In March of 2018 nearly 30 independent Pennsylvania dairy farmers received termination notices from the milk dealer purchasing their milk.
These producers received 90-day notices that their agreements would be terminated, and many had difficulty finding new markets.
In response, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture petitioned the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board to increase the legal dealer termination notice to producers from a 28-day requirement to 180 days.
The board held a hearing to listen to testimony from a variety of stakeholder organizations, and made a final decision to pursue a change to a 90-day notice. Those testifying included the Ag Department, the Center for Dairy Excellence, PMMB staff, milk processors, cooperatives, farmers and others.
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The guidelines were developed for the period 2020-2025 by USDA in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The advisory committee and writing teams consisted of medical doctors, Ph.D.s in nutrition, and dietary and public health specialists.
The guidelines contain recommendations for six major food groups: vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, proteins and oils. The committees working on the recommendations used a scientific approach that included data analysis of current eating habits, reviews of nutrition research and models of food and beverage intake and how they influence meeting nutritional needs.
Plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit are physicians who are members of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. They cite one study from Harvardâs School of Public Health that identifies an association between plant-based diets and lower incidence of Type 2 diabetes.
Upon being appointed to the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board in June 2018, Rob Barley and I were constantly questioned about cooperatives and over-order premium payments to their members. Jim Van Blarcom confirmed that this had been an issue since his tenure on the board as well.
There were three areas of focus for some producers.
They didnât know if they were receiving any OOP payments, they didnât know if Pennsylvania OOP payments were going to non-Pennsylvania producers, and they didnât know if the board could force co-ops to pay their producers the same way independent producers pay farmers from whom they buy milk.
My regular readers know that I like to write about various aspects of history of the dairy industry. I am particularly interested in conservation efforts to protect the heritage breeds of dairy cows in this age of pressure to increase production per cow in some areas of the country.
The Randall Linebacks are reported to be Americaâs oldest and rarest dairy breed. While once considered a critically endangered animal, The Livestock Conservancy now states they number around 500.
Randall Linebacks originated on the farm of Everett Randall in Sunderland, Vermont, where it is reported he and later his son kept a closed herd for over 80 years. Randall was a cattle breeder and it is widely thought that the Randall Linebacks are a combination of Dutch, French and English cattle. The Randalls are considered to be a âlandraceâ breed, descended from the indigenous cattle common in New England in the 19th century.