Some groups including the National Farmers Organization want to see only one federal milk marketing order in place and change the current program. Those groups are wanting more relief from the government for dairy producers in dealing with the pandemic. Minnesota Milk Producer’s Association’s Executive Director Lucas Sjostrom says they oppose that and say it would artificially inflate dairy prices.

He says the relief aid announced by the USDA models their group’s Dairy Core program and will in the long run help dairy producers deal with the pandemic crisis.

Sjostrom says the cooperatives that earlier had supported the single milk marketing order plan have now decided to oppose it.

Sjostrom says their Dairy CORE program calls for distributing one time payments, keeping the federal milk marketing orders as they are and raising or eliminating the cap on relief payments.