The dairy checkoff is debunking some consumer myths and setting the record straight about the work dairy farmers do and the milk they produce.
Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), which manages the national dairy checkoff on behalf of America’s dairy farm families and importers, launched The Udder Truth, a series of videos and edgy content designed to address common consumer myths, on July 21.
The Udder Truth is a continuation of the checkoff’s consumer confidence work to help protect and grow public trust in dairy farmers, products and the industry, particularly among millennials.
“This effort is unlike anything the checkoff has ever done before,” says Paul Rovey, Arizona dairy farmer and chairman of DMI. “It’s critical that we tell our story in new ways such as The Udder Truth to capture the interest of the next generation. We need to make sure they know the true story of where their food comes from.”
A three-part video series features farmers debunking common myths such as antibiotics, animal care and “big ag.” The videos will be available at the DairyGood website and promoted through social media.
To ensure the videos reach millennials, DMI is partnering with The Onion, a satirical “news” site that is popular with this audience. Onion writers will publish content that interjects humor into the absurdity of dairy myths and redirects readers to get the truth from dairy farmers at the DairyGood website.
Dairy farmers, manufacturers, co-ops and other industry players are promoting the video series to help set the record straight about dairy.
A second checkoff-led consumer confidence initiative, Acres and Avenues, will be unveiled this fall to continue the conversation and help consumers reconnect with the farmers who produce our nation’s food.
Acres and Avenues will deliver a cultural exchange and job shadow opportunity between farmers and millennials who share a common value, such as commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability. The video series is hosted by noted travel and food blogger Jax Austin. PD
—From Dairy Management Inc. news release
