Words of the Wise

A recent opinion article by George Mueller, a very respected dairyman from New York State, touched on many issues in “Dairy farming is facing a new dawn.”  As a fellow dairy farmer and self-proclaimed advocate for the industry and a blogger, I found this article exhilarating and a great piece to use here today.

Mr. Mueller is truly a visionary and a progressive dairyman.  His intellect, decades of farming experience, and common sense economics helped craft this opinion piece into a work of art.  Now what do I mean by that, and in saying that, am I not objective?  Yes, in a way I am, but the facts cited in the article are just those…facts, and they paint a picture of the dairy industry, the American problems we face today, and offer wisdom to readers across the board.  Let me share some of Mr. Mueller’s words with you.

In regards to adopting a quota system for the dairy industry, Mueller has this to say.

            We must get rid of this idea of gaining prosperity by cutting back on supply.

            It didn’t work when President Roosevelt killed pigs during the Great Depression. 

            It didn’t work by destroying perfectly good cars during the “Cash for Clunkers”  

            program. (Mueller, 2011)

If any of you cannot relate to more than the “Cash for Clunkers”, that is fine…just that example paints the picture Mueller is trying to create.  Reread those words again if you have to, and think of prosperity.  

Furthermore, in regards to policy and supply & demand in the dairy industry Mueller shares these thoughts.

            In this country, when world price dropped below our support price [milk], we quit             supplying the overseas market and sold to the government instead. Because of our             support price, even though it is very low, it still interrupts our supplying world   

            markets.

            We thus have a reputation for being an inconsistent supplier and a last choice when

            a world customer is seeking a dependable supplier of dairy products. (Mueller, 

            2011)

I couldn’t agree more—inconsistency costs money, and more importantly, trust.  In any industry, any organization, any household or relationship, inconsistency will cost you in the long run.  

Reference

Mueller, G. (2011, March 16). Dairy farming is facing a new dawn . Retrieved March 2011, 2011, from Progressive Dairyman : http://www.progressivedairy.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6027:dairy-farming-is-facing-a-new-dawn&catid=49:management&Itemid=75&utm_source=E-newsletters&utm_campaign=6df80e3dcd-032211PD_Extra&utm_medium=email