I recently returned from Phoenix, site of the 2024 joint annual meeting of the United Dairy Industry Association (UDIA), National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (NDB) and National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF).
I attend a lot of meetings and conferences in my role as chair of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), but this one is an annual favorite because of the many farmers I have a chance to visit with from across the country. There also are checkoff staff members from coast to coast and you can certainly see the power and collaboration of our federation.
I always welcome the opportunity to deliver remarks to my farmer peers and below are some summaries of what I shared as well as observations from the meeting.
Better Efficiencies: DMI is the heart of the federation and represents the full checkoff investment through NDB and UDIA. It is the funding source that brings DMI together and allows us to do more with science and research and have more effective partnerships while being more efficient with less duplicative spending.
Our national programs could not come to life without state and regional checkoff engagement, relationships and an amazing staff. And local programs rely on a unified marketing plan that brings focused priorities and strategies to the dollars farmers invest into their checkoff program.
It is a strong team working hand in hand on our behalf.
Power of Partners: The annual meeting often includes an opportunity to hear the perspectives from our partners and it always is insightful, and this year was no exception. Domino’s CEO Russell Weiner gave a heartfelt and enthusiastic presentation about how much the pizza company has benefitted from working with dairy farmers.
He provided the history of how the chain was experiencing challenges before the partnership with the checkoff began. Fast forward to today and Domino’s has grown to become the world's No. 1 pizza company and does so with innovations and thinking well beyond the pizza box. The company recently launched its new five-cheese mac and cheese that we got to sample at the meeting, and it has the potential to be another hit with Domino’s customers.
This type of thinking, which happens with checkoff support, is why Domino’s has doubled its cheese use since our partnership began in 2008.
I love what Weiner said at the meeting: “It’s not just a Domino’s success story; it’s a success story of our partnership with dairy farmers. When DMI came to us, it coincided with Domino’s turnaround. There was a commitment to improve the food and grow the category, and we have achieved just that.”
Importance of Convening: The farmer-founded Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy (IC) is another important team I want to reference. The IC is a board room of 32 CEOs and senior executives from processors and dairy cooperatives, in addition to farmers, who come together to address precompetitive issues facing the U.S. dairy industry and find the key opportunities that align with farmer priorities.
The IC features several committees that focus more deeply on health and nutrition, animal care, sustainability, the carbon market and more. These all are key areas for our future and it’s amazing to see these teams in action as we discuss the challenges and find solutions that will equip the dairy industry to thrive.
Making Mark Globally: Another meeting I attended was the recent International Dairy Federation’s World Dairy Summit in Paris. It’s always eye-opening to have a front-row view at this meeting, watching our international teams from the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and Global Dairy Platform (GDP) participating in important conversations.
It’s challenging to hear what our neighbors across the ocean are facing when it comes to animal care. The same goes with the greenhouse gas neutrality subject. Some countries align with the U.S. in this area, while others are heading in a completely different direction. But to me it’s clear that U.S. dairy is leading the way, and we are controlling our own narrative and providing farmers with the tools we need to continue our longtime commitment to the environment.
One memory from the meeting was a sustainability roundtable that USDEC hosted, which included farmers from the U.S., New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, France, Zimbabwe and Canada addressing questions on what they are doing and the tools they need. This discussion showed just how much we have in common no matter where or how we farm.
Another meeting highlight featured a European Union presenter discussing the needs of farmers in her countries. She referenced “tools in the toolbox” and how there needs to be the ability to “accommodate all size farms – small, medium and large.” She also said, “every farm is not going to do everything, but all farms can do something” and that farmers must be allowed to be more efficient “because we have a world to nourish.”
Her comments hit home for me as these have been our messages for years, and now we are hearing them across the world.
My takeaway is the narrative is changing and I heard it as well at Climate Week in New York City where Food and Agriculture Organization representatives talked about the need to provide quality protein to people. It’s more encouraging to hear this instead of livestock being painted in a negative light. I am grateful for the constant work and proof points coming from USDEC, NMPF and GDP.
There is positive momentum for sure, but this is no time to take our foot off the gas.
I encourage you to stay up to date on the work of your checkoff investment by visiting www.DairyCheckoff.com or reaching out to your state and regional checkoff teams.
