Midwest Dairy is focused on working with partners who reach consumers to grow trust and confidence in the industry. Keep reading to see checkoff dollars at work in Nebraska.
Lincoln Children’s Museum New Agriculture Exhibit
Midwest Dairy proudly supported the Lincoln Children’s Museum’s new agricultural exhibit in 2023. The new exhibit is called Here We Grow! and engages consumers in dairy and agriculture learning with fun activities that allow children to play and learn simultaneously. The exhibit opened on December 9th, 2023, with a kick-off event that included cow hats for all participants, a challenge to name the pig and cow sculptures in the exhibit, and a scavenger hunt throughout the building. Midwest Dairy also sponsored a craft activity where participants could plant seeds in a cow pot made of manure and take them home to watch them grow.
More recently, the Lincoln Children’s Museum hosted a donor appreciation night on February 13. This event included a special presentation to honor the new exhibit and the donors who made it possible. The new exhibit has become a fun and engaging opportunity for curious kids to learn more about the industry. Be sure to stop by next time you are in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Local Food and Healthy Farms Conference
In January, Midwest Dairy sponsored the Local Food and Healthy Farms conference organized by the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society in Columbus, Nebraska. There were over 300 people present. Attendees could stop by the Midwest Dairy booth in the expo hall to test their dairy knowledge by spinning the wheel and learning more about dairy farmers and current environmental improvement practices. Checkoff is committed to sharing dairy’s dedication to sustainability through partnerships and conferences like this.
41st year of the Bike Ride Across Nebraska
For the last 41 years, hundreds of bicyclists from Nebraska and over 30 states have convened each year to ride for a cause in the Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska (BRAN). Riders can join all or part of the 430-mile trek as a seven-, four-, or three-day tour. Midwest Dairy promoted dairy to the 400 riders participating in the 2023 ride by providing 600 chocolate milk cartons to help them rehydrate. BRAN is a non-profit organization that donates all proceeds towards scholarships for Nebraska high school graduates to trade schools, colleges, and universities.
Social media content was also shared with followers on the BRAN Nebraska Twitter and Facebook pages. Posts included educating riders on chocolate milk as a top recovery beverage and recipes to try at home. National Dairy Council sports nutrition promotional materials were displayed throughout the ride and at the last two campsites.
Partnering with Lincoln Children’s Museum mascot, Kazoo
Throughout 2023, Midwest Dairy partnered with the Lincoln Children’s Museum (LCM) to create a social media series that features the LCM mascot, Kazoo, interviewing dairy farmer Brooke Engelman to learn about sustainability on a dairy farm. The topics included cattle chewing their cud, a cow diet, recycling, and dairy nutrition. Check out one of the videos here.