NEAFA Active at the Cornell Nutrition Conference

By Jenny Mills and Charlie Elrod

Several NEAFA board and staff members attended the Cornell Nutrition Conference October 18-20, 2022 in Syracuse, NY to connect with members, recruit new members and share accomplishments with attendees.  Approximately 425 attendees heard from us during the conference.

NEAFA set up a booth and shared messages at a breakfast and during the general session.  Charlie Elrod, Jenny Mills and Rick Zimmerman put out a call to action around signing up for membership and the need for engaged members to help preserve agricultural production in the Northeast.  The group also highlighted NEAFA’s accomplishments, including:

• Organizing and completing a campaign that raised $1 million of industry funds to seed two faculty positions in the Department of Animal Science at Cornell University. Today, Dr. Joe McFadden and Dr. Kristan Reed are making significant contributions to animal science and the dairy industry.

• Providing excellent educational programming for our members and the dairy industry through annual meeting presentations and seminars and partnering with PRO-DAIRY on the Herd Health and Nutrition Conference.

• Actively working with agriculture commissioners in New York and all New England states.

• Successfully supporting state budget appropriations for key agriculture programs including PRO-DAIRY, Integrated Pest Management, Agriculture Environmental Management, and NY FarmNet.

• Maintaining a working coalition of agricultural stakeholders such as NEDPA, AFIA, NGFA, NYFB to strengthen our advocacy on budget and policy issues impacting the agriculture industry.

• Actively working as a member of the Animal Ag Alliance: a national association focused on promoting science-based animal welfare practices

• Member of the Grow NY Coalition and actively engaged in the overtime threshold issue and fight to keep 60 hours at 60.

• Supporting and administering a Good Works Program that has donated over $100,000 to worthy programs which complement the growth and development of the northeast agriculture industry.

The NEAFA board would like to thank all the members who recruited new members, cajoled lapsed members to renew and promoted participation in NEAFA activities. Also, thank you to John Mitchell, who was there during the entire conference and engaged with many participants at the booth.

President's Pen

By Danielle Penney-Stroop

Happy Fall & Happy Harvest Everyone!    

On September 12th, we welcomed our new board members Dr Eric Reid, of Co-operative Feed Dealers, Dr. Sarah LaCount, of Mercer Milling, and Matt Sheffer of Cargill Animal Nutrition.  On September 13th, the board met and conducted our board meeting at the Miner Institute.   Thank you to Dr Rick Grant, Wanda Emerich, and all the staff at Miner for welcoming us and being such amazing hosts. We conducted business from 9am until 2:30 pm, and during our delicious lunch provided by the Miner Staff, we were presented the opportunity to hear student presentations on their current areas of research and future impacts on the dairy industry. Following our meeting, Grant & Emerich were gracious enough to give us a tour of the Minter Institute and dairy facilities.  It was a fabulous day and great experience for all of us.    

Our board agenda focused on the following - 

• NEAFA Budget for next year – Like many other organizations and businesses, we have increased event costs and increased costs for professional and administrative services. We are working diligently to be fiscally responsible and provide all our members exceptional value propositions for advocating on your behalf. We continue to collaborate with other organizations in order to make a greater impact and have a larger voice within our industry, and to offer educational events for our members to challenge themselves, network, and take advantage of opportunities for industry good works.

• NEAFA Membership – Membership greatly impacts our budget, and is equally as important as the fiscal portion… we need increased numbers for our voice and input on legislative issues and matters. Strength in numbers continues to be part of our initiative and focus for the upcoming year! We want to hear from you on what we can do to increase our numbers?

• Executive Director Position – Thank you to John Mitchell, who has been serving as our interim Executive Director and for Rick Zimmerman’s continued input and support as we go through these transitions. We also want to give a huge shout out to our backbone, Sue VanAmburgh. She keeps all of us in line, and that is not an easy feat. We discussed the goals and objectives of our next Executive Director, and the areas of focus and opportunities as it ties back to our Strategic Plan from last summer. Mitchell and the executive team shared that the key areas of focus need to be increasing membership, evaluating the needs of our members, being the liaison with the legislative group, and promoting the numerous accomplishments and value proposition of being a part of NEAFA.

• NEAFA Education Forums – We are seeking a co-chair with Dr. Kristan Reed for the education committee. While the committee will continue to bring us quality programs, such as Herd Health and Nutrition Conference, what other programs can we bring to New York and New England that will benefit our members? How can we improve the New England portion of our educational platforms and increase attendance and value? If you have ideas, please send them in to Sue VanAmburgh, John Mitchell, myself, or any board member. We welcome the additional thoughts and want to hear your needs!

• NEAFA Transportation Committee & Supply Chain Issues – This is an area we have identified of significant importance that our members and legislation need to come together to have conversations and share ideas. We have developed a Transportation Summit Task Force to identify our industry bottlenecks and create areas of opportunity. We need to present the issues but also offer solutions! Given the current political climate and legislative races for mid-term elections, we will be holding off on our Transportation Summit until after the first of the year, when we have a clear picture of who the legislators are and what their overall positions are in the seats they hold.

Additionally, I have had discussions with VT Feed Dealers President Matt Saville, on legislative issues and how our organizations can collaborate further and increase our voice for the issues we are all facing.    

We continue to be a vital partner in the GROW NY Farms coalition. As most of you know, Commissioner Reardon issued her acceptance of the wage board report and its recommendation to lower the overtime threshold. Grow NY Farms and their partner organizations quickly responded in condemnation for the action. We remain steadfast in our opposition. Despite it being a Friday, there was widespread press pick up of the announcement. This action sets the rulemaking of the new regulation in motion that will include a 60-day public comment period.

And in closing, I would like to thank Cornell University for giving NEAFA the opportunity to engage with its audience and to tout our accomplishments, as well as to openly recruit for new members! NEAFA's Vice-President, Jenny Mills, and Rick Zimmerman did an outstanding job highlighting our goals and priorities. Thank you to Charlie Elrod for hitting the breakfast audience and highlighting many of the same initiatives!

NEAFA Request for Internship Opportunities

The Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance (NEAFA) Membership Committee would like to thank all NEAFA members for your continued support and dedication to our organization. As you know, NEAFA’s mission is to support and grow a sustainable agribusiness industry in the Northeast and to serve our agribusiness community through Advocacy, Collaboration, and Education.

As we are entering the new school year, we would like to take our education goals one step further and put a focus on college and graduate students who will be the future members of our agribusiness community. As a member of the NEAFA organization, if you or your company offer internship opportunities and you would like to advertise the position on the NEAFA website, please send the information found below to Sue VanAmburgh at sue@nysta.mobi.

• Company

• Internship name

• Internship description

• Qualifications/ prerequisites

• Deadline to apply for internship

• Contact representative name and email

Thank you again for your consideration and please let us know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

The NEAFA Membership Committee

NEAFA Statement Regarding the Action of the Farm Laborers Wage Board

The Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance (NEAFA), a charter member of the Grow NY Farms Coalition, joins other Coalition members in condemning the Farm Laborers Wage Board action to recommend lowering of the overtime threshold for farmworkers in New York from 60 to 40 hours per week.

Despite hundreds of hours of testimony from farmers and farmworkers, supporting and justifying the 60-hour overtime threshold, the report erroneously presents an argument, based on opinion rather than fact, that farmers and farmworkers will be better off with a lower overtime threshold. The 60-hour overtime threshold was a hard-fought compromise in the 2019 law and the farm community made tough adjustments to make it work. New York farmers have never been given recognition for this compromise and have not been given time to determine if a 40-hour overtime threshold can work for NY agriculture.

The Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance calls on DOL Commissioner Reardon to reject the Wage Board’s recommendation and keep the 60-hour threshold.

Contact: John Mitchell, Executive Director; jmitchell50@gmail.com; 315 725 2843

Find the Submitted Letter to Commissioner Reardon here: https://northeastalliance.com/s/Farm-Laborers-Wage-Board-Comments-9-26-22.pdf

FDA Will Hold a Listening Session on the Regulation of Claims on Animal Feed on October 18th

Charlie Elrod, Ph.D.
NEAFA Board Member
Natural Biologics, Inc. President & CEO

Among developed nations, the United States has one of the most restrictive regulatory regimes surrounding the claims that can be made for animal feed, ingredients or supplements.  Without approval from the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) feed ingredients cannot claim to affect methane emissions, animal well-being or pre-harvest food safety.  To gain such approval is an arduous process that requires months or years and tens of thousands of dollars, not counting funding the research to support the claim.  Two years ago, we began applying for a health claim for one of our products, on which we had a lot of data, but we abandoned the process when CVM wanted data which was experimentally impossible to collect.  I’m sure other NEAFA members have had similar experiences.

At this time no claims about altering the microbiome, reducing toxin loads, or improving gut function, immunity, welfare or physiology of the animal are allowed in the U.S. without CVM approval.  In fact, there is no regulatory pathway for a feed or ingredient to claim an improvement in production or efficiency!  The upcoming listening session is designed to allow for public comment on the proposal to update FDA policy to reflect evolving scientific knowledge and promote innovation.  This could allow for a shift from regulating products as drugs to simply regulating them as animal feed.  

The deadline for registering to present oral comments has passed, but written comments can be submitted through November 17.  More information on the listening session can be found here and information on submitting electronic or written comments can be found here.  More context about this topic can be found in this article written by our friend Louise Calderwood at AFIA. Here is a PDF on the subject as well. 

NEAFA/NEDPA to hold a Transportation Summit this Fall

Driver shortages, driver licensing regulations, training, delivery logistics and supply chain disruptions are all part of a commercial transportation crisis impacting all industries but is particularly challenging for our feed and dairy businesses.  Northeast agriculture, blessed in many ways, is challenged by aging infrastructure, including bottlenecks at receiving facilities causing hours of wait time and adding to a long day for truck drivers. To address this overall issue the Alliance, in collaboration with the Northeast Dairy Producers Association, is planning a Transportation Summit later this fall.  

The Summit will address the trucking crisis, on the farm and within the agribusiness sector, serving the northeast dairy industry. At issue are the shortage of trained drivers and inefficiencies in the handling of agricultural commodities.  The one-day event will seek input from feed suppliers, dairy producers, milk processors, grain producers, trucking companies, railroads, government officials and legislators from New York and Vermont and others who are directly involved in the issue. The intended outcomes are practical, reasonable solutions that can be implemented by individual companies and supported by state governments.

The date and agenda for the summit are being finalized and will be announced soon. 

Proposed VT EV Rules Pose Risk for Dairy & Ag Enterprises

In September 2020, the Vermont General Assembly enacted the Global Warming Solutions Act and created a Climate Council charged with adopting an Initial Climate Action Plan.  The Initial Climate Action Plan directed the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) to adopt California’s Greenhouse Gas emission standards for trucks and trailers, arguing that these rules are critical to meet Vermont’s required reductions of greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. ANR must adopt these regulatory amendments before the end of 2022 to meet the deadlines   

If  approved, the Vermont Low and Zero Emission Vehicle Regulation  will require a rapid phase out of gasoline and diesel powered vehicles. If adopted, 35% of all new cars and light duty vehicles sold in Vermont will need to be electric by 2026. All new cars must have ‘zero emissions' by 2035.  And 30% of all new trucks and buses sold in Vermont must have ‘zero emissions’ by the end of the decade  

 (ANR) draft rules would incorporate by reference California’s motor vehicle emission standard regulations and mandate.  This proposal promises to restrict consumer choice, and essentially force the use of heavy-duty electric vehicles onto the commercial truck industry before the technology has proven to be available, effective, economically competitive, and practically appropriate. 

Feed trucks serving Vermont’s dairy industry travel the length of the state and often reach west to New York, south into Massachusetts and Connecticut and east into New Hampshire and Maine.  Vermont’s feed manufacturing industry is essential to feeding dairy cattle and other essential livestock throughout New England and New York.  Currently it is not uncommon for a feed delivery vehicle to travel 300 miles or more per day to pick up and deliver feed to dairy farms.  Rural roads with many challenging hills require substantial horsepower from over the road tractors to accomplish the job.  Further, engine power is required at the delivery site to operate the truck’s unloading equipment. 

State of the art heavy duty electric vehicle technology does not come close to performing the daily requirements of a feed truck, particularly in Vermont.  Cold temperatures, hilly roads and onsite delivery demands will quickly reduce heavy duty truck performance to well below required performance rates.  Further, recharging times, even if recharging infrastructure is available, would require hours per day to recharge in contrast to minutes per day for diesel refueling.  Vehicle cost is another significant factor. Current heavy-duty EV over the road tractors are running around $400,000 each. A conventional diesel engine truck sells for about $180,000.   One Vermont feed business estimated that they would have to significantly increase the size of their fleet to accommodate the lower daily mileage performance and extensive recharge times.  Charging takes between 8-10 hours and charging stations require expensive 3-phase power sources that cost as much as $50,000.  Further, even if it was possible for a fleet of heavy duty EVs to deliver feed commodities, the significant additional cost per vehicle cannot be absorbed by feed mills and dairy farms as farmers are price takers and cannot pass along additional expenses up the food chain.  

The technology for large EV vehicles to replace diesel is still in the development stage, particularly regarding battery capacity.  Currently, there are serious safety concerns relating to batteries in passenger cars. A large EV truck with tons of batteries poses a more serious threat that needs to be understood before mandating them onto the highway.  EV passenger vehicles are not the same as large delivery trucks especially in the agricultural businesses.  

Draft rules are out for public review and were reviewed last week by NEAFA members Kevin Kouri, Mike Thresher, Rick Zimmerman and John Mitchell.  The conclusion is that they pose serious threat to the agribusiness community, particularly the feed industry, to undertake basic functions required to deliver feed to Vermont’s dairy farms.   NEAFA will be signing on a letter from other stakeholders voicing our objections and implore the Vermont’s Agency of Natural Resources to consider the consequences to Vermont’s agriculture if these rules are adopted. 

Vice-President's Pen

By Jenny Mills

The humming of corn silage trucks passing by is in full swing here in Central New York as I write this and there is a definite feeling that fall is here – cooler temperatures, children back in school and shorter daylight.  

Reflecting back, the past month has been busy for many of our members and collaborators.  I was blessed to work with many at the New York State Fair birthing center.  It was rewarding to answer questions about our industry and learn how many people come to visit or tune in online to see a live bovine birth.  Additionally, it is inspiring to connect with representatives from many organizations and farms to have a unified voice for agriculture.  Our mission to “educate, collaborate and advocate” always comes to life at this exhibit.  My hats off to those involved with similar exhibits all over the Northeast – your time and effort does make a difference!  

Dairy promotion, along with other forms of agriculture’s bounty, is a year-round effort.  We all make a difference – whether it is serving chocolate milk after a football game, supporting our local dairy promotion “fun on the farm” or doing a display about your feed mill at the county fair, promotion matters.  A recent article from NMPF (Dairy Defined: Say it Loud, Say it Clear: The Plant-Based Beverage Bust is Here) shares that retail sales volume of plant-based beverages year-over-year has been negative since February and has been flat to declining since mid-2021.  Perhaps all the dairy alternatives aren’t making as big of a splash as originally thought.  It has been reassuring to hear each of my children’s coaches tout chocolate milk as the preferred recovery beverage (unaided from me!).  Promotion matters locally – thank you for all you do to help keep our ag products on top of consumers’ minds!

Looking ahead, while we have a lot to be proud of, there are some major issues that NEAFA continues to lobby on your behalf for, including:

• Grow NY Farms – Keep Overtime Threshold at 60 hours: hopefully you received an email and took action to comment on the wage board recommendation report that had major flaws in it. NEAFA continues to work with several ag organizations to not only provide us with talking points, but to educate lawmakers and state stakeholders on the ripple effect that lowering the overtime threshold will have on agribusiness and our communities. More information: facebook.com/GrowNYFarms

• Potential Rail Strike –With already tightening supply chain and longer lead times with the rail system, a strike would have been determinantal to all agriculture in the Northeast. The NY Ag Commissioner’s office reached out to NEAFA to gather information on the economic impact of a strike. Some quick napkin math was completed to capture the milk loss value to the economy of the Northeast if there were a rail strike impacting soybean meal supply (milk loss value alone is $9.1M per day!). Fortunately, a strike was averted for at least 30 days. NEAFA continues to monitor this situation and we may be reaching out to you with an Action Request via email.

• Farm Bill input - The Farm Bill Listening Tour provided an opportunity to engage with and hear from constituents about the importance of the 2023 Farm Bill to New York State. What we learned during the tour will be provided to Governor Hochul to help develop the State’s Farm Bill priorities for critical funding and policy changes in the areas of agriculture, nutrition, and the environment. We also encourage written comments, all of which can be submitted to FarmBill@agriculture.ny.gov. The deadline to submit written comments is December 19, 2022.

As the leaves start to change, NEAFA continues to evolve to meet the needs of change from our membership.  It has been humbling to hear that several members don’t know exactly what NEAFA is doing, or how it “adds value” to members.  Our board of directors has taken that feedback very seriously and are working to make sure our value proposition is reflective of what our membership needs.  We represent a unique membership, from feed manufacturers to organizations that provide agronomy inputs to educators and suppliers along the entire input side of agribusiness.  NEAFA continues to represent our unique group of members in agribusiness and collaborate with groups that represent our dairy producers, grain producers, educators, processors to keep our voices strong in our state governments throughout the Northeast and provide educational opportunities to all facets of agriculture.  We need to continue to collect voices throughout agriculture to continue to be heard throughout state governments.  Our board is looking for your feedback to ensure we are meeting your needs.  YOUR voice and input matters.  Please reach out to any member of the board or John Mitchell, our Executive Director with your thoughts.

Lastly, as the seasons change, be on the look out for changes in our calendar.  Our annual meeting will be separate from the Golf for Good Works event.  The annual meeting will be held February 7-8, 2023 in Albany while the golf tournament will be August 21-22 at Turning Stone.  We hope this change will be more friendly to your calendars!  Stay tuned for details.

Until next time, stay safe, and best wishes for a successful harvest! 

Agriculture Policy Outlook for ‘23: Buckle Up: Time to Get Started

By Rick Zimmerman

We are in the midst of the election season for state and federal races. Our elected leaders are very focused on the messaging required for election or reelection, and getting in the weeds on substantive policy issues impacting the agriculture industry may have to wait until after November 4th.  This gives us time however to reflect on the substantive issues impacting our industry, and to get prepared for the next legislative session at state capitols or in Washington D.C.  

On the public policy front, much of what we do is react to the agendas of other special interest groups. Unfortunately, environmentalists, animal rights activists, organized labor interests, anti-science organizations and others don’t always see eye to eye with the agriculture community.  Even though our democratic process allows us to engage and voice our concerns, the challenge for success is greater today than ever before, given the political realities of today’s urbanized society. Therefore, we must be better prepared to not only react to the agenda of others, but to lead forward with our own agenda.  This is a good time of year to set our agenda for 2023.  Here’s a list of issues that will guide our discussions.

Climate Change: This issue permeates the halls of Congress and most state capitols.  The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act authorizes billions of dollars for programs and incentives to reduce fossil fuel use and destroy and sequester carbon.  State laws, including New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), recognize agriculture as a contributing source of carbon to our atmosphere as well as an opportunity to reduce, capture and store carbon.  In fact, according to UC Davis Professor Frank Mitloehner, the dairy industry can be a net carbon sink if the right technologies and practices are employed.  Watch Frank’s 5-minute video: “Rethinking Methane” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOPrF8oyDYw It is our challenge to advocate at the federal and state levels for programs and incentives to maximize animal agriculture’s contributions to reducing carbon.  If done correctly, climate policy can be a win-win for the dairy industry and the environment.

Package Recycling:  This issue is also cropping up in state capitols throughout the country.  The traditional recycling paradigm of municipal waste stream recycling is being challenged by the notion that product manufacturers should be held responsible for determining how to recycle the packaging material used to put their products in the marketplace.  Food, including dairy products, are included within this new recycling approach.  Numerous states are considering this Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme and New York is one of them.  

The current proposals lend much to be desired in context to understanding the realities of dairy foods.  Specifically, federal and state food safety laws and regulations dictate packaging standards, including labeling requirements, that do not synch with the basic EPR concepts.  Much thought and research need to be invested before we march forward on this front.  Therefore, the dairy industry, specifically the dairy foods industry, must continue to engage with policy makers in attempt to instill the right ideas and timeframes. The greater agriculture community must join with dairy food manufacturers to impress lawmakers on the gravity of the situation and help with reasonable solutions. In some way, shape, or form, this new recycling approach is likely to move forward.

 Pollinators and Pesticides: The pesticide – pollinator interface continues to be studied and this potential issue deserves focus.  However, NRDC and other environmental organizations have jumped to the conclusion that the only way to solve the issue of pollinator decline is to ban a class of pesticides from use as seed treatments and have convinced law makers in New York and Vermont to introduce such legislation.  Environmental organizations claim seeds treated with neonicotinoids such as imidacloprid and thiamethoxam are the source of the problem. Regardless of who is on the right side of science, corn and soybean growers face a very serious threat from seed corn maggot, among other pests, should these seed treatments be banned.  

Everyone agrees that pollinators need to thrive in our world.  Therefore, we all should be working on addressing threats to pollinators and their habitat. But the real solutions are the ones that minimize the threat without sacrificing agriculture production. There is a win-win here. All it takes is a willingness to work together to find it.   

Labor: Costs, Availability: The labor issues continue to pose the most significant threat to the agriculture industry. The drive to a $15.00 minimum wage, combined with high payroll taxes including an unemployment insurance rate that was not addressed by federal COVID relief funds, is only the beginning of a series of challenges that threaten the ability of northeast agriculture remaining competitive with other regions, other countries. Combined with the threat of a 40-hour overtime threshold, and a tight labor market, the agriculture community will continue to struggle with finding enough workers and staying competitive with other ag producing regions.  

A subset of this picture includes truck drivers. Farmers, milk haulers, feed manufacturers and others are struggling to find skilled, licensed drivers. Our industry is facing a perilous situation of not being able to get crops harvested, milk delivered, or cows fed. Lowering the minimum CDL age in New York to 18 is a good step in the right direction, but we need more training opportunities and testing sites. Further, milk processing infrastructure needs updating to accommodate a quicker turnaround of milk tankers.

There are many factors impacting labor costs and availability. Keeping New York’s farmworker overtime threshold at 60 hours, reforming the federal agricultural guest worker program (H-2A) and increasing the pool of trained and licensed truck drivers would be a good start.  

Farm Bill: We are at the verge of rewriting the massive set of laws known as the U.S. Farm Bill.  The impact from these laws goes far beyond the farm gate, touching the lives of food consumers, particularly those in need of food assistance. In fact, from a spending standpoint, more Farm Bill funds go to food and feeding programs like Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) and the supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), than get spent on farm related programs. Nevertheless, the massive Farm Bill stands to significantly impact all farmers across the nation and the question will be: how much bigger does it need to get for the next five years?  

Conservation programs, renewable energy incentives, rural development initiatives, crop insurance, production limit incentives are all part of the farm bill. Field hearings have already begun, and New York is leading the way through Commissioner Ball’s Farm bill Listening Sessions. We all must engage in the process to assure that agriculture’s needs are met.  

2023 promises to be another big policy year for agriculture.  Buckle up, because now is the time to get started. 

AFIA addresses NEAFA at 2022 Annual Meeting

By Chandler Hansen, Special to NEAFA

During the NEAFA Annual Meeting this past June at the Turning Stone Resort in Verona, NY, Louise Calderwood, Director of Regulatory Affairs at American Feed Industry Association, presented an AFIA update to attendees. 

Calderwood opened by sharing information on the animal feed trade. “U.S. feed exports total $7.5 billion,” said Calderwood. “$5.5 billion of this total are feed & feed ingredients, and the remaining $2 billion are pet food products. The top three export markets are China, Japan, and Singapore. China in particular has seen a large increase in exports, going up 33% since 2020. Alfalfa/hay and other feed products have been the top commodities getting exported to China.” When asked why China and other nations in Southeast Asia have been growing, Calderwood shared that many nations in the area are developed enough now that having pets is more common, which means there are more feed needs in the region.” 

Port/Export container issues have been an ongoing problem that Calderwood spoke about. “Increased cost of Asian-based imports, increased fees, inability to export, lack of containers, and COVID-19 lockdowns in China have all created problems,” said Calderwood. “Some solutions that AFIA has been advocating for are an Infrastructure package that includes funding for port upgrades and the passage of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act. However, more port infrastructure in general and more collaboration on the intermodal system are still needed.”

FDA and State inspections were the next portion of the address. Calderwood showed statistics of FDA Current Good Manufacturing Practices inspections and FDA Preventive Controls inspections. Both of these showed that the vast majority of inspections deemed that there was “no action indicated,” said Calderwood. “Some observations from CGMP inspections were that feed manufacturers should evaluate the quality of their raw materials and ingredients, and should take precautions to ensure that plant operations don’t contaminate animal food. Issues observed through PC inspections were typically a failure to identify and implement PCs, a lack of a written Food Safety Plan, and a lack of a written hazard analysis or evaluation of each known or foreseeable hazard.”

Calderwood also talked about OSHA and EPA update. “Some of the Department of Labor’s early priorities have been increased budget, more inspections, increased news releases of inspection results, and they are continuing to seek maximum penalties,” said Calderwood. “Some of the items on OSHA’s watchlist have been Powered Industrial Trucks Rule Update, Lockout/Tagout Rule Update, Potential Infectious Disease Standard, Potential Heat Illness Prevention Standard, Potential Emergency Response Preparedness Rule Update, Occupational Injury and Illness Recordkeeping Regulation Update.” 

Some EPA actions that have been affecting the feed industry involve rodenticides, formaldehyde, and chlorpyrifos. Calderwood explained, “Rodenticides are currently undergoing its normal 15-year registration review. AFIA has had conversations with the EPA, USDA, and FDA on this matter. There is a very good chance that bulk forms of these products may become ‘restricted use’ pesticides. In the case of formaldehyde, it is undergoing three risk assessments by the EPA. It is classified as a human carcinogen, and it is used in animal food as an antimicrobial. AFIA is encouraging the EPA to follow the science on this matter. Lastly, the EPA recently ruled on chlorpyrifos and food containing residue of chlorpyrifos would be considered adulterated. The FDA will practice enforcement discretion for products containing the substance.” Calderwood also briefly mentioned PFAS and work being done in various states with that problem. In Maine, there is an observational study for the substance. In Vermont, more focus is on its presence in the soil, while in New York the focus is more on water. 

A portion of Calderwood’s presentation was devoted to the threat of African Swine Fever. AFIA has been working with government agencies and feed industry organizations in devising a response if an outbreak of ASF should occur in the U.S. “In the event of an outbreak, a federal order will input a nationwide 72-hour standstill where no movement of swine or germplasm will be allowed,” said Calderwood. “Infected zones will be identified and depopulation of infected herds will start. After 72-hours, states will take over the response, controlling infected areas and limiting and tracing movement in infected areas. We encourage producers to determine ways to ease the impact of an event like this, and it may involve creative solutions like working with a competitor.” ASF can spread not just through swine to swine transmission, but also through pork products or equipment and clothing, so the importance of biosecurity was greatly stressed to attendees.

Lastly, Calderwood discussed label claims. In September 2020 AFIA made an appeal to the FDA to modify a portion of its CVM Guide. The request asked for the establishment of a policy for products that act in the digestive tract to be regulated as food, and for alignment with the regulation of structure/function and health claims in developed countries. Calderwood explained that any changes that result from the request will be revised by December 2022 and the implementation of the changes will occur in 2023. 

Presidents Pen, August 2022

By Danielle Penney-Stroop NEAFA President

August is quickly ending, and many of the local county fairs are wrapping up. Vermont State Fair just completed its 176th year, NYS Fair is upon us, and The Big E is quickly approaching. What phenomenal opportunities these are to engage with the general public and our local politicians, by showcasing and sharing our stories of agricultural stewardship in our communities.  

For those of you involved with the sponsorship of youth activities, thank you!! It’s critical in engaging our youth, supporting family operations, and it effectively demonstrates how we are one industry with a unified voice. Beyond these immediate reasons, they are also small ways of connecting with consumers, friends, and neighbors who otherwise have limited exposure to agriculture.   

I firmly believe that as we now approach election season, we must highlight our strength in numbers and unified voice. Our industry may be small, yet we are mighty, and all the facets of our industry are critical and needed every day. We must collaborate to achieve our goals collectively and advocacy is more critical than ever.  

In early August, NEAFA was part of a coalition that sent a letter to US Senate Majority Leader Schumer and US Senator Gillibrand, on behalf of the New York agriculture community strongly encouraging the US Senate to pass an agriculture workforce reform bill, (largely focusing on the H2-A guest worker program), during this Congress. Specifically, referencing and addressing the workforce needs for U.S. and New York agriculture, and to assure that domestic agriculture production continues to address our national security needs and curtails rising food costs for every consumer.

We were also informed in early August, that the coalition we are a part of, successfully convinced Massachusetts to back off from enforcing pork housing regulations. The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to rule on the question whether a state law can dictate agricultural practices in another state.  This ruling will impact the same question that is driving the MA law.  Therefore, MA officials agreed to back off until SCOTUS rules.

NEAFA membership had the opportunity to participate and be a part of the Farm Bill Listening tour, which Governor Kathy Hochul kicked off on July 18. She visited Bruno Farm in Suffolk County and held a roundtable session to hear from farmers and industry stakeholders about their successes and concerns.

The Farm Bill Listening Tour provided an opportunity to engage with and hear from constituents about the importance of the 2023 Farm Bill to New York State. What we learned during the tour will be provided to Governor Hochul to help develop the State’s Farm Bill priorities for critical funding and policy changes in the areas of agriculture, nutrition, and the environment.   

We also encourage written comments, all of which can be submitted to FarmBill@agriculture.ny.gov.  The deadline to submit written comments is December 19, 2022.

The NEAFA board and all of our members are encouraged to continue expressing their thoughts and concerns in conjunction with the GROW NY FARMS campaign telling the Governor to stay at the 60 hour threshold. The Labor and Wage board will reconvene on September 6th. Below is a partial toolkit to implement on behalf of your organization and employees:

Talking Points: Download talking points from the Google Drive link below when drafting a Letter or calling the Governor. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BSnwKdRC4MqcelF__ahaQvj-Jbcbvvb-/edit

1.   Encourage your County Legislature to pass a resolution in support of Senate Bill S9509 to Eliminate the Farm Laborers Wage Board 

Reach out to your local legislature to encourage them to consider passing a resolution in favor of Senate Bill S9509 to eliminate the Farm Laborers Wage Board created through the Farm Workers Fair Labor Practices Act. 

Farm overtime should be taken up at the federal level to ensure New York’s family farms can remain competitive on a national scale. Our farms cannot continue absorbing significant increases in costs that cannot be passed on to consumers. There needs to be an even playing field. If there will be farm overtime changes, they must be done at the federal level.

2.   Call Governor Kathy Hochul 

Tell Governor Hochul that any threshold below 60 hours will be detrimental to the viability of New York family farms, your employees, consumers, and the security of our local food supply. Please encourage family members, employees, and any business partners who want to lend their voice to this effort, to call the Governor and ask her to stay at 60.

Option #1: Call the Governor’s Office at 518-474-8390. After hearing the call options, select 3 to hear more options. Then select 1 to leave a voice message. If you’re calling between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., you can select 2 to speak with a representative.

Option #2: You can fax a letter to 518-474-3767, or email a letter to the Governor through New York State’s website: www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form 

3.   Share news articles on social media about the need to #StayAt60

 Visit the Grow NY Farms Facebook page for recent news article examples: www.facebook.com/GrowNYFarms

Tag the Governor in social media posts: @govkathyhochul

Key messages to share with news articles on social media:

• @govkathyhochul must keep the threshold at 60 hours. #StayAt60

• Farmworkers continue to share concerns about losing hours and income, saying they would have to get a second job or look for jobs in other states if the threshold is lowered below 60. #StayAt60

• The very people the policy claims to help, will lose in the end. #StayAt60

• DOL Commissioner Reardon said a Wage Board decision couldn’t be made in 2020 due to the pandemic and supply chain issues. Well here we are 18 months later and there are still supply chain issues, on top of 40-year high inflation. Now is not the time. #StayAt60

• Dairy farmers are price takers as the price for our milk is mandated at the federal level. Farms do not receive payment until a month after the milk leaves the farm. Family farms cannot pass increased costs on. The numbers just don’t add up. #StayAt60

• In addition to competitive wages, many farmworkers are provided housing at no cost to them. As fuel and utility prices rise, farms are burdened with increased costs due to this unique employee benefit. #Stayat60

In September, NEAFA’s board will be meeting at Miner Institute, where we will be reviewing your input regarding our Annual Meeting and Golf for Goodworks Tournament.  Thank you to those who offered feedback regarding the future of the program, we appreciate it. There will also be continued discussions on NEAFA’s multiple coalition fronts; opportunities for educating membership; progression on our strategic plan from last year; and policy priorities for 2023.  Further updates to come in September ….. 

Panel Discussion: Managing Limited Milk Production on Farm

By Charlie Elrod
President, Natural Biologics, Inc. & Director, NEAFA

The 2022 NEAFA Annual Meeting, based around the theme of Strength in Numbers and presenting “A Unified Voice,” was packed with outstanding information, insight, and context to help participants understand a broader swath of the industry we all work in.  One of the many highlights of the annual meeting was the panel discussion, moderated by Professor Mike van Amburgh and drawing on the expertise and experience of dairy producers, nutritionists, and business consultants.  The producers’ experiences and adaptations depended greatly on where they marketed their milk.

Mark Mapstone, a Farm Credit East business consultant, provided great context by describing three of the most common base excess programs.  While Mark provided more detail on the programs in his presentation, he also summarized them as: the Agri-Mark system (BIG Bite); the DFA system (moderate bite); and the Upstate or Land O’Lakes system (little or no bite).  Depending on their milk market, producers could respond very differently in each of these cases.  In almost no situation would producers want to produce milk in excess of their base production level in the Agri-Mark system.  The penalties are just too high and there is no gross margin to be generated from those milk sales.

Under the Upstate/LOL program, there is little disincentive to producing however much milk a producer wants to make.  It was really under the DFA system that required more ingenuity in making more milk and maintaining some level of farm profitability.  The producers on the panel made a number of excellent points.  Trying to reduce milk production nutritionally across the whole herd would rarely lead to a successful outcome.  This could really pull the rug out from under fresh and high cows, and perhaps compromise their production far into the future.  Thoughtful culling and dry-off decisions to reduce overall production was often used as a tactic to stay closer to the base level and avoid penalties.  One dairy marketed milk from their two farms to co-ops under different systems, and even moved cows from one farm to another to shift production into a lower penalty structure.  

One sentiment expressed by some of the producers was whether these programs would lead to enough pressure on farms to really stifle growth and discourage the entry of the next generation of young farmers into the industry.  Sadly, this introduced a tone of pessimism that I haven’t heard in our industry in over 30 years.  Having owned a dairy in the Southeastern U.S. in the early 80’s, operating under a seasonal base program, I understand all too well what a damper such a system puts on the vibrancy and progressive attitudes of everyone in the industry.

Mark Mapstone summarized it well when he suggested that under the moderate DFA system, if a producer could more than cover his variable costs in the operation (gross milk price minus over base penalty being enough to cover variable costs and leave a positive gross margin) it contributed positively to the farm’s profitability.  In that situation, producing over base could be a winning proposition for many farms. In years like 2022 where the milk price is very high, making a higher % over base could result in a higher bottom line for farms.

NY Farm Bureau Future on Agriculture Summit

By John Mitchell, NEAFA Executive Director

On July 20th, NY Farm Bureau held a “Future of Agriculture Summit” attended by over 100 leaders from Farm Bureau and other agricultural partners for an invitation-only event. The Future of Agriculture Summit addressed a number of issues critical to agriculture's success in New York.  Rick Zimmerman and I attended this program that consisted of four panels presenting on the topics: 

 1) Workforce Development and Labor 

2) Climate Change (Opportunities and Challenges)

3) Engaging with Non-Farm, Urban Constituencies, and 

4) Agricultural Education and Applied Research.  

Following each panel’s presentation, a discussion was held at each round table and the comments were shared with the entire group.  

Farm Bureau President David Fisher opened the meeting and encouraged the attendees to engage in breakout discussions following each panel’s presentation.  The desired outcome is to provide Farm Bureau and their partners with an action plan so we can all move forward in our efforts to navigate the many challenges ahead.

I came away from the Summit with a greater understanding of what the challenges are for our agricultural enterprises and how NEAFA can be effective in addressing the issues.  We were introduced to individuals who will be important in our work ahead such as Chris White, NYSDOL Deputy Commissioner for Workforce Development.  Chris will be invited to the Agricultural Transportation Summit later this year where we hope to find solutions to the driver shortage our members are dealing with.  

The panel on climate change provided an update on the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) which bodes many onerous policies that we will be struggling with in the days ahead, but also for opportunities to be proactive for solutions to the climate issues.  

The 3rd panel provided a sobering look at publicly funded agricultural R&D in the US which has been declining over the past 20 years.  The US was 1st in Ag R&D and is now 3rd behind China, and the European Union. India and Brazil rounded out the top 5, with both of the latter increasing their ag r&d spending in recent years, in comparison to the decline in US funding. The chairs of both the NY Senate and Assembly Ag Committees  discussed engagement with non-farm urban constituencies who are increasing their attention towards agriculture.  We need to provide ways to engage with these urban constituencies to help them understand the realities of production agriculture and the unintended consequences of policies they may be advocating for.  One startling fact was shared, in 2018 the rural areas of NY were represented by 97% of the majority in the NYS Senate.  Today that number is only 3%.  We have much work to do to be sure that the legislature knows agriculture.

The meeting concluded with identifying and prioritizing issues and possible solutions from which Farm Bureau will develop an action plan.  Below you will find the presentations from each of the 4 Panels,along with roundtable discussions that followed each panel.

We appreciate Farm Bureau’s initiative and for inviting NEAFA to join the conversation.  I will provide an update to our membership when an action plan is finalized.

Farm Bureau Summit on Future of Agriculture

July 20, 2022

Panel 1: Access to Skilled Labor and Workforce Development

Richard Stup, Cornell Agricultural Workforce Specialist

Jim Bittner, Executive Director NYS Horticulture Society 

AJ Wormuth, NEDPA Board Member and Owner of Half Full Dairy 

Chris White, Deputy Commissioner for Workforce Development, NYSDOL

Panel 2: Addressing Climate Change 

Julie Suarez, Cornell University CALS

Peter Woodbury, Cornell University

Brian Steinmuller, NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets

Panel 3: Engaging with Non-Farm, Urban Constituencies

 Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, Chair of Assembly Agriculture   Committee

 Senator Michelle Hinchey. Chair of Senate Agriculture Committee

Panel 4: Investment in Agricultural Education and Applied    Research

Anu Rangarajan, Cornell Small Farms

Tara Berescik, NYAAE

Julie Suarez, Cornell University CALS

Andrew Turner, Cornell University

Use Ctrl+Click to open the document links below.

• Summit Climate Panel Slides

• Cornell Small Farms Slides

• Applied Research Slides from panelist Julie Suarez

• 4-H Youth Development Slides from panelist Andy Turner

• Panel 1 Table Discussion Points - Access to Skilled Labor and Workforce Development

• Panel 2 Table Discussion Points – Addressing Climate Change

• Panel 3 Table Discussion Points – Engaging with Non-Farm, Urban Constituencies

• Panel 4 Table Discussion Points – Enhanced Investment in Agricultural Education and Applied Research

2022 Golf For Good Works Winners Announced

NEAFA would like to congratulate Eric Reid, George MacDonald, and Blake Lutz on their first-place win.

The Golf for Goodworks Tournament returned to the Turning Stone Resort’s Shenendoah Golf Course for 2022. Shenendoah offers 18 holes of PGA-level golf in a spectacular natural setting. The course was built and is maintained to comply with stringent Audubon International standards for environmental protection and preservation. Designed, constructed and maintained to TOUR standards at more than 7,000 yards, the course offers conditions normally reserved for Tour professionals. In 2006, Turning Stone Resort’s Shenendoah Golf Club was host of the PGA National Club Professional Championship.

NEAFA would like to congratulate Eric Reid, George MacDonald, and Blake Lutz on their first-place win (pictured above). Brad Saunders was the closest to the pin at 6’, 10”, and Shane Laurie held the longest drive. The highest score (aka the Most Honest Team) went to Barry Baetz, Jeff Matuszczak, Mike Liddle, and Justin Wright. Second Place went to Corwin Holtz, Cory Giroux, Chris Talcott, and Jesse Holmes, while third place went to Bonnie Bargstedt, Adam Robertson, Shane Laurie, and Matt Robson in a tie broken using the USGA Method. Thank you to all who participated this year.

Proceeds from this event goes to support agricultural outreach and education programs. Previously NEAFA has supported the Northeast Regional Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge, Future Farmers of America Foundation, NYS 4-H Foundation's Junior Dairy Leader Program, the New York State Fair Dairy Cow Birthing Center, LEAD New York, Dairy Judging Teams in New York and New England, New York Farm Bureau’s Food & Farm Experience, Maine 4-H Foundation's Dairy Quiz Bowl, and the Growing Through Showing Program.

Wolf Presents Dairy Industry Update at the NEAFA Annual Meeting

By Chandler Hansen, Special to NEAFA

Dr. Chris Wolf. Dr. Wolf, a professor of Agricultural Management and Policy at Cornell University’s Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, gave the first presentation at the NEAFA Forum, updating members on the current state of the Northeast Dairy Economy. 

Since no industry exists in a vacuum, Dr. Wolf began his presentation by giving an update on the U.S. economy. “The main story in the U.S. economy right now is inflation,” said Wolf. “Inflation is at the highest level it has been at in 40 years. As of April of 2022, inflation is around 8.3 percent, and farmers, like people in other industries and everyday Americans, have been feeling the effects of that high inflation.” 

Another area that Wolf focused on was unemployment. “As of May of 2022, the unemployment rate is at 3.6%,” said Wolf. “About 390,000 jobs were added in the U.S. in May. Rural areas however are still experiencing problems finding workers for jobs.” 

According to Wolf, there are two factors that will determine crop prices for the U.S. this year: weather and the war in Ukraine. In speaking about the dairy industry, prices are up in general. “Prices for dairy rations have increased, and so have the prices for milk,” said Wolf. “Class III milk price increased to $25.00, Class IV milk is slightly down but around $25.00, and all milk prices are around $27.00 which is up from around $18.50 the same time last year. Right now states in the East are short on cream, which is effecting the availability and price of some dairy products. This is something some of you have maybe seen at the grocery store lately. There have been a few times that I have been at the store and there's no cream so then I'm calling my wife asking if something else will work for the recipe. While cheese prices have been decreasing lately, butter prices have seen a large increase because of this shortage. Consumers are also rediscovering full fat dairy products, which is something that could effect markets for certain dairy products going forward.”

Wolf also looked at how the U.S. milk market compared with those throughout the rest of the world. “Compared to other world milk markets, the U.S. has markedly higher prices than both the European Union and New Zealand milk prices,” said Wolf. “The U.S. remains an important exporter in world dairy markets with monthly export volumes for 2022 remaining nearly identical to 2021 so far.”

In terms of milk production, Dr. Wolf shared that the Northeast is not seeing much change. “Compared to last year, states like Pennsylvania and Vermont are seeing around a one percent decrease in production, while New York has seen no change from the previous year,” said Wolf. “Other areas of the country have seen larger changes. California is seeing an almost two percent decrease and some areas in the Southwest experiencing decreases of ten percent due to drought. These operations seem to be moving to places further east, such as Texas, which has seen an almost six percent increase in production. Overall U.S. production is slightly lower than it was this time last year, but still higher than 2019 and 2020 levels.”

 Looking ahead, Dr. Wolf predicted that milk prices will steadily decrease throughout the second half of the year, but remain higher than last year’s prices.

NEAFA Recognizes Rick Zimmerman with Distinguished Service Award

By Chandler Hansen, Special to NEAFA

During the 2022 NEAFA Annual Meeting, the Awards Luncheon was held to honor several guests, and to feature the keynote address from event MC, Dave Kuehnel.

To commence the luncheon, NEAFA president Danielle Penney-Stroop recognized the three retiring NEAFA Board members; Jeff Matuszczak of Mercer Milling, Blake Lutz of Lutz Feed Company, Inc., and Secretary Lon Stephens from Co-operatives Feed Dealers, Inc. Each retiring board member also received a plaque for their years of service on the board.

Rick Zimmerman, the immediate past NEAFA Executive Director and a longtime lobbyist for the agricultural industry, was honored with the Distinguished Service Award. Rick formerly served as NEAFA’s Executive Director and has been a longtime agriculture lobbyist. Several colleagues spoke about Rick from their personal and professional relationships with him. “Rick is authentic, principled, and undeterred when he encounters a problem,” said Tom Holden. “You know that he will always get up off the mat after getting knocked down and keep fighting.” Andrew Duggan of Goldstar Feed and a past president of NEAFA, shared that, “Rick has always been committed to advocacy, collaboration, and education on behalf of agriculture.”

Zimmerman was grateful for the award. “I am humbled” to receive this award,” said Zimmerman. “I would like to thank my family, friends, and many colleagues.” Zimmerman was quick to point out that his accomplishments were not completed alone as he said, “It’s not what I’ve done, it’s what we’ve done. During my time at NEAFA, the organization saw the creation of three strategic plans and 10 committees, stayed at the forefront of lobbying and advocacy work for the agricultural industry, and received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to benefit the agricultural community. These accomplishments are evidence that NEAFA is able to realize its goals through collaboration.” Zimmerman received a plaque thanking him for his years of service to the group.

Lastly, Kuehnel, delivered the keynote address during the Awards Luncheon. Kuehnel ran a successful young animal nutrition business for decades, and is the founder of Rule of Three Solutions, LLC, a consulting agency. The keynote, entitled “Strength in Numbers Starts with the Power of ONE,” is the idea that for a group to accomplish its goals, there must be, “one voice, one action, and one commitment through unity.” The keynote focused on this mindset using examples from Kuehnel’s own life experiences growing up in a multi-racial and multi-ethnic family, living on a farm, and his time as an animal nutritionist. 

2022 NEAFA Annual Meeting a Success

By Chandler Hansen, Special to NEAFA

Members of the agricultural industry from across the Northeast gathered for a time of education, fellowship, and celebration at the 2022 NEAFA Annual Meeting and Forum, held June 23rd at Turning Stone Resort in Verona, NY. The theme of this year’s forum was “Strength in Numbers- A Unified Voice.”

The annual meeting opened with the FFA team from Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School, and Immediate Past President John Clark also gave opening remarks. 

NEAFA President Danielle Penney-Stroop then took to the podium, where she spoke on the alliance’s events and advocacy measures from the past year. One example she mentioned was the NY Dairy Roundtable which took place last November in partnership with NEDPA. Penney-Stroop said, “This successful event along with the commitment and ambition from our board has led to further engagement and series of meetings amongst NEAFA, NYDFA, and NEDPA. It was noted that all 3 groups are looking for opportunities to work together on legislative issues, since many of our respective issues overlap. We decided to share our legislative priority documents and identified areas that we could partner on.” Penney-Stroop also reminded attendees of NEAFA’s mission to support and sustain the agribusiness and feed industry in the Northeast. “…it is in all our best interests to somehow make a greater effort and outreach to the legislature that has little familiarity and exposure to our world – we need to cross party lines, invest in educating downstate legislators, speak the WHY and HOW we do what we do.” said Penney-Stroop. She spurred the group to continue to reach out to those who may want to join as well. 

Via Zoom, Executive Director John Mitchell made remarks on the alliance, along with current challenges facing agriculture. “Farmers have faced some of today’s problems before, such as when inflation was high in the 1970s and 80s,” said Mitchell. After this turbulent time and interest rates and inflation returned to normal there was an incredible surge of Innovation over the next 2 decades. Through investments in technology, animal nutrition, breeding, crop production along with innovative management practices incredible gains have been achieved. Annual milk production per cow went from 12,000lbs to over 20,000 lbs over the next 2 decades. Corn yields went from 85 bu/ acre in the 1970’s to over 170 bu/acre today.

While the times are not exactly the same and the eventual outcome will be different I do believe that out of necessity we will enter another time of innovation. Agriculture will play a crucial role to a new order and better time as food production will always be at the forefront of our economy.

The annual meeting concluded with a legislative update by Rick Zimmerman. Zimmerman provided a recap on some of the specific legislative measures NEAFA advocated for or against during the latest legislative sessions of Northeastern states. The NEAFA News will dive into more depth on Zimmerman’s legislative recap in the August Edition.

For photos from the 2022 Annual Meeting, click here.

The Future of Feed Mill Manufacturing

By Chandler Hansen, Special to NEAFA

Dr. Charles Stark, the Jim and Carol Brown Professor in Feed Technology at Kansas State University, gave the second presentation of the 2022 NEAFA Annual Meeting on the future of feed mill manufacturing. 

Stark overviewed ways in which feed mills can become more efficient and sustainable to meet the challenges facing the feed industry. “Some of the challenges facing the feed industry are climate change, drought, growing global population, the COVID-19 pandemic, and adapting to green energy,” said Stark. “For feed mills to remain economically sustainable they need to respond to issues such as balancing customer expectations and animal performance, implementing automations for tasks vs. keeping human employees, and balancing environmental impact and costs.” Stark also shared an advantage of feed mills saying, “Feed mills are recyclers. We use products other industries don’t necessarily want.”

Stark’s next topic was energy management and conservation in the feed mill, and the importance of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) when operating a feed mill. These can be measured in different ways. Keeping track of KPIs can improve energy management which is good for sustainability and the environment. Some examples he provided of improving energy management were tracking usage of motors and lights. According to Stark, keeping up with technological advances and maintaining equipment are good ways to conserve energy, and therefore improve cost efficiency in the mill.

“Biosecurity is another important facet of feed mill operation,” said Stark. “You want to have biosecurity measures in place to prevent feed contamination. You can improve biosecurity by having policies in place for visitors to your mill. Tracking when visitors are on the premises, and having them wear appropriate protective clothing is one step. Purchasing ingredients from verified suppliers that abide by certain specifications, and implementing employee policies that cover hygiene, in-plant movement, sanitation, etc., is another. Biosecurity will look different for each individual plant, but measures to secure it will be good for the plant and the product.”

Finally, Stark shared insights on how to improve overall feed mill efficiency. “In a feed mill, there can at times be competing goals between different departments,” said Stark. “Nutritionists want to maximize animal performance. Management wants to maximize feed mill performance. Others are most concerned with quality and customer perception of the product’s quality. Getting all departments of a feed mill working together, and working towards similar objectives will improve efficiency.” 

In closing, Stark shared some additional take home points. First, sustainability is an on- going process for feed mills to work on. Second, biosecurity requirements will continue to increase. Third, automation will continue to increase and reduce operating costs. Lastly, business objectives and KPIs must be a part of the business/operations culture.

President’s Pen

By Danielle Penney-Stroop, NEAFA President

For members that missed NEAFA President Danielle Penney-Stroop’s speech at the 2022 Annual Meeting or would like a chance to read it again after the event, please read on below.

So here we are again… back at the Turning Stone Resort, ten months since our last annual meeting. Thank you all for your membership, support, and most of all for attending our events.  We all work very hard to bring our members a valuable and worthwhile experience.  

First, I would also like to extend a special thank you to the backbone of our organization, Sue VanAmburgh, as well as Interim ED John Mitchell, Legislative Director Rick Zimmerman, Past President John Clark, Conventions Committee Chair Mark Anderson, and the Conventions Committee for all the hours you have invested in this year’s annual meeting.  

Last Year, our theme was “Resilience,” and ironically our theme this year is – “Strength in Numbers – A Unified Voice.”  Given the current circumstances over the past couple of days, I know both themes resonate still, and most importantly both are a necessity for our industry.  Strength in numbers- A unified voice. Sit back and think about that for a few moments as I review the past ten months.

NEAFA is a seventeen member board with one Executive Director, John Mitchell; one Legislative Director, Rick Zimmerman; and Sue VanAmburgh our administrative wrangler and go to for everything! Since last August, this is our sixth time meeting as board. We had three guest speakers. Louis Calderwood, of AFIA, Dr Chris Wolf of Cornell University, and Dr Richard Stup of Cornell University.  

NEAFA has ten committees that are comprised of approximately seventy-five people that typically gather a minimum of once a quarter, volunteering their time and effort to complete a multitude of initiatives directed from the board and our membership

This past year we amended our Mission Statement – 

“The mission of the Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance is to support and grow a sustainable agribusiness industry in the Northeast.”

We also updated our Value statements, incorporating - 

1. Integrity / Trust

2. Sustainability

3. Cooperation

4. Educating / Learning

5. Leadership

6. Credibility

7. Diversity and Inclusion

Last year as I stood in this same spot, I promised you, our members, that we would continue to focus on our pillars of Advocacy, Collaboration, and Education. 

During our strategic meeting last July, the board determined that stronger collaboration was necessary for our consolidating dairy industry.   Through the NEDPA lead initiative we participated in the first ever New York Dairy Roundtable, in Johnstown NY, in early November.   This event had approximately eighty participants and attendees, and focused on the NY Dairy Outlook, a Producer panel on the Opportunities and Challenges of Farming In NYS,  a Milk Haulers Panel from their perspective on opportunities and bottlenecks, the Processors and Marketing of Dairy Products Panel with their challenges and opportunities, and finally, the Dairy Circle and how our industries and communities rely on one another.    

This successful event, along with the commitment and ambition from our board, has led to further engagement and a series of meetings amongst NEAFA, NYDFA, and NEDPA. It was noted that all three groups are looking for opportunities to work together on legislative issues, since many of our respective issues overlap. We decided to share our legislative priority documents and identified areas that we could partner on.

Rick Zimmerman will expand on these initiatives more, but they also bear repeating and are significant. 

In Vermont: To foster our working relationship with Vermont lawmakers, Margaret Laggis organized zoom conversations with House and Senate Agriculture Committee members and NEAFA leaders. Our leaders briefed lawmakers on the pressing issues of our industry, including supply chain/ transportation issues, neonics and seed treatments, and labor availability.

In Massachusetts: NEAFA collaborated with the Massachusetts Farm Bureau and the National Pork Producers Association. The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources hosted a regulatory hearing, based on the 2016 law, (which was passed by a ballot initiative), mandating housing requirements for veal, hogs, poultry. The regulations are supposed to implement the law that will eliminate certain farm animal confinement practices.  Further, the law stipulates that any pork, veal, or poultry product sold into MA must follow similar practices. It was our goal to bring common sense and reasonableness to this conversation.  

In Maine: NEAFA, AFIA, and the Pet Food Institute collaborated on the Maine budget debate and a proposal to increase feed registration fees. The proposal would increase the annual fee for each bagged feed product sold in Maine by $20.00 (currently at $80.00), and use the revenue from this action to fund an animal welfare program. The revenue raised from the increased pet food fees would fund a spay neuter program. Aside from that issue, NEAFA launched an action request, to our members selling into Maine, to send letters to the Governor.  In addition, I signed a letter to the Governor encouraging her to veto this bill as an unnecessary tax on farmers at a time they can least afford it.

In early Feb, NEAFA engaged with 10 of New York’s State Senators and assemblymembers, as well as NYS Deputy Secretary of Food and Agriculture, where we reviewed our 2022 Legislative Priorities. Largely the budget passed with the focus on agricultural programs that NEAFA supported and endorsed.   

To highlight a few of our other NEAFA accomplishments - 

• We were an integral member of the Grow NY Farms Coalition, fighting the overtime threshold from the Wage and Labor Board.

• NEAFA, NYDFA, and NEDPA sent a letter to Mayor Adams about his proposed vegan agenda in NYC institutions highlighting the need for choice.

• NEAFA, along with NEDPA, supported the Happy the Elephant Case (more to come from Rick Zimmerman).

• Due to a strong collaborative effort from the agriculture and ornamental horticulture communities, we successfully stopped the Hoylman bill from passing the Senate. Against the odds, we created a political incentive for the Senate leadership to hold the bill. This bill would have banned the use of neonics as seed treatments on corn, soybean and wheat (don’t think much wheat seed is being treated these days) which would have cause havoc in raising a viable crop.

• NEAFA is exploring the possibility of a NYS agricultural economic development/impact study with Cornell, and working on it with Todd Schmidt.

• NEAFA is a Member of the CAO - twenty-nine agricultural organizations/members in NYS where we met dozen of times this past year. We ratified initiatives for all of the ag community throughout the state

I just spent last few minutes reviewing/rambling about the many issues and  initiatives the Board and I have spent time addressing for you, our members, as well as our producers, and honestly the general consumer (that they have no idea about, the least informed of all). We need active participation and membership at all levels in all our agricultural organizations. I hope that I have properly demonstrated the collective need of collaborating with our industry partners to achieve our goals and to remain an agricultural powerhouse in the Northeast.      

Additional food for thought, NEDPA leadership is in agreement that collectively our organizations aren’t stepping outside of agricultural safe zone during our lobbying efforts and largely that we are preaching to the choir. Don’t get me wrong, it’s something that we most certainly need to do. However, it is in all of our best interests to somehow make a greater effort to have outreach to legislative members that has little familiarity and exposure to our world. We need to cross party lines, invest in educating downstate legislators, and speak the WHY and HOW we do what we do. I participated this year in Assemblyman Chris Tagues Upstate Farm Tour Series. It was so powerful, and we need more than just what Chris is doing. What can you do to highlight and showcase your agricultural business and what you do? How can NEAFA support you in your initiatives? Let us collectively help you.

The Transportation committee has identified an industry need, and we are taking the reigns on that as an opportunity for education and collaboration with Ag and Markets, NEDPA, and NYDFA with a transportation summit or forum this fall. Stay tuned for details… this will address all facets of supply chain and commodities via freight, Rail, and Ocean. More details to come. 

It has been an interesting and whirlwind first year as President of your organization. I would like to thank everyone for the feedback and support throughout. This is just the beginning… we have more work ahead at not only being resilient, but delivering our unified voice through Strength in Numbers. Thank YOU!

Popular Producer Panel Returns to NEAFA Annual Meeting Agenda

Sometimes the milk markets seem like the wild, wild west, with ever-changing programs, fees and price volatility, not to mention highly variable input costs.  Because our dairy farmer customers are operating in this incredibly dynamic environment, the NEAFA Conventions Committee has assembled an outstanding panel of producers and advisers to help us gain additional insight and understanding.  The theme of the discussion will be “Managing production under volatile NE base programs”.  This year’s panel includes dairy producers shipping to different cooperatives as well as a nutrition consultant and business consultant.  The panelists will be:

• Greg Porter of Porterdale Farms

• Scott Lackey of Sugarbranch Farms

• Sarah Head of Holtz Nelson Consulting, and

• Mark Mapstone of Farm Credit East

What should prove to be a lively discussion will be moderated by Dr. Mike van Amburgh from the Animal Science Department at Cornell University.  Be sure to register for and attend the annual meeting to take advantage of learning more about this timely topic.