11/03/05 Idaho dairymen wrap up annual meeting

The Idaho Dairymen's Association just ended three days of meetings in Boise with a big turnout, a dairy expo and 90 participating booths. They certainly had plenty to talk about including the fact that Idaho is now fourth in the nation in milk production, passing Pennsylvania and closing in on number three New York. But with that growth have come issues that dairy producers are dealing with daily. Bill Stouder is a Magic Valley dairymen and on the National Dairy Board. STOUDER "We have to have cooperative sprits rather than combative spirits in dealing with them. There's more than one perspective and we need to address them and we need to address them positively." Stouder says that's the message that he got from Jolene Brown, an Iowa farmer and motivational speaker. She says Idaho dairymen understood 'that normal doesn't live here anymore.' BROWN "The way you have done it is great. Build on the best of the past but the way you'll be doing it tomorrow is not going to be the same. Now does that mean the cow will change overnight, the way it's delivered will change overnight? No. But both will change in a period of time and that to be open to the trends and to know to be extremely flexible is important." Brown told the Idaho dairy owners not to sell a commodity, but to think of selling time, health, youth, safety and experience. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott