Canada’s Prime Minister during the original North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations says the nation is in a better position now than it was 23 years ago to negotiate the agreement. Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien served in office between 1993 and 2003. He said back in 1994, Canada had a surplus of $50 billion a year in trade. But …
NMPF Urges Government-Take Action Against Misleading Labeling of “Blue Magic” Milk
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) urged federal and state food regulators to take enforcement action against imitation dairy product “Blue Magic Cashew Milk” for continuing to ignore federal standards of identity for dairy products. In a letter sent today to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, NMPF said that use of …
UF Expert Helps Ensure “Grain Train” Gets Through
As Hurricane Irma barreled toward Florida in early September, she threatened to starve thousands of dairy cows by delaying the grain train – two dozen freight cars of feed commodities bound for the Lake Okeechobee area. The crisis was resolved by a team that included a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) expert and representatives of …
Milk Processing Expansion Needed
A report by CoBank shows U.S. milk production growth is outpacing processing capacity growth, leaving dairy processors struggling to keep pace. Every year, U.S. dairy farmers produce three billion more pounds of milk than the year before. CoBank says that those increase challenge processers, who will need an estimated 27 billion pounds more of U.S. milk processing capacity over the …
Young Producer’s Perspective on the Dairy Business
It’s a life of high risk and high reward. Dairy farmers face their share of challenges, including a volatile market and unpredictable input costs — however, there are young people looking for ways to return to the business. The nation’s milk case depends on it. So says Andy Birch, a 30-year-old dairyman and owner of Maple Grove Farm in Derby, …
Ag Groups Applaud Dairy MPP Exit Announcement
American Farm Bureau Federation The following statement may be attributed to Zippy Duvall, president, American Farm Bureau Federation: “The American Farm Bureau Federation is pleased by the announcement by the Agriculture Department to allow dairy farmers to exit the Margin Protection Program for dairy producers. Dairy farmers need access to effective risk management tools. Farm Bureau and our grassroots members …
Dairy Producers Can Enroll for 2018 Coverage
Secretary Allows Producers to Opt Out The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that starting Sept. 1, 2017, dairy producers can enroll for 2018 coverage in the Margin Protection Program (MPP-Dairy). Secretary Sonny Perdue has utilized additional flexibility this year by providing dairy producers the option of opting out of the program for 2018. “Secretary Perdue …
Altering Dairy Food Labeling Rules Would Cause Further Confusion
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should reject a petition filed by the Good Food Institute (GFI) that would undermine federal standards of identity for food and sanction existing misleading marketing tactics of imitation dairy products, the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) said in comments filed. In the latest salvo over the proper use of long-standing dairy food terms, the …
U.S. and Mexican Dairy Industries Make United Call
The U.S. and Mexican dairy industries released a unified list of priorities today that includes modernizing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to solidify their strong dairy market partnership, and addressing concerns about Canadian and European dairy policies. A list of nine shared priorities was agreed upon Thursday at a second annual summit meeting here between leaders of the …
AFBF, AFBIS, Others, Propose Dairy Revenue Protection Insurance Concept
A proposal submitted to the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation by the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), American Farm Bureau Insurance Services (AFBIS), and others would provide a revenue-based insurance option for dairy farmers, different from the current margin-based insurance options available. AFBF Market Intelligence Director John Newton explains how the Dairy Revenue Protection insurance concept will work for dairy farmers. …