The Iowa State Dairy Association (ISDA) has voted to contract its operations to Midwest Dairy Association (MDA), effective May 1.ISDA is a membership organization working on policy and industry issues, and legislative priorities, while MDA manages the dairy promotion checkoff for Iowa and nine other states.
Under the agreement, MDA will provide staffing and management for ISDA, tracking and segregating all ISDA costs to assure the checkoff exclusion for policy and legislative involvement is met. MDA’s promotion activities will continue to be funded through its checkoff authority. All of ISDA’s policy and production-related activities will be funded through member dues and other ISDA sources of revenue.
“This is a win-win for Iowa dairy producers,” says Larry Shover, president of the ISDA board of directors and a Delhi dairyman.“We know there will continue to be fewer dairy farms, and our infrastructure within the industry needs to be as efficient as possible. These two organizations already share many of the same priorities, and a closer relationship makes sense for the dairy farmers who support both organizations through their own pocketbooks.”
Jessica Bloomberg, ISDA’s current executive director, previously announced plans to leave the organization on May 1 after five years. Consequently, MDA has hired Sue Ann Claudon as director of industry relations for Iowa, serving a dual role as ISDA executive director upon Bloomberg’s departure.
Claudon was most recently with the United Sorghum checkoff program in Lubbock, Texas, and served as general manager for Dairy Max Inc., the dairy checkoff entity serving the southern U.S. She grew up on an Illinois dairy farm and graduated from the University of Illinois in animal science.
Chris Freland, the industry relations manager in Iowa, will also serve both organizations. She has been with MDA for more than four years.
Both organizations already work closely through the Dairy Iowa initiative on items such as issues management and dairy image communications. The new arrangement will allow both organizations to be more effective through better sharing of information about on-farm production practices, nutrition issues and research, among other topics.
ISDA will gain access to staff specialists in areas such as accounting, information technology, communications and event planning. MDA will be able to utilize ISDA’s partner relationships and expertise in on-farm practices.
The board of directors of each organization will continue to operate separately, with each setting its own agenda and program priorities. MDA has similar arrangements with producer membership organizations in Nebraska and South Dakota. PD
—From Midwest Dairy Association news release
