Wednesday April 5 Ag News

NEBRASKA FARM BUREAU CALLS ON PRESIDENT TRUMP TO HELP BOOST U.S. BEEF IMPORTS TO CHINA

Nebraska Farm Bureau (NEFB) urged President Donald Trump to raise the issue of access by U.S. beef producers to China during his upcoming meetings with Chinese President, Xi Jinping. Since 2003, China has banned the importation of U.S. beef. While it was announced, the ban would be lifted last fall, a formal agreement to reopen Chinese borders to U.S. beef has failed to take shape.

“Considering the importance of Nebraska’s beef industry to the state’s overall economy as well as our desire to expand beef exports, this meeting presents an important opportunity to address this vital issue,” Steve Nelson NEBF president wrote in a letter to President Trump April 5.

Nebraska is a leader when it comes to beef production in the United States. Currently, the state ranks first in commercial red meat production, total cattle on feed, commercial cattle slaughter as well as beef and veal exports. In 2016, Nebraska cattle producers exported $1.126 billion worth of beef and beef products.

“But, even with these impressive numbers, Nebraska’s cattle producers are experiencing some of the toughest economic times in recent memory. There are many reasons for this, but finding new growing markets for U.S. beef, like China, would assist in improving market prices,” Nelson wrote. “Outside of the direct impact to cattle producers, the jobs created by Nebraska’s beef industry would also be positively impacted. Nebraska’s agricultural exports support over 50,000 jobs both on the farm and in related industries such as food processing, transportation, and manufacturing,” the letter stated.

President Trump has spoken about ag at great length and the need to work on the U.S. trade deficit, which for 2016, was over $500 billion. However, agriculture remains the one area of the U.S.  economy that maintains a trade surplus; projected at just over $21 billion for 2017.

“This surplus could expand once we, again, have access to the large and growing Chinese beef market,” Nelson wrote. “The President understandably has several issues he needs to address with President Xi, however discussing beef trade should fit within the likely conversations on other trade issues,” the letter noted.

“Yet, efforts to find new and expanding markets for all our agricultural products including beef should remain a top priority for the Trump administration,” Nelson wrote.



 WELLER NAMED HEAD OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, FOOD PROCESSING CENTER

Curtis Weller has been named head of the Department of Food Science and Technology and director of the Food Processing Center at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Weller has held both roles on an interim basis since August 2016, when Rolando Flores left to become dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at New Mexico State University.

"Dr. Flores put the department and the Food Processing Center on the right trajectory, and the move to Nebraska Innovation Campus provided the infrastructure that they needed to extend their reach," said Ron Yoder, associate vice chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. "We anticipate that Dr. Weller, with his extensive experience in food science and engineering in the industry, will be able to take advantage of the foundation of excellent faculty and staff and excellent facilities that exists to continue to serve the needs of the industry, the state of Nebraska and beyond."

In July 2015, the department and the Food Processing Center moved operations to the Food Innovation Center at Nebraska Innovation Campus. The 178,000-square-foot complex provides world-class facilities for the department and private partners. It includes a state-of-the-art distance education classroom, wet/dry lab research space, food grade/non-food grade pilot plant space and office space.

"Food security is a critical issue around the world, and I believe we can play a key role in providing a safe and secure food system," Weller said.

Weller, a professor of food science and biological systems engineering, also was director of the Nebraska Manufacturing Extension Partnership from January 2014 to March 31, 2017. He has been at the university for 25 years. He received bachelor and master's degrees in food science and a doctoral degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Illinois.

The Department of Food Science and Technology provides undergraduate and graduate education and training to students preparing for careers in food science and technology in the food industry, academia or government. The department also conducts basic and applied research for the benefit of the industry and consumers, and provides assistance to the food industry through Nebraska Extension.

The Food Processing Center is a multi-disciplinary resource for the food industry, providing a combination of consulting, technical and business development services. The center is a major food processing and applied research hub that integrates applied research with state-of-the-art pilot plants, laboratory services, product developers and a team that supports food entrepreneurship.



BLOCK AND BRIDLE CLUB TO HONOR BRAND

Douglas Brand of Seward will be recognized as the 2017 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Block and Bridle honoree.

The Block and Bridle Club focuses on building leaders in the livestock and meat industries. The award recognizes those who have contributed to Nebraska agriculture through leadership, service, youth projects, community activities and involvement with the university.

Brand is vice president of the agriculture lending division of Jones National Bank and Trust Co. in Seward. Beyond his professional role, he has established a long record of promoting animal agriculture in Nebraska through his leadership. Brand has been a 4-H leader for 18 years and a member of the Seward County 4-H Foundation Board since its inception over a decade ago. He actively works with 4-H and FFA students, assisting with the selection of their livestock for fair projects.

In addition, Brand has been a member of the Seward County Agricultural Society for 39 years and is currently secretary of the board. He coordinates all programming for the Seward County Fair. Brand also has been on the Nebraska State Fair Board for 24 years. In 2009, he and his wife, Gail, were the lead chair-couple for the Cattlemen's Ball near Milford.

Among the awards and recognitions Brand has received over the years are the Nebraska Fair Person of the Year Award and the National Heritage Award for service to fairs and expositions, which he received in 2013. In 2012, he was inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement and in 2013 was inducted into the UNL Builders Association.

Brand graduated from Nebraska in 1973 with a degree in animal science. As a student, he was annual editor, treasurer and president of the Block and Bridle Club. He was also a member of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity.

Brand will be honored at the Block and Bridle Club Honoree Banquet at 6 p.m. April 21 at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum, 1523 N. 33rd St.

Tickets to the banquet, which will feature a prime rib dinner, are $25. Tickets can be purchased by contacting a Block and Bridle officer or Andi Hallberg at andi.hallberg@unl.edu. A reception for Brand and his family, friends and past honorees will be at 5:30 p.m.

The Block and Bridle Club is part of the Animal Science Department within the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at Nebraska.



Smith and Fortenberry Honor Former Ambassador Clayton Yeutter on House Floor

Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) spoke on the House Floor today in memory of Ambassador Clayton Yeutter.

Congressman Smith:
I rise in memory of Ambassador Clayton Yeutter, a native of Eustis, Nebraska, who recently passed away after a hard-fought battle with cancer.

Mr. Yeutter was a true statesman who generously shared his time and expertise throughout his very remarkable career.

On top of his numerous professional accomplishments, Mr. Yeutter was known as a humble, kind, and respected leader who never lost sight of his commitment to rural America.

No one understood the importance of trade to American agriculture better than he did, and his work has benefited generations of Nebraska agriculture producers as well as others across the country.

Mr. Yeutter grew up on a cattle and corn operation in central Nebraska during the Great Depression.

He attended the University of Nebraska, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Animal Husbandry, and later a J.D. and a Ph.D in Agricultural Economics.

After serving in the Air Force in the 1950s and returning home to work on his farm, he got his start in politics as Chief of Staff for Nebraska Governor Norbert Tiemann in the mid-1960s.

Soon, he was named director of the Nebraska Mission to Colombia, which led him to the USDA and decades of distinguished public service.

His extensive resume included serving as U.S. Trade Representative under President Ronald Reagan and Agriculture Secretary under President George H.W. Bush.

He also ran the Chicago Mercantile Exchange for eight years and served as chairman of the Republican National Committee.

As we mourn the loss of this influential Nebraskan, I extend my condolences to Mr. Yeutter’s wife, Cristena, and his children, grandchildren, and great-granddaughter as well.
Congressman Fortenberry:
I thank my friend Congressman Adrian Smith for the time, and I thank him, more importantly, for honoring the life and memory of our mutual good friend, Clayton Yeutter.

In my desk in my office, there’s a letter.  It was written to me by Clayton Yeutter, former Secretary of Agriculture, a couple years ago.

Of course, we all receive a lot of letters, but sometimes you get one that you just want to keep close to you.

Clayton Yeutter was a gentleman, he was a farmer from Nebraska, and he was a true statesman.

In that letter, he basically kindly and gently encouraged me in public service.  He was the ideal public servant.  He expressed his sentiments to me personally but in his public life with a great nobility, a great yearning and care for our country.

He committed himself in multiple ways to serving our institutions of governance, but he never forgot his humble roots back in Nebraska.

So, I simply wanted to say well done, good and faithful servant Clayton Yeutter, my friend, and thank you Congressman Smith for honoring his life.

Congressman Smith:
Thank you.  I can’t say enough to honor a true giant in public service as Secretary Yeutter, Ambassador Yeutter, the list goes on of his many titles.

An incredible man, his humility did so much for our country.

Click the LINK for video of Congressman Smith’s and Congressman Fortenberry’s remarks.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn0YYdwvZ4s&feature=youtu.be. 



Iowa Cattlemen’s Foundation Awards Scholarships

Three Iowa high school seniors are receiving scholarships from the Iowa Cattlemen’s Foundation. Winners Madelynn Green of State Center, Megan Pansegrau from Gilman, and Macy Evans of Creston, each receive $1,000 from the Youth Beef Team (YBT) program for their knowledge of beef and cattle production, as well as their communication skills.

All three will also each receive an additional $500 because they completed an online course called Masters of Beef Advocacy, a program that provides additional training on communications and beef production.

Each scholarship candidate provided a written application, and took part in a personal interview and made a presentation on a beef industry issue during the final judging process in Ames on April 1. We had an excellent group of applicants for these scholarships. They are great representatives of our beef industry, and it is exciting and encouraging to see this caliber of young cattlemen and women going out and promoting the beef industry.

Macy is the daughter of Rob and April Evans. She plans on attending Iowa State University where she will major in Agricultural Education. She chose this field of study because she wants to inspire students to achieve and promote agriculture and make an impact on the industry. It will also allow Macy to continue her passion, her cow herd. Her presentation focused on using social media to reach out to people about what we really do to care for our livestock and how important that personal connection can be to eliminate false information.

Madelynn, the daughter of Loren and Lisa Green, plans to first attend DMACC and then transfer to Iowa State University and major in Agronomy. Her plans after graduation are to work for a local company or co-op so she can continue raising cattle and help with her family’s farming operation. Madde’s presentation discussed the various methods and pharmaceuticals used to treat sick animals.

Megan, is the daughter of Tim and Christa Pansegrau. Megan plans on joining the National Guard or the Iowa Air Guard to improve her leadership skills and then attend Iowa State University and major in Agricultural Education. She hopes to find a job near her hometown so she can come home and continue raising cattle and farming. How to use social media to “leave your mark” by sharing your agricultural story and help erase some of the false information that is prevalent with consumers was Megan’s presentation.

With these awards, the Iowa Cattlemen’s Foundation has provided over $81,000 in scholarship support to Iowa youth since 1994. Show your support for the industry and its future by making a tax-deductible donation to the Iowa Cattlemen’s Foundation to ensure the continuation of our youth programs.



NPPC Offers Tours Ahead of World Pork Expo, June 5-6

Anyone planning to attend the 2017 World Pork Expo, June 7-9, should consider arriving early to take part in one of two Pre-Expo agricultural tours. Organized by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and set for Sunday, June 4, through Tuesday, June 6, the Midwest Agriculture Tour and Iowa Agribusiness Tour will provide insights into Midwestern agricultural businesses and pork production

“For more than a decade, these pre-World Pork Expo tours have taken visitors on a journey to view various aspects of U.S. pork production, from feed processing to on-farm production to shipping channels to equipment and technological suppliers,” says Greg Thornton, tour organizer for NPPC. “Either of the two tours will provide an excellent snapshot of Midwest agriculture, which can be particularly helpful for international visitors, but also for Expo attendees from other states.”

Midwest Agriculture Tour
Participants will spend two days traveling across Iowa to Illinois and just across the border into Indiana. Underwritten by the Illinois Soybean Association, this tour will provide an overview of modern pork production, feed processing, and equipment manufacturing, as well as shipping channels and exports.

Because of the multi-state trip, attendees can select from a couple of options to join the tour. Participants can board the bus in Des Moines on Sunday afternoon, June 4, or join the group at the Marriott Suites O’Hare in Chicago, on Monday morning, June 5. NPPC will send out more specific details once a tour registration is received.

On Monday, the tour will travel to Indiana, arriving at Fair Oaks Farms, home of The Pig Adventure, for an up-close look at modern pork production. Tickets will also be available for The Dairy Adventure. A barge trip down the Mississippi River will help participants to get a perspective on grain export activities. Participants will dine on-site at the Farmhouse Restaurant and will stay overnight at Jumer’s Hotel and Casino in Rock Island, Illinois. On Tuesday, the tour will move on to the John Deere Pavillion in Moline, Illinois, and include stops to Brenneman Pork, a JBS feed mill and modern wean-to-finish barn managed by JBS. The tour bus will return to Des Moines for dinner on the evening of June 6.

Cost for the Midwest Agriculture Tour is U.S. $450 per person, which includes bus transportation, lodging on June 5, meals on tour days and World Pork Expo admission. Individuals are responsible for booking their own hotel rooms before the tour begins and during Expo.

Iowa Agribusiness Tour
The tour on Tuesday, June 5, will begin and end the day in Des Moines, and provide a snapshot of agribusinesses in Central Iowa, including feed, technology and pork production enterprises. The day-long trip will stop at Kemin Industries for a look at innovations in animal nutrition and health and biofuels. From there, it’s on to East Central Iowa and a visit to Brenneman Pork, a fully-integrated, family-owned swine and grain operation. A visit to a modern wean-to-finish barn and feed mill managed by JBS will round out the tour.

The cost for this one-day tour is U.S. $150 per person, which includes bus transportation, breakfast and lunch on the tour and admission to World Pork Expo.

“These pre-Expo tours are an excellent value and a great way to kick off Expo week. Attendees will get a personal look at Midwest agriculture, which can make their visit to World Pork Expo even more informative and insightful,” says Ken Maschoff, NPPC president and Illinois pork producer. “Whether they spend the next three days at World Pork Expo reviewing the trade show for the latest products and services, collecting information from seminars or exchanging experiences with U.S. pork producers, the tours will have provided a solid baseline of knowledge.”

Register Today
It’s important to note both tours have limited space, so early registration is advised. Along with the details about the tours, the website offers general registration information. The site also provides information about room availability at official World Pork Expo hotels, answers for international visitors, a variety of Expo facts and other helpful tips about traveling to World Pork Expo.  The web site is www.worldpork.org. 

The 2017 World Pork Expo will take place at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, June 7-9. Leading the list of events is the trade show, with more than 320,000 square feet of commercial exhibits from companies throughout the world. The trade show is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7, and Thursday, June 8, and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, June 9. Rounding out the week’s events are free educational seminars, networking opportunities, entertainment, swine shows and breeding stock sales. Whether you’re a producer, an employee, a visitor from another country or involved with other areas of pork production, Expo is guaranteed to have something for everyone.



Prices of All But One Fertilizer Still Higher

Prices of the majority of retail fertilizers are higher again for the fourth week of March 2017 compared to a month earlier, though none were up significantly, according to fertilizer retailers surveyed by DTN.

This was the second week in a row that not all fertilizer prices were higher.

DAP had an average price of $438 per ton, MAP $465/ton, potash $338/ton, anhydrous $508/ton, UAN28 $248/ton and UAN32 $279/ton.

The one fertilizer that was lower in price compared to the previous month was urea. The nitrogen fertilizer was just slightly lower in price compared to a month ago. Urea's average price was $356 per ton.

On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.39/lb.N, anhydrous $0.31/lb.N, UAN28 $0.44/lb.N and UAN32 $0.44/lb.N.

Retail fertilizers are lower compared to a year earlier. Three of the eight major fertilizers are still double-digits lower.

10-34-0 is 21% lower from a year ago, anhydrous is 12% less expensive and UAN32 is 11% lower. Potash is 9% lower while DAP, urea and UAN28 are all 8% less expensive and MAP is 7% lower to year earlier.



EIA: Ethanol Stocks at Record High

Domestic fuel ethanol inventories posted another build last week, surging 1.9% to a record high while plant production eased, according to the latest report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The EIA's Weekly Petroleum Status Report for the week-ended March 31 showed fuel ethanol inventories jumped roughly 400,000 barrels (bbl) to 23.7 million bbl. A year-over-year supply surplus widened to 1.5 million bbl, or 6.8%, above stocks for the corresponding week in 2016.

Domestic plant production fell 35,000 barrels per day (bpd), or 3.3%, from a near-two-month high to 1.019 million bpd last week. Plant production is up 43,000 bpd, or 4.4%, year-over-year. For the four weeks ended March 31, fuel ethanol production averaged 1.040 million bpd, up 50,000 bpd, or 5.1%.

Net refiner and blender inputs, a measure for ethanol demand, rose 7,000 bpd, or 0.8%, to 918,000 bpd during the week-ended March 31. On a year-over-year basis, refiner and blender inputs were up 20,000 bpd, or 2.2%, last week. For the four-week period ended March 31, blending demand was up 28,000 bpd, or 3.16%.



Farmers and Ranchers Need Comprehensive Tax Reform

America’s farmers and ranchers need a flexible tax code that gives them freedom to both grow and adapt quickly to changes beyond their control, the American Farm Bureau Federation told Congress today.

Pat Wolff, senior director of congressional relations for AFBF, addressed agriculture’s need for sweeping tax reform in a hearing before the House Agriculture Committee.

“Running a farm or ranch business is challenging under the best of circumstances,” Wolff said. “Farmers and ranchers need a tax code that recognizes the unique financial challenges that impact them.”

Wolff urged Congress to create and retain tax policies that support high-risk, capital-intensive businesses like farms and ranches. Farm Bureau supports many of the provisions in the House’s proposed blueprint for tax reform, including reduced income tax rates, reduced capital gains taxes, immediate business expensing, and estate tax repeal. But, Wolff explained, the plan can be improved by reinstating benefits like the deduction for business interest expense and guaranteeing the continuation of stepped-up basis, cash accounting and like-kind exchanges.

“Farming and ranching is a cyclical business where a period of prosperity can be followed by one or more years of low prices, poor yields or even weather disaster,” Wolff said. Farmers, she added, depend on flexibility and benefits in the tax code that allow them to recover capital investments and put their money back to work on their farms quickly.

Tax reform is critical to the sustainability of American agriculture and farmers’ ability to feed, fuel and clothe the nation.

“Farming and ranching is both a way of life and a way of making a living for the millions of individuals and families that own 99 percent of our nation’s more than 2 million farms and ranches,” Wolff said. A comprehensive tax reform package must not overlook the financial tools farmers and ranchers depend on for keeping their businesses viable from one season to the next.



NGFA outlines waterways infrastructure needs in letter to congressional appropriators

A total of 22 agricultural producer and agribusiness organizations that participate in the Agricultural Transportation Working Group today sent a letter to House and Senate appropriators asking for continued funding support in fiscal year 2018 to rebuild the nation's declining inland waterways infrastructure.

"While the U.S. transportation infrastructure system long has provided U.S. agricultural producers and agribusinesses with a strong comparative advantage against foreign competitors, our waterways infrastructure system is falling behind," stated the letter, signed by groups representing producers, grain handlers, millers, processors and exporters, feed manufacturers and agribusinesses. "Most locks and dams on the U.S. inland waterways system have surpassed their design life span of 50 years. Further, navigation channels at U.S. ports need to be deepened to accommodate larger vessels transiting through recently reopened and expanded Panama Canal."

The groups listed specific action items they'd like to see from appropriators regarding U.S. waterways, including requests to:
-    Appropriate the full amount supportable by the barge diesel fuel tax going into the Inland Waterways Trust Fund.
-    Support, at a minimum, a funding level of $3.173 billion for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operations & maintenance (O&M) budget, which helps support ongoing inland and coastal navigation activities.
-    Ensure that spending targets for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund codified in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 are met to cover O&M activities, such as harbor dredging, which would amount to approximately $1.33 billion.

"Our inland waterways and ports are true economic difference-makers that support American workers and help U.S. products reach the 95 percent of consumers who live outside our borders," the letter concluded. "We appreciate your consideration of these appropriations requests, and thank you for your time and work on these critical infrastructure needs."

Organizations signing the letters were:
Agricultural Retailers Association
Agriculture & Commodities Transportation Coalition
American Farm Bureau Federation
American Soybean Association
Corn Refiners Association
Institute of Shortening and Edible Oils
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
National Association of Wheat Growers
National Barley Growers Association
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
National Corn Growers Association
National Farmers Union
National Grain and Feed Association
National Oilseed Processors Association
National Pork Producers Association
National Sunflower Association
North American Millers' Association
Soy Transportation Coalition
The Fertilizer Institute
USA Rice
U.S. Canola Association
U.S. Poultry & Egg Association



USDA Dairy Products February 2017 Production Highlights

Total cheese output (excluding cottage cheese) was 942 million pounds, 1.4 percent below February 2016 and 9.9 percent below January 2017.  Italian type cheese production totaled 407 million pounds, 4.0 percent below February 2016 and 10.3 percent below January 2017.  American type cheese production totaled 373 million pounds, 1.7 percent above February 2016 but 10.6 percent below January 2017.  Butter production was 164 million pounds, 5.8 percent below February 2016 and 7.6 percent below January 2017.

Dry milk powders (comparisons with February 2016)
Nonfat dry milk, human - 140 million pounds, down 0.1 percent.
Skim milk powders - 40.0 million pounds, down 0.4 percent.

Whey products (comparisons with February 2016)
Dry whey, total - 78.0 million pounds, up 3.4 percent.
Lactose, human and animal - 84.7 million pounds, up 0.9 percent.
Whey protein concentrate, total - 36.7 million pounds, down 0.2 percent.

Frozen products (comparisons with February 2016)
Ice cream, regular (hard) - 58.7 million gallons, down 2.8 percent.
Ice cream, lowfat (total) - 32.9 million gallons, up 5.7 percent.
Sherbet (hard) - 2.75 million gallons, down 14.1 percent.
Frozen yogurt (total) - 5.11 million gallons, down 5.0 percent.



Canada’s Dairy Trade Actions Hurting Rural America

U.S. dairy organizations today urged the Trump Administration to fight back against protectionist Canadian trade policies that are slamming the door to American dairy exports in violation of existing trade commitments between the two nations.

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) called on the federal government, and on governors in northern states, to take immediate action in response to Canada’s violation of its trade commitments to the United States.

Because of the new “Class 7” pricing policy, which is expressly designed to disadvantage U.S. exports to Canada and globally, multiple dairy companies in Wisconsin and New York have been forced to inform many of their supplying farmers that the Canadian market for their exports has dried up. For some farmers, this means that the company processing their milk and shipping it to Canada can no longer accept it starting in May. This is a direct consequence of Canada’s National Ingredients Strategy and new Class 7 milk pricing program.

“Canada’s protectionist dairy policies are having precisely the effect Canada intended: cutting off U.S. dairy exports of ultra-filtered milk to Canada despite long-standing contracts with American companies,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “American companies have invested in new equipment and asked dairy farmers to supply the milk to meet demand in the Canadian dairy market. This export access has suddenly disappeared, not because the market is gone, but because the Canadian government has reneged on its commitments.”

“Our federal and state governments cannot abide by Canada’s disregard for its trade commitment to the United States and its intentional decision to pursue policies that are choking off sales of American-made milk to the detriment of U.S. dairy farmers,” said Tom Vilsack, president and CEO of USDEC “It is deeply concerning that Canada has chosen to continue down a ‘beggar thy neighbor’ path of addressing its internal issues by forcing the U.S. dairy industry to bear the harmful consequences.”

Vilsack noted that while farm families in the Northeast and Midwest are suffering the immediate consequences of the loss of Canadian markets, “thousands more will suffer if Canada persists in using its programs to distort the global milk powder markets so critical to tens of thousands of American dairy farmers.”

“The U.S. dairy industry is united on this issue because these restrictive policies effectively bar a significant U.S. export to Canada, with total losses estimated to hit $150 million worth of ultra-filtered milk exports from Wisconsin and New York. As we feared, these policies are now prohibiting our nation’s dairy processors from accessing the Canadian market,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of IDFA. “IDFA is speaking out against Canada’s protectionist policies on Capitol Hill, and asking the Trump Administration and state governors and legislators to insist that Canada honor its trade commitments and allow more market access for U.S. dairy products.”

Despite efforts by the U.S. government and dairy organizations to shed more light on the Canadian program, Canada is refusing to share sufficient details. For instance, limited information has been posted online by certain provinces, and some of that information has subsequently been removed from provincial milk authorities’ websites in what appears to be aimed at obfuscating how the program operates. Despite this lack of transparency, U.S. companies and their supplying farmers are already feeling its real-world consequences.

The United States is Canada’s largest export market, accounting for approximately three-fourths of Canada’s total exports. The organizations urged both federal and state governments to move swiftly to demonstrate to Canada that trade is a door that must swing two ways to have a functional relationship.