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According to an analysis from the Congressional Research Service, the Senate dairy reform plan costs less than the House version. The House farm bill dairy title is projected to cost $418 million above baseline, while the Senate plan costs $302 million more over the next 10 years. National Milk Producers Federation incoming president and CEO Jim Mulhern said this analysis underestimates the true costs of the House plan, but still highlights the Senate proposal as more fiscally responsible. The Senate version ties margin insurance to a supply management program. The House dairy title does not include any form of market stabilization.

Klobuchar does not support farm bill extension
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who is a farm bill conferee, says another extension of the 2008 farm bill is not an option. "There still continues to be issues with members on where the nutrition cut or food stamp number should be and how the dairy program should be set up; those are the two major things that people are talking a lot about."

Former VP candidate opposes market stabilization plan
If the final farm bill includes the Dairy Market Stabilization Program, Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan promises not to vote for the farm bill. Ryan, who chairs the House Budget Committee, said "I hate it, I won't vote for it."

More farm bill options remain
American Farm Bureau Federation lobbyist Mary Kay Thatcher remains optimistic the farm bill can be wrapped up before the end of the year.
"I just think people are looking for a victory or two of having some bills moving before the end of the year." If not passed as a stand-alone bill in December, Thatcher says there is a chance the farm bill could be included as part of the budget bill, which must be done by mid-January.

Animal groups applaud EPA RFS proposal
Twenty-one animal agriculture groups are applauding EPA's proposal to lower the requirement for the Renewable Fuels Standard next year. In a joint statement, the groups say the RFS mandate continues to have a detrimental impact on the economy and makes feeding animals risky because the animal and grain industries are not competing on a level playing field. The National Milk Producers Federation is one of the groups supporting the EPA proposal.

Label required
Raw milk sales in South Dakota will soon require a warning label, telling consumers that unpasteurized milk can cause illness. The name of the dairy and the date of production must also be on the label. This state regulation takes effect Dec. 11.

Bel Brands progress report
Bel Brands USA is making progress on the construction of its new cheese plant in Brookings, S.D. Production is expected to start in July.

Paap re-elected MFBF President
Minnesota Farm Bureau President Kevin Paap was re-elected, fending off a challenge from vice president Duane Alberts. The election came after a long day of resolutions at the MFBF Annual Meeting. Tax issues were a major concern for delegates. The regulatory environment was also debated. "Whether it's our natural resources, animal care or food safety, they're all factors we have to be involved in. If we're not at the table, we're going to be on the menu and agriculture and Farm Bureau are not going to be on the menu."

Peterson re-elected MFU President
Doug Peterson was re-elected to the presidency of the Minnesota Farmers Union this past weekend. Gary Wertish will also serve another term as vice president.

MN Farm Bureau Foundation Awards presented
Minnesota Farm Bureau named Lori Ehde of Rock County Star Herald as its ag communicator of the year. Mike Liepold, who leads the Minnesota Agricultural and Rural Leadership program, is the Extension educator of the year. The FFA advisor of the year is Paul Aarsvold of Plainview-Elgin-Millville High School. Peter Neigebauer, who is an agribusiness instructor at South Central Technical College, is the post-secondary educator of the year.

MFBF announces YF&R Winners
In the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers competitions, Joe and April Sullivan of Renville County won the Achievement Award. Morgan Allen of Goodhue County topped the Excellence in Agriculture contest and Lucas Sjostrom of Stearns County won the Discussion Meet. The state winners will advance to national competition.

Gregerson, Gill and Williamson receive MFU Awards
During the Minnesota Farmers Union annual convention, Gary Gregerson, Badger, was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award. Joe Gill of KASM Radio, Albany, was honored for outstanding agricultural reporting. Christa Williamson of Spicer was presented the excellence in youth education award.

Co-op group recognizes Krikava
During the Cooperative Network's annual meeting, Minnesota and Wisconsin co-op leaders honored Steve Krikava, retired director of government relations, Land O'Lakes. Krikava spent 39 years with Land O'Lakes.

USDA Advisory Committee includes two MN lenders
Twenty individuals have been appointed to USDA's new advisory committee on beginning farmers and ranchers. Minnesota has two representatives, both lenders, Timothy Gossman of the Root River State Bank in Chatfield and Peter Scheffert of Farmers State Bank of Hartland.

BouMatic has new leadership team
BouMatic LLC has selected Todd DeMonte as its new president. Previously, DeMonte served in a similar capacity for Therma-Stor. David Stockwell has been named the chief financial officer for BouMatic. Stockwell also worked for Therma-Stor previously. Therma-Stor has been affiliated with BouMatic for ten years.

Trivia Challenge
Krysta Hardin serves as USDA's deputy agriculture secretary and will be responsible for implementing the new farm bill, whenever it passes. That answers our last trivia question. For this edition, what is the name of the dairy checkoff program that has a connection to the NFL? We'll have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star.[[In-content Ad]]

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