The U.S. dairy industry is on the brink of a major shift as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposes sweeping changes to its Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMO), the system responsible for setting minimum milk prices paid to farmers. 

These proposed changes, the most significant in decades, have sent ripples through the dairy landscape with potential implications for producers, processors and consumers across the supply chain. 

At the heart of the issue lies the growing disconnect between the current FMMO system and the economic realities of milk production and processing, explained Charles Nicholson, associate professor in the...