Deadline Approaching for Additional Dairy Proposals

Taylor Hillman Cattle, Dairy & Livestock, General

Cows at California Dairy
The deadline is approaching for comments on the push to get California in a federal milk marketing order. Sabrina Hill has more.


Milk Marketing Order

California Dairies Inc., Land O’ Lakes Inc., and Dairy Farmers of America Inc., have requested a formal hearing with the USDA to establish a federal milk marketing order for California. The request points out the cooperatives are owned by dairy farm families and represent more than 75 percent of the milk produced in California. California is the nation’s leading dairy state. The California Department of Agriculture administers a state milk marketing order, but the request points out while there have been significant changes in the federal regulations over the last few years, our state order has not adapted. According to the request, that has cost California dairy farmers more than $1.5 billion dollars since 2010.

There are several steps in the process — and the next deadline is just a couple of days away.
USDA is requesting additional proposals regarding a potential federal milk order for California. The deadline for those proposals is this Friday, April 10.

Meanwhile, next month the USDA will hold a series of informational meetings here in California on the matter.

For more on the call for additional proposals, visit the AMS website.

For more on the USDA meetings, visit this page on the Western United Dairymen website.