50 Years of Collaboration - The History of the DPC
Presented at the 50th Annual Conference
The Dairy Practices Council (DPC) is unique because it has a Mission that includes all aspects of the Dairy Industry and the interrelatedness of these various aspects. The DPC provides a forum where Industry experts can work together to mesh their talents to produce a solid result by writing the DPC Guidelines that have become standard tools of the Industry.
The last 50 years have been years of growth and expansion for the DPC. As a national and international organization, many changes have taken place that have necessitated the need to update and to reformat in order to stay current with industry needs. The DPC has been able to make these transitions due to the fact that our Executive Vice Presidents and Executive Board members have been willing to participate in planning to maintain a vision for the future. They have worked together in a spirit of consensus and cooperation to move forward. The DPC has been shaped by several key decisions over the years, with the result that it has had a continuing impact on the Dairy Industry. The original objectives of “Quality and Uniformity through Education and Cooperation,” with development and publication of Guidelines, have not changed and currently, the DPC library consists of over 100 Guidelines.
The main strength of the DPC is a large core of dedicated members, including state regulatory personnel referred to as “key sanitarians,” who work very hard and volunteer many hours to author and review quality Guidelines. The DPC membership is made up of representatives of all phases of the dairy industry. The Council's objective of uniformity through cooperation has to begin with a dialogue between all groups involved. The DPC provides a place for such dialogue to take place.
The Task Force Directors are a key component of the DPC since they carry a great deal of responsibility. They prepare Task Force sessions, coordinate the writing of many Guidelines and are responsible for the systematic review of Guidelines to ensure each one is current. Guideline topics often cover material that encompasses the work of more than one Task Force and requires a joint effort between Directors.
DPC sustaining members play a very important role in the success of the organization. The Council sincerely appreciates their valued support over the years.
The reputation of the DPC has always been one of an organization where members work together to provide a large volume of educational information to the dairy industry. The DPC owes sincere gratitude to the six Executive Vice Presidents who have led the Council over the 50 years: Dick March, Gil Porter, Don George, Terry Musson, Jeff Bloom and Steve Murphy.