PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE, NDFA

Questions Remain as Life Begins to Return to Normal

BY DANIEL LAUSCH President, Northeast Dairy Foods Association, Inc.

In all likelihood, no one will want to use 2020, or even 2021, as a reliable baseline when building a budget or business plan. We will instead reference how business and life were before 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic. And with that, looking back at business before the pandemic will bring up a lot of questions that we are facing in the future. Like it or not, the past year-and-a-half has changed things in our industry, and we are still working on the answers.

Businesses that did not permanently close during the pandemic are re-opening, and the general public is now trying to get used to a new normal — but why does that new normal seem somewhat abnormal? Why are so many things on the shelves still missing and marked “Out of Stock?” And, why is there a “Help Wanted” sign in every window when a year ago people were desperate for work? When will we see our supply chain recover, so that our processing plants can get the items they need (e.g., ingredients, packaging, replacement parts and even wooden pallets) to keep doing business?

These are the questions that keep me up at night, yet, somehow, some way, the dairy industry continues to move at its own pace. Farmers plant seeds and grow crops to sell for cash or sell to other farmers to feed their animals, which, in turn, means our cows keep producing milk that we need to supply our dairy plants with their most important raw ingredients. Through all the obstacles of the pandemic, and what I’ll cautiously call the “post-pandemic era,” nutritious, finished dairy products are still available for consumers to purchase on the shelves. This deserves a round of applause for everyone, at every step in the process in the dairy industry.

In some ways, I think we all thought that once the masks were off and the vaccines were administered, we would be home free. However, we’ve found that the chain reaction brings with Businesses that did not permanently close during the pandemic are re-opening, and the general public is now trying to get used to a new normal — but why does that new normal seem somewhat abnormal?

it another set of obstacles. But, we’re the dairy industry — the salt of the earth — and we’ll make it through. Farmers will do more with less if they have to. Processing plants will strive to produce more finished products while trying to keep costs low. And, we as an industry, will support our supplier businesses in an effort to help them bring about a broader range of products and services to their customers. We’ll work hard to give consumers the options that they demand, while continuing to remind them — possibly through social media — that dairy is the real deal when it comes to nutrition and taste. I’m not saying it will be easy. The dairy industry has faced obstacles for as far back as the eye can see, but I’m betting there’s still a carton of milk or a few cups of yogurt in your refrigerator right now.

So, let’s set our goals from a time when things seemed “normal,” yet take the lessons from 2020 and 2021 and learn from them. Nobody ever said the business of dairy was easy, but I’m certain our membership believes the hard work we’ve put in will continue to be well worth it.