Industry News & Events

As a dairy farmer, you have a great story to tell. The public wants to hear how you care for your animals and natural resources, how you produce wholesome and healthy dairy products for them, and how your family business contributes to the community. One way to accomplish this is through the checkoff-funded “Telling Your Story” training program.

This program helps you build positive relationships with your neighbors, community, the media and consumers through three training modules: “Connect with Your Community” (community outreach training), “Capture the Crowd” (presentation training) and “Control the Questions” (media training). Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association is pleased to offer all three modules to you.

Learn About Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy

Established in 2008, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy is the first organization of its kind to align the collective resources of the industry around its barriers and opportunities so that we can offer consumers the dairy products and ingredients they need for a healthy and productive lifestyle. The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy provides a forum for everyone in dairy to better deliver nutritious dairy foods, beverages and ingredients for the health of people, communities and the earth.

The industry is working together to decrease the environmental footprint of dairy products, with an initial goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions for fluid milk by 25 percent by 2020. That’s equivalent to taking 1.25 million passenger cars off the road every year.

According to Cornell University, the dairy industry has reduced the carbon footprint of its products by 63 percent over the past 60 years, thanks to improvements in animal breeding, feeding rations, animal health programs, cow comfort and overall farm management practices. In fact, more milk is produced today with only 9 million cows than with 23 million cows in 1944.

U.S. dairy continues to build on that history with its Sustainability Commitment. Dairy farmers have always practiced good land stewardship and community involvement. They build on a legacy of caring for the land and the environment while producing and delivering fresh, wholesome foods.

It is what’s best for our environment, our communities, our families — and it makes good business sense for the dairy industry, too. To learn more about the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy visit www.usdairy.com.

Key Components to New Animal Well-Being Program Now Online

Dairy producers now have online access to key components of the new National Dairy FARM Program^SM: Farmers Assuring Responsible Management. The National Dairy FARM Program Animal Care Manual details best management practices for a variety of issues including animal health, environment and facilities, animal nutrition, and transportation and handling. The content of the manual is consistent with the principles and guidelines of the National Dairy Animal Well-Being Initiative, which was introduced in 2008. The companion Animal Care Quick Reference User Guide is a condensed version of the manual for on-farm use and implementation. Download your copy at www.nationaldairyfarm.com.

Created by National Milk Producers Federation, with support from Dairy Management Inc., the National Dairy FARM Program is a voluntary, nationwide program designed to bring consistency and uniformity to animal care through education, on-farm evaluations and objective third-party verification.