January 7, 2010 (Reston, Va.) - Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative is pleased to announce its CEO Jay Bryant has been appointed to serve on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Dairy Advisory Committee. Announced yesterday by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the committee is charged with reviewing the issues of farm milk volatility, dairy farmer profitability and consolidation, plus recommending ways USDA can best address the needs of the dairy industry.

"Those that know and work with Jay, recognize him as one of the bright young leaders of our nation's milk marketing cooperatives," said Maryland & Virginia's President Dwayne Myers of Elkin, N.C. "I've known him for many years and have watched him go from a dairy farmer, to working as a field man, to eventually becoming CEO."

"Jay knows the complexities of our existing milk pricing system and he knows how to serve the fluid needs of the marketplace. He is going to be a great representative for all dairy farmers, not just Maryland & Virginia," added Myers.

Bryant is one of 17 appointed members representing producers, processors, handlers, consumers, academia, retailers and state agencies on the committee.

"I about fell out of my chair when I got the call," said Bryant. "The Secretary had a number of highly qualified dairy leaders to consider for this committee. I am still surprised and humbled they selected me."

"This committee has a lot of work to do and I am committed to doing all I can to positively represent dairy farmers and to create tangible results for the whole industry," said Bryant.

The committee is expected to start work by the end of the month.

Born and raised on a dairy farm in Boonville, N.C., Bryant has been involved in the dairy industry his entire life. A graduate of N.C. State University, he worked on the family farm for three years before joining Carolina Virginia, a Charlotte, N.C., based milk marketing cooperative, as a field man. In 1999, Carolina Virginia merged with Maryland & Virginia and Bryant directed Maryland & Virginia's fluid sales, by 2002 he was named CEO.

Today Bryant manages a cooperative business that markets three billion pounds of milk for more than 1,500 dairy farm families from Pennsylvania to Georgia and as far West as Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. He also oversees management and operation of five processing plants, three of which are fluid operations and have private branded products. The remaining two plants are manufacturing operations supplying food manufacturers across the East Coast and beyond with high quality dairy ingredients including cream, condensed milks and milk powders.

Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative is a milk marketing and processing cooperative that represents 1,500 dairy farmer-owners from Pennsylvania to Georgia. The cooperative includes three fluid processing plants: Marva Maid in Newport News, Va., Marva Maid of Landover, Md., and Maola Milk and Ice Cream in New Bern, N.C.; manufacturing plants in Laurel, Md., and Strasburg, Va.; and a farm supply warehouse in Frederick, Md.