Aged Chatter – IAMCA Through the Years – Founders Award

Aged Chatter – IAMCA Through the Years

By Dan McCarthy, Secretary / Treasurer

I have heard from my colleagues in the industry that some of the same issues and discussions keep coming up. To see if this is true, I have combed the IAMCA archive’s past conferences to see what the hot topics were at the time. Here are the results of my ‘non-statistical’ study:

During the planning of a meeting for a local food safety organization, I learned that they recognize the contributions of members, and as a token of their appreciation, offer a “Founders Award.”

After polling the IAMCA Executive Committee members, the feedback was that this was a good idea to include with our association as well.

In light of the fact that few of us were around during the founding of IAMCA, I searched our archives for the oldest written record of the organization.

I learned a lot as I delved deep into the archives. For example, I never knew that IAMCA was NOT the original name of this organization. This body started as the “National Association of Milk Control Boards of America.” While this name might imply limited Canadian membership, this review noted that there was strong participation from Canada. I should also note that at this meeting, they decided to rename this organization as “National Association of Milk Control Agencies.” I am not yet clear on when the name changed to the current version, I suppose that is for another day.

Additionally, I was surprised to note that I did not have any specific founding record. I was forced to search the internet for any reference. I learned, via a published Montana newspaper that Mr. George A. Norris, the Chairman of the Montana Milk Control Board was elected the first president of this organization. (Most written references had his name as G.A. Norris, so I presume this was his personal preference.) Therefore, I would suggest that if we initiate such an award, that Mr. Norris should be acknowledged as a founder.

Our oldest Meeting Record:

1939 Indianapolis, Indiana

This record does not detail the number of attendees during this three-day meeting at the Claypool Hotel.

In addition to formal presentations, the minutes detail discussions of the attendees on their experiences in the early days of setting up milk price controls (including producer pooling, wholesale and retail prices) and how states with differing regulations can cooperate with each other as milk moves between state markets.

The majority of this record are presentations about how several states are implementing new controls on their respective dairy industry. Presentations were provided by:

  • New Jersey
  • Georgia
  • US Federal Government, Agricultural Adjustment Administration
  • Rhode Island
  • US Federal Government, USDA Division of Agricultural Statistics
  • Montana & Oregon
  • Massachusetts
  • Alabama
  • Virginia

Lastly, member dues was $25.00. In 2020 US dollars, this is now $459 today. The recent increase to $250 seems like a bargain now.