Dairy professionals from seven countries visited IDFA last month to learn more about the association’s activities, as well as the structure, pricing systems, regulations and successful practices of the U.S. dairy industry. Participating in a U.S. Department of Commerce dairy processing and packaging program, 18 delegates from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and the Ukraine visited with IDFA staff members. A representative from the Turkish dairy industry also paid a visit to IDFA.

The delegates from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and the Ukraine represented academic, processing, co-op, regulatory agency and agribusiness sectors of their respective industries. With the help of a translator, IDFA staff shared insights on the U.S. dairy sector and described the industry’s role in the global market. They also answered questions about the Federal Milk Marketing Orders and how the industry is handling recent issues surrounding state and federal labeling standards.

“Many of the delegates were also very interested in how the work of our association benefits both our members and the overall industry,” said Dave Carlin, IDFA senior vice president of legislative affairs and economic policy. “It was great to be able to share more about our grassroots advocacy efforts, technical training and networking events with them.”

Turkey

In a separate meeting, S. Tarik Tezel, chairman of the Union of Dairy, Beef, Food Industrialists and Producers of Turkey and deputy chairman of the board of directors at Sütaş, a dairy processing company, also had questions for IDFA regarding the association and U.S. dairy policy and economics.

Connie Tipton, IDFA president and CEO, and Bob Yonkers, IDFA vice president and chief economist, answered his questions with the help of Tezel’s daughter, who just graduated from George Washington University and served as translator. They also spoke briefly about IDFA’s role in the International Dairy Federation.

For more information, contact Beth Hughes, IDFA director of international affairs, at bhughes@idfa.org.