On Friday nights at Busch Stadium, agriculture takes center stage with baseball fans thanks to Missouri Farmers Care (MFC). The agricultural coalition, of which Midwest Dairy is a partner, celebrated Dairy Night on Friday, May 17. The game attracted 37,961 fans to the stadium.
A group of volunteers, including 23 dairy farmers, in bright “Farm Team” shirts encouraged conversations at the MFC booth at Ford Plaza. Dairy Night featured Plinko and tic-tac-toe trivia with prizes, a photo opportunity with Sweet Bessie, the cow mascot of the “Race to the Plate” team, and an animal care display explaining a cow’s total mixed ration through sight, touch, and smell.
Before the game, the Cardinals debuted a farm video featuring dairy farmer Bethany Bloss of Sarcoxie, Mo., and Fred Bird to baseball fans. Friday games also feature “Race to the Plate”, when “Farm Team” mascots like Sweet Bessie are cheered as they race the bases. In addition to the in-stadium interaction at Ford Plaza and mascot races, the MFC and Cardinals partnership reaches consumers through 30-second radio spots, a GameDay Magazine print ad, a Cardinals scoresheet ad, and a growth poster giveaway. This year’s partnership between MFC and the St. Louis Cardinals is expected to meet or exceed the 2023 campaign total of 7.8 million impressions.
New in 2024, Midwest Dairy partnered with Audacy, a broadcast and Internet radio platform, to expand the reach of Bloss’s radio ads and retarget 18 to 34-year-old consumers in St. Louis, Columbia and Springfield, Mo., and through MLB app streaming. This additional exposure is expected to generate more than 628,000 targeted impressions.