In light of the USDA-Agricultural Marketing Service’s recent proposal announcing the largest changes in over two decades to US milk-pricing regulations, Professional Dairy Producers® (PDP) is partnering with Renk Agribusiness Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dairy Markets and Policy, Cornell University, and UW-Extension to facilitate a workshop reviewing the industry-wide implications. Given the scope these changes could have on the dairy community, the collaborators have developed the “National Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMO) Workshop.” The workshop will inform producers, processors, and other industry stakeholders about the proposed amendments to all eleven FMMOs.
Scheduled for Wednesday, September 18, the event will take place at the Sheraton Madison Hotel, 706 John Nolen Dr, Madison, Wisconsin. Featured discussion topics will include a detailed analysis of proposed changes, regional impacts, industry implications, future projections, and also the timeline for the process.
“These draft recommendations come after five months of hearings. During which the USDA considered over 20 proposals for changes to the current FMMO,” said PDP executive director Shelly Mayer. “PDP, in partnership with several educational institutions nationwide, is committed to ensuring that everyone in dairy is informed and has a voice on this critical issue.”
Workshop speakers represent a diversity of tenured backgrounds and also experiences specific to Federal Milk Marketing Orders.
Presenters include:
- Mike Brown, chief economist for International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)
- Calvin Covington, former CEO of Southeast Milk, Inc., and several-time testifier at federal milk order hearings
- Eric Erba, vice president and senior economist for Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. (DFA)
- Charles Nicholson, Associate Professor in the Departments of Animal and Dairy Sciences and Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Leonard Polzin, dairy markets and policy outreach specialist at the University of Wisconsin Extension
- Mark Stephenson, retired University of Wisconsin-Madison Director of Dairy Policy Analysis
- John Umhoefer, executive director of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA)
- Geoffrey Vanden Heuvel, director of California’s Regulatory and Economic Affairs for Milk Producers Council
- Chris Wolf, E.V. Baker Professor of Agricultural Economics at Cornell University
The one-day workshop will be available in three formats. The in-person session will include lunch and opportunities to talk with presenters. The program will be livestreamed for virtual access and a recording will also be made available. The registration fee of $59 applies to all three formats. To learn more and to register, visit www.pdpw.org.