Ag Dept. pushes Pa.-made milk, dairy
On May 22, 2018
Ag Dept. pushes Pa.-made milk, dairy
AGRICULTURE
Marketing campaign tries to bolster ailing industry
AD CRABLE
ACRABLE@LNPNEWS.COM
Pennsylvania’s latest campaign to help struggling dairy farmers urges residents to seek out milk made only in Pennsylvania.
The “Choose PA Dairy: Goodness That Matters” campaign has been launched by the state Department of Agriculture along with dairy industry groups as the state dairy crisis deepens.
It urges consumers to make sure they are buying Pennsylvania-sourced milk when they shop.
Consumers can do that by looking for the “PA Preferred” logo or inspecting the plant code on the packaging.
Not all Pennsylvania-produced milk has the “PA Preferred” logo — which is a voluntary marketing campaign — but all Pennsylvania milk will have the number 42 in the plant code printed on containers. It is the first number after “Plant” or “Plt” and is usually found near the top of the milk container or on the lid.
Offers of help
Explaining the motivation behind the campaign, Jayne
Sebright, executive director of the Center for Dairy Excellence, said the industry support group has heard from numerous lawmakers and members of the public who want to know how they can help troubled dairy farmers.
“For consumers, the No. 1 thing they can do is to buy local or Pennsylvaniaproduced and processed dairy products,
Dairy campaign: Buy Pa.
especially milk,” Sebright said. State Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding added in a press statement, “When you buy local milk, you’re investing in your community, your family and Pennsylvania’seconomy.” Most grocery stores, farm markets and convenience stores in Pennsylvania offer milk from Pennsylvania. But not all milk on the shelves may be from Pennsylvania. Large retailers, especially, may also offer their own brands, which could be shipped from processing plants far away.
“There are probably some that carry both, and there may be some that may not carry any milk from Pennsylvania,” Sebright said. “You should consciously look to be sure.”
Sebright said the state does not track data to show what percentage of milk being sold in Pennsylvania comes from out of state.
Competition
Pennsylvania has become a popular place to sell milk, even from other states, because the state has a minimum retail price for the product.
The dairy industry —
Lancaster County is the top dairy county in Pennsylvania — has reached a crisis mode after four years of falling milk prices combined with decreased demand for milk.
Last month, state agriculture officials appealed to the public for ideas to help dairy farmers. In addition, the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board, which controls the price of milk in the state, last week concluded the second of two public hearings on possible major changes that would affect milk producers, processors and consumers.
Here is a list of retailers in Lancaster County that offer Pennsylvania milk and have so far signed on to the “Choose PA Dairy” campaign: Big Lots, CVS, Giant, Lancaster Central Market, Maplehofe Dairy, Musser’s Market, Oregon Dairy Market, Redner’s Warehouse Markets, Rutter’s, Save-A-Lot, Sharp Shopper, Sheetz, Walmart, Wawa, Weis and Whole Foods (opening June 27).
Other retailers that sell Pennsylvania milk and want to join the campaign may contact the Center for Dairy Excellence at 717-346-0849 or via email at info@centerfordairyexcellence. org.
Signs like this one on Main Street in Conestoga are popping up across Lancaster County is dairy farmers continue to see their profit margins tighten.
AD CRABLE | STAFF WRITER
The state Department of Agriculture is encouraging consumers to look for the PA Preferred label when purchasing milk and dairy products.