The big news was in Washington this week. The Supreme Court upheld Obamacare and struck down a significant portion of Arizona’s law to prosecute and deter illegal immigrants, but left one key part intact. National Milk says “The mixed ruling, along with the recent executive order by the Obama administration to stop the deportation of some younger, undocumented individuals, fully illustrates how that, regardless of which path is chosen, the few options for immigration reform remain controversial and divisive.” “At the same time, these developments show how critically necessary it is to resolve the immigration policy conundrum, especially for farmers and other employers.”  

The court upheld the law’s directive that state and local police may check the immigration status of people they stop when they suspect they lack legal authorization to be in the U.S. The justices unanimously stated that federal law already requires immigration officials to respond to status checks from local authorities, and therefore federal immigration law does not preempt this section. NMPF’s Chris Galen called it “good news” for farmers who rely on immigrant labor in Thursday’s DairyLine radio program, but admitted “There still isn’t a lot of clarity here for employers.”

Much of SB1070 was overturned as interfering in the federal government’s role as the sole arbiter of immigration law, according to NMPF. In a 5-3 ruling, the court said Arizona in effect had tried to set up a parallel enforcement system that punished illegal immigrants more harshly and interfered with congressional authority over the nation’s borders. The court rejected parts of the state law that made it a state crime for illegal immigrants to seek work, to fail to carry immigration papers, and that authorized warrantless arrests of people suspected by state and local police of committing deportable offenses.

Meanwhile, National Milk also warned that “Congress needs to make clear that regulations designed to protect the environment against toxic waste do not ensnare dairy farmers and others who raise farm animals.” That message was delivered to the House Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy.

The hearing Wednesday on Capitol Hill reviewed legislation introduced by Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.), designated as H.R. 2997, or the Superfund Commonsense Act. It would clarify that manure is not included in the meaning of “hazardous substance” as defined by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) regulations, and also would eliminate the reporting requirement for releases associated with manure under the Emergency Planning & Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA) regulation.

Testifying on behalf of the dairy industry, Walter Bradley, who works for Dairy Farmers of America, reminded committee members that concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and their environmental releases are subject to state and federal laws.
  Bradley told the panel that “we are not seeking an exemption from the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) or the Clean Air Act (CAA) or similar state laws including any federal or state worker protection laws. We are merely seeking clarification under CERCLA and EPCRA that animal manure does not necessitate an emergency response nor does it create a Superfund site.”

On a more pleasant topic; July is national “Ice Cream Month.” Vanilla is the most popular flavor, premium ice cream is the best-selling type of ice cream and frozen yogurt is resurging in popularity among Americans. These are a few of the findings from a recent survey of International Ice Cream Assoc., (IICA) member companies, which make and distribute an estimated 85 percent of the ice cream and frozen dessert products consumed in the United States. 

IICA and the International Dairy Foods Assoc., announced the results of the survey at last week’s 30th annual Capitol Hill Ice Cream Party. Of the companies participating in the survey, 92 percent said vanilla is the most popular flavor among consumers followed by chocolate chip mint and cookies-and-cream.

Cash dairy prices saw little change the final week of June Dairy Month. Block cheese closed that Friday at $1.65 per pound, up 2.5 cents on the week but still 47.5 cents below a year ago and 2.5 cents below the barrels. Barrel closed at $1.6750, up 4 cents on the week and 42.25 below a year ago. One car of each was traded on the week. The AMS-surveyed U.S. average block price jumped 3.6 cents, to $1.6234 while the barrels averaged $1.5811, up 3.2 cents.

Cheese manufacturers are beginning to see a break in milk volumes, according to USDA, as warmer weather reaches much of the U.S., slowing from peak volumes. Milk discounts in the Midwest are being replaced with premiums in some cases. Cheese output remains heavy with ample stocks available. Domestic sales from both retail and food service are helping to clear inventories. 

Export demand is good with sales aided by Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) but a strong dollar is hindering some sales. Quota imports of cheese for January-May 2012 totaled 62.4 million pounds, down 3.8 percent from 2011.

CWT accepted four requests for export assistance this week to sell 2.65 million pounds of cheese and 220,462 pounds of butter to customers in Asia and the Middle East. The product will be delivered through December and raised CWT’s 2012 cheese exports to 64.1 million pounds plus 45.2 million pounds of butter and anhydrous milk fat to 32 countries.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Lee Mielke may write to him in care of this publication.