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USDA continues to evaluate milk marketing mandate
(Photo: Economist Roger Cryan questions Kevin Krenz during a recent USDA Federal Milk Marketing Order hearing)
A producer who served on the U.S. Farm Bureau's National Dairy Board said it will be some time before the USDA releases a proposed federal milk marketing mandate.
Wisconsin's Kevin Krenz told Brownfield that the guidance hearing process has ended and he is now waiting to see what the Department of Agriculture suggests as a way forward. “It's a slow process, but there are a lot of steps that need to go through. They're about 6th out of 12 in the whole process and it's probably sometime in mid-summer that we actually make an announcement.” I think.”
Krenz says it's important for dairy farmers to be well-informed and pay attention to USDA announcements this year. “Do your research. Understand how potential changes will impact your specific farm. Your specific (milk marketing) orders are critical this year.”
And Krenz says knowing how the USDA proposal will affect his farm is critical to his farm's future. “And those federal orders could disappear. This will be a yes or no vote at the point where we actually vote. The fact that we have changes is yes or no. This is very important because if it is a vote, the order will either disappear.”
Krenz said if one or more of the federal orders are repealed, it could impact how farmers pay for their milk, payment structures and third-party verification of milk quality. Masu. He said the agency is working with the University of Wisconsin Extension to put processes in place to communicate with farmers once the agency begins charting a path forward.
