PDMP Is A Voice for Your Future

The past couple of years have seen tremendous changes in the dairy industry. Some changes have been brought about because we’ve learned new and better ways to do things….but some changes have been caused by forces that the industry has often considered outside its control.  It has been hard to avoid the impact of things like:

• Shifts in the national economy
• High costs for feed, equipment, fuel. etc.
• Creeping development
• Animal welfare activists
• Environmental concerns
• Changing consumer demands

Since its founding PDMP has been the “go to” organization for progressive dairy farmers who want to stay abreast of changes in technology; who understand their future can depend of what they know and how they operate; who believe that education and networking are the keys to the productivity and profitability of the industry.

PDMP members look beyond the old adage “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”  They are always closely examining how they do things to stay ahead of the curve and “fix” things before they break.

In 2007, the PDMP Board has done the same thing for this organization by taking bold steps into new territory.  While continuing to provide top caliber education programs and offer innovative ways for producers to network, PDMP has begun to make the voice of the progressive dairy farmer heard in new ways.

We are reacting to a world with a constant media barrage, with the Internet, and where everyone has a cell phone. Today public perception can change overnight with bloggers, instantaneous media coverage, and viral marketing.  We have learned that we need to be part of this communications movement because the dairy industry’s viewpoint must be considered when public perception and public demand are driving many of the forces that impact our future.

PDMP is becoming more active in communicating the needs of dairy producers to those who buy our products, to government regulators, to the media, and to others. We are building relationships and creating liaisons with other organizations who share our concerns.

And people are sitting up and taking notice.  PDMP now has a recognized presence outside the immediate dairy community.  PDMP membership is a statement about the important place dairying holds and the producers’ pride in being part of that tradition. Representing the interests of the dairy producer, we are taking charge of issues that we formerly considered “out of our control” and reinforcing the PDMP mission to “advance the dairy industry in Pennsylvania.”