YOUR DAIRY PROMOTION AT WORK
YOUR DAIRY CHECKOFF AT WORK National News
Nearly 95% of the world’s population lives outside the U.S., which is why checkoff works with partners like Domino’s to expand opportunities in untapped categories like pizza. In a new partnership with Alamar Foods Co., which owns 455 Domino’s stores in the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan, checkoff will provide expertise on menu development and marketing to increase U.S. cheese sales. The Dairy Checkoff podcast has two new episodes. • One episode focuses on school milk, where Alex Peterson, Missouri dairy farmer and National Dairy Board Chair, and Audrey Donahoe, New York dairy farmer and National Dairy Council chair, host a conversation with a school foodservice director and research expert to take a deeper dive in how school milk is sourced and served to millions of students. Conversation topics include the creative approaches the checkoff is taking to ensure school milk is appealing to the next generation of dairy consumers. • In the latest episode Dairy farmer hosts Carrie Mess of Wisconsin and Jenni Tilton-Flood of Maine are joined by Jon Moss from Pizza Ranch and Paul Ziemnisky of Dairy Management, Inc. to talk about how creative checkoff partnerships are driving the pizza category forward. Despite the pandemic, pizza sales grew in 2020 as consumers increasingly stayed home and ordered in more frequently. • Visit www.dairycheckoffpodcast.com or on your favorite podcast platform to find both new episodes.
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“Rod’s Kitchen” Activation In partnership with the Indianapolis Colts, and our new player ambassador, Rodrigo Blakenship, we’ve created the “Rod’s Kitchen” campaign. Each month we will work with the Colts creative team to push out one of these graphics, highlighting one of Rodrigo’s favorite dairy foods/products. These will align with themed months such as Winners Drink Milk (May), National Dairy Month (June), National Ice Cream Month (July), The Indiana State Fair (August) and more! Indiana Dairy Featured in International Magazine The Indiana Cheese Trail has caught the attention of one of the largest and most established magazines in American cuisine—“Food and Wine”. With a readership of over 7 million and a website that sees 27 million page views a month, this article puts Indiana dairy farms and cheesemakers on the map. The highly favorable review of Indiana cheeses also shines a light on family farms, giving readers a closer connection to dairy foods and families. Dietetics Interns Visit the Farm August kicks off many school programs, including university programs in Dietetics and Nutrition. Students from Purdue University, Indiana State University, and IUPUI joined their professors and other community thought leaders at Poland Dairy in Boswell, Indiana. The farm features both a rotary parlor and robotic milkers, giving visitors a unique view of the different types of dairy production. Students were interested to learn about the cow comfort and care that takes place on the farm. The most conversation was generated around cow diets and how they relate to human
nutrition. All left with a confidence to share the benefits of dairy and a new appreciation for the hard work and dedication of dairy farmers. These students are an important group to connect with due to their future leadership potential and connection to decide healthy diets for the general public.
National Ice Cream Month Celebrations July is celebrated as National Ice Cream Month across the country. Your state checkoff took the opportunity to showcase this delicious dairy product while connecting with the public. Reminding people of fond memories and sharing exciting food ideas are important strategies when building trust in dairy foods. In Indiana, our annual ice cream social was held as a drive-thru event at Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians baseball team. Working with the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, we raised $6000 for the organization and connected Indiana dairy farmers with Indiana communities. In Michigan, TV personality and longtime friend of Milk Means More, spent a weekend driving around West Michigan to surprise consumers at 11 local shops with ice cream treats. Her adventures were documented on social media and had over 13K impressions.
