News

Farm Bureau continues push for milk check transparency

New federal milk marketing order rules are in place, but the battle to improve milk check transparency continues. 

American Farm Bureau Federation economist Danny Munch tells Brownfield some milk check accountability practices are already required for independent handlers, but not cooperatives, and USDA did not include this in the hearing process. “Farm Bureau and some other groups are interested in pursuing through a notice of public comment efforts where we can sort of get USDA to make a regulatory change through that process.”

Munch says Farm Bureau would like more mandatory disclosures to the milk check including any market adjustment and restricting the producer price differential so other adjustments are not put in that category.  He’s also advising farmers to keep a close eye on their milk check stubs. “If you have problems, reach out to your market administrator as well. There have been times where some handlers haven’t even been following the requirements that are already out there and the administrator is able to enforce those milk check requirements that are already on the books.”

Munch says there have been times where market volatility was reflected in the wrong area of the milk check.  “We’ve seen that in states like Wisconsin, where we had members that showed us milk checks and their independent handler wasn’t even following the rules that actually existed.”

Munch says producers should reach out to their market administrator with questions about milk checks.  He says on the policy front, Farm Bureau will be working to have milk check transparency guidelines apply to all handlers.