YOUR DAIRY PROMOTION AT WORK IN INDIANA AND MICHIGAN

YOUR DAIRY CHECKOFF AT WORK

National News

Nearly 95% of the world’s population lives outside the U.S., which is why checkoff works with partners like Domino’s to expand opportunities in untapped categories like pizza. In a new partnership with Alamar Foods Co., which owns 455 Domino’s stores in the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan, checkoff will provide expertise on menu development and marketing to increase U.S. cheese sales.

The Dairy Checkoff podcast has two new episodes.

• One episode focuses on school milk, where Alex Peterson, Missouri dairy farmer and National Dairy Board Chair, and Audrey Donahoe, New York dairy farmer and National Dairy Council chair, host a conversation with a school foodservice director and research expert to take a deeper dive in how school milk is sourced and served to millions of students. Conversation topics include the creative approaches the checkoff is taking to ensure school milk is appealing to the next generation of dairy consumers.

• In the latest episode Dairy farmer hosts Carrie Mess of Wisconsin and Jenni Tilton-Flood of Maine are joined by Jon Moss from Pizza Ranch and Paul Ziemnisky of Dairy Management, Inc. to talk about how creative checkoff partnerships are driving the pizza category forward. Despite the pandemic, pizza sales grew in 2020 as consumers increasingly stayed home and ordered in more frequently. • Visit www.dairycheckoffpodcast.com or on your favorite podcast platform to find both new episodes.

“Rod’s Kitchen” Activation

In partnership with the Indianapolis Colts, and our new player ambassador, Rodrigo Blakenship, we’ve created the “Rod’s Kitchen” campaign. Each month we will work with the Colts creative team to push out one of these graphics, highlighting one of Rodrigo’s favorite dairy foods/products. These will align with themed months such as Winners Drink Milk (May), National Dairy Month (June), National Ice Cream Month (July), The Indiana State Fair (August) and more!

Indiana Dairy Featured in International Magazine

The Indiana Cheese Trail has caught the attention of one of the largest and most established magazines in American cuisine—“Food and Wine”. With a readership of over 7 million and a website that sees 27 million page views a month, this article puts Indiana dairy farms and cheesemakers on the map. The highly favorable review of Indiana cheeses also shines a light on family farms, giving readers a closer connection to dairy foods and families.

Dietetics Interns Visit the Farm

August kicks off many school programs, including university programs in Dietetics and Nutrition. Students from Purdue University, Indiana State University, and IUPUI joined their professors and other community thought leaders at Poland Dairy in Boswell, Indiana. The farm features both a rotary parlor and robotic milkers, giving visitors a unique view of the different types of dairy production. Students were interested to learn about the cow comfort and care that takes place on the farm. The most conversation was generated around cow diets and how they relate to human nutrition. All left with a confidence to share the benefits of dairy and a new appreciation for the hard work and dedication of dairy farmers. These students are an important group to connect with due to their future leadership potential and connection to decide healthy diets for the general public.

National Ice Cream Month Celebrations

July is celebrated as National Ice Cream Month across the country. Your state checkoff took the opportunity to showcase this delicious dairy product while connecting with the public. Reminding people of fond memories and sharing exciting food ideas are important strategies when building trust in dairy foods.

In Indiana, our annual ice cream social was held as a drive-thru event at Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians baseball team. Working with the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, we raised $6000 for the organization and connected Indiana dairy farmers with Indiana communities.

In Michigan, TV personality and longtime friend of Milk Means More, spent a weekend driving around West Michigan to surprise consumers at 11 local shops with ice cream treats. Her adventures were documented on social media and had over 13K impressions.

UDIM is Added to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Retail Training Curriculum

The Grocery Store Tour Training program created by UDIM Nutrition Outreach staff will be included in an Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics continuing education training program focused on consumers and the retail setting, to be released late fall 2021. There are more than 100,000 registered dietitians in the United States and Michigan is home to approximately 6,000.

UDIM Grant Helps Homeless Students in Detroit

The Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) Office of Homeless and Foster Care helps to identify and support homeless youth so each student can successfully participate in the learning environment. Connected by our partners at Project Healthy Schools, the office reached out to UDIM and identified a need to provide students with nutritious foods in urgent cases such as loss of housing. Through our pantry grant program, UDIM awarded DPSCD a cooler to keep milk and cheese snacks cold and safe to give to students who arrive at their office.

Moolah for Schools Supports 65 School Districts During the 20202021 School Year

The Moolah for Schools Grant program kicked off in April 2020 just as the world was shutting down and our school food service teams worked non-stop to ensure that every student had access to nutritious meals, including milk. Schools were in need of equipment supporting meal distribution at the curb, via a bus or eventually in a classroom. The requests included transport carts of all shapes and sizes and small coolers to get meals from the cafeteria to the curb as well as milk coolers and mobile food carts. The program awarded equipment to 65 school districts during the 2020-2021 school year.

Street Hockey in the D

Milk Means More partnered with the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Parks and Recreation for the official launch of their Street Hockey in the D summer series at Patton Memorial Center, a recurring summer feeding site for the Detroit youth community. The free six-week street hockey clinics will provide over 100 Detroit youth aged 6-14 with an opportunity to learn the basics of hockey without the added cost of skates and equipment.

For its launch, Milk Means More provided a snack station where kids were able to spin our prize wheel to learn more about dairy’s nutritional benefits on physical activity, snack on some cheese sticks, and meet Mootilda. The event wrapped up with the Detroit Red Wings surprising one lucky participant with the news they’ve been chosen to help announce the Detroit Red Wings first round selection during the 2021 NHL Draft. Everyone celebrated with a final scrimmage showcasing all the skills they had just learned, including goalie Mootilda.

Crisis Content Corner - Protecting the Next Generation

Protecting the safety of everyone on the farm requires constant vigilance, especially with younger family members around. Cargill Safety Champion Ann Mesman suggests being aware of the 3 main danger areas, and utilizing these helpful tips to help prevent unnecessary loss.

1. Equipment: Being entangled, rolled/ran over, or crushed by a large piece o f machinery.

- Never allow extra riders, especially children who can be easily thrown out by bumps

- Never assume a driver sees you

- Teach children to maintain safe distances, regardless if equipment is on or off

2. Falling: Ag work often requires climbing on top of machinery, bins, silos and buildings. Falling as little as 3 feet can cause injury.

- Maintain ladders and safety cages

- Properly position and spot portable ladders

- Utilize fall harnesses when appropriate

- Have a spotter

3. Drowning/Suffocation: Manure lagoons, ponds, and wells are common sites for on-farm drowning. Fencing off these areas can help keep kids from falling in. Silage and grain piles can collapse quickly, and without warning. The gases they produce can also cause drowsiness, unconsciousness and even death.

- Ventilate silos before entering - Limiting height to what equipment can deface

- Always have a second person nearby - Cut vertical face with a 10 degree tilt away

For further information, or to set up a planning meeting for your farm, contact your state promotion staff below.

Michigan: Jolene Griffin - jolene@milkmeansmore.org, 224-567-189

Indiana: Allie Rieth - rieth@winnersdrinkmilk.com, 317-443-2296