Here’s another story about dairymen and allied industries coming together to discuss the current milk market, and their concerns about it. Farmers in Ohio met to discuss the market effects of imports, marketing organizations and supply and demand, while a panel of experts spanning California to New York presented their plan for a new system of marketing milk.
Past U.S. Holstein Association President Doug Maddox said the fallout in dairy prices goes deeper than the current generation. He farms in California, where he operates RuAnn Dairy, one of the world’s largest registered dairy farms.
“This crisis that we’re in right now and how we solve it is as much about who and what controls our future, and our dairy industry, as it is about the prices and the current situation,” Maddox said. “Either the dairy farmers are going to control the industry and manage our supply and set our prices, or the processors and the large companies.”
Maddox said a dairy farmer is typically losing $3-$4 a day per cow, or $100 per cow per month. Farm equity is being turned into bank loans, and farmers are exiting the industry altogether, by choice or by force, and a few have exited by suicide, he said.
The meeting was organized by Ohio Farmers Union and a host of local sponsors in hopes of gathering more producer perspectives and educating farmers and consumers about the dairy industry.
New York dairy farmer John Bunting discussed the impact to the market of dairy processors and marketing cooperatives, as well as imported milk protein concentrate.
The country imported about 16 million pounds of milk protein concentrates in 2008, according to information Bunting compiled from the U.S. International Trade Commission. That’s up from 2007 imports of 14 million pounds, and 2006 imports of about 12 million pounds.
Milk protein concentrate is the industry term used to describe a form of processed, dried milk used in foods such as processed cheese products, macaroni and cheese, protein bars, nutritional drinks, candy bars and cookies.
Bunting is one of a growing number of dairy farmers who say imports are partly to blame for their struggles.
But not everyone agrees.
Maddox said imports are a factor but the industry is ultimately experiencing woes because of an imbalance of supply and demand.
“You can blame all the other things, but it all gets back to supply and demand; it’s economics 101,” Maddox said.
He is an advocate for the Dairy Price Stabilization program, a newly formed effort to stabilize the market through a mandatory, self-funded growth-control program.
Dairy Markets Week in Review
Vilsack was joined at the event by California Congressman Dennis Cardoza, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan and California Secretary of Agriculture, A. G. Kawamura. Together they listened to the concerns of nearly 400 frustrated dairy producers imploring for help to stem the losses that threaten their livelihood.
Here is our next installment in a series of online Dairy Producer Short Courses from our sponsor, 
Enthusiastic producers and herds people from across Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa are invited to the Young Producers (YP) Summit – ‘Innovate, Integrate, Motivate,’ to be held December 5-6, 2009, at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Tomah, Wis. The YP Summit is part of the 
The 2009 
Congratulations to Elizabeth Olson, Hutchinson, Minn. for her new title as the 56th Princess Kay of the Milky Way. Elizabeth was crowned in an evening ceremony at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on August 26. This marks the first time two people have been named Princess Kay from the same family; Olson’s sister Sarah was crowned Princess Kay in 2002. Her other sister, Lana, was a finalist in 2005.
Twelve county dairy princesses competed for the Princess Kay of the Milky Way title. Sarah Brauen of Foley, representing Benton County, and Emily Lahr of Sauk Centre, representing Stearns County, were selected as runners-up. Jessica Oelfke of Hamburg, representing Sibley County, was named Miss Congeniality. Scholarships were awarded to Olson, Brauen and Lahr.
This edition of the Milking Parlor podcast focuses on what is being done on the national level to address the current dairy industry crisis. From congressional actions to USDA to the dairy industry itself, we hear from Congressman John Boccieri, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, University of Wisconsin Ag Economist Dr. Bruce Jones and National Milk Producers Federation president Jerry Kozak.