Ag Commish Andrew Gipson issued the following statement.
Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson sent a letter to grocery retailers across the state urging them to discontinue imposing limits on the quantity of milk that consumers are allowed to purchase. The letter was written in response to dairy farmers having to dump their milk due to an oversupply.
At the onset of the COVID-19 crisis as consumers began making preparations for staying at home by stocking up on groceries, many stores began limiting the amount of milk that shoppers were allowed to purchase. Although this increased the demand for milk at the time, the supply of milk remained strong with no shortage. The purchasing limitation, coupled with the impact from the loss of markets for milk due to school and restaurant closures, has led to an oversupply of milk. Milk processors are not capable of processing the excess supply leading many farmers with no choice but to dump their milk.
“I have reached out to the managers of grocery retailers across the state urging them to support our dairy industry by removing limitations on how much milk shoppers can purchase. There is no shortage of milk. Given the oversupply the industry is facing, there is no reason as to why families can’t have access to the dairy products that they want. This is one measure that we can take to help decrease the oversupply that is causing our farmers to have to dump their milk,” said Commissioner Gipson.
In addition to urging food retailers to stop limiting milk purchases by shoppers, Commissioner Gipson has also spoken by phone to milk processors in the state on behalf of the dairy farmers in Mississippi to discuss the dumping of their milk.
“Our dairy farmers are some of the hardest working farmers. Cows continue to produce, even in times of oversupply, and unlike many other agricultural commodities, milk is highly perishable and can’t be frozen or stored. Our dairy industry has faced many challenges over the years, and now having to dump milk can be devastating for our state’s 65 dairy farms. It is imperative that we do our part to support the dairy industry. I also encourage consumers to support our family dairies by purchasing more milk and dairy products when they shop,” said Commissioner Gipson.
30 comments:
Look at big government trying to force its will on the private industry
Do you know when he will arrive, on horseback, at Kroger on Lake Harbour. I want my kids to see him wave his hat. I saw Gene Autry as a child and this will be good for the kids.
Please put toilet paper under the definition of agriculture.
The issue with milk likely stems from the school not serving lunches in the cafeteria. School Cafeteria milk has long been a quiet bit of government welfare for dairy farmers.
I never understood why people Rush out and stock up on perishables like bread and milk.
Cue the Fairgrounds milk jokes........
Haven't had any problem getting milk throughout this mess and never understood the limitation.
There's a disconnect somewhere. I haven't been to the grocery store in a week, but last time I went there was very little milk left. Maybe the problem is in the distribution network, but as it is if all the milk on the shelf is gone before mid-afternoon then a purchase limit is in the best interest of the public to keep customers from packing into the store in the morning.
This recommendation raises a couple of questions.
Is there a supply chain breakdown for milk delivery? If not, then unlimited milk sales make sense. From what I have seen, there IS a breakdown in delivery to grocery stores, or stores are not restocking the coolers fast enough, because milk, like toilet paper, is often non-existent in stores.
Why does the Ag Com think milk cannot be frozen? I have half a gallon in my freezer right now. It won't taste as good or have the same consistency of fresh milk when I thaw it in my frig, but it will remain wholesome and good for baking and cooking.
Can u freeze milk if you bought a good bit at a time? Will that keep it from aging?
I repeat, this shit is getting out of hand and is now approaching ridiculous.
Milk has puss in it from the cow's utters.
Won't see me drinking that stuff!
I cannot find or order whole milk, whole milk buttermilk or whole milk yogurt.
I freeze milk. It’s fine,
free market dude....no demand, no profit. so the government now tells us what to buy
veggie burger-hurts beef. government makes it harder to buy plant-based alternatives
methinks gipson is a communist. that's how they run things in china and ran the USSR....
Yes; You can freeze milk - just like you can freeze pizza, green beans, orange juice and butter. How long you been on the planet?
What was it that milk, bread and toilet paper was supposed to do to ward off a virus or rebel against crushing government overreach ?
No faster way to sell out on something than putting a limit on it.
I'm dubious about this. If everyone starts drinking 10 or 12 gallons of milk a day, it'll just exacerbate the TP situation. On the other hand, the stench of 100s of people with explosive diarrhea fighting over a couple of rolls of TP with encourage the wearing of masks, so that's a positive. But then, the floors, walls, and shelves all smeared with shit will need to be sanitized, so the bleach and cleaner problem will get dramatically worse. Ya know, I'm beginning to think that some Mississippi officials aren't actually thinking about things before they start issuing press releases and guidelines.
4:14
It’s called ice cream
We see who Gipson is beholden to.
Does this mean goat milk is no longer a serious issue ?
They be right...I worked on a family owned dairy farm one summer during college. The owner was in his 40s, his father had started the dairy. We row cropped and as he was County Surveyor, we did that also. His main milk hand was almost 40, and had been milking since he was 16...2x a day, 7 days a week, 50 weeks a year. He got 2 weeks vacation, and he showed up 99% of the time, which equals gold in a milkhand. We milked about 70 head, with a 4 bay milking machine. If a milk cow isn't milked, they fell discomfort and pain depending on how long its been. If you totally stop milking them, they stop producing.
Several memories stand out, one especially. All his herd was pure holstein. You keep your young heifers separated in another pasture until they are old enough to breed, or until you sell off some of your older cows.
2x, we came home from surveying and found a neighbor's scrub bull had broken through the fence and gotten to the heifers. And a mix holstein calf isn't worth much.
The 3rd time we found the scrub bull in, he told us not to run him out into the road and back towards his home. He said run him into the Catch Pen. And we ran him into the loading chute and locked him down in the head gate. Mr. O, our boss came out with some rope and tied his back legs to each side of the chute. Then he pulled out his pocket knife, cut the sack, and pulled out the bulls 2 mountain oysters and tossed them on the ground. We ran him back down the road. I only worked the one summer, so I don't know when the neighbor discovered why his few head of cows weren't having calves.
Maybe your old boss could help out good old Andy and Mr. Steve.
"Does this mean goat milk is no longer a serious issue ?"
Nope.
As things happen, it turns out that goat milk, when mixed with Purel and filtered through three-ply Charmin, makes one totally immune from COVID, AIDS, and strangely enough, stretch marks. The Chicoms bought all the goats the instant they realized that the double secret bat lab lab had a breach. So there is no more goat milk for good, solid Americans. And being the sneaks they are, the Chicoms did it all while good, solid Americans were busy hoarding toilet paper. Meanwhile, Xi and his 412 slavewives have been rubbing themselves down with pure Mississippi goat milk. They gave a small batch to Trump so he could rub down Ivanka's tits so she and Jared would survive, but you plain folks, well, with no goat milk titty-rubbing, ya'll are dead meat. It's sorta like the "Game of Goatthrones"...but with idiots instead of actors.
But don't worry, the survivors will be saved by young Barron, who was born immune to not only goats, but titties, too. One day in the not-to-distant future, he will rise up in the Kingdom of 30A, appear shining on a stack of Yeti coolers, and bring goats back to Mississippi. He'll build TrumpTot Tower Flowood and...
You'll have to pay for the double secret sub to Disney+ to find out what happens...please call 1-800-Mouseshit to subscribe.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
One of them got-danged goats flies and farts fire! And you can see it all for 4 monthly payments of $19.95 each, plus P&H. What's "P&H" you ask? It's "porkfat and hypertension!" and yes, it can all be yours if you call now! Sure, goats _breathing_ fire might have been really cool, but remember, these are Mississippi goats, so we're working with what we have, assholes and all. And if you call within the next 42 minutes, we'll add the "Confederate Statue" channel - it's all statues, all day, 24/7/365!
Don't wait, call now, operators are standing by!
Note to KF - OK, if you don't let this one through, well, I just don't know you anymore...
@5:02 WTF?
All kidding (HaHa) aside, why doesn't Andy do something to help small family farmers get their produce to us, bypassing the big box stores. There are several farmers markets in the area but they are a long drive from my house and they often have vegetables originating in other states. Could he at least devise a way for consumers to directly contact local farmers and arrange for pick up?
Also, milk makes great pig food. Dairy farmers should hook up with the pork industry to sell - or donate - surplus milk to them.
And, Andy, if you'd loosen the regulations for commercial cheese making, then surplus milk could be used for that purpose.
BTW,I grew up on a small farm in Hinds County, we had a couple of Holstein milk cows which produced a LOT of milk, so my mother and I made butter, buttermilk, yogurt, and cottage or ricotta cheese all the time to use up the surplus milk. The surplus milk was fed to the couple of hogs we raised. Problem solved!
I just disagree with the Commissioner. The local store owner knows his market and customers. The reason we have milk in the stores is because of the purchasing limits. I watched a woman at Kroger two weeks ago try to get 10 gallons of milk and this was mid-morning. She saw the damn signs and ignored them. Luckily, the cashier didn't ignore her.
The real problem is schools and restaurants are closed. See today's WSJ.
Let them eat cake
"...why doesn't Andy do something..."
Because "Andy" knows as much about agriculture as he knows about commerce, banking, lawyering, and preaching and he ain't afraid to prove it, neither. He was perfect for Phil to appoint to replace Cindy Lou-Who, but the election wasn't Phil's doing. Keep that in mind next time you wanna vote for an idiot. See? Sometimes, it actually does matter.
10:29, there's quite a few "failure to provide child support" two-legged bulls out there that need the same resolution.
"Let them eat cake"
TRES LECHES!! And weirdly, I have actually heard that it goes surprisingly well with Corona, too!
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