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Farm News: Dairy Decisions - Paying OffcommentsPosted: 09.24.2010 Wisconsin Dairy cooperatives may have dodged a bullet a few years ago - thanks to critical commitment to growing the dairy industry.
Bill Oemichen, president and CEO of Cooperative Network, says as dairy leaders gather at World Dairy Expo next week, they need to remember history. “It wasn’t long ago dairy cooperatives across Wisconsin were worried that soon there would not be enough milk to keep Wisconsin’s award-winning cheese plants open," Oemichen says. "It was predicted that California would overtake Wisconsin in total cheese production.” Oemichen says, thanks to decisive action by cooperative and industry leaders - a plan to reverse the downward trend in dairy and cheese production in Wisconsin was launched. Oemichen points to the Dairy Investment Tax Credit which has helped dairy producers modernize their operations with more than $500 million. Wisconsin’s Livestock Siting law has given 60 dairy farms a roadmap to navigate the permitting process to expand their operations. The Dairy Manufacturing Facility Investment Tax Credit has helped both cooperative and proprietary cheese plants modernize and expand.
“Cooperative and dairy industry leaders grabbed the bull by the horns and set a course to revive Wisconsin’s $26.5 billion dairy industry,” said Oemichen.
According to a National Agricultural Statistics Service 2009 study:
· Wisconsin’s 1.26 million milk cows produced 25.2 billion pounds of milk in 2009. This represents a 3-percent increase from 2008 and is a new record for Wisconsin.
· Statewide, milk per cow averaged 20,079 pounds, 533 pounds more than a year earlier.
· Wisconsin maintained its position as the nation’s top cheese-producing state, with 26 percent of the nation’s total.
· At 477 million pounds, specialty cheese accounted for 18 percent of Wisconsin’s total cheese production. This was an increase of 40 million pounds over 2008.
“Cooperatives market more than 80 percent of the milk produced in Wisconsin and make 60 percent of the cheese,” said Oemichen.
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