More than 5,000 professionals who are on the front lines of nourishing our nation’s children gather every July for the School Nutrition Association’s annual conference.

National Dairy Council (NDC) has had this event circled on its calendar for decades and, several years ago, began inviting dairy farmers to join them. We attended this year’s gathering in Orlando, Florida.

The School Nutrition Association is exactly the type of organization the dairy checkoff needs to continue strengthening and building relationships with. It has been around since 1946 and has more than 50,000 members, making it the recognized authority on school nutrition.

It was hard to miss NDC’s presence among the 850 booths representing 350 companies with large, colorful signage and a strong cow-spot motif serving as an inviting draw for attendees. The NDC team, which included representatives from local dairy councils, served plenty of cold milk, cheese and yogurt parfaits. There were buttons highlighting the wellness benefits of dairy, recipes and dairy-themed backdrops for fun photo opportunities, plus much more.

But the most meaningful aspect of our two days working the booth with fellow dairy farmers Audrey Donahoe (New York), who serves as president of National Dairy Council, and Julia Heijkoop (Florida) were the conversations. While these school nutrition professionals are nutrition experts, they aren’t different from many consumers in that they don’t have a connection back to the farm and understanding what it takes to get dairy foods into their schools every day.

Building that bridge is why we, Audrey and Julia left our dairies for Orlando. Having relationships with these influencers is a top priority for NDC and our local dairy councils, and giving them the opportunity to speak with farmers further enriches the outreach.

Addressing misperceptions

We fielded the types of questions we get in many other settings and did some mythbusting along the way. Attendees wanted to know how we care for our herd, with a keen interest on the calves. They asked about our commitment to sustainability and our communities, and we encouraged them to seek out farmers back home and build relationships.

There was a sincere interest in our day-to-day farm life, and we felt we did a good job breaking down some misperceptions they may have had about farmers. We connected with them as parents, community members and people who share a very important and common goal of ensuring today’s students are well nourished. Some acknowledged the difficulties we all encountered during these last two years of the pandemic and thanked us for our perseverance in keeping the milk supply going.

They were happy to hear how we are committed to more than 73,000 schools that participate in the checkoff-led Fuel Up to Play 60 program. We also talked about how GENYOUth, another checkoff organization, is generating funds to help schools provide more nutritious foods such as dairy to kids.

Checkoff outreach

We know the challenges we face with milk consumption, which is why it’s critical to have a proactive, open-door relationship with this organization. NDC continues to deliver the message of dairy’s nutrient powerhouse to these thought leaders, and our checkoff serves as a resource to School Nutrition Association members and chapters across the country.

In addition to our checkoff’s presence at this conference, we were pleased to see dairy processors there as well as companies that specialize in technologies, such as dispensing systems that allow kids to choose the type of milk they want – served cold and in a reusable cup. Our checkoff is working with these companies on pilot efforts to see how dispensing and other methods can improve consumption and sustainability.

But the school milk experience is much more than the product, especially for a young generation becoming interested about the source of the food they consume. We know today’s school children – and the school nutrition professionals working on their behalf – are likely removed from how milk gets from our farms to their cafeterias.

Leaving our farms to help close that gap at this conference was time well spent.  

To learn more about your national dairy checkoff, visit U.S. Dairy or send a request to join our Dairy Checkoff Farmer Group on Facebook. To reach us directly, send an email to TalkToTheCheckoff

Your Dairy Checkoff in Action – The following update is provided by Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), which manages the national dairy checkoff program on behalf of America’s dairy farmers and dairy importers. DMI is the domestic and international planning and management organization responsible for increasing sales of and demand for dairy products and ingredients.