Midwest Dairy collaborates with regional agricultural coalitions to engage consumers as a trusted voice. These coalitions empower consumers to make informed food choices while enhancing awareness, trust, and confidence in modern agriculture. The experiences they provide put a name and a face to farmers, allowing families to feel confident when purchasing food at the dairy case. Throughout 2024, Midwest Dairy has successfully partnered with many of these groups.
Iowa Food and Family
The Iowa Food & Family Project (Iowa FFP) engages with more than 152,000 food and health-minded Iowans monthly. In 2024, through a partnership with Midwest Dairy and collaboration with more than 35 partner organizations, Iowa FFP implemented various events and programs to strengthen the farm-to-fork connection for Iowa consumers.
One of the most impactful ways Iowa FFP reaches consumers is through social marketing. In 2024, this strategy proved highly effective, generating over 1.2 million impressions. Targeted digital content, social media campaigns, and online engagements connected dairy farmers directly with thousands of consumers in Iowa. The Fresh Pickings eNewsletter, published eight times a year, reached 78,572 subscribers. Each issue highlights farm families, both rural and urban communities, modern food production, giveaways, and recipes. Midwest Dairy is featured in every edition through various food and agriculture segments, such as dairy and nutritional information recipes.
Fresh Pickings also publishes a 52-page quarterly magazine that showcases the sights, sounds, and stories of Iowa farming. Each seasonal issue aims to make agriculture accessible, engaging, and relevant to consumers. A total of 18,000 print copies of the magazine are distributed. Midwest Dairy contributed key articles focused on dairy nutrition, a farm profile of Adaway Dairy, and an overview of how milk moves from the farm to grocery store shelves. The magazine also emphasized animal comfort by detailing how farmers use pest management techniques for cattle and how large animal veterinarians support cattle health and well-being. Additionally, it featured recipes such as Chocolate Mousse Brownie Trifle, Key Lime Yogurt Bars, and Two-Ingredient Greek Yogurt Pizza Dough.
Iowa FFP also focuses on in-person events, enabling dairy farmers to interact directly with consumers. One of the most successful events in 2024 was the Iowa State Fair, where Iowa FFP had a prominent presence. More than 50,000 fairgoers visited the Iowa FFP Booth, providing an incredible opportunity to connect with a wide range of consumers. Fairgoers experienced the world of farming and agriculture through several engaging activities. The centerpiece was a hands-on activity where visitors colored a picture, watched it get digitized, and saw it become a vibrant piece of the grand “Our Iowa Farm Experience” scene. Other interactive stations included Plinko trivia, a farm-themed photo booth, and the chance to pick up an Iowa FFP cookbook. These activities foster consumer connections and strengthen the reputation of Iowa dairy farmers as dedicated, hardworking individuals committed to providing fresh, local products.
Illinois Farm Families
In 2024, Illinois Farm Families (IFF) continued to provide an invaluable platform for dairy farmers, helping to bridge the gap between agriculture and consumers in the Chicagoland area. Social marketing is one of IFF’s most impactful ways to reach consumers. In 2024, this strategy proved highly effective, generating over 12 million impressions. Targeted digital content, social media campaigns, and online engagements enable dairy farmers to connect directly with thousands of consumers in Illinois, especially those in and around the Chicago area.
This broad reach allows dairy farmers to educate consumers about where their food comes from, how it’s produced, and why it’s essential for their daily lives. IFF’s digital campaigns highlight the environmental, economic, and social benefits of local dairy farming while breaking down common misconceptions. For dairy farmers, this partnership translates into increased visibility, greater consumer engagement, and the chance to share their passion for sustainable, high-quality dairy production.
In addition to digital strategies, IFF also focuses on in-person events that allow dairy farmers to interact directly with consumers. One of the most successful events in 2024 was the Square Roots Festival, where IFF had a prominent presence. Drawing over 40,000 attendees, the festival provided an incredible opportunity to engage with a diverse audience.
Kansas Farm Food Connection
The Kansas Farm Food Connection (KFFC) brings together agricultural organizations to connect with consumers through digital and social marketing. This 11-organization coalition, including Midwest Dairy, serves as a content resource for food, farming, fiber, and fuel information for the residents of Kansas. In 2024, KFFC achieved significant milestones in building consumer trust in dairy.
The KFFC website brings farm stories to life and provides consumers with grocery store tips, food facts, and more. One of the most popular stories featured on the site was a profile of dairy farm family Heidi and Byron Wells from Cheney, Kansas, which received over 2,100 views. A Facebook post about the Wells family ranked as the top-performing post for June. In the fall of 2023, KFFC experienced positive results and continued its paid search strategy into 2024. This paid search campaign generated 69,268 impressions, enhancing its already strong organic search presence of 15.2 million impressions. Key topics for the paid search ads included sustainability, lifestyle foods, farmers, dairy, and GMOs.
Notably, the search term “sustainable agriculture” attracted the most clicks. Email marketing remains an effective tool for reaching individuals interested in recipes and seasonal topics. An article featuring tips for making the best-grilled cheese sandwich was the top story in June. In 2024, KFFC’s email outreach achieved an average open rate of 22 percent and an average click-through rate of 3.46 percent. Engagement from article clicks surpassed the agricultural industry average of 2.34 percent. KFFC hosted a grocery card giveaway promotion to grow its newsletter subscriber base. This campaign successfully added 818 email subscribers, with 54 percent of respondents indicating that the giveaway was their first interaction with KFFC. Moreover, 95 percent of participants were within the target demographic of ages 25 to 54.