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2007 Executive Directors Report
My Executive Director’s report this year is designed to share my views of how our association- The Wisconsin Dairy Products Assn.- conducts itself in this great dairy industry. The Wisconsin Dairy Products Assn. was created 35 years ago when the Wisconsin Creameries Assn. and Wisconsin Dairy Foods Assn. merged together. The majority of the companies that were charter members of WDPA are still members today, companies like: Grassland Dairy, Foremost Farms USA, Madison Dairy Produce, Land O’Lakes, AMPI, Cedar Crest Ice Cream, Dean Foods, Galloway Co., Graf Creamery, Kraft Foods and Kemps.
We are very proud of the fact that we are the only state/regional dairy assn. that represents all segments of the dairy industry. We represent the proprietary and cooperative dairy plants that manufacture a full-range of dairy products. And I realize that many times the perception of WDPA is that we represent the “big boys”. Yes, 4 of the 6 largest dairy companies in the U.S. belong to WDPA. But we also represent mid and smaller size companies, all of whom are equally represented in our association.
I am proud to represent such a solid core of professional companies and individuals. One of the many things I am proud of is how WDPA and our members have always been extremely professional and positive. Positveness – that’s a key attribute of WDPA. We conduct our association activities in a positive, professional manner. Even though our member companies may, at times, be individually facing turbulent times, when we work together as an association, we address issues in a positive way. We lobby in a positive fashion. We don’t spew out negative, gloom and doom type remarks. We don’t rattle off sensationalistic statements. We are positive and business-like. Some examples of this are:
- In the early to mid 90’s, there was a deluge of negative stories on how Wisconsin’s dairy industry was falling apart. The stories focused on farms going out of business, dairy plants failing, etc. Everything was gloom and doom. So what did WDPA do? We started inviting professional, aggressive producers to speak at our annual conventions. We wanted to give them a forum to express their positive views on the future of dairy in WI. Knowing that the media covered our conventions, we wanted to have positive messages being sent out to the public to counteract all the negative stories. WDPA was the first organization that featured these progressive producers. Now, many years later, a number of state and national dairy associations also invite producers to speak at their annual meetings.
- Dairy Fees- every few years, the WI Dept. of Agriculture proposes new increases in the fees to run the Food Safety Program. Usually, when these proposed fee increases are announced, many other groups begin lambasting the Dept. for increasing fees. What has WDPA done each time there is a new fee proposal? We confront this issue professionally and with open-mindedness. We carefully analyze each proposed increase to see if it’s justified. If it is, we will support the increase. If it isn’t, we will oppose it in a solid, measured manner.
- Dairy Plant rules – Whenever DATCP proposes amendments to ATCP 60, 77, 80, 82; WDPA approaches this debate in a positive manner. We meet with the Dept. to discuss these proposals and then we testify at public hearings. We strive to have rules promulgated, which will benefit our diary farms and plants.
These are just some examples of how WDPA represents our members in a positive light. Many times we have worked with regulators and legislators in less-visible ways in order to accomplish our goals, such as gaining approval for:
- Portable freezer cabinets for ice cream novelties.
- Lesser mandates on butter wrappers.
- New regulations on deli cheeses.
- New regulations on Swiss Cheese.
- Lite butter
The list goes on and on. We are also the only state dairy assn. that meets every 2 years with DATCP representatives to review and vote on proposed issues for the biennial National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS). This is extremely important to our members since any changes made to the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance can greatly impact their businesses.
In every one of these debates, WDPA has steadfastly remained positive and professional. That attitude is a direct reflection of the professionalism of each and every one of our members. Since WDPA members conduct their businesses in a positive and professional manner, it’s imperative that WDPA does the same.
This positive attitude has served our assn. well for these past 35 years. Yes, there have been periodic ups and downs for our member companies, as well as for WDPA, through the years. But our positive attitude has always persevered. And now, things are on the upswing for our state’s dairy industry and for the Wisconsin Dairy Products Assn.
Rather than the negative attitude of the 90’s when the morbid themes seemed to be that the last farm or dairy plant remaining in the state should remember to “turn off the lights”, a new optimism is appearing throughout the countryside. Granted, there are fewer farms in WI in 2007 than there were in the early 90’s, but statistics show that the number of farms exciting the industry is slowing. Cow numbers are up and the milk supply is expanding. A majority of the producers who remain are energetic, competitive and progressive.
The latest WI Agricultural Statistics survey bears this out. The latest survey randomly sampled 3,000 dairy farms broken into six herd sizes. The survey found:
- Nearly 75% of WI’s dairy producers plan to be still milking cows in 5 years.
- 50% will maintain their herd size, while 25% of the producers plan to expand their herds. 17% will expand 10-50%, while 6% plan to double their herd size.
- In the last 5 years WI’s producers spent nearly $1 billion in improving their facilities. This figure doesn’t include investments in cattle or land.
In the next 5 years, producers plan on spending an additional $1.07 billion on building and upgrading facilities.
These are all very positive numbers. These numbers show me that this state’s dairy industry- with its great infrastructure, great agricultural lands and now, a new positive attitude- is on the upswing. It appears that WI has weathered the negative storms of the 90’s when our industry was shrinking, and CA had overtaken us in total milk production and everything was gloom and doom. WI was being written off as America’s Dariyland. I believe the future of WI’s dairy industry is brighter than its been for some time. And what has WDPA been doing this entire period? Staying positive.
Going back to the early 90’s when we invited progressive producers to speak at our conventions, and remaining positive in our regulatory affairs, WDPA has stayed its course. As for our association, in particular, things have never been better.
As I stated in my Executive Director’s report last year, there is a new freshness and excitement with Wisconsin Dairy Products Assn. Our membership is steady and solid. Yes, we could always use more new members- every assn. will say that since “strength is in numbers” and the more members you have, the greater your voice is. But, our membership is solid.
We have an annual convention- The Dairy Symposium- that has gained a reputation of featuring outstanding educational programs, highlighted by last year’s blue ribbon panel of speakers.
Our annual golf outing has grown 60% since we moved it to SentryWorld in May. That outing has become very successful.
But our real rising star is our World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest. This contest started in 2003 with 100 entries. Over the past five years, the contest has averaged 40% growth in entries. Last year’s contest had 360 entries, which now makes our contest the 3rd largest dairy contest in the U.S. This is phenomenal growth.
The reason this contest has been so successful is that it’s the only judging contest of its kind in the U.S., since no other national contest includes all dairy products. This contest affords many companies- who never before had a chance to compete in a contest for their particular products- a wonderful opportunity to have their products compete with other similar products from across the U.S. Companies that have won our past contests have leveraged their success into lucrative promotional and marketing opportunities. This contest was created to showcase all dairy products and portray our dairy industry in a positive light. And that is what it is doing. There are billboards, newspaper ads, coupons, press releases sponsored by these winning companies trumpeting their success in the contest. That is all positive for our industry. And our contest will continue to grow and become even more successful.
So, I truly believe that things are looking up and the future is positive for both WDPA and our state’s dairy industry. Sure there will be occasional bumps in the road for both producers and processors, but the overall trend appears to be going up. As we know, this industry is very cyclical and the positives of today can quickly turn into the negatives of tomorrow. But it behooves our assn. to stay positive throughout. It’s our responsibility to stay focused on our goals, remain positive and stay the course. WDPA has always had an excellent reputation for our governmental affairs programs, but its only because we have handled ourselves in a professional and positive manner in both good times and bad.
Before I conclude, I must thank the many people who work tirelessly throughout the year for our assn.:
- Greg Kinate- for his dedication as the 2007 WDPA president. Anyone who knows Greg knows that he epitomizes WDPA’s ideals of being positive and professional.
- Our board of directors who volunteer their time each year to guide our association and keep our focus clear and steady.
- Our committees who meet regularly to coordinate our special events and regulatory programs.
- And our members, who support WDPA through their membership dues and sponsorships.
- And finally, to WDPA’s new administrative assistant- Cari Schroeder- who has done a wonderful job for our assn. since she started last March.
I am extremely proud of our association and all it stands for. We have members who are true professionals. We are a positive and successful organization. It’s rather ironic that when I interviewed for this job 17 years ago, the one thing I said when I was asked to describe myself was that I was a very positive person and always conducted myself in a professional manner in any job I held.
Those two words- positive and professional- still hold true today, not only for myself, but also for our association. And as long as I have the honor of being your executive director, those two words will continue to be the cornerstone of the Wisconsin Dairy Products Assn.
Brad Legreid