UDA 2023 Spring Magazine

Patronage continues to be a unique benefit of our cooperative structure, providing earnings from our association back to our customer-members. This year, patronage dividends total $366.5 million to eligible customers throughout the West. It pays to be an AgWest customer.

Grounded by tradition. Inspired by possibility.

UDA MAGAZINE

United Dairymen of Arizona Officers & Executive Commitee

Craig Caballero

Jim Boyle Jr.

Robert Van Hofwegen

David Feenstra

Dan Boschma

Robert Chesler

President

Vice President

Secretary/Treasurer

Member at Large

Member at Large

Asst. Secretary/Treasurer

Directors

Ian Accomazzo

Daniel Boschma

Arie DeJong

Ben Dickman

Tom Dugan

Dan Gladden

Bill Kerr

Jen Millican

Justin Stewart

Paul Rovey

Nick Vanderwey

Casey Dugan

UNITED DAIRYMEN is published quarterly for the dairy cooperative members of the United Dairymen of Arizona, 2008 S. Hardy Dr., Tempe, AZ 85282. Additional distribution includes agencies, businesses and individuals associated with the production of milk. Paid subscriptions are not available. Membership list is not available for public use. Acceptance of advertising does not assure that merchandise or services advertised have been approved by United Dairymen of Arizona, the health department or other regulatory agencies. Advertisers are solely responsible for the content of the written material or representations that appear in the advertisement.

Editor- Roxy Helman

Gila Bend

Tonopah

Maricopa

Buckeye

Stanfield

Palo Verde

Buckeye

Buckeye Mesa

Glendale

Buckeye

Casa Grande

Spring 2023 In This Issue

UDA's 63rd Annual Meeting Recap

Security it's Not Just For Cows

Four Reasons Dairy in School Meals is Critical to Children's Health

Written by National Dairy Council

NMPF Finalizes FMMO Proposal that's Fairer for Farmers

Written by Jim Mulhern, President & CEO, National Milk Producers Federation

UDA's New Headquarters- Open House and Ribbon Cutting

FARM Program Evaluations and How DairyKind Can Help

Written by Michelle Schack, DVM

Butter Board How-Tos

Arizona Milk Producers/Dairy Council Update

63rd Annual Meeting

On January 11/12 2023, UDA Stakeholders and guests from around the country gathered to celebrate another great year for the cooperative!

For the first time, the Annual Meeting was opened up to guests outside of the cooperative to showcase the achievements and partnerships that helped shape the new vision for the business in 2022 and beyond

Day 1 Recap

Chairman of the Board, Craig Caballero outlined many challenges that the cooperative faced in 2022. Inflation, labor, and transportation costs were just a few.

Even with the challenges, there were many opportunities to cover, including FMMO Reform, partnerships and a growing market.

CEO, Robert Chesler focused on accomplishments for the fiscal year.

In plant operations, many updates and improvements were made in multiple areas of processing, food safety, and blending.

The all new sales and trading team worked hard to establish global relationships and create the new entity, OneDairy.

CFO, Josh Susany covered key priorities including growth, technology, and managing hyperinflation.

A few highlights:

Volume productions increased and net sales growth exceeded $1B. Launched new supply management software.

Renegotiated contracts and initiated new freight fuel surcharge program. Back-to-back dividend payments.

CCO, Ashley Ellixson gave an update on UDA's sustainability achievements in 2022.

Highlights:

UDA earned a silver sustainability rating from Ecovadis, scoring in the top 20% of the dairy industry. Overall decrease in farm GHG footprint since 2014 and a lower GHG footprint than nationwide averages. The completion of UDA's pathway to 2030 with targets covering on-farm and manufacturing practices.

Awards Dinner

UDA celebrated employee and stakeholder accomplishments during the awards dinner.

Employee service awards were celebrate for 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 years of service Additionally, five new producer awards were given out to celebrate more achievements in dairy farming.

Service Awards

Highest Protein Sunrise Dairy

Stakeholder Awards

Highest Overall Quality Creamline Dairy

DairyKind Award Stotz Dairy

Highest Butterfat Rovey Dairy

Lowest Drop in Production T & K Red River Dairy

Lowest Somatic Cell Gerben Boschma Dairy

Day 2 Recap

Day two of the meeting was open to dairy industry peers and friends.

Topics discussed were all about how UDA and the American dairy industry can 'Do Dairy Better, Together' Even with all the volatility in the industry, Rob Chesler challenged the audience to "unite, innovate, and disrupt" together.

UDA's new entity OneDairy was introduced to attendees with an explanation of how the concept works and how the global team is working to united small and mid-sized cooperatives.

The day closed out with a panel discussion from UDA's Executive Leadership Team discussing UDA 2.0 and how they are working together to innovate and grow what has been built over the last 63 years.

UDA's 2023 Board of Directors

Back row (L-R): Dan Gladden, Bill Kerr, Ian Accomazzo, Casey Dugan, Nick Vanderwey, Dan Boschma, Jim Boyle, Ben Dickman, Ben Gingg | Front row (L-R): Justin Stewart, Jen Millican, Craig Caballero, Robert Chesler, Robert Van Hofwegen, David Feenstra, Paul Rovey, Tom Dugan

Thank You to our Sponsors! PLATINUM

Security, It's Not Just for the Cows

Online Security Tips to Keep Your Farm Safe

Keeping the farm safe goes beyond caring for your family of cows and keeping your property secure. In fact, it goes way beyond into the world of cyber space. You have probably heard about cyberattacks in the news, especially since global cyberattacks increased by 38 percent in 2022 according to Check Point Research. With many organizations reporting security breaches, it’s important to realize the threat cyberattacks can have on the farm and overall agriculture industry. Continued on next page...

Cyber criminals are now attacking computers and networks at a rate of one attack every 39 seconds.

Security, It's Not Just for the Cows

Here are ways to secure your farm’s digital presence.

Securing checks online: Keep your checks locked up in a safe place as they provide a direct link to your bank account and are one of the highest risk areas on the farm. It is important to review your bank account daily to track any irregular activity or charges and this can easily be done through your bank’s online app. Another way to become more secure is transitioning to direct ACH payments to prevent putting checks in the mail. Streamlining emails: Ensure associates use a secure Outlook account for any work-related correspondence and not their personal email. Outlook incorporates additional security measures to keep data transfer safe such as multifactor authentication. Cybersecurity staff: Incorporating staff that specialize in IT or have knowledge about cybersecurity will set up the farm for greater success and profitability. Investments in technology: now more than ever it’s important to make sure you have the right technology to operate your farm and studies show the correlation between profitable growth and well-aligned technology. When doing research on the right technology platform for your farm take a look at the return on investment and what systems allow for efficiency. One example of this would be for the farm to consolidate into one online tool, such as the cloud, to help with labor savings and allow employees to provide value-added work across the farm.

Keeping your farm safe online is possible with the right technology and staff in place as well as ensuring data is streamlined and secure. Keep cyberattacks at bay by regularly reviewing your online systems and keeping up with the latest trends in cyber security.

Four Reasons Dairy in School Meals is Critical to Children's Health

School meals are a lifeline for many children who face hunger. Nearly 30 million children rely on school meals every day Also, according to a 2021 peer-reviewed study by researchers at Tufts University and Icahn School of Medicine, food consumed at schools had the highest nutritional quality compared to foods consumed from grocery stores, restaurants and other major food sources.

School meals may be the only nutritious meal children get on some days. Even for children who don't face food insecurity, school meals can fill the gaps in their diet, especially when it comes to nutrients provided by dairy foods. In fact, children who participate in school meals consume more dairy milk, fruits and vegetables than non-participants, and they consume fewer desserts and snacks.

Starting at 4 years of age, many children's diets, especially those from communities of color, do not meet the daily dairy consumption recommended by the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This is significant because nutrient-rich milk provides calcium, vitamin D and potassium, three nutrients of concern many children lack in their diets.

Despite the benefits of dairy, there are misperceptions about dairy foods and the quality of school meals. Below are four facts about how dairy in school meals helps nourish growing and learning students.

School meals are a main source of dairy

School meals are a key source of dairy for many school-age children. According to the U S Department of Agriculture, foods provided as part of school meals are the richest source of dairy in children's diets In fact, school meals provide up to 2 of the 3 recommended daily servings of dairy

For low-income children, school meals provide 77% of their daily dairy milk consumption and 70% of total dairy consumption, according to a 2017 study published in Preventative Medicine Reports. Milk and dairy foods, like cheese and yogurt, provided in school meals are critical to helping ensure children of all economic backgrounds benefit from dairy's nutrients.

A variety of milk options are offered and all deliver nutrients

Schools offer a variety of milk options, including fat-free, low-fat, flavored and lactosefree milk. No matter which kind of milk a student chooses, each option provides 13 essential nutrients that benefit health.

A note on lactose-free milk: Contrary to popular belief, a student doesn't need documentation, such as a parent letter or physician statement, to have lactose-free milk. It is allowed in school meal programs to address students' health needs. For instance, according to Donna Martin, EdS, RDN, LD, SNS, FAND, school nutrition director at Burke County Schools in Georgia, "I represent a school district with a high African American population and lactose-free milk is served as an option for any of my students who want it, helping them benefit from milk's hard-to-replace nutrient content "

Flavored milk is lower in added sugar than you may think

Many parents and health professionals are concerned about added sugars in the overall diet. The good news is that milk companies have worked with schools to reduce the amount of added sugars in flavored milk available in schools.

According to National Dairy Council, between 2007 and 2021, the U.S. dairy community reduced added sugars in flavored milk in schools by nearly 50%. The average flavored milk served in schools has 126 calories just 29 more calories than unflavored milk. At the end of the day, according to NHANES data, flavored milk contributes only 4% of added sugars in the diets of children 2-18 years old, with the bulk of added sugars coming from soft drinks.

Flavored milk increases milk and nutrient consumption

According to a study published in Nutrition Today, removing flavored milk from schools can lead to a decrease in total milk consumption and negatively impact the ability for children to meet their nutritional needs.

Drinking flavored milk can actually help children meet their nutritional needs A 2022 study from ACTA Scientific Nutritional Health journal showed that consumers of flavored milk drank approximately 1-cup more of total milk, which contributed to higher consumption of calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and vitamins A, D and B-12 and riboflavin than non-consumers. In fact, they consumed 51% more vitamin D, 27% more calcium and 16% more potassium compared to non-flavored milk drinkers.

These are just a few facts that underscore the importance of milk and dairy foods as part of nutrient-rich school meals. Without this critical food group as part of healthy eating patterns provided by school meals, children may not receive all the nutrients they need to grow and learn in their childhood and teen years.

NMPF Finalizes FMMO Proposal That’s Fairer for Farmers

By Jim Mulhern, President and CEO National Milk Producers Federation

After nearly two years of examination and more than 130 meetings of committees, task forces and industry experts, the National Milk Producers Federation’s Board of Directors on March 8 adopted a comprehensive proposal for the first major modernization of the Federal Milk Marketing Order system since 2000. While the process of a USDA hearing and a final vote by producers presents another long road ahead, it’s important to note how far we’ve come along a path that promises improvements for everyone in dairy.

Through our proposal, dairy farmers and the broader industry have found common ground that, among other items:

Returns to the “higher of” Class I mover that’s fairer for farmers than the current system;

Updates milk component factors for protein, other solids and nonfat solids in the Class III and Class IV skim milk price formulas;

Allows for an interim adjustment to dairy product manufacturing allowances – the “make allowance” – that reflects current plant costs, as well as creating a mechanism to keep those calculations up-to-date; and

Updates Class I differential prices to reflect changes in the cost of delivering bulk milk to fluid processing plants.

These proposals came after extensive and often intense discussions that reflect the great diversity of this industry. By leading the most comprehensive discussion of federal orders this industry’s seen in the past quarter-century, we’re confident we’ve crafted solutions that all of dairy can get behind – with the unanimous approval our board gave to it as evidence of our hard work and dedication to consensus.

The next few months will see even more discussion of these issues. We look forward to continued progress as we work toward a better FMMO system for producers. Feel free to learn more about our proposal at www.nmpf.org and to contact us with questions as we move toward a federal hearing. Thank you for all that you do to advance this industry.

By leading the most comprehensive discussion of federal orders this industry’s seen in the past quarter-century, we’re confident we’ve crafted solutions that all of dairy can get behind

UDA's New Headquarters

Open House and Ribbon Cutting at the New "Mainline District"

UDA stakeholders, employees, and guests celebrated the opening of UDA's new headquarters, the "Mainline District"!

The new building located at 404 West Broadway Road, was completed in February of 2023 and boasts spacious meeting rooms, updated technology, and an open floor plan for employees.

FARM Program Evaluations and How DairyKind Can Help

Michelle Schack, DVM

In the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program, over 30,000 farms undergo a 2nd party evaluations every 3 years. Mandatory Corrective Action Plans are issued when a farm is not complying with the FARM Program standards. These require a re-evaluation within 9 months, and the standard must be met by that evaluation. If the farm does not fix the issue, they will be placed on “conditional certification” requiring that the change be made.

In this past program cycle, the top 5 Mandatory Corrective Action Plans were:

This means that three of the top five MCAPs involved training. Traditional training methods are not meeting the increased training requirements set forth by the FARM program

DairyKind meets these training requirements. All United Dairymen of Arizona farms are using DairyKind. DairyKind prevents these training MCAPs being issued by meeting the requirements from the beginning. This is the future of training. As requirements increase, DairyKind will be there to meet these requirements.

DairyKind helps meet animal welfare program requirements, empowers employees, mitigates risk, simplifies training and retraining, and increases accountability. Reports are emailed to the team admins regularly so you can monitor your team’s progress in training. If you have questions about where to find your dairy reports or how DairyKind can help you, contact DairyKind today!

Butter Board How-To

Bye charcuterie, hello butter! TikTok creator Justine Snacks helped butter boards become the latest craze amongst foodies thanks to a video that went viral last fall. Snacks, who has more than two million followers on TikTok, asked followers if they had heard of butter boards, a concept that she learned about from Chef Josh McFadden, and proceeded to rave about how perfect these boards were for entertaining. In the video, that garnered nearly nine million views, Snacks spread softened butter across a serving board and after adding salt and herbs topped it off with different sweet and savory mix-ins. Butter boards go great with a variety of accompaniments, from warm bread to crackers, and is an appetizer that is sure to please guests and easy to make!

Check out these how-to and topping ideas from Modern Honey. How to make a butter board:

Barely soften the butter so it is spreadable but still firm.

Grab a wooden board or platter and spread the butter onto the board.

Top with your favorite toppings – try different savory and sweet combinations

Cut up bread loaf for dipping.

Ingredients:

Salted butter, barely softened

Toppings – see below

Bread

Combinations:

Butter, Fig Jam, Hot Honey, Walnuts

Salted Butter

Fig Jam or Fig Butter

Walnuts, chopped

Hot Honey

Butter, Cranberries, Pistachios, Honey, Orange Zest

Salted Butter

Soft, dried Cranberries

Pistachios

Honey

Orange Zest

Butter, Roasted Garlic, Italian Seasoning, Fresh

Basil, Red Chili Flakes

Salted Butter

Roasted Garlic

Fresh Basil

Red Chili Flakes

Italian Seasoning

RETAIL

AZMP partnered with Shamrock Farms to promote milk, cream, and sour cream on Instacart as staples for perfecting Thanksgiving recipes

In December, ads promoting festive beverages and desserts were positioned on pages where shoppers could purchase Shamrock Farms' flavored half & half, whipping cream, and egg nog

1.1M impressions, 3.4% clicks on ad 48% of purchases NEW to brand

Defended over $110K worth of real dairy sales 7,221 gallons of milk purchased while shopping promoted items page

Arizona Farms Cheese was sampled in 17 AZ Costco stores as part of a pineapple, jalapeno, prosciutto appetizer for New Year's party entertaining ideas

Sarah Farms' heavy cream was sampled in AZ and NV Costco stores, served as fresh whipped topping on pumpkin pie, on the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Sales reflected a 6% lift vs. same weekend the year prior

A digital ad ran on Fry's Food Stores' website and app for the month of January. Messaging promoted milk as a recovery beverage for workouts. The ad was displayed on cottage cheese, yogurt and milk product pages.

$139,062 total sales across all three categories

$9.80 return on ad spend

AZMP launched a campaign with four influencers to create holiday recipe content that included dairy. Ads were delivered to Fry's and Albertson's shoppers through social media platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Viewers were presented with the option to shop the recipes' ingredients by clicking on the ad

4,632,521 impressions

(surpassed goal by 2% )

ImpressionResultsByPlatform

Influencers developed recipes rich in heavy cream. Results included a 4% increase in total heavy cream volume sold, this year vs. last.

CONSUMERCOMMUNICATIONS

Through a sponsorship with Vegas PBS and PBS Kids, the Nevada team was able to secure

200, 30-second ads featuring dairy farm facts = 308K impressions

Vegas PBS website ad featuring a recipe with dairy = 38.7K+ impressions

An article highlighting DCNV's role in the community regarding youth wellness was published in the PBS newsletter = 20K subscribers

Branded signage placed in Downtown Summerlin = 1.25M impressions

Digital display ads were delivered for six weeks starting Jan. 1, offering tips to "fuel your workout" for those setting healthy goals in the new year.

300K impressions

803 clicks on ad

Nevada teamed with local chefs Geoff Callger and Gabrielle Vasquez of Centro to post a Facebook live cooking demo on how to make the perfect creamy Seattle-style clam chowder.

each, 12K video views gagements

COMMUNITYMARKETING

A partnership with radio network Audacy, brought Dairy Council of Nevada (DCNV) to Las Vegas' Noon Year's Eve celebration at family-friendly Town Square. Daisy was on site for photo ops and to hand out merchandise, recipes, and cartons of milk for a noontime milk toast.

attendance: 2K+ radio ad impressions: 521.7K

view recipes

During the holidays, four cocktail and five cookie recipes were featured on radio station KESZ's digital platforms.

Sponsorship at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show included:

hosted ice cream social promo: receipt showing $15 in dairy purchases = 1 free ticket program ad & signage commercial on worldwide broadcast feed featuring dairy sustainability messaging

radio broadcast & streaming impressions: 400k+ digital ad impressions: 467K+, 533 clicks on ad

participants: 2,173 dairy-themed giveaways: 300 photos with daisy: 80

At the Phoenix Zoo Move and Groove 5K, Daisy was the starting line MVP! Information on nutrition benefits of dairy for performance, sustainability, and dairy facts trivia was available as part of the postrace fun.

A presentation to 350 Future Farmers of America students offered a comprehensive look into careers in animal science.

This presentation opened my eyes to opportunities I never knew were there. I am currently majoring in pharmaceutical science, and now that I know it’s an option I’m switching my emphasis to livestock pharmaceuticals.

Thanks to Anderson and Meadow Gold Farms for the generous milk donation!

SUSTAINABLENUTRITION

The College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University (ASU) honored their 10th anniversary by hosting a special event, Celebration of Health. Dairy Council of Arizona (DCAZ) sponsored a table that included information and resources related to bone health and lactose intolerance. The event provided an opportunity for DCAZ to network with thought leaders in nutrition colleges at ASU, Grand Canyon University and Central Arizona College.

Attendance: 270

Extended reach: 13.5K

Grand Canyon University (GCU) nutrition and pre-medicine students plus faculty toured Desperado and Du-Brook Dairies. Myth-busting, dairy nutrition, and sustainability topics were discussed; and nutrition education materials were available for use to counsel future clients. GCU Today published an article about the event as well!

Understanding the sustainability and quality of care for the animals helps to empower nutrition professionals to decrease the misinformation and guide consumers.

- GCU professor, Courtney Baker

Partnering with American Culinary Federation (ACF) AZ Chapter, DCAZ and AZMP hosted a Dairy Around the World night at Ignite Foodservice Solutions. Chefs tasted international recipes showcasing AZ dairy products, and learned of farming sustainability practices, the difference between dairy allergies and lactose intolerance, and using lactose-free milk for those with an intolerance.

Milk-Braised Pork Loin - Fairlife w

Poutine - AZ Farms Cheese Curds

Yogurt Aïoli & Crudités - siggi's y Palak Paneer - Shamrock cottage

Queso Fundito - AZ Farms Chedd y

Spiked adult ice cream - Fry's whole milk

YOUTHWELLNESS

GENYOUth's Mission 57 End Student Huger initiative, along with several generous sponsors, delivered 57 Grab and Go meal equipment packages, including milk bunkers, to high need Arizona schools in the lead up to Super Bowl LVII. The equipment will help increase daily meal participation by as much as 27% and impact over 31,000 students with 8.5 million school meals.

Food Management

Tucson.com

Dairy Council of Arizona (DCAZ) presented at the AZ Health & Physical Education (PE) and Adapted PE conferences. Educators were informed of the Fuel Up to Play 60 program and nutrition education resources available to educate their students on the importance of dairy in a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Attendance: 300

Extented reach: 15K

In partnership with the Arizona Cardinals, DCAZ arranged two Kids Camps where students participated in football drills and Q&A time with quarterback Colt McCoy and cheerleaders. Messaging was delivered about chocolate milk as a recovery beverage and the importance of dairy for an active lifestyle Chocolate milk was provided at each event.

Attendance: 250

A $10K Hometown Grant was awarded by the NFL & FUTP60 to Shadow Ridge High School in Nevada The funding will be used for food service equipment to promote dairy consumption, dairy nutrition education materials, and physical activity initiatives. At the presentation ceremony were Las Vegas Raider Daniel Carlson, the Raiderettes, and mascot Raider Rusher. The team also organized a Raider's Jr. Training Camp for students to take part in.