Iowa's dairy farmers will feed fair-goers' need for dairy by handing out free samples of the latest products within the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship display in the John Deere Agriculture Building at the Iowa State Fair Aug. 12-14 and Aug. 19-20.

Midwest Dairy Association, which represents those local farmers, hopes that consumers will better connect with the where their food comes from after they interact with local farmers at the sampling booth.

"We are thrilled to showcase new and innovative dairy products! The best part is that local dairy farmers will be serving these tasty, wholesome foods to the public, so that they will know the face behind the product," says Kent Lehs, industry relations manager for Midwest Dairy.

The sampling also shows the sort of innovation that dairy processors are using to meet consumer needs.

One food that fair-goers can try is Yoplait Frozen Yogurt Bites: frozen yogurt with a fruit flavored filling coated in granola.

Midwest Dairy will also serve a second new product, TruMoo Chocolate Milk, which is scheduled to be on grocery store shelves on Aug. 8. The Dean Foods/Land O'Lakes milk plant in Le Mars, Iowa, is producing TruMoo for the Iowa market. TruMoo contains only 2.5 teaspoons (10 grams) of added sugars, compared with up to 8 teaspoons in soda or fruit drinks. Plus, TruMoo Milk contains eight essential nutrients that every growing body needs, including calcium, protein, and vitamin D.

TruMoo is also available each day of the Fair at the Elwell Family Center from 1-3 p.m. More information about the new product is available at http://www.trumoo.com/.

Additional agricultural groups of Iowa that will utilize the sampling booth during the Fair include: Iowa Beef Council, Iowa Egg Council, Iowa Pork Board, Iowa Soybean Association and the Iowa Turkey Federation.

Midwest Dairy Association is a non-profit organization funded by dairy farmers to build demand for dairy products through integrated marketing, nutrition education and research. Midwest Dairy is funded by checkoff dollars from dairy farmers in a 10-state region, including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. For more information, visit www.midwestdairy.com. Follow us on Twitter and find us on Facebook at Midwest Dairy.

08.08.2011