13 dairy producers join National Farmers together

     Why did 13 Pennsylvania dairy producers jump into the National Farmers MaximumMarketing pool at once? Adding 13 neighboring producers to the milk truck together doesn't happen every day.
     But good ag news travels fast. And to a group of Pennsylvania dairymen, that good news is National Farmers' MaximumMarketing.
     MaximumMarketing's inexpensive hauling prices, flexible pickup schedules, competitive pay prices and service-focused field representative, Don Harnish, drew the group in after milk hauling conflicts with their previous marketer.
     Back in December, the group of conventional dairy farmers spoke with Harnish because of pickup scheduling conflicts with their hauler. These producers are all Amish, and because of religious beliefs, do not want to deal with milk pickups on Sunday mornings. However, their hauler was "giving them grief" for that, Harnish said.
     When the milk truck started picking up milk on Sunday mornings, the dairy producers called Harnish and signed onto MaximumMarketing.
     "We still pick up on Sunday, but not until Sunday evening, like 9 at night, so the trucker can make the 2 a.m. deadline at the milk plant," Harnish said. It's not perfect for all of them, but they came in as a group and agreed to this approach to make the new route possible.
     The group of 13 heard about MaximumMarketing through Grade A organic producers who market through National Farmers. "They all belong to the same churches, and they know we give good service," Harnish said.
     "I have most of their organic neighbors - some of them I've had for seven years," he explained. "..they tell these guys about the service I give them. If they have quality problems, I help them.
     "We at National Farmers look at farmers like they're people and families, rather than just production and numbers.," said Dave Kaseno, northeast regional director. He credits that perspective with being able to customize services to accommodate specialized groups.
     "This is one example of why we have the good reputation that we do," Kaseno said. "There are other examples of National Farmers accommodating people when other companies couldn't. There are a whole lot of situations where we do this, and it shows that this is one of the many things we are good at when it comes to marketing milk."
     National Farmers MaximumMarketing's good name matters. "We have a reputation of representing producers," Kaseno added. "With the growth we've been having, in addition to those 13 producers, you can trust that we keep the best interests of producers at heart."
     Pennsylvania MaximumMarketing's payment method is attractive to producers, as well. "We still pay with three checks a month out here, and that's another thing they like," Harnish added. "They like that once they get it."
     Real dollars weigh in, too. "We compared their checks as far as their milk price, and the milk price is pretty standard, and we're competitive. Where we're saving them is the hauling costs. It's about the bottom line once all the factors are considered," Harnish said.
     Kaseno gave a proverbial pat on the back to his staff, also. "We have one tremendous staff in the northeast," he said. "They have the respect of producers, and they'll do what they need to do to serve producers with the benefits the producers need. Much of Don's success is a result of sincere respect and concern for farmers. Don exemplifies the values we look for in our staff members."