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Federal Milk Marketing Order hearings requested

Photo L-R: Jim Mulhern-National Milk Producers Federation, Mike Brown-International Dairy Foods Association, John Umhoefer-Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, Marin Bozic-University of Minnesota & Edge Dairy Farmers Cooperative, Mark Stephenson-University of Wisconsin during a milk pricing panel discussion at CheeseCon in Madison, Wisconsin

The USDA has officially been asked to hold a hearing on the Federal Milk Marketing Order system, but not everyone is supporting it.

John Umhoefer with the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association tells Brownfield they submitted a request to USDA for a federal order hearing last week. “We’ve put in a petition to USDA for a hearing to increase make allowances in the United States which you know, haven’t been lifted since 2008.”

Now, USDA has about three weeks left of their 30-day window to respond but Jim Mulhern with the National Milk Producers Federation tells Brownfield they are requesting a hearing that goes far beyond make allowances. “The pricing formulas are very important to help determine prices for class one, two, three, and four, all of the milk in this country that is regulated under the federal order program and that’s what our proposal does, a comprehensive update.”

Mulhern says milk pricing reforms need to deal with all of the major issues so it works for today’s dairy industry.  He expects USDA might have one or more federal milk marketing order hearings later this year.

Umhoefer and Mulhern spoke to Brownfield during CheeseCon 2023 in Madison, Wisconsin Wednesday.