Throughout June Dairy Month, dairy organizations and companies across the U.S. launched impactful initiatives to support local communities, food-insecure families and the next generation of dairy professionals.
Professional Dairy Producers hosts community blood drive to honor June Dairy Month
On June 18, Professional Dairy Producers (PDP) opened their doors to host their community blood drive to honor its membership base of dairy professionals at its headquarters.
The annual event was held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, June 18, at 820 N. Main Street in Juneau. PDP provided dairy treats to all donors, including milk and cookies, mac and cheese, yogurt, ice cream and more.
“We are entering a very busy season of the year, and Professional Dairy Producers understands the importance of slowing down to take care of one another,” said Shelly Mayer, dairy farmer in Slinger, Wisconsin, and executive director of PDP. “Hosting this annual blood drive is a way our team can serve the broader community – and opening our doors during June dairy month is an honor.”
PDP represents dairy producers and other dairy professionals from 2,000 dairies across 36 states. The nation's largest dairy producer-led organization of its kind, it focuses on producer professionalism, stakeholder engagement and unified outreach to share ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.
Udder Tech embraces June Dairy Month with meaningful and measurable campaign
As the industry seeks new ways to connect with consumers and drive demand, Udder Tech embraced June Dairy Month with a meaningful and measurable give-back campaign.
“Each June, we look for meaningful ways to celebrate the dairy industry,” said Dana Casto, Udder Tech business manager. “In 2022, inspired by the growing need for milk at food shelves, we launched a campaign to donate a gallon of milk for every web order – supporting our customers and local communities with a product that truly makes a difference.”
For every online order placed during June, Udder Tech is donating a gallon of milk – or an equivalent amount, such as a pound of butter – to a local food pantry. Now in its third year, the program has already provided more than 1,600 gallons to families in need.
This year, they aimed to donate over 900 gallons to food pantries in Minnesota, including 360 Communities. To help achieve this goal, they also offered customers the option to add a box of cereal or a gallon of milk for $3.
“At our Rosemount location alone, we serve over 500 neighbors each month – more than 100 shopping appointments weekly,” says Sara Felix of 360 Communities. “Providing healthy options like dairy is a top priority. We go through over 175 gallons of milk and 60 packages of butter each week – and the demand is constant. Milk and butter are among the most appreciated items on our shelves.”
This initiative increases dairy access, reinforces its essential role in a healthy diet and builds goodwill for the industry while supporting dairy customers.
‘Feed for the Future’ silent auction supports on-farm internships through everyday feed purchases
Dairy producers supported the next generation of dairy through their everyday feed purchases by bidding in the annual “Feed for the Future” silent auction. With Purina Animal Nutrition donating $5,000 worth of dairy feed to the Dairy Excellence Foundation to help support on-farm internships for college students in dairy-related fields of study, dairy producers submitted bids from May 28 to June 11 to receive up to $5,000 worth of Purina products.
“Thanks to Purina’s ongoing generosity, this Feed for the Future campaign continues to be a great way for us to come together and support students who are passionate about a career in the dairy industry,” said Jayne Sebright, executive director at the Dairy Excellence Foundation. “Dairy producers have to purchase feed on a continuous basis, so this unique opportunity allows you to make a direct impact and difference with your everyday feed costs. You’re helping to give college students internship opportunities and direct, on-farm experience that they might not have otherwise.”
Each day, the highest bid was announced through daily updates during the auction. The dairy producer with the highest bid in the auction was announced on June 12 at A Toast to Dairy.
The Feed for the Future silent auction helps support young dairy professionals like Beckie (Burns) Mohn, who completed an on-farm internship in 2020 and now works as a livestock production specialist at Purina Animal Nutrition. The on-farm internship program provides students with on-farm learning experiences through 10- to 12-week summer internships on progressive dairy farms.
“I’m really happy I was given all these opportunities to grow over the years, including through the on-farm internship program,” Mohn said. “The internship program is a really great opportunity, especially for people who haven’t worked on a farm before. I’m not working as a herdsman now, but I have such a greater respect and understanding of what dairy farmers do.”
American Dairy Association North East, local retailers partner to provide milk to families in need during National Dairy Month
American Dairy Association (ADA) North East worked with three retail chains during National Dairy Month in June to provide fresh milk to families in need through the Fill a Glass with Hope campaign.
Together with the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association and Feeding Pennsylvania, ADA North East kicked off the monthlong campaign with Weis Markets at its store in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, on Monday, June 2. Safeway and Market 32/Price Chopper stores also participated in the program in June.
Milk is one of the most requested items at food banks, but one of the least donated because of its perishability. Dairy farmers recognized this need and set the Fill a Glass with Hope campaign into motion more than 10 years ago.
“Dairy farmers and dairy checkoff made it a priority to help get milk on the tables of local families in need while creating a new distribution channel for milk and dairy products, which is why we started Fill a Glass with Hope a decade ago,” said ADA North East CEO John Chrisman. “We’re so fortunate that we have local partners who share the same vision, enabling the campaign to provide more than 47 million servings of milk to people in need.”
During June, customers are encouraged to donate at checkout to support the campaign. Last year, dairy checkoff’s in-store retail campaigns raised more than $555,000 through register checkout donations.
California dairy families and Raley’s Food For Families partner to deliver nutritious milk and dairy foods to families facing food insecurity
In California, over 3 million households face food insecurity. In honor of June as National Dairy Month, the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) partnered for the third year with Raley’s Food For Families program to deliver milk and dairy foods to nourish families in California communities.
Throughout the month of June, California dairy families, through the CMAB, matched customer in-store and online Food For Families donations dollar for dollar (up to $35,000) to provide California dairy products to feeding programs. Prompts with the “Do Good with Dairy” message were shared through in-store signage and digital communications to alert consumers to the initiative. Part of the Real California Milk CADAIRY4GOOD program and Raley’s well-known Food For Families charitable organization, the partnership is part of an ongoing commitment from both to providing resources to food banks and feeding programs to increase access to nutritious foods.
“As a California dairy farmer, I’m passionate about making sure families have access to milk and dairy foods – the most nourishing and affordable sources of nutrition,” said Nicole Morris, who, with her husband, operates the JNM Dairy in Modesto. “This partnership brings much-needed support to communities while also reinforcing the important role dairy plays in helping families grow and thrive.”
Milk donations were distributed to 12 Food For Family partner food banks – Alameda County Community Food Bank, Central California Food Bank, Food Bank for Monterey County, Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano, Feeding the Foothills, Food Bank of Northern Nevada, Redwood Empire Food Bank, Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County, Second Harvest of the Greater Valley and Yolo Food Bank.
“Year-round, we accept donations to Food For Families to help alleviate hunger in our community,” said Zoe Edwards, Raley’s Food For Families operations specialist. “Dairy is a highly-requested, nutritious food group and additional source of protein that our food banks are eager to provide to their community. We are proud to partner with Real California Milk to bring dairy products to our food bank partners.”
If you had a June Dairy Month event we missed, please don’t hesitate to send the details to Progressive Dairy Editor Audrey Schmitz so we can be sure to include it in future coverage.
