UDA Magazine Summer 2021

SUMMER 2021

UDA MAGAZINE

INTRODUCING OUR UPDATED BRANDING!

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: STEVE BAXLEY

DAIRYKIND IS IMPLEMENTED ON ALL UDA DAIRIES.

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UDA MAGAZINE United Dairymen of Arizona Officers & Executive Commitee

Craig Caballero President Jim Boyle Jr. Vice President Ben Gingg Secretary/Treasurer Robert Van Hofwegen Member at Large David Feenstra Member at Large

A Refreshed Look for our Long Time Brand

Introducing UDA's new logo and values.

Employee Spotlight

Steve Baxley, SVP of Operations

Gen Z Consumers Target of Checkoff’s National

Directors

Ian Accomazzo Daniel Boschma Arie DeJong Ben Dickman Tom Dugan Dan Gladden Bill Kerr Tom Thompson Justin Stewart Paul Rovey Nick Vanderwey Pieter van Rijn

In This Issue

Dairy Month Efforts

Gila Bend Tonopah Maricopa Buckeye Stanfield Palo Verde Buckeye Buckeye Mesa Glendale Buckeye Mesa

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.

How DMI is focusing its advertising efforts on Gen Z.

Tis the Summer Season

Written By Francesca Nunez, Arizona DHIA

Arizona Beef Council Annual Report

All American BBQ Time

Summer grilling with milk marinades.

DairyKind is Implemented on all UDA Dairies

How to make sure you are getting the most of the new program.

Will U.S. Dairy Exports to Mexico Return to Pre-COVID Levels?

Written By: Tony Rice, Trade Policy Manager, NMPF

DairyAmerica Update

Written By: Steven Gulley, Chief Marketing Officer, DairyAmerica

Olympic Training on The Farm

How is “Elle” Purrier St. Pierre training for the Olympics while on the farm?

Arizona Milk Producers Update

A Refreshed Look For Our Long-Time Brand.

The United Dairymen of Arizona (UDA) celebrated a milestone anniversary in 2020, sixty years in business. With the anniversary came the discussion of how to keep our brand up to date and poised for the future. With that in mind, management and the executive board agreed it was time for an update to our logo and values.

Logo

The UDA logo has undergone a significant transformation. The new identity had to satisfy all of the existing expectations of what our original mark stands for...while simultaneously moving the brand forward.

Here's how we came up with the final concept: This concept is based heavily on the core of UDA’s brand, feels like Arizona, and gives off a classic dairy vibe.

The strong “UDA” word mark is anchored by the “D”, which is composed of a mountain silhouette (based on Camelback Mountain) in front of an Arizona sunrise.

The normal cutout in the “D” is replaced by two milk droplets, centering this logo on the core element of everything UDA does: milk.

This layout is an obvious rendition of the Arizona flag but the rays emanating from the milk droplets signify UDA’s commitment to taking Arizona milk and providing the world with the best dairy ingredients possible.

The recognizable UDA Seal which is used on packaging has also been refreshed.

While still recognizable the seal is now more cohesive with the overall brand.

Every brand has a distinct set of values.

Values define how you live out your purpose as a business.

We’ve identified a set of core values that we feel reveal something honest, compelling, and remarkable about what we are doing through UDA.

Employee Spotlight Steve Baxley Years at UDA: 37 years Tell us about yourself: I was born in Mesa and raised literally down the street from UDA. I went to Tempe High School and after graduation went to Mesa Community College.

What is your job at UDA? Sr. Vice President of Operations Have you worked other jobs at UDA? What job haven't I worked? I started out as a powder bagger, receiver, evaporator/dryer operator, lactose operator, production supervisor, production manager, plant manager, maintenance manager, plant engineer, VP of Engineering, VP of Operations and now my current gig.

Steve with his wife, Jennifer.

What part of your job do you like the most?

Watching the growth of the company and the people that work here and having the privilege to be a part of that.

Before working at UDA, did you have any interesting jobs?

I sold life insurance, worked for Motorola creating engineering manuals, worked for a lawn service mowing yards and doing general landscaping work. The interesting part of those jobs was that I did them all while working fulltime at night here at UDA. What is one thing people may not know about you?

I was swept out to sea from a rip current when I was in Kauai boogie boarding.

Swam for hours, wondered where the hell Baywatch was, met a guy on a surfboard a mile or two offshore, took surfboard guys advice and rode the waves into a rocky cliff, survived rocky cliff, somehow ran up rocky cliff and ended up in a guys backyard overlooking ocean. Backyard guy then says, wow you made it! I thought you were going to drown, good for you buddy!

If you were a super hero what powers would you have?

I like Captain America, no matter the odds he never quit. "I can do this all day!"

If you had a warning label what would it say?

I may talk too much

You have a new authorized GEA dealer servicing your area!

United Dairymen of Arizona (UDA) is now an authorized GEA Farm Technologies dealer in Arizona! UDA is proud to expand their products, services and support to their customers to include GEA Milking, Cooling, and Manure Management products.

GEA products now available!

UDA now sells, installs and provides services of GEA products, which include: GEA Milking & Cooling equipment and repair parts

GEA supplies & milk quality support

GEA Liners

GEA Manure Management equipment

GEA FutureCow® Prep System & associated hygiene

Your farm can count on UDA as a provider of quality GEA products!

•

MILK MARKETING COOPERATIVE – UDA is owned by 69 farms located in Arizona.

•

FULL-SERVICE DAIRY CO-OP – UDA offers members installation, emergency repair, and preventive maintenance.

•

SERVICING ARIZONA DAIRIES – UDA is helping to ensure efficient production of high-quality milk, through expertise and highly-skilled technicians.

• WIDE RANGE OF PARTS AND SUPPLIES – With GEA products, UDA helps keep dairies running smoothly – from liners and supplies to milking and manure equipment parts!

Contact information for United Dairymen of Arizona: 2601 S. Hardy Drive Tempe, AZ 85282 480.966.7211 www.uda.coop

Primary contacts: Mike Gaertner Service Manager 602.721.4043 mgaertner@udaz.org

Russell Swainston Supply Manager 602.721.8348 rswaintston@udaz.org

gea.com

Gen Z Consumers Target of Checkoff’s National Dairy Month Efforts Gen Z – an audience that ranges in age from 10 to 23 – is looking for authenticity and connection. They appreciate transparency and want to see their values reflected by the companies and industries they support, including dairy.

This segment is a key focus of ongoing checkoff-led efforts nationally and locally to build sales and trust and it will come to life in the checkoff’s marketing and communications efforts during National Dairy Month.

Gen Z is often described as resilient, tech-savvy, and agents of change. The dairy industry has a next generation of farmers with these traits, too. Yet, the average Gen Z consumer has never set foot on a farm, becoming more and more disconnected from where their food comes from and their farmer peers behind it.

Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), which manages the national dairy checkoff, is looking to bring these groups together during a month-long campaign in June.

Dairy Management West and checkoff teams across the U.S. are coordinating with DMI to implement these efforts in their markets.

The idea will put a new face on farming and challenge Gen Z’s perceptions about dairy farmers to show the average Gen Z consumer how much they have in common with their farming peers when it comes to wellness, caring for the planet and their own communities.

Among the National Dairy Month strategies to reach this audience are: Creating video content comprised of younger dairy farmers that challenges the farmer stereotype. These TikTok-inspired videos will show the next generation of dairy farmers doing surprising things they may not have realized, such as motocross, yoga or dancing! The first video will debut on World Milk Day (June 1) with new content released each week of the month on Dairy Good’s social channels.

Engaging the checkoff’s key dairy influencers to tell the story of dairy’s progress through virtual farm tours and resulting social content/posts.

Leveraging a powerful media partner, VOX, to create a virtual event attended by cultural and media influencers focusing on sustainability, innovation and the next generation of farmers.

Be sure to reach out to your Dairy Management West team for more information or to find out how you can be involved with National Dairy Month efforts.

Check our Dr. Michelle Schack (@dairydoc) who recently joined Tik Tok. She shares videos about being a dairy vet.

Her very first video had over 70,000 views!

'Tis the Summer Season Franchesca Nunez, Arizona DHIA

The triple-digit summer temperatures pose a threat to cow reproductive success in Arizona. Heat stress in cows can start as low as 72° F at 100% humidity, cue a monsoon morning. Not only are high temperatures stressful for cows, but they result in economic loss. In Arizona, heat stress in cows causes an average loss of $256 per cow/year. Common signs of heat stress in cows include open-mouthed breathing with extended necks and lethargy. A common method in assessing heat stress is measuring respiratory rates in the herd. If more than 10% of cows have respiratory rates above 100 breaths per minute, action is recommended to prevent further heat exposure. Preventing heat stress is important, even slight temperature increases in the cow uterus can lead to reproductive effects.

Tis the Summer Season Continued: Different reproductive events are negatively impacted by heat stress. This includes proper development of the egg, proper release of the egg from the ovary, hormone production, and calf development. In healthy reproduction, there is a combination of hormones that allow for a “selected egg” to eventually develop into the calf.

However, studies have shown that heat stress changes the levels of certain hormones that are needed for the process of egg selection. Changes in these hormone levels not only prevent the proper selection of an egg but also negatively impact the development of the calf. The fertilization rate has been shown to decrease with heat stress which translates to lower pregnancy rates. It is still unclear, however, if the decrease in fertilization is due to the condition of the egg or the sperm involved. Heat stress also contributes to pregnancy loss. One study showed that pregnancy loss for cows in the cooler months was 2% while this rate increased to 12% in the warmer months.

Due to the severity of heat stress-related effects in dairy cows, there are several interventions that can contribute to the reproductive health of the herd. One area that is currently being studied is genetic manipulation. Scientists are working to modify genes in cows that contribute to thermoregulation while not affecting milk production. There is also current research attempting to optimize artificial insemination (AI) under heat stress conditions. Lastly, hormone supplementation is being explored to prevent some of the negative effects caused by heat stress.

Current methods to combat heat stress include proper shade, ventilation, and access to water. Some dairy producers also use sprinkler and misting systems.

Overall, heat stress is a large source of economic loss. It is vital that producers be proactive in preventing heat stress and in familiarizing themselves with the initial signs of heat stress. It is also important to remember that the effects of heat stress start early during pregnancy. Focusing on these preventative measures can lead to less economic loss and increased reproductive health of cows.

From Arizona Beef Council Chairman As chairman of the Arizona Beef Council (ABC) for fiscal year 2021, I am excited about what we offer in these difficult and changing times, representing all beef producers across this great state, to the best of our ability. The past year has been challenging, to say the least, and ABC board and staff continue to meet any challenges head on to best promote and represent Arizona's beef producers.

Looking back, as concerns about the pandemic caused consumers to stock up on groceries and the pressure was felt on our food supply chains, the Council worked to answer questions about the beef supply and provide online resources and inspiration to families as they spent more time cooking at home. Specifically, ABC answered media calls to provide reassurance of the safety and availability of beef and transitioned www.ArizonaBeef.org and social media channels to share easy recipes, beef cut swap alternatives for when the options were limited in the meat case, and proper storage, freezing and defrosting recommendations. We highlighted our downloadable beef lesson plans as parents took on the additional role of teaching from home. The Beef Checkoff at both the state and national levels quickly adjusted to provide the information consumers were searching and address consumer needs during an uncertain and rapidly changing time.

As you read through the ABC annual report for the fiscal year 2019-2020 on the next few pages, you will see program highlights that continued to reach Arizonans despite the challenges of the pandemic. With the advances in digital and virtual technology, outreach carried on to reach Arizonans with beef messages at a time when we were spending unprecedented time at home.

We are thankful to our fellow beef producers in Iowa, through the Iowa Beef Industry Council (IBIC), for funding a large digital advertising campaign on YouTube video, Google search, and Spotify music streaming, reaching Arizonans almost 4 million times last summer with recipe suggestions, cooking inspiration, and sharing facts about beef and animal care. Little did we know when we were planning this campaign how timely a digital effort would be.

Additionally, with the support of the Arizona Cattle Industry Education and Research Foundation, ABC continued to offer the Beef Up the Classroom grants. When teachers and students went to distanced learning, the grants were extended through the 2020-2021 school year so teachers could still purchase beef for their culinary classes and implement ABC’s beef lesson plans, to date reaching 788 students and teachers.

As ABC moves into our next round of planning, board members and staff keep Arizona beef community members in mind as we continue to work to build beef demand. Beef promotion and education may look a little different in some ways as we adapt to changing times and technologies, but the Council’s commitment to position beef as the number one protein remains the same.

Moving forward, ABC is thrilled to continue the partnership with the IBIC to kick off 2021’s grilling season. As the online grocery shopping trend has shown lasting power, beef will stay top-of-mind and in shopping carts this summer with a promotion with Ibotta, the most-used shopping rewards app. Shoppers can use Ibotta as they shop at mainstream Arizona retailers and earn money back when they watch an educational video and redeem the beef offers.

Recently, while doing a tour of my family’s dairy operation with a photographer for a project with the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, I was reminded, yet again, just how important it is to share our stories. The photographer was from urban Denver, Colorado, and this was her first real farm experience. Her only other exposure was from Netflix “documentaries.” Being able to show her real life on the dairy and address the perpetuated misconceptions she had heard really resonated with me.

It affirmed just how important our dollars are for ABC to constantly educate and promote to the general public how we bring beef to their tables. 2021 will have its challenges, but we will do everything in our power to keep beef at the center of the plate!

Sincerely, Clint Gladden Saddle Mountain Dairy Buckeye, Arizona Keep up-to-date with Arizona Beef Council programs by receiving our bi-monthly enewsletter (email Tiffany Selchow at tnselchow@arizonabeef.org to be added). Also sign up to receive “The Drive” monthly email and quarterly print newsletter with the Beef Checkoff Program’s updates from the Cattlemen’s Beef Board at www.BeefBoard.org.

Arizona Beef Council 2020 Annual Report The Arizona Beef Council board of directors and staff annually build a market plan to implement beef promotion and education to Arizona consumers. Highlighted in this report are programs executed in the 2020 fiscal year, from July 2019 to June 2020. Special recognition is given to funding provided by the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Arizona Cattle Industry Research and Education Foundation.

■ Beef

Information Viewed by Almost 3 Million Arizona Consumers

A seven-month spring and summer advertising campaign promoting beef’s great taste and thoughtful animal care generated 2,859,864 video views, website clicks and audio listens among Arizona consumers. Via YouTube video, Google search and Spotify music streaming, beef messages reached Arizonans 3,987,659 times as they searched for information about beef and how cattle are raised.* ■ Beef in the Classroom In its ninth year, the Beef Up the Classroom grant program allows teachers the opportunity to use beef in their culinary or agriculture classes. Inventive teachers use this program to teach students about cuts of beef, beef’s nutrition benefits, and to encourage more cooking at home with their families. In the 2019-2020 school year, 788 students and teachers were reached and the grants have been extended into the 20202021 academic year. As classrooms turned to remote learning in the spring of 2020, ABC continued to serve as a trusted resource for Arizona teachers by providing free downloadable lesson plans and email reminders about beef information.** ■ Arizona Nutrition Professionals Learn About Beef Engaging with Arizona’s largest annual gathering of nutrition professionals, the ABC sponsored the Arizona Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ (AZAND) virtual conference. The sponsorship included hosting session speaker Carolyn Williams, PhD, RD, who presented “AntiInflammatory Diet 101: What is it and why does it matter?” to 80 participants. Via video greeting, ABC staff shared online beef and nutrition resources available for nutrition professionals to share with clients. Additionally, AZAND shared beef messages and resources on social media and in the association’s monthly e-newsletter.*

■ Blog Posts The Arizona Beef blog is an evergreen resource for consumers to learn more about the Arizona beef community.

Blog posts feature Arizona ranchers**, cooking how-tos, recipes from foodie influencers, and more. The blog was viewed a total of 12,000 times.

■ Gate to Plate Tours ABC hosted Gate to Plate tours for key influencer audiences.

Building relationships with Arizona’s dietetic intern programs at the University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Maricopa County, in-person tours were completed before the COVID pandemic began. The tours offered an intensive first-hand experience of how cattle are raised in Arizona and the nutritional benefits of beef.* ■ Beef Supply Chain ABC assists Arizona beef supply chain partners to promote beef to their customers by providing beef cut charts, education, sales materials, and beef production tours to chefs and restaurateurs. Through the COVID pandemic, the beef checkoff continued to keep in touch with foodservice and retail partners by providing informational webinars and resources in the changing and challenging times.

■ QR Codes Elevate Beef Shopping Experience To amplify beef information to customers as they shop, the Arizona Beef Council and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, developed point of sale and education materials for use in all US Foods Chef’s Store. Helping shoppers learn about the 21 beef cuts that are available in-store, new signage includes a beef image, carcass location diagram, cooking method suggestions and applications along with a custom QR code that takes shoppers to the cut page on BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com.

■ Issues Management ABC served as a trusted source for beef information, especially during the COVID pandemic, partaking in news interviews, providing supply chain partners with up-to-date information, and tracking beef-related news and trends.

■ Summer Ag Institute In June, the annual in-person Summer Ag Institute (SAI) went remote for the 2020 Virtual Academy. Typically, a maximum of 30 teachers attend the week-long tour. This year five days of virtual tours and presentations replaced the bus trip, and 218 educators participated in the event, with an average daily attendance of up to 200. The event is a coordinated effort between Arizona’s agriculture education groups, including the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension and Maricopa Agriculture Center, Arizona Beef Council, Arizona Farm Bureau Federation, Arizona Milk Producers, Arizona State Cowbelles, and the Arizona Departments of Education and Agriculture.

Support is also provided by the Arizona Foundation for Agriculture Literacy.

■ Top Advocate Training The Arizona Top Advocate Training equipped those in the beef community who are already out talking about beef to increase their effectiveness in communicating with consumers. Attendees from across the beef industry participated in a day of learning with spokesperson and nutrition workshops.** ■ Social Media Social with Beef Arizona’s millennial consumers engaged with ABC’s Facebook and Instagram pages, resulting in 774,216 impressions.

■ Arizona State Cowbelles In partnership with, and funded by the ABC, the Cowbelles coordinated the Arizona Beef Ambassador Program, hosted local beef promotion efforts, and distributed beef information to students. *Funded by the Iowa Beef Industry Foundation **Funded by the Arizona Cattle Industry Research and Education Foundation

■ ABC Board of Directors 2019-2020 Mary Jo Rideout, Cattle Feeder, Chairman Linda Brake, Range Cattle Tim Cooley, Cattle Feeder Harvey Dietrich, Range Cattle Clint Gladden, Dairyman Norman Hinz, Cattle Feeder Wesley Kerr, Dairyman James Webb, Range Cattle ■ Arizona Federation Director Tim Cooley ■ Cattlemen’s Beef Board Member Mary Jo Rideout ■ Staff Lauren Scheller Maehling, Executive Director Tiffany Selchow, Director of Social Marketing and Consumer Outreach Maria Cadena, Executive Administrative Assistant ■ Follow ABC

on Social Media

@ArizonaBeef #AZbeef www.arizonabeef.org Arizona Beef Council 916 West Adams Street Phoenix, AZ 85007 (602) 273-7163

Arizona Beef Council Fiscal Year 2020 Expenditures by Category – Total Expenses: $644,355 Based on annual fiscal audit $13,083- 2% $19,786- 3%

$15,213 2% National Programs

$16,366- 3% $19,321- 3%

Consumer Information Retail & Foodservice

$245,766 37%

$334,820 50%

Arizona Cowbelle Programs Producer Communication Administrative Costs Department of Ag Fees

Dear Fellow Producers,

When state beef councils in 1963 pushed for a national beef promotion effort through what was then the Beef Industry Council, they created the Federation of State Beef Councils. Since then, the Federation and states have enjoyed a synergistic state/national partnership that combines the strengths of national expertise, unity and coordination with state agility, on-the-ground energy and grassroots producer support.

It follows a common theme. When a mandatory national beef checkoff started being discussed in the 1970s and 80s, survey after survey delivered the same producer request: We want a national program that works, but we want state beef councils to retain their independence. After all, some councils had been in operation since the 1950s. I believe our system achieves that aim and continues to build on a strong foundation laid by those forward-thinking volunteers and staff who served before us.

Today more than 700 producers sit on state beef councils around the country and make decisions for work by their states. States send more than 100 representatives to serve as Federation directors at the national level. This unified effort is one of the reasons yearly producer attitude surveys show continued strong support for the Beef Checkoff. Some of the national and international programs those producers help direct are described in this report.

The United We Steak grilling promotion campaign is another example of state and national cooperation. The campaign allowed states to benefit from national expertise and organization while showcasing an effort that was decidedly state-friendly. This cooperative effort, funded through the Beef Promotion Operating Committee, further demonstrates the value of a strong partnership between state beef councils and the national Beef Checkoff.

Our approach shows that together, there’s little we can’t accomplish to increase demand for beef.

Yours truly,

Buck Wehrbein Mead, Nebraska Chairman, Federation of State Beef Councils

No Substitute for Beef

United We Steak

Summer wouldn’t be summer without steaks on the grill. The Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. brand took advantage of that in 2020 with an aggressive United We Steak grilling campaign.

Funded by the Beef Checkoff and managed by NCBA, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, the effort encouraged families to unite in their love of beef. Consumers were reminded that the grilling season was brought to them by beef farmers and ranchers, who work day-and-night to ensure that Americans have access to great beef. A video was released on social media as well as through Connected TV and YouTube to showcase that beef farmers and ranchers keep beef on grills.

The campaign drove users to BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com or UnitedWeSteak.com, where they found a profile page for each state with state-themed beef recipes, a “meet your state beef producer” section and fun and informative state facts.

The successful campaign generated more than 338 million impressions, including almost 90 million video views.

While plant-based meat substitutes remain a media darling in some circles, in 2020 the Beef Checkoff made sure beef maintains its position as the consumer protein of choice.

Last year the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. brand conducted an online search campaign that served up a Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. ad to consumers who Googled new plant-based burger options and linked them to BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com to give them mouthwatering real beef recipes.

It also conducted a webinar for supply chain professionals from the retail, foodservice, manufacturing, distributing and packing industries featuring updates on the regulatory and labeling landscape for meat substitutes, insights on consumer research and facts about beef’s nutrition and environmental sustainability.

A fact sheet and infographic were distributed to key audiences showing how ground beef and meat substitutes stack up when it comes to nutrition profile and ingredients. The Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. brand continues to be active in protecting beef’s number one protein position in both traditional and social media.

Dietary Guidelines

The Beef Checkoff-funded human nutrition team has been engaged throughout the Dietary Guidelines process. In 2019 and 2020 NCBA, as a Beef Checkoff contractor, submitted 21 sets of public comments and more than 100 research studies in support of beef’s role in a healthy diet to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.

DGAs are important because they provide Americans with a roadmap for healthy eating and are the foundation for federal nutrition programs along with school, military, hospital and nursing home menus. They are also the basis for many expert nutrition recommendations.

The 2020 DGAC report included meat in a healthy dietary pattern, highlighting beef’s nutrients in the first years of life, but they continued to exclude other high-quality evidence demonstrating beef’s role in a healthy diet. The Beef Checkoff’s role in providing relevant and science-based research to the process continues to be important.

BQA Continues Success

The Beef Quality Assurance program continues to grow, with more than 100,000 cattle producers now certified through its online learning system.

Since the program was initiated in the early 1990s hundreds of thousands have become BQA-certified through in-person and online training, with an estimated 85 percent of the U.S. fed beef supply now touched by BQAcertified operations.

The BQA program is also now recognized as an industryleading animal welfare program. The USDA has reviewed and certified that the BQA program complies with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Animal Welfare Management/General Requirements and Guidance for Organizations in the Food Supply Chain. This recognition will mean the BQA program is listed on USDA’s Quality Assessment Division website as being compliant with the ISO specification.

A World View

There is sustained demand for U.S. beef in other countries, thanks in part to efforts of the U.S. Meat Export Federation, a Beef Checkoff subcontractor. From January through May of 2020, most Asian economies experienced significant economic slowdowns. But in countries like South Korea, consumers are still buying red meat, with a 10 percent sales growth at discount retail stores in that country during that period. U.S. beef sales in South Korea recorded an 18 percent sales increase, on average.

Responding in a Crisis

These COVID-19 times have caused significant hardships for beef farmers and ranchers. These include challenges to the industry’s Beef Checkoff-funded promotion, research and education programs. To address the quickly emerging issues and help maintain energy and continuity, checkoff programs used consumer and market research to adjust to meet changing consumer, influencer, supply chain and media needs.

The efforts have been well-directed. As the supply chain started to recover, a checkoff-funded research tracker, managed by NCBA as a Beef Checkoff contractor, showed consumers remained largely positive toward beef. When asked if the current U.S. and global environment has changed their overall perception of beef, nearly 90 percent of consumers said their attitudes have not changed or have gotten even more positive. In fact, the percentage who said they are more positive steadily increased from a low of 12 percent in early April to 26 percent in early May. NCBA continued to monitor the issue and adjust programming to meet the needs of consumers, stakeholders and state beef council partners throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cattlemen’s Beef Board Fiscal Year 2020 Expenditures Promotion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,206,858 Research. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $8,349,734 Consumer Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,260,148 Industry Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,392,835 Foreign Marketing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6,933,262 Producer Communications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,553,796 Program Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $202,046 Program Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $388,847 USDA Oversight *. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $761,214 Administration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,505,256 TOTAL EXPENSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $40,553,996 *Included in the USDA Oversight amount is approximately $600,000 paid by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board to USDA for oversight fees during the year. The remaining $161,000 is related to cost incurred by Cattlemen’s Beef Board for litigation, meetings with USDA, freedom of information act requests, settlement requests, and authorization requests.

Unaudited Numbers

All American BBQ Time Summer grilling season is here! Hoping to have a flavorful menu for your All-American BBQs on Memorial Day, Flag Day and /or 4th of July? Try a milk marinade to ensure your BBQ features a tender meat entrée.

Why milk? Milk-soaked meat marinades tenderize without getting chewy or mushy because the calcium found in milk helps break down the proteins in the meat in order to tenderize it. The acid found in whole milk and buttermilk are just mild enough to soak the meat for a long period of time without damaging the surface or overpowering and altering the meat’s consistency as other tenderizer ingredients can do if exposed too long.

Milk is a versatile marinade that can be used on red and white meat!

Whole milk is pretty much neutral on the pH scale and is good to use for gamey or fishy meats.

Cultured buttermilk has more lactic acid for meats that need an acidic marinade.

Make your milk marinade by simply seasoning milk with nonacidic ingredients such as salt and garlic. Make enough to completely submerge the meat and cover and place in the refrigerator between 4 – 12 hours. Once your meat has marinated long enough rinse and pat dry.

Grab a gallon and get grilling!

How long to marinade with milk?

Chicken Pork Beef

less than two hours four hours 24 hours

DairyKind is Implemented on All UDA Dairies The DairyKind online education platform opened to all United Dairymen of Arizona (UDA) member dairies on March 14, 2021. Currently all UDA dairies are online and there are over 500 active learners. Soon all employees on all UDA dairies will be active learners!

UDA has participated in the FARM program, and now with the addition of Fairlife as a customer, new requirements are being brought to Arizona dairies.

DairyKind helps dairies be compliant with these programs by providing the required training and documentation.

Dr. Marissa Hake, Director of Animal Welfare and Sustainable Farming for Fairlife, explains the importance of training. “Training sets up the culture on our farms. Dairy farm culture is extremely important, especially when we're trusting our employees to always do the right thing when it comes to animal care.” The FARM program highly values training. Dr. Richard Doak, member of the FARM Animal Care Task Force for the National Milk Producers Federation, says that as new versions of the program come out, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and training documentation requirements will only increase. “DairyKind is ideally situated to provide the required training with its growing suite of videos and built-in documentation.”

The DairyKind Institute

The DairyKind Institute is the online platform that provides this training and documentation. When new employees are signed up, the most important pieces of information collected are their username, their preferred language, their job role on the dairy, and which dairy team they belong to. The online training platform will then automatically assign which training courses they are required to complete based on their job role. The training and the website are available in an employee’s preferred language (English or Spanish).

DairyKind aims to increase the pride of the employees in their position. Dr. Hake explains that one key aspect of training is to set clear expectations and explain the purpose behind their daily tasks. “Training helps employees feel engaged and empowered to do their jobs.” Each employee should feel pride in the amount of training they have completed and the responsibility they have been given by the dairy owner. Both the employee and the dairy owner can log in to the DairyKind Institute at any time to see their achievements and access their certifications. Every person on the dairy plays a critical role in producing a safe, nutritious product to help feed the world.

Looking to the Future

Dr. Doak stresses that insufficient training is the biggest risk factor for poor animal handling. “Documentation of training provides evidence to members of the dairy supply chain that key areas of concern are being addressed on a regular basis on the dairy,” Dr. Doak says. He sees this risk management at the co-op level as becoming standard in the industry in the future.

UDA is a progressive organization, setting an example for the national dairy industry. Dairy consultants, industry, processors, and customers view this standardization and documentation of training by DairyKind as a positive step for dairies. There is a high level of animal care provided by UDA dairies and the DairyKind program provides the documentation to instill confidence in the milk produced on Arizona dairies.

Login to your account and check it out at training.dairykind.com, and email us at info@dairykind.com if you have any questions!

Will U.S. Dairy Exports to Mexico Return to Pre-COVID Levels?

By: Tony Rice Trade Policy Manager National Milk Producers Federation

When it comes to the outlook for U.S. dairy exports to Mexico, there’s good news and bad.

The good news is that after a year of U.S. non-fat dry milk and cheese exports to Mexico falling below prior-year levels, the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) expects shipments of dairy products going south of the border to rise for the rest of 2021.

Like most economies around the globe, Mexico was hit hard last year by the COVID19 pandemic, and it didn’t help that the country was entering a recession as 2020 started. That one-two punch saw GDP drop by 9 percent, unemployment soar and consumers cut back on spending, including on dairy. According to Mexico’s National Chamber of Milk Industries (CANILEC), the country’s consumption of all non-fat dairy products fell in 2020, with fluid milk falling nearly 5 percent, yogurt dropping more than 9 percent and milk powders declining a little more than 3 percent. Cheese demand grew, but the pace of growth slowed sharply from 2019.

The lack of demand, coupled with sufficient Mexican milk production and high U.S. prices – relative to the peso – dampened U.S. dairy imports. In fact, from February 2020 through January 2021, U.S. cheese exports to Mexico fell by 8,500 metric tons, a 9 percent drop from the previous year period, and non-fat dry milk exports declined by almost 78,000 metric tons, a decrease of 21 percent.

But with employment numbers rising, the populace being vaccinated against COVID-19, tourists returning to the country and consumer spending nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, Mexico’s demand for dairy already is ticking up and giving U.S. dairy farmers reason for optimism.

With the U.S. dairy industry’s long-term ties and geographic proximity to Mexico, NMPF and USDEC are confident the United States will maintain a dominant share of the Mexican market in 2021 and going forward.

And the bad news?

Given the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic’s further effects on the Mexican economy and around when most Mexicans will be vaccinated, it remains to be seen whether the positive outlook becomes a reality this year. Moreover, another potential curveball may arise from protectionist factions in Mexico loudly advocating for a self-sufficiency policy in milk production despite the unfeasibility of such an approach due to production costs and natural resource limitations in Mexico. The current Mexican government, supported by a small yet vocal group of agitators, has been promoting new regulatory requirements for dairy imports that aim to deter imports even if that comes at the cost of higher prices for Mexico’s most vulnerable citizens. Highlighting the misguided nature of this approach, a recent study USDEC commissioned in Mexico showed the importance of imports in generating benefits for Mexico’s dairy industry, jobs and consumers.

Stay tuned.

DairyAmerica Update

By Steven Gulley, Chief Marketing Officer, DairyAmerica Time flies when you are having fun, which is why I’m not surprised Summer is already here as we have been having fun traversing markets and the many changing dynamics we have faced in the past few months.

Part of this fun has been developing and preparing to launch the new high-quality Lactose produced by UDA. The technology allows for such purified lactose, it’s actually Lactose Evolved. SimpliPure Lactose soft launch is taking place at Supply Side Phoenix on June 11th, with a full brand launch at Supply Side West in Las Vegas in late October! This investment is another example of collaboration between UDA and DairyAmerica for continued value creation for the hard-working Farming Families of UDA. Value creation has been the main focus of DairyAmerica, especially with the onboarding of our new value-focused CEO Patti Smith. Well-versed and well-positioned for ever-changing dynamics, DairyAmerica ended 2020 with the best financial results in our 24-year history; DairyAmerica returned more than double the patronage to UDA for the calendar year 2020 vs. 2019. A record year!

Speaking of record years, seemingly insatiable export demand helped the U.S. achieve a new record high for exports; 16% of total U.S. milk production to be exact! Up 11% from 2019, export demand has carried into 2021 with posted exports through February showing a further 3%, led principally by Asian buyers with shipments to the region up more than 30% YTD. Exports are a crucial part of ensuring economic viability on the farm, and we celebrate the wins we have achieved in the international markets.

The strong start to 2021 exports has been subdued by logistical challenges. These challenges, mostly impacting ocean shipments from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, as well as trucks from California, have created economic opportunities for UDA. Freight rates to the Mexican border have increased nearly twofold. With increases from Tempe to El Paso only increasing marginally, DairyAmerica has captured more value for your dairy ingredients based on freight arbitrage.

Since March 2020, the U.S. has led global milk production. Much of this increased milk production has made its way into Low Heat nonfat dry milk production which held down U.S. pricing vs. international benchmarks for several months. U.S. nonfat dry milk pricing, which has been the lowest in the world through this heavy LH NFDM production, has seen an increase of approximately 20% from the end of February to the end of April and looks to remain supported.

I leave you with these final thoughts. A strong dollar is great for vacations to Europe, but bad for milk prices; pray for a weak dollar. Contact your Representatives regarding the logistics challenges and help us export more of your high-quality dairy ingredients. The world is hungry for high-quality dairy ingredients from UDA, and DairyAmerica is well-positioned to supply them with their needs. The partnership between United Dairymen of Arizona and DairyAmerica is stronger than ever, and our continued collaboration will help drive more value for the farming families of UDA.

Olympic Training on The Farm Ever heard of Olympic training occurring on a dairy farm? It might seem like a stretch but for Elinor “Elle” Purrier St. Pierre, who is a professional track athlete and dairy farmer, that is exactly what has been happening! On a dairy farm in Vermont, Pierre has mixed long runs and an overall rigorous training schedule while helping out on the farm. Training on the farm has seemed to strike a good balance for Pierre, who says she appreciates being around the cows and the sense of calmness she has on the farm.

The current American record holder for the indoor mile and the indoor two mile has been a member of Team New Balance since 2018. With a college nutrition degree under her belt, Pierre is a firm believer in the benefit of including dairy in an elite athlete’s diet during training.

The first thing Pierre does after a run is drink a glass of milk because she knows the perfect ratio of carbs to protein is going to help her do better. Not only does it provide recovery benefits, its also great tasting and easily accessible too.

Good luck to Elle Purrier St. Pierre throughout the rest of training and in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games that will begin on July 23, 2021.

Image Credit Elle Purrier St. Pierre on Instagram

Retail

Rockin' Protein at Ranch Market

Shamrock’s Rockin’ Protein, three flavor line was newly introduced into the Hispanic retailer, Ranch Market. To boost awareness during the in-store ad months, Hispanic influencer, Lillian Griego, posted two workout videos featuring Rockin’ Protein to her Instagram.

Communications Facebook Live Cooking Demo

Popular local chef, Justin Beckett of Beckett’s Table and Southern Rail, provided a Facebook Live cooking demo featuring a favorite from the south, pimento cheese. The video drew a reach of 30,584 and 184 engagements on Facebook. The recording of the video and the recipe are posted on the Arizona Milk Producers (AZMP) website, arizonamilk.org

Communications Couples Cooking Night

As a suggestion for those looking for at-home Valentine’s Day plans, an email was sent to a targeted audience of 1M Fry’s Food Stores shoppers. The ad linked back to a page on the AZMP website with a menu of chef-developed gourmet recipes to explore for a couples cooking night.

Virtual Farm Tours

To educate about dairy farming and sustainability, and promote ag literacy resources and lesson plans, two virtual farm tours were offered in February for participants in Arizona and Nevada. One was hosted by Shamrock Farms for the elementary school audience, the other hosted by Wes Kerr of Kerr Family Dairy for health professionals.

Delivering Cooking Demos Webinar Gaining the confidence to cook in front of an online audience is an important skill to learn for dietitians and health educators working in clinical, community, academia, and private practice settings. To provide an educational opportunity for this audience, Dairy Councils® of Arizona and Nevada partnered with Liz Weiss, MS, RDN, to develop a webinar on preparing food demonstrations. Key learning points included how to: communicate nutrition information to consumers entertain audiences teach basic or advanced cooking skills and showcase healthy recipes that are affordable, easy to prepare at home, and flavorful Among the materials provided to participants were nutrition information on dairy and plant-based diets and a Cheesy Broccoli & White Bean Soup recipe.

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Photo ©Copyright 2019 Nouriche Nutrition LTD All Rights Reserved

BlueLite C®: “Fluid loss in excess of 8% requires IV treatment”

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ORALIVE ORS Technology is available in C.H.E.E.R.S.® from: United Dairymen of Arizona, Tempe, AZ (480) 966-7211 Questions? Call Cindy at (602) 885-0921 or Dr Drew at (314) 409-9843 For more information, email Dr Drew at DrDrew@Nouriche.com