Dairy Is A Key Piece Of Idaho’s Overall Economy

June is National Dairy Month, a time to highlight the industry’s impact on communities across the country.

“Agriculture is still the backbone of Idaho's economy, especially in rural communities," noted Rick Naerebout is CEO of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association.  "You get outside the Treasure Valley, the Boise area, and you get into rural communities and farming and ranching is the backbone of Idaho and we make up a third of all of those receipts.  You look at the complete value from the farm level, through our value add- on, and our processing, we're a $14 billion a year industry for the state of Idaho.”

Idaho Dairy A Driving Force In The State's Economy

Naerebout added being a key piece of the state’s economy is something the dairy industry embraces with great pride.

“So as Idaho dairy goes, so will the state.  And we understand that, and we understand the obligation we have as the largest Ag sector to make sure we're doing right by everybody.”

Originally started in 1937 as National Milk Month, it was created as a way to promote drinking milk to U.S. consumers as there was a production surplus at the time.  The celebration has evolved over time and the name was changed to National Dairy Month after the National Dairy Council got involved to help promote the event.  Click Here to learn more about the history of National Dairy Month as well as how you can observe the month.

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