WCMA to Testify in USDA Make Allowance Hearing

Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) is pleased to see today’s action by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials, who responded to the Association’s call for action on amending milk pricing formulas in Federal Milk Marketing Orders with an announcement of an August 23, 2023 start date for a national hearing on the subject.  

“We’re pleased to have an opportunity to present our case for adjustments to make allowances for the long-term strength and stability of the dairy industry. Current make allowances are based on 16-year-old cost of production data and are clearly out of date. We appreciate USDA’s action to move this discussion forward,” said John Umhoefer, WCMA Executive Director.  

WCMA first called for this hearing in March, detailing in June a plan to adjust make allowances for cheddar cheese, dry whey, butter, and nonfat dry milk. The Association’s proposal recommends using recent, accurate data to implement new make allowances that reflect dramatic increases in the costs to produce dairy products.  

Today, USDA selected the WCMA proposal and 21 other requests from the dairy industry for this upcoming hearing set in Carmel, Indiana.