The California Dairy Campaign opened their new Turlock office with a bang on Wednesday.  Forty local farmers and Turlock residents welcomed California Department of Forestry and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross at the pubic event.

Ross emphasized the importance of improving trade relations and the high demand of dairy products.

Local farmers were most concerned with the significant difference of production costs and profit.

“We need to work on pricing issues due to consolidation and concentration,” said Ross.

Some California dairy products are more than $2 per hundredweight below the prices of other producing states, and local producers voiced their frustration.

“CDC has joined with other dairy organizations to call on CDFA to change the state dairy pricing formula so that California dairy producers are paid a fair value for the milk they produce,” said CDC president Joe Augusto.

“We have to be creative and willing to work together to move forward,” said Ross.

Ross is currently involved in committee hearings targeted to improve the price scale for California’s dairy industry.