June 17, 2016
CapitalPress.com
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11
Dairy/Livestock
Livestock producers weigh in on Clinton, Trump
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
Sean Ellis/Capital Press
Three-year-old Emma pets a Jersey calf June 10 during a commu-
nity dairy tour in Meridian, Idaho. The event was held to provide
the public a close-up view of a dairy operation.
Hundreds attend Idaho
community dairy tour
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
MERIDIAN, Idaho —
Hundreds of people from the
Meridian area showed up for
a community dairy tour June
10 held to give members of the
public a close-up look at a dairy
operation.
“We’re really excited about
all the people that are coming
out today,” said Clint Jackson,
who manages Jackson Fami-
ly Farm, where the event was
held. “I think it shows people
care about agriculture and they
care about where their food
comes from.”
The Jackson farm has 690
adult cows, most of them Jer-
seys, and also grows beans, al-
falfa, mint and corn.
Participants were taken
on a hay ride around the op-
eration while Jackson gave
them a “Dairy 101” class and
answered questions, and they
were allowed to pet calves and
get a close-up view of the op-
eration.
Dairy nutrition information
and free dairy products were
also available at the event,
which was hosted in conjunc-
tion with the United Dairymen
of Idaho.
Three generations of Jack-
sons were on hand to meet
and talk with people and Clint
Jackson said his main objective
was to ensure people enjoyed
themselves and had a positive
experience.
“We want them to come
out and have an enjoyable
time like I used to have when I
would go spend the day on my
grandparents’ farm in the sum-
mer,” he said. “I want them to
feel like they’re spending the
day on the farm at grandma’s
house.”
He said he also wants them
to leave with a solid apprecia-
tion for what goes into getting
food to their table.
“Us farmers really love
what we do, we love our ani-
mals, we are trying to put out
a quality product, and we want
them to learn about that,” he
said.
To promote the event, UDI
took out a Facebook ad within a
15-mile radius of Meridian.
With more consumers fur-
ther disconnected from the farm
and more easily inluenced by
negative comments about pro-
duction agriculture, a dairy tour
is a good way to teach people
where their food really comes
from and allow them to expe-
rience a dairy operation in a
transparent manner, said UDI
CEO Karianne Fallow.
“This is a great opportunity
to show them how a dairy op-
erates and maybe more impor-
tantly, put a face on the dairy
industry,” she said. “When
people interact with (the Jack-
sons), I think they (get) a lot
more conidence in dairy. A
farm tour is a really, really
good thing for consumer con-
idence.”
As presumptive presiden-
tial nominees Donald Trump
and Hillary Clinton take their
respective corners in what
promises to be an aggressive
showdown to election day,
livestock producers are placing
their bets on which candidate
will do the least damage to ani-
mal agriculture.
“I feel like we’re voting for
the lesser of two evils,” said
Carl Lufkin, a cow-calf pro-
ducer in Salmon, Idaho, and
president of the Idaho Cattle
Association.
“A lot of people I talk with
in this industry feel the same;
we’re not in love with either
one of them,” he said.
Lufkin said he’s still on the
fence regarding the candidates
but thinks Trump might be a lit-
tle better for the cattle industry
than Clinton.
“I’m hopeful that Trump
would be more friendly to the
industry … more friendly to
grazing than what we’ve been
dealing with the last eight years.
I’m fearful Clinton would be
possibly worse,” he said.
John Brubaker, a Buhl, Ida-
ho, dairyman, shares that senti-
ment, but he’s not sitting on the
fence. Clinton probably looks
best for the dairy industry, but
his sentiment is “anybody but
Clinton.”
“I’m a Trump guy, but I
have some reservations. He
wouldn’t have been my irst
pick, but to me he’s better than
Clinton,” he said.
“I feel (Clinton) just thinks
she deserves it, and I don’t
trust her. I think she’s a liar,
and she’s been bought. Nobody
owns Trump — he’s his own
man, his own money,” he said.
Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press
Dairyman John Brubaker talks about the presidential candidates at his dairy in Buhl, Idaho, on June 7.
on TPP, but chances of getting it
passed are probably better with
her than Trump, he said.
Brubaker, who serves as the
export committee chairman for
the United Dairy Industry Asso-
ciation, said TPP is a bad trade
deal for the U.S. and front-load-
ed for other countries.
“But it’s a start, we have to
do it. If we don’t, the chances
are slim we’ll get another deal,”
he said.
The countries involved are
relying on the U.S. to get it
done. If that doesn’t happen,
they’re not going to want to
work with the U.S. again. And
exports — which account for
12.5 percent of U.S. milk pro-
duction — are too important to
risk, he said.
“Without exports, we’d real-
ly be in a mess with too much
production,” he said.
TPP illustrates the U.S. isn’t
good at negotiating, and hope-
fully Trump can change that, he
said.
Lufkin also thinks Trump is
a better choice when it comes to
trade issues.
Given Trump’s business sav-
vy, “I can’t help but think he’d
be a real positive for trade for
agriculture,” he said.
“I really don’t have a good feel
for where she’s (Clinton’s) going
to be on the trade deal,” he said.
Immigration
Immigration is another big
issue for the dairy industry,
and a lot of dairymen who
have Hispanic workers are
pretty nervous about Trump
saying he’s going to build a
wall on the Mexican border,
Brubaker said.
“Dairymen are pretty
staunch Republicans, but I
have friends thinking about
voting for Clinton just be-
cause of this issue, he said.
Clinton also poses the pos-
sibility of dairymen losing
their Hispanic labor, he said.
“She isn’t going to do that,
but I don’t think Trump will
either,” he said.
Regulation
Government
regulation
and Environmental Protection
Agency overreach is another
area of concern, and Lufkin
thinks the candidates will be
miles apart in their positions.
“I think Trump is going to
be way more friendly towards
our industry than Clinton is.
He could pull them (EPA)
back,” he said.
“Clinton has a real histo-
ry of more regulation. I think
she would be less friendly to
our industry than the current
administration,” probably re-
sulting in an even stronger
EPA and more challenges to
grazing, he said.
Trade
The biggest issue in the up-
coming election is the Trans-Pa-
ciic Partnership, he said.
“From an industry perspec-
tive, we need these trade agree-
ments,” he said.
If TPP isn’t passed in the
lame-duck session and Trump is
elected, it’s probably dead in the
water. Clinton has lip-lopped
‘Largest bear market rally’ in years
By LEE MIELKE
For the Capital Press
C
ash dairy prices contin-
ued to strengthen the
week of June 6 in what
FC Stone’s Dave Kurzawski
called “the largest bear mar-
ket rally we’ve seen in many
years.”
Cheddar block cheese saw
a fourth consecutive week of
gain, closing the second Fri-
day of June, which is Dairy
Month, at $1.4750 per pound,
up 3 1/2-cents on the week,
up 19 1/2-cents in that period,
but still 28 cents below a year
ago.
The barrels closed at
$1.51, up 6 1/2-cents on the
week and 21 1/4-cents below
a year ago. Four cars of block
sold last week and ive of bar-
rel.
The cheese blocks jumped
4 1/2-cents Monday on an
unilled bid, hitting $1.52 per
pound, highest level since
March 8, 2016, but were un-
changed Tuesday. The barrels
were up 2 3/4-cents Monday,
to $1.5375 per pound, and
held on Tuesday, 1 3/4-cents
above the blocks.
The strength has many
people scratching their heads,
considering inventory levels,
but demand remains strong,
feed prices are irming, and
concerns are mounting over
summer weather and its im-
pact on milk output and com-
ponent levels.
Cheese production in the
Midwest is active, according
to Dairy Market News. Manu-
facturers are keeping vats full
Dairy
Markets
Lee Mielke
and bringing in spot loads of
milk when schedules allow.
Readily available milk mov-
ing at discounts is enticing
some to run full schedules.
Cheese sales are steady to
increasing and promotions
for June Dairy Month are re-
portedly boosting sales, but
inventories remain long in the
region. The market undertone
is steady but international in-
terest is light.
Western cheesemakers re-
port good domestic demand
in retail and food service and
“Any domestic demand is
welcome in light of the lim-
ited export opportunities for
U.S. cheese.”
Western cheese output
remains active with ample
supplies of milk. Inventories
are long and some indus-
try contacts suggest a good
share of the stocks are older,
thus “there is some concern
that the large existing cheese
stocks will weigh heavily on
market prices.”
Cash butter looked like it
might be headed to $3 again
but it gave back 2 cents Friday
on a trade and closed at $2.20
per pound, still up a dime on
the week and 30 cents above a
year ago. Only two cars trad-
ed hands on the week at the
CME.
The yellow gold ticked
up 1 3/4-cents Monday and
5 1/2-cents higher Tuesday
ROP-23-4-2/#24
on an unilled bid, to $2.2725
per pound, highest spot price
since Dec. 10, 2015.
Butter manufacturers are
running at or near full sched-
ules, according to DMN. Par-
ticipants feel butter stocks are
at comfortable levels for this
time of year. Sales into food-
service are strong but retail
sales are mixed.
Western butter markets
also appear steady. With
cream supplies generally ad-
equate, many butter makers
are actively producing butter.
However, a few are backing
off a little as milk production
begins to decline seasonally
and as more cream is pulled
into other cream products.
25-2/#5
25-2/#4N