Ag Secretary to appoint dairy advisory group

Farm milk price volatility and dairy farm profitability are among the issues to be reviewed by a group to be formed by Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack. He will appoint a group of up to 15 representatives of our industry to form a Dairy Industry Advisory Committee. USDA is seeking nominations of people to serve who could be producers, processors, handlers, consumers, academia, retailers, and from state agencies.

Secretary Vilsack wants the committee to play an important role in building a more stable market for dairy producers. The group is expected to serve two years.

Some have asked about the difference between this group and the Federal Milk Marketing Order Review Commission authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill, writes Bob Gray of the Northeast Dairy Farmers Cooperatives. Gray said that the FMMO group was authorized in the farm bill but not funded. Not being funded, that group has not been formed.

The new advisory committee is reminiscent of the National Commission on Dairy Policy that was convened more than 20 years ago and which held hearings around the country. Nothing came out of that group that we were aware of. We hope that the new group’s efforts bear more lasting fruit.