February 1, 2024

AFBF Urges USDA to Move Quicker on FMMO Changes

Earlier this week, the American Farm Bureau Federation sent a letter to USDA Sec. Tom Vilsack, urging the agency to finalize changes for the Federal Milk Marketing Order’s (FMMO) usage of the “high-of” Class I mover formula. Back in 2018, the Class I system was switched to “average of”—however, the COVID pandemic revealed substantial faults within much of the FMMO system at large. Over the past year and a half, AFBF has worked closely with other organizations in trying to make several modernizing improvements to FMMO, much of which is around the pricing structures. Class I milk prices have dropped by a significant margin over the past year, leaving the industry eager to see the USDA revert back to the “higher-of” formula. While this change was expected at some point this year, AFBF’s letter is encouraging the agency to consider it an emergency action in order to speed up its adoption.

Farmers, Ranchers Now Can Make USDA Farm Loan Payments Online

USDA announced on January 29^th that farm loan borrowers will finally have the option to make payments to their direct loans online through the Pay My Loan feature on farmers.gov, starting in early February. This comes as a much-needed modernization for participants, particularly for producers who are already under seasonal time constraints. With the USDA Service Centers processing over 225,00 farm loan payments annually, the Pay My Loan feature will make it easier on FSA’s farm loan employees by reducing manual payment processing activities. To use this feature, borrowers must establish a USDA customer account and a USDA Level 2 EAuthentication (“EAuth”) account or a Login.gov account. In the short term, the feature is only available to individuals with loans—borrowers with jointly payable checks will continue making payments through their local office.

Oriental Fruit Fly FAQ’s

The Federal Policy team continues to engage with CDFA and APHIS to better understand the detrimental growth in exotic fruit fly population, and more specifically the Oriental Fruit Fly located in San Bernadino, Contra Costa, Sacramento, and Santa Clara. If you are in or near a quarantine zone, please visit the provided link for residential protocol for citrus, as well as Industry FAQ’s. We encourage you to reach out to our Federal Policy team with any questions or to share your experiences. 

Launch of the Assisting Specialty Crop Exports Initiative (ASCE) 

USDA Sec. Tom Vilsack announced two investments out of USDA to support the U.S. specialty crops industry. The Assisting Specialty Crop Exports (ASCE) initiative will provide $65 million to enhance global exports and expand into new markets. Additionally, a $72.9 million grant through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program will fund projects to boost the competitiveness of the expanding specialty crop sector. Constituting 13.8% of total U.S. agricultural exports at $24.6 billion in FY2023, specialty crop exports face unique challenges. The ASCE initiative, funded through USDA’s Regional Agricultural Program (RAPP), addresses barriers to specialty crop exports. Three workstreams focus on trade and regulatory capacity, plastics and packaging solutions, and funding for a maximum residue limits (MRL) database. The RAPP initiative aims to help U.S. exporters penetrate new markets and increase market share. The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, administered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, offers noncompetitive grants to state departments of agriculture. Interested applicants may apply through state departments of agriculture by May 2^nd, 2024.

Matthew Viohl

Federal Policy, Director

Erin Huston

Federal Policy, Consultant

Isabella Quinonez

Public Policy Coordinator