DAIRY PRODUCERS

National Dairy Producers Organization is almost thru the legal hoops to become a 503C nonprofit. Membership drive is going on nationwide. We invite any producer to get in on one or all of the weekday conference calls. They are at 11am 4 pm and 7 pm central weekdays, at present. Soon we will be having state by state calls too. Number 507-726-4200 access code is 175993# Maybe you can call in and give a reason not be become involved? There is $100 challange if you can argue your point and make it "hold water".

As a producer you know you been getting kicked in the teeth the last few yrs and really making it hurt the last two. Is it about time to jump up and take a few swings? Who has the milk? Who needs it? Why do we give it away at less than true cost of production? We need cost plus a profit. Is that how business works? Powers in present charge know just how to work you to get your product at cost or below. Why do we allow it? We are not organized and they sure hope we don't get that way and upset the apple cart. CWT. Exports? What good are they for producers if we don't get a profit. Join and get your fellow dairymen involved. Why settle for 16? Does not 22 by Christmas sound better? Weneed state leaders and delegates.

Good luck! I spent a lot of years as president of the Dairyland Local of Michigan Milk Producers and even more on the State Resolutions Committee asking and listening to others ask those same questions. There wasn't an easy answer to supply and demand management back then and there isn't now either. The whole thing sounds like something being stirred up by NFO to me. But again,good luck.

Is there not more milk being produced than there is a market for?

Good luck... you're really going to need that, and then some given past history in the US dairy industry. There's going to be a truckload of crow swallowed before you succeed.

Rod

The milk surplus is one of the biggest lies going. I have friends from New York City and they tell me if they want milk they have to get to the store early because they run out. But yet trailer load after trailer load of milk is diverted to powder plants, a product with a very limited market except the government, and shows up as "surplus". Obviously its profitable for the processors or they wouldn't be doing it. If there were truly a surplus the processors would be pushing for a quota system.

Sorry Rod, this was meant as a reply to mjbrown.

He's got a point tho...
I'm not saying your friends are wrong. That may be a local thing or just plain poor management or who knows what... but I can't see any dairy putting milk into powder when they could sell it as fluid. Powder is a product of last resort for anyone and everyone. More than anything it's just a byproduct after they've taken the fat for other uses...
The price swings are no doubt a reflection of too much supply at points in time followed by corrections that result from lack of supply.

Getting some kind of system in place will require all producers to abide by quota's... and that's no doubt going to require federal law to get some to abide by the quota...

Rod

20 years ago a friend of mine told me that his daughter living in NYC had to buy milk early in the day because the stores ran out of fluid milk.

My Dad was the President of a small dairy coop in Southwest MO in the late 50"s early 60"s. NFO came in a got board members elected and then proceeded to bankrupt it.

I'd say that's a problem with the company that supplies the store, not a lack of milk...

Rod

I don't doubt it a bit. They have great aspirations,but no grounding in common sense or the real world. They did the same thing with the local elevator. They bought it and ran it into the ground and closed it down. They're just a bunch of radicals.

I assume you meant "501c3", not 503c.

Help me to understand: A 501(c)3 is a non-profit organization that (by IRS definition) spends most of its resources on non-political activities. You seem to be in favor of greater political activity by your organization, yet non-profit status will restrict its ability to engage in politics.

From the IRS web site:

"...it may not be an action organization, i.e., it may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate in any campaign activity for or against political candidates."
IRS 501c3 charitable organizations