Press Releases
Checkoff Efforts Help Producers Communicate Dairy Farming to the Public
PHILADELPHIA (January 31, 2007) – Market research shows that communicating with consumers about today’s modern dairy farms helps dairy producers create a positive image of the dairy industry, which, in turn, helps protect demand for and sales of U.S.-produced dairy products and ingredients. That’s why dairy producers, through their investment in dairy promotion and research, have developed dairy farmer image programs that include consumer research, community relations support and communication training to promote and protect the public image of dairy farmers and the dairy industry.
“This program offers dairy producers valuable communication tools such as consumer-tested key messages, training and other resources that help them tell the story of modern dairy farming,” said Laura England, vice president of communications for Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association. “Our research shows that dairy producers are the most credible source in communicating on-farm practices with the public. Producers are most effective at addressing misperceptions and communicating the reality of on-farm animal care, environmental and farm safety practices.”
National, state and regional dairy checkoff staffs help support dairy producers by:
- Providing producers with useful communications materials, including consumer-tested key messages, fact sheets about the industry and on-farm practices, and neighbor and community relations materials.
- Creating extensive question-and-answer documents to prepare producers for tough questions from the public. Based on sound science and checkoff-funded research, this information helps producers address concerns about animal health, community issues, economic impact, farm expansion, odor and air emissions, and overall trust and credibility.
- Communication training to sharpen producers’ skills when talking about their on-farm practices with neighbors, the media or during public speaking engagements. More than 2,000 producers nationwide have received communication training through the checkoff-funded dairy farmer image program, including approximately 20 farmers here in the Mid-Atlantic region.
To show the public how dairy producers care for their animals, protect the land and produce safe, wholesome milk, dairy checkoff has launched a new Web site, www.dairyfarmingtoday.org. The site features real-life stories from dairy farm families, a dairy dictionary to explain industry terms and information on milk quality and safety. Additional resources can be found on Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association’s Web site, www.dairyspot.com where local farmers are also highlighted.
Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program are the regional dairy-farmer funded promotion organizations responsible for increasing milk and dairy product demand throughout Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region. They work closely with Dairy Management Inc.™, the national dairy promotion organization, to implement dairy promotion, education and research programs locally.
For more information about the dairy checkoff’s dairy farmer image efforts, visit www.dairycheckoff.com or www.dairyspot.com.