The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) has engaged Blimling and Associates, Inc., a dairy research and consulting firm based in Madison, Wisconsin, in a strategic relationship to provide market intelligence and economic analysis to the association and its leadership. Blimling and Associates has offered market analysis, research, forecasting, risk management and consulting services to the dairy industry since 1993.
“Blimling’s team of economic experts has the right blend of experience and expertise to provide market information and insights that will help guide our decision-making on several IDFA initiatives,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M., the president and CEO of IDFA. “We’ll also be able to offer dairy executives access to resources for the information they need to manage today’s complex dairy supply chain and meet consumer demands while containing costs and improving operational performance.”
Phil Plourd, president of Blimling and Associates, said, “We are excited to have the opportunity to work closely with IDFA and its stakeholders. We love the dairy and food industries and delight in examining the issues that matter to everyone along the supply chain.”
Blimling and Associates will provide IDFA staff and members with strategic economic analysis and counsel, assess the impact of federal and state policy proposals on the dairy industry and answer questions on the federal and state milk marketing orders.
One of the first joint projects will be the launch in January of a twice-monthly email report for members called “The Dairy Bar.” The report will arrive by email every other Wednesday and will have three separate sections:
- “Quick Bites” will feature a charticle to spotlight data that members may not easily find, such as intermarket relationships, currency impacts on global competitiveness and an international trading review.
- “Today’s Special” will provide brief content on key policy areas, such as trade updates, global supply, farm margins and federal commodity purchases.
- “Something Sweet” will feature one-minute videos that cover timely topics, such as data reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other sources.
The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industry, which supports nearly 3 million jobs that generate more than $161 billion in wages and has an overall economic impact of more than $628 billion. IDFA members range from multinational organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent approximately 90 percent of the milk, cultured products, cheese, ice cream and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States and sold throughout the world. The diverse membership includes numerous food retailers, suppliers, cooperatives and companies that offer a wide variety of nutritional dairy products and dairy-derived ingredients. Visit IDFA at www.idfa.org.
