Thursday, October 23, 1997

USDA awards Rural Development grant to Farmers Union

By J.T. Smith / Abilene Reporter-News

Texas dairy producers may soon benefit from the growing popularity of ethnic cheeses thanks to a USDA Rural Development grant of $54,000.

The project will identify or create varieties of gourmet Hispanic cheeses. This work will be carried out by both the Texas Farmers Union and the National Farmers Union.

Wes Sims, a Sweetwater dairyman and farm leader, said Texas dairymen are in great need of some help. He sees this as one positive step.

"Plummeting milk prices have pushed Texas dairy farmers to their financial limits over the past year," Sims said. "If Texas is to retain its dairy industry, producers must be able to <I>retain<I> a greater share of the consumer food dollar by forming processing and marketing cooperatives such as the one proposed by this project."

Sims, who also serves as TFU president, said once the specialty cheeses have been identified, consumer acceptance testing will be conducted.

The project will the culminate with a feasibility study and business plan, which will be aimed at giving milk producers a head start in the formation of a cheese processing facility.

Idea came from European studies

The idea of "specialty cheeses" comes from regional cheese-making in Europe.

For example, in countries such as Italy, cheeses take on a distinctive regional flavor. Cheese processing to meet such demand is an important component of the local economy.

The Texas project will be coordinated by a steering committee of dairy producers from the state.

Steven Carriker, USDA Rural Development state director, said such specialties are going to set the trend.

"USDA Rural Development's approval of projects -- such as this -- is very important to the future of Texas dairy farmers," Carriker said.

Inquires about this project may be directed to Therese Tuttle at (303) 338-2537.

Ten-minute delayed futures quotes on KCBT web site

The Kansas City Board of Trade's Internet site now offers 10-minute delayed, snapshot futures quotes for all of the exchanges's commodity futures contracts.

The new feature is available at <I>http://www.kcbt.com<I> on the KCBT site.

THE KCBT offers trading in hard red winter wheat futures, Value Line and Mini Value Line stock index futures and Western Natural Gas futures. Options on wheat, Mini Value Line and natural gas futures also are traded.