Bipartisan Congressional Letter Voices Support for Tackling of Canada’s Protectionist Dairy Practices

Adding to the groundswell of recognition that Canada’s protectionist dairy policies are harmful to U.S. dairy exports, a bipartisan group of 68 members of the House of Representatives wrote to President Donald Trump yesterday urging him to insist that Canada comply with its dairy trade commitments, including those under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). At a time when questions are arising about the future of the …

Red Meat Demand Remaining Strong

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent Cold Storage Report showed record reductions of beef and pork, which means demand for the products remains high. At the other end of the spectrum, chicken stocks remain historically high. A Meating Place Dot Com article says total beef in cold storage dropped 38 million pounds in March, the biggest drop in March since …

Possible Changes in Cotton/Dairy Policies Ahead

House Ag Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson tells Politico’s Morning Agriculture Report that he’s optimistic that the fiscal 2017 government spending package will include changes to the cotton and dairy policies in the new Farm Bill. He says those potential changes would provide more financial assistance to farmers. The Minnesota Democrat says he and other committee members have been talking …

Progress on Canada Dairy Issue

The Associated Press reports more farmers impacted by what they call unfair trade practices by Canada have found a buyer for their milk. A Wisconsin state officials told the Associated Press Tuesday that around 15 more farms have found buyers or have promising leads. If those deals go through, that means 20 to 25 of the 58 farms dropped by …

National Dairy FARM Program Releases Environmental Stewardship Reference Manual to Celebrate Earth Day

The National Dairy FARM Program has released its Environmental Stewardship Continuous Improvement Reference Manual in cooperation with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. Released in celebration of Earth Day, the guide provides a comprehensive suite of on-farm management practices to reduce a farm’s environmental footprint and improve its profitability. Specifically, the manual features a detailed explanation of the FARM Environmental …

Canada Doubling Down on Dairy Trade Comments

Canada continues to say ‘it’s not our problem’ when asked about dairy trade with the United States. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (true-doh) told Bloomberg News Thursday: “It’s not Canada that’s the challenge here.” Trudeau said the U.S. has a large dairy trade surplus with Canada. He stood by his own system, by saying every country subsidizes agriculture, adding: “Let’s …

Australia and New Zealand Dairy Leaders Would Support U.S. WTO Action on Canada

Dairy industry leaders from Australia and New Zealand say they would support the U.S. in potential World Trade Organization action against Canada. Leaders from both nations say they would support President Donald Trump if he included the WTO in a trade dispute over a milk pricing scheme by Canada that is harming U.S. dairy farmers. U.S. dairy groups say the …

Canada Responds to Dairy Trade Disagreement with U.S.

Canada’s Ambassador to Washington told the Associated Press this week that Donald Trump is wrong when he says that Canada’s dairy industry trade practices “are very unfair.” David MacNaughton wrote a letter to the governors of Wisconsin and New York to let them know Canada is aware of their request to the president for help with Canada’s dairy practices. “Canada …

Trump Vows to Fix Wisconsin Dairy Situation

At a recent stop in Wisconsin to discuss job creation, President Donald Trump vowed to support Wisconsin dairy farmers in their trade dispute with Canada and possibly make big changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement. A Milk Business Dot Com article quotes the President as saying “We’re using every tool at our disposal to restore the American dream. …

NMPF Statement in Response to Canadian Ambassador’s Comments on Dairy Trade Dispute

“It’s absurd for the Canadian government to assert there is no relationship between its new Class 7 policy and the lost U.S. milk sales there. When customers in Canada, who have been purchasing milk products from American suppliers for years, suddenly decide to switch to domestic suppliers after Canada implements a major change in milk pricing, it is abundantly clear …