Dairy-related news for the third week in September includes:

Lee karen
Karen Lee
Managing Editor / Progressive Dairy

Farm corporations, LLCs and similar entities required to file BOI report

Under a new requirement that is part of the Corporate Transparency Act, corporations, including farm businesses structured as LLCs and similar entities operating in the U.S. or registered to do business in the U.S., must report beneficial ownership information (BOI).

This requirement aims to prevent the concealment of funds through complex ownership structures and applies to entities formed or registered in the U.S. before Jan. 1, 2024. The report must be completed by Jan. 1, 2025.

Failure to report may result in criminal or civil penalties of up to $500 per day the violation continues, imprisonment for up to two years and/or a fine of up to $10,000.

All businesses must file electronically and provide details on any beneficial owner with more than 25% control or ownership interest. While the report is a one-time submission, any changes in ownership must be updated within 30 days. If assistance is needed, your attorney or accountant can help with the filing.

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For additional details and FAQs, visit the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network website.

General Mills announces agreements to sell its North American yogurt business

General Mills Inc. announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to sell its North American yogurt business to Lactalis and Sodiaal, two leading French dairy companies, in cash transactions valued at an aggregate $2.1 billion. Following the completion of the transactions, the U.S. and Canadian businesses will operate independently, with Lactalis acquiring the U.S. business and Sodiaal acquiring the Canadian business. The proposed transactions are expected to close in calendar year 2025, subject to receipt of requisite regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

The divestitures encompass the U.S. and Canada operations of several yogurt brands including Yoplait, Liberté, Go-Gurt, Oui, Mountain High and :ratio, as well as manufacturing facilities in Murfreesboro, Tennesse; Reed City, Michigan; and Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec. Collectively, the North American yogurt business contributed approximately $1.5 billion to General Mills’ fiscal 2024 net sales.

World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest grand champions announced

The Wisconsin Dairy Products Association (WDPA) announced the grand champion winners of the 2024 World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest. Three grand champions were named in the categories of cheese and butter; Grade A; and ice cream, sherbet, frozen yogurt and gelato.

The 21st year of the competition attracted an impressive array of entries across 93 classes of dairy products, showcasing the finest products and the craftsmanship behind them.

Encompassing all dairy products, the contest brings together the best of the best, with each entry carefully judged by a panel of industry experts. The competition not only celebrates product quality but also highlights the innovation and dedication of dairy producers and processors worldwide.

The grand champion winner in the cheese and butter category is Pure Maple Mascarpone made by Lake Country Dairy – Schuman Cheese. The maple mascarpone has a rich, robust pure maple syrup taste with sweet caramel notes.

The grand champion in the Grade A category is Charlie’s Old Time Buttermilk from Turner Dairy Farms, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The buttermilk is pasteurized, cultured whole buttermilk with added butter flakes.

The grand champion winner of the ice cream, sherbet, frozen yogurt and gelato category is Classic Lemon Bar Ice Cream from Umpqua Dairy in Roseburg, Oregon. The ice cream is a zesty lemon ice cream swirled with creamy lemon revel and bites of lemon shortbread.

The grand champions and the first-, second- and third-place winners for each class will receive their trophies, medals and ribbons at an award reception and auction on Oct. 1 as part of World Dairy Expo in Madison. The first-place winner’s products are auctioned off that day with proceeds going to scholarship programs focused on dairy education.

For more information about the contest, the auction or to view the complete list of winners, visit WDPA’s website.

NASS releases 2022 Census of Agriculture Web Maps application

The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) launched a collection of interactive maps to allow data users to access key Census of Agriculture information.

The newly redesigned Ag Census Web Maps application offers the public access to maps and accompanying data to help visualize, download and analyze Census of Agriculture data down to the county level. The application assembles maps and statistics from the 2022 Census of Agriculture in five broad categories – crops and plants, economics, farms, livestock and animals, and producers – as well as associated subcategories.

An Ag Census Web Maps user can:

  • Select a map to display from any of the general categories and associated subcategories.
  • Create maps showing the variation in a single data item across the country (for example, average value of agricultural products sold per farm).
  • Select a county and view and download the county’s data for a general category.
  • Download the U.S. county-level dataset of mapped values for all categories and more.

The resulting products give producers, agribusinesses, policymakers, community planners and the general public easy access to factors that affect agriculture and producers in more than 3,000 counties across the country.

NASS has also made available on its website a range of new products related to the 2022 ag census:

  • Market Value of Ag Products Rankings
  • State and County Profiles
  • Congressional District Profiles and Rankings
  • The Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Profiles
  • The Watersheds report
  • The American Indian Reservations Report

In addition, the 2022 Puerto Rico Census of Agriculture data were released July 18 and can be viewed on NASS’s ag census webpage.