Ag Workshops: Dairy Industry Agenda
University of Wisconsin - Madison, Union Theater in Memorial Union
800 Langdon Street
Madison, WI 53706
United States
Event Details
Specific areas of focus included trends in the dairy industry, market consolidation, and market transparency.
For more information, see the workshops page.
Updated: August 12, 2010
Workshop Agenda
June 25, 2010 - Madison, Wisconsin |
|
8:45 a.m. CST |
Opening Remarks The Honorable Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, U.S. Department of Justice |
9:00 a.m. |
Keynote Roundtable Discussion The Honorable Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture Tentative: |
10:15 a.m. |
Farmer Presentation of Issues This panel will be an opportunity to hear first-hand from dairy farmers as they share their experiences and perspectives on the industry. Moderators: Dairy Farmers: |
11:15 a.m. |
Coffee Break |
11:45 a.m. |
Public Testimony |
12:15 p.m. |
Lunch |
1:15 p.m. |
Panel I - Trends in the Dairy Industry Over the past several decades, the number of dairy farms in the United States has steadily decreased, while the average size of dairy farms has increased. Most milk in the United States is produced under federal and state marketing orders and sold through cooperatives rather than directly by independent dairy farmers. At all levels of the industry, changes have occurred that have a significant impact on farmers, processors, retailers, and consumers. This panel will examine these changes, the responses of industry stakeholders, and the potential implications for regulation and enforcement. Moderator: Panelists: |
2:30 p.m. |
Panel II - Market Consolidation Firms that produce, process and sell milk and milk products have grown dramatically in certain geographic regions throughout the United States. While the growth of cooperatives and processors has almost certainly lowered production costs, in some regions there are concerns that there may be so few cooperatives and processors that the remaining firms can exercise market power against their customers. Processors may have also achieved sufficient size in some regions to exercise monopsony power against cooperatives and farmers. This panel will explore how such changes in firm size are affecting both farmers and consumers. Moderator: Panelists: |
3:45 p.m. |
Break |
4:00 p.m. |
Panel III - Market Transparency Farm prices for milk have been subject to wide swings in recent years. Although likely the result of a multiplicity of factors, both domestic and foreign, some have raised concerns about the possibility of manipulation of fluid milk prices as a result of thinly-traded spot and futures markets for bulk cheese, butter, and powdered milk. Others suggest that information disparities that result from long-term, full-supply contracts create perverse incentives that disadvantage farmers and prevent them from making optimal marketing decisions. This panel will examine these phenomena from the point of view of public policy options. Moderator: Panelists: |
5:00 p.m. |
Public Testimony |
6:00 p.m. |
Concluding Remarks |