Vilsack says U.S. Dairy has Taken 'a Gut Punch' but will Bounce Back

By Mark O'Keefe

In media interviews this week, U.S. Dairy Export Council President and CEO Tom Vilsack didn't sugarcoat the negative impact COVID-19 is having on the U.S. dairy industry, calling it a "gut punch."

But Vilsack also expressed confidence that exports will bounce back with creative innovation that serves markets around the world, particularly Southeast Asia, where USDEC is opening a U.S. Center for Dairy Excellence in Singapore.

"We are a resilient bunch," Vilsack told news media participating in a Friday teleconference. "We will get through this. We are committed to reimagining the new normal to promote U.S. dairy products."

USDEC's chairman Larry Hancock sent an email message on Friday offering "some words of hope for all USDEC member organizations as well as my fellow dairy farmers who are the primary funders of USDEC through the dairy checkoff."

Hancock runs a dairy farm in Muleshoe, Texas, about 70 miles northwest of Lubbock. It’s a family-owned and managed operation, with his wife, Pam, and two of his children.