Tag: melvin medeiros dairy

DFA Farmer Named NMPF “Communicator of Year,” Tillamook Recognized Among Co-ops

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

California dairy farmer Melvin Medeiros, a family farm-owner of Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), was named NMPF’s Farmer Communicator of the Year at the organization’s annual gathering of dairy-cooperative communicators Oct. 18. Tillamook earned top overall communications honors among NMPF member co-ops.

Medeiros, who milks around 1,600 cows roughly 30 miles northwest of Visalia, is a member of NMPF’s executive committee. Melvin serves as chair of the Agricultural Council of California’s Dairy Committee, sits on the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the California Cares and Environmental Justice Fund Committee. He is also chairman of DFA’s Western Area Council and a member of DFA’s Executive Committee.

He’s also a member of NMPF’s Dairy Voice Network of farmer spokespeople and was profiled in a recent NMPF Farmer Focus. He is the second straight DFA farmer to earn Farmer Communicator of the Year, following last year’s awardee, Charles Krause of Buffalo, MN.

“Melvin is a consistent advocate for dairy,” DFA wrote in its nominating letter. “This year specifically, Melvin testified in front of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture. It’s imperative that dairy farmers tell their story in front of the committees that work on relevant and pertinent farm policy, and we’re proud Melvin was collectively representing dairy farmers alike in front of this committee.

“Producers like Melvin, who tell their story to the congressmen and women alike who are further away from dairy, create a trusted source and sounding board for policy decisions that directly affect dairy farmers.”

Tillamook was recognized for its numerous first-place awards in NMPF’s annual communications contest, highlighted by its “Best in Show” recognition for its 2021 Annual Report, led by Tillamook’s Corporate Communications team.

“Great balance of content across having the required business stats, mixed with content on leadership, cows, dairy products and most importantly the people who make it all happen,” read the judge’s comments in response to one of Tillamook’s prize-winning entries. “Loved the beautiful graphics, product highlights. Unique size/binding of the piece was a nice touch. Well done!”

Medeiros and Tillamook will also be recognized at NMPF’s annual meeting in Denver next week. A full list of the winners of the NMPF communications contest, which received entries from 13 member cooperatives, can be found here.

DFA Farmer Named NMPF “Communicator of Year,” Tillamook Recognized Among Co-ops

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

Laton, CA dairy farmer Melvin Medeiros, a family farm-owner of Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), was named the National Milk Producers Federation’s (NMPF) Farmer Communicator of the Year at the organization’s annual gathering of dairy-cooperative communicators. Tillamook earned top overall communications honors among NMPF member co-ops.

Medeiros, who milks around 1,600 cows roughly 30 miles northwest of Visalia, is a member of NMPF’s executive committee. Melvin serves as chair of the Agricultural Council of California’s Dairy Committee, sits on the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the California Cares and Environmental Justice Fund Committee. He is also chairman of DFA’s Western Area Council and a member of DFA’s Executive Committee.

He’s also a member of NMPF’s Dairy Voice Network of farmer spokespeople and was profiled in a recent NMPF Farmer Focus. He is the second straight DFA farmer to earn Farmer Communicator of the Year, following last year’s awardee, Charles Krause of Buffalo, MN.

“Melvin is a consistent advocate for dairy,” DFA wrote in its nominating letter. “This year specifically, Melvin testified in front of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture. It’s imperative that dairy farmers tell their story in front of the committees that work on relevant and pertinent farm policy, and we’re proud Melvin was collectively representing dairy farmers alike in front of this committee.

“Producers like Melvin, who tell their story to the congressmen and women alike who are further away from dairy, create a trusted source and sounding board for policy decisions that directly affect dairy farmers.”

Tillamook was recognized for its numerous first-place awards in NMPF’s annual communications contest, highlighted by its “Best in Show” recognition for its 2021 Annual Report, led by Tillamook’s Corporate Communications team.

“Great balance of content across having the required business stats, mixed with content on leadership, cows, dairy products and most importantly the people who make it all happen,” read the judge’s comments in response to one of Tillamook’s prize-winning entries. “Loved the beautiful graphics, product highlights. Unique size/binding of the piece was a nice touch. Well done!”

Medeiros and Tillamook will also be recognized at NMPF’s annual meeting in Denver next week. A full list of the winners of the NMPF communications contest, which received entries from 13 member cooperatives, can be found here.

“Climate-smart” Farming is Efficient Farming, Medeiros Says

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

“Climate-smart” is becoming an agriculture buzzword. USDA last week unveiled $1 billion in pilot projects for lower-carbon farming practices. And just days earlier in Congress, a House Agriculture subcommittee heard testimony from livestock producers on how they’re working toward sustainability solutions. Melvin Medeiros — a Laton, CA dairy farmer, member of NMPF’s Executive Committee and Chairman of Dairy Farmers of America (DFA)’s Western Area Council — represented dairy producers.

Medeiros, who is profiled in the latest Farmer Focus from NMPF and the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program, takes a wide range of approaches to sustainability. Tweaks to farming practices, new technologies, effective use of data-driven management – all add up to a bright future for climate-smart dairies, said Medeiros.

“Trying to envision what a dairy farm could look like in 2050, and where technology is going today, and the speed it’s going at — every tractor on the farm, every piece of machinery could be run by electricity. We’ll be supplying that energy either through solar, or methane, and dairy farms could be a net exporter of energy. That’s where I see it going, and that’s a positive thing.”

For more of the Medeiros story and profiles of innovative dairy-farm families, visit NMPF’s Sharing Our Story page.

Read Our Latest Farmer Focus

 

NMPF Executive Committee Member Stresses Sustainability at House Ag Hearing

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF Board of Directors member and California dairy producer Melvin Medeiros told a House Agriculture subcommittee today that dairy farmers have made significant sustainability gains and stand ready to serve environmental solutions to make even further progress.

“U.S. dairy farmers are environmental stewards. We tend with great care to our land and water to improve the resources on our farms and ensure future generations can carry on our important work of feeding the nation and the world,” said Medeiros, a member of the Dairy Farmers of America cooperative who serves on NMPF’s Executive Committee, in a hearing of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture.

“We value a proactive approach to sustainability, which can take many different forms, and we have adapted as agricultural practices and technologies have evolved and improved over time,” said Medeiros, who owns and operates a 1,600-cow dairy in Laton, CA. “Farmers place a high importance on land and water stewardship, and our family farm-owners continue to perfect these practices through sustainable innovations on the farm.”

Medeiros in his testimony at the virtual hearing cited research showing that producing a gallon of milk in 2017 required 30% less water, 21% less land, had a 19% smaller carbon footprint, and produced 20% less manure than it did in 2007. He also cited dairy’s Net Zero Initiative as an example of proactive, producer-led agricultural leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Medeiros also asked lawmakers to support policy improvements that would assist producers in sustainability efforts, such as enhanced funding for conservation programs with greater emphasis on areas like feed and manure management, an investment tax credit to cover the upfront capital costs of digesters to help reduce methane emissions, and expedited approval of innovative animal feed additives that can significantly diminish enteric emissions. NMPF has previously hailed the landmark conservation funding increases in the Build Back Better Act and hopes that Congress will provide the funding needed to bolster these critical programs.

NMPF worked closely with Medeiros and DFA to help strongly spotlight the dairy industry’s priorities and concerns during the hearing.

“NMPF and the dairy producers it represents are grateful to the House Agriculture Committee for inviting Melvin to highlight dairy’s commitment to a more sustainable future,” said Jim Mulhern, President and CEO of NMPF. “But as he noted, improving sustainability will also require improving public policy to aid farmers in their critical stewardship mission. We stand ready to partner with Congress to get the job done.”