Aged Chatter – IAMCA Through the Years

I have heard from my colleagues in the industry that some of the same issues and discussions keep coming up. To see it 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:

49 Years Ago:
1970 – Colorado Springs, Colorado
During this conference, 107 participants (98 from the US, 7 from Canada and 2 from Puerto Rico) attended the three-day meeting at the Antlers Plaza.
The agenda included a summary of the Hawaiian milk industry. This summary included the work needed to implement the recently enacted 1967 Hawaiian Milk Control Act, and the associated issues. Additionally, Dr. Kenneth Otagaki included the fact that a ‘return of a major military unit to Hawaii from southeast Asia would boost consumption of fresh milk.” As of this meeting, the state had thirty dairy farms.

Mr. Harold Peterson provided a summary of the US Dairy Promotion Program operated by the Western Division of the American Dairy Association. He reported that the organization “has a single reason to exist; to employ the usual tools of sales promotion, on a non-branded basis, in an effort to hold and build markets for all milk products.”
Throughout this meeting, there were many mentions of ‘filled milk’ and ‘imitation milk.’

24 Years Ago:
1995 – Williamsburg, Virginia
During this conference, about 90 participants attended the four-day meeting.
One item on the agenda was proposed amendments to the IAMCA Constitution. This included how member organizations are designated seats on the Executive Committee, as well as a discussion of designating a new position of Executive Secretary, which could be a paid position. The proposal passed, barely.

Mr. Alfred Place presented a description of the Interstate Milk Shippers Program and the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO).

Given that this next meeting in Colorado will include discussion of changes to the IAMCA Constitution, the seems fitting to note that prior meeting had robust discussions within this area.