How it started
History
DFA was formed in 1998 through the merger of four dairy cooperatives: the Southern region of Associated Milk Producers Inc.; Mid-America Dairymen Inc.; Milk Marketing Inc.; and Western Dairymen Cooperative Inc. Since then, five other cooperatives have become a part of DFA – Independent Cooperative Milk Producers Association, Valley of Virginia Milk Producers Association, California Cooperative Creamery, Black Hills Milk Producers and Dairylea Cooperative Inc. Its headquarters from 1998 until 2017 was near Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Missouri.
Milk case
In 1971, the Nixon administration faced pressure from dairy producers seeking higher federal price supports for milk. These supports were crucial for stabilizing milk prices and ensuring profitability for dairy farmers. At the time, the administration was also actively fundraising for Nixon’s re-election campaign.
The Milk Case was a 1974 corruption scandal in the United States involving the administration of Richard Nixon and the secretary of the treasury John Connally. The case revolved around revelations that the Nixon campaign accepted contributions from AMPI in exchange for an increase to the federal price of milk.
Investigations revealed that the Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI), a major dairy cooperative, had pledged significant financial contributions to Nixon’s campaign. In August 1969, a lawyer for AMPI delivered $100,000 in a briefcase to Herbert Kalmbach, President Nixon’s personal attorney. This transaction raised suspicions of a quid pro quo arrangement, suggesting that the administration’s subsequent decision to raise milk price supports was influenced by these contributions.
From Wikipedia’s article on Dairy Farmers of America, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2