News
Immigration and trade up next for NMPF
The leadership of the National Milk Producers Federation says immigration reform and further opening of foreign markets are the top priorities for 2015. Speaking the group’s annual meeting in Texas on Tuesday: NMPF board chair Randy Mooney and president and CEO Jim Mulhern said while they will continue to work with USDA if fine-tuning the Margin Protection Program, there are other key issues ahead.
Mooney said no matter what happens with the mid-term election next week, National Milk must continue to beat the drum for immigration reform in Washington because it is crucial for dairy farmers. “This issue must be resolved,” Mooney stated.
Mulhern told the meeting that dairy has a lot riding on current trade negotiations under way involving Europe and Asia. He noted in Europe and Japan entrenched domestic dairy interests do not want further competition from the United States citing the E.U.’s geographic indicator claims as an example of those efforts.
Both men mentioned the success of the Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) program which has helped find markets for 86 million pounds of cheese, 51 million pounds of butter and 37 million pounds of whole milk power in 43 counties on six continents.
On Monday, delegates voted to require all dairy cooperatives participating in the industry’s animal care program to require all of the co-op’s members to be evaluated under the program’s guidelines. Mooney said “it helps us demonstrate that farms, regardless of size, are run by families who take pride in what they do and are committed to running a successful business that centers on producing high-quality milk from healthy cows.”
In summary, Mooney said that while the industry does have its challenges: “We have a world of opportunities awaiting us that, working together, we can take advantage of.”
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D, as a small dairy farmer I also have a hard time understanding the need for so much labor. Someone wants to put 3, 4, 5 thousand cows on and then says hay I can’t find workers who want to work 70 hours a week with no days off for min wage. This is what is happening to the dairy industry in 20 years it will be all super large dairies with imigrant labor. I have very little respect for Jim or Randy. They have their own agenda and it does not include traditional dairy farms. NMPF should be done away with.
I really have a hard time understanding why the agricultural industry continues to push for immigration reform! We have millions of American out of work – there is no way you can tell me there is a labor shortage!