Ron and Jodi Ditter, Chilton, Wisconsin Member producer Ron and Jodi Ditter, producers who ship milk with Family Dairies USA (a division of FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative).

BIG Dairy Rickert Brothers LLC Eldorado, Wisconsin 900 milking cows; RHA 28,500 pounds Rick Hartman, herdsman

There is likely no tougher agriculture sector in which to be involved than the dairy business, especially for those who have endured during the last few years of market instability and fluctuating milk prices. In the best of times, it’s hard work, but producers have had much more to deal with and overcome than just tired muscles. A couple of years ago, dairy farmers were faced with complying to specific regulations that set the maximum somatic cell count (SCC) at 400,000 per milliliter of milk, a reduction from 750,000 and a number many farmers thought they might not reach or at least maintain on a consistent basis.

We reached out to our HERd management columnists and asked them to share how they celebrate June Dairy Month. Get inspired by their creative ideas.

For a special treat for our readers this June Dairy Month, we asked HERd management columnists and social media followers to share their best dairy recipes.

All it takes is a walk through the grocery store, and you will begin to realize how important marketing is today. In each food product, there are distinct differences between labels, even when the product is something as basic as a gallon of milk. We all remember the “got milk?” campaign and have begun to see commercials and materials for the new “Milk Life” campaign. But what about those local campaigns we see in our home state or regions? We might be surprised about the influence they currently have on consumer choices and the influence they could have in the future.