January 2010 - Swiss Valley Farms

More documents

Recommendations

Info

U S D A d e c i d e s h o w to distribute $290 Million by Don Boelens Published Monthly by: Swiss Valley Farms Cooperative P.O. Box 4493 Davenport IA 52808 563.468.6600 FAX 563.468.6613 www.swissvalley.com Nancy Feeney Editor/ Member Relations Mgr. Swiss Valley Farms, Co. will produce, distribute and sell value-added, quality products for our: Customers & Consumers Owner/Members Workforce Swiss Valley Board Officers Chair Pam Bolin................................................Clarksville, IA Vice Chair Randy Schaefer....................................Blue Grass, IA Assistant Secretary Jeff Nimtz...............................................Monticello, WI Assistant Treasurer James Schmitt.............................................Sherrill, IA Swiss Valley Directors Loyde M. Beers.......................................Eastman, WI Steve Klug.....................................Spring Grove, MN Dale Humpal.........................................Ridgeway, IA Francis Leibfried..................................Cuba City, WI G. Joe Lyon....................................................Toledo, IA Ken Schmitz..............................................Norwalk, WI Patrick Schroeder..............................Lancaster, WI Eugene Smith........................................Clinton, WI William Strief..................................................Farley, IA page I hope everyone had a joyous Holiday season as we wrap up a very difficult year for dairy producers. I’m sure we are all happy to see the departure of 2009 as we look forward to much stronger dairy markets in 2010. The big news to kick off the New Year is the USDA decided how to distribute the $290 million in the Dairy Economic Loss Assistance Payment (DELAP) program. Months ago, Congress authorized this $290 million in the 2010 Agricultural Appropriations Bill for loss assistance payments to eligible dairy producers to help them in this financial crisis. Farm Service Agency estimates that 875 million cwt. of milk production will be eligible for a DELAP payment. The expected payment rate is $0.32 per cwt. Highlights and key points are: Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said, “Through this program, eligible dairy producers will receive economic assistance that will help stabilize their operations during these tough economic times. I have personally heard from hundreds of struggling dairy farmers from all across our country who have been hit hard by declining prices over the past year, and now, we’ll be able to offer them help.” Eligible producers will receive a one-time direct payment based on the amount of milk both produced and commercially marketed by their operation during the months of February through July 2009. Production information from these months will be used to estimate a full year’s production for an operation to calculate the payments, using a 6-millionpound per dairy operation limit. Dairy producers who have production records at the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) county office because they participated in another FSA dairy program do not need to apply CEO Don Boelens for the program. FSA will use existing production records for February through July 2009 to calculate and issue their payments. Producers who have not provided production data for those months to FSA have 30 days, until Jan. 19, 2010 to apply. To be eligible for DELAP, the dairy producer and the dairy operation in which the producer has a share: Must have produced milk in the United States and marketed milk commercially at any time from February through July 2009. Must have milk production data for those months and must certify all milk production produced and marketed by the dairy during that time. Also, any dairy producer who has an annual average adjusted gross nonfarm income of more than $500,000 for calendar years 2006 through 2008 is not eligible for DELAP. For more information and eligibility requirements on the new DELAP program, please visit your local FSA county office or www.fsa.usda.gov. SWISS VALLEY FARMS DAIRYMAN
L a n d m a r k j o i n t e f f o r t Will Enhance Dairy’s Sustainability USDA & Innovation Center Will Work To Cut Greenhouse Gases by 25% The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy agreed on Dec. 16 to work jointly in support of the U.S. dairy industry’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent over the next decade. In a landmark memorandum of understanding (MOU), the USDA and the industry wide dairy group identified a variety of projects that can help the dairy industry achieve those greenhouse gas reduction goals and increase its financial and environmental sustainability. The agreement was signed by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Thomas P. Gallagher, chief executive officer of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), which manages the national dairy checkoff program on behalf of the nation’s dairy farmers. “This historic agreement, the first of its kind, will help us achieve the ambitious goal of drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions while benefiting dairy farmers,” said Vilsack. “Use of manure to electricity technology is a win for everyone. It provides an untapped source of income for farmers, it provides a source of renewable electricity, reduces our dependence on foreign fossil fuels, and provides a wealth of additional environmental benefits.” “This memorandum came about because of the commitment of U.S. dairy farmers and the dairy industry to a sustainable future that includes both environmental and economic viability,” said Gallagher. “Sustainability goes hand in hand with our heritage of taking care of the land and natural resources while producing nutritious products that consumers want.” Under the agreement, USDA will take a number of steps to help farmers, including supporting a strategic research plan to help the industry further reduce environmental impacts. Other initiatives would help the industry develop future technologies, advance nutrient management, support renewable energy, and improve energy efficiency. These efforts build on the Innovation Center’s commitment to reach the greenhouse gas reduction goal of 25% by 2020. Potential outcomes of the MOU include accelerating opportunities to adopt livestock manure processing systems that capture methane gas from livestock manure and convert it into electricity, coordinating research information on life cycle assessments, and supporting the industry’s efforts in energy audits, feed management and energy conservation. Gallagher noted that the Innovation Center is nearing completion of an unprecedented life cycle assessment of fluid milk from farm to table. Initial estimates by the Applied Sustainability Center at the University of Arkansas show that the entire dairy supply chain, from cattle feed ingredients through packaging and transportation to the consumer’s table, accounts for less than 2 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. The MOU between USDA and the Innovation Center may also help accelerate adoption of methane gas digesters for all sizes of dairy farms, making it easier to connect digesters to electricity grids and help digester operators capture potential carbon offset payments. Additional support from the USDA could include research on how feed mixtures affect methane emissions from cows. Opportunities to reduce so-called enteric emissions have been identified by dairy stakeholders in the Innovation Center’s industry wide plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions. “We are very pleased to be working with Secretary Vilsack and the entire USDA,” Gallagher said. “The additional cooperative efforts and assistance spelled out in this agreement will help the dairy industry move forward with its greenhouse gas reduction roadmap and further its role as a leader in sustainability.” Industry Co-op NEWS JANUARY 2010 page
Page 1: J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 0 happy new yea
Page 5 and 6: SCHWANTES, WILLIAM GLEN HAVEN, WI W
Page 7 and 8: Member REFERENCE NEWS District 4: 1
Page 9 and 10: Member Co-op NEWS District 6: 24-Ye
Page 11 and 12: guys around to handle all the new e
Page 13 and 14: F o r c o - o p m e m b e r s Board
Page 15 and 16: Y C S P R I N G B R E A K YC’ERS,

January 2010 - Swiss Valley Farms

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?