Officers Elected

As of Friday, November 12, 2010 the officers of the National Dairy Producers Organization were nominated and elected into office.  Various organizing committee members nominated individuals and then they voted for who they wanted in that particular office.

Chair: Bill Rowell, VT
Vice-Chair: Paul Rozwadowski, WI
Treasurer: Gary Genske, CA
Secretary: Anthony Loken, MN

Please see their bios and pictures at http://www.nationaldairyproducers.org/ under the Board of Directors page.

Shorty sums it up

We got an email from Shorty Miller today out of Texas, and she can sum it all up in a few short words.

Reasons to join...look at the CME prices. Here we go again.

Voting

We would love for you to vote in the poll that is located in the left column on this blog.  Please leave a comment on this post as to why you voted the way you did.  If you voted YES, great!  Tell us why you support our efforts and why you think others should join.  If you voted NO, please tell us why you don't support our efforts and what we can do different to help you change your mind.  If you voted NOT SURE, please tell us your concerns and ask your questions so we can help you understand.

Phone calls are great too.  Please call us at 800-364-4894, we would love to talk to each and every one of you!

Jeanne Rohl-Wisconsin Advocate

Jeanne has been a top notch advocate for the National Dairy Producers Organization over the past few months, and boy does she know how to stand up for what she believes in.  She is a 'friend' of the National Dairy Producers Organzition on Facebook and I have posted a response of hers below. 

Why not, there is not too many of us left and we better start working together with all the other farmers we can to get control of this thing or you might not have 80 bucks to buy toilet paper. Besides I bet you spent 80 bucks on something far more ludicris. For the first time in history when there are people who would work with us we just shoot them down. We really need to get over this behavior as it is what got us here in the first place. Pitting us against each other!

Here in the midwest we have always played the "bad other farmers" card. Those bad New York dairy farmers and their compacts, those bad California farmers and their low costs of production, and of course poor us having to be only 60 miles from Eau Claire WI, so we REALLY got the shaft. In the June 2010 issue of Agribusiness Dairyman, Doug Maddox a longtime California dairy producer says, (and I thought this was the most revealing to me) "Not one time in 50 years of talking 'management' did we EVER talk about PRICE! How to make more milk. All I wanted to do is breed better cows and make more milk and that is what we've done!" You know why? Because we(all of us dairy producers) were convinced that we were the best. We have the best cows, the best tests, we are the most efficient. We will survive when all the rest are forced out. Well, now it is us. Every bleepin one of us.

It doesn't matter if we milk 20 cows or 20,000 cows we have to have a fair price at the farm gate. Big shots or little shots, we have to make a profit. I have worked with every major farm organization in the US over the last 40 years. Holding leadership positions and working my tail off trying to figure out why farmers will not fight for the best way of life, ever. During that time there were very few agribusinesses that would get behind us. Now they are because SCHOCK!!! They are going to go under too if they don't work with us. Why is that such a bad thing?

Why are we not holding our processors and co-ops and government to the same scrutiny as god forbid an "advertising agency" that is actually putting their money and their time where OUR mouths should be! Crap, if farmers would do it, we wouldn't have to rely on outside help.  My experience has been farmers just do a lot of whining and blaming and very little acting on their own behalf.  Time to get on board! You can always write the 80 bucks off.

Isn't she amazing?!?!?

Please join our Facebook page.  Go to http://www.nationaldairyproducers.org/ and click the link on the home page.

Thanks 'Grandma' Jeanne for all the work you are doing.  We need 50,000 more people just like you!! 

Top 10 Reasons

We are always asking producers for their reasons why it is crucial to join the National Dairy Producers Organization.  Here are the responses so far...

·         The national milk pricing policy must be fixed now.

·         We want to be part of a dairy producer group speaking with one voice nationwide.

·         It’s important to sustain the U.S. dairy industry.

·         As dairy farmers, we must demand an equitable partnership between producer, co-op/processor and retailer where all three parties are profitable.

·         We want our children to have the opportunity to join our family dairy.

·         Dairy farmers deserve to be profitable.

·         It’s time we dairy farmers take control of our future.

·         This organization represents dairymen serving dairymen with the goal of securing a fair price for our product.

·         Why not? All we have to lose is $80. What we have to gain is so much more!

Lad and Brenda Hastings, Ohio

• To gain the trust of the public and our vendors, through our commitment to the future of dairy farming in this country.
• To influence political decisions on behalf of the dairy industry that reflect fairness and profitability for producers, processors and retailers.
• To professionally present and defend U.S. dairy farmers and their contribution to the national economy.
• To gain respect and understanding from the USDA, by demonstrating that dairy farmers are educated and have the resources to present and defend the right to receiving their fair share of earnings.
• To stop the attrition of future dairy farmers because of unfair dairy policy that has depleted hard -earned equity and forced many dairy farmers from their livelihood, land and home.
• To make sure that the consumer public understands our intent to make a fair living and that we are dedicated to producing a wholesome, safe product at a fair price.
• To make sure that our promotion check-off dollars are properly used to promote milk as nature’s most perfect food.
• To prove to the public and ourselves that dairy farmers can work together and be successful.
• We have no choice but to ban together in numbers or we will be taken over like the swine and poultry growers.  We will no longer be independent dairy farmers but share croppers at the mercy of the processors and the retail industry.

Loren and Linda Lopes

·        Failure of current dairy organizations to protect my capital investment in dairy agriculture.

·        Failure of current organizations to include members in policy-making decisions.

·        Failure to hire qualified personnel  to administer trade associations.

·        Failure of current board members to lead.

·        Failure to take the initiative to be confrontational, and question price and price discovery issues.

·        Failure of staff to take the stance of a tough combatant for dairy farmers when policy discussions are being aired at hearings.

·        Failure of current staff members to develop unbiased focus groups to discuss new issues and policies that are being discussed at the national and state levels.

·        Failure to monitor unfair milk products that have entered our country at a severely discounted price, such as MPC.

Walt Kessler

Really there is only one reason that I feel it is important for us to move forward.  We have nothing to lose but more money and equity.  We have only one agenda, to get this industry back to profitability.  If we can get support from a majority of producers we have the best shot at making this a reality because we don’t have years of baggage, special interests groups that we owe favors to and nothing to hide.  With a little luck, a whole bunch of effort, and most importantly the support of producers, we can get this off the ground and running.  Producers need a fair price for their efforts of producing high quality milk and they deserve it.  They should sign up for National Dairy Producers Organization to give us a shot at alleviating milk prices that do not justify the value of our time and effort.  Just remember that we have nothing to lose. We can, and will succeed with all producers supporting the cause to sell milk for a profit, not a margin!

Pete DeHaan

The need for more money to pay for the “dirty five:” depreciation, interest, repairs, taxes and insurance.  We dairy farmers are using or living off of our depreciation, not replacing our equipment and other necessary needs.    We are not earning interest on money in the bank but paying interest, leaving us with no money for retirement.  We are allowed minimal repairs, only fixing what absolutely needs to be fixed. Our taxes  are  behind on real estate by two years.  We don’t have insurance on our buildings, cattle or equipment.  No other industry in the free world is forced to operate under these mandates. The U.S. DAIRY INDUSTRY NEEDS TO HAVE A STRONG VOICE TO RECEIVE a FAIR PRICE.

Tom Monteith

There are a lot of farmers out there in the same desperate situation.  We need to join together and have one voice and be taken seriously.  A few farmers whining about their problems will not be taken seriously or solve any problems.  A united front on this issue will finally give us the voice and influence we need to accomplish something. Simply put, you can't help those who won't help themselves. So it's time to stop whining about the situation and do something about it..

MacKenze Rohl

·        Depending on the government is a joke.

·        The current organizations are entirely too top-heavy, with paid staff that haven't experienced the losses that dairymen have.

·        The time to act is NOW.

·        We all agree that the current system doesn't work. Only we can change things quickly.

Ron Koetsier

Please send us your reasons why you have joined.  If you haven't joined, are there any questions that we can answer for you?  Email info@nationaldairyproducers.org for more information or to send us your reasons.  You can also call 800-364-4894.  Feel free to leave comments for everyone else to see as well.

Thanks.