Pennsylvania’s Governor Rendell is pleased with the action of the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board to possibly capture over-order premiums for milk sold out-of-state. Governor Rendell petitioned the board last year to use its authority to capture over-order premiums in other marketing areas, a move that would boost the profitability of Pennsylvania dairy producers. The board agreed to consider the part … Read More
Producers See Return of Price
Wisconsin farmers, and other dairy producers across the country, are optimistic as milk prices rise to levels that haven’t been seen in almost five years. With fuel prices and the demand for corn-based ethanol, producers are hoping the increase in the milk price will help offset the dramatically increased expensses. “That’s the nature of farming and the commodity markets,” said … Read More
Federal Milk Marketing Task Force Meets
The National Milk Producers Federation’s Federal Order task force met for the first time this week in Chicago. The goal of the committee is to try to improve the existing Federal Milk Marketing Order system The fourteen member of the task force discussed what types of changes will most benefit dairy farmers and the cooperatives they own, along with milk … Read More
Subcommittee Hearing on Milk Marketing Orders
This week, Congressman Leonard Boswell, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry, held a hearing to review the Federal Milk Marketing Order rulemaking procedures. The Federal Milk Marketing Orders were established in the 1930’s to make sure that milk, which is a highly perishable product, reached consumers at a fair price and in a time … Read More
NMPF Calls for Changes in Protocols
National Milk Producers Federation is calling for the USDA to a change the reviewing protocols of product pricing and inventory data it collects. Recently, it was discovered that nonfat dry milk prices have not been reported accurately in monthly government surveys. The USDA last week said that the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) had been collecting price data on nonfat … Read More
Milk Production Slows
The latest milk price predictions from Bob Cropp, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prices will continue to be strong in 2007. Milk production growth continues to slow from the 2% even 5% monthly increases from the previous year during 2006. This has been a major factor in strengthening milk prices this year. Compared to year earlier, March milk production for the 23 … Read More
Bailey Predicts Higher Prices
Dr. Ken Bailey from Penn State is predicting milk prices to rise from January’s $14.50 to a peak of $16.62 in August. But, along with that, Bailey is also predicting higher retail prices for consumers. Ken Bailey, a milk-marketing expert in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, projects the average retail price of whole milk to rise to about $3.35 … Read More
Vermont Producers Get Assistance
Dairy farmers in Vermont earned a small victory on Friday, the state’s governor, James Douglas, signed a law that will distribute $3 million dollars in assistance to them. The checks will be mailed to as many as 1,100 farmers by the end of March. The amount they get will be based on how much milk they produced in January and … Read More
MILC Continues
This is good news, for now. What do you think of the President’s plan? Dairy farmers faced with falling milk prices would continue to get federal aid as part of a 2008 budget proposal announced Monday by President Bush. However, the president’s longer-term plan calls for reductions in the federal subsidy, which kicks in when milk prices fall below $16.94 … Read More
Wisconsin Speaks Out on NMPF Proposal
Wisconsin dairy producers have their state’s congressional delegation reaching out to the USDA on their behalf. Three members of Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation are calling on U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns to reject changes to the federal milk marketing orders being considered by the USDA that could hurt the prices that Wisconsin dairy farmers receive. Congressman Dave Obey, along with Senators … Read More