Contact: Erin Vagts s1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: October 27, 2009 Contact: Jessica Bloomberg Industry Relations Manager (515) 971-3620 [email protected]

Iowa State Dairy Association Responds to Misleading Cow Slaughter Claims

ANKENY, Iowa – The Iowa State Dairy Association (ISDA) is responding to misleading reports of dairy farmers killing cows to reduce the milk supply. Recent reports would lead one to assume that U.S. dairy farmers are euthanizing cows on the farm in an effort to boost low milk prices.

“The idea that a dairy farmer would euthanize a cow on the farm to decrease national milk supply is absurd,” says Dane Lang, a dairy farmer from Brooklyn, Iowa. “The death of one cow out of the approximately nine million dairy cows in the U.S. would have absolutely no effect on the national milk price.”

“While some dairy cows are being removed from the national dairy herd through herd retirement, it is not an inhumane execution of animals,” says Wayne Dykshorn, a dairy farmer from Ireton, Iowa and President of the ISDA. “Instead, the cows are sent to market for beef and the dairy farmer is paid not only for the beef but also per hundredweight of milk production.”

The herd retirement program is part of Cooperatives Working Together (CWT). CWT was developed by the National Milk Producers Federation's and is a national, voluntary program designed by dairy farmers for dairy farmers. It is designed to reduce milk production and increase demand for dairy products in order to provide income to dairy producers. CWT reduces milk production by reducing the number of cows in the national dairy herd.

CWT removes entire herds of dairy cows from production. If a dairy farmer chooses this route, the entire herd is sent to market. “Farmers are losing money by producing milk because of the discrepancy between supply and demand,” says Lang. “In order for a

-1- dairy farmer to be profitable right now, either supply must be decreased or demand must be increased. Farmers who sign up for CWT are required to send their cows to market. If farmers were allowed to buy CWT cows and milk them elsewhere, there would not be a reduction in milk supply. That is why CWT removes cows from production for good.”

“CWT herd retirement is available to dairy farmers that need to get out of the business, for one reason or another,” says Dykshorn. “Right now, with the devastating dairy economy, this is one option for dairy farmers who are facing the dilemma of losing more money than they are making.”

For the facts about CWT, log on to www.cwt.coop.

The Iowa State Dairy Association is a non-profit organization directed by the dairy producers and dairy industries of Iowa.