The 2013 Annual Conference of the American Butter Institute & the American Dairy Products Institute will be held April 28-April 30, 2013, at the Chicago Marriott Downtown.
Separate Board of Directors meetings for ADPI and ABI, as well as assorted committee meetings, will be held during the afternoons on both Monday and Tuesday.
Additional information about the 2013 ABI/ADPI Conference, online registration and exhibitor information is available here.
A sculpture made from nearly 1,000 pounds of butter was unveiled today at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, paying tribute to Pennsylvania’s diverse agriculture industry.
The sculpture, sponsored by Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program, features PA Preferred®, the official brand of agriculture products grown or made in Pennsylvania.
It depicts several of the state’s top commodities including milk and dairy products, grapes and wine, Christmas trees, fruits and vegetables.
“Most milk consumed by Pennsylvanians is produced and processed within 100 miles of their grocery store,” said Harold Shaulis, Somerset County dairy producer and chair of the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program. “The butter sculpture provides us an opportunity to share our mission of producing healthy, nutritious dairy foods for our friends and neighbors to enjoy.”
Crafted by Jim Victor of Conshohocken, Montgomery County, the butter sculpture creation begins in mid-December and is finished just in time for the Farm Show. Victor also creates sculptures using chocolate and cheese.
At the close of the show, the butter, donated by Land O’ Lakes in Carlisle, Cumberland County, will be given to a Juniata County dairy farm. The butter will be put through a digester and converted to about 65 kilowatt hours of electricity to help operate the farm.
Posted: October 19, 2012 at 3:57 pm
By News Editor
Congratulations to David Riemersma of Butterball Farms, Inc. for being elected the president of the American Butter Institute. Two new officers were also seated.
Irv Holmes of Challenge Dairy Products, Inc. was elected to serve as First Vice President, and Dean Van Tuinen of Darigold, Inc. was elected Second Vice President. Each officer will serve a two-year term. The ABI board also welcomed new member High Desert Milk, which officially joined the organization at the fall meeting. In addition, the board elected Randy Robinson of High Desert Milk, Josh White of Hoogwegt, U.S. and William Schreiber of O-AT-KA Milk Products Cooperative, Inc. as new board representatives.
ABI’s board reviewed and approved their budget for 2013 and received an update on the National Butter Promotion Program’s new focus on using social media to promote usage of butter.
ABI’s next meeting will be held in conjunction with the American Dairy Products Institute April 28-30, 2013 at Chicago Marriott Downtown in Chicago, Ill.
The 162nd annual Ohio State Fair kicked off this week with the annual butter sculpture, sponsored by Ohio Dairy Farmers. The 2012 sculpture features a giant birthday cake to celebrate Columbus’ 200th birthday!
Visitors to the butter sculpture can enter the Tweet to Win Contest! Tweet a picture with the butter cow to @OHdairyfarmers and include #buttercow to be entered to win a new Ipad!
Follow Ohio Dairy Farmers on Twitter and Facebook for more details.
Are you bold enough to go with butter? “Go Bold With Butter” is a social media campaign of the American Butter Institute. Here’s how it’s doing. Note the results correlation between increased content on their blog and “fostering increased butter usage.” How about that blogging thing!
ABI’s social media campaign “Go Bold With Butter” was launched on March 19th, just before the Easter holiday. Overall the campaign is continuing to drive momentum and results so far shows that the campaign, which focuses on maintaining levels of positive consumer awareness of butter and fostering increased butter usage, is continuing to improve as content on the blog continues to build. Repeat visitors have increased, reflecting that the site is considered a good resource for recipes and information about butter.
“We are pleased with the results so far with this new emphasis on communicating the benefits of butter in home cooking recipes through social media,” said Mark Korsmeyer, President of ABI. We’re engaging more consumers with this effort and I expect it will help build the category in both the short and long term.”
Blog traffic continues to increase rapidly since the launch of the campaign, outperforming initial goals delivering over 98,000 visits in the month of June. Engagement metrics have continued to improve as content on the blog continues to build. This includes repeat visitors, and reflects that the site is considered a good resource for recipes and information about butter. The campaign’s Facebook page has 33,092 likes, which in an increase of 76% over May numbers. Facebook content has the potential to reach 11.3 million people. 95% of the Facebook page likes are in the key 25‐54 age target demographic. (more…)
As consumers continue to seek foods that are pure and simple, butter seems to be rising to the top.
In its race against margarine, butter is winning — and even outpacing olive oil of late — as consumers seek pure, simple, flavor-rich ingredients.
But butter seems to be gaining favor for people who still like to grease things up a bit. Grocery-unit sales of butter grew 2.19% in the year ending May 13, compared with a 0.21% uptick in olive oil and a 6.24% decline in margarine, spreads and butter blends, according to SymphonyIRI data, which excludes Walmart sales. Overall, butter led with $1.5 billion in sales during the period, followed by $1.4 billion for margarine/spreads and $706 million for olive oil.
The 2012 Annual Conference of the American Butter Institute (ABI) & the American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI) will be held April 29-May 1, 2012 at the Chicago Marriott Downtown. Conference registration and agenda can be found online.
The 2012 Conference will feature two days of speakers and programs on various industry topics. On Monday, don’t miss two panel discussions by industry economists and industry experts, both moderated by Mary Ledman of Keough Ledman & Associates. The first session will be “A look at Who’s Behind the Wheel – The Economic Drivers in the Dairy Industry for 2012,” followed by “What’s in the Future for Dairy Ingredients.” Rounding out the Monday morning session will be the Recognition Luncheon announcing the 2012 ADPI Award of Merit winner as well as the recipient of the Jim Page Memorial Scholarship.
Monday afternoon features a cross-section of experts on a panel entitled “Overseas and Beyond,” which will be moderated by Tom Suber, U.S. Dairy Export Council. Panel participants will include Clinton Anderson, Bain & Company; Andrei Mikhalevsky, CEO, California Dairies, Inc.; Dr. John Stanton, Professor Food Science, St. Joseph’s University; and Shawna Morris, Vice President of Trade Policy, National Milk Producers Federation.
Tuesday’s program will start with a morning breakfast with Dr. Rafael Jimenez-Flores, a professor at Cal Poly who will provide insight into the value of research in the dairy industry. Richard Sellers, American Feed Industry Association discussing legislative and regulatory issues impacting the feed industry. Additional topics on Tuesday will include Diane Lewis, USDA, and her update on the new EU Health Certificate Program.
Hear from Tim McIntyre, V.P. Communications of Dominos® Pizza, who in 2009 was named “Crisis Manager of the Year” for his handling of an unauthorized employee video posted on YouTube, which garnered worldwide attention.
Separate Board of Directors meetings for ADPI and ABI, as well as assorted committee meetings, will be held during the afternoons on both Monday and Tuesday.
Land O’Lakes is highlighting the commitment of their dairy farmers with videos and photos. Asking their customers: “Do you know where your butter comes from?” opens the discussion on how the cooperatives farms are an integral part of fresh sweet cream butter.
Land O’Lakes is a farmer owned cooperative that produces the pure, sweet cream that’s fresh-churned into Land O Lakes® Butter.
A new website and blog, “Go Bold With Butter,” has launched. The campaign is presented by America’s Dairy Farmers® in partnership with the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.
“Go Bold With Butter” will serve as a virtual kitchen where consumers can interact with a team of butter enthusiasts who will tout the value and versatility of butter.
Nine dedicated bloggers were recruited to generate content for the blog, including recipes, photos and videos. Each will offer a unique perspective on the best way to create satisfying food experiences centered on butter. A Facebook page and Twitter profile have also been established to complement blog activity. The campaign will also use a Pinterest page, as that social media site is rapidly growing in popularity among users that this campaign is targeting.
“The preparation and enjoyment of food is one area of life where people’s experiences and expectations are very personal, and social media tools are perfect to help amplify those feelings,” said Mark Korsmeyer, President of ABI. “Butter marketers will greatly benefit from this new campaign, because it will create real connections among butter enthusiasts, while helping to educate a new generation about why butter is best for cooking and baking.”
The promotion of the blog and its digital companions is largely driven by online advertising. This includes targeted online and Facebook ad executions to fulfill advertising support of the Go Bold With Butter blog with a seasonal emphasis.
Irv Holmes, Chair of ABI’s Marketing Committee, said: “At a time when we’re witnessing new trends in cuisine – an emphasis on simplicity and authenticity, coupled with a curiosity about bold new flavors – we need to help connect those who have a do-it-yourself ethic with our products. Go Bold With Butter, leveraged across a variety of social media platforms, is a new type of marketing to help engage these consumers.”
The Pennsylvania Farm Show unveiled it’s 22nd annual butter sculpture today.
The sculpture depicting a young 4-H member showing his prized calf at a county fair pays tribute to the 100th anniversaries of the Pennsylvania 4-H and Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs.
Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program, the sculpture was crafted from butter donated by Land O’Lakes in Carlisle, Pa. Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program are funded by dairy farmers to promote dairy products.
More than 5 million people attend Pennsylvania’s 113 county and local fairs each year and 125,000 youth are enrolled in 4-H, many of whom exhibit their projects at fairs.
The butter sculpture was created by Jim Victor of Conshohocken, Montgomery County. He began crafting the life-size design in mid-December and finished just in time for the Farm Show. He also creates sculptures using chocolate and cheese.
At the close of the eight-day show, the butter will be given to a Juniata County dairy farm. The butter will be put through a digester that will convert it to 65 kilowatt hours of electricity to operate the farm.
“County fairs provide the opportunity to showcase our industry and the young people who are our future leaders,” said Tom Croner, Somerset County dairy producer and chair of the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program. “Dairy producers are proud of what we do and the butter sculpture is a chance to showcase our efforts to provide a safe, healthy product for consumers.”
The butter has been shaped and revealed! The 2011 butter display, sponsored by the American Dairy Association Mideast, at the Ohio State Fair pays tribute to the nation’s space program and recognizes the retirement of NASA’s space shuttle program.
The retirement of the space shuttle program marks the end of an era. Throughout most of the history of the space program, Ohio produced more astronauts than any other state. In fact, twenty-four astronauts have called Ohio home, including space pioneers John Glenn and Neil Armstrong, who we previously honored by sculpting in butter. Ohio’s dairy farmers also previously paid a butter tribute to the Wright Brothers, Ohio’s fathers of aviation.
The 2011 butter display is one of the most complex displays ever sculpted at the Ohio State Fair and features the interior of a space shuttle cockpit with intricate details such as flight controls, dials, gauges and display systems. Inside the cockpit, an astronaut floats above the command console while enjoying freeze dried ice cream. These sculptures share the cooler with the traditional life-size butter cow and calf.
Three Cincinnati-based free-lance technical sculptors engaged primarily in the toy industry sculpted this year’s display, which was crafted from approximately 1,550 pounds of butter, donated in part by Dairy Farmers of America. The display was completed in 475 hours, in which approximately 250 of those hours were spent actually sculpting the butter.
Posted: November 30, 2010 at 7:48 pm
By News Editor
The Christmas season is upon us, and this year for the first time, there is a nativity scene sculpted from butter!
“This is actually the first year I’ve sculpted a nativity scene. This is one of my first sculptures I’ve done outside of the fair actually, so I’m really excited to be doing this,” Sarah Pratt, the West Des Moines sculptor, said.
Pratt said Sunday she has been single handedly sculpting the famous cow each summer since 2006 and is just now finishing up her very first butter sculpted nativity scene.
The sculpture will soon join forces with several other hand crafted nativity scenes as part of the Nativity Exhibition which will take place December 4th and 5th as part of a fundraiser for St. Joseph’s Family Shelter.
Sarah’s sculpture includes each member of the Holy Family; Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus. Sarah said Sunday she hoped to be finished by the end of the night.
“It’s very rewarding, just as it starts as wire and butter and turns out as a piece of art. It’s really rewarding,” she said.
You can see Sarah’s sculpture Saturday, December 4th anytime between 9 a.m. and noon or on Sunday, December 5th between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. at 601 Grand Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa.
Source: 13WhoTV.com; Megan Brown
Posted: October 13, 2010 at 7:06 pm
By News Editor
At the fall Board meeting of the American Butter Institute (ABI) held last week in Las Vegas, Mark Korsmeyer, Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., Kansas City, MO, was elected President of ABI and two new officers were seated.
David Riemersma, Butterball Farms, Grand Rapids, MI, was elected to serve as First Vice President and Irv Holmes, Challenge Dairy Products, Inc., Dublin, CA, was elected Second Vice President. Each position serves a two-year term. ABI Board members also elected Tom Johnson, President of National Dairy Brands, Houston, TX, as their new Board representative.
President Korsmeyer stated that his goal as President over the next two years will be “to change the Institute’s ability to drive communications to members and the dairy industry, all with a goal of increasing consumption of high quality butter products.”
In addition to officer elections, ABI Board members conducted several other items of business at the meeting, and welcomed a presentation by keynote speaker, Dr. Terry Barr of CoBank. Dr. Barr provided a Global Perspective on the Economy and Agriculture and explored how to turn a risk into opportunity. ABI’s Board also reviewed and approved their budget for 2011, received an update on the National Butter Promotion Programming for the fourth quarter, got an update on economic & market outlook, reviewed regulatory issues and got a Washington Update.
Jerry Kozak, Executive Director of ABI, noted that the meeting was well attended and provided an opportunity for members to learn more about where the industry is heading in the domestic market as well as in the global marketplace.
ABI’s next meeting will be held in conjunction with the American Dairy Products Institute April 24-26, 2011 at Chicago Marriott Downtown in Chicago, IL.
The New York State Fair opens tomorrow, but today was the fair’s annual butter sculpture unveiling.
The sculpture, named “Dairyville 2020,” shows how technology on the dairy farm helps provide for a greener community. It is made of 800 pounds of unsalted butter donated by Wegmans Food Markets. The butter sculpture is sponsored by the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council.
On one side is a dairy farm with 14 cows, a barn and an anarerobic digester. On the other side of the sculpture is Dairyville, which is powered by electrical lines carrying power made from the cow manure.The exhibit shows how the manure from these cows can be used to generate electricity using the digester, how composted manure can be used as natural fertilizer and, of course, how these cows produce nearly 50 gallons of milk a day.
“The town is a playful way of how the dairy industry is doing sustainable agriculture,” said Jim Victor, one of the designers for Dairyville 2020.
Victor and his wife, Marie Pelton, came up with the concept for a sustainable farm after a lengthy brainstorming session and a trip to California.
The sculpture showcases a bold “Dairyville,” sign inspired by the couple’s trip to Hollywood.
After laying out the still structure of Dairyville, the couple spent roughly three days sculpting the butter farm details. They worked under strict temperatures, no hotter than 55 degrees to prevent the butter from melting.
After the fair, students from the State University College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse will convert the butter into biofuel to fuel the college’s buses. This is the third year the butter has been used for biofuel. Before that, the butter was tossed out at the end of the fair.
Source: The Post-Standard Photo Credit: Nicholas Lisi, The Post-Standard
Posted: July 28, 2010 at 3:24 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
Butter could make better biodiesel, according to some researchers.
In a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, scientists with USDA’s Ag Research Service found that butter could serve as another eco-friendly feedstock for biodiesel.
Michael Haas and colleagues cite rising global demand for biodiesel, and the desire to expand the feedstock base, as motivating factors for their research. The United States alone has committed to producing 36 billion gallons of biofuel by 2022, a major increase from the current annual production level of about 11 billion gallons. Most of that was ethanol. Biodiesel production, now approaching 1 billion gallons annually in the U.S., is also slated to increase. As researchers seek additional and affordable feedstocks for biodiesel production, these scientists turned to butter, one billion pounds of which are produced annually. Could surplus, spoiled, or nonfood-grade butter be used to make biodiesel at competitive prices?
In an effort to find out, the scientists recovered the fat from a quarter-ton of butter and converted it into the fatty acid esters that constitute biodiesel. They found that the resulting material met all but one of the official test standards for biodiesel. The study concluded that with further purification or by blending with biodiesel from other feedstocks butter biodiesel could add to the supply of biobased fuel for diesel engines.
The butter sculpture has been unveiled today at the Ohio State Fair, and this year’s buttery masterpiece pays tribute the importance of good nutrition and physical activity in combating childhood obesity. Created by the American Dairy Association, the sculpture highlights the Fuel Up to Play 60 school wellness program, a partnership between the National Dairy Council and the National Football League.
Crafted from approximately 2,000 pounds of butter, donated in part by Dairy Farmers of America, the display was completed in 392 hours, in which approximately 200 of those hours were spent actually sculpting the butter.
This year’s butter display features the likenesses of two NFL players- offensive lineman Joe Thomas of the Cleveland Browns and safety Chinedum Ndukwe of the Cincinnati Bengals, who are active in promoting health and wellness throughout schools in Ohio through Fuel up to Play 60. The players share the cooler with a life-size butter cow and calf, modeled after an ideal Holstein dairy cow.
This year’s display hopes to remind fairgoers the importance of regular physical activity and choosing more nutrient-rich foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low fat and fat free dairy foods, and encourages you to find ways to make positive and lasting changes in youth and schools.
Feeling buttery? Then “butter-fy” yourself with a new Facebook application brought to you by the Midwest Dairy Association!
This app brings a popular state fair tradition – butter sculpting – to life. Across the Midwest, state fairs are a time-honored event combining competition, great food, live music and an overall good time. Even if you can’t attend this ceremonious closure to summer fun, create your own virtual experience through the Butter-Fy Yourself application.
Butter-fy Yourself allows you to turn your profile picture into a butter personality and even add your buttery self to a virtual sharable postcard. Select from one of six butter personalities, including Dairy Princess, Butter Hippie, Butter Cow, Butter Liberty, Butter Bouffant and Butter Up and begin to sculpt yourself.
Customize your sculpture on a postcard from one of nine Midwest states, including Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota. Share your beautiful buttery self with the world by posting your butter personality to your wall, saving to your album and inviting your friends to do the same.
One of the most popular attractions at many state fairs are the famous butter sculptures. From Minnesota to Missouri, fair-goers line up to see the unique sculptures. Some fairs stick with a traditional dairy cow, while others introduce a new sculpture every year. In fact, even Elvis has made an appearance in butter.
Readers who are tweeps of World Dairy Diary already know that we are big fans of butter. It’s one of life’s little pleasures. Here’s an informative article about why choosing butter is a better choice for your health.
Regardless of which way you analyze this question, one point stands out. Butter is nature’s product and margarine is a substitute, a manufactured one. I’ve always been wary of substitutes and mindful of the immortal bard, Shakespeare, who said it well, “A substitute shines brightly as a king, until a king be by!”
Butter does contain more saturated fat than margarine and does have cholesterol. But cholesterol isn’t the devil it’s made out to be. It’s present in every cell of the body and 90% of our blood cholesterol is produced by our own liver. We would die without it.
History can also guide us in this debate. Saturated fats have been used for thousands of years as the main form of cooking oil. For instance, lard, used in China, butter in Europe, ghee in India and coconut oil in the tropics. The people of Okinawa are known for their longevity and their main cooking oil is lard.
The French diet is loaded with saturated fats and yet they have a low rate of coronary heart disease. In Canada, the Inuit diet is mainly meat and lard and they too have a lower rate of heart disease. Today there’s new evidence that saturated fat isn’t the bad guy it’s been portrayed as lately.
Let’s also consider how margarine is made. fie process is called “hydrogenation,” which makes liquid oils solid at room temperature. To do this, hydrogen is added to the oil, but this also creates trans fatty acids, not found in nature, which have been linked to heart disease. Today trans fats have been largely removed from margarine but it’s still a manufactured product.
Another selling point for margarine is that it contains healthy, essential omega-3 fatty acids. But few consumers know that not all omega-3 essential fatty acids are the same. For instance, margarine is made from plant sources such as soybean and canola oils. Several experts claim that these oils are not as good as the omega-3 fatty acids in fish.
I stopped listening to my cardiologist years ago. I don’t believe that the farmers’ hens and cows are responsible for the increased rate of heart disease. I think it’s a combination of human folly, such as the epidemic of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and general lethargy that’s become so much a part of our society.
One hundred years ago coronary attacks were rare. Dr. Paul Dudley White, Harvard’s renowned cardiologist, remarked that it was so infrequently seen then that other doctors would be summoned to the emergency when a case arrived so they could learn from the experience. Now you do not have to wait long in any major hospital to witness a coronary event. This should tell us something.
Source: Dr. Gifford-Jones; The Peterborough Examiner
The sculpture pays tribute to dairy farm families and depicts a dairy cow, as well as a dairy farmer pouring a glass of milk at the breakfast table with family members.
“Pennsylvania’s dairy industry is the largest sector of our state’s number one economic enterprise – agriculture,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “With more than 98 percent of our dairy farms being family-owned, dairy producers are truly committed to providing high-quality milk for consumers while playing an integral role in supporting our local communities, the environment and economy.”
Pennsylvania is home to more than 7,100 dairy farmers and 537,000 dairy cows. Dairy-related businesses contribute $7 billion annually to the state’s economy, spending about 85 percent of their income locally, and providing more than 40,000 jobs.
“This year, we are proud to salute the dairy farmers of Pennsylvania,” said Vernon Horst, a Franklin County dairy farmer and chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association. “This sculpture marks the 20th consecutive year that dairy farmers, through their dairy promotion programs, are able to share a spectacular sculpture at the Pennsylvania Farm Show.
“The butter sculpture is a creative way to bring the dairy industry to the forefront of the media, and is an opportunity for dairy farmers to connect with and educate the general public in a unique way about producing milk, cheese, yogurt and butter.”
Sculptor Jim Victor, of Conshohocken, Montgomery County, began crafting the life-size design in mid-December and finished just in time for the Farm Show. He also creates sculptures using chocolate and cheese.
Congratulations to Jasmin Baron of Livonia, New York, for being named Grand Champion in the 3rd Annual Plugrá European-Style Butter Magnifique Recipe Contest—Le Saucier. Plugrá is marketed by Keller’s Creamery, a division of Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.
For this year’s competition, Plugrá invited food enthusiasts to share the recipe for their favorite butter sauce and complementary culinary creation. Baron impressed the judges, a panel of chefs from the Plugrá Culinary Institute, with Soy-Ginger-Lime Wasabi Butter Sauce served with Crispy Panko Tilapia over Wilted Spinach.
“The Soy-Ginger-Lime Wasabi Butter Sauce immediately caught our attention as an Asian adaptation of a classic Beurre Blanc. What’s beautiful about this sauce is the use of on-trend flavor combinations and the way it works both on its own and to elevate the accompanying dish,” said Plugrá Chef Cari Price.
As the Grand Champion, Baron is the recipient of $2,500 and an all-expense-paid culinary tour of New York City. Ten runners-up each received a Williams-Sonoma® saucier collection and Raymond Sokolov’s cookbook “The Saucier’s Apprentice: A Modern Guide to Classic French Sauces for the Home.” All finalist recipes are published on www.plugra.com.
Le Saucier celebrates the resurgence of sauce-making as a refined culinary art. Sauces made with Plugrá European-Style Butter are an excellent way to add a burst of flavor or inject a spark of creativity into signature entrées, vegetables or desserts.
Professional chefs have long known that Plugrá European-Style Butter is the secret ingredient for smoother, creamier sauces with a richer flavor profile and full-bodied taste. Slow-churned to create less moisture, Plugrá is also the secret to higher cakes, flakier pastries, and lighter, fluffier soufflés.
Source: Plugrá and Dairy Farmers of America
The 2013 Annual Conference of the American Butter Institute & the American Dairy Products Institute will be held April 28-April 30, 2013, at the Chicago Marriott Downtown. 
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What better way to kick-off the 
Congratulations to Jasmin Baron of Livonia, New York, for being named Grand Champion in the 3rd Annual Plugrá European-Style Butter Magnifique Recipe Contest—Le Saucier.