California Dairy Farmers Seek Emergency Milk Price Increase

Western United Dairymen (WUD) and the California Dairy Campaign (CDC) have petitioned the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) for an emergency hearing to increase over-base milk prices by about 35¢/cwt for the next 12 months. CDFA has 15 days in which to grant or deny the petition for hearing. “The significant negative margins witnessed every quarter since January 2015 have placed many producers in a dire financial situation,” says Annie AcMoody, WUD director of economic analysis. “According to CDFA’s cost of production data, the smallest loss recorded these past three years was 23¢/cwt of milk produced during the first quarter of 2017.”