The dairy industry is trying to win over small groups of influencers… and large groups of consumers as well. In this edition of the Milking Parlor, we talk with Stacy Dohle from the Midwest Dairy Association and Dairy Management Incorporated to hear how they are trying to win over those influencers, such as nutritionists, to the value dairy products have … Read More
Milking Parlor: Vilsack Talks Farm Bill, Regs at WDE
It’s regulations and legislation on the minds of dairy farmers. Producers are worried about whether they will be able to get a waiver from the federal Food and Drug Administration for corn hit by aflatoxin because of the drought, as well the lack of a new farm bill, which means the loss of the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) Program, … Read More
Milking Parlor: No Farm Bill Puts Dairy WAY Back
Congress left town with a little unfinished business… in this case, without passing a new farm bill! The old one expired at the end of September, and for dairy, that means the expiration of the Milk Income Loss Contract … or MILC … Program. And that means that program reverts back to the original 1949 policy. In this edition of … Read More
Milking Parlor: Comments on RFS Waiver Start
The high cost of feed, especially corn with its skyrocketing prices because of this year’s drought, is in the forefront of many dairy producers’ minds. The EPA has opened the comment period for a waiver of the Renewable Fuels Standard… a waiver that is hoped to reduce the demand for corn and thus reduce the price for corn. The process … Read More
Milking Parlor: Farm Bill Dairy Debate Moves to House
Last month, we talked about what was in the Senate’s version of the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012, better known as the Farm Bill. The process moved over to the House, where the bill has a new name, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management or FARRM Act. The debate in the Agriculture Committee focused on an … Read More
Milking Parlor: Farm Bill Has Much for Dairy to Like
The U.S. Senate has passed the The Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012, better known as the Farm Bill, getting through that chamber by a bipartisan vote of 64 to 35. That bipartisan support pleased Senate Agriculture Chair Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and the ranking member of the committee, Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS). The vote also pleased the … Read More
Milking Parlor: Dairy Price Support Without Tax Dollars
A report out of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri shows that a federal Dairy Market Support Program (DMSP) could help keep up prices without using any tax dollars to do so. FAPRI Associate Director and dairy & livestock analyst Scott Brown says they looked at how the National Milk Producers Federation used … Read More
Milking Parlor: Profits Tighter But Dairy Herd Expanding
Prospects for dairy farmers are mixed for this year, with milk prices going up but profits being a bit lower… that’s the word out of the recent USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum. In this edition of the Milking Parlor, we hear from Ag Department dairy analyst Roger Hoskins, who told the group gathered for the forum that feed prices have gone … Read More
Milking Parlor: Dairy Man Becomes VP of NCBA
Beef operations are a big part of any dairy farm, so it’s only fitting that a dairy man has risen to one of the top leadership positions at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). During the recent Cattle Industry Convention in Denver, Scott George, a family dairy farmer from Cody, Wyoming, was elected as the new vice president for NCBA, … Read More
Milking Parlor: Novus Builds on Sustainability
Dairy farmers are moving to more sustainable operations, and Novus International, sponsor of this program, has opened a research farm that tests its products and ways to be sustainable. In this edition of the Milking Parlor, we take a look at Green Acres, Novus’ research farm that uses several sustainable features, including collecting the wastewater and composting and a soon-to-be-operational … Read More