Agri-View

by Ron Johnson, Diary Editor 

Greatness has to begin somewhere. When it comes to great dairy products, that "somewhere" is great milk.

"It all begins with great milk" was the theme of last week's "Great Milk, Great Markets" conference in La Crosse. Aimed at dairy producers and processors interested in adding value to what they sell, the conference brought in speakers from several U.S. states and five foreign countries.

Among them was a representative of the 97-year-old Tillamook County Creamery Association. Based at Tillamook, Ore., in the state's rainy lowlands between the Coastal Range and the Pacific Ocean, the cooperative has built a reputation for its cheeses - especially its cheddars, said quality assurance vice president Bill Luth.

He pointed out that there are really two parts - not just one - to the West's dairying business model. There's the well-known part of "more and more, faster and faster, cheaper and cheaper," Luth said.

And then there's the Tillamook model. Its model is based on making quality cheeses from quality milk, and taking the time to do it right.

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