NMPF calls for fair milk pricing

Jun 07, 2024

Board addresses H5N1 response

By Farms.com

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) Board meeting concluded with discussions on fair milk pricing and dairy's response to H5N1 influenza. Randy Mooney, a Missouri dairy farmer, expressed confidence in the industry's resilience.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is set to unveil its plan for Federal Milk Marketing Order modernization, a move championed by NMPF. The board reviewed recent policy developments, including progress on the 2024 Farm Bill and updates on H5N1 influenza.

NMPF Chief Science Officer Dr. Jamie Jonker led discussions on H5N1, emphasizing its importance to dairy's future. The meeting coincided with NMPF's annual Young Cooperators fly-in, where dairy farmers advocated for the industry with lawmakers.

Dairy farmers urged passage of a Farm Bill, expanded market access for U.S. dairy products, and federal action on milk labeling integrity. The board also considered improvements to the Cooperatives Working Together program and elected three new members.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.