'Conclave' Planned to Heal Fractured Dairy Industry

November 3, 1999

The National Milk Producers Federation will begin a process early next year designed to develop consensus among dairy producers who have been divided sharply over policy and economic issues. "We have too little political capital left to squander it on endless debates among producers," says NMPF CEO Jerry Kozak.

Kozak's comments came during a speech to the NMPF membership at the organization's annula meeting in Nashville, TN. "We can't continue to let politicians serve as our soldiers by proxy in the debate over dairy policy," Kozak said. "We can't continue to engage in a circular firing squad."

A conclave would be "more than just a feel-good exercise," he continued. It would be "a methodical, deliberate series of meetings to bring all producer organizations to the table to reach a consensus...even those producer organizations that don't belong to the federation." It would involve national farm organizations and ultimately include discussions with dairy processors.

Starting early next year, meetings will be held to determine the exact nature of the issues to be discussed at subsequent gatherings. But the primary focus will be on moving beyond the economic issues that produced an extended congressional and judicial battle this year.

Kozak views the recent consolidation wave among dairy cooperatives as a sign that everyone involved in dairy production, processing and marketing must attempt to take less adversarial positions than have been used in the past.

Two major issues that have divided dairy producers this year are which milk pricing system will be used in federal milk marketing order reform and whether the Northeast Dairy Compact should continue to exist and another, much broader compact be established throughout the South.