SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Elections for the Midwest Dairy Corporate and Division boards were held during the organization’s annual meeting in Des Moines, Iowa, this week. Elections for the 2024 Corporate board officer team are as follows: Charles Krause from Buffalo, Minnesota, was re-elected as chair of Midwest Dairy; Dan Hotvedt, Decorah, Iowa, was re-elected as first vice chair; Bill Deutsch, Sycamore, Illinois, was re-elected as second vice chair; Rita Young, Plainview, Minnesota, was re-elected as secretary and Matt Schelling, Orange City, Iowa, was re-elected as treasurer. New members elected ..read more

In 2023, Midwest Dairy partnered with Janice Person, founder, and CEO of Grounded Communications, to offer a new training to dairy farmers called Breaking Through the Noise in Person or Online. This two-hour training focuses on storytelling, something checkoff tells farmers is important. Checkoff aimed to go a step further by providing farmers with an easy process to further enhance their storytelling abilities.   Midwest Dairy’s first farmer workshop of 2023 kicked off with participants traveling from Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois to Galena, Illinois. Over two dozen farmers joined ..read more

Undeniably Dairy grants are available to farmers to locally promote dairy’s benefits for people, the planet, and local communities. Midwest Dairy proudly offers grants that provide farmers with support to interact and connect positively with their community, especially Generation Z (Gen Z). Undeniably Dairy Grants allow us to bring dairy to unexpected places!   In 2023, 149 grants totaling over $348,000 were awarded. Midwest Dairy is currently tallying the number of consumers reached through these programs/events, but we are proud to say that over 612,000 people had the opportunity t ..read more

Engaging the next generation of influential buyers is crucial for the industry’s success. Checkoff is committed to ensuring the longevity of dairy demand in the marketplace. Generation Z (Gen Z) is made up of current 11 to 26-year-olds. Research shows dairy consumption declines at this age, prompting Midwest Dairy to target them through partnerships with dairy outside the classroom. Illinois When thinking of partners to work with, Midwest Dairy identified school associations as an effective channel to meet Gen Z students where they are. This approach allows checkoff to work with influential le ..read more

Checkoff seeks opportunities to drive dairy product sales, starting with partners eager to work with checkoff to spotlight the dairy case. In 2023, two grocery retail partners saw significant results as we partnered on different campaigns throughout the year. Dierbergs and Coborn’s moved incremental pounds of milk by bringing nutritious dairy products to their customers. Dierbergs Markets Midwest Dairy and Dierbergs Markets kicked off their 2023 partnership in the spring with two separate campaigns. At the end of March, Dierbergs worked with Caitlin Ladd, one of their brand ambassadors (social ..read more

The year 2023 was unique and fruitful for the Midwest Dairy Foods Research Center (MDFRC). The new Strategic Plan was a rewarding process and has been completed. I can confidently say that it is being introduced and accepted by all the center’s stakeholders. Under this new strategic plan, the MDFRC’s vision is to “develop dairy scientists and innovate dairy technologies, ingredients, and products through industry-driven collaborative research to drive regional and global opportunities for Midwest Dairy farmers.” This statement is important to me, and I know this is only possible through coll ..read more

In an increasingly complex, fast-moving world, Midwest Dairy shares impactful market intelligence through webinars that help checkoff partners effectively target today’s consumers. By investing in best-in-class consumer insights, Midwest Dairy helps partners understand what is exciting for today’s consumers and uncover new opportunities to grow dairy sales.  In 2023, Midwest Dairy conducted four insightful webinars on the following topics:  Yogurt: Understanding Growth Opportunities Twenty-seven partners attended this webinar to learn more about the health benefits of yogurt. Accordi ..read more

Research shows that 96 percent of Generation Z (Gen Z) enjoy video games and identify as gamers, motivating Midwest Dairy to continue finding ways to grow trust with gaming partners to reach these Gen Z consumers. Gamers average around 11 hours a week playing and interacting with online games, and 44 percent say they have made a purchase decision based on a recommendation from a social influencer, like a gamer. In 2023, Midwest Dairy continued to prioritize bringing dairy to unexpected places by capitalizing on gaming opportunities across the 10-state region. Version1 Checkoff partnered with ..read more

Midwest Dairy would like to welcome the 2024 Dairy Ambassadors, who will be representing dairy farmers in five states: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota. These 27 individuals are actively engaging consumers both in person and on social media with the dairy story. Knowing the ambassadors are connecting with consumers online, Midwest Dairy provided virtual social media training to help them sharpen their social media skills. During the training, the dairy ambassadors learned more about best practices for posting on Facebook and Instagram and about tools and resources availabl ..read more

Class 3 of the Dairy Experience and Agricultural Leadership Program (DEAL) held its Phase 1 meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, this past February. New this year, the 19 dairy farmers who make up the program come from Midwest Dairy and the Dairy Alliance regions. The Dairy Alliance was excited to host the first meeting to kick off DEAL Class 3, where participants learned more about each other, networked among peers, and took a deeper dive into the dairy checkoff.  Phase 1 began with a four-color leadership training led by professional trainer Tracy Bowe. Attendees learned about their persona ..read more