55,000 producers, one voice

Over the years while Jeanne and John Rohl have farmed on their 100-cow dairy, Rohling Acres Farm, near Prescott, Wis., they have driven older cars, been through many harvests with used farm machinery and made limited upgrades to their facilities.

“We’ve sacrificed because of low milk prices,” said Jeanne, who along with her husband, John, is in the process of transitioning Rohling Acres Farm to their son and daughter-in-law, John Jr. and Mackenzie. “Other dairy farmers have sacrificed, too. We’re all in the same boat.”

The Rohls hope the answer to turning around the dairy economy is by becoming a member of the National Dairy Producers Organization, which formed this year. One mission of the organization is to change the milk price paid to dairy producers. 

“There’s got to be room to pay us (dairy producers) a fair price at the farm gate,” Jeanne Rohl said. “It is serious what is happening out here in the dairy industry. The milk price is too low. Why can’t we (dairy producers) have a profit?”

The organization believes the only way to change the situation in the dairy economy is for dairy producers across the country to speak with one voice. Another mission of the organization is to gain membership from nearly every dairy producer in the U.S. – about 55,000. 

“I won’t sugar coat it. Our goal is to raise the price of milk and we have to do it by working together. But we have to get most dairy farmers as members or it won’t go,” said Paul Rozwadowski, a dairy producer milking 60 cows from Stanley, Wis., and vice chair of the organization.

One reason the organization has surged forward with its efforts is because legislators have commented on the lack of unison of dairy producers in the United States.

“A congressman once asked me, ‘Why don’t dairy producers speak more for themselves?’ The goal is to have producers speak for themselves rather than have others speak for us,” said Doug Maddox, who is a part of the organizing committee and farms on two sites in California, milking 4,700 cows. “We think the only chance we have to get a fair price for our product is to put enough producers together to speak with a common voice.” 

The organization is informing dairy producers about its missions through four daily conference calls and by establishing state delegates who reach out to other dairy producers in their area. 

Each dairy producer member pays $80 to be a part of the organization and to have voting abilities. Others within the dairy industry may also join, however, these associate members do not have voting rights within the organization. 

“There is a reason for keeping [the membership dues] low. We wanted to make it affordable for dairy farmers,” Maddox said. 

The money will be used to keep the organization running, once it establishes more concrete details of forming staff, lobbyists or additional communication methods, Rozwadowski said. 

The organization came together during the summer of 2010 when a few dairy producers and industry people began talking at a conference about the low milk prices. They decided an organization had to be formed and had the first official meeting for the National Dairy Producers Organization during the first few days of World Dairy Expo. 

On Nov. 12, the organization chose four people for its executive board. In addition to Rozwadowski as vice chair, Bill Rowell from Highgate, Vt., was chosen as chair, Gary Genske from Costa Mesa, Calif., as treasurer, and Anthony Loken from Rollingstone, Minn., as secretary. There are eight other organizing committee members. 

Within the next two months Rozwadowski said the executive board and organizing committee will work to put together ideas of how to implement change in the dairy economy, focusing on establishing a fair milk price for dairy producers. 

“We hope to have an impact on the 2012 Farm bill,” Maddox said. 

But Maddox isn’t only referring to the leadership.

“The decisions that are made will be made by the voting members – the dairy farmer members. Dairy farmers will be the ones that will tell the organizing committee what direction to take,” Rozwadowski said. 

Although the organizing committee realizes there will differences in opinions – especially because dairy farming differs from region to region in the U.S. – they are ready to work together on a solution.

“We’ve already seen differences on our organizing board so it gives us a chance to talk about it and see how we can work together. We have people who all farm differently, but the one thing that remains constant is that the price of milk is too low and has been for many years,” Rozwadowski said. 

Rohl is hoping that will change because of this national organization.

“There’s always been this push to try to keep all of the dairy farmers fighting with each other. We need to stop it. Work together in this organization and make a change,” she said. “We owe it to future generations to fight for this land and this way of life. If we don’t do it, who will? We need to save these farms and it should be the number one reason we’re fighting for this stuff.”

Rohl doesn’t want to see future generations of her family sacrifice like she did because of low milk prices.