Success Takes Teamwork
by Rosalie Geiger, WMMB District #17 Director

As the new chair of WMMB, I am looking forward to the challenges the year brings. Dairy farming is challenging for all of us, especially with the past two years of record low prices. Our farm has had to redo its budgets more than once to make ends meet.

My husband Randy and I dairy farm in Manitowoc County and have been dairy farming for 34 years. The farm has been in my family since 1867, so my dairy heritage runs deep. We milk 60 to 65 cows on 300 acres. Our herd averages 24,000 of milk and maintains a somatic cell count under 75,000. Randy and I have two children: a son, Corey and a daughter, Angela, who are both involved in the dairy industry.

We need to be proud of our state's dairy heritage and award-winning cheese. Our dairy heritage and top cheeses are huge assets that need to be promoted and marketed. And that's what the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board is all about. WMMB promotes over 350 styles of cheese through solid research, marketing strategies and nutrition education.

The best spokespeople for dairy products and dairy farming are you, the dairy producer. To keep dairying growth in our state, each one of you needs to tell the dairy story in your county and community. WMMB is helping producers share that story through the Dairy Impact Campaign. The dairy industry's impact on the state is $18.5 billion. Perhaps more impressive, 1 in 5 jobs in this state are related to the dairy industry. This is huge. Our industry touches many lives in various ways. Why is this message important? Government representatives at all levels need to know dairy's impact on this state. They need to understand how their decisions affect dairy in terms of profitability, jobs, the environment, urban sprawl and so forth.

Why promote our products? Promoting Wisconsin cheese keeps our dairy plants active and viable. It helps our state's plants sell products. Profitable dairy plants equal market competition. Competition for milk among our state's dairy plants leads to higher prices and premiums in our paychecks. We, as Wisconsin dairy producers, enjoy higher premiums such as those we receive for milk quality and protein content than producers in other regions in the U.S. WMMB focuses on cheese sales because 90 percent of our product goes into cheese…and 90 percent of that cheese leaves the state. So, to better focus our marketing efforts, we have five regional market managers throughout the U.S. to do the job for us.

Wisconsin Dairy Council works throughout the state – working with school food service, working with the media, working with students and assisting schools. They are the resource that helps get schools with milk vending machines. With the competition in the beverage market, we need to make milk the choice of the next generation.

I have simplified what WMMB does. The job is huge and complex.

So, what am I looking forward to this year? Teamwork. I want this board to approach our challenges as a team. I am looking for respect among our members and an open sharing of ideas. The only true power on the board lies with the full board decision made after the options have been presented. We must work as a team and reach solid decisions because we represent you and your hard-earned money at WMMB. Anything less is simply unacceptable. When we talk about teamwork, this involves both the board and staff. Remember, there is no "I" in teamwork. There's a lot of talent represented by the 25 dairy producers on this board, and I hope to tap into their ideas. By our next full board meeting in October, we will be back to 25 members. District 11 will have voted for a new director by that time.

Here's what we are aiming for – moving the new Wisconsin Cheese logo forward, more education, more working with retailers, more involvement with restaurant chains, more connections with chefs and enhanced relations with the media. The board has set its plans and budgets for the 2003-04 fiscal year. Now we need to execute. Efficiency and effectiveness of programs will of course be top priority. Opportunities will be scrutinized. Just as on our farms, we need to do the very best with the financial resources on hand. I am looking forward to the opportunity of serving as chair and meeting many of you fellow producers throughout the year. If you have concerns or suggestions, I am here to listen. Give me a call at (920) 772-4184.

Rosalie Geiger is a dairy producer from Reedsville, Wisconsin. Geiger is a WMMB director for District 17 which covers Manitowoc and Calumet Counties. She has served on the board since 1994 and was recently elected as board chairperson.