Georgia Milk Producers Weekly Enews
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GA Milk will host a Georgia Dairy Zoom meeting on Tuesday at 4 p.m., and on Thursday with The Dairy Alliance at 4 p.m. If you would like to join in - please email Farrah Newberry at
[email protected]
. A summary of the zoom meetings are emailed to producers following each call.
Georgia Milk has updated their website for farmers to use as a resource:
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Great Georgia Give to make final stop in Savannah to give milk to frontline workers
By Marah Brock, Fox 28 MEDIA
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The Great Georgia Give is making its final stop in Savannah to donate milk to local first responders and healthcare workers.
The initiative is a partnership between Georgia’s dairy farmers, Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) and the Kroger Atlanta Division.
The event will take place Friday at 10 a.m. a the Savannah Police Department.
“The Savannah Police Department is pleased to accept this donation of milk for our officers,” Savannah Police Chief Roy Minter said. “This is a great opportunity for our officers to receive milk for their families while also assisting dairy farmers with reducing a surplus. Many of our officers with larger families and multiple children who are out of school are especially appreciative of the cost savings this will afford their families.”
The Great Georgia Give will be delivering milk to first responders at the Savannah Police Department and the Savannah Fire Department as well as to health care workers at the Savannah VA Clinic and Memorial Health University Medical Center.
The initiative is led by Milk on My Mind, a dairy awareness program initiated and funded by Georgia dairy farmers through the Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Commission for Milk and developed and managed by Atlanta-based marketing and PR agency, The Partnership.
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From Milksheds Blog
On May 12, 2020, Dean Foods, DIP (debtor-in-possession), a regulated handler on the Appalachian Order, did not pay its obligation to the Producer Settlement Fund (PSF) as required by Federal Milk Marketing Order regulations. USDA recognizes the significance of this non-payment and is continuing to work with the Department of Justice to attempt to recover these monies as part of the Dean Foods, DIP, estate.
When payment is not made to the PSF, Federal Milk Marketing Order regulations prescribe procedure for how the remaining marketwide pool monies should be distributed to handlers (1005.72). When PSF monies are not sufficient to make full payments to handlers, the Market Administrator shall reduce uniformly such payments to handlers due a payment from the PSF.
Accordingly, for milk pooled on Order 5 during April 2020, payments to handlers from the PSF have been reduced pro rata. Should the PSF payments be recovered from Dean Foods, DIP, Estate at a later time, full payments will be distributed. In the meantime, Federal Milk Marketing Order regulations provide for reduced payments to producers from regulated handlers who did not receive full payment from the PSF (1005.73(c)). Consequently, the enforced minimum payments to producers will be at the pro rata amount.
USDA will continue to monitor the situation and work to assist the dairy industry. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available to all market participants. Please feel free to contact Jason Nierman, via [email protected], or (502) 499-0040, ext. 222, if you have any questions.
Read More Here >>>
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Must-Have Information to Apply for COVID Aid Payments
By
Anna-Lisa Laca
, AgWeb
While FSA has not begun accepting applications for Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) payments, it’s not too soon to start gathering information and completing the necessary forms.
In addition to the CFAP application form, which is not available yet, in most cases you’ll need to complete the following forms (unless they are already on record with FSA.) Here’s some good news: if you applied for the Market Facilitation Program, it’s likely the majority of these forms are already on file for you. Contact your local FSA office to verify that.
- CCC-902 – Farm Operating Plan – if necessary. Additionally, the following forms will be needed for CFAP; if you are an existing customer, this information is likely on file at your local Service Center.
- CCC-901 (Also Available in Spanish) – Identifies members of a farm or ranch that is a legal entity. Member Information will be completed by legal entities and joint operations to collect the following: member names, addresses, Tax Identification Numbers and citizenship status.
- CCC-941 (Also Available in Spanish) – Reports your average adjusted gross income (AGI) for programs where income restrictions apply. There is a $900,000 AGI limit for this program.
- CCC-942 – If applicable, this certification reports income from farming, ranching, and forestry, for those exceeding the adjusted gross income limitation.
- AD-1026 (Also Available in Spanish) – Ensures compliance with highly erodible land conservation and wetland conservation.
- AD-2047 – Provides basic customer contact information.
- SF-3881 – Collects your banking information to allow USDA to make payments to you via direct deposit.
At this point, an acreage report is not necessary to apply for the program. FSA has streamlined the signup process to not require an acreage report at the time of application and a USDA farm number may not be immediately needed.
One final important note for this program: While FSA offices are currently open, an appointment is necessary.
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Borden Dairy Awarded USDA Contract to Provide 700 Million Servings of Nutritious Dairy Products for Families in Need
NEWS PROVIDED BY Borden Dairy Company
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Borden
, one of America's favorite dairy companies founded in 1857, was awarded the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) largest contract through its new
Farmers to Families Food Box Program
as part of the Coronavirus Farm Assistance Program (CFAP). The contract will enable Borden to supply 700 million servings of fresh fluid milk for free to qualifying 501(c)3 organizations starting this Friday, May 15.
"Borden applauds the USDA for taking this monumental step to ensure that Americans have convenient access to nutrition during this difficult time in our nation's history. This USDA contract allows Borden to exponentially grow our coronavirus relief efforts that are already underway," said Borden CEO
Tony Sarsam
. "The 3,300 people of Borden are incredibly proud to further support our communities and eager to begin fulfilling more donation requests immediately."
Through the CFAP, the USDA is purchasing and distributing up to $3 billion of agricultural products, including fresh produce, dairy and meat, to those in need. Borden will supply milk to consumers in the Southeast, Southwest and Midwest regions,
including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
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Kroger’s CEO Says There Will Still Be Meat In Stores But Customers May Have To Be 'Flexible' On What They Buy
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As many Americans fear
rising meat prices
and a meat shortage in grocery stores, Kroger's CEO had a bit more of a reassuring take on the situation, saying there will still be meat on shelves, it just may not be the meat that you want.
Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen
told CNBC
that though there may be lower inventory, as long as customers don't mind switching up what protein they get, they can still get their meat fix.
“If you’re flexible on eating between chicken, pork and beef, we constantly have one of those items or two of those—and usually three,” he said.
Read more here>>>
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Loan Forgiveness Under The PPP And SBA EIDL Programs: 10 Things Small Businesses Need To Know
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If you were one of the lucky businesses to receive a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan as provided under the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act, you currently have eight weeks to use the funds appropriately to meet the criteria for loan forgiveness or face repayment.
There is still some PPP money available from Round 2 of Congressional relief, so if you haven’t yet applied and still need the money, do so immediately. There was approximately $90 billion remaining as of May 6, largely because most loans in this second round have been much smaller than in Round 1 and many larger companies have returned their loans. You will likely have better luck receiving a loan by applying through a smaller community bank as opposed to a large national bank.
In addition, the regulations around both the PPP loan program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program have been changing constantly since the CARES Act was passed and will likely continue to do so. It is important to track these regulations closely. Already, leading trade associations including the American Bankers Association, the Consumer Bankers Association, and the Independent Community Bankers Association have written to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin asking for changes to the PPP, mainly around the criteria for forgiveness.
Read more here>>>
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Take Advantage of Current Markets, Lock in DRP Coverage
By Anna-Lisa Laca, Dairy Herd Management
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When USDA awarded contracts to dairy processors for the Food for Family box program, milk markets reacted positively and for the past few days have been experiencing a rally. Don’t let this opportunity to enroll in Dairy Revenue Protection (DRP) pass you by, warns Jenny Wackershauser.
“The market is giving us the opportunities that we need to learn from our mistakes of this spring,” she says. “The market is giving us a second chance on protecting milk.”
The current market rally is similar to our October-November rally which was driven by the purchasing program that was part of the China relief package.
“We had the perfect storm,” she explains. “We also had a cheese plant in Central America that had to come in and buy U.S. products, and that's what pushed our rally in October-November. As soon as those purchasers were fulfilled, they got the product they needed and left our market, and we saw that crash.”
While current market movement is giving dairy producers hope, the reality is when the companies who have government contracts are fulfilled and leave this market, we could see a fast fall like we did in November, Wackershauser explains.
Read more here>>>
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Farmer to Farmer Support Program Available for SE dairy farmers
Farmers across the Southeast are experiencing uncertain times like never before. All aspects of agriculture have been hit by market losses due to COVID-19, but dairy has reached a level of uncertainty that many have never experienced.
As we navigate through these next few months, dairy producers across the Southeast have come together to introduce the "Farmer to Farmer Support Program." If you find that you need support or would like to talk to a fellow farmer or industry friend, they have several volunteers that are willing and able to help. Georgia Milk Producers has also put together a packet on the program that you can access by clicking
here
.
For more information on the program, please reach out to Farrah Newberry at
[email protected]
.
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Thirty Years Flew By
By
Caitlin Rodgers, GA Dairy Farmer, Hoard's Dairyman
It is absolutely crazy how fast that time went by. I mean seriously, I still have nightmares where I wake up and think I have missed a college class before coming to the realization that I haven’t been in school in years. Well, it happened this past week. I turned 30 years old and plucked not one but two gray hairs out of my head. My scalp could have given me just enough time to get a grip on the actual fact of turning 30 before it started shooting the gray ones out.
When I graduated college and came back to the farm, I just thought I knew everything. You couldn’t tell me a thing. I know if myself now could talk to myself then, we would definitely have some arguments to settle. There were decisions I made that I felt “good” about then but that I definitely hesitated to make. Now, I would answer most of those questions without hesitation and would not necessarily give the same answer.
Over the last 30 years there are so many things that I am thankful for. I grew up on this farm, fed calves as a child, and had many dry cow patty fights. I grew up close with my family — not only my immediate family, but cousins, aunts, and uncles, too. This farm is an anchor. It held many events including all the family reunions.
Read more here>>>
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Pandemic Relief Update-Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program
From Top Ag News
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The most recent legislation enacted by Congress for relief during the Covid-19 pandemic has clarified that farmers are eligible for a low interest, non-forgivable loan of up to $150,000. Farmers and other agricultural businesses who apply for the loan can also qualify for an emergency advance in addition to the loan. The emergency advance is equal to $1,000 per employee, for up to a maximum of $10,000. A self-employed farmer with no employees is eligible for a $1,000 emergency advance. Although the traditional full loan amount is not forgivable and must be repaid over a term of up to thirty years, the emergency advance portion does not have to be repaid if used on eligible expenses. Currently, the Small Business Association (SBA) — the agency overseeing the loan program —has stated that it will begin accepting new applications on a limited basis for U.S. agricultural businesses only (
Economic Injury Disaster Loan
program). Interested applicants should submit an application online with the SBA. Although there is no posted deadline for agriculture business applications, program funding is limited and issued on a first-in-first-out basis.
Read more here>>>
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Protein supplements boost benefits of exercise
By
Sharon Gerdes
, Dairy Foods
At 13, my grandson is starting to lift weights to build strength and be more competitive in sports. At 40-plus, my son continues to lift weights to keep his weight in check. And at 60-plus, I lift lighter weights and do yoga to keep my muscles strong and flexible. And each of us has a favorite protein supplement.
Across almost all age groups, people are exercising and adding protein to their diet to maximize the benefits of exercise.
According to Grand View Research, the global protein supplements market was estimated at $17.55 billion in 2019 (
https://tinyurl.com/skzmfda
). Protein powders account for roughly 64% of sales by revenue, with ready-to-drink (RTD) protein supplements and protein bars making up the bulk of other sales. While the United States dominates the sports nutrition market, Southeast Asian countries offer growth potential.
Read more here>>>
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By Jim Cornall, Dairy Reporter
Soon it will be possible to fill up the tank with biogas made from cattle manure at the Vuorenmaa dairy farm in Haapavesi, Finland
.
Read more here>>>
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Other Stories to Check Out This Week >>>
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May 20, ACCM Board Meeting, Macon
May 28, GA Milk Board Meeting, Macon
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TO ADVERTISE: EMAIL AD AND CONTACT INFORMATION TO FARRAH NEWBERRY at [email protected]
UPDATED 5/1/20
WANTED:
Peter's Cattle Co. will buy any dairy, beef, and cross, bottle or weaned, bulls, heifers or free martins. Pick up weekly 7 days a week. Chris- 470-255-8515
For Sale:
Corn Silage - For more information contact Carlin Giesbrecht at 478-494-4007
FOR Sale:
Stretch-O-Matic Bale Wrapper and Mover. For more information contact Carlin Giesbrecht at 478-494-4007
Bull Calves WANTED:
Competitive pricing with 6 day a week pickup. Brandon Mason Cattle Company 912-632-4490
For Sale:
Custom manure application and Dryhill manure equipment sales. Contact Edwin @ 478-299-0717 with Agboys Custom Services LLC - New 8"x52' lagoon pump with outriggers $24,000 (Pictured right)
FOR HIRE
: Custom Silage Harvesting. Late model JD chopper. Will travel. Let me put your quality forage up! Nic Haynes, Muddy H Farms, 678-617-3379.
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