ARDEN HILLS, Minn. —Land O’Lakes is shut
ting down its whey production operation at
Perham, Minn., Land O’Lakes vice president for
Dairy Foods Operations and Supply Chain Fer
nando Palacios recently announced.
“In today’s highly competitive, and consolidat
ing, dairy foods industry, operating efficiency is es
sential to our ability to effectively serve customers
and generate appropriate returns for our member
owners,” Palacios said. “Therefore, we are continu
ally evaluating all of our facilities, processes, and
policies, with an eye to achieving maximum effi
ciency.
“Land O’Lakes has a long history in Perham, and
this was a very difficult decision,” he continued.
“However, in terms of industry economics, Land
O’Lakes strategic direction, our system’s long-term
success, and our commitment to serving the inter
ests of our members, this was a very appropriate de
cision.”
When evaluating production facilities, Land
Dairylea , DFA Northeast Council
To Host Young Cooperators * Conference
SYRACUSE, NY Dairylea Cooperative Inc.
and the Northeast Area Council of Dairy Farmers
of America, Inc. (DFA) announced that this year’s
Young Cooperators’ Conference will take place
March 14 -16, at the Woodlands Inn and Resort in
Wilkes-Barre. The annual conference is open to
members of Dairylea, DFA, and affiliated coopera
tives and their key farm personnel between the ages
of 18-40.
The Young Cooperators’ Conference is designed
to provide members with valuable information, as
well as an opportunity to socialize with their peers.
Topics for the conference sessions include industry
and cooperative updates, cow comfort, farm safety
and legislative news.
In addition, speaker and humorist, Jolene Brown
will provide entertainment at the banquet and lead
an interactive workshop titled, “Top Ten Stupid
Things Families Do to Break up Their Farm Opera
tions.”
Conference registration is free. The conference
kicks off on Friday, March 14, with a pizza party.
Informational sessions will begin Saturday morn
ing. Scheduled events conclude on Sunday with
lunch. To receive a registration form, or for more in
formation on the conference, call Jan Peterson at
(800) 654-8838, extension 5524. The deadline for
Land O’Lakes Cl
•ses Minnesota Facility
FromAmund
O’Lakes looks at a wide range of factors, including
plant age and condition, plant capacity and current
production levels, overall efficiency, market trends
and customer demands, and regional milk supply
and milk production trends, Palacios said.
The Perham facility, which was built in 1942, has
been operating at less than full capacity, a situation
complicated by market trends and the cost of trans
porting whey to the facility for processing, he ex
plained.
Perham’s whey processing volume will be trans
ferred to Land O’Lakes facilities in Pine Island,
Minn., Speocer, Wise., and Kiel, Wise. Milk pro
curement and hauling will not be affected, since the
Perham plant has not been receiving raw milk.
The plant has forty-six employees and severance
packages will be provided. Perham employees will
also have the opportunity to pursue available em
ployment opportunities at other facilities within the
Land O’Lakes system.
Md. & Va. Co-Op Acquires Maola
RESTON, Va. Maryland & Virginia Milk Pro
ducers Cooperative has reached an agreement with
North Carolina-based Maola Milk and Ice Cream
Company to acquire all of the stock in the 68-year
old independent dairy processor. Maola will retain
its name and brand identity and will operate as a
separate business of Maryland & Virginia.
Founded in 1935, Maola processes and packages
fluid milk, packaged ice cream, ice cream novelties,
juice and other drinks at its plant in New Bern, N.C.
Maola is the only independent milk processing
plant in eastern North Carolina. The plant pro
cesses 80,000 gallons of milk per day and 1.5 million
gallons of ice cream annually. Maola employs over
400 people in New Bern and 13 distribution centers
in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Maryland & Virginia and, previously, Carolina
Virginia Milk Producers have supplied Maola for
nearly 20 years. In addition, Maryland & Virginia’s
Marva Maid plant, in Newport News, Va., is stra
tegically located to generate synergies by working
closely with Maola. With common customers and
overlapping delivery routes, the two operations will
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