FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative commends the teamwork approach by two leading dairy organizations, the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), for their proposal to national leaders on how best to support the dairy industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is no more important time than now for the industry to have a united voice when appealing to the USDA on the best ways to support the dairy industry. We applaud the united approach of NMPF and IDFA to share a proposal on the many tools that USDA can implement at this time,” says Jeff Lyon, general manager for FarmFirst, which is a member of NMPF. “The entire supply chain is hurting, especially our dairy farmers as they do not have the means to withstand this onslaught on milk prices after enduring the past five years of challenging low milk prices.”
“Congressional leaders and the USDA are exploring many options to implement industry support, making it essential for these two national dairy organizations to work in stride together. A united voice is what the Trump administration is looking for, and the dairy industry has proven it is ready to act on these solutions,” says Lyon.
“Time is of the essence as millions across the U.S. are now unemployed and many dairy farmers are desperately seeking answers as to how the immediate future will unfold as milk continues to go down the drain,” adds Lyon. “We encourage the USDA to exercise every suggestion, including dairy product purchases, reopening the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program sign up for 2020, and providing compensation to dairy farmers and processors on dumped milk or milk sold at distressed prices.”
FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative, established in 2013 and based in Madison, Wis., represents farmers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana by providing legislative and regulatory advocacy, dairy marketing services, disaster protection, laboratory testing opportunities and industry promotion. FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative is a merger of three long-time prominent Wisconsin-based cooperatives. Learn more about FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative by visiting: www.FarmFirstDairyCooperative.com.
