Dairy Farmers of America

U.S. national milk marketing cooperative

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Dairy Farmers of America Inc.

Company type| Private
Industry| Agriculture
Predecessor| Associated Milk Producers, Inc.; Mid-America Dairymen, Inc.; Milk Marketing, Inc.; and Western Dairymen Cooperative, Inc.
Founded| 1998; 27 years ago (1998)
Headquarters|

Kansas City, Kansas

United States

Key people

| Dennis Rodenbaugh (president and CEO)
Revenue|  US$13.6 billion (2018)
US$14.7 billion (2017)[1]

Net income

|  US$131.8 million (2016)

Number of employees

| 18,000
Website| dfamilk.com

Dairy Farmers of America Inc. (DFA) is a national milk marketing cooperative in the United States. DFA markets members' raw milk and sells milk and derivative products (dairy products, food components, ingredients and shelf-stable dairy products) to wholesale buyers both domestically and abroad. Net sales in 2016 were $13.5 billion, representing about 22 percent of raw milk production in the United States.[2]

## History

[edit]

DFA was formed in 1998 through the merger of four dairy cooperatives: the Southern region of Associated Milk Producers Inc.; Mid-America Dairymen Inc.; Milk Marketing Inc.; and Western Dairymen Cooperative Inc.[3] Since then, five other cooperatives have become a part of DFA – Independent Cooperative Milk Producers Association, Valley of Virginia Milk Producers Association, California Cooperative Creamery, Black Hills Milk Producers and Dairylea Cooperative Inc.[4][5][6][7] Its headquarters from 1998 until 2017 was near Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Missouri.[8]

In 2011, DFA acquired Kemps of St. Paul, Minnesota, and its subsidiaries from HP Hood.[9] In 2014, DFA acquired Oakhurst,[10] and Dairylea Cooperative Inc. merged with the farmer-owned Cooperative. DFA became the sole owner of America Buys kemps in 2015,[11] which was once a partnership between DFA and Fonterra Co-operative Group Unlimited. DFA also acquired Cumberland Dairy, a processor of ultra-pasteurized dairy products, in 2017.[12]

In February 2020, DFA agreed to buy Dean Foods, the largest U.S. milk producer for $433 million. As part of the deal, DFA would acquire 44 of Dean's plants. In May 2020 that deal was finalized and the acquisition was completed.[13]

## Brands

[edit]

For brands acquired from Dean Foods in 2020, see Dean Foods § Products.

* Arla (under license)
* Fromageries Bel (under license)
* Breakstone's Butter[note 1]
* Cache Valley Creamery
* California Gold Dairy Products
* Cass-Clay Creamery
* Craigs Station Creamery
* Dairy Maid Dairy
* Falfurrias
* Guida's Dairy
* Hotel Bar
* Keller's Creamery
* Kemps
* La Vaquita
* Live Real Farms
* Meadow Gold
* Oakhurst
* Plugrá
* Sport Shake

Notes

1. ^ Trademark licensed from Lactalis

## Commodity price manipulation issues

[edit]

In 2008, the Dairy Farmers of America and two former executives agreed to pay $12 million to settle Commodity Futures Trading Commission charges for attempting to manipulate the Class III milk futures contract and exceeding speculative position limits in that contract.[14]

## See also

[edit]

* List of dairy product companies in the United States

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Dairy Farmers of America: global net sales 2018". Statista.
2. ^ "DFA Reports Record Profits - Dairy Farmers of America". www.dfamilk.com. Archived from the original on 7 December 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
3. ^ "Farm Horizons: Merger of four co-ops includes Mid-America Dairymen". www.herald-journal.com. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
4. ^ "Dairylea Members Approve Merger with DFA". Dairy Farmers of America. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
5. ^ "St. Louis Post-Dispatch Newspaper Archives". nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
6. ^ "DALLAS FIRM PLANS TO BUY SHENANDOAH'S PRIDE DAIRY". ProQuest 342914426. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
7. ^ "Archive Search - PressDemocrat.com - The Press-Democrat - Santa Rosa, CA". nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
8. ^ O'Neill, Lily (June 7, 2017). "Dairy Farmers of America Opens the Doors of its New Kansas Headquarters". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on 2017-06-08.
9. ^ Kansas City Business Journal - Dairy Farmers of America will become owner of Kemps (April 15, 2011), Retrieved Apr. 23, 2015.
10. ^ "Oakhurst Acquired by a Farmer Owned Cooperative - Dairy Farmers of America". www.dfamilk.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
11. ^ "Dairy Farmers of America acquires sole ownership of DairiConcepts - Dairy Farmers of America". www.dfamilk.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
12. ^ "DFA Acquires Cumberland Dairy - Dairy Farmers of America". www.dfamilk.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
13. ^ Kaberline, Brian. "DFA completes $433M acquisition, with feds' blessing". Business Journal. Archived from the original on 2022-01-25. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
14. ^ "Dairy Farmers of America settles with CFTC". www.cftc.gov.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Arla Foods

Brands|

* Castello
* Cocio
* Gotland Blue
* Lurpak
* Pucko

Distributors|

* Dairy Farmers of America
* Indofood
* Juhayna Food Industries
* Mengniu Dairy
* Morinaga Milk Industry
* Tolaram Group

Related|

* Arla Oy
* Arla Foods UK
* Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy

* v
* t
* e

Dean Foods

Ownership|

* Dairy Farmers of America

Brands|

| Current|

* Friendly's1
* Garelick Farms
* Mayfield
* Meadow Gold
* Pet
* Land-O-Sun
* Purity
* Stroh's
* T.G. Lee
* Tuscan

|

Former|

* Borden
* Brown's
* Land O'Lakes
* Louis Trauth

Related|

* Cityplace Tower
* FTC v. Dean Foods Co.
* Scottie Mayfield
* Ralph Scozzafava

Footnotes|

* 1Dairy products only; restaurant chain managed by Amici Partners Group

* Category
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

Borden

Ownership|

* Kohlberg Kravis Roberts

Current holders|

* Borden Dairy
* Dairy Farmers of America

Brands|

* Cocio
* Drake's Cakes
* Eagle
* Elmer's
* Mrs. Grass
* ReaLemon
* Wise Foods

Advertising|

* Elsie the Cow
* Jane Ellison

Related|

* Borden's Ice Cream Shoppe
* Gail Borden

* Category
* Commons

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* United States

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