Gov. Sam Brownback extended a welcome to Kansas for Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) during the cooperatives annual meeting this week.
“I’m delighted in seeing you come to Kansas with your headquarters. We want to grow the state of Kansas around the agricultural industry,” Brownback says.
DFA will be building their global headquarters in Kansas City, Kan., with completion slated to be done by Dec. 2016. The headquarters will be moving from a leased facility across the border in Kansas City, Mo.
Brownback also expressed that he was thrilled for more dairy production to enter the Sunflower State thanks to the DFA ingredient plant that will be built in western Kansas.
“I think western Kansas is one of the best places to do animal agriculture, actually the whole High Plains area. It is just a wonderful place to do animal agriculture,” Brownback says.
The plant is projected to be operational by 2017.
It is a partnership between DFA, Kansas dairy producers and Chinese dairy company Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group. Milk powder produced at the plant will be intended for export overseas, particularly China.
The plant is estimated to process 4 million lbs. of milk per day, which will more than doubles the output from DFA’s first ingredient plant that was opened last year in Fallon, Nev. Fallon currently receives between 1.7 to 2 million lbs. of milk per day.
Brownback notes this is a great time to be in agriculture, particularly when the world’s population is demanding more animal protein.
“For a long time it was because a lot of the rest of the world wasn’t making enough to pay for more protein in their diet to eat a little better,” Brownback says. “Now much of the rest of the world is growing in their dietary desires and they want some protein in it. They want some dairy in it.”
