Cargill is pleased to announce a new initiative to help dairy farmers in the U.S. recognize the people who support them through difficult times with a distinguished White Heart Award. Dairy farmers can nominate anyone who has shown them an act of kindness, big or small at cargilldairydreams.com/whiteheartaward.
“We want to make it easy for dairies to thank the people who are supporting them and help them find something encouraging during this difficult time.” says Josh Hushon, strategic marketing lead for Cargill’s North American dairy business. “We believe a little recognition can go a long way in lifting someone’s spirit, and hope that this award can help lift the spirit of an entire industry.”
With the coronavirus pandemic having further damaged the milk price and market access, the stress of running a dairy farm is at epic proportions and that stress can take a toll on mental health. According to Mental Health America, fostering optimism, searching for the silver lining and practicing gratitude can help people stay positive and improve their mental outlook. With May being Mental Health month, Cargill was inspired to create an initiative that could help dairy farmers put these tips into practice. The White Heart Award will help inspire people to notice more of the encouraging things happening around them, while also giving them a way to express their gratitude beyond words.
“The domino effect of school and business shutdowns and safer-at-home orders has been crushing to our industry both financially and emotionally,” says Jessica Peters, owner of Spruce Row Farm in Meadville, Pennsylvania and admin of the Instagram account goodnews_ag where she also shines a light on positive stories happening across agriculture. “The White Heart Award is a way for us to celebrate the good in our lives. Even small acts of kindness can make a huge difference in someone’s day. Choosing to see the light through the darkness really can make the stress easier to bear.”
Any individual is eligible receive the White Heart Award. To be considered for the award, a person must be nominated by the dairy farmer on the receiving end of their kindness. Nominations will be open until July 31, 2020. All nominees will be considered by Cargill for the award. Winners will be selected by a panel of Cargill employees. Both the winners and the nominating dairy farms will be rewarded with a year’s worth of delicious dairy products.
All White Heart Award nominations will be visible on a Recognition Wall. “Between these nomination stories and the posts on goodnews_ag we hope dairy farmers will find inspiration and encouragement to get them through this difficult time.” says Hushon.
For more than 100 years, Cargill has stood by dairy families through good times and bad.
Learn more about how Cargill supports dairy farmers and nominate someone worthy for the new White Heart Award at cargilldairydreams.com.
About Cargill
Cargill’s 155,000 employees across 70 countries work relentlessly to achieve our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Every day, we connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, and people and animals with the food they need to thrive.
We combine 153 years of experience with new technologies and insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial and industrial customers in more than 125 countries. Side-by-side, we are building a stronger, sustainable future for agriculture.
About Cargill Animal Nutrition
Cargill’s animal nutrition business has more than 20,000 employees at more than 275 facilities in 40 countries. Fueled by our innovation and research, we offer a range of products and services to feed manufacturers, animal producers, and feed retailers around the world, helping put food on the plates of nearly one billion people around the world every day. Cargill’s animal nutrition business offers a range of compound feed, premixes, feed additives, supply chain and risk management solutions, software tools and animal nutrition expertise that is unmatched in the industry. For more information about Cargill Animal Nutrition, visit: http://www.cargill.com/feed.
