Dairy Industry:
Promotion & Farm Safety Updates
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The tradition of the Indianapolis 500 will always be dear to dairy, even in the month of August! This past race week was once again full of opportunities to highlight to an international audience that “Winners Drink Milk!”
Tuesday kicked off the celebrations as we hosted the annual Fastest Rookie Celebration. This inauguration of the rookie class highlights the connection with Indiana dairy farmers and the beloved bottle of milk in Victory Circle. The virtual platform allowed us to show great farm images and high-profile support with toasts to the rookies, and drew the largest event audience to date with over 1,000 views. Watch the full celebration and share it with others!
Next on Wednesday, our team presented the Zoopolis 500 at the Indianapolis Zoo. This “Greatest Spectacle in Tortoise Racing” offers a fun way for kids enjoy the traditions of racing at Indy. Kids receive milk on their way in, get dairy activity sheets and cheer for the winning “Pit Crew” who drinks the milk on behalf of the winning tortoise. This sweet event is often picked up by national news as a unique tie into the big race.
And finally on race day, Indiana dairy farmer and checkoff board member Jill Houin of Homestead Dairy in Plymouth delivered 2% milk to Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato. Learn more about the tradition of dairy farmers and the iconic drink of milk in Victory Circle at WinnersDrinkMilk.com.
Rinus Veekay, age 19, took home the Fastest Rookie Award (lower left), while James "Hinchcliffe" the tortoise won the coveted Zoopolis 500 (lower right).
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Checkoff Updates
- Open Mic Call with DMI Leadership: To keep dairy farmers up to date on the fast-changing environment and the steps your checkoff is taking to keep dairy moving, please join DMI Chair Marilyn Hershey, DMI CEO Tom Gallagher and DMI President Barb O’Brien for the next live “Open Mic” conference call on Tuesday, September 1st, at 1:00pm EDT. We will once again spend a good portion of the time answering any questions you may have about the current state of dairy, and we encourage you to pass this invitation along to a few of your fellow farmers. To register: Click HERE
- New Activist Tactics Target Farm Employees: the Animal Agriculture Alliance is reporting more activists going to great lengths to develop relationships with farm employees. They are working to get information from them, including hanging out at local bars frequented by farm or plant employees or striking up online romantic relationships (“catfishing”). These activist groups are starting to use more encrypted messaging platforms such as Signal or Telegram to communicate privately. It is important to remind your employees to be cautious of new acquaintances/friends who seem particularly inquisitive about their work (asking for photos, requesting an after-hours tour, persistent questions, etc.). Contact Allie Rieth (rieth@winnersdrinkmilk.com) with any questions about farm security measures.
- Pizza Sales Move Cheese: DMI’s Tom Gallagher says the recent spike in pizza deliveries and contact-free pizza sales has moved a lot of cheese.
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Dietetic interns visit an Indiana dairy farm
On August 25, over 70 dietetic students and professors from Purdue University, Indiana State University and Indiana University School of Medicine learned about dairy foods and farming with Kerry Estes and his family at their farm in Fountaintown. Students at Indiana State University were not able to travel due to COVID-19 restrictions, but joined the live tour virtually. Dr. Townsend, Purdue DVM and Clinical Assistant Professor of Dairy Production Medicine, also answered questions about antibiotics, sustainability and other areas of interest for students.
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While the traditional Indiana State Fair did not take place, the modified Indiana State Fair 4-H Livestock Competition prompted three Indiana commodity organizations to form an alliance. Indiana Beef Cattle Association, Indiana Pork and American Dairy Association Indiana joined forces in support of the Indiana livestock families during the 4-H show weekends. Operating out of the Dairy Bar, the three organizations offered a limited menu of their traditional State Fair favorites, including popular items like Pork Burgers, Milk Shakes, Ice Cream and Smoked Beef Brisket sandwiches.
This year's numbers look very different from past fairs, but we were proud to share the following meals with 4-H families:
- Milk Shakes - 4,279
- Ice Cream Scoops - 1,133
- White and Chocolate Milk - 400 gallons, provided free of charge
- Pork burger Sandwiches - 2,768
- Beef Brisket Sandwiches - 2,317
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