Interest from dairy farmers in Cooperatives Working Together’s seventh herd retirement round is high, and farmers who are members of CWT have two weeks left during which to submit their bids, CWT said Thursday.
Detailed information can be found online, including bid forms, the interactive bid calculator to help estimate a farmer’s bid, and answers to frequently-asked questions. All bids must be postmarked by Friday, May 1st, in order to be considered. For more information, call 888-Info-CWT (888-463-6298).
“More than 1,600 people have used the online bid calculator to help them consider how much to bid in this round,” said Jim Tillison, Chief Operating Officer of CWT.
Tillison said an analysis of web traffic on CWT’s site indicates that the majority of the visits are coming from major dairy states, led by California, and including Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York and Texas.
“We know the pain of low milk prices combined with high production costs is a national phenomenon, and we are expecting a significant number of bids from across the country,” he noted. All bids must be postmarked by Friday, May 1st. A review of all the bids will occur in the third week of May, and audits of successful bidders’ farms will start in the following week, Tillison said.
All bidders will be notified whether or not their bid has been accepted no later than June 19, 2009.
All dairy producers submitting bids to sell their herds must be members of CWT effective January 2009, either through their membership in a fully participating cooperative, or as an independent member of CWT.