Tag: NMPF Board of Directors

Board Meeting Gathers Farmers Ready to Face Policy Challenges

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

Dairy farmers from across the nation celebrated fairer milk prices for farmers and pledged to work together to meet challenges on labor, trade and other issues at the National Milk Producers Federation’s Board of Directors meeting in Arlington March 4-5.

“We’re in a fast-moving environment, with a new administration and things changing every day,” said NMPF Board Chairman Randy Mooney, a farmer from Rogersville, MO, in remarks at the meeting. “We are happy to have NMPF watching out for us here in Washington.”

The meeting brought together more than 50 farmers and dairy-cooperative leaders to hear presentations updating pressing dairy issues, including agricultural labor, trade and H5N1 bird flu, which has now been circulating in dairy cattle for one year.

Milk producers also celebrated a policy win – nationwide adoption of a new Federal Milk Marketing Order that begins taking effect on June 1. The plan, spearheaded by NMPF, culminates a four-year process of seeking fairer pricing for farmers and cooperatives.

“The top two issues we have today are immigration and tariffs,” Mooney said. “Nothing else means anything else to us if we don’t have anyone to milk our cows.” On trade, he said day-to-day turbulence doesn’t change dairy’s commitment to building exports. “We intend to play in the world market, and we will invest in the world market to do it,” he said.

NMPF’s board also charted a path toward a successor organization to the Cooperatives Working Together export assistance program, which has helped dairy build overseas markets and welcomed two new directors, Mark Leichtfuss of FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative in Wisconsin and Richard Hill of Upstate Niagara Cooperative in New York.

Farmers Ready to Face Policy Challenges, NMPF Farmers Say at Board Meeting

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

Dairy farmers from across the nation celebrated fairer milk prices for farmers and pledged to work together to meet challenges on labor, trade and other issues at the National Milk Producers Federation’s Board of Directors meeting, which concluded today.

“We’re in a fast-moving environment, with a new administration and things changing every day,” said NMPF Board Chairman Randy Mooney, a farmer from Rogersville, MO, in remarks at the meeting. “We are happy to have NMPF watching out for us here in Washington.”

NMPF’s board meeting brought together more than 50 farmers and dairy-cooperative leaders at the nation’s largest dairy farmer trade organization, which serves as the policy voice for dairy farmers and the cooperatives they own in Washington.

Dairy farmers at the meeting heard presentations updating pressing dairy issues, including agricultural labor, trade and H5N1 bird flu, which has now been circulating in dairy cattle for roughly one year. Milk producers also celebrated a policy win – nationwide adoption of a new Federal Milk Marketing Order that begins taking effect on June 1. The plan, spearheaded by NMPF, culminates a four-year process of seeking fairer pricing for farmers and cooperatives.

“The top two issues we have today are immigration and tariffs,” Mooney said. “Nothing else means anything else to us if we don’t have anyone to milk our cows.” On trade, he said day-to-day turbulence doesn’t change dairy’s commitment to building exports. “We intend to play in the world market, and we will invest in the world market to do it,” he said.

NMPF’s board also charted a path toward a successor organization to the Cooperatives Working Together export assistance program, which has helped dairy build overseas markets. Reflecting that reformation, the board voted to rename the program NEXT (NMPF Exports & Trade) while authorizing a new business plan for final approval in June. The board also welcomed two new directors:

  • Mark Leichtfuss of FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative in Wisconsin, and;
  • Richard Hill of Upstate Niagara Cooperative in New York.

The board also created the Dr. Peter Vitaliano Legacy Scholarship as part of NMPF’s National Dairy Leadership Scholarship Program. The award, named for a recently retired longtime NMPF economist, will be used to help support a student who demonstrates attributes exemplified by Dr. Vitaliano to honor his decades of commitment to the success of U.S. dairy producers and cooperatives.

NMPF Advances Marketing Order Discussions at March Board Meeting

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF celebrated strong global demand for U.S. milk in a time of turmoil and asserted leadership in its efforts toward Federal Milk Marketing Order modernization during its Board of Directors meeting March 8-9.

High on NMPF’s list of priorities for 2022 is leading discussions on updating the Federal Milk Marketing Order system, the bedrock of orderly milk markets in the U.S. NMPF is taking a deliberate approach toward meaningful modernization, crafting consensus among all sizes and regions, said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF.

“We may take the rest of this year to get this all done and get it right,” Mulhern said. “If we can keep a spirit of collaboration going throughout the process, we’re going to end up in a very good place. I’m confident that we’ll have a national federal order hearing proposal that reflects the consensus of our membership and reflects the needs of dairy producers across the country.”

NMPF’s Economic Policy Committee since last fall has been conducting analysis and engaging with farmers on the FMMO system, created in the 1930s and last updated in 2000.

NMPF’s board also discussed the response of agriculture and dairy to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and potential resulting volatility in agricultural markets. Board members pledged to seeks ways to assist Ukrainian families and farmers as the fast-developing situation evolves. The board unanimously adopted a resolution calling on policymakers “to immediately take the steps necessary to facilitate increased domestic energy production of all forms” to avoid agricultural supply disruptions at a time of already high and rising input costs.

Other topics ranged from sustainability to supply chains during the meeting, which also featured remarks from Rep. Glenn “G.T.” Thompson, R-PA, ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee. Valerie Lavigne, a dairy farmer from Schaghticoke, NY, and a member of Agri-Mark, also spoke in her new role as chairwoman of NMPF’s Young Cooperators.

New directors welcomed to NMPF’s board included:

  • Rob Byrne, Dairy Farmers of America
  • Chris Sukalski, Land O’Lakes
  • Andy Mason, Land O’Lakes
  • Frank Doll, Prairie Farms