Count the logos (including this ad) for your chance to win butter or cheese! See page 24 of the first section for details.
DAIRY ST R
Volume 20, No. 8
How is your 15 cents being spent?
“All dairy, all the time”™
June 9, 2018
Celebrating a century of dairy farming
Checkoff program promotes dairy year round By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
Today’s farm economy has dairy farmers carefully deciding how to best invest in the future. Amongst the many options for farmers to plan for the years ahead, perhaps the greatest investment comes as 15 cents for every hundredweight put towards local and national dairy promotion. “Measuring success [of the program] is a challenge, but we know per capita consumption of dairy products has risen by 13 percent in the last 35 years,” Patrick Geoghegan said. “We take some of that credit, but not all.” Geoghegan is the senior vice president of communications with Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. Local and national dairy checkoff programs were rst developed in the 1980s to increase demand of dairy products by farmers contributing 10 cents to the local program and 5 cents to national initiatives. Over the years, the purpose of the program has remained the same, but how the program reaches consumers and drives demand is ever changing. “It’s continually evolved, but the concept is the same,” Alan Merrill said about the checkoff program. “We’re trying to promote dairy products. We’re still working with consumers, but with a different approach. We also know how our consumers get their information and have to adapt to that, also.” Merrill is a dairy farmer in Parker, S.D., and also serves as the chairman for Midwest Dairy. Nowadays, dairy farmers’ checkoff dollars are allocated towards research, education and promotion. “We’re constantly developing programs that educate consumers about what’s happening on the farm because we want consumers to have condence in our dairy products,” Geoghegan said. In Wisconsin, the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin were an instrumental part in establishing the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Checkoff dollars provided 40 percent of
Turn to CHECKOFF | Page 5
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Lipperts – (from leŌ) Carl, MaƩ and Paul – milk 560 cows on their century farm near PiƩsville, Wis. The Lipperts are hosƟng the 35th annual PiƩsville FFA dairy breakfast on June 16.
Lipperts hosting Pittsville FFA dairy breakfast June 16 By Brittany Olson Staff Writer
PITTSVILLE, Wis. – It was in 1918 that Charles and Augusta Lippert purchased a farm in central Wisconsin and started milking cows, raising nine children. One hundred years later, their grandson, Matt, and his boys, Paul and Carl, are carrying on the family tradition on their 560cow dairy, Grass Ridge Farm LLC, near Pittsville, Wis. During this milestone year, the Lipperts are hosting the Pittsville FFA and FFA Alumni dairy breakfast June 16. “Charles grew up in Westeld, Wis., in Marquette County,” Matt Turn to LIPPERTS | Page 6
BRITTANY OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Pregnant heifers are housed in a freestall barn at Lipperts’ dairy. The Lipperts select for producƟon, type and longevity when maƟng their herd of registered Holsteins and Jerseys.