Digest Highlights FDA prioritizes ‘dairy’ labels California water fees raised Shamrock Farms expands partnership with University of Arizona Fuel Up to Play 60, Chelan Fresh collaborate Minnesota offers milk cooler grants ‘Dry’ cows mostly in the Southwest Wisconsin adds three ‘ag enterprise’ areas
FDA prioritizes ‘dairy’ labels
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Secretary Scott Gottlieb has pledged to prioritize the agency’s dairy food labeling oversight.
FDA published a notice in the Sept. 28 Federal Register requesting public comment on the use of names of dairy foods in the labeling of plant-based products. The deadline to submit comments is Nov. 27. Find comment submission procedures in the Federal Register notice.
In an announcement on Sept. 27, Gottlieb said use of terms like “milk” or “cheese” in marketing plant-based dairy alternatives may be misleading consumers into thinking the products are nutritionally equivalent.
“Many dairy products, such as milk, yogurt and certain cheeses, have standards of identity established by regulation, which require certain components and ingredients in these foods,” Gottlieb said. “Names such as ‘milk,’ ‘yogurt’ and ‘cheddar cheese’ have long been recognized by the American public as identifying the dairy foods described in the standards.”
“We are pleased that after years of engagement with FDA, the agency is finally addressing our concerns about how these plant-based products are inappropriately marketed to consumers,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF). “In fact, the docket recognizes many of the same issues we’ve brought to light over the last four decades: that plant-based products are packaged, merchandized and sold in the same way as real dairy foods, yet provide fewer nutrients and therefore cannot be considered suitable substitutes.”
FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative released a similar statement, saying the Midwest dairy co-op was encouraged by FDA’s actions.
“At a time when consumers want transparency when it comes to their food, it makes sense to return to the basics of food definitions, especially dairy products. Enforcing the true definition of dairy and its related terms of milk, yogurt, cheese and butter is simple and straightforward,” according to the statement.
California water fees raised
California’s State Water Resources Control Board voted to increase water quality permit fees by 6.2 percent for confined animal facilities.
The higher fee translates to an annual increase of $821 for the state’s largest dairies (over 3,000 mature cattle), from $13,248 annually to $14,069, according to Kevin Abernathy, general manager of California’s Milk Producers Council (MPC). For the smallest class of dairies that pay fees, those with between 50 and 149 mature cattle, fees increase from $497 to $528 annually.
Dairies that are environmentally certified by the California Dairy Quality Assurance Program will continue to receive a 50 percent discount on the annual fees.
MPC joined with the Dairy Cares coalition in opposing the fee increase. MPC also remains involved in litigation against the water board regarding previous fee increases.
Shamrock Farms expands partnership with University of Arizona
Shamrock Farms has expanded its longtime relationship with the University of Arizona through a new partnership with the university’s athletic department.
Coinciding with the launch of new packaging for its ready-to-drink Rockin' Protein line, the product will be the official protein beverage of the Arizona Wildcats sports teams. In addition to providing Rockin' Protein to student athletes, the partnership includes installing Protein Performance Stations in the football and Olympic training facilities, on-site activations, as well as in-stadium signage, broadcast media, social media and advertising.
Shamrock Farms will also donate up to 50,000 servings of milk to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona this year.
Shamrock Farms previously opened up The Scoop, a creamery and coffee bar located in the University of Arizona student union, in 2016.
Fuel Up to Play 60, Chelan Fresh collaborate
Fuel Up to Play 60 and Washington state-based Chelan Fresh are increasing student access to more nutritious food choices, including dairy, in schools.
Chelan Fresh, one of Washington state’s largest suppliers of apples and pears and the nation’s largest provider of fresh cherries, will provide portable breakfast/salad bar carts to 15 Fuel Up to Play 60 schools in 11 states.
The carts will be provided to schools in Arizona, California, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, South Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Washington for the 2018-19 school year. The portable breakfast/salad bar carts will reach nearly 9,000 students, serving an estimated 1.3 million meals annually.
Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school wellness program involving the national dairy checkoff and the National Football League, with support from the USDA.
Minnesota offers milk cooler grants
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is making Agricultural Growth, Research and Innovation (AGRI) Milk Cooler Grants available to schools to increase dairy use in their nutrition programs.
“Our goal is to invest in schools and early care and education organizations so they can buy and serve more Minnesota dairy,” said Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson. “Dairy is a good source of protein, calcium and vitamin D. Kids at a young age are more likely to become lifelong consumers of milk and other dairy products, which benefits Minnesota’s farmers.”
The MDA anticipates awarding up to $22,500 to assist schools and early Care and education organizations in purchasing milk coolers for their meal programs. Each school or organization may apply for up to $1,500. A maximum of three proposals will be accepted for each organization or school. Eligible expenses include the cost of the milk cooler and associated installation expenses.
Applications for milk cooler grants must by submitted by Nov. 16, 2018.
‘Dry’ cows mostly in the Southwest
The estimate of overall U.S. dairy cows located in “drought areas” improved slightly in September, according to the USDA’s World Agricultural Outlook Board. About 21 percent of the nation’s milk cows were located in areas experiencing drought at the end of September (image below), a 3 percent reduction compared to a month earlier.
Pockets of drought shrunk in Michigan, New York and Texas and disappeared in Wisconsin. Elsewhere, however, there was little change.
The weekly U.S. Drought Monitor overlays areas experiencing drought with maps of major production areas for hay, alfalfa hay, corn, soybeans and other crops, as well as primary dairy and all cattle areas.
The report also showed about 25 percent of major alfalfa hay production areas were in areas experiencing drought, up 1 percent from a month earlier.
Wisconsin adds three ‘ag enterprise’ areas
Wisconsin will add three “agricultural enterprise areas” (AEAs) covering 185,000 acres on Jan. 1, 2019. The new AEAs will be in Trempealeau County’s town of Arcadia, St. Croix County’s town of Troy, and six townships in northwest Outagamie and northeast Waupaca counties.
AEAs are part of a farmland preservation program administered by the state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). They are intended to keep land in agricultural use and promote agricultural economic development appropriate to each area by preserving established agricultural infrastructure – land, public services and businesses that serve farms, as well as farms themselves. Landowners in AEAs are not subject to any new land use regulations.
Designation can provide some certainty for farmers and agribusinesses that agricultural infrastructure will remain into the future. It also makes landowners eligible to claim farmland preservation tax credit if they agree to keep their land in agricultural use for at least 15 years and meet conservation standards.
For an AEA to be designated, at least five landowners, in partnership with their local government, petition DATCP for the designation. With the additions, Wisconsin will have 37 AEAs in 26 counties. DATCP has authority to designate up to 2 million acres as AEAs. 
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