Foremost Farms Expands Appleton Plant

Foremost Farms USA is in position to expand its Appleton, Wis., Mozzarella cheese plant thanks to a $3.1 million Special Agricultural Facilities Grant from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

“Foremost Farms is very pleased that the Wisconsin legislature and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection have a strong desire to support and grow the state’s No. 1 industry,” said Dave Fuhrmann, president of the Baraboo, Wis.-based cooperative. “This grant will go toward doubling the production of mozzarella cheese at this plant.”

The plant currently can produce up to 65 million pounds of Mozzarella cheese annually for the pizza, foodservice and cheese converter markets. According to company officials, Foremost Farms plans to add 35 jobs and double the plant’s capacity.

In addition to cheese, the plant processes whey, which is converted to WPC and permeate within Foremost Farms’ plant system.

Foremost Farms’ Appleton plant was the focus of a feature article in the March 2009 issue of Dairy Foods, available at www.dairyfoods.com.


Atlanta Will Host 2011 Dairy Show

As the group prepares for its first new expo in Dallas later this year, the International Dairy Foods Association has already announced the second annual International Dairy Show will take place Sept. 19-21, 2011, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

The Georgia World Congress Center campus includes the Georgia Dome and 21-acre Centennial Olympic Park, in addition to the 3.9 million square-foot convention center.

“Atlanta is an exciting and dynamic city that offers a state-of-the-art convention center. As one of the most accessible destinations in the country, 80% of our Dairy Show participants are within a two-hour flight of the city,” said Connie Tipton, president and chief executive officer of IDFA. “We are delighted to be going there in 2011.”

Accessibility and affordability for exhibitors and attendees were the two driving factors that influenced IDFA’s decision to select Atlanta for 2011. The location allows IDFA to offer competitive pricing for show exhibitors and attendees and provides access to members of the dairy industry who might not have otherwise participated in the Dairy Show.

“Atlanta is proud to be a new strategic partner to IDFA and we look forward to showcasing the new Atlanta to International Dairy Show attendees next year,” said William Pate, president and CEO of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau. “While the show will be anchored at the convention center, attendees will find exciting attractions, hotels and restaurants just steps away from the show site.”

The International Dairy Show, presented by the International Dairy Foods Association, will feature the newest innovations in technology, packaging, ingredients and services for the dairy foods industry. Educational sessions will offer solutions that span the entire manufacturing process, and attendees will have the opportunity to visit exhibits displaying everything dairy companies need to run more efficiently, create new products and improve profitability.

The International Dairy Show can be found online at www.dairyshow.com. For more information on registration, visit www.dairyshow.comor contact Robin Cornelison at rcornelison@idfa.org.


Tipton Outlines Policy Proposals to Dairy Advisory Committee

IDFA President and CEO Connie Tipton recently told the members of the Dairy Industry Advisory Committee that providing the tools that individual companies and farms can use to manage their own businesses, coupled with some better form of farm revenue safety net, can be a great engine for innovation and growth in the U.S. dairy industry.

The committee, established by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, is charged with reviewing farm milk price volatility, as well as dairy farmer profitability and consolidation. It will recommend ways that the U.S. Department of Agriculture can address the needs of the dairy industry.

Tipton focused on changing consumer demands, the need for continuing innovation in dairy products, the pressures of competition from other products and ingredients, and how all of these things are affected by our milk pricing policies.

“A big question we must consider as we address our underlying pricing and safety net policies is whether our current markets will continue as they are, grow, decline or otherwise change, and what impact will policy decisions have on our markets in the future,” Tipton told the committee. “We must position ourselves to be a long-term, reliable supplier, and we need to change some of our policies to make sure we can do that.”

IDFA proposes that the Dairy Product Price Support Program and direct payments to farms through the Milk Income Loss Contract be replaced with a new, subsidized margin insurance program for dairy producers. IDFA also calls for reform of the Federal Milk Marketing Orders to allow milk to move based on markets rather than on regulated pricing. IDFA and the National Milk Producers Federation are working together to find areas of consensus on these policy issues.


Tariff tiff tamed

The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office and the USDA have announced a path towards a negotiated solution of the Brazil WTO cotton case dispute has been reached.

After finding that certain U.S. agricultural subsidies are inconsistent with WTO commitments, a WTO dispute panel last summer granted Brazil the right to impose certain retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports, including two dairy tariff lines: skim milk powder and whey products. This would have priced U.S. products out of the market.

Given the clear threat of commercial losses, USDEC worked closely with affected member companies to help draw attention to the harm the tariffs would impose and to help facilitate discussion and resolution of the issue.

Brazil and the United States have agreed upon a clear path towards a negotiated solution. Provided that the agreed-upon measures are taken within the appropriate time frame, U.S. exports will not face retaliatory tariffs on shipments to Brazil. Elements of the solution include the creation of a fund to provide technical assistance and capacity building to Brazil until passage of the next Farm Bill or a mutually agreed solution to the cotton dispute is reached, whichever is sooner.

Further details are available at http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=2010/04/0168.xml.