N.C. dairy producers to vote Jan. 20 on assessment

North Carolina’s dairy producers will have a chance to vote on a three-year assessment program in a referendum Jan. 20. If passed, the assessment would help fund dairy education, research and industry promotions.

Under rules of the assessment, N.C. dairy producers would contribute 2 cents per 100 pounds of Grade A milk sold to processors. The assessment would start March 1, 2016, and be in effect for three years. While the assessment would be mandatory, a producer may request a refund on a monthly basis. The N.C. Board of Agriculture approved the request for this referendum in November.

Voting will take place Jan. 20 at N.C. Cooperative Extension Service offices in 46 counties with Grade A dairy herds. Absentee ballots will be available at these offices after Jan. 6.

Each Grade A permitted dairy operation will have one vote. A two-thirds majority is needed for the assessment to pass. Information about the referendum has been mailed to N.C. dairy producers and county extension directors. Additional information is available by contacting Norman Jordan Jr., president of the N.C. Dairy Producers Association, at 919-545-1237.