Farmers Lose Processor; Lewis County Co-op Fate Uncertain

Check out the story right here http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news03/lewis-county-dairy-co-ops-fate-uncertain-after-loss-of-processor---20150418?utm_source=xz4QCu&utm_medium=redirect&utm_campaign=wdt.me&utm_content=http%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2F#.VTPKOaeSf64.facebook

Farms May Shut Down Due to Milk Glut in NYS

Check out this story at http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/features/top-story/stories/local-dairy-farmers-facing-closure-24546.shtml?wap=0

October is National Cooperative Month

From the USDA:

In recognition of October as National Cooperative Month, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack this week announced that U.S. farmer, rancher and fishery cooperatives set records for sales, income and assets in 2012.

The records were boosted by strong prices for grain, farm supplies and many other agricultural commodities. Sales by agricultural and fishery co-ops of nearly $235 billion surpassed the 2011 record by $18 billion, an 8.3 percent gain. Record net (pre-tax) income of $6.1 billion was up nearly 13 percent over the $5.4 billion recorded in 2011.
USDA's annual survey of the nation's more than 2,200 agricultural and fishery cooperatives shows that grain and oilseed sales by co-ops increased more than $7 billion in 2012. Taken together, bean and pea, fruit and vegetable, nut, poultry and sugar sales by co-ops increased at least 3 percent over 2011 levels.

Farm and ranch supply sales by co-ops were up by $7 billion, primarily due to rising energy prices. Fertilizer, feed and petroleum sales by co-ops each increased by at least $1 billion.
Net assets owned by agricultural co-ops – which range from local grain elevators and farm supply stores to major food and beverage processing plants – also showed a dramatic increase in 2012, rising to $82.9 billion, up 4.4 percent from $79.4 billion in 2011. Owner equity gained $1.8 billion. Equity capital remains low, but is clearly showing an upward trend, with a 6.5 percent increase over the previous year.
USDA recently released its annual list of the nation's 100 largest agricultural cooperatives. The list shows that Farmway Co-op Inc., a grain co-op based in Beloit, Kan., made the largest upward jump on the Top 100, rising from 114th place in 2011 to 62nd on the 2012 list.

The next biggest "gainer" was West Central Cooperative, in Ralston, Iowa, a co-op that handles grain and farm supplies, which climbed from 69th to 41st place in 2012. As a sector, the biggest upward jumps on the Top 100 list were made by grain and grain/farm supply co-ops.

The 100 largest agricultural cooperatives reported revenue of $162 billion in 2012, a new record and an increase of more than 9 percent over 2011, when revenue was $148 billion. Net income for the 100 top cooperatives also set a new record in 2012, reaching $3.5 billion, up from the previous record of $3.1 billion in 2011.

Long-time Director, President of Lowville Dairy Cooperative Dies

Man who was a long-time director and past president of the Lowville Producers Dairy Cooperative has died.

Go to http://www.newzjunky.com/obits/0716reedobit.htm to see the obituary for Gerald R. "Jerry" Reed.

Bargaining Power Not What it Used to Be for Producers, Cooperatives

After my story about dairy cooperatives during Dairy Month, now here is an editorial from Hoard's Dairyman about cooperatives and producers.

Give it a read!

Go to http://hoards.com/13jun-editorial-coops to see the editorial.

June is Dairy Month -- Lowville Cooperative Mascot Enjoys Dairy Goodness

Lady LeWinDa Milkzalot licks the Schulz's ice cream cone

Well, Lady LeWinDa Milkzalot is at it again.

During the winter, I ran a photo of her bundled up in a scarf and ear stockings as she stood proudly in her spot at the Lowville Producers Dairy Cooperative in the Lewis County village of Lowville, near the Kraft plant.

Now that the sultry summer breezes are here, the dear Lady is donning cute sunglasses and taking a large lick of a gigantic chocolate-vanilla twist ice cream cone.

And not just any cone, mind you. That is the cone that has graced Schulz's restaurant in Croghan, Lewis County, for years. But the cone was missing last year, stolen from outside the restaurant.

The Watertown Dairy Times reported in October that the 8-foot-tall fiberglass cone was stolen in September and was found in late October along the banks of the Beaver River. The Times report stated the cone had been secured onto a wooden base in the Schulz's parking lot with cables and the cables were still attached when it was found.

Here is Lady LeWinDa Milkzalot with her winter wear

Kent Widrick, manager at the Lowville Producers Dairy Cooperative, said once the cone was recovered, it was refurbished and now it is spending some down time with Lady LeWinDa Milkzalot. "We're going to keep it here for a while," Widrick said.

The Lowville Producers Dairy Cooperative is one of the top 50 cooperatives in the United States, according to a list compiled annually by Hoard's Dairyman. Widrick said it takes in milk from more than 200 farm families in Lewis Jefferson and Oneida counties -- a total of about 20 to 22 loads of milk a day (one load consists of 50,000 pounds of milk or 5,800 gallons). 

The cooperative,which has been in business since 1936, also operates a cheese store which sees about 200 customers a day. It features squeaky cheese curds and cheeses up to 9 years of age. The store is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Go to http://www.gotgoodcheese.com/ to check out the cheese store website and place an order.