Nelson is well-known and respected in dairy circles for good reason: He provided the spark for a seismic shift in milk promotion. That occurred in late December of 2018 when he very humbly painted a plastic-wrapped round bale with the words: 

‘Drink Whole Milk it’s 97% Fat Free.’

Why did he do it? 

Because he was disappointed and frustrated with the way his mandatory check-off dollars were being misused and going to waste. At the time, Dairy Management, Inc. (DMI) was paying its executives millions of dollars in salaries and bonuses, clandestinely throwing lavish “galas” in cahoots with Pepsi, and vigorously enforcing rules that only skim milk could be served in USDA-funded nutrition programs. The directive included breakfasts and lunches in schools, squarely aimed at changing tastes and ultimately reducing milk consumption.

Nelson felt betrayed to the point of taking matters in his own hands. He painted his own advertising “sign” and placed it at a corner of his field. Little did he know that he was inspiring a movement. One bale soon turned to a dozen; then dozens.

Within a few weeks’ time, he had unknowingly inspired an all volunteer organization that came to be known as “97 MILK.” A non-profit, it was created to bring truth to milk promotion and dairy education in general.

A tiny group of enlightened people wasted no time supporting the grassroots movement, including Bernie Morrissey of Morrissey Insurance, Jackie Behr, marketing manager of R&J Dairy Consulting, and Sherry Bunting, a freelance reporter whose writings regularly appear in Farmshine. Others soon joined the team too, but it was one man in particular who took note of what was shaping up. Further, he was well aware of what had happened over the previous decade. That man was Representative GT Thompson, who represents central Pennsylvania. He not only listened. He acted without the slightest hesitation to correct a massive mistake made during the Obama Administration: Taking all but skim milk out of public schools, military bases, VA hospitals and other institutions where USDA had monetary obligations.

The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act has become GT’s signature political endeavor. Meanwhile, Bernie Morrissey quickly rose to be the lawmaker’s top fundraiser because GT is a man he could trust. No dollars would go to waste with GT’s campaigns.

All along, while GT worked in Washington and Bernie shook the bushes for money, Nelson was never in their shadows. He has a story to tell and he minces no words in doing so. He’s known for his candor, dry humor and integrity.

“First of all I want to thank Bernie for getting this celebration together,” Nelson said at the start. “He (Bernie) didn’t do it alone, but he did a lot of it. And he also introduced me to a man over the years who I didn’t know existed and that man is GT Thompson,” Nelson shared before introducing himself as a life-long dairyman. Then he paused.

Next, just three words rolled off of his tongue in a slow, deliberate tone:

“Honest. Christian. Politician.”

“I didn’t know these words belonged in one sentence,” he quipped as people chuckled. “But I learned, it’s true,” he affirmed. He’s pleased to be associated with GT, Bernie, and the entire 97 MILK team.

Before delving into what’s wrong with the mandatory checkoff, Nelson first wanted his audience to know that the checkoff does “a lot of good things in Pennsylvania.” He mentioned “they work with grocery stores with displays, they work with fast food menus, and promoting dairy products. That’s short, but they do a lot of things,” he stated.

“There’s approximately $15 million per year collected from Pennsylvania dairy farm families through the checkoff that they have to work with. It’s a mandatory deduction authorized by Congress, it’s not a choice.

“The amount collected nationally is about $350 million,” he continued. That’s a lot of money. How is all of that money spent? We really don’t know. We see some of the effects but we really don’t know.” Audits aren’t easily found, he added.

Continuing in his laid back style, Nelson described how USDA’s and DMI’s decade-long touting of low-fat milk doesn’t add up.

“We dairy farmers do not produce skim or 1% milk,” he reasoned. “Not even 2%. If you have a 2-percenter, what do you do with her? Off she goes!

“We produce whole milk — 3.5 to 4.5 percent butterfat. Ayrshires are bit higher; Guernseys and Jerseys are higher yet.

The perplexing problem, according to Nelson: “We would even get money deducted from our milk check for producing low-fat milk — under 3.4%.

“How do you like that? They promote skim milk and you get deductions for producing skim milk!

“So why does our mandatory checkoff promote low-fat milk?

“We really need to educate the consumer,” Nelson declared. When he painted his first bale with the words “Drink Whole Milk, It’s 97% Fat Free,” he thought of it as advertising. Later that same day, a neighbor caused him to realize it’s not. It’s education. And it’s needed, even among dairy folks themselves.

Editor’s Note: Over the years I have been asked to be a judge at countless dairy princess pageants in several states. My favorite question was asking the girls how much butterfat there was in whole milk. Only a handful of candidates actually gave a reasonable answer. Most guessed 50% or higher. And these were farm girls!

Nelson spoke of how he has personally known dairy princesses in Lebanon County for the past several years. “I loaded them up with 97 MILK promotional materials,” he proudly announced with a smile.

“Upper management did not like that,” he revealed. “They (the girls) got into pretty big trouble, but I didn’t care. You know how I am,” he said mischievously as yet another ripple of chuckles spread through the audience.

“The dairy princess program couldn’t promote whole milk because of the dietary guidelines,” he explained. “Instead, the girls were told to tell consumers that all milk is the same.

“Ask the kids if that’s true,” Nelson challenged.

Knowing full-well that kids throw lowfat milk away, Nelson reminded that there’s no nutrition in milk that’s in the garbage can. “There’s none!” he nearly shouted.

To further illustrate missed opportunities in current dairy labeling / education, Nelson brought along an empty plastic gallon container. He says there’s space available on the flat surfaces for more information such as recipes, serving suggestions and telling the story of dairy.

To be continued.