Robert Dean Yonkers, Ph.D., IDFA vice president and chief economist, has announced he will retire from IDFA on March 15, after nearly 20 years with the association and many more following the dairy industry. Yonkers oversees the research and analysis of the economic impact of marketing conditions, government regulations and alternative policies on the U.S. and international dairy industries.

“While we’re very sad to see Bob retire, we’re pleased that he’ll be available to work with IDFA and our members pursuant to an exclusive part-time consulting arrangement,” said Dave Carlin, IDFA senior vice president of legislative affairs and economic policy. “If you have dairy market questions for Bob or would like his help on a specific project, please contact me directly.”

In addition to his renowned expertise on the complex Federal Milk Marketing Order system, Yonkers taught IDFA’s Milk Procurement Workshop, helping newcomers to dairy or milk procurement understand how the industry’s complicated regulations affect their businesses.

Before joining IDFA in 1998, Yonkers was a tenured faculty member at The Pennsylvania State University, where he conducted research and developed educational programs on the profitability and economic sustainability of the state's milk producing, marketing and processing sectors.

Yonkers also served on the Advisory Committee on Agricultural Statistics to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service and was an active member of the International Dairy Federation's Standing Committee on Dairy Policies and Economics.

For more information, contact Carlin at dcarlin@idfa.org.