As a 27-year-old dairy farmer, I understand the millennial mindset pretty well. My world and how I communicate with my friends is night-and-day different from the way my parents grew up and shared information.

I also see too frequently how the work we do on the farm is misunderstood or taken out of context by my peers. The way my generation sometimes misrepresents dairy farms and dairy farming damages consumer confidence for all of us who produce food.

That’s why I’m proud of the dairy checkoff’s work to reach millennials. As a member of the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board, which helps guide the direction and strategies of our checkoff investment, I’m pleased to see the beginnings of a momentum shift in our favor when it comes to millennials (and others) understanding our story.

Our dairy checkoff played a part of that. I’m especially proud of our recent effort called Acres + Avenues, which is a series of videos that pairs millennial dairy farmers with young urbanites in a “walk a mile in my shoes” concept that works. This series shows millennials that dairy farmers are more like them than they might think, which helps those without a direct connection to agriculture feel good about their food and the farmers who produce it.

People tell us the videos are entertaining, and I like that they were not constructed in an over-the-top fashion. The content is authentic and unscripted, and it’s easy to relate to and like the people involved.

The response to Acres + Avenues has surpassed our expectations with 2.8 million views of the videos over the last several weeks. We also worked with the AOL network, Huffington Post, Brit + Co and Mashable to reach even more people who wouldn’t otherwise hear or see our story.

Acres + Avenues builds on the heels of the Udder Truth video series that countered common myths about dairy farming, such as antibiotics use, cow care and large farms. The Udder Truth videos attracted more than 1 million views and 44 million media impressions, due in large part to our partnership with The Onion.

The best part is this is not a one-and-done proposition. If you haven’t seen this work yet, I encourage you to visit the Dairy Good website and see for yourself how the checkoff is reaching millennials (and beyond) in new and exciting ways.  PD

Lisa Vander Poel is a California dairy farmer and a National Dairy Promotion and Research Board member.

• Lisa Vander Poel

• Board Member
• National Dairy Promotion and Research Board