06/16/06 Dairy checkoff helps product expansion

Ken Hall is the co-chairman of the United Dairymen of Idaho. He knows that his industry is a significant factor in the state's overall economic health thanks to 1.4 billion dollars in cash receipts from milk produced last year. Hall says dairymen are committed to producing a healthy, quality product while doing all they can to safeguard the environment. It's the checkoff dollars that Idaho dairymen use to try to expand their markets and products. HALL "And we've spent a lot of those dollars right here in Idaho trying to promote things that would encourage people to eat healthier. Just in the last few years we've spent a lot of time and money on trying to get single serve plastic into the schools. It's going to happen sometime this fall. We've spent a lot of money on funding research on three-a-day and weight loss research. We spent a lot of money on other research in conjunction with the University of Idaho on different types of health benefits to milk and whey products." The checkoff dollars also go toward environmental research into air quality, methane digesting, composting, manure and other issues. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott