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DAIRY ST R
Volume 20, No. 1
Dairy safety net restructured in federal budget
“All dairy, all the time”™
February 24, 2018
Staying true to his routine
MPP, LGM included in disaster relief package By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
Signicant nancial relief is on the horizon for dairy farmers. The federal government laid out revisions to both the Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) and Livestock Gross Margin (LGM) in the federal spending bill, which was signed by President Trump Feb. 9. Albeit a short-term x, the provisions will provide nearly $1.2 billion in baseline spending for the next farm bill and create a more secure safety net for dairy farmers. “Previously, we had not had an effective dairy safety net at the federal level. We still don’t have everything the industry needs, but it’s a big step. … We’re making progress,” said Chris Galen with National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF). Sens. Pat Roberts (Kan. – R) and Debbie Stabenow (Mich. – D), chair and vice chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, along with Sens. Thad Cochran (Miss. – R) and Patrick Leahy (Vt. – D), chair and vice chair of the Senate Appropriation Committee, respectively, offered the changes to the dairy government-funded programs with the looming market conditions. After nearly a year of negotiations in both the Senate and House, legislation was passed to improve programs as part of the disaster package of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. The most drastic revisions are contained in MPPDairy. “MPP was designed for simplicity with xed premiums. The problem has been the premiums are too high relative to the margins over the last four years and people are not signing up,” said Marin Bozic, assistant professor of applied economics at the University of Minnesota and associate director of Midwest Dairy Foods Research Center. Changes include raising the catastrophic level for Tier 1 coverage from $4 to $5; adjusting Tier 1 production covered for dairy farmers from the rst 4 million pounds to rst 5 million pounds of annual milk production; reducing premium rates for dairy farmers’ Tier 1 production coverage; calculating margins on a monthly basis rather than every two months; waiving the annual $100 service fee for beginning, limited resource, disadvantaged or military veteran farmers under the discretion of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); and reopening a 90-day enrollment for 2018 coverage. These changes not only more accurately reect the current dairy situation for the average-sized dairy farm in the U.S. of about 220 cows, but also is a more costeffective safety measure. With the catastrophic coverage at $5, premiums begin at $0.009 per hundredweight (cwt.) for $5.50 coverage level in Tier 1 in comparison to $0.03 per cwt. for the same level in Tier 1 in previous years. The new premiums continue with $0.016 per cwt. for $6 coverage; $0.04 per cwt. at $6.50 coverage; $0.063 per cwt. for $7 coverage; $0.087 per cwt. for $7.50 coverage; and Turn to MPP | Page 5
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Mark Klehr’s herd of 50 cows had a 2017 somaƟc cell count average of 42,000 according to Minnesota Dairy Herd Improvement AssociaƟon (DHIA). This number put his herd at the No. 1 spot in the organizaƟon’s database for the year.
Consistency key to low SCC for Klehr By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
BELLE PLAINE, Minn. – When it comes to farm management style, Mark Klehr likes to keep things the same. “Why change it if it works?” said the dairy farmer from Belle Plaine, Minn. That philosophy has worked for keeping a low somatic cell count (SCC) this past year. According to Minnesota DHIA, Klehr’s herd of 50 cows had a 2017 SCC average of 42,000, which put him at No. 1 in the state organization’s database. “I try to keep it under 100,000,” Klehr said. “If it goes lower, it’s a lot of luck.” Klehr said he was surprised at his top spot. “I don’t feel like I do anything different than anyone else,” he said. Since 1999, Klehr has been milking his cows in a simple swing-5 parlor he retrotted into the farm’s tiestall barn. For his milking preparation procedure, Klehr uses the same iodine-based solution for both a pre and post dip; however, he uses separate dippers for each. “When I’m done milking, that one [dipper] is always cleaner than the rst one,” Klehr said. Klehr feels this prevents any debris from getting into the teat while post dipping. To begin milking, Klehr will dip three of the ve cows on one side, and then go back to the rst cow to wipe, forestrip and attach the milking unit before moving on. “I don’t want to dip too far ahead, otherwise they’re leaking milk,” Klehr said. To save on cost, Klehr tears each paper towel in
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Mark Klehr looks over DHIA reports, which he uses to help him determine SCC for individual cows. half, but will use two half sheets per cow – the rst to wipe the majority of the dip off and the second to make sure the teat is entirely dry. With no automatic takeoffs, Klehr uses the sight glass on the milker to watch the slowing of milk ow. He also feels the cow’s udder to make sure she is done before removing the milking unit. After the rst three cows are prepped and attached, Turn to KLEHR | Page 6