Canada prevails over U.S. in dairy dispute
A USMCA dispute panel rejected U.S. charges that Canada bent the rules to unfairly restrict American sales in its dairy market despite agreeing in the free trade agreement to grant more access. "This is good news for Canada's dairy industry and our system of supply management," said Trade Minister Mary Ng and Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAuley in a statement.
Farm lobby pushes for new farm bill in early 2024
Farm groups called for Congress on Thursday to overcome a months-long impasse and enact a new farm bill early next year. President Biden was expected to sign legislation that extends current farm law until next Sept. 30 but the farm groups want to keep the pressure on for prompt action.
After record high, a marginal decline in global food prices
Sharply lower prices for palm, sunflower and soybean oils helped pull down the Food Price Index marginally from its record high that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Grain prices also fell during April while meat, dairy and sugar prices rose.
Perdue opens enrollment for ‘new and improved’ dairy insurance program
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced Tuesday that enrollment is now open for the “new and improved” Dairy Margins Protection Program, a dairy insurance program run by USDA. The program has a poor reputation among many dairy farmers, who believe funds from an earlier iteration of the program were misallocated. No paywall
While U.S. dairy farmers face a bleak market, their Canadian counterparts thrive
Dairy farmers in Canada are paid about $24 per hundred pounds of milk, nearly $10 more than their American counterparts, who may live mere miles to the south.
Big dairy ‘co-op’ illustrates what’s wrong with modern agricultural co-ops
Dairy Farmers of America, the 20-year-old product of the largest merger in dairy cooperative history, has become a vertically integrated “corporation” that enjoys the legal benefits of a cooperative while increasingly serving its own bottom line rather than its member farmers, says Washington Monthly.
Paper-thin increase in grocery prices this year
Two-thirds of the way through 2017, the government says grocery prices are headed for a barely perceptible increase of 0.25 percent this year, thanks to lower red meat, egg and fresh produce prices. This year's marginal increase follows the first instance of retail food price deflation in half a century, the 1.3-percent year-on-year decline in grocery prices in 2016.
California dairies to consider their first FMMO
The Agricultural Marketing Service will publish a proposal for a California Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) on Feb. 14, says Agri-Pulse. The order would regulate product prices between the farmer and first buyer. And California, which prod
USDA to buy $20 million worth of cheese to help dairy industry
The USDA said it plans to buy about 11 million pounds of cheese for food banks and pantries across the nation, reducing a cheese surplus that is at its highest level in 30 years. The purchase, valued at $20 million, came after a concerted campaign by the dairy industry, which is facing a 35-percent drop in revenues.
Farm Bureau seeks more aid for dairy farmers
The American Farm Bureau Federation asked the USDA to provide emergency assistance to U.S. dairy farmers, including purchasing millions of pounds of cheese for government nutrition programs, as they cope with milk prices at seven-year lows, Agri-Pulse reported. In the past two years, milk sales have fallen $16 billion, AFBF President Zippy Duvall said in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Dairy farmers ask $100–$150 million in USDA cheese-buying
To bolster milk prices and help keep dairy farmers in business, the USDA should buy up to 90 million pounds of cheese and donate it to food banks, says the National Milk Producers Federation.
Dairy farmers get $11.2 million in monthly subsidy payment
The Agriculture Department said it sent $11.2 million in a monthly payment to dairy farmers through the insurance-like Margin Protection Program, calculated at the highest payment rate since MPP began in 2014. A week ago, 61 lawmakers urged USDA to respond to low milk prices through larger federal purchases of dairy products and to "offer financial assistance that will directly support U.S. dairy farmers equally."
U.S. heads for third year of below-normal food inflation
The strong dollar and low oil prices are slowing food price inflation to its lowest rate in six years, a barely noticeable 1.5 percent this year, says the Agriculture Department. And, looking ahead, USDA economists say 2017 will be the third year in a row that food inflation is far below normal.