Promotion in Action - July 2022

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June July 24, 29, 2022 IN THIS ISSUE:

COMMENTS FROM OUR CEO

Using gaming New STEM pilot and esports to Environmental promote dairy Initiative's Memberkitchen of the Private Month Award pitch contest

importance Midwest Dairy knows farmersthe truly care of reaching consumers and exploring about the future of America’s youth new have ways proudly to sharesupported dairy’s story.

As and schools youover read100 the years storiestobelow, I hope for help our youthyou will see that and Midwest Dairy is thinking grow, learn, thrive.

By providing differently and finding enterprising nutrient-rich dairy products and ways to maximize your checkoff volunteering to opening your farms up investment.

From the virtual gaming to these young people, you are truly world toafood serviceand partnerships making difference bringing to storytelling efforts with new our groups dairy to classrooms across 10who can spread dairy’s Midwest sustainability state region.

Recently, Dairy story.committed There aretomany has a newopportunities STEM pilot to make connections across project and are excited for our the 10many state region and your checkoff dollars opportunities it will allow high school are working hard tounderstand meet consumers students to better the where they are.Midwest Dairy has dairy industry. established a passion for sharing about how food moves farm to But with exploration alsofrom comes table to the nextofgeneration, and we measurements impact, something are take honored be a part the STEM we veryto seriously at of Midwest program somewe Dairy.

Weworking realize alongside not everything amazing teachers.

Please read do is going to be successful but more by in the article below toresults learn about carefully measuring and this valuableweopportunity. impact can continue to build a strong strategic road map for the next partnership and the nextthe campaign.

In other exciting news, mid-year Midwest Dairy results staff is have focused on measurement been results, we collaborate and take updatedand for July of 2022. Please educate on how a look ateach theseother numbers andtocharts to improve to use checkoff better understand where dollars your wisely. checkoff investment is going and how we are measuring the impact of our Iwork hopetoyou alltrust had and a great time build drive demand celebrating Month, for dairy. AsNational you readDairy over the otherI know It is so easy to storiesI did! in the Promotion in celebrate Action, I delicious dairy encourageand younutritious to connect thefoods dots and the great between thesepeople articlesthat andmake thosethem possible.

We had much numbers represented to partner better support throughout monthefforts understand Midwestthe Dairy’s including retail campaigns, online when promoting dairy products and influencer support and on farm farms. celebrations. I urge you continue to share your farmers story with your community throughout the year!

New scorecard video Supporting families with dairy products Celebrating National Dairy National Month Dairy Month partnerships Seeking consumers where they Meeting Genare Z during the Building summer months relationships with important Midwest Dairy thought leaders providing agriculture experiences Connecting with consumer durin g summer activities

MOLLY PELZER

Infusing dairy into high school science curriculum to growto trust Using gaming and esports reclaim dairy's wellness benefits Today’s youth care about food and the environment, however they don’t know much about howof the twoZare connected and where their food comes from.

With 94 percent Gen playing video games, 62 percent watching video As they enter High School, these students are already forming their own beliefs game content, and 44 percent saying they have made a purchase decision and making decisions based on their values, like what they eat and drink.

This based on a recommendation from a social influencer, like a gamer, Midwest is why Midwest Dairy, along with Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) are partnering Dairy piloting an effort to reach Gen Z consumers where they are and reclaim Agriculture with thewellness Food and dairy’s benefits to growCenter trust. for Science Education, a platform of the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture on a three-year pilot to dairyMidwest into science the country. an esports organization Forinfuse the pilot, Dairycurriculum is working across with Version1,

based in Minnesota, to position Undeniably Dairy as the official Nutrition The firstofpart of the pilot wasLeague an On from the Farm STEM™ experience that took Partner Version1 Rocket May to July. The partnership’s goal is place in Minnesota in mid-July.

This experience brought together 26 high to connect with young video game players about how proper nutrition, school science andcognitive curriculum from 15 states and one including dairy, educators can optimize andcoordinators physical performance for esports territory (Puerto Rico) to see how dairy and agriculture can be a tangible, realathletes. This project is estimated to reach at least 15 million world context to learn about science.

They will bring back what they learned to people. This press release shares more details. their classrooms this fall which will help us develop future curriculum and resources thatopportunity will be available forpilot, all science teachers.

As an added with this Midwest Dairy gave all processors

headquartered in our region the ability to participate for additional brand Participants went to Agropur’s Protein Applications Center where they integrations.

One processor, Prairie Farms, took advantage of the opportunity, conducted experiments using whey protein and learned about food science and we are excited to share more learnings at the conclusion of the pilot. and technologist careers. They also went to a Winfield Answer Plot where they learned about soil science, nitrogen and plant physiology. The experience also included three dairy farms (Annexstad’s Dairy Farm, Forest Lawn Holsteins and University of Minnesota’s Fetrow Dairy Education Center) where they learned about how farmers care for the environment and use sciencebased practices related to genetics, embryo transfer, ruminate digestion, nutrition and more.

Midwest Dairy recognized as Environmental Initiative's Member of the Month Environment Initiative (EI), a non-profit organization that implements incommunity projects to improve environmental, economic, and public health outcomes, selected Midwest Dairy as their Member of the Month for June 2022. They featured a sustainable nutrition blog from Midwest Dairy, which included a quote from Joanne Slavin, PhD, RD, and professor at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Food Science and Nutrition. The full blog post is available here.

As a Member of the Month, posts with this partner garnered over 2,000 impressions during June via social media shares of the blog. EI also shared our video on the Headwaters Agriculture Sustainability Partnership (HASP) ROI project, which analyzes the relationship between on-farm conservation and finances on row crop and dairy operations. EI and Midwest Dairy have partnered on HASP, and together they focus on delivering solutions to benefit the environment, economic viability of farmers and vitality of rural communities.

Partnering to remind families to get 3 servings of dairy each day Children’s Mercy is a leader in children’s health in the Kansas City region and beyond. Their Healthy Lifestyle Initiative, led by the Weighing In Program, is designed to increase individuals practicing healthy lifestyles at a healthy weight. This is done in collaboration with partners across the community, health care, and government sectors using their consistent 12345 FitTastic! message with a goal to increase the number of children and families who hear the message and receive education on targeted behaviors. The 3 in the message represents 3 servings of dairy.

This spring, Midwest Dairy collaborated on the spring and summer newsletters expanding on this message. The spring newsletter shared how dairy cows are ultimate upcyclers converting things people can’t eat into delicious and nutritious milk. The summer newsletter highlights milk’s powerhouse of nutrients, discusses how individuals with lactose intolerance can still include dairy in their diet and includes information about the Fuel up to Play 60 app.

Newsletters were sent to nearly 900 individuals representing over 100 organizations such as doctors and clinics, community groups, and health departments across Kansas and Missouri.

National Dairy Month partnerships show success Jewel-Osco: National Dairy Month a success The largest grocery retailer in Illinois had a robust National Dairy Month campaign. During June, throughout their 192 stores, 13.6 million people saw the content in print, online, and in-store featuring dairy's story.

The weekly ads included dairy messages, with Undeniably Dairy logos on the ads, on billboards around Chicago, plus shelf signage in store. Radio ads also promoted dairy, and there were offers of $5 off for every $25 dairy purchase, which could be redeemed with no limit throughout the month.

Display contests were impressive in different locations, adding more dairy space, creating standout departments, and increasing dairy sales. The winning store from the Elburn, Illinois, had an increase of 81 percent in sales. Jewel had support for promotional dairy deals from 55 vendors.

National Dairy Month collaboration with Club Foods shows dairy farming from Gen Z's perspective Midwest Dairy collaborated with Cub Foods during National Dairy Month to deliver authentic dairy farm content. During the second and third weeks of June, Cub Food's Instagram account hosted two video series centering around dairy farming in Minnesota. The First series was an "Ask Me Anything" stream of videos created by dairy ambassadors Brenna Connelly and Luke Borst.

There videos covered animal care, sustainability, nutrition, and life on a dairy farm. The second series included "A Day in the Life", featuring sisters Kate and Megan created 62 videos showing their typical day on a dairy farm.

Cub Foods gathered all the videos from the campaigns, as well as dairyrelated pools and recipes, into a dedicated highlight link at the top of their Instagram profile. The link keeps the videos accessible beyond the typical 24hour shelf life. Visit Cub Foods' Instagram profile, @mycubfoods, to watch all the content.

From our fields to yours: fuel your fun with dairy with Coborn's Inc. On July 18, Midwest Dairy began a partnership with Coborn’s with a “From Our Fields to Yours” campaign that will continue through October 18, with a back- toschool twist 'fueling fun with dairy'.

The three-month digital campaign will include a redesigned landing page for shoppers, a short video to learn more about the Krause Holsteins dairy farm, and another video about dairy sustainability.

Included are shoppable dairy recipes, weekly ad emails, social media platforms, e-commerce, and Little Duke’s gas station videos, all encouraging shoppers to purchase dairy. Vendors provided promotional deals that Coborn’s selected.

Direct mail with QR codes will also be tested in a marketing area; if successful, we’ll add more markets in the future.

National Dairy Month partnerships show success

Display contest in Elburn, IL

“From Our Fields to Yours” campaign ad examples.

Meeting Gen Z during the summer months Children's Museum celebrates June Dairy Month Lincoln Children’s Museum (LCM) located in Lincoln, Nebraska, has been a valued partner of Midwest Dairy and understands the importance of entertaining while educating to keep kids invested.

To celebrate June Dairy Month, LCM hosted an ice cream social where kids could create, color, and decorate their own paper ice cream cone while enjoying a delicious ice cream sundae. They were able to learn how dairy is committed to Net Zero by 2050, how water is recycled on average four times on the farm, and that 94 percent of dairy farms are family owned. Additionally, dairy sustainability messaging was shared on 250 Undefinably Dairy sponsored seed fans that went home with attendees so they could repurpose fans to plant their own wildflowers at home.

Four social media posts were shared about the event, garnering 73,200 impressions and reaching 7,000 people, and over 500 guests attended the ice cream social.

Bringing Dairy to Life at Summer Camps While schools remain a key partner for Midwest Dairy to reach Gen Z and other youth, summer camps serve as an opportunity outside of the school months.

At the University of Nebraska at Kearney, the Personal Achievement Workshops at the University (PAWSU) program offers students unique experiences to mitigate the summer education gap. Through their multi-week academies and weeklong workshops, PAWSU provides hands-on activities and STEM-focused learning. Midwest Dairy served as the lunch sponsor for their summer programming, and during Dairy Farm Fridays, over 160 students experienced virtual farm tours and participated in activities to learn about sustainability and cow care.

Meeting Gen Z during the summer months Partnering with the Science Museum of Minnesota for a day of ice cream and fun Midwest Dairy participated in the Science Museum of Minnesota’s (SMM) Ice Cream Social on Sunday, June 26. This event kicked off SMM’s Summer of Space, a program that brings together the history of galactic adventures and the technology needed to envision the future of planetary exploration. Midwest Dairy was listed as an event sponsor on signage, social media, and SMM's website.

The event drew over 800 attendees, most of whom were young children and their parents. Midwest Dairy’s presence included educational games like Plinko and an upcycling puzzle station, as well as fun giveaways. Jonny Pops also gave away ice cream popsicles at the event, a dairy experience coinciding with dairy education. .

A family takes a photo with Midwest Dairy's Fuel Up to Play 60 signage featuring Minnesota Vikings player Dalvin Tomlinson.

Social post from event - design your own ice cream cone.

Midwest Dairy providing agriculture experiences for those in the dairy industry Midwest Dairy provides engaging experiences for young agriculture leaders The 51st Nebraska Agriculture Youth Institute (NAYI) took place in Lincoln, Nebraska on July 11 -15 and Midwest Dairy made sure dairy was present.

On day two of NAYI, Ann Engelman and Amie Hackler of Classic Dairy, Inc. presented to the more than 225 delegates of high school juniors, seniors and college-aged counselors during the dairy production session. This motherdaughter dairy farmer team shared their dairy story and explained their operation.

In addition to the dairy production session, Midwest Dairy presented insights of dairy check-off and promotion during the dairy commodity board session. The session included testing the dairy knowledge of the delegates using the inactive spin wheel, encouraging participation with dairy prizes.

Midwest Dairy providing agriculture experiences for those in the dairy industry The Nebraska Department of Agriculture coordinates NAYI with the help of the Nebraska Agricultural Youth Council made up of college-aged students and held at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s East Campus. It features speakers, workshops, agricultural education, networking with peers and industry leaders, professional development opportunities and leadership experience. NAYI is made possible through numerous donations from agricultural businesses, commodity groups and industry organizations.

Midwest Dairy interns and dairy ambassadors attend Young Leaders in Agriculture Conference Providing leadership development opportunities for our young dairy leaders is an important part of Midwest Dairy’s strategic plan, which is why we were excited to sponsor the Young Leaders in Agriculture Conference hosted by Minnesota Pork. The purpose of the conference is to provide an opportunity for emerging leaders to: Develop communication, leadership, and critical thinking skills Engage with dynamic speakers and thought leaders 3. Network with industry professionals and peers 4. Gain agricultural and food production knowledge 1.

2.

The conference took place in June in Sioux Falls, SD, and nearly 80 young leaders attended. We were excited to have four Midwest Dairy interns and five dairy ambassadors attend: Kelsey Erf – Corporate Communications Intern Kerstin Thoms – SD Farmer Relations Intern 3. Emily Popp – MN Farmer Relations Intern 4. Chloe Engelbrecht – IA Farmer Relations Intern 5. Holli Jark – SD Dairy Ambassador 6. Tiffany Van Buren – SD Dairy Ambassador 7. Whitney Ten Napel – SD Dairy Ambassador 8. Danielle Begle – IA Dairy Ambassador 9. Nichole Gerard – IA Dairy Ambassador 1.

2.

Overall, the ambassadors and interns thoroughly enjoyed the learning opportunities provided at the conference. Kelsey Erf said, “The speakers were incredible. They came from diverse backgrounds, and each had a message applicable to our experiences as growing leaders.” Additionally, Kerstin Thoms said, “I enjoyed being able to network with other students with different backgrounds in agriculture.”

To learn more about the conference, you can visit Minnesota Pork’s website.

Midwest Dairy providing agriculture experiences for those in the dairy industry Midwest Dairy checkoff demonstrated at convention The 2022 National Holstein Convention was held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota between June 27 - July 1. With the event being held in the region, Midwest Dairy was honored to sponsor the youth convention and competitions. In addition to the sponsorship, efforts were made to communicate checkoff value to convention participants.

Midwest Dairy provided support during the non-delegate Tour to Prairie Farms processing facility, lunch at the Stockyard Ag Experience and Falls Park, familyowned Stensland Family Farm and Creamery, and topped off the day at the Washington Pavilion that showcases Midwest Dairy's sponsorship of an interactive dairy display.

In addition to Midwest Dairy staff, South Dakota Intern Kerstin Thoms and Nebraska Junior Dairy Ambassador Kaitlyn Hanson shared the checkoff value and created interaction utilizing the Test Your Dairy Knowledge spin wheel with dairy enthusiasts of all ages at the Midwest Dairy trade show booth.

The NAYI Communications Team interviewed Midwest Dairy asking to share advise on how young agriculturist could get started in dairying.

Museum visitors interact with the Midwest Dairy sponsored dairy display at the Washington Pavilion.

Connecting with consumer during summer activities ‘Race to the Plate’ showcases farm team on behalf of Missouri Farmer’s Care On Friday nights at Busch Stadium, agriculture is front and center with St. Louis Cardinal thanks to Missouri Farmer’s Care (MFC), an agricultural coalition comprised of multiple organizations. Midwest Dairy and Missouri dairy farmers traveled to Busch Stadium on July 9 to participate in ‘Race to the Plate’ as well as host a booth on behalf of MFC. Dairy farmers Jack and Patty Dill and Kate and Sophie Geppert interacted with baseball fans during the evening and gave insight into the world of dairy. At the top of the 4th inning, the “Farm Team” mascot race commenced, and while the race was happening, farm videos were shown on the stadium screen. There were 41,100 fans present, and unfortunately, Sweet Bessie (Midwest Dairy’s Race to the Plate mascot) did not win, but she finished strong in third!

Consumers had the opportunity to interact and take photos with the agricultural Farm Team mascots via green screen and receive mascot training cards, recipe books, and stickers. These training cards gave agricultural insight into the dairy, corn, pork, and beef industries and directed consumers to Missouri Farmer’s Care app, Ag Education on the Move, to learn more about agriculture. The recipe books focused on dairy-fresh recipes and were handed largely to parents and grandparents while their kids were getting training cards.

Replenishing bicycle riders across Nebraska For the last 40 years, hundreds of bicyclists from Nebraska and over 30 different states convene each year to ride for a cause in the Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska (BRAN). Riders can join in on all or part of the 430-mile trek as a seven, four, or three-day tour. As a non-profit, BRAN donates all proceeds towards scholarships for Nebraska high school graduates to trade schools, colleges, and universities. Midwest Dairy helped connect the 400 riders participating in the 2022 BRAN ride with 600 chocolate milk cartons donated

by Hiland Dairy in Omaha, Nebraska.

Social content was shared on the BRAN Nebraska Twitter and Facebook pages, including posts that educated riders about chocolate milk as a top recovery beverage and recipes to try at home. National Dairy Council sports nutrition promotional materials were displayed throughout the ride and at the last two campsites. BRAN continues to be a proud champion and supporter of dairy, making them a key partner to work through to reach consumers.

Midwest Dairy partner Illinois Farm Families shines at Taste of Randolph Midwest Dairy’s partner, Illinois Farm Families (IFF), participated in the Taste of Randolph Festival betwee June 17-19. IFF had an awesome booth that resembled a kitchen to entice festival attendees to learn about food and farming. Attendees could open a real refrigerator and learn about products grown in Illinois, including milk and yogurt, as well as view a pantry that also featured Illinois-grown products. The booth even showed visitors the difference between field corn, sweet corn, and popcorn.

Connecting with consumer during summer activities Midwest Dairy was well represented throughout the weekend at the booth to help build trust in dairy. Illinois Dairy farmers Andy and Sarah Lenkaitis, Dakota Cowger, and Matt and Jenna Kilgus also engaged with consumers. Dairy Ambassador Madelyn Hatrim-Lowe, as well as Rush dietetic interns, were on hand to answer questions about dairy as well.

A great time was had by all, and over 2,000 reusable shopping bags and informational magnets were distributed. The Rush dietetic interns also created a handout about building a balanced bento box featuring dairy. Overall, awareness around IFF was raised, and many questions and conversations were had to move the needle surrounding trust in food and farming.

Connecting with neighbors on the farm Living in a rural part of the country doesn’t automatically make a person knowledgeable about agriculture. Bunse Dairy near Cosby, Missouri, and Ohlde Family Farms near Linn, Kansas, opened the “farmgate” in June to their respective community and allowed their consumer neighbors to join them for good food and conversation. Between the two farms, about 500 neighbors now have a much better understanding of animal care and land stewardship on a modern dairy farm.

Bunse’s featured homemade ice cream under the shade tree in the evening, while Ohlde’s served up biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Midwest Dairy provided support materials and interactive dairy-centric games for both farms, and a fun digital scavenger hunt on the Ohlde farm added an additional level of engagement. Both farms utilized the Undeniably Grant program through Midwest Dairy to help offset the cost of their event.

National Dairy Month with Iowa Farms Dairy farmers in Iowa celebrated Nantional Dairy month with a large line up of state wide activites. Creative ways to bring dairy’s story to conusmers included many open houses throughout the state, including theJones County Ag Breakfast, Iowa State University Dairy Open House, Jackson/Clinton County Ice Cream Social, The Western Iowa Dairy Alliance, and at the Northeast Iowa Community College Dairy Farm. Each open house was unique in its own way but most focused on sharing their own story, educating about different commodities within agriculture, provideding many farm/faciitly tours, sharing a dairy treat, and bringing more knowledge about the dairy industry through hands-on activities with visitors.

Connecting with consumer during summer activities

Dairy Farmers Matt and Jenna Kilgus engaged with consumers at the Taste of Randolph on June 19th

Riders enjoying Hiland Chocolate Milk after a long day. Pictured behind, National Dairy Council sports nutrition promotional materials.

A safe cow milking experience at Bunse Dairy without the threat of a swinging tail or misguided hoof.

Arkansas / Missouri / Oklahoma Stacy Dohle 417-298-2780 sdohle@midwestdairy.com

Illinois Kendra Anderson 309-825-2196 kanderson@midwestdairy.com

Iowa Mitch Schulte 319-775-3451 mschulte@midwestdairy.com

Kansas Ron Grusenmeyer 816-873-0351 rgrusenmeyer@midwestdairy.com

Minnesota Lucas Sjostrom 320-249-8701 lsjostrom@midwestdairy.com

Nebraska Tracy J Behnken 531-207-4291 tbehnken@midwestdairy.com

North Dakota Beth Bruck-Upton 402-707-9135 bupton@midwestdairy.com

South Dakota Tom Peterson 605-251-2439 tpeterson@midwestdairy.com

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