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Guest Columns Perspective: FMMO shows unified dairy winsGregg Doud, president and CEO, National Milk Producers Federation, contributes this column for Cheese Market News®. Gregg Doud, president and CEO, National Milk Producers Federation, contributes this column for Cheese Market News®. As the dairy industry enters an era that promises policy challenges as well as opportunities, some lessons from a recent victory — USDA’s decision on federal milk marketing order (FMMO) modernization — are worth keeping in mind. Except for one provision that has a six-month delay, new FMMO rules take effect June 1. That milestone has been in the making for so long that it’s easy to forget how Herculean that achievement looked four years ago, when the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) saw COVID-era market disruptions harming farmer milk checks and decided to do something about it. It took literally hundreds of meetings of NMPF members and experts; dozens of phone calls and meetings outside NMPF to forge alignments with other organizations; a record-length, 49-day USDA federal order hearing; and thorough responses to 12,000 pages of testimony. But, in the end, dairy farmers will now have an updated milk pricing system that better reflects today’s realities — and also, importantly, the means to update this system more frequently so that future improvements don’t have to wait a generation. This was done because of the unity and good faith of our members as they worked on solutions that helped everyone. And that’s an example to follow as dairy moves ahead in the coming months and years. This isn’t to say that FMMO modernization was without controversy — the hearing lasted 49 days for a reason! It’s also not to say that all parts of dairy are happy with every line of the federal rule. But when the organization whose members produce two-thirds of the nation’s milk speak with one voice and show the leadership an organization of its size and breadth is expected to show, big things are possible. Even bigger things are possible when other actors within the industry are also within the same tent and the communication that’s necessary for unity and understanding takes place. That’s something we always strive for at NMPF. And there’s no time when that’s more important than now. Farm labor is a tough issue. Trade policies are tough issues. H5N1 raises tough issues. The balances of dairy in different regions, of different sizes, of different business structures, are tough issues. But the experience this industry has gone through with FMMO shows how a deliberative, respectful process can create positive outcomes whose very possibility would have generated skepticism at the outset. That’s a lesson we can take to heart as we head into the current policy environment. So, once again, thank you to the dozens of farmer leaders, co-op staff and industry experts who helped create the outcome we achieved in January. You are an inspiration as we face the challenges to come. Together, we will come through, and this industry will thrive. CMN The views expressed by CMN’s guest columnists are their own opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of Cheese Market News®. |
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