More than 100 dairy producers and people employed in the dairy industry crowded the meeting room and voiced their opinions on the marketing of rbST-free milk and the possible loss of artificial hormone as changing dairy technology.

Riverdale dairyman Doug Maddox, one of the leaders in the industry, said while he is optimistic about the future of dairying, it will take some work to stay in the business in the face of increasing environmental regulations, outrageous claims by animal rights activists and labor concerns.

"The consumer thinks they can manage our herds better than we can, it's unbelievable," he said.

The recent announcement by dairy cooperative California Dairies Inc., that they would ask all members to sign an affidavit saying they no longer use the Monsanto product Posilac, the artificial recombinant bovine somatotrophin used to boost milk production, spurred many of the dairymen to speak out.

One of their prime concerns was that if milk marketers could convince consumers the technology was unsafe, which dairy technology would be the next target.

"It is time for farmers to be more proactive in addressing these issues," Maddox said.

Another Riverdale dairyman, Paul Rollin, said it was time to reach out to the public.

Dr. Terry Atherton, dairy researcher and professor of animal science at Penn State University, spoke at the meeting and hit the producers with some cold, hard facts about the future of food biotechnology.

Animal rights activists have a business agenda, he said, and they collect donations and spend millions to scare the public.He said the reality is that America has the world's safest food supply. Etherton also pointed out that what activists say is not what the majority of consumers are saying about their food.

TheCattleSite News Desk