To kick off the school year, Midwest Dairy staff, dairy farmers, and ambassadors interacted with students and Nebraska Husker fans through a dairy game, trivia spin wheel, and trivia cards at different events at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The partnership between Husker Athletics and Midwest Dairy continues to offer multiple events to build trust in dairy with the Gen Z population and other audiences. Keep reading to learn more about these different interactions!
Husker Mania is part of Big Red Welcome, an event that welcomes students during their first weekend back on campus. The campus recreation center organizes this event so students can learn more about intramural sports and activities at the rec center. As a Husker sponsor, Midwest Dairy had a table at the event where checkoff debuted a new life-size dairy game, Undeniably Dairy’s Dairy Dash. The game involved a pair of students playing the roles of a dairy cow and a dairy farmer, completing four challenges that represented caring for the cow. These challenges showed how dairy farmers regulate cows’ temperatures, feed and milk them, and keep them comfy with proper bedding. Approximately 1,800 students attended this event, and students lined up the whole night to wait to play, watch others play, and learn more about the dairy industry. Dairy Ambassadors were also a great help with peer-to-peer interaction.
Another Big Red Welcome event that Midwest Dairy participated in was Wellness Fest. This was held outside the City Campus Union, where students came to participate in goat yoga, ride the smoothie bike, and learn about other services available to keep them healthy throughout the school year. Midwest Dairy used the spin wheel game to test students’ dairy knowledge and teach them about where their favorite dairy products come from.
A fan fest called Bash at the Bob was held before Nebraska’s first home volleyball game at Bob Devaney Sports Center. This event was open to fans before the game and included face painting, poster making, a giant prize wheel, inflatables, horses from the Rodeo Club, and Undeniably Dairy’s Dairy Game. Husker fans of all ages stopped by to play, tossing bean bags to “feed the dairy cow” and “milk the cow,” using soft golf balls to replicate the milk going into the bucket (tank). The game helped show how well cows are cared for and how milk is collected.
Midwest Dairy had another opportunity to reach Gen Z students at a tailgate before Nebraska’s first football game of the season. The Undeniably Dairy Dash game was set up again with all four challenges, along with the trivia spin wheel to test the students’ dairy knowledge. The spin wheel was a big hit, offering students and fans the chance to learn more about dairy. Lastly, Midwest Dairy sponsored a Husker volleyball match on September 5. Before the game, dairy farmers and a dairy ambassador handed out Undeniably Dairy swag and pizza to the students, asked dairy trivia questions, and talked to them about life on a dairy farm. During the volleyball game, dairy facts were displayed on the video board four times included in the event program. Midwest Dairy also sponsored a serving contest, providing “If you want a soft serve, go get ice cream” t-shirts to the winners. Shirts were also thrown out to the crowd.