Sharing Dairy’s Story

and Adding Value NMPF outreach in 2022 ranged from showcasing farmer voices in guest newspaper opinion columns to highlighting the benefits of real dairy through the Real Seal campaign. A full return to in-person gatherings helped build dairy community, while the Cooperatives Working Together Program saw continued success in NMPF members working together to build exports.

NMPF OUTREACH IN 2022

RANGED FROM SHOWCASING FARMER VOICES IN GUEST NEWSPAPER OPINION COLUMNS TO HIGHLIGHTING THE BENEFITS OF REAL DAIRY THROUGH THE REAL SEAL CAMPAIGN.

Key Advances

Advancing FMMO at Denver Gathering

National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) leadership unanimously endorsed a proposal to modernize the Federal Milk Marketing Order milk-pricing system at its annual meeting in Denver in October. It also welcomed new directors— as well as a new member.

“Dairy is positioned to be a trusted anchor in an uncertain world,” said NMPF Chairman Randy Mooney in remarks at the meeting, part of a joint event held by NMPF, the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board and the United Dairy Industry Association. “Together we can seize opportunities to feed the world. Our product is one of the most nutritionally valuable foods available. We create vibrant rural communities that keep America strong by helping to retain local schools, build energy independence, preserve the environment, and ensure food security for everyone.”

Central to discussions was recommendations developed on federal milk pricing after more than 100 meetings that have taken place over the past year. NMPF’s unanimously adopted modernization proposal, with a goal of being finalized in 2023, showed that “we have made tremendous progress and are moving forward with the strong level of consensus in the producer community that we will need to achieve our goals of modernization,” said NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern. “The give and take that’s needed to get to anything important done will place the entire industry on a sounder footing, creating a lasting benefit for all.”

NMPF, whose member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of the nation’s milk, also welcomed Burnett Dairy Cooperative to its membership. Burnett Dairy Cooperative, based near Grantsburg, WI and founded in 1896, is one of the nation’s few remaining full-service cheese-producing cooperatives. It is a frequent winner at both national and worldwide cheese contests. New directors elected to the Board of Directors and approved by NMPF delegates in 2022 included:

• Jeff Sims, Lone Star Milk Producers

• Kevin Ellis, Upstate Niagara Cooperative

• Cory Vanderham, California Dairies Inc.

• Joe Coote, Northwest Dairy Association

• Dan Rosen, Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery

• Rob Byrne, Dairy Farmers of America

• Frank Doll, Prairie Farms

• Christine Sukalski, Land O’Lakes

• Andy Mason, Land O’Lakes

THE NMPF CHAIRMAN’S AWARD WENT TO ELLSWORTH COOPERATIVE CREAMERY FOR THEIR PEPPERONI WITH MARINARA RUB CHEESE, WHICH ACHIEVED A 99.8 SCORE.

18

PRAIRIE FARMS WON THE BEST COTTAGE CHEESE COMPETITION AND THE MOST RIBBONS AMONG CO OPS.

Together we can seize opportunities to feed the world. Our product is one of the most nutritionally valuable foods available. We create vibrant rural communities that keep America strong by helping to retain local schools, build energy independence, preserve the environment, and ensure food security for everyone.

- Randy Mooney, NMPF Chairman

AGRI-MARK RECEIVED THE CHAIRMAN’S RESERVE AWARD FOR ITS 10% VANILLA BEAN GREEK YOGURT, WHICH ALSO WON THE AWARD FOR BEST YOGURT.

5M IMPRESSIONS ACROSS ALL REAL SEAL MEDIA PLATFORMS.

NMPF'S ANNUAL YC LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ATTRACTED 80 YOUNG FARMERS.

NMPF’S NATIONAL YOUNG COOPERATORS PROGRAM PROVIDED EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR ITS MEMBERS THROUGH WEBINARS AND IN-PERSON EVENTS, REACHING MORE 750 PRODUCERS AND COOPERATIVE STAFF MEMBERS.

NMPF ALSO EXPANDED ITS REACH VIA PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS.

Delighting Judges with Cheese (Yogurt, Too!)

NMPF held its annual dairy contest with the meeting. Ellsworth took the top prize, while a yogurt also took high honors in the first-ever inclusion of that category, in prizes awarded in the held with NMPF’s annual meeting.

The NMPF Chairman’s Award went to Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery for their Pepperoni with Marinara Rub cheese, which achieved a 99.8 score. Agri-Mark received the Chairman’s Reserve Award for its 10% Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt, which also won the award for best yogurt. Tillamook County Creamery Association earned the Best Cheddar award for its 2012 Makers Reserve, while Foremost Farms won the best Italian Cheese for its Mozzarella. Prairie Farms won the Best Cottage Cheese competition and the most ribbons among co-ops, with 18.

Showcasing Farmer Voices

NMPF communications staff in 2022 placed an emphasis on giving dairy farmers platforms before wider audiences and building partnerships with outside news organizations to provide the organization a broader platform.

Florida farmer Brittany Thurlow; Arizona farmer Josh Gladden, and California farmer Melvin Medeiros, NMPF’s Co-Op Farmer Communicator of the year, each penned guest columns printed in major daily newspapers representing their region, getting farmers before urban readers and supporting NMPF policy efforts in farmer assistance, immigration and sustainability. At the same time, NMPF’s Farmer Focus series of farmer profiles, done in conjunction with the FARM Program, told stories from farms of varying sizes and businesses from across the country.

NMPF also expanded its reach via partnerships with other media organizations, including Hoard’s Dairyman and the National Association of Farm Broadcasters, that put original NMPF content before their readers and listeners on a regular basis. With NMPF staffers serving as authors, topics ranging from the WOTUS rule and immigration policy to water and pricing issues, found broad exposure throughout the year.

Supporting the Next Generation of Dairy Leaders

NMPF’s National Young Cooperators (YC) Program provided education and leadership development opportunities for its members through webinars and in-person events in 2022, reaching more 750 producers and cooperative staff members.

The program organized ten 45-minute webinars throughout the year on topics including dairy economics, employee onboarding and effective on-farm communications. New in 2022, the YC Program partnered with the FARM Program, Dairy Girl Network and U.S. Dairy Export Council to offer joint webinars on topics of mutual interest.

The annual YC Dairy Policy and Legislative Forum convened in

Washington, D.C. on June 6–7 for the first time since 2019. Forty-five young and beginning dairy farmers from 15 states and representing ten member cooperatives participated in the two-day event, which included discussions about political engagement and dairy policy issues, along with training on how to be an effective advocate and spokesperson for dairy. YCs then headed to Capitol Hill to speak with members of Congress and their staffs about NMPF priorities including agricultural labor reform, dairy labeling, market access and the supply chain crisis.

NMPF hosted its annual YC Leadership and Development Program Oct. 23–24, attracting 80 young farmers representing eleven member cooperatives to the two-day professional development event in Denver, Colorado. Sessions during last year’s Leadership and Development Program included a risk management workshop and farmer panel, a primer on federal order pricing and an update on NMPF’s federal order modernization efforts.

Other programming featuring panels at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, WI in October and a YC a panel at Farm Journal’s MILK Business Conference in Las Vegas in December.

Members of the 2022 YC Advisory Council who provided regular guidance and feedback to enhance program offerings included:

• Valerie Lavigne, Chairperson, Agri-Mark, Inc.

• Dustin and Elizabeth Brunn, Vice Chairpersons, Dairy Farmers of America

• Sid and Kristin Huls, Prairie Farms

• Jaime Mowry and Matt Harrington, Upstate Niagara, Inc.

• Kip and Rochelle Siegler, Michigan Milk Producers Association

• Ben Smith, Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association

• Jason and Tiffany Staehely, Northwest Dairy Association

• Brittany Thurlow, Southeast Milk Inc.

• Spencer Hurliman, Tillamook County Creamery Association

Impressing Millions with the REAL Seal

As the number of dairy imitators continued to proliferate, NMPF continued to offer marketers of real dairy foods the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to high-quality, American-made products through the REAL Seal. Using social media platforms Facebook and Pinterest, the REAL Seal campaign generated content to contrast the nutrition, taste and value of dairy foods against the fakes, which usually pale in comparison in all three categories.

Impressions in 2022 across all REAL Seal media platforms totaled nearly 5 million. NMPF posted 157 pieces of social media content, including 12 featured brands. Those posts generated a 7.93% engagement rate (compared to industry average of 3%). Based on learnings from the previous year, the mix of tactics for 2022 shifted to focus more on brand awareness than drawing consumer traffic. Brand spotlights allow NMPF members using the Seal to build awareness for their specific products.

Assisting Dairy Export Sales

Year-end tallies indicate that CWTassisted sales rose in 2022, as the program did its part in supporting a record year for U.S. dairy exports.

Member cooperatives in 2022 secured 695 contracts, adding 98.0 million pounds of American-type cheeses, 657,000 pounds of butter, 30.7 million pounds of whole milk powder and 8.8 million pounds of cream cheese to CWT-assisted sales. In milk equivalent, this is equal to 1.212 billion pounds of milk on a milkfat basis. On a product volume basis, this is equal to 138.2 million pounds—up 6% (+7.9 million pounds) from 2021. Product destinations include Asia, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, Middle East-North Africa, Oceania and South America.