The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture says now is the time to act on the recommendations to dairy policy submitted by the Dairy Industry Advisory Committee. “If we don’t act, if we simply put all of this on the shelf and say ‘dairy prices are better now, so happy days are here again,’ this is one area for us to act … Read More
NMPF Board of Directors Votes for Federal Order Changes
The National Milk Producers Federation’s Board of Directors has voted to support a series of major reforms in the Federal Milk Marketing Order program, intended to renovate the economic structure of the U.S. dairy sector. The changes will be packaged as part of the Foundation for the Future program that NMPF has been developing during the past 18 months. The … Read More
Dairy Industry Committee Approves Report to Vilsack
The Dairy Industry Advisory Committee today has made some key recommendations for changes in USDA policy to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. In approving the final version of the “Recommendations for Public Policy to Improve Dairy Farm Profitability and Reduce Milk Price Volatility” report, the 17-member committee of dairy industry producers and leaders made recommendations to Vilsack on how USDA can … Read More
Gillibrand Looks to Provide Assistance to NY Dairy Farmers
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. has announced a plan to provide immediate support for New York’s dairy farmers. The cornerstone of Gillibrand’s plan is overhauling the milk pricing system with competitive pricing for New York dairy producers. It would also provide make the pricing system more transparent in an effort to fix a system where dairy farmers often pay more … Read More
NMPF Seeks Support for Foundation
National Milk Federation is working to bring Foundation for the Future to the attention of the new lawmakers. Increased feed prices are eating up any improved returns farmers see for their milk, the National Milk Producers Federation has said. So the group is pushing Congress to consider a new type of program well before next year’s rewrite of federal farm … Read More
Dairy Committe Report Due Out in March
The dairy economy was a topic of discussion during a full House Agriculture Committee hearing Thursday where Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack testified about the outlook for the farm economy. “The livestock and dairy industries could face some financial pressures in 2011 and bear watching,” Vilsack told the committee. Getting more specific in his written testimony, Vilsack noted that dairy … Read More
Greig to be Nominated as Pa. Ag Secretary
Congratulations to George Greig, Linesville, Pa. for being nominated for Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture! George is a dairy farmer and active in local Farm Bureau. Governor Tom Corbett announced Tuesday that he intends to nominate George Greig, a farmer and agriculture leader from Linesville, Crawford County, as secretary of agriculture. “George Greig is an experienced farmer, businessman and leader,” Corbett … Read More
New Dietary Guidelines Announced
The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans were announced today by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius. The Dietary Guidelines are the federal government’s evidence-based nutritional guidance to promote health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity through improved nutrition and physical activity. … Read More
New Guidelines for School Lunches
The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) has announced new rules to federally funded school lunch programs. The Agriculture Department proposal applies to lunches subsidized by the federal government and would be the first major nutritional overhaul of school meals in 15 years. The proposed guidelines will be available for public comment for 90 days, and once finalized, will mostly likely go … Read More
French Urges Congress to Address Estate Tax
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) joined nine other farm and agriculture organizations yesterday to urge members of Congress to address estate tax reform during the lame-duck session. Dairy farmer Billy French of Maurertown, Va., who operates French Bros. Dairy, a 125-head dairy and a 200-head cow/calf operation, spoke on behalf of NMPF about his experiences inheriting a multi-generational farm. … Read More