On November 12, USDA released its final decision on the Federal Milk Market Order (FMMO) reform process that started back in 2023

Seventy percent of all milk sold in the United States in 2023 was marketed through Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMOs)

On Monday, July 15, USDA published its recommended amendments for pricing formulas in the federal milk marketing orders (FMMOs) on the Federal Register

After a dozen weeks of testimony and cross-examination spread over six months, the Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) public hearing concluded on Tuesday, January 30

A recent analysis of some of the proposed changes to the Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) system was conducted to quantitatively assess what these changes would mean to U.S. milk prices

We will witness a piece of history when the hearing to amend pricing in the 11 Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMO) begins this month

A baker’s dozen of counties produced one-fourth of the nation’s federal order milk that was marketed last year. Those are the same 13 counties that led this list in 2021 as well

Every dairy farmer knows that raising a calf to maturity takes great care, with an appreciation of the challenge and a goal of doing what’s best rather than what’s easy

While not imminent, some dairy industry specialists have asked the question, “What would milk marketing look like without federal order pricing?”

Secretary Vilsack wants consensus; the dairy industry will have a chance to create consensus.The American Farm Bureau Federation is planning a gathering for farmers and industry leaders to discuss changes...

The amount of U.S. milk moving through the Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) system fell to a six-year low in 2021 at 61%

“We haven’t had many major changes to the federal orders since 2000,” shared Jim Mulhern with those attending the 24th annual meeting of Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) on March 23

Since the genesis of Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) pricing, the balance between pricing in the various milk classes has caused discussion and at times even distress among dairy farmers

In the 19 years prior to 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, the monthly difference between Class III and Class IV prices had exceeded $5 per hundredweight (cwt.) on only six occasions

Depooling…the dirty word blamed for last year’s painful negative Producer Price Differentials (PPDs) and wild price swings. Many ideas may exist for reform, but which might actually work?

Throughout the decades of milk pricing by Federal Milk Marketing Orders, dairy farmers, processors, and even consumers have questioned the importance of the orders

As we have seen before, the intricacies of the Federal Milk Marketing Order system mean that any changes to the orders will result in multifaceted consequences

If a proposed amendment to the federal milk marketing system advances to a final decision by USDA, the revised order is then voted on by the dairy farmers who would be affected by the change

The discussion on the purpose and framework of FMMOs is at the heart of the issue with negative PPDs

“If you look at the federal order pools back in the 1950s, it was about two-thirds to fluid milk and the other one-third being manufacturing,” University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mark Stephenson...