YOUR DAIRY PROMOTION AT WORK IN INDIANA

Preparing Future Dairy Leaders Working with agriculture students and young dairy leaders is a passion of Farmer Relations Manager, Allie Rieth. “These kids are the bridge to consumers – they communicate on the same channels and can connect with them on social media in a way other generations can’t.”

When students are determined to reach across campus streets to their non-farm classmates, ADAI is there to provide preparation and communications training. This year, such trainings have centered around linking the benefits of dairy through story-telling and sustainable nutrition messaging. The Purdue Dairy Club hosted a grilled cheese contest for members in the fall and a smoothie contest in the spring. ADAI used trendy cooking showstyle training to help students identify consumer values and base conversations on shared common ground. The spring contest exposed students to milk alternatives in a smoothie contest to understand how plants and dairy differ, but can be used together in new ways. To prepare for future outreach events, students also participated in a crisis communications training to know how to prepare for and respond during tough interactions with classmates.

Creating Future Dairy Lovers Teachers and school corporations know just how important a healthy start to their day makes a difference in students’ ability to learn. National School Breakfast Week is an opportunity to showcase dairy’s natural fit in a healthy breakfast, where schools across the state highlight milk, yogurt and more for their students. The week launched with an “out of this world” presentation

COLTS ALUM GARY BRACKETT AND DAIRY FARMER KERRY ESTES CELEBRATE NATIONAL SCHOOL BREAKFAST WEEK WITH STUDENTS.

at Snack’s Crossing Elementary in Pike Township with several special guests, including Super Bowl winning captain and Colts alum Gary Brackett, Colts cheerleaders and mascot Blue. The biggest applause came for dairy farmer Kerry Estes of Fountaintown, who gave the kids a tour of his farm and explained where their milk at breakfast comes from! Six schools around Indiana were visited during the national celebration week and gifted carts and coolers through the PepsiCo breakfast cart grant, contributing over $42,000 support school breakfast.

Highlighting Future Sustainable Farms Indiana was proud to host the 2019 Dairy Sustainability Summit in November, shining a light on the efforts of dairy farmers around the country to reduce carbon footprint and emissions on farms. Brian and Jill Houin of Plymouth kicked off the conference sharing their journey of increasing sustainable practices on their farm, from the anaerobic digester contributing to the local power grid to recycling manure for bedding. Stories like these resonate with consumers on their own journey to find lifestyles that are healthy for themselves and their planet. The Houin’s have hosted multiple farm tours with dietetics students so they can experience sustainable nutrition firsthand on the farm.