USDA plans to start a hearing process next month on conflicting proposals from milk producers and dairy processors for modifying the pricing formulas for milk and dairy products under the federal milk marketing order system.
The hearing will start in Carmel, Indiana, Aug. 23, and continue both in person and virtually. The presiding administrative law judge will decide when the hearing process is over, USDA says in a Federal Register notice released Friday.
The hearing will be in recess on Labor Day or on Sept. 21-22. The schedule for each session will be announced at the adjournment of the previous meeting.
Dairy farmers will be allowed to testify either in person, or virtually via Zoom on Fridays, starting Sept. 1. Ten time slots will be available each Friday for farmers to testify virtually.
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After the hearing process is over, USDA will issue a recommended decision and take additional comments.
The USDA notice summarizes the proposals by each of the industry petitioners, including the National Milk Producers Federation, International Dairy Foods Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, California Dairy Campaign, Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative and the Milk Innovation Group.
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