Posted: February 12, 2010 at 8:55 am
By Amanda Nolz
Sara Long, communications manager at Michigan State University Department of Ag and Natural Resources, along with Celeste Laurent, agriculture communications major at Western Kentucky University, shared an interactive session during the Partner’s Program at GLRDC in MI titled, “Tweet This: LinkedIn to the World o Social Media.”
The goal of this session was the urge dairy producers to attempt using social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for the first time. Here are a few tips and tricks provided by Laurent (pictured above) and Long during the presentation:
1. Be news junkys; spread the word and pass along interesting articles through tweets and Facebook status updates.
2. Appeal to consumers. Use the hashtag #moms to reach mothers about the importance of dairy in the diet.
3. Be transparent. Don’t be afraid to show your personality.
4. Post photos, share simple messages (“out milking cows!”) and stick to the basics.
5. Don’t get overwhelmed; just try a few things and see what social network fits your personality best.
Do you have questions, concerns or stories about your experiences using social media? Check out Laurent’s blog here and leave your thoughts in the comments section.
Posted: November 19, 2009 at 10:33 am
By Cindy Zimmerman
As we prepare for the holiday season, the Beef Checkoff is reminding people to give thanks for our abundant food supply.
In giving thanks, you may also receive. Leaving a message of thanks for our farmers and ranchers on the Pasture to Plate website enters you into a drawing for an Omaha Steaks Ideal Gift Collection of steaks and burgers valued at $135.
At the National Association of Farm Broadcasting meeting last week, Massachusetts dairy farmer and Cattlemen’s Beef Board chairman Lucinda Williams talked about giving thanks and the simultaneous campaign to get producers to be active in telling the real story about food production in this country by engaging in the “Food Fight” effort.
She says they are encouraging producers to get out an tell that story on Facebook and Twitter and email, (as well as traditional methods like actual face to face communication!) and encouraging everyone to give thanks for the safe and abundant food supply we enjoy in this country. Lucinda has just started on Twitter and you can follow here here @mcwillclan.
Listen to an interview with Lucinda from NAFB here:
The folks in Harrisburg, Pa. sure were lucky last Tuesday, when the state’s dairy farmers built a 90-gallon ice cream sundae on the Capitol Building steps! The sundae was built to celebrate June Dairy Month and is an annual salute to dairy farmers is sponsored by Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program and Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association, who work together to build demand for dairy products. What a treat!
This year, the dairy industry marks the 72nd anniversary of honoring our nation’s hard-working dairy farmers. Dairy is the largest segment of Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry, generating more than $2.22 billion in economic activity. Pennsylvania’s 550,000 dairy cows produce 10.7 billion pounds of milk each year.
“Producing fresh, local, nutritious milk for my fellow Pennsylvanians is a great honor,” said Tim Kurtz, a Berks County dairy farmer who will speak on behalf of the state’s dairy farmers. “I get to work with cows, the land and my family every day, which makes dairy farming one of the best jobs around.”
In addition to Kurtz, Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Dennis C Wolff and Pennsylvania Dairy Princess LeeAnn Kapanick helped kick off the day’s festivities with opening comments.
Following the opening remarks, volunteers created the giant sundae using 90 gallons of Turkey Hill vanilla ice cream. The mountain of ice cream was covered with 10 gallons of chocolate fudge, 10 gallons of strawberries and 30 pounds of chopped pecans, all donated by Turkey Hill Dairy of Lancaster. The sundae was topped off with real whipped cream and a giant 12-inch ball of cherries.
According to Cindy Weimer, director of Industry Image and Relations for Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association, this event reinforces the common goals shared by dairy farmers, milk processors and industry partners.
“June’s 30 days are a wonderful opportunity to salute the 8,200 Pennsylvania families who produce 5.8 percent of the nation’s total milk supply,” Weimer said. “This event is just one of many dairy checkoff programs designed to help increase the demand for and sales of milk and dairy products.”
The United Business Media PR Newswire posted some positive media coverage for June Dairy Month, boasting the nutritional benefits of milk, cheese and yogurt. PR Newswire is the global leader in innovative communications and marketing services, enabling organizations to connect and engage with their target audiences worldwide. This media outlet provided an in-depth, insightful look at the wonderful world of dairy including: health benefits for life, dedication to children’s health and commitment to a healthy environment.
June is National Dairy Month, a great opportunity for Americans to recognize that low-fat and fat-free dairy foods present a unique combination of both nutritional and economic value. Now is the time to remember the recommendation to get three servings of dairy daily – not only milk, but also cheese and yogurt, since these foods also are valuable and tasty sources of essential nutrients.
Families these days are looking to get the most nutrition they can with their food budget. Dairy is a naturally nutrient-rich food group that, for the most part, comes at a low cost — often just pennies per serving. One eight-ounce glass of milk for example provides nine essential nutrients: calcium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, vitamins A, D and B12, riboflavin and niacin (niacin equivalents).
The board of the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), funded by U.S. milk processors, has announced the appointment of Vivien Godfrey as chief executive officer of the organization, which manages the award-winning and iconic National Milk Mustache “got milk?” Campaign. Godfrey replaces Kurt Graetzer, who is retiring from MilkPEP after leading the program for the past 14-plus years in its 16-year history. Godfrey’s first official day as CEO is May 11.
Godfrey’s experience includes an extensive period of strategic consulting with McKinsey & Company in London and Toronto; high-level consumer goods marketing and advertising experience with Diegeo Plc.; and U.S. dairy credentials as CEO of Haagen-Dazs North America (The Pillsbury Co.) from 1996-2000. Since 2000, Godfrey has managed her own business, Far Horizons LLC, a marine data retailing company. Godfrey grew up in London, England, and lived in four countries before moving to the United States in 1992.
Said Godfrey, “I’m thrilled to be taking the reins of this great program, at what is a pivotal time for milk. This program and the hard work of milk companies over the past decade have built the foundation for milk as a competitive, contemporary beverage in the United States. Now the program is ready to take steps toward a longer-term, strategic vision. This will allow the milk industry to more fully leverage the program, keep it relevant and fresh, and make it even more effective.”
Godfrey added her perspective on the importance of the program in a highly competitive beverage marketplace. “There’s no question that milk’s voice might easily be drowned out without this excellent program. The campaign is highly recognized by the retail trades and other milk customers, as well as moms, teens and other key audiences — there’s a lot of positive energy behind milk.
Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI), which manages the national dairy checkoff program, has launched a new program to help dairy producers communicate with the public about modern dairy farming practices. The new program, called myDairy, encourages dairy producers and industry leaders who are engaged in social media efforts to help tell the positive on-farm story of milk production through this growing medium, which includes blogs, social networking sites and positive dairy videos and photos.
The myDairy program has trained more than 350 dairy producers and industry representatives who are interested in online communications.
“The fact that most people are three to four generations removed from the farm means a big information gap exists today,” said David Pelzer, senior vice president of industry image and relations at DMI. “The U.S. dairy industry has a great story to tell — and social media gives us the means to tell it in a unique and engaging way to millions of consumers,” according to Pelzer.
The myDairy program helps the dairy checkoff mobilize dairy advocates across the nation to engage in social media networks and online communities to help protect the image of dairy farmers and the dairy industry. Building a strong, positive online presence for the dairy industry helps counter negative, uninformed attacks and maintains public confidence in dairy foods and the people who produce them. The program also provides a secure blog for dairy advocates to share their social media experiences.
“Not only does myDairy teach us how to use social media sites, but it also gives us key messages to use to make us more effective communicators,” said Will Gilmer, an Alabama dairy producer and creator of “The Dairyman’s Blog,” since 2007. “It’s important for producers to share our own unique perspective and experiences with modern dairy farming, and present a unified voice with the public.”
Producers interested in becoming online dairy advocates should e-mail: myDairy@rosedmi.com for more information.
The Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program invite local dairy producers to learn how to share your dairy story with the non-farm public. The training sessions, called the Dairy Farmers Speakers Bureau will be held on April 21 and April 23.
By participating in the speakers bureau, farmers can make a difference in helping their non-farm neighbors better understand how dairy farmers take care of their animals and land, provide the safest products possible, and play a vital role in the local community.
The speakers bureau is funded through the dairy checkoff program and is a joint effort of Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program, Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and the Center for Dairy Excellence. The program is available to farmers in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and southern New Jersey. The workshops will provide the communication tools needed to tell your dairy story to local community groups, such as the Lions Club, the Rotary or the Chamber of Commerce. The speakers bureau will also provide the services of a “scheduler,” who will identify local community groups, book speaking engagements, and handle follow-up evaluations.
Spring training sessions are schedule as follows: Tuesday, April 21, 2009, in the Keystone Room at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg, Pa., and Thursday, April 23, 2009, at the Mercer County Cooperative Extension Office, Mercer, Pa. Both training workshops will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will conclude by 2:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided and the workshops are free to dairy farmers. Additional training sessions will be held in Pennsylvania in Fall 2009 and in the Maryland/Delaware area later in the spring.
If you would like to participate in one of the spring training workshops, please contact Jayne Sebright at 717-259-6496 or via e-mail at jsebright@centerfordairyexcellence.org to register.
Recently Amanda posted a YouTube video called “Dairy Farmers Love Feeding Families.” Created by the New York Animal Agriculture Coalition. The group is focused on reconnecting the publics’ understanding of and appreciation for animal agriculture through: media engagement, public education, and by fostering cooperation between industry stakeholders.
The group has also recently introduced several billboards that will be used through-out New York state to help spread the positive message about the dairy industry. Check them all out!
I don’t usually need an excuse to order a pizza, but if you do – here’s your perfect one: it supports dairy farmers! Domino’s Pizza®, partnering with dairy producers through their checkoff investment, has launched six new specialty pizzas called American Legends™. Each pizza uses up to 40 percent more cheese than a regular Domino’s pizza, making the potential additional cheese sales more than 10 million pounds of cheese annually, using more than 100 million additional pounds of milk.
If you need any more incentive to order one of these pizzas today, an online coupon is available – click here to get it!
Through the Domino’s partnership and other checkoff efforts, dairy producers are helping to build pizza sales for the short and long term. Pizza sales directly affect cheese sales — more than 25 percent of total cheese sales is used on pizzas … representing more than 2.5 billion pounds of cheese annually and more than 25 billion pounds of milk used each year.
Dairy producers are investing $12 million over two years to support the partnership that will help raise consumer awareness of the new pizzas through advertising, public relations, local market promotions, and communications activities. Domino’s will invest four to five times the dairy producers’ investment for menu development, in-store staff training, advertising, online, and promotion materials — including a newly designed pizza box that credits dairy producers for supplying great-tasting, quality cheese — among other efforts.
Domino’s recently unveiled the specialty pizzas through its new American Legends™ pizza line. The pizzas, which are inspired by unique tastes found throughout the country, are permanent menu items at the chain’s 5,000 U.S. locations. The pizzas feature premium toppings, including six types of cheese and cheesy crusts:
Honolulu Hawaiian, which consists of sliced ham, smoked bacon, pineapple, and roasted red peppers with Provolone and Mozzarella cheeses on a cheesy Parmesan crust. Customers can add Tabasco® pepper sauce and jalapenos for some extra “fire.”
Cali Chicken Bacon Ranch™, which consists of chicken breast, white sauce, smoked bacon, tomatoes, and parsley with Provolone and Mozzarella cheeses on a cheesy Parmesan crust.
Pacific Veggie, which consists of roasted red peppers, spinach, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and black olives with Feta, Provolone and Mozzarella cheeses on a cheesy Parmesan crust.
Memphis BBQ Chicken, which consists of chicken breast, barbecue sauce, onions, and parsley with Cheddar, Provolone and Mozzarella cheeses on a cheesy Parmesan crust.
Buffalo Chicken, which consists of chicken breast, buffalo hot sauce, onions, and parsley with American and Provolone cheeses on a cheesy Cheddar crust.
Philly Cheese Steak, which consists of steak, onions, green peppers, and mushrooms with American and Provolone cheeses on a cheesy Provolone crust.
The dairy industry has unveiled a major initiative to help reduce on-farm expenses while meeting a growing consumer demand for environmentally friendly products. The industry-wide effort focuses on the fluid milk value chain — from farm to table. It includes a series of projects that will reduce energy, increase efficiency and help dairy producers tap into new sources of income.
The announcement was made by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, an organization bringing together leaders from across the dairy value chain. The industry-wide group includes producer organizations, dairy cooperatives, processors and manufacturers such as Hilmar Cheese Company, Leprino Foods, Dairylea Cooperative Inc., Anderson Erickson Dairy, Land O’Lakes and Dairy Farmers of America.
As part of the initiative, 12 project plans were unveiled that offer a range of solutions for operations large and small across all industry segments. Some of these projects take advantage of existing practices, while others are technological innovations that require longer time frames and financial commitments for research and development.
“During these difficult economic times, it is especially important to address both short- and long-term solutions that ensure the health and strength of our industry,” said Thomas P. Gallagher, chief executive officer of the Innovation Center and Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI), which manages the national dairy checkoff program on behalf of the nation’s dairy producers. “By identifying practical and effective methods to increase business value and reduce dairy’s carbon footprint, we ensure the viability and sustainability of U.S. dairy producers and the dairy industry,” he added.
The project plans have the potential to create a conservatively estimated $238 million in business value and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 3.2 million metric tons — equivalent to taking more than half a million cars off the road every year.
Solutions include identifying and implementing energy-saving best practices across all value chain segments, removing barriers to the adoption of methane digesters, and implementing pilot programs to test alternatives to thermal pasteurization for raw milk and reduced-temperature clean-in-place technologies.
The 2008-2009 Alice in Dairyland is Ashley Huibregtse. She serves June to June and promotes agriculture all over the state.
I met her at this year’s World Dairy Expo. She says she’s “an ambassador for everything from the dairy industry which we have here at World Dairy Expo, to cranberries, cherries and ginseng.”
Her travels take her to media interviews, school visits and events like Expo. She hopes to get a job in communications that allows her to continue to promote agriculture.
You can listen to my interview with Ashley as part of our Milking Parlor Podcast:
To subscribe to the Milking Parlor podcast, here are some instructions.
Country music star, Trisha Yearwood is the latest celeb to wear the popular got milk? mustache. The ad premiered on August 5 in several magazines.
A graduate of Belmont University in Nashville, Yearwood has performed at the Academy Awards, the Olympics and the Library of Congress. She sang with Luciano Pavarotti, one of world’s most famous vocal performers, in the summer of 1998 at his benefit for Liberian children. Yearwood received a 2008 Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “Heaven, Heartache And the Power of Love” and was named one of Redbook’s “Women of the Year” (2005). Yearwood was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1999.
Yearwood’s songs have appeared in numerous feature films most notably “Con Air” which featured her Grammy award winning song “How Do I Live”. Yearwood also has appeared on “Doctor Quinn Medicine Woman” and has won kudos for her recurring role on the TV series “JAG.”
Along with her singing and acting career, Yearwood released her first cookbook, “Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen” in April 2008 which she co-wrote with her mom and sister.
Yearwood lives with her husband, fellow country singer Garth Brooks in Oklahoma.
Dairy UK, an organization that has brought together dairy processors, farming representatives, co-ops and bottle milk buyers in the UK, has launched ‘Proud of Dairy.’ The campaign’s goals include making the government, media and the public proud of the British dairy sector.
Over 75,000 people work in the dairy industry, including farmers, milk processors, milkmen and retailers and they contribute £8 billion to the economy each year.
Director general of Dairy UK, Jim Begg, said:“An enormous effort is made at every stage of the dairy supply chain to ensure that consumers are end up with a huge choice of high quality, nutritious dairy foods.
“From farmers and processors on to distribution, the dairy industry is making big strides to reduce the environmental impact of milk, innovate and respond to consumer trends.
“It means that there are more natural, tasty dairy products on offer now than ever before. These are just some of the reasons that we’re Proud of Dairy.”
“The dairy industry recognizes the growing number of people who care about the health and environmental impact of the products they buy,” says Tom Gallagher, chief executive officer of DMI, which manages the national dairy producer checkoff program. “We must do all we can to ensure that consumers know that the dairy industry is committed to improving their lives, both nutritionally and environmentally.”
The initiative will identify key supply-chain innovations that, as part of a comprehensive sustainability effort, can help position dairy as a preferred product among the rapidly increasing number of socially-conscious consumers. Among the focus areas of the effort will be identifying opportunities to reduce energy consumption and costs in milk production and processing, as well as boost on-farm income opportunities in emerging “green” energy markets.
This initiative will help identify opportunities for dairy farmers to generate additional revenue from emerging energy markets through methane capture and other innovations. By working together, dairy producers and processors can further demonstrate our industry’s commitment to healthy people and a healthy planet. Through this effort, DMI, NMPF and IDFA will identify best practices and opportunities for innovation in production, processing and marketing of milk and milk products.
“We are at the dawn of a new era in the food retailing industry,” Gallagher said. “This ground-breaking, checkoff-supported effort will help us tap the ingenuity of our industry and guarantee that we can continue to produce a highly nutritious and sustainable product for American consumers.”
“The dairy industry’s commitment to sustainability is a win-win-win,” according to Gallagher. “By working together, we can identify opportunities to cut energy costs, produce ‘green’ energy and develop a deeper connection with consumers and retailers.”
As part of the initiative, the three dairy organizations have begun efforts to analyze the carbon footprint of milk, from production on the farm, through processing and retail distribution, to consumption. This analysis will help identify potential innovation opportunities and possible best practices that can reduce energy use and increase sales in the dairy supply chain. After calculating milk’s carbon footprint, this life cycle analysis will be subject to a peer review process to develop a manuscript for publication in a scientific journal.
The National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board is composed of 15 fluid milk processors from 15 geographic regions and five at-large members. At least three at-large members must be fluid milk processors and at least one must be from the general public. The Board was established by the Fluid Milk Promotion Act of 1990 to develop and administer a coordinated program of advertising and promotion to increase the demand for fluid milk products.
The national fluid milk program is financed by a mandatory 20-cent per hundredweight assessment on all fluid milk processed and marketed commercially in consumer-type packages in the contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia. Processors who commercially process and market 3 million pounds or less per month, excluding those fluid milk products delivered to the residence of a consumer, are exempt from assessments.
Dippin’ Dots will celebrate its 20th birthday by giving away free cups of their famous ice cream beads on May 20th.
“We want to thank our customers for their continued support of Dippin’ Dots by offering them a free cup of their favorite flavor,” said Dippin’ Dots inventor Curt Jones.
Wal-Mart Supercenters will kick-off summer by hosting what could be the largest ice cream social event on ‘Sundae’, May 18th. Visit from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to get your free sundae!
Wal-Mart will have on hand more than 5,000 ice cream scoopers to build an estimated 1 million free ice cream sundaes, complete with whipped cream and other toppings while supplies last.
Mother’s Day is this weekend, and what’s a better gift for mom than a grilled cheese sandwich? Kraft Singles and American Greetings is teaming up to help husbands and kids make mom the perfect grilled cheese and free e-cards as a thank you.
Kraft Singles is teaching kids and husbands how to make the sandwiches by offering in-store cooking demonstrations topped off with samples of the finished product. Reps will visit select grocery stores through May 11. During the demos, in-store TV will feature Kraft Singles’ “Have a Happy Sandwich” ad. More than 675,000 samples will be distributed. In addition, Kraft reps are also handing out 250,000 Singles Savers, special square tubs used to store Kraft Singles Cheese.
“For many people, the first grilled cheese sandwich they ever had was one prepared by mom,” said Kraft spokesman Basil Maglaris. “Kraft Singles is providing fun ways to help children, fathers and husbands celebrate moms and all they do.”
The firm is also teaming up with American Greetings. In-store, the greeting card company is giving out free Happy Mother’s Day “Grilled Cheese Sandwich” gift certificates, which kids (and husbands) can give to mom on her special day. Each comes with cooking instructions. It’s also supporting the promotion with in-store signage in its greeting card section.
Online at http://www.AmericanGreetings.com, kids can send free Kraft Singles-branded e-cards to mom with customizable coupons. The coupons can be redeemed for everything from a grilled cheese sandwich and a kitchen clean up to a hand-drawn picture or a week of bed making. Husbands, too, can send e-cards with their own coupons for countless compliments, a romantic rendezvous, or trash takeout. Banner ads support the effort.
There’s been a lot of news lately about low-fat chocolate milk being a great choice for athletes post work-out. The nutritious drink has been shown to re-hydrate and re-fuel the body.
In a statement the MilkPEP said that scientists have evaluated chocolate milk as a post-exercise drink and have highlighted several reasons why it might help the body recover.
According to MilkPEP, chocolate milk contains carbohydrates and protein to help replenish exhausted muscles and it provides fluids and electrolytes such as potassium to help with re-hydration. Also, chocolate milk has protein that builds lean muscle when combined with exercise.
The MilkPEP draws on research published in the study Chocolate milk as a post exercise recovery aid published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism in February 2006.
Another relevant study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in August 2007. The researchers concluded that “chronic post-exercise consumption of milk promotes greater hypertrophy during the early stages of resistance training in novice weightlifters when compared with isoenergetic soy or carbohydrate consumption “
Build-A Bear Workshop is teaming up with Milk Rocks, a division of Milk Media, to feature its virtual world, on 120 million milk cartons in 95,000 elementary schools. In addition to the milk cartons, messaging on 12,500 posters and 15,000 book covers will help promote the campaign.
The campaign is designed to be a fun way to promote health and nutrition and to encourage kids to drink milk, Build-A-Bear Workshop said. Each milk carton will include facts about the site and a code for a free virtual milk carton. Online, visitors can create their own unique character, participate in games to earn Bear Bills, buy clothing and furniture for their Cub Condo home and trade items they have created or acquired with other citizens in the world.
Sara Long, communications manager at Michigan State University Department of Ag and Natural Resources, along with Celeste Laurent, agriculture communications major at Western Kentucky University, shared an interactive session during the Partner’s Program at GLRDC in MI titled, “Tweet This: LinkedIn to the World o Social Media.”
As we prepare for the holiday season, the Beef Checkoff is reminding people to give thanks for our abundant food supply.
At the National Association of Farm Broadcasting meeting last week, Massachusetts dairy farmer and 
The 
The folks in Harrisburg, Pa. sure were lucky last Tuesday, when the state’s dairy farmers built a 90-gallon ice cream sundae on the Capitol Building steps! The sundae was built to celebrate June Dairy Month and is an annual salute to dairy farmers is sponsored by 
The board of the 
The 
I don’t usually need an excuse to order a pizza, but if you do – here’s your perfect one: it supports dairy farmers! 
The dairy industry has unveiled a major initiative to help reduce on-farm expenses while meeting a growing consumer demand for environmentally friendly products. The industry-wide effort focuses on the fluid milk value chain — from farm to table. It includes a series of projects that will reduce energy, increase efficiency and help dairy producers tap into new sources of income.
The 2008-2009 
