SOUTH NEW BERLIN – South New Berlin Dairyman Ken Dibbell has long been an advocate for change in the dairy industry. The man, often referred to as “Mr. Milk,” has spent the last few years fighting for industry reforms to address milk pricing among other issues. Now, he says, it’s time for dairy producers to start fighting for themselves.

“It’s time for them to get off their butts,” he said.

Dibbell is encouraging local dairy producers to join what is becoming a national movement to create an industry association to represent their interests. The effort to create the organization, called the National Dairy Producers Organization, is being spearheaded by John and Tom Van Nortwick, publisher and editor of the Fresno, California-based Agribusiness Dairyman magazine.

Throughout the month of September, the movement’s organizers began holding town hall-style meetings via conference call. Initially they reached out to some 39,000 dairy producers across the country. 4,800 farmers participated in the first call, which took place on Sept. 8, listening to a panel of experts discuss a plan of action to unite producers and fight for a “fair, profitable price for milk.”

A subsequent call was scheduled for the following week, but because of the response, the schedule was expanded and tele-meetings were held each weekday through the end of the month.

The next step was to hold a produers conference during the World Dairy Expo, a meeting which Dibbell attended.