“Dairy Cliff” Averted as U.S. Fiscal Deal Reached

Jan 02, 2013

“Fiscal Cliff” Deal Averts U.S. Milk Price Spike

The possibility of doubling U.S. milk prices has been prevented, which was part of the compromise that Congress reached on legislation late Monday, averting the “fiscal cliff.”

Congressional bargainers agreed to extend some sections of the expired 2008 Farm Bill through until September of 2013. Some of the items that have been extended include provisions that prevent milk prices from rising and other farm related provisions revolving around energy and disaster aid for farmers.

If the dairy provisions had not been extended, it would have meant that American’s could have been paying upwards of $7 for a gallon of milk.

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.