The Council began in 1970 with 11 states; by 1988 there were 15 states, with 2 (Ohio and Kentucky) accepted as associate members. In 1995, after NDPC became DPC the number of state members rose to 19, and in 1996 to 23 states. Between 1998 and 2003 the number of regulatory state memberships grew to 34.
| •1970• | Connecticut | •1996• | Georgia |
| Delaware | Illinois | ||
| Maine | Utah | ||
| Maryland | Washington | ||
| Massachusetts | •1998• | California | |
| New Hampshire | New Mexico | ||
| New Jersey | Tennessee | ||
| New York | Texas | ||
| Pennsylvania | Puerto Rico | ||
| Rhode Island | Southwest Region of FDA | ||
| Vermont | •1999• | Florida | |
| •1976• | West Virginia | Arizona | |
| •1978• | Virginia | Southeast Region of FDA | |
| •1988• | Kentucky | Northeast Region of FDA | |
| Ohio | •2000• | Pacific Region FDA | |
| •1994• | NDPC becomes DPC | •2001• | Idaho |
| •1995• | Kansas | Indiana | |
| Michigan | Nevada | ||
| Missouri | •2003• | Alaska | |
| Wisconsin | Ontario, Canada |
| MEMBERSHIP | ||||
| YEAR | REGULAR MEMBERS | SUBSCRIBERS | SUSTAINING MEMBERS | TOTAL |
| 1970 | 86 | 0 | 0 | 86 |
| 1979 | 186 | 18 | 47 | 251 |
| 1989 | 290 | 63 | 61 | 414 |
| 1995 | 303 | 43 | 98 | 444 |
DPC representation by Executive Vice President Terry Musson
The governing
body is comprised
of an Executive
Board which
includes representation
from:
State
Departments
of Health and
Agriculture
Federal
Departments
of Health and
Agriculture
Dairy
Industry
Production,
Processing and
Service
Education
Production,
Processing and
Engineering
The Task Force directors and Council officers also serve on the Board.
The Council
meets once a
year with the
Conference in
November. Members
may belong to
any of the six
Task Forces:
I.
Farm Buildings
and Equipment
II.
Plant Equipment
and Procedures
III.
Laboratory and
Quality Control
Procedures
IV.
Regulatory Issues
and HACCP
V.
Milking Systems
and Procedures
VI.
Small Ruminants
The philosophy of the Council is to strive for productive membership. It is imperative that the organization include members who will help write guidelines and update them. Our regular membership had grown from 80 in 1970 to 200 in 1994.¹
The best
count of the
total membership
in all categories
together, is
the number of
people receiving
guideline updates;
currently (2004)
the number is
1,000. At this
time the Council
has 114 sustaining
members. When
the Silver Eagle
Award program
began, the original
goal was 100
sustaining members.
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For the first nine years, revenue flowed only from individual membership dues and sales of guidelines. Financial support from sustaining members and Cooperative Extension commenced in 1978. The following year, state departments of agriculture and health initiated support.
Continuously since 1978, the Northeast Extension Directors, as a group, and on an annual basis, had approved proportionate financial support of NDPC. The several states represented were: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia. Financial support from Cooperative Extension in the states of Kentucky, Ohio, and Virginia was on the basis of individual memberships in NDPC. This continuous funding has been crucial to the ongoing vitality and productivity of the Council. Deep appreciation is expressed on behalf of the Executive Board and the general membership for this longstanding interest in and support of the Northeast Dairy Practices Council.¹
The Extension Directors funding continued through the 1994 name change from NDPC to DPC. After the Council became established as a national organization, a constitutional revision placed state extension systems in the category of education members with specific membership dues.
Currently
ninety percent
of the funds
for this organization
are produced
by membership
dues and by
sustaining members,
supporting Cooperative
Extension at
Land Grant Universities
and supporting
State Departments
of Agriculture
and Health.
The additional
funds come through
Guideline sales.
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The Council provides a large volume of educational information to the dairy industry. The credibility of DPC is excellent due to the fact that members writing the Guidelines are dairy experts who volunteer their time and share their knowledge. Key sanitarians and members provide a large peer review network.
A statement
concerning Guideline
preparation
and the review
process was
written by Terry
Musson, reviewed
and approved
by the Board
and will be
printed on the
preface page
of all future
Guidelines.
The statement,
as it appears
on Guidelines,
is as follows:
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Guideline development
within Dairy
Practices Council
(DPC) is unique
and requires
several levels
of peer review.
The first step
in the process
of guideline
development
starts with
a Task Force
subcommittee
made up of individuals
from industry,
regulatory and
education interested
in and knowledgeable
about the subject
to be addressed.
Drafts, called
'white copies',
are circulated
until all members
are satisfied
with the text.
The final white
copy may then
be distributed
to the entire
task force,
DPC Executive
Board, state
and federal
regulators,
education members,
industry members,
and anyone else
the DPC Executive
Vice President
and the Task
Force Director
feels would
add to the strength
of the review.
Following final
white copy review
and correction,
the next step
in the process
requires a yellow
cover draft
that is circulated
to the member
Regulatory Agency
representatives
that are referred
to as "Key
Sanitarians".
The Key Sanitarians
may suggest
changes and
insert footnotes
if their state
standards and
regulations
differ from
the text. After
final review
and editing,
the Guideline
is distributed
in the distinctive
DPC green cover
to people worldwide.
These guidelines
represent the
state of the
knowledge at
the time they
are written.
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