Dairy

During a special awards ceremony held in Washington, D.C. on March 7 – the eve of National Agriculture Day – the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy® announced the winners of the inaugural U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards, a program to recognize dairy farms, dairy companies and collaborative partnerships for efforts that advance the sustainability of the American dairy industry. …

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer announced Wednesday new legislation to help New York dairy farmers expand their operations to meet the milk demand from the Greek yogurt boom. New yogurt plants including the Pepsi Project Wave plant, Alpina, Fage, and Chobani, the New York Farm Bureau predicts that New York’s dairy farmers must be able to expand their output by 15 percent in order to take advantage of the Greek yogurt surge. …

The House Agriculture Committee did not ask any dairy manufacturers to testify at the field hearing held last Friday in upstate New York on the Farm Bill. The dairy panel included three New York dairy producers who spoke in support of legislation that manufacturers oppose because it will stifle New York's rapidly growing dairy food industry and unnecessarily burden the free market with export-killing regulations. …

A group of South Dakota dairy manufacturers have voiced to Senator John Thune (R-SD) their opposition to a proposed milk supply management program expected to be included in the draft Farm Bill. Pointing to the growing dairy industry in South Dakota, the presidents and CEOs of four large dairy companies – Saputo Cheese USA, Inc.; Lake Norden Food Ingredient Company (Davisco Foods International, Inc.); Valley Queen Cheese Factory, Inc.; and Bel Brands USA, Inc. – call it "alarming" that Congress would consider legislation that would limit milk production, increase regulation and allow government interference in free markets. …

Just in the nick o'time for St. Paddy's Day, Cabot Creamery Cooperative, in partnership with Green Education Foundation (GEF), has developed The Wonder Wheel! Food for Healthy Kids and a Healthy World, a three-part lesson plan for middle school students that focuses on health, community and sustainability. Through the program, students explore what makes food healthy for them, their community and the environment. …