Proud to Dairy has been helping producers find pride in their work since October 2008. In November 2008 we started www.proudtodairy.com. Since that time we have grown in numbers, purpose and action.

In 2009 we went from 41 members on proudtodairy.com to 263 (as of December 17). We want to grow just as much in 2010. We are offering a free hat to the 300th member and a free hat for the member that gets them to sign up. So invite your friends to join!

Let me give you some reasons to join:

• We have great bloggers! Kelsey Holter has produced some wonderful member features that introduce us to many people across the industry. Here is a snippet of one column:

“It’s okay, we all know that ever since you were little you have wanted to be a dairy princess. From your days on the playground standing at the top of the jungle gym (aka – your castle), to your teenage nights you spent dreaming of your prince charming coming to rescue you from your top-story prison of a room.

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“(Sorry guys … must be a girl thing!)

“And this girl has made her dream come true.

“(Royal trumpets start blaring, people start applauding, and a narrator voice speaks from the sky to announce…)

“The 2009 Wisconsin Holstein Princess is Laura Elliott.”

• Then we have the talented Emily Caldwell showcasing the various dairy opportunities in states around the U.S. Here is a sample from her last post:

“From Moorhead to Minneapolis and Plymouth to St. Paul, Minnesota is Proud to Dairy, dontchaknow.

“Minnesota is home to more than 4,700 dairy farms, most of which are family owned and operated. For example, Paul and Barb Liebenstein of Wolf Creek Dairy, milk 400 cows and are committed to cow comfort and environmental responsibility.”

Emily links to many stories and websites that highlight the featured state. That blog about Minnesota actually spurred on other members to tell about their state, which is awesome. We love to hear why producers are Proud to Dairy! If Emily misses something special about your state, you need to tell our community about it.

• One more thing that is great about the site is the opportunity to meet and converse with producers and dairy enthusiasts all over the country.

I could go on for years about why you should not just be Proud to Dairy, but why you should tell others about that pride ... in fact, I will!

Watch for Proud to Dairy activities around the industry for years to come. We are Proud to Dairy! Are you? PD