YOUR DAIRY PROMOTION AT WORK
Your Dairy Checkoff at Work CRISIS CONTENT CORNER Activist groups are using any tactic they can think up to target farmers. Recently we’ve learned activist members are texting farmers and farm employees. If this happens to you, please contact your checkoff team, our contact information is below. Here are some tips: • Remind employees of the farm’s animal care standards and the trainings they participated in to ensure proper animal handling. Periodically review animal handling practices, with everyone signing documents that the training took place. • Be extra vigilant about who is on the farm and driving around the farm, watching for slower vehicles. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, flag for local authorities. • Talk with employees about anti-ag groups, sharing that they do things like trespass and put lives in danger with some of the work they do. Ask your employees to help keep the animals and other employees safe from any harm that could happen by people not trained to work with large animals. • Have farm employees watch the “I Care” video from the FARM program. Let us know if you need the passcode. • If you receive text messages from anti-ag groups, you may also receive attention if you are active on social media. Contact us and we can help you manage social media activism. • Review farm security basics. As members of the Animal Ag Alliance both ADAI and UDIM have access to resources and flyers to help keep farm security top of mind.
For more information, please contact your checkoff team: MICHIGAN Jolene Griffin jolene@milkmeansmore.org, 224-567-1894 INDIAN Allie Rieth - rieth@winnersdrinkmilk.com, 317-443-2296
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/ MAY-JUNE 2021
NATIONAL UPDATES Exports U.S. dairy exports posted the second highest January in volume on record and third highest January in value ($505 million), despite shipping delays and logistics headaches. Sstrong reasons for optimism remain regarding U.S. exports into the second and third quarter of 2021. Powerful New Ways to Talk About Milk Why did we go from milk providing 9 essential nutrients to milk providing 13 essential nutrients? Rest assured, milk is still milk. What’s inside is what’s always been inside. We just have more data available that shows there are even more nutrients important to wellness in every serving of milk. And, it is good news! ADAI UPDATES May Traditions Come Alive There's nothing like the Month of May in Indiana, and dairy farmer Jill Houin of Homestead Dairy shared her Indianapolis 500 history and excitement with students for the final virtual farm tour of the year. Named the “Coolest Trophy in Sports” by ESPN, the drink of milk at the end of the race shines an international spotlight on dairy farmers each year. Jill is the most recent Milk Person, charged each year with handing the iconic bottle of milk to the winning driver.