Midwest Dairy helps fuel dairy demand and build consumer trust by bringing dairy to life and to the most unexpected places. Keep reading to see how dairy was promoted this summer to eager consumers of all ages!
605 Running Company debuts Dairy Dash in partnership with Midwest Dairy
To build trust in dairy with a new audience in South Dakota, Midwest Dairy partnered with 605 Running Company on their first ever 605 Trail Race and Festival at Good Earth Park, which included a 1-mile fun run for kids named the Dairy Dash. The race sold out at 100 participants and included a fun destination experience at the finish line featuring cow mascots, stickers, tattoos, a coloring station, and race medals.
After the Dairy Dash and 4- and 8-mile trail runs, around 300 runners and guests participated in a dairy-themed festival with various partners and vendors that provided product samples (and sales), giveaways, and activities featuring dairy. Partners that attended included Prairie Farms, Moo’v/Dari, Stenslands Family Farm, Farm Life Creamery, Kasemeister Creamery, Friends of the Big Sioux River, South Dakota Soybean/Hungry for Truth, Live Well Sioux Falls, and the South Dakota State University Dairy Science Department. Other contributors included South Dakota Corn, who helped promote the event via their Corn Comments radio spot; Pizza Ranch, donating 12 large pizzas; and Fareway, providing a $100 gift card for a raffle prize.
Midwest Dairy worked with four local influencers to promote the event online and weaved in authentic messaging on how these individuals and their families use dairy to promote good health and benefit their training routine. These influencers extended the reach of this project to their over 57, 000 online followers. To see some of these influencers in action on the local news, check out this KELO and Dakota News Now segments.
Dairy farmer Allen Merrill also attended the event, spoke briefly to the audience, and engaged in a media interview with Dakota News Now. A local ultra marathoner and Registered Dietitian spoke about how she uses and recommends dairy in her training routine, even though she is lactose intolerant.
Many parents expressed gratitude and shared positive comments about the day. Midwest Dairy will follow up with an evaluation survey of all partners involved with the Dairy Dash to gather feedback on this brand-new event.
Midwest Dairy joins Missouri Farmers Care to host dairy farmers at the Cardinals game
Midwest Dairy and Missouri Farmers Care (MFC) joined forces at the August 6 St. Louis Cardinals game, attracting more than 40,000 fans. Dairy farmer Alfred Brandt of Linn, Missouri, had the honor of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the game. While Brandt made the first pitch, the public address shared Missouri farm families’ pride in caring for their animals, producing healthy and delicious food, and engaging in sustainable practices. The first 10,000 fans 15 years and younger were given a complimentary growth poster featuring Cardinals’ shortstop Tommy Edman to commemorate their gameday experience.
Following the opening ceremonies, Midwest Dairy hosted 29 guests, representing nine dairy farm families in a suite at Busch Stadium. The small group gathering was an opportunity to share checkoff updates and recruit for future dairy promotion activities.
Chicago Fire Soccer – Meet the player event
Midwest Dairy is proud of a new partnership with the Chicago Fire- a Major League Soccer team in Chicago, Illinois. This partnership aims to increase dairy consumption with the Hispanic Generation Z (Gen Z) youth and Millennial parents in the area.
In late July, the Chicago Fire had a meet-the-player event attended by 1,500 season ticket holders and families. Midwest Dairy participated by providing Dairy Trivia and a MyPlate activity. There were also recipe cards and other Undeniable Dairy giveaways.
Midwest Dairy educates at Back-to-School Event
Midwest Dairy participated in Roseland Community Hospital’s Back-to-School event in Chicago, Illinois. At the event, school supplies were given to those who attended, and many organizations provided information about dental services, healthcare services, and childcare programs.
Registered Dietician Jillian Q. engaged in conversations with the attendees about all things dairy. She explained ways to consume Dairy, gave out recipes, and played Dairy Trivia. Over 500 people attended and enjoyed the activities and conversations.
Farm tour grows trust and appreciation with future dieticians
Together with the Nebraska Beef Council, Midwest Dairy provided hands-on dairy and beef farm experiences for 15 dietetic interns. Dietetic interns are a key audience to share dairy’s message as they are on their way to becoming a trusted source of nutrition education in the community.
The dairy farm experience took place at JJC Jerseys in Beaver Crossing, Nebraska, and was facilitated and hosted by Jodi Cast and her family. Interns had the opportunity to use their senses and learn more about animal care, food safety, antibiotics, and the many on-farm practices, which led to a transparent discussion about dairy farming. The interns got to see firsthand the dairy farmers’ passion and commitment to making a safe, high-quality product.
During the return bus ride, interns randomly selected flashcards that included questions on sustainability, cow care, and human nutrition relating to dairy. As interns answered the questions, more in-depth discussion was provided to help enhance the learning experience.
As a final review, the interns completed a questionnaire asking, “During the Dietetic Intern Tour, what did you learn that was the most impactful/beneficial (about dairy)?” An interesting reveal was that 10 out of the 15 interns responded that they did not know that all milk was antibiotic-free. Other comments included, “It’s really cool to see how the milk is produced by cows and how they operate the process to send the milk to the grocery store in 48 hours,” and “The labor that goes into the process of doing farms gives me a lot more appreciation when I’ll see a gallon of milk in the store.”