Capital press., June 01, 2018, Page 16, Image 40

16 CapitalPress.com
June 1, 2018
Association looks out for Oregon farmers’ interests
By BRENNA WIEGAND
For the Capital Press
The Oregon Dairy Farmers
Association keeps an eye on
issues ranging from state and
federal regulations to foreign
trade policy.
It’s an all-consuming task.
“We absolutely need to be
at the table,” said ODFA Exec-
utive Director Tami Kerr. “We
have to be very diligent in all
areas to keep regulations fair
for our producers. We want to
prevent having them add one
more thing to their plate.”
The association has a staff
of two — Kerr and Tammy
Dennee, the legislative direc-
tor, who is “very engaged at the
state level and with Oregon’s
congressional representatives,”
Kerr said.
USDA, ODA, FSA, NRCS,
ODFW, EPA, DEQ, OWEB,
OSU — the list of state and fed-
eral agencies and associations
ODFA
ODFA leadership meets with U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., during a recent trip to Washington,
D.C. From left are Tami Kerr, Chris Eggert, Bobbi Frost, Walden, Adrienne Allen and Tammy Dennee.
Seated is Chad Allen, ODFA board president.
ODFA works with goes on.
Kerr said they are grateful for
the support of the nine-member
board that includes eight dairy
producers and the many pro-
ducers who provide testimony
to the legislature and make time
to participate in events such as
Dairy Day at the Capitol.
ODFA also has a program to
help develop industry leaders.
It will graduate its fourth class
this summer.
“They’re meeting people
who impact our dairy industry,
and it’s been a great invest-
ment of time and resources,”
Kerr said. “I’m proud of the
program, and seeing the roles
they take on after graduating is
rewarding.”
In April, three board mem-
bers accompanied Kerr and
Dennee to Washington, D.C.,
where they met with Oregon’s
congressional delegation.
They also had meetings
with the National Milk Pro-
ducers Federation, Natural Re-
sources Conservation Service,
American Farm Bureau Fed-
eration and the Environmental
Protection Agency; participated
in a trade meeting at USDA;
and met with William Northey,
under secretary of agriculture
for farm and foreign agricultur-
al services.
“We were there to talk about
the farm bill. Specifically, some
of the conservation programs
that are marked up in it, the
need for immigration reforms,
and of course trade,” Kerr said.
Oregon sells about 75 per-
cent of its dairy products out of
state. About 17 percent is ex-
ported. A serious threat to trade
looms up north, she said.
“Our current challenge is
Canada’s Class 7 pricing and
the need for a trade agreement,”
Kerr said. “This is not an Ore-
gon problem; it’s a federal
problem.”
Dairy in Oregon is a big
business.
“Raw fluid milk is Oregon’s
No. 4 commodity,” she said.
“When you add processing into
yogurt, cheese and so many
other products, we’re well over
a billion dollars.”
ODFA also offers grants for
research on many areas of the
industry. High quality products
and technical advancements are
the farmers’ primary defense
against things over which they
have little control, especially
low prices on both convention-
al and organic milk and finding
and maintaining a skilled work-
force.
VALE, OR • 541-216-9300 • OWNER RETIRING
• This Dairy Farm includes a NEW Milk Parlor, double 15 parallel built in 2016, with a 15,000 gallon capacity,
NEW free stall barn, 850 milking cows plus dry cows and heifers.
• Heifer raising facility, an 80’ truck scale, 7 bay commodity shed, 100 acres with 60 irrigated pivots & a home.
• An additional 200 acres is also available with 2 NEW Valley pivots and 2 additional homes.
D18-3/109