A half-dozen state lawmakers urged California Department of Food and Agriculture officials Sept. 12 to enact provisions of a deal announced this summer between dairy producers and processors on the state’s price of milk used for making cheese. State Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres, led a chorus of appeals for a CDFA administrative panel to grant a temporary 46 cents per hundredweight increase in the price of Class 4b milk and an increase in the cap of the whey value from 75 cents to $1 per hundredweight of milk.“I think it’s far overdue,” Cannella told the three-member panel. The officials also heard from Sen. Tom Berryhill, R-Twain Harte; Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced; Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, R-Riverbank; and Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina – all of whom said producers in their districts had been devastated by milk prices that haven’t kept pace with high feed costs and other expenses. (more) Sept. 12, 2013 Capital Press

Western United Dairymen members are urged to attend Thursday’s CDFA hearing and speak out on the proposed petition by Western United Dairymen, CDI, Milk Producers Council and California Dairy Campaign to implement the deal struck by Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) and the Dairy Institute of California. The petition seeks to modify the sliding scale that determines the dry whey factor in the Class 4b formula and replacing the temporary price adjustment now in place with another.

The hearing will be held Thursday Sept. 12 at 8 a.m. in the CDFA’s auditorium at 1220 N Street in Sacramento.
WUD President Tom Barcellos urged producers to attend the hearing and speak out in favor of the proposal. “This hearing is the first step in bringing long needed relief to our dairy families and moves us in the direction of mitigating the pricing inequity in our formula for milk going into cheese,” he said.

The pricing changes proposed by the producer groups reflect the same proposals put forward by the Dairy Institute of California in a July 8, 2013 letter (click here to download) sent by its advocate to Assemblyman Richard Pan (D-Sacramento). In a letter signed by Joseph Lang of the Sacramento government relations firm of Lang, Hansen, O’Malley & Miller, the Dairy Institute said it would support CDFA hearings regarding milk pricing if those hearings resulted in the following:
•    The current emergency price relief is extended through June 2014 provided that no more than $.46 per hundredweight be assigned to Class 4b milk. This is estimated to generate $43 million.
•    An increase in the current cap for the whey scale factor from 75 cents to $1 per hundredweight. This is estimated to generate $42 million.

Combined with the current emergency price relief of $25 million, the total pricing proposal would total $110 million.

“We are pleased to see that the Dairy Institute is in agreement with the pricing changes in the petition submitted by Western United Dairymen and the other producer groups,” said WUD CEO Michael Marsh. “We look forward to their testimony in support of this petition at the September 12 hearing.”

In January of this year, CDFA raised minimum prices paid to the state’s dairy producers by an average of about 25 cents per cwt. That temporary increase remained effective from February through May. In June, the agency again increased minimum milk prices by an average of 12.5 cents per cwt. The state’s dairies, struggling with high production costs and unprofitable margins, reacted with disappointment.

In July, producer and processor groups agreed on a short-term fix of $110 million in new money that cheese processors would pay into the milk pool to be shared by dairy farmers.

Sept. 6, 2013 WUD Friday Update

Western United Dairymen has launched a website dedicated to the WUD convention set to be held March 5-7, 2014 at the Embassy Suites in San Luis Obispo.  For the latest convention updates, visit http://www.WUDconvention.com.  You can also access the website link at http://www.WesternUnitedDairymen.com on both the main page and the “About Us” page.

“We developed the site to be an online clearinghouse for convention information,” stated Heidi Savage, convention manager. “If you have a question about the convention, the answer should be on the site. So, whether you need to make a hotel reservation, see what kind of workshops are offered or sign up for an exhibit booth, you’ll find the most updated information there.”

The WUD staff wants the site to be as complete and easy to navigate as possible. If you see something on the site that can be improved, please contact Heidi Savage at hsavage@westernuniteddairymen.com.

The latest incentive programs, cost reduction strategies and financial resources available to California dairy farms will be discussed at an Oct. 1 workshop in Tulare. The workshop is co-sponsored by Western United dairymen, Southern California Edison, PG& E and the EPA.

Topics include the merits of installing solar panels on dairies. Following the workshop, there will be a tour of a nearby dairy with a solar installation.

Other topics include:
• Southern California Edison (SCE) and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) rebate and incentive programs
• Energy cost reduction strategies
• How to develop and finance energy efficiency and renewable energy projects at your dairy
• Water quality and air updates
 
Special guest speaker will be Sandra Schubert, Undersecretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture.
 
The free workshop at the Energy Education Center, 4175 S. Laspina Street, Tulare, begins with 8 a.m. registration and runs until 1:30 p.m. Lunch is included. Register by phone at 1-800-772-4822 or 1-800-244-9912 or register online at either www.sce.com/workshops or www.pge.com/energyclasses

The 9th annual Western United Dairymen south valley golf tournament will take place at the Visalia Country Club on Monday, October 7. Proceeds from the golf tournament fundraiser will go to the WUD Federal PAC, which supports congressional candidates who share WUD’s legislative goals and philosophy.
 
The four-person scramble gets underway with a noon shotgun start. The day culminates with a dinner at which awards and fantastic prizes will be presented. The cost is $150 per player and includes green fees, golf cart, practice balls, lunch, tee prizes, refreshments and dinner.
 
Registration flyers will be mailed in the coming weeks, but can be downloaded by clicking here. Anyone interested in playing or sponsoring may contact Heidi Savage at (209) 614-5625 or email hsavage@westernuniteddairymen.com.

Posted Aug. 23, 2013

Mary Ann Bansen of Ferndale, a member of Western United Dairymen, was honored today as America’s Farmers Mom of the Year for the Southwest. She is one of five regional winners nationwide selected by American Agri-Women and America’s Farmers based on an essay submitted on her behalf by her daughter, Jessica. Bansen was recognized for her contributions to her family, farm and community, as well as the leadership roles she has taken to promote agriculture and to educate consumers on the path their food and milk take from farm to table. Monsanto awarded her $5,000 in prize money at a ceremony held today at the Humboldt County Fair in Ferndale.  

Mary Ann Bansen of Ferndale was honored as Southwest “Farm Mom of the Year” by America’s Farmers at the Humboldt County Fair. She posed with her husband Pete (Bancrest Dairy) & Bradley Roberts from America's Farmers. Mary Ann was presented with a check for $5,000.

Posted Aug. 23, 2013

The Central Valley Water Board is proposing tentative general waste discharge requirements (WDRs) to address issues raised by a judge’s decision in a lawsuit brought by environmental groups. The water board recently posted the revised WDR and associated documents for a 30-day public review with comments due by Sept. 9 at 5 p.m. The documents can be viewed at http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralvalley/water_issues/dairies/dairy_program_regs_requirements/index.shtml

Paul Sousa, Western United Dairymen’s director of environmental services, is reviewing the documents and will be preparing comments. Sousa noted, “Dairymen will generally not notice changes in how they implement the order on their farms. The key components of the order have not been changed in any substantive way.” Dairies will continue to implement their nutrient and waste management plans and participate in the representative monitoring program.  Part of what the court ordered the water board to do was prove that dairies are implementing Best Practicable Treatment or Control (BPTC) measures.  Therefore, the water board is making changes to the order to make it clear that the things that dairies are already required to do are in fact BPTC. He pointed out for example that the Tentative Dairy WDR is not requiring all dairies to retrofit their existing lagoons. “The board is recognizing that all existing lagoons cannot be retrofitted economically and it would therefore not be practicable.  They will continue their existing path of evaluating existing ponds and determining what needs to happen from there.” This item will be heard before the Central Valley Water Board at its October third and/or fourth meeting.  Members with questions regarding the tentative Dairy WDR can contact Paul Sousa at (209) 527-6453. Aug. 21, 2103 WUD News

Western United Dairymen this week joined with more than 400 leading U.S. businesses and advocacy groups in sending a letter to House Speaker Boehner and House Minority Leader Pelosi calling for immigration reform legislation.

The business leaders urged Congress to enact legislation that would “bring meaningful reforms to critical components of our nation’s immigration system. Reform of an outdated, broken immigration system is essential if we are to achieve a fully revitalized economy that provides rewarding and lasting jobs and opportunities for all Americans.”

The Senate earlier this year passed its version of comprehensive immigration reform. House Speaker Boehner has said the House will not take up the Senate version but will consider tis own version of immigration reform legislation.

The groups’ letter said, “Done right, reform will also serve to protect and complement our U.S. workforce, generating greater productivity and economic activity that will lead to new innovations, products, businesses, and jobs in communities across the U.S.”

The letter concluded, “Failure to act is not an option. We can’t afford to be content and watch a generation-old immigration system work more and more against our overall national interest. Instead, we urge Congress to remain mindful of the clear benefits to our economy if we succeed, and work together and with us to achieve real, pro-growth immigration reform.”

WUD is a founding member of the AWC, an organization working toward a viable solution for America’s farmers and ranchers to have access to a legal workforce now and in the future. Aug. 1, 2013 WUD News

The San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Board has sent out a notice to permitted facilities with aboveground gasoline storage tanks (ASTs) reminding them of regulations concerning the completion of vapor recovery upgrades. Dairy producers in other sections of the state can expect to hear from their local air district as well, since this is a statewide regulation from the California Air Resources Board.  

There are some exemptions for some ASTs.  There are three requirements that must be met by owners and operators of non-exempt aboveground gasoline storage tanks. Two of those requirements were due this last April and the last one is due next July.  For the deadlines that have passed, owners need to paint the tank with an approved white paint and install a specific valve.  

In 2008, CARB adopted Enhanced Vapor Recovery (EVR) performance standards and specifications for ASTs operated in the state. Local Air Districts will be contacting dairies to determine if the rule is applicable to their operation. WUD members can contact their local field representatives, their local air district, or their gasoline supplier for more information or see the CARB advisory at www.arb.ca.gov/vapor/advisories/adv393.pdf

July 18, 2013 Valley Air Board Notice

Video of the Sept. 20, 2012 informational meeting on Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMO) hosted by Western United Dairymen has been posted to the WUD website. The three videos can be viewed by clicking here. The first video highlights the talk by Bill Wise, Market Administrator of the Arizona and Pacific Northwest orders. The second video focuses on questions from a panel consisting of Eric Erba, CDI, Tom Wegner, Land o’ Lakes, Bill VanDam, Alliance of Western Milk Producers and Annie AcMoody, Western United Dairymen. The third video shows audience participation. Those who have follow-up questions can email Annie AcMoody at aacmoody@westernuniteddairymen.com. These questions will be shared with Bill for his expertise and the answers will also be posted to the WUD website. Sept. 26, 2012 WUD News