Headlines

articles and press releases of interest this week

• Speaker Johnson’s Brewing SNAP Crisis
• Butterfat Prices Soared in October
• Where Are They Now with Milking Robots
• Experts Examine, Validate Checkoff’s Environmental Research Path
• Analyst Says Margins on Dairy Farms are Back to Neutral
• Farmers More Optimistic, Report Improved Financial Conditions

Milk Carton Shortage Leads to Supply Issues for School Milk

Schools across the U.S. have had difficulty securing milk deliveries recently due supply-chain interruptions. Select processors have not received adequate supplies of half-pint cartons, leading to missed milk deliveries in several states.

The AP noted over the weekend that Pactiv Evergreen, the self-proclaimed "leading manufacturer of fresh food and beverage packaging in North America," has acknowledged that demand has outpaced their projections this year. IDFA's Matt Herrick stated the shortage in materials has impacted the company's ability to "fully supply some school milk orders."

School officials in several states have stated they are working to find alternative ways to serve fresh milk in schools including pouring milk into single serve cups. In a memo issued in late October, USDA's Food and Nutrition Service stated that supply chain disruptions "including disruptions that limit milk variety or affect serving size would be considered a temporary emergency condition" that would grant schools the ability to opt out of serving milk or to serve an alternative beverage with school meals. USDA also noted that this regulatory authority already exists and that the agency does not need to issue a waiver to the states in this instance.

.The Dairy Alliance issued this statement to Southeastern dairy farmers in its weekly newsletter dated November 3, 2023:

"Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a memo reminding states and local schools that they can serve different varieties of milk as well as different container sizes to fulfill the milk requirement in school meals.

The Dairy Alliance Youth Wellness team is working with schools to ensure children continue to have access to nutritious milk despite supply chain disruptions, and we encourage schools to do everything they can to ensure milk is available for all students.

Presently, supply challenges are sporadic and milk processors are committed to providing schools with nutritious and wholesome milk. Please contact us if your community is experiencing any issues and we will work to resolve it as quickly as possible."

The Northeast Dairy Producers Association noted in an article detailing the school milk shortages in New York that milk supply is not an issue. We'll echo that claim here and remind our E-News readers that these impacts are limited to the packaging materials and not the supply of raw milk to the processor.

Further Reading/Sources

• Dairy Reporter: Dangerous Situation - Carton Shortages Are Taking Milk off the Menu
• AP: Milk Carton Shortage Hits School Lunchrooms in California, New York, and other states
• Hoards: Wanted - Small Milk Cartons

4 Georgia Counties Receive Emergency Drought Declaration

Earlier this week, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack issued an Emergency Declaration for severe drought conditions in Walker, Catoosa, Chattooga, and Dade counties. Floyd, Whitfield, and Gordon county were listed as contiguous counties. This declaration comes after the counties were listed as "D2 - Severe" or higher status by USDA and University of Nebraska's Drought Monitor.

Per a press release issued by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, this emergency declaration allows USDA's Farm Service Agency to extend essential emergency credit to farmers in these counties. USDA FSA loans can be used to meet various recovery requirements, including replacing essentials items such as farm equipment or livestock, reorganizing a farming operation, or refinancing specific loans. The application deadline for these loans is set for June 30, 2024.

There are currently 7 additional Georgia counties that are listed at D3-Extreme Drought status: Floyd, Whitfield, Murray, Fannin, Gilmer, Gordon, Pickens, and Dawson. 13 more counties are currently at D2-Severe status: Bartow, Polk, Jackson, Lumpkin, Towns, Rabun, Habersham, White, Clarke, Madison, Decatur, and Seminole.

The US Drought Monitor updates on Thursdays. The latest maps are current as of November 2. Farmers and ranchers can assist the drought monitor by submitting precipitation data online. Producers are encouraged to submit the data from their own farm to improve the monitor's accuracy.

To learn more about how you can submit your own precipitation figures or how the Drought Monitor operates, visit the Drought Monitor webpage here.

s as well as more insight on dairy exports and a look at federal order milk prices.

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House Ag Chairman Joins Senate Ag Leaders and House Ranking Member in Calling for Farm Bill Extension

Farm Progress has an article out about a lecture from incoming-NMPF CEO Greg Doud. Doud takes the helm at NMPF after stints in the Trump administration as an international trade advisor. This article breaks down Doud’s views on China and the global marketplace as it relates to protein and feedstuffs.

House Ag Chairman GT Thompson stated at a listening session in Oklahoma that he believes the House and Senate must pass an extension to the current farm bill before the end of the year. This puts Thompson in line with Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Sen. John Boozman, and Rep. David Scott who have voiced similar desires to extend the current Farm Bill before taking up the newest version of the major agriculture and nutrition bill.

Thompson said the extension would be necessary because the Agriculture Committee is still waiting for projections from the Congressional Budget Office and USDA. Additionally, lawmakers may be forced to increase funding for certain Farm Bill provisions by reallocating funds within USDA programs.

An extension would maintain funding for programs as established in the 2018 Farm Bill. Lawmakers would then be able to draft the new bill without the pressure of a December 31 deadline.

KOSU Oklahoma City: Lawmakers Stress Need for Extension of Farm Bill During OKC Forum

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Georgia's Jennifer Glover Named to National Dairy Board

Congratulations to GMP member Dr. Jennifer Glover on being appointed as Region 10 representative to the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board. Glover and her husband Scott own and operate Glo-Crest Dairy and Mountain Fresh Creamery in Clermont, GA.

The National Dairy Board is comprised of 36 dairy farmers who represent 12 geographic regions within the US. The board was established by the Dairy Production Stabilization Act in 1983 and oversees checkoff programming designed to increase demand for dairy foods.

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New NIL Initiative Features UGA's Ladd McConkey and Tennessee's Joe Milton

Last week The Dairy Alliance announced its newest NIL promotion featuring UGA wide receiver Ladd McConkey and University of Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton. In a video posted on the players' social media accounts and on The Dairy Alliance accounts, McConkey and Milton are shown facetiming while working out, drinking milk, and arguing about which of milk's amazing benefits is best. This latest promotion from the team that brought you Stetson Bennett as "The Milk Man" has an added element of fan participation. Fans are encouraged to comment on their favorite player's post with either #MilkBowlHydration (for McConkey) or #MilkBowlStrength (for Milton).

While McConkey and Milton will face off on the football field in just under 2 weeks, the winner of the Milk Bowl will be decided on December 2 (SEC Championship Saturday).

To watch the video and vote for your favorite player, visit MilkvsMilk.com or check out Milton and McConkey's instagram accounts (joemilton5 and ladd.mcconkey)

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UGA College of Ag Names New Dean for Academic Affairs

UGA College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Dean Nick Place recently announced the college’s appointment of Dr. Dean Kopsell as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Kopsell, who holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees from UGA, most recently served as the Department Chair for Environmental Science and Horticulture at the University of Florida’s Institute for Food and Agricultural Science. Prior to that he served as a professor in the Plant Sciences Department at the University of Tennessee. 

Kopsell replaces Dr. Josef Broder who has served UGA’s College of Ag for many years as a professor and Associate Dean. Dr. Broder’s family moved to Georgia and operated a small dairy farm in Stockbridge for many years. 

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Market Administrator's Market Information Bulletin for FO 6 & 7

The monthly Market Information Bulletin from the Market Administrator’s was released with updated dairy forecasts for the remainder of 2023 and 2024. September uniform prices for the Southeast and Florida orders as well as market summaries for both can also be found in the bulletin.

FO 6 & 7 Market Bulletin

New Event Coming to 2024 Georgia Dairy Conference

We are excited to announce a new program coming to the 2024 Georgia Dairy Conference: The Pre-Conference Symposium. This 2-hour session on Monday, January 15 will provide dairy producers and industry representatives the chance to learn more about some of the latest technology and products in the dairy industry. Join our Symposium sponsors for this new and exciting series prior to the official kick-off of the 2024 Georgia Dairy Conference.

Information on presenters and topics coming soon!

GMP Classifieds

Until Next Time,

Bryce Trotter