Joint Ventures in Dairy Increasing

As the dairy industry evolves, companies across the U.S. are looking to capitalize on increasing milk production through international joint ventures. A new report from CoBank says that while the U.S. has heavily invested in milk production, Europe and other regions that faced production constraints focused their effort and investment on technology for the processing sector. And, in 2017, many …

Agri View: Food Consumption Study

Everett Griner talks about the 2018 Food Consumption Study conducted by USDA in today’s Agri View. Food Consumption Study Does it make any difference how much, or which food you eat? Well, to the producer it does. When a survey shows how much chicken will be consumed this year, it gives the poultry industry an indication of what they need …

USDA Helps Dairy and Beef Industries Reach More Domestic and Global Markets

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) made two announcements about its Animal Welfare Assessment Program (AWAP), which offers an independent assessment for industry animal welfare standards and programs.  AWAP is a voluntary service for industry organizations that evaluates animal welfare standards for conformance with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Specification (TS) 34700 – Animal Welfare …

Canada: 73 Percent of U.S. Milk Price is Subsidized

Canada’s dairy subsidies have been a controversial topic during the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations. For many years, the U.S. dairy industry has claimed that their Canadian counterparts are heavily subsidized through their dairy supply management program. The U.S. says that supply management program, and the Class and pricing systems in place, creates an unfair playing field. The …

Federal Budget Deal Passed Friday Will Aid Farmers

The U.S. Senate and House moved quickly Friday to pass a budget deal that includes assistance for cotton and dairy farmers, following a brief government shutdown. President Donald J. Trump signed the bill into law this morning. The Alabama Farmers Federation’s Mitt Walker said the bill will provide a cushion for producers, which is critical because of dim market outlooks. …

NCC: New Cotton Policy Gives Much Needed Boost

The National Cotton Council (NCC) greatly appreciates Congress’ passage of a supplemental disaster bill that includes critically needed policy that restores eligibility for cotton in the Title I Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs of the farm bill. The legislation also includes important agricultural disaster assistance, as well as additional support to dairy producers. “This measure will provide …

Lobbyist Suggest Cotton, Dairy Fixes in Disaster Bill

Industry lobbyist for cotton and dairy say safety-net fixes are nearing. Key industry lobbyist told the Hagstrom Report they believe there will be fixes to the problems in the cotton and dairy programs in the package of appropriations and disaster funding that Senate leaders are working on. An unnamed source said: “This would be a big win for agriculture going …

Dairy Industry Emphasizing Unity

International Dairy Foods Association President and CEO Michael Dykes gave his annual state-of-the-industry speech to the Dairy Forum in California. One of his highlights focused on the unity between dairy producers and processors. The Hagstrom Report says that unity that has led to joint positions on the upcoming farm bill, as well as the Trump Administration’s strong advocacy for dairy …

CURD Act Would Codify Formal Definition of Natural Cheese

Bipartisan Senators from Wisconsin have introduced the CURD Act, or the Codifying Useful Regulatory Definitions Act. Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, says the bill would codify a formal definition of “natural cheese”, a term commonly used on food packaging that currently has no official definition. Need Under the CURD Act, “natural cheese” would be defined as cheese that …