In response to erroneous reports in the news and (mostly) on social media, the National Pork Producers Council is reminding pork producers and consumers that federal meat inspectors are working in meat packing plants despite the government shutdown. NPPC and other livestock groups a year ago urged Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to deem as essential USDA Food Safety and Inspection … Read More
Trade Agreement Encourages Edge Dairy Cooperative
The new trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico (USMCA) has generated a lot of discussion at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin this week since it holds lots of promise for the industry to increased exports. John Holevoet, director of government affairs for Edge Dairy Cooperative and the Dairy Business Association, says the main change is … Read More
Grassroots Initiatives Promoted at World Dairy Expo
Two Wisconsin-based dairy industry nonprofits, the Dairy Business Association (DBA) and the Dairy Business Milk Marketing Cooperative (DBMMC), were on hand during the 2016 World Dairy Expo to promote several grassroots initiatives the organizations have launched in the past few years. Lauren Brey, Director of Marketing and Research for DBMMC, sat down for an interview during this year’s expo. She … Read More
Food Dialogues Paved Way For DSSA
Yesterday marked the official launch of the Dairy Strong Sustainability Alliance (DSSA), a collaborative group of dairy industry professionals that seeks to foster continuous improvement in the sustainability of the dairy community with a panel of DSSA collaborators, including Dairy Business Association (DBA) Executive Director Tim Trotter. The idea to establish DSSA was first born out of DBA’s Dairy Strong … Read More
DBA Launches Dairy Strong Sustainability Alliance
A diverse group of partners came together this afternoon at Endres Berryridge Farm in Waunakee, Wisconsin for the official launch of the Dairy Strong Sustainability Alliance (DSSA), a collaborative sustainability campaign featuring representatives from every facet of the dairy community, including farmers, processors, retailers, government agencies, universities, and dairy and trade non-profits. The alliance seeks to engage individuals from across … Read More
Wisconsin Dairy Industry Pushes Immigration Reform
Earlier this week, a coalition of Wisconsin business and community leaders came together in Madison for the launch of the “Reason for Reform” campaign, highlighting the need for immigration reform and presenting data about the significant contributions immigrants make to the state’s economy. The event was hosted by the Partnership for a New American Economy (NAE) and the Latino Chamber … Read More
WI Dairy Farmers Question Trump On #FarmLabor
Many Presidential candidates are spending a significant amount of time in Wisconsin this week in anticipation of the state’s presidential primary next week, including Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, and the Wisconsin dairy community used the many political events as an opportunity to help the candidate understand the incredibly important role that immigrant labor plays in the Wisconsin agricultural sector … Read More
DBA Names New Industry Relations Director
The Dairy Business Association (DBA) has hired Maria Woldt, a communications consultant with deep roots in agriculture, for the organization’s new Director of Industry Relations. Woldt will oversee initiatives that work to enhance DBA’s engagement with corporate partners, agriculture groups and community organizations. “Collaboration is so important to what we do and what we will need to do going forward … Read More
Former Buzzfeed VP Talks Ag Marketing
The 2016 Dairy Strong conference featured a variety of exceptional keynote presentations, with many presenters coming from outside of the agriculture sector, but few would argue that any of them made as strong of an impact as Jonathan Perelman’s. Perelman is the Head the Digital Ventures at ICM Partners, the former Vice President of Motion Pictures at Buzzfeed, the former … Read More
Big Business Plays Valuable Role in Sustainability
The latest Food Dialogues discussion panel held by the United States Farmers and Rancher’s Alliance (USFRA) kept the discussion focused on sustainability, a controversial concept that panelist Steve Peterson has built his career around. Peterson is the former Director of Sourcing Sustainability at General Mills, with 28 years of experience in the company, and a lifelong farmer. He operates a … Read More