FDA Thinks Restaurants Should Sell More Milk

Andy VanceGovernment, Markets, Milk, Nutrition, Policy, Promotion

Sounds like a fine idea to me. I sat at an Ohio State Ag Alumni awards banquet last year with an alum from the dairy biz. I was thrilled, being a multi-gallon per week milk drinker, when he ordered a pitcher of the milk for the whole table. His comment was that he was always amazed when he took his dairy clients to dinner that they rarely ordered milk, so he ordered it for them. Sounds like a good policy to me, like fueling your farm equipment with soy biodiesel or driving a flex-fuel car.

The Raw Milk Debate Continues

Andy VanceDairy Group, Government, Markets, Milk, Nutrition

Ohio has become Ground Zero for the Raw Milk debate. It is, to put it mildly, a passionate debate, with folks on either side clinging valiantly to their beliefs. We’ve been tracking a bill in the Ohio legislature that would change our state’s position on Raw Milk from one of prohibiting sales of Raw Milk to one where the trade of Raw Milk is perfectly legal in a given set of regulatory circumstances.

Production Climbs Yet Again

Andy VanceDairy Business, Markets, Milk, Production

Milk production numbers continue to advance. USDA announced that total output for the 23 major dairy states is up to 14.6 billion pounds, up 3.7% from a year ago. There may be some hope, however. The production total was down four million pounds from last month. A very slight figure, to be sure, but perhaps a light at the end of the supply-building tunnel.

Powdergate Conspirators Finally Fined

Andy VanceCompetition, Dairy Group, Export, International, Markets, Milk

Six New Zealanders have finally been fined for their roles in “Powdergate,” the multi-million dollar scandal involving export regulations and powdered milk. The six men in question admitted their roles in the scam, submitting to charges of producing false customs documents to export milk powder labeled as meat produce. The original charges were much more severe, originally handed down five years ago as conspiracy to defraud. In total, the six Kiwis were fined just $58,500.

#26

Andy VanceExport, Government, Markets

That’s the word from Japan this morning – the 26th confirmed case of BSE in the Land of the Rising Sun. This time, cow in question is a 5-year old dairy cow from the Hokkaido province.