Last week, the Subcommittee on Deparment Operations, Oversight, Dairy, Nutrition, and Forestry met at Winona, Minnesota to discuss the Upper Midwest Dairy industry. Chairman Gil Gutknecht, commenting on the changes in the industry, noted that “… producers are mindful of these changes, prepared to face the challenges before them, and are open to the idea of modernized policies that will help them succeed.” Witness included Ag Marketing Service Administrator Lloyd Day, Upper Midwest Milk Marketing Area Administrator Paul Kyburz, Dr. Bob Cropp from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a number of leaders from the region’s dairy organizations and cooperatives.

90 individuals attended the forum, which was the third this year convened to gather feedback from producers in preparation for the 2007 farm bill.