Churchill dairymen, officials woo cheesemakers

Dairymen have teamed with the Fallon-based Churchill Economic Development Authority in hopes of attracting a cheese manufacturer to the Lahontan Valley.

Eric Grimes, the development authority's executive director, said he's not targeting any specific segment of the cheese industry he is targeting them all.

"Whether we get a big company that moves here and hires 150 people or four that hire 35 people, it's a step in the right direction," Grimes said.

The marketing campaign marks the second attempt in recent years to secure a more stable market for the 24 million tons of milk per month produced by Lahontan Valley dairymen.

A cheesemaker was close to launching a Fallon-area facility before the company changed its mind and located its new facility in Oregon.

Following that company's balk, the Northern Nevada Dairymen's Committee was formed in 2008 by producers in two counties more than two dozen in Churchill County and two from the Yerington area.

Committee chairman Bill Christoph said the group banded together and hired a professional site selector to visit the area and market its milk to cheese manufacturers. The site selector paid by the dairymen sent out 500 prospectuses.

But the prospectuses were sent out in late 2008 when the economy turned sour.

"Everything was going good," Christoph said. "But then the availability of credit and the economic meltdown hit and things ground to a halt."

Christoph, who milks Jersey cows west of Fallon, said the committee was disappointed but not surprised by the lack of results. He added some cheese companies showed interest but weren't able to secure credit to build in Churchill County.

The economic development authority, which had been peripherally involved, then decided to take a more active role.

"I honestly believe we have a lot to offer. Not taking 'no' for an answer, I decided to get the dairymen together again and make it priority to pursue a cheese factory," Grimes said. "We made a big push to find a permanent home and market for our milk instead of this bandage approach of hoping someone takes our extra milk.

"Unless there's a long-term agreement to buy local milk, the ability to sell it is in question week to week."

Cheese factories need a steady supply of fresh milk to fulfill their needs, and most of the milk needs to be local to reduce transportation costs.

The economic development authority's newest marketing campaign includes two color flyers, a magazine-sized brochure and a green cow-bell paperweight.

The pieces have been mailed to almost 500 cheese manufacturers in the country in the past month or so.

The flyers and brochure produced by CEDA feature a picture combination of dairy cows and other features of Churchill County such as the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge and the Oats Park Art Center.

Grimes said he also will attend trade shows and market the availability of the valley's milk supply.

He said his efforts will be boosted by Bob Shriver, a marketing consultant retained by the city and the former executive director of the Nevada Commission on Economic Development.

As a consultant, Shriver has the ability to travel the country, and Grimes is hopeful the USDA Farm Service Agency will contribute funds to promote the Churchill cheese campaign.

Both Grimes and Christoph understand it takes more than milk to draw a cheese factory to the area.

"I've gotten an education into what companies are looking at," Christoph said. "They're looking at our schools, neighborhoods, our police and fire protection, the hospital. They're looking at everything."

Christoph said companies willing to commit to Churchill County will move in a management team, and those people need to be content to move their families to Churchill County.

He predicts the marketing campaign will bear some fruit within six months.

"Maybe not a signature on the bottom line, but people wanting to investigate further to look things over," Christoph said. "Some concrete interest."