Digest Highlights

2021 World Dairy Expo update

World Dairy Expo leaders and local government officials continue to work on plans for both the 2021 event and its longer-term future.

Natzke dave
Dave Natzke
Editor / Progressive Dairy

In a recent press notice, the World Dairy Expo (WDE) executive committee said a formal decision on the 2021 show would be announced this spring. The event is currently scheduled for Madison, Wisconsin, Sept. 28-Oct. 2, 2021.

In the notice, the committee said it was continuing to meet with local and Dane County government officials regarding current and future restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the executive committee also said it was also considering alternative locations for the event, which has been held in Madison for more than five decades.

In early March, Dane County officials announced plans to ease COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings. The latest order from the Public Health Office of Madison and Dane County sets requirements in effect for March 10-April 7. Those requirements address masks, social distancing, sizes of indoor and outdoor gatherings, restaurant and hotel capacity limits, and other public activities. It sets maximum limits of 150-350 people for indoor gatherings and a maximum of 500 people for outdoor gatherings. World Dairy Expo historically attracts more than 60,000 people over the five-day event.

On March 10, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi issued a release saying the county had offered World Dairy Expo a 10-year contract extension to keep the show in Madison. Among other features, the proposed agreement would compensate WDE for economic losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic as an incentive for the event to remain at Dane County’s Alliant Energy Center.

Advertisement

"World Dairy Expo is a long-standing partner of Dane County, and this contract extension reflects our commitment to our farmers, our agricultural heritage and this event," Parisi said. "Our partnership has withstood decades, and a global pandemic won't change Wisconsin's love for this event and what it means for our economy," he added.

Under the 10-year extension offer, WDE would remain in Madison through 2030. In addition, the 2021 and 2022 shows would be hosted by Dane County at no cost to WDE, reflecting a discount for decreased revenues the event experienced as a result of having to cancel the 2020 show due to COVID-19.

Given current rates of vaccination and nearly a half million dollars’ worth of upgrades the Alliant Energy Center is making to air-handling units in its facilities, the release indicated this fall's World Dairy event would be able to safely occur.

It doesn’t, however, specifically address attendance limits. Additionally, hotel and restaurant capacity limits could provide other participation restrictions.

The contract needs the review and approval of the World Dairy Expo board before it can be ratified by Dane County and the board of supervisors.

In an email to Progressive Dairy, Scott Bentley, WDE general manager, said World Dairy Expo’s Executive Committee and staff would be reviewing the offer, with a decision announced later this spring.

“Madison is expo’s home, and we intend for that legacy to endure for generations to come,” he said. “World Dairy Expo also remains committed to gathering the global dairy industry again this fall and continuing the tradition as the must-attend event for everyone in the global dairy industry.”

Farm Workforce Modernization Act reintroduced

Federal legislation seen as a possible solution for dairy farmers desperate to hire and retain skilled workers has been reintroduced. U.S. Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-California) and Dan Newhouse (R-Washington) resurrected the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which had passed the House on a bipartisan vote in 2019 but was never considered by the Senate.

The bill would provide a path to legalization for current farm workers and expand the H-2A foreign guest worker program to accommodate the year-round needs of dairy and other livestock farmers.

Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), urged swift passage of the measure, which could be voted on during the week of March 15. NMPF established an advocacy alert for dairy producers to digitally contact House members in support of the proposal.

Brody Stapel, a Wisconsin dairy farmer and president of Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, said many Midwest dairy farmers were facing a labor crisis. Changes in demographics, labor patterns and the nature of the jobs have made it impossible for farmers to fill all available positions with American citizens, Stapel said. In addition, existing immigrant ag labor rules that focus on seasonal work are impractical.

“The struggle is very real for many of our farmers,” he said. “We need a solution that provides a path for qualified employees to come to this country and a system for keeping those already here. No business or industry can survive without a skilled and stable workforce.”

USDA extends free meals to children through summer

The USDA announced a nationwide extension of several waivers that allow all children to continue to receive nutritious meals this summer when schools are out of session. These flexibilities are now available through Sept. 30, 2021.

The waivers, previously scheduled to end June 30, extended allowances for meal distribution sites that serve all children for free, regardless of income. The meals are also available to persons over age 18 with mental or physical disabilities. Sites may be located in a variety of settings including schools, parks, community centers, libraries, churches and more.

In addition, the waivers:

  • Allow meals served through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) – collectively known as “summer meal programs” – to be made available in all areas at no cost
  • Allow meals to be served outside of the normally required group settings and meal times
  • Allow parents and guardians to pick up meals for their children, including bulk pickup to cover multiple days of feeding children

USDA buys fluid milk

The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) awarded purchase contracts for the delivery of 415,800 gallons of fluid milk for distribution through domestic feeding programs. Contracts cover low-fat (1%), reduced-fat (2%) and whole milk in gallon and one-half gallon containers. Purchase awards included:

  • 133,500 gallons from Dairy Farmers of America
  • 255,300 gallons from Darigold
  • 27,000 gallons from HP Hood

All deliveries were scheduled between April 5-June 30, 2021.

Amp Americas-Riverview RNG project online

Amp Americas announced that its fourth biogas facility, producing renewable natural gas (RNG) from dairy waste, is now operational at Morris, near Minnesota’s western border. The new plant captures more than 700,000 gallons of manure per day from three different sites owned by Riverview LLP, converts it into renewable methane, purifies it into RNG and compresses it to inject into a pipeline.

The project included installing pipelines connecting the three Riverview dairies, restarting mothballed digesters, building an RNG purification plant and the pipeline injection station. Grant Zimmerman, CEO of Amp Americas, estimates the project will prevent 100,000 tons of greenhouse emissions each year, the equivalent of taking over 20,000 cars off the road annually.

With this project, Amp Americas has now developed dairy RNG production on 12 dairies with over 66,000 cows. The Minnesota project is Amp Americas’ largest dairy RNG project to date and the first on-farm biogas-to-vehicle-fuel facility in Minnesota.

Along with two RNG projects in Indiana and another in Arizona, Amp Americas is producing a total of over 10 million gallons of RNG annually. The dairy RNG is marketed to fleets in California.

Checkoff expands Fuel Up to Play 60, Undeniably Dairy programs

Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) unveiled initiatives that provide fresh opportunities for consumers and youth to engage with dairy and learn about the industry’s sustainability story. The efforts include the Smoothie Blitz, created in partnership with the Fuel Up to Play 60 program, and a new Undeniably Dairy “Farming to the Future” Virtual Field Trip with Discovery Education.

The Smoothie Blitz taps into the consumer craze for smoothies. Beginning March 15, high-profile profile National Football League (NFL) players square off in a bracket-style tournament to see who can create the best dairy-based smoothie. Fans view 60-second videos on social media and DMI’s Dairy Good channels, and then vote to see who advances to the championship round.

In conjunction with the Smoothie Blitz, DMI will activate a contest for students to share their own smoothie creations. The winner will become the Fuel Up to Play 60 2021 Smoothie Correspondent and will create a video with an NFL player, who will make the student’s recipe.

Undeniably Dairy’s Farming to the Future Virtual Field Trip, created through the checkoff’s partnership with Discovery Education, became available to classrooms across the country on March 4.

The virtual field trip features dairy farmers Kelsey O’Shea of New York and Tara Vander Dussen, New Mexico, showcasing their animal care and environmental commitments. The program includes visits with Leslie Bonci, a sports dietitian and National Dairy Council ambassador, and celebrity chef Carla Hall.

Things you might have missed

  • With approval in both the Senate and House, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill is headed to President Joe Biden for signature. Check back with Progressive Dairy for an update on provisions of the bill impacting dairy, agriculture and nutrition programs.

  • The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) extended the sign-up period, through April 9, for the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) program. The new program provides assistance to producers who suffered eligible crop quality losses due to natural disasters (drought, excessive moisture, flooding, hurricanes, snowstorms, tornadoes, typhoons, volcanic activity or wildfires) occurring in 2018 and 2019. Forage crop quality losses are eligible for payments. More information on QLA eligibility and payments can be found here.

  • Darigold and Girl Scout councils across Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington announced a community-building fundraising partnership as part of this year’s Girl Scout cookie season. Darigold is donating a portion of sales from every carton or bottle of Darigold extended shelf-life milk sold at participating retailers between Feb. 22 and March 31, 2021.  end mark