washington state dairy federation

The dairy industry in Washington is adjusting to the overtime requirements that took effect January 1st of this year. Washington State Dairy Federation president, Henry Benthem, said some workers are having to pick up second jobs because dairy farmers can't swing the overtime costs. " ...

Count the Washington State Dairy Federation as one of many excited about Darigold's plans to construct​a $550 million processing facility in South Central Washington. WSDF Executive director, Dan Wood, said not only will it be the largest large scale milk protein facility in North America, its location means producers across the Northwest won’t need to travel nearly as much, which saves them mone

In a 5-4 ruling Thursday, the Washington Supreme Court said farmworkers should receive overtime pay. The decision eliminates an exemption from the state’s minimum wage law the farm community has used for decades. According to the Capital Press, one of the majority opinion judges said he would look favorably on applying the decision retroactively, allowing farmworkers to sue for back pay. Col ...

Last week, Central Washington Representative Dan Newhouse hosted the Western Caucus foundation roundtable. The Fall Policy Roundtable: “When Agencies Weaponize Fake Science", highlighted the ongoing struggles Northwest dairies face because of a controversial 2012 EPA report that looked at the role Yakima Valley dairies played in nitrate levels in local groundwater. A h ...

The Washington State Dairy Federation will hold a virtual presentation Wednesday focused on a variety of labor topics and how they will impact those in the industry. Scott Dilley, Communications Director for the Dairy Federation, said WAFLA Director Dan Fazio and Human Resources Manager Pam Peters will address employment-related questions ...

A volatile dairy market has left Washington producers feeling like they're riding a roller-coaster since the pandemic began back in March. Washington State Dairy Federation Policy Director Jay Gordon said thankfully the international market has remained fairly healthy, even when U ...

By now, most of us have heard stories of dairy producers dumping milk because their product did not have somewhere to land. However, Dan Wood, Executive Director for the Washington State Dairy Federation, said the stories about milk dumping are somewhat misleading ...

Should the Washington Ag Industry pay overtime like other small businesses across the state?   That was one of the topics debated before the state Supreme Court Thursday.  The high court heard oral arguments that center around a 2016 class action lawsuit where workers allege they were not provided with adequate meal and rest breaks while working at an Outlook area dairy.   ...

As the trade war with China continues, concern mounts what it could mean for American producers in the long run.  For the Dairy industry, China is a big market.  In 2018, American suppliers shipped nearly three million tons of milk powders, cheese, butterfat and whey products to China.  For Was...

It’s a national trend that’s holding true in the Northwest.  Local dairy farms continue to close their doors.   Washington alone has lost ten dairy farms in 2019, nearly 3% of all dairies statewide.  And Dan Wood, Executive Director of the Washington state Dairy Federation fears that trend will continue for the remainder of the year.  He said milk prices have...