06/05/07 Milk processing plant, part two

High Desert Milk Inc broke ground in Burley yesterday for their new multi-million dollar processing plant that will eventually take two million plus pounds of milk per day and turn it into non-fat dry milk. High Desert's general manager Karl Nelson says the six families who make up the dairy cooperative are Burley-Oakley high school graduates who want to go from the cow to consumer while helping the local economy. NELSON "This money is not coming from back east, from South America, China, India. Its Idaho local people and they are saying we have made money in the dairy business and now we'd like to invest that money to make Burley a better community and to bring value to the economy of Cassia County. Nelson says the Idaho dairy industry is nearly maxed out with processing capacity. NELSON "Now with this plant, others that will be announced this gives all dairymen a greater opportunity to know that they are going to have a place to process their milk." In addition to milk processing High Desert has three other divisions; organic milk production, milk marketing and a pharmaceutical supplies. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott