Dairy producers can now enroll for 2024 Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC), an important safety net program offered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). DMC provides producers with price support to help offset milk and feed price differences. This year’s DMC signup runs from Feb. 28 through April 29. For those who sign up for 2024 DMC coverage, payments may …
Next Steps for FMMO
The USDA has finished the Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) hearing and is now considering more than 12,000 pages of testimony as it formulates its plan for FMMO modernization. The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) continues to do what it can to ensure that the proposal best reflects the interest of dairy farmers and their cooperatives. “We feel that we …
CoBank: Lack of Heifers May Limit Milk Production Growth
According to a new report (.pdf) from CoBank, a sharp decline in the number of dairy heifers available to replace older cows exiting the U.S. dairy herd could limit meaningful growth in milk production. The number of dairy replacement heifers has fallen almost 15 percent in the last six years to reach a 20-year low. While the global demand outlook …
USDA Rule Amends Certain FMMOs
The USDA published a final rule that amends the transportation credit balancing fund provisions in the Appalachian and Southeast Federal Milk Marketing Orders. It also establishes distributing plant delivery credits in the Appalachian, Florida, and Southeast FMMOs. The final rule is a result of a hearing held February 28-March 2, 2023, in Tennessee. The hearing highlighted a long-standing milk deficit …
Farm Bureau Testifies at FMMO Hearing
Farm Bureau Chief Economist Roger Cryan testified on behalf of the group’s membership at the Federal Milk Marketing Order Pricing Formula hearing. His testimony underscored the need for updating Class 1 and Class 2 price differentials to bring fairness for farmers back into the Federal Milk Marketing Orders. Class 1 differentials are meant to incentivize the movement of milk to …
Dairy’s Long-Term Outlook is Bright
The future of America’s dairy farming is bright as global growth and American production capacity and innovation combine to create a “powerhouse.” Gregg Doud, the incoming president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) said, “In terms of the protein world, dairy is a huge part of the future. As a former Chief Agricultural Negotiator for the U.S. …
Leaders Say Battle Over Canadian Dairy Trade Policy Will Continue
The U.S. lost its latest challenge against Canadian dairy trade practices, but there may be more of a fight ahead. U.S. dairy organizations along with elected officials and ag leaders are expressing disappointment over Friday’s decision by the USMCA dispute panel in the challenge against Canada’s dairy trade quotas. The U.S. charged that the quotas don’t line up with the …
Small Hikes Expected for 2024 Milk Production and Prices
USDA has a new forecast for 2024 milk production and prices. Gary Crawford has more details.
USMCA Dispute Panel Limits Canadian Market Access
Last Friday, a ruling was made by a U.S-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) dispute panel allowing Canada to restrict the dairy access that the U.S. negotiated for in the USMCA pact. And according to the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC), the ruling weakens the agreement’s value to the US dairy industry. An earlier panel ruled in January 2022 that Canada had improperly restricted …
Southern Pasture Conditions Have Been Very Dry
Much needed precipitation has fallen in some areas of the Southeast this week. But as USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey notes, many of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic states have been experiencing very dry pasture conditions.