There was a time in our industry when whey was more waste product than valuable byproduct. The whey that remained from cheese making was either discarded or spread on farmers’ fields years ago.

Should everyone know a dairy farmer? Yes, I believe they should. But you might be thinking, “Why would anyone want to know a dairy farmer?”

Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a national farmer-owned dairy cooperative, and Vanguard Renewables, a Massachusetts-based renewable energy developer, formed a strategic partnership to help bring anaerobic digestion technology to more farms across the country.

Dairy farmer leaders of the national dairy checkoff learned a lot from watching the United Kingdom struggle to manage crisis communications in the aftermath of BSE and foot and mouth disease outbreaks in 2001.

Years ago, the farmer-funded dairy promotion checkoff moved from a generic advertising approach to a strategy of working with powerful partners with like values who would invest with us and help advance dairy farmers’ interests in doing good things for the world and doing good business for themselves.

Why did Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) invest in social media and communication training for America’s dairy farmers when there are other pressing needs?

See a need: In 2014, dairy producers and industry partners identified “soft skills” as a top consideration when hiring and developing new employees. However, they felt communication and leadership skills were seriously lacking in emerging dairy leaders.

The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, established under the leadership of dairy farmers, is accepting nominations for the sixth annual U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards honoring exceptional dairy farms, businesses and partnerships for their socially responsible, economically viable and environmentally sound practices.

The dairy checkoff has two critical missions on behalf of America’s dairy farm families: help grow sales and build consumer trust.