Profitable markets and product excellence

by Amina Ali

nternational trade agreements, reduced inter-provincial trade barriers, government cutbacks and changing consumer preferences have milk producers wondering where the industry's headed. Now, they're taking action to figure it out.

The Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) is helping chart its own course by spearheading a $800,000 chair program in dairy policy research at the University of Guelph.

As a leading policy analyst, the chair will have the crucial responsibility of providing leadership for the rapidly changing marketing environment of dairy products. A search is on now for a candidate.

The DFO is committed to a vision of growing profitable markets and promoting product excellence within a progressive supply management system, says DFO chair John Core.

"We hope the chair will assist the industry in examining and adopting new dairy marketing policy approaches," he says. "That will lead to innovative changes and will ensure a bright future for the dairy industry."

Helping fuel this initiative is the Agricultural Adaptation Council's CanAdapt program. For the next four years, CanAdapt will match every dollar from the DFO; after that, the DFO will fully fund the chair program with $200,000 annually.

The DFO and U of G dairy policy chair partnership enhances the long standing relationship between the two, at a time when industry support and involvement in university programs are becoming increasingly critical.

The chair search committee is led by Prof. Truman Phillips, acting chair of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Business. Other members are Profs Alfons Weersink and Kimberly Rollins, Agricultural Economics and Business; graduate student Danny LeRoy; food science professor Marc LeMaguer, project leader for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs/U of G research programs; Core; and Wes Lane, DFO director of communications, administration and planning.

Phillips says the committee is looking for a dairy policy chair who can find ways to increase competitiveness, identify alternatives to enhance producer and processor efficiency, and foster long term growth.

"This is a very enlightened initiative," he says. "Dairy producers' are showing they're open to pursuing research that provides a sincere answer about what's happening to the dairy industry."