California Ag Network

Category: Dairy Industry

  • U.S. Dairy Consumption Beats Expectations in 2020 and Continues to Surge Upward Despite Disruption Caused by Pandemic

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released their annual per-capita dairy consumption data today and the story, despite major shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, remains America’s growing love for dairy products of all shapes and sizes. The information from USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) adds 2020 data to an accounting of per capita dairy consumption dating back to 1975 when the average American consumed just 539 pounds of dairy foods per year. Last year, the average American consumed 655 pounds of dairy in milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, butter, and other wholesome and nutritious dairy foods, demonstrating a resilient and growing love for all things dairy. The 2020 figure represents an increase of 3 pounds per person over the previous year.

    “What 2020 shows us is that Americans are choosing to include dairy in all parts of their day because it’s delicious, nutritious, and fits almost any occasion,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA). “Despite challenges posed by the pandemic to all parts of the supply chain in 2020—including the near-overnight loss of the foodservice sector—per capita dairy consumption continued to surge upward thanks to growth in ice cream, butter and yogurt. Last year’s consumption figures are nearly 70 percentage points above the annual average, showing America’s growing appreciation for their favorite dairy products.”

    Ice cream continued to rebound and grew by 6% year-over-year in 2020. Meanwhile, yogurt consumption jumped 3% and butter notched a 2% increase. Milk and cheese remained resilient throughout 2020 despite the closure of restaurants, cafes, schools, and other institutions that drive demand. Overall, ERS data show American dairy consumption continuing its growth trajectory. Since USDA began tracking dairy consumption in 1975, per capita consumption has grown 22%.

    “How we consume our dairy is different than a generation ago,” said Dykes. “Americans eat more dairy than we drink and we include dairy in all meals and occasions as well as for fitness and recovery, to live a healthy life, and to celebrate those special moments. With a greater focus on producing sustainable foods, dairy will continue to grow as a category well into the future.”

    Select charts of per capita dairy consumption in the United States:

  • California Dairies, Inc. To Open A New Milk Bottling Facility

    Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross and other state and local officials joined California Dairies, Inc. (CDI) on Wednesday, September 29, at a groundbreaking ceremony in Kern County, CA, at the future site of CDI’s new ultra-high temperature (UHT) and extended shelf-life (ESL) milk processing facility.

    “This is an exciting day and marks the launch of a transformational investment being made by our farmer-owners,” said Brad Anderson, CDI’s President and Chief Executive Officer, as he made opening comments. “This new facility will process our Kern County-produced milk into innovative fluid milk products that have been seeing growth in demand throughout the U.S. and international markets.”

    CDI, the largest dairy farmer-owned cooperative in California and the second largest in the United States, is building this state-of-the-art milk processing facility under the name Valley Natural Beverages. The project is being built in northern Kern County, a region with significant milk production but no local processing facilities. Not only will this investment significantly reduce the transportation distances of milk produced in Kern County, it will also further demonstrate CDI’s commitment to sustainable solutions by incorporating renewable energy sources and waste conservation as key priorities in the facility and operational design.

    “As farmers, we aim to be good stewards of the land to leave a lasting legacy for future generations,” said Simon Vander Woude, CDI’s Chairman of the Board of Directors. “CDI’s member-farms are leading the way in implementing sustainable on-farm practices, and the construction of this state-of-the-art facility will carry that mission forward.”

    Simon Vander Woude and Melissa Hurtado

    CDI and its family-owned dairy farms have a long history of prioritizing on-farm sustainability. In 2011, CDI co-founded Dairy Cares, a leading non-profit pursuing research and innovation in the area of sustainable dairy practices in California. More recently, CDI has adopted the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment, which aims to be carbon neutral or better by the year 2050.

    The 220,000 square foot facility will be built on 30 acres of land in Northern Kern County. The facility is expected to create approximately 100 new jobs when fully operational in 2023.

    About California Dairies, Inc.

    California Dairies, Inc. is the largest member-owned milk marketing and processing cooperative in California, producing 40 percent of California’s milk. Co-owned by more than 300 dairy producers who ship nearly 17 billion pounds of Real California Milk annually, California Dairies, Inc. is a manufacturer of quality butter, fluid milk products, and milk powders. In addition, California Dairies, Inc. is the home of two leading and well-respected brands of butter – Challenge and Danish Creamery. California Dairies’ quality dairy products are available in all 50 United States and in more than 50 foreign countries. For additional information on California Dairies, Inc., visit www.CaliforniaDairies.com.

  • U.S. Dairy Industry Publishes Biennial Sustainability Report

    The checkoff-founded Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy released its biennial 2020 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Report inclusive of progress made in 2019 and 2020 within environmental stewardship and broader social responsibility commitments to people, animals and communities.

    The report provides a transparent accounting of the progress and impact that the dairy community has made against the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment since its launch in 2018. Those dairy companies and processors that have voluntarily signed onto the Stewardship Commitment represent 75 percent of U.S. milk production* and are dedicated to nourishing a growing global population with responsibly produced dairy foods and beverages.

    Lisa Watson, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy

    “The U.S. dairy industry has continued to prioritize social responsibility, helping people and communities thrive, while advancing sustainable practices and becoming an environmental solution,” said Lisa Watson, social responsibility officer of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. “It’s the result of cross-sector collaboration among dairy farmers, companies and other key stakeholders working together to address complex sustainability challenges and accelerate positive change.”

    In 2020, the U.S. dairy industry experienced significant disruptions to its individual businesses, dairy farms, cooperatives and companies brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges, the report shows the progress the dairy industry made by collectively standing by its social responsibility commitments.

    Key highlights include:

    • More than 95 percent of resources from processors was recovered, redirected and put to beneficial use such as donated to feed hungry people, repurposed for industry purposes and to feed animals and sent to composts (vs. sent to landfill).
    • U.S. dairy provided 1.538 billion servings of nutritious milk, cheese and yogurt in 2020 to food banks in the Feeding America network, a 33 percent increase over 2019 and a 107 percent increase since 2016.
    • The dairy industry supported 3.3 million jobs in the U.S. and contributed $752.93B in total economic impact.
    • By making use of the water present in milk, U.S. dairy processors were net positive for water, returning more than they withdrew from municipal and other sources.
    • The U.S. Dairy Net Zero Initiative was launched as an industry-wide effort to make sustainable practices and technologies more accessible and affordable for dairy farms of all sizes and included initial corporate partnerships with Nestlé and Starbucks.

    A first for U.S. dairy, the report incorporates nationally aggregated processor data against Stewardship Commitment metrics. Dairy processors developed and provide ongoing support for a reporting tool to serve as a credible and consistent way to calculate and track processor sustainability progress. Aggregations on GHG and water intensity, as well as other sustainability metrics, will serve as a baseline for future reporting.

    For information about the industry’s sustainability work and the dairy checkoff, visit www.usdairy.com.

    *At the close of the 2020 Sustainability Report reporting period (December 31, 2020), the Stewardship Commitment represented 74% of U.S. milk production.

    About the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment
    The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy® is a leadership forum that brings together the dairy community and third parties to address the changing needs and expectations of consumers and customers. Initiated in 2008 by dairy farmers through the dairy checkoff, Innovation Center leaders and members collaborate on important areas like the environment, nutrition and health, animal care, food safety, and community contributions. Through the Innovation Center, the U.S. dairy community demonstrates its commitment to continuous improvement from farm to table, striving to ensure a socially responsible and economically viable dairy community. For more information, visit www.usdairy.com/about-us/innovation-center

  • Artificial Intelligence to Improve Quality & Quantity of Beef, Dairy

    For a century, researchers have tracked genetic traits to find out which cattle produce more and better milk and meat. Now, two University of Florida scientists will use artificial intelligence to analyze millions of bits of genetic data to try to keep cattle cooler and thus, more productive.

    Raluca Mateescu, a UF/IFAS professor, and Fernanda Rezende, a UF/IFAS assistant professor – both in animal sciences — gather hundreds of thousands of pieces of information about cattle genetic traits. They plan to use UF’s supercomputer, the HiPerGator, to analyze that data. With the information Mateescu and her team get from the HiPerGator, they can give ranchers better recommendations on which animals to keep and breed for improved quantity of beef and dairy.

    “AI has rapidly emerged as a powerful approach in animal genomics and holds great promise to integrate big data from multiple biological layers, leading to accurate prediction of future traits – for example, meat yield,” Mateescu said. “My research group is investigating the use of AI methods to develop approaches to accurately predict the value of certain genes. Ultimately, we plan to provide more effective strategies to improve animal productivity.”

    With 25.6 million head of cattle, dairy herds peaked in the United States in 1944. As of 2017, there were only 9 million, but they produce more milk. With fewer cattle producing more dairy and beef, the livestock industries are leaving a lower environmental footprint, such as methane emissions, Mateescu said.

    While all that is good, Mateescu knows she and other researchers can help ranchers improve cattle beef and dairy output. That’s where AI comes into play.

    “We know some of the specific genes for milk and meat production,” she said. “But we’re looking into a bit of a black box. AI will help us clear up the mystery faster and more accurately.”

    Livestock traits of economic importance — milk and meat yield, meat quality — are factors of both genetics and the environment. Mateescu can only control a cow’s environment to a certain degree. But she and other scientists can improve cattle genetically. There are thousands of genes in the cattle genome, and each gene contains thousands of different genetic markers.

    As an example of her team’s use of AI, Mateescu is processing genetic data from about 1,000 beef cattle. From that process, researchers have extracted data on 770,000 DNA genetic markers, more than 18,000 genes and 86 traits — on every animal. That’s way more data than any human can analyze and integrate.

    That’s why Mateescu and Rezende are using HiPerGator, the largest university-based supercomputer in the world. HiPerGator then tells the scientists what particular combination of genetic markers and genes will result in better animals – in other words, which ones will be cooler and thus, more productive.

    “AI allows us to use more information – the more information we have on an animal, the higher the accuracy of our prediction,” Mateescu said. “Given the complex genetic architecture, it is challenging for researchers to identify how these thousands of genetic markers and thousands of genes combine to produce the traits we see. AI can help researchers achieve that goal. We are just starting to use AI to address these problems.”

    About AI at UF

    The University of Florida is making artificial intelligence the centerpiece of a major, long-term initiative that combines world-class research infrastructure, cutting-edge research and a transformational approach to curriculum. UF is home the the most powerful, university-owned supercomputer in the nation, according to rankings just released by TOP500, contributing to innovative research and education opportunities. — By Brad Buck, University of Florida Institute of Food & Ag Sciences

  • Dairy Associations Urge Additional White House Action on Ports Crisis

    The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) joined several other organizations urging the Biden administration to take additional steps to alleviate the ongoing ports crisis in a letter sent today to the White House from a coalition of 77 agriculture and food associations.

    Since early 2021, dairy and other agriculture exporters have been facing unprecedented challenges in securing shipping container space on ocean vessels while contending with an accumulation of exorbitant detention and demurrage fees. Foreign owned and operated ocean carriers have been driving this crisis by providing unpredictable and unreasonable timelines for exporters to load agricultural goods and by exacerbating pressure on supply chains by opting to return empty containers rather than allowing time for them to be loaded with Asian-bound goods for the vessel’s return journey. As a result, over 70% of containers are leaving West Coast ports empty, an all-time record.

    Delays and an intentional lack of transparency and flexibility from ocean carriers have cost American dairy exporters over $300 million dollars through just the first half of the year, or 12% of total export value. In addition to this added cost, continued delays put at risk critical trading relationships with Asian importers as the U.S. increasingly risks becoming viewed as an unreliable supplier.

    “We thank the Biden administration for the initial actions taken to address the extraordinary challenges dairy exporters are facing when exporting their products,” said Krysta Harden, USDEC president and CEO. “Unfortunately, the shipping crisis only continues to grow as container availability becomes scarcer with the ocean carriers’ increasing refusal to export American-made products. To further its goals of supporting the workers and companies producing Made-In-America products, we are urging the White House to take a more active role in ensuring that foreign carriers are not permitted to dictate U.S. export flows and put our established trading relationships in jeopardy. Right now, imports seem to be enjoying the equivalent of an eight-lane highway while our exports have been relegated to narrow country roads; that’s not right and we know that Congress and the Administration can take steps to create fairer trading practices.”

    “Without question, ocean carriers are abusing a unique situation created by the pandemic and the lack of sufficient regulatory action to enforce reasonable shipping practices,” said Jim Mulhern, NMPF president and CEO. “We recognize that increased import demand has driven higher rates for shipping, but it does not warrant the cancellations, refusal to load U.S. dairy and agriculture products, and unreasonable detention and demurrage practices that ocean carriers have turned into an additional revenue stream. It is imperative that the Administration takes immediate steps to work with Congress and the FMC to limit these unfair practices and ensure our exporters can reach their customers around the world.”

    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.

  • Dairy and Almond Groups Partner on Healthy Soils Research

    UC Davis researchers are evaluating the use of pelletized compost made from dairy manure and almond tree twigs, to create safe, pathogen-free, value-added amendments to boost soil health.

    Building healthy soils has tremendous benefits. Increasing the amount of organic matter within the soil can improve water retention and protection, reduce erosion, sequester carbon, and improve crop yields. Increasing water scarcity and severe drought conditions make boosting soil resilience an even greater priority for California. Researchers are exploring how the environmental benefits of healthy soils initiatives can extend even further when readily available agricultural resources are used in regenerative ways.

    A team of UC Davis researchers, led by Dr. Ruihong Zhang, has recycled dairy manure and almond twig waste into a nutrient-rich, safe, organic soil amendment. The new product was created and applied, and its effects continue to be studied. The idea is that the woody material can capture nutrients in the manure and slowly release them, as needed, into the soil. Because the product is also pelletized, it can be applied to croplands and orchards with standard farm equipment. Ultimately, the researchers hope to create a new model for using recycled agricultural resources to sequester carbon and provide benefits to the soil, crops, and the environment.

    The partnership was a natural fit, as the Central Valley is home to many neighboring dairy farms and almond orchards, which have a long history of collaboration. Dairies are already major consumers of almond co-products, including hulls (used as a highly nutritious feed ingredient) and shells (used as a bedding material). With a goal of achieving zero waste by 2025, the California almond community has been actively investigating a wide variety of ways to utilize woody biomass, including twigs, pruned branches, and tree removals. Meanwhile, the dairy community has been exploring ways to expand use of manure nutrients across California’s diverse agricultural landscape.

    “Creating valuable manure-based soil amendments is an area that the dairy sector has been focusing on, but there are some challenges,” said Denise Mullinax, Executive Director of the California Dairy Research Foundation (CDRF). “We know that farmers want a soil amendment with a consistent and reliable nutrient profile. It also needs to be easy to transport and apply. That’s why we are thrilled to support this team of esteemed researchers and to partner with the almond industry on this project. Together, we’re piloting a new avenue to enhance the benefits of both manure and woody biomass.”

    The initial project was funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)’s Healthy Soils Program. As the project scope grew, the researchers were awarded additional funding from the demonstration category of CDFA’s Alternative Manure Management Program. With supplemental support from the CDRF and the Almond Board of California, the research project developed to include a team of more than 20 individuals—including researchers, farmers, and industry collaborators—contributing throughout a three-year timeframe. The project includes two seasons of creating soil amendments and applying them to the orchard, and three years of studying effects on soil health, emissions, tree health, and crop yield, while ensuring food safety.

    Using composted manure from Wickstrom Dairies, the study will shine a light for future research on expanding and improving manure utilization. Like many California dairies, the farm uses a separator system to remove solids from liquid manure streams. The solids are then sun dried in rows that are turned over periodically, as a form of composting. Dried manure solids are traditionally used for bedding or are applied to dairy forage fields. For this study, a portion of the finer manure solids were co-composted with twigs from almond production and then ran through a pelletizer. Pelletizing the compost is intended to provide a more consistent blend, while creating an easy-to-use product. The pelletized compost product has now been applied to the pilot orchard for two consecutive seasons. Four treatments were used to examine differences in manure-only verses manure-twig and pelletized versus non-pelletized compost products.

    “We look forward to seeing the final results,” said Mullinax. “Dr. Zhang and her team are demonstrating that it’s possible to make a pelletized product that is safe and easy to use, while fully assessing the environmental benefits. It’s projects like this that will pave the way for implementing advanced nutrient management on a larger scale, greatly enhancing soil health and further improving water conservation and protection.”

    The research team highlighted the project by providing a virtual field day, and they plan to host another outreach event this fall. Research is scheduled to conclude in March 2022. However, longer-term effects on soil health will continue to be studied. And the final report will only be the beginning of more learnings to come.

    Potential research areas to be explored next include applications on different kinds of crops, comparing a pelletized versus granulated product, and using varying types of dairy manure solids (from different types of separators, settling basins, and lagoon solids). Additionally, the use of infrared technology versus composting will be explored prior to pelletization or granulation. All options will also need to be assessed for cost-effectiveness and potential scalability.

    The manure-twig project is part of a broader, collaborative effort to expand manure’s role in healthy soils. California dairy farmers will continue to work with researchers, state officials, and other agricultural professionals to find more ways to maximize manure’s role in building healthy soils and protecting our air, water, and climate. The possibilities for sustainable solutions are bright when farmers and scientists come together to make new use of existing resources and technologies.

    California dairy farmers will continue partnering to help make an underutilized resource an important part of a healthy-soil future.

    — By Dairy Cares

  • CA Farm Water Crisis – The Big Picture with Aubrey Bettencourt

    California farmers were already in a tight water supply situation before this dry year began. With water curtailments, SGMA implementation, settlement agreements and little progress in water infrastructure improvements, farmers have a lot of concerns regarding the future of their livelihoods. Watch this brief video with Aubrey Bettencourt as she provides the big picture of where agriculture currently stands in the California water crisis. Bettencourt has served California agriculture in various capacities over the years and is now Director of Sustainability with the California Cattle Council and Western United Dairies.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Animal Ag Community Urged to be Aware of Discussions Among Animal Rights Activists

    The Animal Agriculture Alliance released a report today detailing observations from the Farmed Animal Conference E-Summit held virtually August 2 – 8. The event was organized and hosted by California-based animal sanctuary Animal Place, which advocates for a vegan lifestyle.

    The key claims and takeaways from this virtual event included the following: people within positions of wealth and power need to put both their personal and professional resources toward working on behalf of animals; the animal rights movement allegedly would be decades behind their current status without sharing “graphic” content as promotional tools; activists need to focus on aquaculture and push for federal legislation to protect aquatic species from supposed animal cruelty; and people need to move away from animal products completely.

    “An important part of the Alliance’s mission to safeguard the future of animal agriculture is monitoring the activities of animal rights activist organizations,” said Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO. “It is important for everyone to be aware of just how far activists are willing to go to achieve their goals of ending animal agriculture and moving people – and even pets – to vegan diets. Our conference reports help our members learn more about the strategies and tactics being employed by these organizations so they can take steps to protect their animals, their operations and their livelihoods.”

    Activists attending the conference were encouraged to share more animal rights content on social media. Nina Jackel of Lady Freethinker, a non-profit promoting social media animal rights activism, stated “any online activism is good.” Jackel continued by stating she believes that animal rights activists need to continue sharing “graphic” images and videos on social media as she believes “the animal rights movement would be decades behind where we are right now if there weren’t these undercover videos… those images are what get people to pay attention and see that there’s a problem.”

    Several sessions called for public acknowledgement of aquatic animals as “sentient beings” and the need to elevate them to the same status as humans and other animals. Mary Finelli, president of Fish Feel, stated, “tragically, fishes comprise by far the largest category of functionally-exploited vertebrate animals. They’re subjected to some of the worst abuse, and they receive the least public concern or legal protection.” Kathy Hessler of the Animal Law Clinic, a partner of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, stated her clinic has been working with Animal Equality and Mercy for Animals to draft a humane aquaculture slaughter bill, claiming that “aquatic animals don’t get even the benefit of the minimal protections offered to these other animals that we raise and kill for food.”

    The animal agriculture community as a whole was attacked in multiple sessions throughout the event. Karen Davis, president and founder of United Poultry Concerns, claimed that animals are “individuals and have feelings.” Sean Thomas, international director of investigations at Animal Equality (and former undercover “investigator” for the Humane Society of the United States), claimed that the entire animal agriculture community is full of widespread cruelty. “It’s not just one bad farm. It’s the entire industry model,” he argued. The dairy community was criticized by several speakers including Philip Wollen of Winsome Constance Kindness Trust, a venture capital firm focused on “social justice” issues. “I studied the dairy industry, and I concluded that it is the filthiest, nastiest, most egregious form of cruelty in animal agriculture,” he claimed. His final point was that meat and dairy have “no place in civilized society” because “the animal industrial complex is actually a criminal cartel, and if they had to pay for their externalities, they would go broke.”

    Several sessions called for more focus on animal agriculture and climate change. Jane Velez-Mitchell, founder of JaneUnchained News, stated, “by eliminating animal agriculture, we can reforest land and it will begin to absorb carbon and immediately reverse the Earth’s temperature.” Christopher Eubanks, founder of APEX Advocacy, stressed the concept of only having one earth and argued going vegan can help the environment. He added, “consuming animal products is one of the biggest contributors to climate change.” Wollen echoed Eubanks’ statement by claiming “greenhouse gas emissions from livestock now vastly exceed those of transport.”

    Pet food was also a focus of the event with Shannon Falconer, CEO of Because, Animals, stating that animal agriculture would not exist without the pet food industry purchasing the “unsellable meat” for human consumption. She further claimed that “[pet food] is a white space that needs to be addressed if we’re going to look at and try to eliminate the factory farming industry as a whole.” She continued by pushing the vegan pet food agenda, claiming that antibiotic use would decrease with plant-based and cell-cultured meat used for pet food instead.

    As with most animal rights conferences, speakers demonstrated their real agenda is not about animal care, but rather ending the consumption of meat, poultry, dairy and eggs altogether, as evidenced by several speakers calling for everyone to consume a vegan diet. Wollen claimed that “every morsel of meat we eat is slapping the tear-stained face of a hungry child,” and explained that “we are trying to get people off the meat and dairy drug.” In Jackel’s session, she argued, “the healthiest diet is one that doesn’t have meat.” Plant based and lab-grown alternative proteins were positioned as key to ending animal agriculture, with Arturo Elizondo, CEO, Clara Foods (a company working on ‘creating the world’s first animal-free egg white’), stating “we’re all trying to ultimately create a world where we don’t need animals to eat them.”

    The 2021 Farmed Animal Conference E-Summit Report, which includes personal accounts of speaker presentations and general observations, is available to Alliance members in the Resource Center on the Alliance website. The Alliance also has reports from previous animal rights conferences accessible to members on its website.

    About the Alliance:

    The Animal Agriculture Alliance safeguards the future of animal agriculture and its value to society by bridging the communication gap between the farm and food communities. 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.

    Find the Alliance on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

  • Dairy Industry Applauds USDA’s New Dairy Donation Program Aimed at Addressing Hunger, Food Waste

    Dairy industry representatives offered their support for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) new $400 million Dairy Donation Program (DDP). The Department released an interim final rule all but finalizing the DDP and making its $400 million funding available to eligible handlers and cooperatives. The program will ensure U.S. dairy companies are fairly compensated for donating nutritious dairy products to Americans struggling with hunger and food insecurity.

    Michael Dykes, president & CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) shared, “IDFA applauds USDA for finalizing the Dairy Donation Program, making it possible for U.S. dairy companies to donate fresh, nutritious dairy products to nonprofit organizations reaching Americans struggling with hunger and food insecurity. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. dairy producers and dairy foods companies have led efforts to feed the hungry and support struggling communities. With the Dairy Donation Program announced today, USDA is providing our industry with one more tool to reach Americans in need. The dairy industry welcomes the opportunity to continue to partner with non-profits, charities, and other organizations working to combat hunger and nutrition insecurity. The Dairy Donation Program ensures high-quality, nutritious products like milk, cheese, yogurt and more will get to those who need them most, while ensuring dairy foods producers receive a fair market value for their healthy products. IDFA and our members look forward to working with USDA and the non-profit community to get this program off the ground this fall.”

    Congress established the DDP in December 2020 and USDA has been working for the past several months to design the new program. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. dairy producers and dairy foods companies have been proactive about responding to hunger and supporting families in need through local food drives and charitable donations as well as federal nutrition assistance programs.

    “We thank USDA leadership for their work to bring the Dairy Donation Program to fruition. This important program will help dairy farmers and the cooperatives they own to do what they do best: feed families nationwide,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF). “Dairy stakeholders are eager to enhance their partnerships with food banks and other distributors to provide dairy products to those experiencing food insecurity, which the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated.”

    NMPF championed the proposal throughout the legislative process and worked closely with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), who led the effort to include this new program in COVID-19-related legislation enacted last year. The new Dairy Donation Program expands the original Milk Donation Reimbursement Program and has one-time funding of $400 million to reimburse farmers, cooperatives, and other dairy organizations for the full cost of raw milk needed to make finished dairy products for consumers.

    NMPF worked closely with USDA to ensure that the program addresses additional costs, such as processing and transportation, as well as other elements that make the program more viable. The provision covering the cost of processing is a significant enhancement from the previous program. NMPF also worked closely with Feeding America to support the program and recommend approaches to ensure its effectiveness.

    “We are grateful to USDA for helping ensure wholesome dairy products can be provided to food banks and other food distributors by reimbursing for some of these costs,” said Mulhern. “We have also been pleased to work with Feeding America to advance the partnership approach taken by this program as it will help to target dairy donations in a manner that effectively meets on-the-ground demand.”

    “Feeding America applauds today’s announcement implementing the Dairy Donation Program, which has the potential to connect millions of additional pounds of dairy donations through food banks to the people we serve. We look forward to working with USDA and our dairy partners to make this program a success now and in the future,” said Vince Hall, Interim Chief Government Relations Officer at Feeding America.

    Mulhern said NMPF appreciates Chairwoman Stabenow’s leadership in securing the program’s enactment last year, as well as the support for dairy donation offered by other key members, including Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (R-PA).

    “We commend Chairwoman Stabenow for her leadership in authoring this program and look forward to working with Congress to secure additional funding for this program in the future to continue to minimize food waste by providing nutritious dairy products to those who need them most,” Mulhern said.

    Jackie Klippenstein, Senior Vice President, Government, Industry and Community Relations for Dairy Farmers of America, added, “The Dairy Donation Program is an important step in helping to strengthen the dairy industry’s commitment to fighting hunger in a way that reduces food waste and minimizes disruption to the supply chain. We are pleased USDA is implementing this and other programs to help distribute dairy to those who need it most.”

  • California Cheese On Top At World Dairy Expo

    Karoun Dairies has once again proven why California is the dairy capital of the United States, going up against cheesemakers nationwide at the World Dairy Expo and winning gold – two to be exact! After an 18-month long hiatus, the dairy industry had its first official contest on Thursday, August 19th in Madison, Wisconsin – the World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest.

    This contest, sponsored by the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association, is the only one of its kind in North America, since no other national contest includes all dairy products. This means that cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, cottage cheese, fluid milk, whipping cream, sour cream and whey processors have a unique opportunity to compete in a prestigious, all-dairy national contest. The winning companies are afforded the unprecedented opportunity to promote and market their products as “the best of the best” in North America.

    Karoun’s award-winning hand braided string cheese came out on top in the String Cheese category, yet again, snatching first place alongside Karoun’s signature Goat Feta Basket Cheese. Karoun’s Queso del Valle brand also won silver for its Queso Blanco cheese in the Latin American Cheese category.

    Rostom Baghdassarian, the CEO at Karoun Dairies said, “It’s great to have another win under our belt for our iconic hand braided string cheese – the cheese that started it all for Karoun! Both the Goat Feta and String Cheese really deliver on taste and texture so we’re thrilled that the judges were able to recognize that and honor us with these awards.”

    About Karoun Dairies
    Founded in 1992, Karoun is an award-winning manufacturer and distributor of specialty ethnic food and beverage products, including cheeses, yogurts, yogurt drinks, spreads and dips. Through a diverse base of retailers and distribution channels, the Company’s products appeal to a fast-growing multicultural population, as well as to mainstream consumers who are increasingly adopting ethnic cuisines. Winner of over 170 best-in-class awards, Karoun’s high-quality, branded products have a loyal following across the nation. The Company is strategically located in the dairy-rich state of California, with a distribution center in San Fernando and a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Turlock. Karoun cheeses and yogurts are made with Real California Milk from cows free of growth hormones. Specialty brands include Karoun®, Gopi®, Arz®, Queso Del Valle®, Damavand® and Yanni®.  For more information, please visit www.karouncheese.com.

    In 2017, Karoun Dairies was acquired by Lactalis Group – the largest dairy company in the world, based out of western France – and became a subsidiary of Lactais American Group. Headquartered in Buffalo, NY and with additional facilities in Wisconsin, Idaho and California, Lactalis American Group employs over 1,600 people across its U.S. production sites and corporate offices. The company produces a rich lineup of French cheeses including brie, camembert, and spreads, Italian favorites such as mozzarella, fresh mozzarella, provolone, ricotta, and mascarpone, and distributes a wide variety of other dairy products. The addition of Karoun Dairies has helped the company enter the U.S. ethnic channel with well-known cheese and yogurt brands Karoun®, Blue Isle®, Gopi®, and Yanni®. For more information about Lactalis American Group, please visit www.lactalisamericangroup.com.