Members and adult leaders of 4-H clubs and FFA chapters from several Michigan counties gathered at Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) headquarters June 27-28 for the 75th Annual 4-H/MMPA Milk Marketing Tour. The two-day conference, co-sponsored by MMPA and Michigan State University Extension, is the longest running 4-H tour in existence with over 4,000 students having participated. The focus of the tour is to educate students about milk marketing principles, as well as the duties and operations of a dairy cooperative.
A wide range of dairy-related topics was presented by MMPA’s president, general manager and other MMPA staff members during the tour.
The students learned how milk is processed through a dairy plant and afterward visited Michigan Dairy in Livonia where they could see first-hand what happens to milk after it leaves the farm.
At the end of the tour, Dr. Joe Domecq, MSU’s Ag Tech Dairy Management Program coordinator and 4-H dairy youth specialist, met with the students to discuss various career options and the many opportunities available in agriculture.
For many of the students, this was their first formal exposure to cooperatives and their vital role in milk marketing.
TJ Frahm of Frankenmuth and Macy Cole of Bancroft chaired the event, both participants from last year’s tour. PD
—From Michigan Milk Producers Association news release
PHOTOS
TOP RIGHT: Participants had the opportunity to learn more about dairy processing and tour the Michigan Dairy in Livonia, Michigan.
MIDDLE RIGHT: Students worked in small groups to develop their own agricultural cooperatives and market their co-op’s food products.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Fourteen students and four chaperones honored the tour’s 75th anniversary with an evening celebration. Photos courtesy of Michigan Milk Producers Association.
