Members and adult leaders of 4-H clubs and FFA chapters from several Michigan counties gathered at Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) headquarters in Novi, Michigan, June 16-17 for the 74th Annual 4-H/MMPA Milk Marketing Tour.

The two-day conference, co-sponsored by MMPA and Michigan State University Extension, is the longest running 4-H tour in existence with more than 4,000 students having participated. The focus of the tour is to educate students about milk marketing principles, as well as the duties and operations of a dairy cooperative.

A wide range of dairy-related topics was presented by MMPA’s president, director of finance and other MMPA staff members during the tour. The students learned how milk is processed through a dairy plant and afterward visited Michigan Dairy in Livonia where they could see first-hand what happens to milk after it leaves the farm.

At the end of the tour, Dr. Joe Domecq, MSU’s Ag Tech Dairy Management Program coordinator and 4-H Dairy Youth Specialist met with the students to discuss various career options and the many opportunities available in agriculture.

For many of the students, this was their first formal exposure to cooperatives and their vital role in milk marketing. Chairing the event was Mark Dick, of McBain, a participant from last year’s tour. PD

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—From MMPA news release

PHOTO:
Chairperson for the 74th Annual MMPA/4-H Milk Marketing Tour was Mark Dick, of McBain in Missaukee County, pictured with Dean Letter, MMPA manager of producer testing and herd health programs, on the right.
Photo courtesy of MMPA.