FAQs

A cooperative is defined as a jointly-owned commercial enterprise (usually organized by farmers or consumers) that produces and distributes goods and services and is run for the benefit of its owners.

From the outside, many co-ops look like any other business, since a co-op provides products and services like conventional businesses do. A cooperative exists to serve its members, but what makes co-ops unique is that the members are also the owners. So, in addition to getting the products and services you need, you also have a say in the business decisions your cooperative makes. A co-op returns surplus revenue to its members in proportion to how much they use the co-op.

For more information on Cooperatives, visit the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA)

In a cooperative, members democratically control the direction of the business. Members elect a board of directors that monitor the management and business. Ultimately, the board is accountable to the members for its decisions.

More information on the Dairylea Board of Directors is found Here.

A cooperative can provide its dairy farmer members cost effective marketing and movement of milk, access to a wider range of services and programs, greater long-term value and returns, unity to dairy farmers nationwide, research and development and a strong voice in legislation.

Dairylea is a milk marketing and service organization that is farmer owned and farmer driven. Dairylea finds a market for the raw milk produced by farmers. Dairylea also provides unique programs and services for its members, creating real economic value and helping members manage costs. We provide value above and beyond a milk check.

Dairylea lives its mission statement: Dairylea will be farmer-driven. We will seek to maximize net returns at the farm by preserving and enhancing milk markets and milk-marketing relationships, and by providing services and programs that create real economic value.

Dairylea has a strong heritage of more than 104 years. Dairylea was the first cooperative to offer farmers numerous services and programs to help improve profitability and efficiency in their business. Joining Dairylea gives you access to these services. Moreover, through its joint venture, Dairy Marketing Services (DMS), Dairylea maintains relationships with major milk companies, assisting in managing a milk-marketing system that includes more than 9,000 farms producing 16 billion pounds of raw milk annually.

Learn more about the benefits of being a member of Dairylea here. 

Dairylea Cooperative Inc. is a farmer-owned agricultural marketing and services organization with more than 2,000 member farms across the Northeast United States. We are the largest milk-marketing organization based in the region, selling more than 6.3 billion pounds of raw milk annually through an extensive milk-marketing network. Our goal is to maximize net returns at the farm by preserving and enhancing milk markets and milk-marketing relationships, and by providing services and programs that create real value for members.

If you are a dairy farmer located in the Northeast, please contact our office at 1-800-654-8838. You can also email communications@dairylea.com.