NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

Contact:     Ellen Brophy
David Landau
(202)737-4332

White House Briefing Highlights 2001 Washington Conference

Program Agenda Includes
Special Grassroots Training Workshop

(Washington, D.C. - April 16, 2001) Registration is open for IDFA's Washington Conference, July 10-11, 2001. The information-packed two-day meeting, based at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, D.C., will give an in-depth look at the current legislative agenda, and opportunities to meet with ranking members of Congress and Bush administration officials.

Day one of the conference, July 10, begins with an issues briefing by IDFA staff on key Congressional legislative topics affecting the dairy industry, followed by lunch on Capitol Hill. During lunch, Congressional committee aides will discuss the Farm Bill and other agricultural issues. The evening will feature a Capitol Hill cheese reception and dinner with ranking members of the Congressional Agricultural committees.

On July 11, the conference begins with a PAC breakfast featuring an address by Senator Bill Frist (R-TN), Chairman of the National Senatorial Committee, on the current Congressional agenda. The PAC breakfast is followed by a Bush administration briefing in the White House complex and, later in the afternoon, a PAC ice cream party in the offices of Senator Trent Lott (R-TN), Senate Majority Leader.

The 19th annual Capitol Hill ice cream party, for members of Congress, their staffs and families, tops off the second day of the conference and is the perfect ending to two days of fast-paced Washington politics.

Once again, a special feature during this year's Washington Conference will be offered to IDFA members only on July 12: a grassroots training workshop. This half-day session is designed to involve IDFA member companies in legislative efforts impacting the dairy industry and will supply the tools necessary to influence key Congressional decision-makers. The workshop is free, plus workshop attendees receive a $50 discount off the cost of the Washington Conference.

IDFA will assist members in making individual appointments with specific congressional representatives. To sign up for an appointment, conference registrants should contact Meaghan Killion, Grassroots Coordinator, at (202) 220-3534 or mkillion@idfa.org.

IDFA has also planned an exciting program for both children and spouses who accompany conference attendees. Kids ages 10 and up will enjoy a two-day program including tours of the city's major monuments, tours of the National Air and Space Museum and the National Zoo, and the opportunity to take in an IMAX movie. Spouses will head to historic Anapolis, Md., America's first post-colonial capital, for walking tours and lunch.

The registration fee for Washington Conference is $595. Spouses can attend for only $100 and the kids' program is also priced at $100. A $50 discount will be applied to the total cost of registration for attending the conference's grassroots workshop. To register for the conference and the workshop, contact Beverly Posey at bposey@idfa.org or (202) 220-3557.

For hotel accommodations, contact the Washington Court Hotel, (202) 628-2100, as soon as possible since hotel rooms quickly fill up in Washington during the summer.

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IDFA is the Washington, DC-based organization representing the nation's dairy processing and manufacturing industries and their suppliers. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), National Cheese Institute (NCI) and International Ice Cream Association (IICA). Its 600-plus members range from large multinational corporations to single-plant operations, and represent more than 85% of the total volume of milk, cultured products, cheese, and ice cream and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States - an estimated $70-billion a year industry.