successful, those organizations need to be ones that live in the same places as the people are who need vaccinations and are led by people trusted by those who may be vaccine-hesitant, or simply find it harder to get to one. As a 50-state, 24/7 industry, dairy is in these places and well-positioned to make a difference. It’s already happening – and it will continue to do so until the return to something resembling normal that everyone craves has arrived.

Together, we can do this. And dairy’s an important part of “we.”

NMPF’s Bjerga on Food Box, Vaccinations, and Butter’s Bright Future

Posted on by Alan Bjerga

NMPF Senior Vice President of Communications Alan Bjerga discusses the rise and fall of the Farmers to Families Food Box program and the potential for improved food-assistance programs, along with the need for stepped-up rural COVID vaccinations and how the pandemic could brighten the long-term outlook for butter. Discussion on WEKZ radio, Janesville, Wisconsin.

NMPF’s Bjerga on COVID Community Corps

Posted on by Alan Bjerga

NMPF’s Senior Vice President for Communications, Alan Bjerga, discusses dairy’s leadership in getting farmers and farmworkers vaccinated against COVID-19, as well as NMPF’s membership in the federally led COVID Community Corps, in audio from an interview with RFD-TV.

 

CWT Assisted Sales in February Total 14.2 Million Pounds of Dairy Exports

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

CWT assisted member cooperatives in securing 64 contracts with sales of 5.2 million pounds of American-type cheeses, 3.9 million pounds of butter, 3.5 million pounds of whole milk powder, 1 million pounds of anhydrous milkfat (AMF) and 1.2 pounds of cream cheese. The product is going to customers in Asia, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Oceania. The product will be shipped during the months of February through August 2021.

These transactions bring the 2021 total of the CWT-assisted product sales contracts to 8.117 million pounds of cheese, 7.277 million pounds of butter, 6.495 million pounds of whole milk powder, 2.013 million pounds of AMF, and 3.530 million pounds of cream cheese. These contracts will move the equivalent of 368.4 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis overseas in 2021.

Assisting CWT member cooperatives to 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 available at www.cwt.coop/membership.

Vaccine Information, Winter Emergency Resources Offered Online

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF released Feb. 9 a dairy farmer’s guide to the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and expanded its natural disaster resource page to include information for preparing for and dealing with winter weather emergencies on a dairy farm, part of its commitment to providing timely and relevant information to its members.

Vaccinating essential workers, including the dairy workforce, is important because of their role in maintaining critical infrastructure operations and their increased risk of getting and spreading COVID-19. NMPF’s guide to the COVID-19 vaccine rollout compiles state-by-state vaccine information, tools for communicating with employees, and answers to frequently-asked-questions about the vaccine.

Later that month, widespread freezing temperatures and power outages from Winter Storm Uri prompted NMPF to update its natural disaster page with winter weather emergency resources for dairy farmers. The page includes information from trusted sources on preparing for emergencies and power outages, workforce safety and animal care during extreme winter weather.

Because emergencies and disasters can occur at any time and without warning regardless of where a farm is located, NMPF urges all dairy producers to consider developing or updating comprehensive Emergency Action Plans on their farms.