The Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) cooperative conducted its annual meeting in Kansas City in late March. The meeting focused on reimagining the future for its dairy members. DFA has more than 14,000 dairy farmer member-owners on nearly 8,500 farms in 48 states. The cooperative directed the marketing of 62 million pounds of milk in 2015 from members and non-members representing around thirty percent of U.S. milk production.
Source: Hoard’s Dairyman, April 25, 2016, page 267. (direct link unavailable)
Randy Mooney, dairyman and DFA chairman shared 2015 growth factors including acquiring all assets of DairiConcepts, breaking ground on a new ingredients plant in Garden City, KS and the launch of an original dairy product with fruit juice, Live Real Farms Energy Drink. A joint venture with Denmark-based Arla Foods to develop and produce premium cheddar cheese was a highlight of the 2016 business development announcements.
INSIGHTS: DFA dairy operations use cooperative resources to create progressive outlets for their milk production. Dairy veterinarians are critical on these farms as many of them are medium-size, family owned and operated.