News
National Milk Producers board votes to support milk marketing order reforms
The National Milk Producers Federation board unanimously voted to support the modernization of the Federal Milk Marketing Order milk-pricing system.
The NMPF board voted in favor of several changes including the number one priority of producers and processors who discussed dairy pricing at American Farm Bureau Federation’s forum in Kansas City a week and a half ago: Return the Class I mover to the “higher of” and not the average of Class III and IV.
The NMPF board also voted to:
NMPF is still working on other Class I milk price issues including county-level Class I price differentials. That work is expected to be completed later this year.
NMPF says any final proposal will be reviewed before asking USDA to consider a federal order hearing.
The board’s decision is being applauded by FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative’s General Manager Jeff Lyon, who is also on the NMPF board and serves on their Federal Milk Marketing Order Task Force. Lyon says, “Trying to modernize federal milk marketing orders is no small feat and becomes quite the balancing act when involving every milk shed across the country,” He says there is still a lot of work to do, and other ideas will surface, but these recommendations provide a solid foundation. Lyons says now, this proposal needs to keep moving forward.
The vote happened during the joint annual meeting of the National Milk Producers Federation, the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board, and the United Dairy Industry Association in Denver, Colorado.
Add Comment