8-24 FB Angry Dairies

 An almost urgent letter from angry Idaho dairymen. What’s going on in the industry? I’m David Sparks and we’ll talk about it next. I received a copy of a letter from the Idaho Dairymen’s Association and it led off with the following excerpt: “The current government dairy polices have failed in providing the safety net; the outcome has been devastating to dairy producers,  allied industries and our rural communities that rely on a health robust dairy industry. How should the future polices be structured to protect the dairy industry and others that are dependent on it? Please join us at an informational meeting that brings individuals to you who will have an impact on those polices. Those individuals are: Idaho Governor Butch Otter, Jerry Kozak, President and CEO National Milk Producers Federation, Charlie Garrison, President of the Garrison Group, a Washington DC based Lobbying firm, Patty Stroup, Group Leader Dairy, USA Nestles and Rob Aukerman, President U.S. Operations, Elanco Animal Health.

 So a big meeting about what? Here’s Idaho Dairymen’s Association Executive Director, Bob Naerebout. “The meeting that’s gonna be held is obviously prompted by the devastating prices we’ve had for the last 22 months in the dairy industry. And not only those prices, but the ripple effect that a depressed dairy economy has on the rest of rural Idaho.