03/11/08 Record dairy exports

The numbers are in and US dairy exports set another record in 2007. National Dairy Board chairman Less Hardesty of Colorado is amazed at the growth. HARDESTY "The numbers are just astounding. Over three billion dollars of dairy exports that went somewhere else other than the United States. Over three billion dollars, it's just fantastic that we can export that much of our US dairy products to our consumers around the world. " Hardesty serves as a board member for the US Dairy Export Council which gets part of its funding from the dairy producer checkoff dollars. HARDESTY "And it just really does make me proud that our checkoff has gone that extra mile to make sure that as a dairy producer and a funder of our checkoff, that we have a market for our growth in production here in the United States." With dramatic gains in nearly every dairy product category from milk power to whey, lactose and cheese, Hardesty says the US dairy marketplace has clearly gone global. HARDESTY "Exports; I don't think that they're just an opportunity anymore. I think they're a critical factor in driving the dairy industry here in the United States." US DEC says that Mexico and Southeast Asia are the leading export markets for US dairy products. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott