06/19/07 Celebrating Dairy

Celebrating Dairy. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. June is National Dairy Month, a time for the dairy industry to promote itself and the need for dairy products as a part of a good nutritional diet. Stephanie Meyers with the Dairy Farmers of America says Dairy Month is a time to celebrate. MEYERS: Well it is June Dairy Month and it really is an exciting time in the dairy industry because this is the month where we want to pay tribute to America's dairy farmers. They're a group of people who work hard every day to provide high quality, great tasting dairy products. Dairy Farmers of America plays a key role in the dairy industry according to Meyers. MEYERS: Dairy Farmers of America is a member owned dairy cooperative. We serve about 20-thousand dairy farmers across the United States and our goal is to market their milk efficiently for them and to serve their needs. Recently an icon of the dairy industry passed a milestone and has received a great deal of press. MEYERS: It's Borden's 150th anniversary and Borden was inducted into the Smithsonian Institute a few weeks ago and we donated lots of Elsie memorabilia to the American History Museum and so that's an exciting time in the dairy industry, especially to celebrate it during June Dairy Month. Of course you can't talk about dairy without asking about the high prices at the local grocery. Meyers says there are a number of factors for those prices. MEYERS: Supply and demand is what determines milk prices and it's a very cyclical type of commodity and right now demand is high both domestically and internationally and because demand is high and dairy farmers are trying to keep up with that demand, that's what's turning into high milk prices right now. All commodity prices are high right now and that really starts with some of the inputs such as corn. But she says that dairy does play an important role in our nutrition. MEYERS: Dairy products are the best source of calcium and it's important that everyone gets their calcium as well as all the other vitamins and nutrients that are in milk and dairy products. For more information on the Dairy Farmers or Borden's 150th anniversary visit their web site at dfamilk.com That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.