Latest News From Dairy Policy

A bi-partisan coalition of U.S. representatives has proposed new legislation to streamline FDA approval of some feed additives.

Producers are hoping for stronger milk prices next year. First quarter milk price looks less than promising - causing producers to turn to plan B which is hoping DMC payouts generate a healthy sum in the year ahead.

More than a decade after banning whole and reduced-fat milk from being served during school lunches, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted in support of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act.

The Federal Milk Marketing Orders haven't seen a major overhaul since 2000, and dairy farmers say it's past time for a change.

Assistance will be available to dairy operations that had to dump or remove milk without compensation from the commercial milk market due to qualifying weather events during the years 2020, 2021 and 2022.

The hearing, which will take place in the Indianapolis suburb of Carmel, Indiana, could potentially result in the first significant reform of milk marketing orders since 2000.

Organic dairy farmers emphasized the need for consideration of an organic exemption in any forthcoming federal order hearing, citing the current system as insupportable for their industry.

A new bill could put 2% and whole milk back in schools.

USDA will soon decide whether to hold a formal hearing and propose changes to dairy's minimum pricing system, which would then require a vote from dairy farmers.

If finalized, the guidance would allow nut, oat, soy, and other non-dairy products to utilize the name "milk” despite not containing dairy, nor having the nutritional value of dairy products.

Following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s proposed draft guidance, a group of senators re-introduced bipartisan legislation to combat the unfair practice of mislabeling non-dairy products using dairy names.

This is the second case the U.S. has filed against Canada over dairy market access.

The FDA recently unveiled a new draft guidance that, when finalized, will provide the industry with FDA’s view on the naming of plant-based food products that are marketed and sold as alternatives to milk.

The United States on Tuesday said it was seeking a second trade dispute settlement panel over Canada's dairy import quotas.

The USDA announced details of additional assistance for dairy farmers, including a second round of payments through the Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program and a new Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program.

As we look ahead to a new year, farmers are facing some continuing headwinds. One is the high cost and availability of a consistent workforce.

The issue over Canada’s dairy Tariff-Rate Quota isn’t over yet.

Action by United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai expands dispute to address Canada’s continuing failure to meet Its USMCA obligations.

The latest CPI shows that while inflation may be slowing, it still remains above the Fed's target. As inflation impacts farmers across their operation, Dan Basse looks at some of the concerns as farmers head into 2023.

The White House announced several steps to increase access of fruits and vegetables as a food source, but some say animal protein is also an answer to the need for healthy and nutritious food for all Americans.  

Controversy continues to swirl around Easterday Farms, a northern Oregon dairy operation.

Dairy producers now have more time to enroll for the dairy margin coverage (DMC) program this year.

The Biden Administration will announce "Action Plan for a Fairer, More Competitive, and More Resilient Meat and Poultry Supply Chain" Monday. The White House says it will help boost competition and reduce prices.

House Democrats have introduced a sweeping immigration overhaul package called the U.S. Citizenship Act. The centerpiece is an 8-year path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.

House Democrats have introduced a sweeping immigration overhaul package called the U.S. Citizenship Act. The centerpiece is an 8-year path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.

Is the Biden Administration immigration package just the starting point for negotiations? The DC Signal to Noise Podcast looks at what could be traded in the immigration talks.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) says she supports the Biden Administration’s move to freeze payments under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP).

President Joe Biden plans to introduce ambitious immigration reform legislation on his first day in office that seeks to legalize millions of undocumented workers.

The ag provisions of the bill include $13 billion allocated to ag programs.

No single person has left their mark on agriculture like Kansas Senator Pat Roberts who cast his last vote in a career that spans 40 years and thousands of hours in service of farmers.

University of Minnesota economist Marin Bozic says the program will help avert disaster in the dairy industry.

Program sign-ups will begin May 26. USDA plans to begin issuing payments the first week of June.

The House is expected to vote on the bill Friday; however, analysts agree its passage in the Senate is very uncertain.

If you’ve not made it into your local Farm Service Agency office to enroll for the Dairy margin Coverage (DMC) program or the Market Facilitation Program (MFP), you’ve still got time.

Producers look at Washington to see if any farm labor or immigration laws will be passed to help the ag industry. Fair Oaks Farms in Northern Indiana, is moving towards robots for the very reason.

The bipartisan immigration bill would provide legal status to current agricultural workers.

U.S. consumers who appreciate aged Italian Parmesan cheese as an aperitif or atop their favorite pasta dish are stocking up ahead of next week’s tariff hike and as dairy producers in the two countries square off.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Steve Censky urged dairy farmers to register for the improved program at the Ag Outlook Forum on Sept. 23 in Kansas City, Mo.

A letter has been sent by three dairy organizations representing farmers and processors who are seeking the aid of Congress to quickly ratify the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

Legislators in New York are considering stricter laws on farm labor while the U.S. is rejecting to fall in line with the European Union when it comes to cheese names.

Wisconsin Republican legislators want to join two lawsuits before the state Supreme Court that will determine the extent of environmental regulators’ powers.

A $1.5 million in competitive grant funding program has been made available by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that seeks to help the dairy industry.

Minnesota farmers are considering ways to prevent the closure of small dairies during a sustained slump in milk prices.

A new federal program to help hard-pressed dairy farmers is expected to be ready for enrollment in June 2019, as farmers undergo their fifth year of low milk prices that have driven thousands out of business.

Some dairy farmers advocated Tuesday for controlling the supply of milk to increase prices as producers and officials discussed how to support the struggling industry at a two-day summit in Vermont.

Presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren is taking aim at checkoff programs.

A tornado that touched down south of Roswell, New Mexico, hit an area with several dairies and the Dairy PRIDE Act has been proposed again in Congress to tackle mislabeling of dairy products.

A bipartisan bill proposed in both branches of Congress looks to combat the issue of mislabeled non-dairy products that unfairly use dairy names like milk, yogurt and cheese.

Dairy farmers, who are struggling with widespread industry consolidation, low prices and declining demand, are becoming even more fed up with all the non-dairy products in the grocery store labeled as milk.