DAIRY NEWS – Leading dairy policy and marketing experts from across the country will come together to share their insights and answer questions on proposed changes to U.S. milk-pricing regulations that will affect dairy producers, processors and the entire industry. In July, the USDA-Agricultural Marketing Service released proposed amendments to the Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMO), representing the largest changes to the country’s milk pricing in more than two decades.
Scheduled for 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, September 18, the National Federal Milk Marketing Orders Workshop will feature nine experts to inform producers, processors, and other industry stakeholders about the proposed amendments to all eleven FMMOs. The unique, one-day event will be hosted by Professional Dairy Producers® (PDP) in partnership with Renk Agribusiness Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dairy Markets and Policy, Cornell University, and UW-Extension.
The workshop will be held in three formats to ensure access to dairy stakeholders nationwide. The in-person session will be held at the Sheraton Madison Hotel, 706 John Nolen Dr, Madison, Wisconsin, and will include lunch and the opportunity to interact with presenters. The program will also be livestreamed for virtual access and a recording will be available. A registration fee of $59 applies to all three formats.
“It is essential that dairy producers across the country and all 11 Federal Milk Marketing Orders understand the proposed changes and how it could impact their operation, their order and the entire industry,” said Slinger, Wis., dairy producer and PDP executive director Shelly Mayer. “PDP is proud to work with leading experts and organizations around the country to bring this opportunity to producers so they can make an educated decision and share their opinions with their cooperatives and prepare to vote on the proposal.”
Workshop speakers represent a diversity of tenured backgrounds and experiences specific to Federal Milk Marketing Orders. Presenters include:
- Mike Brown, chief economist for International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)
- Stephen Cain, senior director of economic research and analysis for National Milk Producers Federation and the U.S. Dairy Export Council
- Calvin Covington, former CEO of Southeast Milk, Inc., author of numerous milk marketing articles, and several-time testifier at federal milk order hearings
- Dr. Charles Nicholson, Associate Professor in the Departments of Animal and Dairy Sciences and Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Leonard Polzin, dairy markets and policy outreach specialist at the University of Wisconsin Extension
- Dr. Mark Stephenson, retired University of Wisconsin-Madison Director of Dairy Policy Analysis
- John Umhoefer, executive director of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association
- Geoffrey Vanden Heuvel, director of California’s Regulatory and Economic Affairs for Milk Producers Council
- Dr. Chris Wolf, E.V. Baker Professor of Agricultural Economics at Cornell University
The session will feature a diverse perspective of regions and organizations to highlight potential impacts and will focus on key questions about the proposed changes. Areas of discussion will include areas of milk pricing that will be changed and what will stay the same; rationale behind proposed changes; regional implications for producers, cooperatives, processors, suppliers and consumers; timeline and process; and how the proposed changes correlate with potential for additional changes under the Farm Bill.
To learn more and to register, visit www.pdpw.org or contact PDP at 800-947-7379.
Professional Dairy Producers (PDP) is the nation’s largest dairy producer-led organization of its kind, focusing on producer professionalism, stakeholder engagement and unified outreach to share ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.”
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