PEOPLE PERSPECTIVE

Connect with human aspect of change

Richard Kyte

The news is dominated by the depiction of dire events suggesting a gloomy future. But the most underreported news story of the past century is that the world is becoming better in just abo ut every measurable way.

Much of the improvement in living conditions is due to progress in agriculture.

•The world’s dairy farmers produce twice as much milk now than they did 50 years ago.

•Corn yields in the United States have increased from 85 bushels per acre in 1980 to currently 162 bushels per acre.

•In 1990 there were more than 650,000 deaths worldwide from malnutrition.By 2019 malnutrition deaths had decreased to about 200,000.

•Since 1950 the global child-mortality rate has decreased from 22.5 percent to 4.5 percent.

•Life expectancy for most of human history has been 25 to 35 years, depending on where one lived. But life expectancy around the globe has been steadily increasing since 1900. Now populations around the globe have a life expectancy ranging from 60 to 80 years.

and “The More the Merrier” holiday-sales promotion generate lifts in sales throughout the

But all of that comes at a cost. Objectively speaking there has never been a better time to live on planet Earth. And yet people are feeling worse about their lives than ever before. Why the discrepancy?

Technology gives us better results. But it also reduces our dependency on one another, which means we are less likely to develop strong social connections. And it turns out we need robust social connections to have a life we feel good about.

Therearecurrentlylotsofpeople, especially in the developed world, who are not feeling good about their lives. During the past three decades the rates of stress, anxiety, loneliness and suicide have been steadily increasing.

Think of it this way; every advance in technology promises to give us more power and more year on a national scale – in tens of thousands of stores reaching millions of cheese-buying shoppers.

The groundwork laid by the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin team helps position Wisconsin producers as suppliers of choice within the food industry. New-product development and joint promotions with restaurant chains such as Culver’s and Domino’s open incredible opportunities for Wisconsin dairy products. Sponsored content with trusted gourmet-food media outlets such as Food52 and SAVEUR help promote the “Wisconsin Cheese” brand.

Promotion grows positive connections

Checkoff promotion doesn’t just drive global business; it also encourages dairy-industry connections in our communities. The “Adopt a Cow” school program has engaged 60,000 students in following a day in the life of a real dairy calf. “Breakfast on the Farm” events attract grassroots groups during National Dairy Month. Proactive outreach builds trust and grows demand.

Even if marketing isn’t at the top of our to-do lists, we each have our own role to play in supporting checkoff efforts. By sending cheese sticks as snacks to my kids’ sporting events, I’m sending a message about the nutritional benefits of dairy. Thanking a mom who’s loading gallons of milk into her grocery cart opens the door to rewarding conversations Sharing my story connects a commodity to a family farm.

I try to do my part in promotion and I’m paying much more attention to the big picture. Thanks to the dairy checkoff, we have a dedicated team working to move Wisconsin milk and tirelessly advocating for our industry – and I’m so grateful!

Visit WisconsinDairy.org for more information.

Janet Clark is a dairy farmer from Rosendale, Wisconsin, where she and her family own and operate Vision Aire Farms. She is the vicepresident of the PDPW board and a board member of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, a mission sponsor of PDPW Email hello@WisconsinDairy. org to contact her freedom We’re told we will be able to do more with less and we will be able to do it in a more-convenient fashion

Smartphones are a great example; most of us have the power at our fingertips of what was once considered a supercomputer. We can access all kinds of information in just a few seconds – like weather predictions, repair instructions or the distance to the nearest gas station. And it’s available to us whenever we need it.

But that also means we don’t need to stop and ask for directions when we’re traveling. We don’t need to ask a neighbor for advice on how to wire an electrical outlet or go to the local watering hole to learn the news. We are becoming more and more self-sufficient And more and more lonely.

In “The Land Remembers,” Ben Logan recalls the winter evening his father brought home a new kerosene lantern that lit the entire room. The family lived on a small Wisconsin farm during the Great Depression, yet even in those days advances in technology were changing the ways they interacted with one another

With the bright new lantern the kids didn’t need to sit at the dining room table to read their books the way they needed to