
Celebrate With Information
June Dairy Month offers an opportunity to get better connected to the industry.
It is the time of year when the industry celebrates America’s great bounty of dairy products and pays tribute to its dairy farmers. Officially christened June Dairy Month in 1939, the annual celebration has blossomed into a national affair. The custom presents the perfect opportunity for the industry to remind consumers of the important role dairy products play in their lives.
Leading the way with dedicated fanfare is the
Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board’s (WMMB) yearly celebration; visit www.wisdairy.com for
more details. In fact, simply typing “June Dairy Month 2006”
into Google turns up a wealth of information on events nationwide.
Not only is June Dairy Month the perfect opportunity
to remind consumers of the importance of dairy products, but it is a great
time to inform consumers of the ways in which the dairy industry has
changed. DTN Dairy, Omaha, Neb., provides the industry with a comprehensive
package of news, market analysis and commentary, real-time market quotes
and highly localized weather information, 24 hours a day, seven days a
week.
DTN’s dairy analyst, Rick Kment, reports that
several trends in the dairy industry are revealing important information
and outlooks for the year ahead. For example, milk production has been on a
continual rise over the past four years and the trend is expected to
continue in 2006, Kment reports.
According to the USDA’s Milk Production report,
milk output in the top 23 dairy states grew 5.4 percent during January,
versus a year ago. Also, dairy cow numbers are higher, up 103,000 head from
January 2005.
The safety of U.S. dairy products continues to be a
top priority in the industry, Kment says. Over the past 10 years, several
issues have spurred heated debates throughout the industry, from raw milk
to the growing demand for organic dairy products. The use of artificial
growth hormones to enhance milk output in dairy cows also continues to lead
discussions about the health and safety of dairy products.
The U.S. dairy industry continues to change, and has
done so dramatically since Wisconsin led the country in dairy production.
Over the past several years, changes in farm size and dairy practices have
allowed states like California and Florida to become leaders in the
industry, Kment says. While Wisconsin still has the most dairy farms of any
state in the nation, the structure of how those dairy farms are run
continues to change.
An authority on trends affecting the ever-changing
landscape of the U.S. dairy market, Kment can be reached at (800) 485-4000.
Image Makers
Product and Promotion News
HP Hood, Cabot Creamery and the New England Dairy Promotion Board will be involved with a different type of cow than usual when CowParade Boston kicks off
this summer. The companies’ cow statues will be a part of
Boston’s version of the world’s largest and most popular public
art event benefiting the Jimmy Fund of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The
event features nearly 200 life-size cows, painted and created by local and
national artists, grazing the streets and public areas of Boston for all to
enjoy during the summer months. Following their showing, the cows will be
rounded up for a cattle auction and gala event, where they will be sold to
the highest bidder. All proceeds will benefit the Jimmy Fund, which fights
against cancer at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. For more
information, visit www.jimmyfund.org/cowparade.
Roberts Dairy, Omaha,
Neb., is taking on a new look in 2006. But the company’s delicious
flavor and taste will remain the same, says Jeff Powell, president of
Roberts Dairy. The entire line of the company’s offerings —
which includes milk, orange juice, fresh cottage cheese and sour cream
— sports redesigned labeling. Coinciding with Roberts’ 100th
anniversary, the new graphics replace a swirling design that had been a
part of its packaging for several years. The new labels feature a quaint
farmstead with a red-roofed barn, a pair of silos, a farmhouse and grazing
Holstein cows. A large tree stands adjacent to the farmstead and a line of
fresh crops can be seen in the background. The look of Roberts
Dairy’s school milk carton has also been revamped.
The Milk Processor
Education Program (MilkPEP), Washington,
D.C., has announced a new retail feature incentive program that makes
chocolate milk the official drink of Halloween. The month-long promotion in
October will encourage consumers to buy this healthy treat and offers
retailers a chance to boost their sales during this fun and popular
holiday. Each mass merchandiser, convenience store, drug store and
supermarket that registers for the promotion will receive a point-of-sale
kit that includes a banner, wobblers and static clings. In addition, stores
will receive prizes for featuring flavored milk in their advertising during
October. Retailers can pick either a larger quantity of lower value prizes
or a smaller quantity of higher value prizes. Early prize shipping is
available for qualified stores. For more information, visit
www.milkpep.org.
Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings Inc., South Burlington, Vt., has announced its Do Us a Flavor Contest,
an opportunity to become an honorary Ben & Jerry’s flavor guru
and create an original, mouth-watering ice cream flavor. Those interested
in creating the next Chunky Monkey®, Chubby Hubby® or Phish
Food® can visit www.benjerry.com and get started. Site visitors can
pick an ice cream base like brownie batter, white chocolate or sweet cream,
then add lots of chunks and swirls and give the creation a catchy name.
Flavor entries will be judged on creativity, flavor profile and relevance
to the Ben & Jerry’s brand. For complete official rules and how
to enter, visit www.benjerry.com.
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