Farm Bureau Releases Milk Program Recommendations

Oct 04, 2019

The American Farm Bureau Federation today released a proposal for the future of U.S. milk-pricing provisions and marketing-order reform. The recommendations aim to bring more democracy and a more equitable program for all dairy farmers. Although federal milk marketing orders have been a pillar of the dairy industry for more than 80 years, the program has not undergone substantial change in nearly two decades. A working group consisting of Farm Bureau grassroots leaders and other contributors from the Farm Bureau family prepared the report after broad consultation with industry and academia.

The Farm Bureau Federal Milk Marketing Order Working Group recommendations are contained in the report “Priorities, Principles and Policy Considerations for FMMO Reform.”

Key recommendations would:

Give every dairy farmer a voice by eliminating the ability of coops to vote on behalf of member-producers on changes to federal milk marketing orders (bloc voting);
Improve risk sharing across the supply chain in the product pricing formulas by adjusting the “make allowance” (a fixed deduction or credit for processing milk into finished dairy products) to be variable on a commodity-by-commodity basis;
Collect more robust pricing information by significantly expanding the Agriculture Department’s mandatory price reporting survey; and
Simplify milk pricing rules in the Southeast by aligning the qualifying criteria for pooling and eliminating transportation subsidies.

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Video: Selling Rams & Helping New Farmers Begin

It’s shipping day again at Ewetopia Farms as we sell another Suffolk yearling ram! In today’s episode, we load one of our Suffolk rams onto the trailer as he heads off to his new farm to sire the next generation of lambs.

This particular customer has been buying our rams for over eight years, trusting Ewetopia genetics for their gentle temperaments, strong builds, and proven performance. Back home, we get busy looking after the flock that’s staying behind. With the weather turning wet and chilly, it’s time to put down fresh, clean bedding to keep everyone cozy and comfortable for the season ahead. Later, we welcome a wonderful new family who’s just starting out in sheep farming!

They’ve chosen some of our Suffolk ewe lambs to begin their flock — and we couldn’t be happier to help them take their first steps into raising sheep. Stay tuned for a follow-up episode when we help deliver and settle their new flock at their farm.