Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative announced efforts in partnering with several other dairy industry supporters to codify the protection of timely payments and accurate testing as legislative text in the next farm bill.
The request to move these specific FMMO provisions into legislation was prompted by the uncertainty created when volumes of milk are de-pooled, leaving farmers outside of the FMMO and outside of the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. This action aims to extend those protections, currently granted when a processor is pooled, to all farmers and processors regardless of their participation in the FMMO.
“Only 70 percent of U.S. milk is covered by the FMMO today, which leaves farmers that produce those 68 billion pounds of milk outside the order and its protections,” says Tim Trotter, Edge CEO. “It’s time to ensure that all U.S. dairy farmers are granted the same confidence and assurance as those within the FMMO system.”
