Cooperatives are formed to provide their members exclusive benefits in the form of buying or selling goods and services. But what makes them a truly unique structure is that every member is an owner and each participates in the governance, profits and other benefits of the cooperative.
As a farmer-owned cooperative, DFA operates differently from publicly traded companies. The steps we take as an organization — from business decisions, like acquisitions, to setting our areas of focus — are rooted in our mission of delivering value to our family farm-owners as a global dairy cooperative.
DFA was formed by dairy farmers, we are owned by dairy farmers, we are governed by dairy farmers, and we work for the benefit of dairy farmers.
Any of our nearly 11,000 dairy farmer-owners can participate in our governance process. Before I worked for DFA, I too was a DFA farmer-owner, and I appreciated the value of having a voice in the organization marketing my milk.
From our inception, there have always been many ways to have a voice in the Cooperative. Grassroots governance starts with DFA’s more than 100 local districts across the United States, where farmer-owners are elected to represent the Cooperative. Today, we have more than 500 farmer-owners in elected leadership positions that help guide DFA, and all farmer-owners have the opportunity to participate.
Why this governing process matters
A strong and effective grassroots governance structure is the backbone of our organization, ensuring that every farmer-owner has a voice and that their input and needs are in mind as DFA’s management team and Board of Directors implement policies and focus on issues that matter to our farmer-owners.
Our governance structure ensures that we remain connected to the needs of family dairy farms across the country, and enables us to lead the business, make investments and develop products and services that support DFA farmer-owners. With farmer-leadership woven throughout the organization’s governance, we capture their vision and insight to ensure our Cooperative remains strong and successful for years to come.
Continuing forward together
We just wrapped up our 2023 Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Mo., a few weeks ago, which coincided with our 25th anniversary. We were formed by dairy farmers who believed they could do more by working together, and that vision has not changed.
I feel privileged to lead this organization and to witness our grassroots representation in action — where final resolutions that moved through multiple levels of farmer-owner oversight are voted upon by elected farmer delegates at our Annual Meeting.
It’s powerful to see initiatives that started at the deepest grassroots level brought to a conclusion by a vote of delegates whose decisions impact their own farms just as much as it impacts the other farmers they represent. That is grassroots representation. That is Dairy Farmers of America.
Watch this video to learn more about DFA’s resolutions process:
It’s a process to be proud of, and as I looked out at the attendees at our Annual Meeting, I saw a room full of not only elected delegates voting on resolutions, but farmer-leaders representing the entirety of our grassroots governance — from Board members to Area Council members to those serving on local committees.
DFA’s strength is in our dairy farmers’ ownership. Every one of them has a strong voice in their Cooperative and collectively they have a strong voice in their own industry. It’s in their ability to participate beyond their farm’s gate. It’s in their ability to pool resources to invest in secure markets, manufacturing, innovation and participation further up the value chain.
Our farmer-owners are DFA, and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish — together — in the next 25 years and beyond.
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