Cornell University Research Team Seeks Dairy Farmers to Participate in Milk Premium Survey

The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.

Milk premiums are an important means to bridge the gap between dairy farm expenses and milk income per hundred weight. The dairy sector continues to undergo significant changes in the number and concentration of dairy farms, distance milk travels from farms to processing facilities, and the number of handlers available to purchase milk.

A research team at Cornell University, Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management is interested in learning more about farmers’ preferences and willingness to accept alternative premium payment programs, related milk premium adjustments, and milk handler business structures. The research team seeks out and invites current dairy farmers to take part in an online survey to examine inclinations for these various premium structures. Results will serve as valuable guidance to dairy farmers and milk handlers when considering alternate pricing structures beyond the milk marketing order and the expected results therefrom.

We anticipate this survey to take 10 to 20 minutes. All responses will be kept confidential. Any sort of public report or presentation will not include any information that will make it possible to identify the person completing the survey. Each person completing the survey will be eligible for one of five $100 VISA gift cards.

The survey is available by clicking or copying and pasting one of following links: Cornell University Dairy Premium Survey or https://tinyurl.com/DairyPriceSurvey. Please feel free to share these links with fellow dairy farmers.

The researchers conducting this study are Todd M. Schmit, Associate Professor, (email: tms1@cornell.edu, phone 607.255.3015), Roberta M. Severson (email: rmh27@cornell.edu, phone 607.255-1987), and Daniel Munch, Graduate Research Assistant. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. This work is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Smith Lever Project #1013677.