Dairy Farmers Gather in St. Cloud to Talk Milk, Cheese [AUDIO]

ST. CLOUD - The old saying of "milk at mealtime" seems to be going by the wayside.  Officials at the Midwest Dairy Expo in St. Cloud say milk sales in the U.S. continue to decline.  However, the Director of the Minnesota Milk Producers Association Bob Lefebvre says cheese sales are keeping the dairy industry strong.

He says high feed costs are one of the biggest problems facing dairy farmers.

He says milk prices are not where they need to be either.  Lebevre says Minnesota continues to lose dairy farmers, but the number of dairy cows in the state remains steady.

He says another one of their biggest challenges is educating their consumers.  And he says this year, that starts with the State Legislature.

Lebevre says, at the Federal level, they're focused on getting the farm bill signed into law by the end of this year.

Stearns county is one of the top dairy producing counties in the state.  The Midwest Dairy Expo runs through tomorrow (Wednesday) at the River's Edge Convention Center.