It may sound crazy, but the moustache may be the most powerful weapon you have in the fight against prostate cancer. Maybe you don’t want to talk about prostate cancer, but one in six men – or 8,000 U.S. dairy producers, not counting the tens of thousands of others who work in our industry – will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime.

“My father and my grandfather had prostate cancer,” says James Kleinke, vice president of the agriculture and horticulture divisions of Schaefer Ventilation.

“Thanks to early detection, my father has been able to live a healthy and productive life after his treatment.”

Education and early detection are keys to cancer survival, but dairymen are busy people.

“We know firsthand how busy farm life is,” says Cheryl Mohn, president of Udder Tech Inc.. “Farmers often barely have enough time to get crops planted and harvested and don’t think cancer can ever happen to them.

We want to support a campaign to encourage all the men in the industry to take the time out of their busy schedule to commit to prostate screening.”

So how do companies like Schaefer Ventilation and Udder Tech get the message out about early detection and convince some of the most independent, busy people we know – dairy producers – to get off the farm and get to the doctor’s office?

Get them talking about their health.

“We spend so much time talking about better ways to take care of the cows, but no one is talking about how important it is that dairy producers take care themselves, too,” says Amy Throndsen, director of international sales for Dual Chamber Cow Waterbeds.

“Health care, cancer – especially prostate cancer – isn’t something you want to really bring up at the dinner table.”

That’s where the moustache comes in
“Last fall, I discovered an organization called Movember. It’s part fun, part fundraiser and all about men’s health awareness initiatives through the growing of a moustache – which somehow makes an awkward dinner table conversation about my dad’s prostate way less awkward,” Throndsen says.

The Movember Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization, challenges men to grow a moustache, and women to support the Mo (slang for moustache), to raise awareness and funds for men’s health.

Movember encourages men, known as Mo Bros, to start November 1 clean-shaven and grow their moustache for 30 days. During that time, Mo Bros become walking, talking billboards for men’s health.

The Movember Foundation estimates that each new moustache generates 2,413 conversations during the month that lead back to Movember, men’s health, prostate cancer and early detection.

“Historically, dairymen worry about their cows’ health more than their own health, but we want to change that. This might just save a person’s life,” says Eric Danzeisen of Sierra Desert Breeders. “I’m all in to grow a moustache this Movember.”

After learning about Movember, Throndsen immediately wanted to get a group of dairy producers and others she knows in the industry to “grow a Mo.”

“When I started talking to others in the industry about Movember, they got really excited. It was then I realized I might be on to something the whole industry could get on board with,” Throndsen says.

“So instead of just getting a group of friends to grow moustaches, we decided to form a coalition to spread the message of early detection as far and wide as possible, while using the fun framework of Movember to do it.”

And Movember Dairy was born
“I think it is a great cause, and we’d really be happy to stand behind it and show our customers that we care about their health,” says Ron Robinson, vice president of business development of A&L Laboratories. “We are excited to see all the moustaches and support behind this campaign.”

When Throndsen shared the Movember idea with staff at Progressive Dairyman , they were on board right away, for personal and professional reasons.

“My first-ever story written as a professional journalist was about a man who had survived prostate cancer. It’s a subject that I feel a connection with,” says Walt Cooley, editor of Progressive Dairyman .

“We are proud to support education efforts about this topic. If it helps even one of our readers, the Movember campaign will have been worth it.”

In all, seven dairy industry companies – DCC Waterbeds, Progressive Dairyman , A&L Laboratories, Jaylor, Udder Tech Inc., Sierra Desert Breeders and Schaefer Ventilation – have jumped on board and given in-kind contributions, funds, and pledges to “grow” in Movember as part of Movember Dairy.

Additionally, four other organizations have pledged in-kind contributions because they believe in the cause – Throndsen Lettering of Janesville, Wisconsin, has donated signage; Supreme Graphics of Arcadia, Wisconsin, has donated printing; and Wisconsin Distributors of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, has donated beer.

“Cancer is an important topic in any industry, and there can never be too much support in the battle against cancer,” says Chris Blaschko, vice president of business development at Supreme Graphics.

It’s a moustache party, and everyone’s invited
Movember Dairy is two things.

First, it’s an online network for dairy producers, friends and family of dairy producers, and members of the agriculture community, to sign up online and participate in Movember by growing moustaches and raising funds alongside others in the dairy industry.

Second, Movember Dairy includes a coordinated campaign in the dairy industry to promote Movember and men’s health issues offline, too.

“Dairy producers and their staff are one of the least likely groups of people to be in front of their computers all day, so we needed to figure out different ways to reach them,” Throndsen says.

The campaign includes direct mail to more than 10,000 dairy producers, three full-page advertisements in Progressive Dairyman and a kickoff party for Movember Dairy at World Dairy Expo, held in October in Madison.

“We want to make Movember huge. We want this campaign to happen every year in the dairy industry,” Mohn says. “As a company, our goal is to spread the word at World Dairy Expo, on Facebook and Twitter, and to have our own competition with the men involved in Udder Tech to raise money for research and awareness and have some fun.”

Dairy producers, friends of dairy, anyone in the dairy or ag industry or really, anyone, is welcome and encouraged to join Movember Dairy online or off.

There are many ways to get involved:

• Register online and join the Movember Dairy Network.

• Commit to grow (or support) the Mo for the 30 days of Movember.

Mo Bros grow a moustache to create conversations about men’s health issues. Mo Sistas support the Mo and spread the word. Take advantage of your milk moustache and compete right alongside the Mo Bros.

• ‘Like’ Movember Dairy on Facebook and share the idea, the photos and the fun with other people.

• Follow @MovemberDairy and the hashtag #Moovember on Twitter.

• Attend our World Dairy Expo kickoff party Oct. 3 at 4 p.m., get your photo taken in the moustache photo booth, win prizes, pledge to become a Mo Bro or Mo Sista and enjoy some free beer and cheese with some fun people.

“We will have our own fundraising page on Movember.com just for dairy industry people to register, grow and share their Mos, and maybe we’ll raise some money in the process.

The page will be launched right around the time of World Dairy Expo,” Throndsen says. “For now, connect with us on Facebook or Twitter, and we’ll send out the online information and send you information about our World Dairy Expo kickoff event.”

How big will it get? No one is sure, but we’re encouraging people to “grow” and share their stories in the hope that the conversation will lead to a prostate cancer screening and a saved life in 2013.

“We’re already talking to dairy producers and others we know in the industry about shaving and growing for Movember,” Throndsen says. “In fact, Walt Cooley, the editor of Progressive Dairyman – he’s on the hook. He says he will grow a Mo, and we’re holding him to it.” PD

Movember is the largest non-government funder of prostate cancer research in the world. In its seventh year in the U.S., Movember is challenging men to grow and women to support the Mo to raise awareness and funds for men’s health issues to combat prostate and testicular cancer and mental health challenges. In 2012, more than 210,000 Americans grew and supported the Mo, raising over $21 million for the cause. Globally, Movember raised more than $145 million through 1.1 million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas in 2012.

Illustration by Kevin Brown.