LANSING, Mich. — Michigan’s dairy producers have voted to continue the Michigan Dairy Market Program for another five years, starting Jan. 1, 2008.

The Milk Marketing Program began in 1983 to promote the sale of milk within the state of Michigan and to increase consumer knowledge and acceptance of milk in general.

The current state program charges producers 10 cents per 100 pounds (cwt.) of Michigan “Grade A” milk. Producers now pay 15 cents/cwt. of milk for state and national marketing efforts, with five cents going to the national program. Without the “yes” vote, producers would still have had to pay the 15 cents, but all of the funds would have gone to the national program.

A total of 635 votes were cast in the referendum. Of those, 569 producers voted yes, or 90 percent. These votes are more than two million pounds, or 80 percent, of the production volume represented. Sixty-six producers voted no, comprising just over 500,000 pounds of product represented. In order to continue the program, more than half of the voting producers – representing more than 50 percent of the pounds sold by those voting – had to vote yes.

“It is very important that Michigan be able to maintain a local promotion and education program,” said Sheila Burkhardt, public affairs director for the Michigan Milk Producers Assoc. “Without the 10 cents from the national program, the many worthwhile efforts conducted by UDIM (United Dairy Industry of Michigan) would be eliminated.”

The UDIM handles numerous dairy promotion efforts within the state. CEO Nick Bellows said he doesn’t take these votes or the program for granted.

“We definitely want to work hard and demonstrate the value of the Michigan program,” he said. “We never take the support for granted.” Among the programs UDIM initiated is the “New look of school milk” program. This introduced single-serve plastic containers of flavored milk to schoolchildren, available in lunch lines.

“We’ve been able to see increases in milk consumption on the part of schoolchildren of about 20 percent,” Bellows said. “It’s been very favorably received.”

The program has been in existence for two years. Bellows hopes to get all schools in the state to participate within the next three years. Other efforts include an aggressive vending machine program that’s been underway for the past eight years in schools, a program to include single-serve containers of milk in fast food restaurants and a program at McDonald’s to test McCoffees – a cappuccino introduced in select markets last February.

“The test was extremely successful,” Bellows said, adding McDonald’s is now recommending that McCoffees, which are made of 70 percent milk, be used at franchises nationwide.