With the National Milk Producers Federation requesting an emergency hearing from the US Department of Agriculture on changing the nation s milk pricing system, many in the dairy industry are wondering what can actually be done.
A Hoard s Dairyman webinar featured a panel of FMMO experts offering their thoughts on what can and may happen with the emergency hearings and how to best go about it.
Panel guests included Ed Gallagher, president of risk management for Dairy Farmers of America; Al Zolin, manager of dairy consulting firm Zolin International; Erin Taylor, acting director of order formulation and enforcement for USDA Agricultural Marketing Service; and Chris Wolf, an agricultural economist with Cornell University.
wildpixel/iStock/GettyImagesPlus Canada’s dairy provisions and Mexico’s agricultural biotechnology approvals on the agenda for Free Trade Commission.
U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai will host the inaugural Free Trade Commission of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement on May 17-18. Mexican Secretary of Economy Tatiana Clouthier and Mary Ng, Canada Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, will attend the virtual meeting which Tai says will include discussions on Mexico’s biotech acceptance and Canada’s dairy provisions.
The ministers will receive updates about work already underway to advance cooperation under the agreement and will hold robust discussions about USMCA’s landmark labor and environmental obligations, which set the standard for future trade agreements, according to a readout from USTR.
An emergency hearing can cut five months
Three weeks ago, the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) announced it will seek an emergency USDA hearing on reform to the Class I price mover. What many people have since been wondering is how an “emergency hearing” differs from standard federal order rulemaking procedures.
“Since the last time I joined you, we have gotten a lot of questions on what that means,” shared Erin Taylor of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service on the May 5
Hoard’s Dairyman DairyLivestream. On the April 7 DairyLivestream, she had outlined the steps involved in the standard hearing process. You can read about that process here.
In a voice vote, the U.S. Senate Thursday night confirmed Jewel Bronaugh to serve as deputy secretary of agriculture, making her the first Black woman to hold the position. Many agricultural groups offered their praise for the confirmation as she brings a wealth of experience to the position.
Bronaugh brings upwards of two decades worth of experience in food and agriculture, serving most recently as the commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services since 2018. During her career, she has worked on a number of issues, including food access, rural mental health, local and regional food systems and conservation.
Ag groups offer praise for Bronaugh USDA confirmation farmprogress.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from farmprogress.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.