National Milk Producers Federation leadership visited World Dairy Expo on Thursday promoting their Foundation for the Future dairy plan. President and Chief Executive Officer Jerry Kozak says the idea has been well received and now they are out to clarify any questions producers might have. Kozak says it is not a supply management program, “It is a preventative program in which the producers have the ability to adjust to market conditions depending upon what they may be including high feed cost versus milk price so it isn’t just triggered by milk production or over supply.”
Another part of the overall plan is to reform the federal milk marketing order system. NFPF Senior VP Marketing and Economic Research Jim Tillison says no one is happy with the current system, make allowances and yield factors have become a real problem so they are working to devise a system which will be more market-oriented. Tillison says they are still in the developmental stage of the program but hope to complete it soon. He says they do support continuation of the federal order system and are not looking to reduce the number of orders.
Randy Mooney is Chairman of National Milk Producers Federation. The Missouri dairyman called for the creation of the task force which developed Foundation for the Future. He says the two things the task force stayed away from when formulating the plan was size of farm and regionalism. “When we get to Congress we’ve got to stick together.” As for processors, he asks, “Before you oppose it, make sure you understand it.”
Jaime Castaneda is Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives & Trade Policy, he says the Foundation for the Future is WTO-compliant. He says a benefit of the plan is the creation of a consistent milk supply so we can be a consistent supplier for the export market. Castaneda contends we can compete in a growing global market.
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