2023-2024 NCDPA Report Card

·   The NC General Assembly created a new agricultural processing initiative primarily intended to attract new dairy processing to the state or to expand existing dairy processing facilities. This new economic development program was seeded with $20 million. To date, $12.4 million has been awarded, of which, $3.3 million has gone to dairy processing applicants.

·   As part of that new economic development initiative, the legislature appropriated $500,000 to “engage independent experts to identify and assess opportunities to increase value-added processing of commodities produced in the State.” Lawmakers specified in the bill that the dairy industry should receive $100,000 of that money (leaving the remaining $400,000 for all other commodity groups combined).

·   During the first phase of the revision of the state general permit, NCDEQ held two invite-only stakeholder meetings. In previous permit cycles, even though invitations were extended to multiple representatives of environmental groups like the Waterkeepers and the Southern Environmental Law Center, the dairy industry had not been invited to participate. But this time, the dairy industry was able to send several representatives to those meetings.

·   A new provision in the draft state general permit that would have prohibited a dairy producer from dumping waste milk into the manure management system was identified. This was an unintended consequence of a newly proposed provision, not realized by NCDEQ staff but because we had someone looking out for our interests, it was quickly flagged for correction by NCDEQ.

·   During the public hearings held on the NCDEQ draft state general permit, dairy producers were in attendance and well-represented. NCDPA was able to ensure that there were individuals present to testify at those public hearings. Talking points or full comments were drafted for those testifying. NCDPA also submitted formal written comments on the draft permit.

·   Due to concerns about unresolved litigation on the 2019 state general permit, NCDEQ decided they would not issue the updated general permit that was to take effect on Oct, 1, 2024. While the existing permit would have remained in effect and provided continued coverage for most farms, because of a nuance in the law requiring that permittees apply for coverage under a new general permit at least 180 days before the effective date, 25% of permitted dairy farms would have been left without any permit coverage, thus vulnerable to both lawsuits from activists and penalties from regulators. NCDPA was able to quickly get legislation passed to extend the 2019 permit for 2 more years, thus protecting those operations who would have been left without coverage.

·   NCDPA successfully stopped legislation that would have taken away the agricultural exemption to buffer requirements on some NC rivers, despite several attempts by environmental groups to pass such a measure.

·   When highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was discovered in a NC dairy herd, NCDPA served as a central point of contact for the dairy industry, bringing producers and industry partners together for numerous virtual meetings with our state vet’s office to provide accurate, timely information. NCDPA also represented the dairy industry in meetings with USDA, FDA, and NCDA&CS to ensure that government communications did not negatively impact dairy consumption and to ensure that the federal government did not gain unnecessary access to our dairy facilities.

·   In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, NCDPA assisted in outreach efforts to affected producers to identify critical and long-term needs. Our lobbyist is currently working to ensure that the disaster relief package that will be passed by the state legislature in mid-November will include assistance to those dairy farms that were affected.

·   In late October when USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack had a small, closed-door meeting with western NC agricultural producers, our lobbyist made sure that the dairy industry was well-represented by securing not one, but two seats at the table, so Sec. Vilsack could hear first-hand from a dairy farmer who lost everything in the storm.

·   Based on research conducted at NCSU, with funding from NCDPA and NCCA, NCDPA has begun work with the state vet’s office and NCDEQ to draft legislation that will change regulations to allow composting of mortality.