Indiana Dairy Strategy 2.0 focuses on dairy business expansion, development, and attraction. It builds on the previous dairy strategy released in 2015.

ISDA Director Bruce Kettler says the main goal of the strategy is to better understand the current dairy industry and its latest data trends.

“Like everything in the agriculture industry, dairy is certainly no different—there’s constant change and new data that we need if we’re going to have a strategy that works,” he says. “It’s certainly our expectation that we’re going to be able to use this strategy to update what we’re doing and to move forward and grow and expand with the dairy industry in Indiana.”

Indiana Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch says the strategy will help increase dairy processing and grow dairy business in the state.

“This updated dairy strategy will go a long way in making Indiana a top state for dairy production and processing and we look forward to the opportunities this study suggests that we will build to realize by implementing this strategy,” she says.

Indiana Dairy Producers Executive Director Doug Leman says…“we’re very excited, thankful, and look forward to working with the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. There are going to be opportunities for us personally to be involved by ensuring we have leadership training opportunities for producers, helping direct in-state research, and working even more closely with producers and processors.”

Jenni Browning is the CEO of the American Dairy Association Indiana.

“Our mission is to build demand by inspiring consumer confidence in our dairy foods and the people who produce them, and this strategy helps us achieve that that,” she says.

Some highlights from the dairy strategy include: Indiana produces a net surplus of 3.5 million pounds of milk each day; Hoosier producers and farmers implement sustainable practices to reduce ecological impact; and Indiana has a positive infrastructure and regulatory and tax environment.