Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) has dropped its membership in the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA). It comes after IDFA’s petition to modify the USDA’s Federal Milk Marketing Order program.

DFA is not responding to interview requests but did issue a statement that says, “While IDFA generally maintains a neutral position on policies lacking full membership consensus, a critical exception was made earlier this year when they submitted a divisive milk pricing policy proposal to USDA.”

The statement continues, “This placed DFA in the untenable position of being represented as supporting a policy position, which contradicts what we believe to be in the best interests of our farmer-owners and the dairy industry.”

The American Farm Bureau Federation also submitted multiple recommended reforms of Federal Milk Marketing Orders this month to USDA. AFBF Economist Danny Munch says the recommendations include increasing prices.

“The first part of our proposal included a refinement of what’s in NMPF’s petition. So, we support in principle most of the recommendations in that petition, which include switching back to the higher of class one mover, increasing class one differentials, and increasing the component value used in milk pricing,” said Munch. “We also had eight other proposals based on our existing policy. Some of the main ones there are expanding the products surveyed in the National Dairy Products Report Survey, removing advanced pricing for class one and class two milk, and then implementing uniform check requirement to improve transparency for farmers.”

Meanwhile, World Agricultural Outlook Board Chair Mark Jekanowski says USDA’s latest forecasts for milk classes and all-milk prices are mixed for 2023 and lower for 2024.

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