Press Releases
Virtual Tour Introduces Public to Modern Dairy Farms
PHILADELPHIA (July 10, 2007) – A new virtual tour on the dairy checkoff-funded Web site, www.dairyfarmingtoday.org, allows the public to learn how dairy producers care for their animals, land and water. The site is part of an ongoing dairy farmer image program designed to protect and promote the image of dairy farmers and the dairy industry.
The virtual tour uses video footage from dairy farms in Arizona, Florida and Illinois to guide visitors through the various steps of milk production – from the calf barn and the milking parlor to cow feeding and health and dairy farm recycling and environmental protection efforts.
“Today’s consumers know very little about modern dairy farms and milk production,” said David Weitzer, a Maryland dairy farmer and chairman of Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association. “A positive image of dairy production helps protect our overall image with the public, and can enhance sales.”
When visiting the site, the browser can choose from one of three virtual tour guides: a dairy farmer, a dairy farm wife, and a teenage daughter who lives on the farm. Each guide offers a unique perspective and facts about the dairy farm, including sections on:
- Calves – learn how dairy farmers feed and care for their calves
- Calving pen – see where dairy animals give birth
- Cow barn – view how dairy farmers ensure the comfort of their cows
- Feeding and health – discover how and what farmers feed their cows
- Milking parlor – observe where and how cows are milked
- Milk tank room – see where farmers store the milk on their farm
- Recycling station – understand how farmers care for natural resources
- Cropland – learn about dairy farmers’ efforts in sustainable agriculture
Upon completing the virtual tour, visitors can test their knowledge in a two-part interactive game that reinforces the steps dairy producers follow to ensure the quality and safety of the milk they produce.
The Web site and its latest addition are just one of several farmer-funded efforts to help promote the image of dairy producers and the dairy industry. Over the past several years, national and local dairy promotion organizations have provided communications training to more than 1,500 dairy farmers about on-farm production practices.
“Our consumer research shows that dairy producers are among the most credible sources in telling the story about today’s dairy farms,” said Laura England, vice president of communications for Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association. “These trainings provide farmers with consumer-tested research to help tell the public about animal care and environmental practices, and milk quality and safety.”
For more information about how dairy farmer image programs protect and promote the image of dairy producers to help build sales, visit www.dairycheckoff.com.
Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program are the local planning and management organizations funded by dairy farmer checkoff dollars. They work closely with Dairy Management Inc. ™ and are responsible for increasing demand for U.S.-produced dairy products on behalf of Pennsylvania’s dairy farmers. For more information, visit www.dairyspot.com.