CALIFORNIA — May 7, 2018 — The three largest milk marketing cooperatives in California, California Dairies, Inc., Dairy Farmers of America and Land O’Lakes, Inc., today announced that, on behalf of their respective members, they have voted in support of the California Federal Milk Marketing Order (CA-FMMO) as proposed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Since the very beginning the three cooperatives collaborated to create a potential California Federal Milk Marketing Order as a means of helping the state’s dairy farmers receive more equitable, market-based milk prices.

“Three years ago, farmer leaders of our cooperatives agreed to work toward a change in the regulatory structure, one that would benefit California dairy farm families. Following careful consideration of the final decision issued by USDA, we believe the proposal will better address disparities between farm gate prices in California and the rest of the nation. It is our pleasure to now conclude this administrative process with joint support for the proposed Federal Order language,” said the three cooperatives in a joint statement.

After USDA’s release of the final decision on March 30, the three cooperatives held educational sessions for their member-owners to provide an overview of the final decision, address specific questions and discuss their voting preferences. Each of the cooperatives then participated in bloc voting, meaning a single affirmative vote from each cooperative represents the voting cooperative’s total membership in the state.

USDA will officially announce the results of the referendum in the coming weeks. If the results support approval of the CA-FMMO proposal, the new system is expected to be in place by November 1, 2018.