The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) expressed their deep appreciation for robust Congressional support on ensuring Canada fully honors its U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) dairy market access commitments. Recently, several leading members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a bipartisan letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack calling on the administration to reject Canada’s recent dairy proposals and insist on real reform.
Last month, Canada proposed inconsequential changes to its dairy tariff-rate quota (TRQ) allocations after a USMCA dispute panel found in January that Canada’s existing rules do not meet USMCA requirements. Led by Reps. Ron Kind (D-WI), Tom Reed (R-NY), Antonio Delgado (D-NY), Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Jim Costa (D-CA), and David Valadao (R-CA), the letter argues that Canada must bring its dairy TRQs into alignment with its USMCA commitments, which would further open Canada’s market to U.S. dairy products. Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) has sent a similar letter pointing out that Canada’s USMCA dairy TRQ proposal is insufficient to deliver on USMCA’s promise for dairy exporters on March 4.
“The USMCA is not a list of optional suggestions and aspirational ambitions. Yet Canada has treated its obligations to American dairy producers as a game, seeing what they can get away with,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “Congress rightfully recognizes this must stop. If we do not require our allies meet their signed commitments, then our trade agreements are not worth the paper they are printed on.”
“USDEC appreciates this strong bipartisan support focused on ensuring that American dairy exporters receive the benefits that was negotiated in the USMCA,” said Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC. “We are committed to continuing to work with the U.S. government to make sure that the dairy market access negotiated with Canada is provided in full to the benefit of both American dairy farmers and manufacturers, and Canadian consumers alike.”
The bipartisan House letter sent today states, “A deal’s a deal; it’s not too much to ask that our trading partners live up to their end of the bargain. That is why it is critical that this compliance stage of the USMCA dairy case demonstrate that the USMCA enforcement process works – not just to deliver the right finding, as it did in January – but to ensure faithful implementation of the overall agreement and drive real, tangible reforms that are seen on store shelves, to the benefit of American dairy producers and manufacturers, just as USMCA intended.”
The National Milk Producers Federation, based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, making NMPF dairy’s voice on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more, visit www.nmpf.org.
The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) is a non-profit, independent membership organization that represents the global trade interests of U.S. dairy producers, proprietary processors and cooperatives, ingredient suppliers and export traders. Its mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and assist the U.S. industry to increase its global dairy ingredient sales and exports of U.S. dairy products.
Spring has arrived, the weather is warming (though not too much, we hope), and Earth Day is April 22. Dairy always has reasons to celebrate Earth Day (or Week, or Month — we have enough reasons to carry the season), an opportunity to refocus on its environmental and climate leadership within agriculture in the U.S. and worldwide. Here are a few of them, courtesy of our colleagues at Undeniably Dairy.
All these facts are important to know. But maybe you want to dig deeper. Maybe you need some uplifting reading … or some social media content to share … to help you become an influencer. If that’s the case, could we suggest these helpful links, sharing stories about dairy’s stewardship of the planet and the farmers who care for them? These are just a start.
The list could go on and on – and we intend to keep adding! So grab a glass of milk and be glad you’re consuming the perfect nutritional complement to an important date on the calendar this week. Sustainability solutions are worth celebrating — and not just on Earth Day. It’s what dairy seeks every day.
The National Milk Producers Federation, based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, making NMPF dairy’s voice on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more, visit www.nmpf.org.
The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) today sent a letter to the Biden administration recommending specific steps to provide relief and support to dairy farmers and exporters facing supply chain constraints.
The letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called for interagency collaboration to enhance capacity at ports, incentivize carriers to load export cargo, and improve transparency throughout the supply chain. The lead recommendation called for USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) to restart its Ocean Shipping Container Availability Report (OSCAR).
“Supply chain challenges have cost U.S. dairy exporters over $1.5 billion last year alone. We thank Secretaries Vilsack and Buttigieg for their advocacy for America’s agriculture exporters in the face of significant supply chain constraints. We are incredibly grateful for the administration’s ongoing efforts and creative solutions, particularly for the development of ‘pop-up’ sites for agricultural exporters to source empty containers,” said Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC. “The additional recommendations submitted today would provide agricultural exporters much needed insight into container availability and provide avenues to incentivize carriers to load outbound shipments to key dairy markets around the world.”
Shipping containers for U.S. dairy exports continue to be in short supply at coastal ports, and even more scarce at inland locations. These essential links in the global supply chain must be available to American dairy exporters throughout the country in order to ship their products to overseas buyers,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “We thank USDA and DOT for their strong focus on this issue. As congestion continues, so too must the spectrum of tools deployed to address these challenges. Today’s letter highlights the additional steps necessary to take to ensure American dairy farmers are not losing long-term international market share due to these persistent supply chain challenges.”
The specified programmatic elements to provide supply chain relief include:
The National Milk Producers Federation, based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, making NMPF dairy’s voice on Capitol Hill and with government agencies.
For more, visit www.nmpf.org.The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) is a non-profit, independent membership organization that represents the global trade interests of U.S. dairy producers, proprietary processors and cooperatives, ingredient suppliers and export traders. Its mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and assist the U.S. industry to increase its global dairy ingredient sales and exports of U.S. dairy products.
U.S. farmers’ and ranchers’ world-leading sustainability efforts, including the U.S. beef community’s commitment to reach carbon neutrality by 2040, the U.S. pork community’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 40% by 2030, and the U.S. dairy community’s commitment to achieve GHG neutrality by 2050, are among the significant contributions highlighted in the most recent edition of the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s Sustainability Impact Report.
Released in advance of Earth Day, the report provides the latest data on the nutritional benefits of meat, milk, poultry, and eggs and details U.S. animal agriculture’s achievements in modern environmental stewardship, animal care, judicious antibiotic use, and food safety. These achievements contribute to reaching the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Less than 2% of Americans work on the farms and ranches that produce food options eaten in nearly all American households (for example, 98% of American households purchase meat). U.S. farmers’ and ranchers’ world-leading modern practices allow them to produce more food today using fewer resources than at any time in the past, serving as a global benchmark for efficiency.
“Farming and ranching provide the food, fuel and fiber that millions of families around the world depend on,” said Hannah Thompson-Weeman, Alliance vice president, strategic engagement and incoming president and CEO. “This Earth Day, we are taking stock of the animal agriculture community’s remarkable sustainability achievements and our ambitious commitments for the future. The Sustainability Impact Report clearly demonstrates the unique nutrition and food security benefits of meat, milk, poultry, and eggs and the success of efforts to continuously improve animal agriculture’s contributions to a healthy environment.”
Report highlights include:
Furthering these contributions and achievements, the Animal Agriculture Alliance and organizations across animal agriculture also partner through the Protein PACT, the largest-ever effort to strengthen animal protein’s contributions to healthy people, healthy animals, healthy communities, and a healthy environment.
For more information, including resources and to read the full report, click here.
About the Alliance:
The Animal Agriculture Alliance is an industry-united, nonprofit organization that helps bridge the communication gap between farm and fork. We connect key food industry stakeholders to arm them with responses to emerging issues. We engage food chain influencers and promote consumer choice by helping them better understand modern animal agriculture. We protect by exposing those who threaten our nation’s food security with damaging misinformation.
Arnulfo Solorio has been named the 2022 Napa Valley Grower of the Year. Solorio (“Nufo”) is a Partner and Vice President of Operations at Silverado Farming Company, where he has served in leadership roles since 2002.
Nufo served three 3-year terms on the Napa Valley Grapegrowers Board of Directors, as the first Hispanic person to serve in that capacity. His legacy may, however, be the creation of the Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation in 2010. Nufo was passionate about starting the Foundation as a way to provide professional development and educational opportunities to farmworkers and their families. The Farmworker Foundation now serves thousands of people each year through its programs in literacy, leadership, vocational training, mentorship, and community participation. Arnulfo serves as a Director on its Board and is currently Chair of the Farmworker Education Committee.
Nufo was born in Patzimaro, Michoacan, Mexico. From a young age, he dreamed of going to school, but his family were ranchers in Mexico, and he was told: “Books do not feed you; animals and land do.”
Following his dreams, Nufo travelled to Napa at the age of 14, but quickly realized in order to get an education, he needed money. He began working at Charles Krug as a field worker and mechanic’s assistant while following crops through Arizona, California, and Washington. He eventually worked his way through school and was able to enroll in Napa Valley College in 1984. Since he began at the college, he has completed enough courses to receive three Associates Degrees – while working full-time and raising a family. That he had energy left to volunteer through the Napa Valley Grapegrowers and make such a difference in our community is testament to his work ethic and strong sense of self.
Solorio was the first person in his family to become documented, become a citizen, and go to school. He has worked as a vineyard manager for some of the most storied of Napa’s properties, including Franciscan, Domaine Chandon, Mondavi, Charles Krug, and Tonella Family.
He strongly believes education is the key to success and that learning never stops. Beyond managing operations and personnel at Silverado Farming Company, he is part of the team that develops training, education, personal growth, and reward programs for employees. He believes that empathy and compassion are the key to successful leadership.
NVG President Michael Silacci noted, “It is no wonder that someone as thoughtful, humble, and passionate as Arnulfo hatched the idea of the Farmworker Foundation. We are grateful for his tireless efforts in the community and his leadership within the Napa Valley Grapegrowers”.
Nominations for the Grower of the Year come from the NVG membership. The recipient is chosen by a special Selection Committee made up of Past Presidents, current Directors, and active committee members. The award criteria include: a strong commitment to sustainable practices; recognized leadership in agricultural preservation; dedicated community focus, contributions to the Napa Valley Grapegrowers; and someone who actively promotes Napa’s reputation for the highest quality vineyards.
About the Napa Valley Grapegrowers
The Napa Valley Grapegrowers is a non-profit trade organization that has played a vital role in strengthening Napa Valley’s reputation as a world-class viticultural region for 46 years. Its mission is to preserve and promote Napa Valley’s world-class vineyards. NVG represents 685 Napa County grape growers and associated businesses.
For more information, visit our website Napa Valley Grapegrowers
Today, Sonoma County Winegrowers took another step forward in being leaders in sustainability as they announced a complimentary one-year subscription to Ford Pro Telematics to every winegrape farmer in Sonoma County. The announcement arrives on the heels of the exciting collaboration between Sonoma County Winegrowers and Ford Pro which also includes a pilot program with three Sonoma County winegrape farmers who have agreed to adopt Ford Pro electric vehicles, charging stations and software solutions into their operations. It is all part of an effort to improve bottom lines, operational efficiencies and reduce carbon emissions. Early insights from fleet monitoring software, Ford Pro Telematics, installed into pilot farmers existing gas vehicle operations have already proven to show benefits.
“I am most interested to gain insight on our fleet in real time. How long are our vehicles idling and what is the cost for that,” said Marissa Ledbetter, owner of Vino Farms and one of the three pilot farmers in Sonoma County. She added, “To be able to gain insight on all our vehicles, measure it day over day, week over week, will provide me with a level of insight I have never had access to before.”
The intent is to let all farmers experience the many benefits of telematics so they can learn how it will make them more efficient in their vehicle use, lower their operating costs and lower greenhouse gas emissions. This continues the innovation, climate and thought leadership of the local Sonoma County winegrape farmers and is an important milestone to engage all of the farmers in this collaboration and learning.
“Since the announcement of our collaboration with Ford Pro at the beginning of this year, there has been an overwhelming response from our farmers wanting to participate in going electric on their farms and optimizing their fleet management,” said Karissa Kruse, president of the Sonoma County Winegrape Growers. She added, “Given that interest, there is no better day than Earth Day to announce that SCW is offering free installation and one-year service of Ford Pro telematics for all winegrowers in the County. This is a win-win for our growers and the environment. A true tribute to caring for our planet”
Ford Pro Telematics software is a product offered on the Ford Pro Intelligence cloud-based platform, designed to help small businesses optimize their fleet of vehicles by providing always-on access to vehicle health reports and other data that will help the vehicle owner to reduce operating costs, help improve fuel consumption and identify maintenance needs in addition to monitoring and improving driver behaviors.
One of the most critical tools for a farmer is their vehicles which, on average, log up to 50,000 miles a year and make up 10% of a farm’s assets. Understanding vehicle usage, down-time and idling in addition to transitioning fleet operations to electric vehicles will help support the sustainability mission for Sonoma County farmers while helping Sonoma County Winegrowers bring these best practices to farmers across the country.
“The goal of this offer is to provide every grower with ability to use and learn firsthand how telematics can make them more efficient using their work vehicle, lowering their operating costs and lowering greenhouse gas emissions,” said Kruse. “The farm of the future is right here right now in Sonoma County. We are proud to be part of the progress in climate stewardship.”
About Sonoma County Winegrowers
Sonoma County Winegrowers (SCW) was established in 2006 as a marketing and educational organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Sonoma County as one of the world’s premier grape growing regions. With more than 1,800 growers, SCW’s goal is to increase awareness and recognition of the quality, sustainability and diversity of Sonoma County’s grapes and wines through dynamic marketing and educational programs targeted to wine consumers and influencers around the world. In 2014, Sonoma County’s winegrowing community embarked on a major initiative to have all Sonoma County vineyards certified sustainable. Today, 99% of the vineyard acreage in Sonoma County has completed certification by a third-party auditor making Sonoma County the most sustainable winegrowing region in the world. SCW’s sustainability efforts have been recognized with California’s highest environmental honor, the 2016 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA). Learn more at www.sonomawinegrape.org
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) today awarded $3.75 million to fund 10 research projects that explore Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tools for urban, non-agricultural and agricultural pest management. The 2021-2022 DPR Grants Programs funded by the state budget represent a 617% increase from the previous year’s funding to accelerate the transition to safer, more sustainable pest management.
“The grant projects we are funding today are critical to developing and expanding innovative practices and biological, non-chemical and physical tools to manage pests in agriculture, urban and other non-agricultural communities,” said DPR Director Julie Henderson. “The research will support the state’s work to accelerate a systemwide transition to safer, more sustainable pest management and better protect human health and the environment.”
DPR’s Research Grants Program funds projects that advance IPM, an approach that uses the least-toxic, effective method to solve pest problems. In the last decade, DPR has awarded $9,702,819 in research grants.
Research projects funded for agricultural pest management:
Investigating a pesticide-free mating disruption approach using vibrational signals to control the spotted lanternfly, which presents particular risk to grapes, hops, apples and stone fruit, along with maple, poplar, walnut and willow trees. Spotted lanternfly is one of the most damaging invasive insects nationwide and has already caused significant harm to crops and landscapes across 11 states. This research will be led by Dr. Rodrigo Krugner at the United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS).
Evaluating an IPM approach that will disrupt insect behavior by targeting and interfering with a pest’s biological processes and minimizing possible unintended effects to other organisms. The project will evaluate the use of this tool for controlling diamondback moth and western flower thrips that impact California vegetable crops such as lettuce. This research will be led by Dr. Daniel Hasegawa at USDA ARS.
Assessing a biocontrol system for the management of tadpole shrimp in rice. Tadpole shrimp usefully eat some early season weeds but can cause damage to rice later in their lifecycle. To preserve their role in controlling weeds but diminish the shrimp’s later impact on the rice harvest, predator mosquito fish will be introduced mid-season to control the shrimp’s population when necessary. This research will be led by Dr. Ian Grettenberger at UC Davis.
Testing two emerging IPM technologies for agricultural use, the automatic release of biocontrol organisms using flying drones, and precision spray application technology, which uses much less pesticide than applying pesticide sprays using current techniques. This research will be led by Dr. Ian Grettenberger at UC Davis.
Developing an IPM software decision-making tool for pistachio growers that helps reduce pesticide use by guiding more precise pesticide applications when chemical use is necessary. This IPM tool leverages smart technology to help growers transition from routine preventative spraying to more limited threshold-based chemical use. This research will be led by Dr. Themis Michailides at UC Davis.
Research projects funded for urban and agriculture pest management:
Studying the use of a reduced-risk ”attract-and-kill” approach as an effective alternative to urban and agricultural pesticide spray programs for managing South American palm weevils, a pest that damages date palms in urban and agricultural environments. “Attract-and-kill” strategies use pheromones that attract the target pest to a small amount of pesticide that kills the insect, as opposed to spraying a large quantity of pesticide over an area to control pest populations. This research will be led by Dr. Mark Hoddle at UC Riverside.
Studying the impact and potential of using insect growth regulators that target Argentine ants for pest control in urban and agricultural environments. Insect growth regulators are new, safer pest management tools that pose a much lower risk of causing unintended damage to beneficial insects when compared to many traditional insecticides. This research will be led by Dr. Dong-Hwan Choe at UC Riverside.
Research projects funded for urban and nonagricultural pest management:
Testing non-chemical entrapment methods for trapping, monitoring and eliminating bedbugs, a significant public health pest that disproportionately affects low-income Californians. This research will be led by Dr.Catherine Loudon at UC Irvine.
Creating a new set of guidelines for effectively identifying and managing biting mites, a common, but poorly understood indoor pest that is often misidentified and incorrectly managed. This research will be led Dr. Andrew Sutherland at UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR).
Assessing a baiting system for detecting western drywood termites to reduce the number of unnecessary fumigation treatments in California homes, especially in Southern California where termites represent a significant pest problem. This system would indicate when active termite infestations have returned and if preventative treatment is needed, greatly decreasing the amount of high-risk pesticide use in homes. This research will be led by Dr. Dong-Hwan Choe at UC Riverside.
For more information on past recipients of DPR’s Grants Program, please visit DPR’s Grants Program webpage.
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF PESTICIDE REGULATION
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation protects human health and the environment by fostering safer and sustainable pest management practices and operating a robust regulatory system to evaluate and register pesticides and monitor and regulate their sale and use across the state.
DPR’s work includes conducting scientific evaluations of pesticides to assess and mitigate potential harm to human health or the environment prior to and following registration, registering all pesticides prior to sale or use in California, monitoring for pesticides in the air and water, and enforcing pesticide laws and regulations in coordination with 55 County Agricultural Commissioners and their combined 400 field inspectors across the state’s 58 counties. DPR invests in innovative research, outreach, and education to encourage the development and adoption of integrated pest management tools and practices and conducts outreach to ensure pesticide workers, farmworkers and local communities have access to pesticide safety information. More information about DPR.