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Agriculture News

Dairy farmers awash in milk, low prices

Virginia Farm Bureau | Posted on September 9, 2016

Virginia dairy farmers have always endured price fluctuation in milk prices. But the latest downswing has seen milk checks shrink by 35 percent the past two years, with little improvement in sight. That’s why some dairy farmers welcomed news that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is purchasing 11 million pounds of excess cheese from private sources for use in food banks across the nation. “The dairy industry in Virginia, and the nation as a whole, is suffering from decreased whole milk consumption,” explained Kyle Leonard, an Augusta County dairyman and member of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Dairy Advisory Committee. “That’s been our bread and butter; selling milk that people drink.  “Consumers, in general, for some reason aren’t drinking as much whole milk. And that’s bothersomebecause its nature’s most perfect food,” Leonard said.  A soft world market for dairy products and increased production by some dairymen also contributed to an oversupply of milk and lower prices at the farm, Leonard said. “Dairy farmers across the world are suffering,” he said. “Whether it’s in Europe or New Zealand, consumer demand has decreased.


California moves to add dairy farm methane limits to climate agenda

Capital Press | Posted on September 9, 2016

California Democrats are taking further steps to advance the state’s ambitious climate-change agenda, agreeing to regulate methane emissions from landfills and dairy farms for the first time and approving $900 million in spending on environmental programs. The approval came in the final hours of the two-year legislative session Wednesday following a flurry of negotiations involving Gov. Jerry Brown, Democratic legislative leaders and the affected industries. It was approved just a week after Democrats voted to extend California’s landmark climate change law, the most aggressive in the nation, by another 10 years, solidifying the state’s reputation as an environmental leader through at least 2030. That move, pushed by Brown and environmentalists, came amid fierce opposition from oil companies and other business interests.


16 percent of New Hampshire dairy farms close

Capital Press | Posted on September 9, 2016

EPSOM, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire dairy farmers say low milk prices and ongoing drought have contributed to the state losing 16 percent of those farms over the past eight months.

The state’s agriculture commissioner says 19 of the state’s 120 dairies have closed this year. The state had lost 10 dairies over the previous four years combined.

Federal agricultural prices list 100 pounds of milk as selling for $14.80 last month. That’s down from $23.40 in June 2014 and $16.90 in June 2015.

Farmers in several counties can apply for a federal emergency relief loan after Gov. Maggie Hassan had a drought disaster designation request granted last week.

State Rep. Bob Haefner says he plans to have a meeting in September to discuss funding the state’s milk farmers’ emergency relief fund board.


Monsanto exec to take the reins of International Dairy Feeds

Capital Press | Posted on September 9, 2016

The International Dairy Foods Association has selected Michael Dykes to replace Connie Tipton as its president and CEO. For the past 19 years, Dykes was vice president of government affairs for Monsanto. He has spent his career involved in developing agricultural government affairs policies and strategies, according to an IDFA press release. At Monsanto, he was responsible for a portfolio of programs that included agricultural biotechnology policy.


New case of bovine tuberculosis found in northern Michigan

Capital Press | Posted on September 9, 2016

State officials say another case of bovine tuberculosis has been detected on a northern Michigan cattle farm. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development says the potentially fatal illness was confirmed in an Alcona County beef herd when one of the animals was tested before being moved to another place. Sixty-six cattle herds in Michigan have been found to be infected with bovine TB since 1998. Alcona County is one of four counties where cattle producers must test their herds for the disease annually and before they’re moved.


WI Senator fights Canadian milk trade barriers

WSAW TV | Posted on September 8, 2016

Senator Tammy Baldwin says millions are being lost in milk export sales to Canada due to dairy pricing changes this spring. Baldwin is asking USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Michael to investigate the new Canadian dairy pricing policies to see whether they're fair and to make sure trade agreements are being upheld. “You need to investigate whether trade deals are being broken though this policy and you especially need to talk with your Canadian counterparts now that they're looking at expanding this Ontario based policy nationwide,” said Baldwin. Agricultural agent at UW-Extension Mark Hagedorn says Canada is pushing to impose limitations on the importation of milk products. “If we aren't able to export products it will have an impact on what we receive in our milk check every month. The more products we have here at home the less value it has here,” explained Hagedorn.


Avian influenza action plan unveiled by U.S. Poultry & Egg Association

Global Meat | Posted on September 8, 2016

The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) has launched materials to help poultry producers organize and implement an incident response plan. 


Class Action Lawsuit: Poultry Producers manipulated market

Cook Couny Record | Posted on September 8, 2016

Maplevale Farms, one of the country’s leading food service providers, has brought a federal class action antitrust lawsuit against the country’s top poultry producers, alleging they conspired to hatch a plan to manipulate the supply of chicken to keep the price of the birds artificially high, harvesting bumper profits. According the complaint, at a time their input costs were falling – in particular, the prices of the corn and soybeans used to feed their chickens – the prices of broilers remained stubbornly high, relative to past “boom and bust” cycles. The lawsuit pinned the blame on the historically unusual price stability on alleged cooperation between the large poultry producers.


Cuban Connection: The journey of one rice farmer

KATC | Posted on September 8, 2016

Louisiana Agricultural commissioner Mike Strain presented the Cuban government with a memorandum of understanding.  "It's a pledge of mutual support, working together to grow agricultural trade, industrial trade."  In upcoming months, Cuban officials will revise the memorandum, and on a state visit in October, Governor Edwards is scheduled to sign it.   But for Guillory, there's no deeper understanding than talking rice farmer to rice farmer... "Farmers everywhere have a fraternity that no one else understands."  ...and there's no substitute for a shared cigar-and a handshake. 


Migrant farmworkers on 1,500-kilometre caravan to Ottawa

Windsor Star | Posted on September 8, 2016

Fifty years after Canada began flying in seasonal workers to help out on the farm, a group is rallying to have the program’s participants granted permanent immigration status.  “These are the workers putting food on our tables, but they’re not being treated the same as other workers,” said Elizabeth Ha, a member of Harvesting Freedom, a migrant farmworker caravan travelling over the next several weeks from Windsor to Ottawa to highlight issues facing those seasonal visitors.  Facing unemployment at home on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, Gabriel Allahdua said it was a “great, great, great moment in my life” when he was selected to participate in the program and visit his first developed country. Allahdua spent four years at an Ontario farm, but he said his initial “high expectations” were met with disappointment.


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