The Vermont Dairy Promotion Council

Vermont dairy farmers pay for milk and dairy product promotion through a portion of their milk checks - this is according to state and federal law. In Vermont, 10 cents for every hundredweight (100 pounds of milk or 11.6 gallons) is retained by the Vermont Dairy Promotion Council, and five cents goes to the national Dairy Management Inc. programs. So, Vermont dairy producers pay a total of 15 cents for every one hundred pounds of milk they produce on their farms.

All Vermont dairy farmers pay into the pool, whether they milk cows, sheep, goats or water buffalo! However, on the national level, only cow producers make contributions.

The money then goes into a pool overseen by the Vermont Dairy Promotion Council which is made up of representatives of farmer cooperatives, independent farmers and processors. The majority of the $2.6 million fund goes to the New England Dairy Promotion Board for activities that support national Dairy Marketing Inc, programs. A portion of the money is distributed to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture for marketing and promotion activities as well as the University of Vermont and other groups as well.

For a list of council members, click here.

For more information about the Vermont Dairy Promotion Council, contact Denise Russo.