The mission of the Cornell Program
on Dairy Markets and Policy is four fold, as follows.
To educate current and future leaders about the economic principles and characteristics relevant to dairy markets and policy. This includes working with members of industry and government agencies and teaching undergraduate and graduate students.
To provide and interpret market
and policy information.
To assist and advise members of
industry and policy makers as they seek to understand or develop dairy policies
or new marketing institutions, mechanisms, and practices. This may involve
original, problem-solving research or the creative utilization of existing
research and knowledge.
To advance a broad and integrated
approach to the economic issues and challenges confronting the dairy industry.
This means interpreting information gleaned from other disciplines, such as
food science, animal science, consumer economics, business management, and so
on.
The operation of the
Program is guided by the following values:
Our purpose is not advocacy, our
purpose is objective research and education that is open and available to any
and all.
Our priorities are towards
projects that have high national significance and impact and which have
significance to New York or Northeast markets.
We do not accept funding for
projects from organizations or firms that do not share our values -- that
expect certain results or which require exclusive access to results and
information.
We respect and protect
confidentiality of information and sources
Whenever appropriate and possible,
we encourage working with researchers in other disciplines and in other areas
of the country to achieve a broad, inclusive perspective.
There are four topical areas of work, which broadly span dairy markets from
"the farmer's gate to the consumer's plate".
1.
Dairy
Market Economics
a.
Firm
level, market operations
i.
Milk
assembly
ii.
Processing
costs, efficiency, and technologies
iii.
Product
distribution
iv.
Storage
v.
New
product assessment
vi.
New
process assessment
b.
Sector
level, marketing activities, structure, performance
i.
Farm,
wholesale, and retail prices
ii.
Number
and size of processing plants or farms
iii.
Supply
chain activities and coordination
2.
Policy
a.
Dairy
Price Support Program
b.
Federal
Milk Marketing Orders
c.
State
based programs
d.
WTO
and other trade policies
e.
Dietary
or product standards, etc
3.
Market
Outlook
a.
Assist
decision-makers and others in understanding market fundamentals and forces
causing recent and near term changes in prices and other market outcome
4.
Outreach
and Support of Cooperative Extension
a.
Create
extension education materials and programs that can be used directly by
industry members or by extension educators
b.
Provide
background information and training programs for extension educators
c.
Participate
in meetings, workshops and the like organized by Cooperative Extension or
industry members
d.
Have
a national scope and objectives but with greater emphasis on New York and
Northeast.
last updated July 2004