Smith wins seat on co-op board of directors

Farmers support his criticism

By TOM KANE

HONESDALE, PA — Dairy farmer Brian Smith has successfully campaigned and won a seat on the board of the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), the largest dairy co-op in the Northeast.

Smith is also the chairman of the Wayne County Commissioners.

“They [DFA] did not tell me how many votes I got, but only that I had won the election to fill a seat that has become vacant,” Smith said.

DFA conducted the election and not a third party. Smith will attend the first meeting of the board in Syracuse on December 8.

“The reason I got involved is that I and my fellow dairy farmers are geographically locked into using DFA to collect and market our milk,” he said. “We have no other options. I can either stand back and complain about how poorly we are being treated or get involved in the board where I can do something about it.”

He openly campaigned about the fissure between dairy farmers and the top leaders of DFA. One big concept Smith wants to focus on is that dairy farmers cannot compete on the world market because of the cheap milk that is available in foreign countries.

“As you watch more and more dairy farmers go out of business, and see the lack of supply of milk in the United States, and don’t see any response to the supply and demand that should give dairy farmers a higher price for their milk, I fear that this is a justification for DFA to bring more foreign milk into the market and make matters even worse.”

Smith said he would be attending board meetings once a month.

“DFA representatives heard my criticism during the campaign and saw the good response I got from farmers that many are dissatisfied with them,” Smith said. “It is my hope that they will give us the support we need to get a better price for our milk.”