Mixed bag for dairy farmers in proposed milk order updates

Jul 04, 2024

USDA releases reform plan, but concerns remain

By Farms.com

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released its proposals for revising the Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMOs) that govern milk pricing nationwide. These proposals follow a lengthy hearing process that considered input from farmers, processors, and others involved in the dairy industry.

The American Farm Bureau identifies both positive and negative aspects in the USDA's plan. The proposals would increase the value returned to farmers for milk bottling and reinstate a potentially beneficial pricing formula.

A major concern for the Farm Bureau is the significant reduction in milk class prices to account for processing costs. They argue that there's insufficient data to justify these reductions.

The Farm Bureau also advocated for changes that weren't included, such as increasing the price differential for Class II milk (used in various products) and adding a different cheese type to the price survey that sets the cheese milk price.

The USDA will accept public comments before finalizing the rule. The Farm Bureau plans to submit suggestions and emphasizes the importance of a new farm bill with provisions for mandatory audits of processors' costs. This data is seen as crucial for future milk pricing decisions.

Video: Learning to Wrench From Dad the Hard Way

Harvest is a week out and the farm picked this week to fall apart. The truck needs a battery, the barn curtain's got a problem, and the corn and beans are telling us we're out of time to get it all fixed.

So it's a full day of wrenching. Tork supervises while I get the truck back running, then we're out at the hog barn where one rusted up part has the whole curtain system hung up. Ladder work, cable work, and a little dad-and-son disagreement about the right way to do it. We close it out walking the fields, shelling beans and checking corn, because whether everything's fixed or not, harvest starts when harvest starts.

Chapters: 00:00 Everything breaks the week before harvest 01:00 Tork supervises while I fix the truck 12:30 Out to the barn to find the curtain problem 14:30 One rusty part hung up the whole curtain 20:00 Running the curtain cable from the ladder 24:00 Walking the beans and corn before harvest 26:30 Wrapping up

We're a 6th generation family farm in southeast Iowa showing the real ups and downs of pig farming and row crop farming. No script, just the work. Subscribe and follow along.

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