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“UDIM’s new strategic partnership with Florida Dairy Farmers exemplifies this innovative thinking and the ability to adapt to change by focusing on efficiencies to maximize and integrate into larger population centers like Florida, aligning with our vision to secure a positive future for the dairy community,” Gerharter shared with dairy farmers, dairy industry allies and partners and checkoff staff.
“We are not just promoting dairy, we are building a community of trust, care and progress,” she added.
Mining Dairy Gold
Outreach and education drive this strategy, focusing on the tremendous health and nutritional opportunities dairy creates for consumers.
“Dairy foods are like gold and milk is liquid gold,” Kuda Lamin-Bangura, Senior Vice President of Scientific Affairs, National Dairy Council noted during her keynote presentation. “When we think about milk, cheese and yogurt, science tells us these dairy foods can help all Americans achieve nutrition security. We can make a difference by making sure we nourish a better America, a healthier America, and more importantly, we can support generational health through promoting dairy foods.”
“To advance these opportunities, we activate through strategic partnerships—educating health professionals and industry leaders to ensure science-based messaging contributes to the dialogue on nutrition guidance,” said Lamin-Bangura. “While dairy alone can’t drive this change, we play a vital role in equipping experts to share its benefits, backed by the research and investment of dairy farmers.”
She challenged the dairy industry to make sure it takes the time to understand the people it wants and needs to reach with dairy’s message.
“It's not just about race and ethnicity,” she said. “It's about all people we're trying to reach in America. Are we communicating from a position of understanding so that we're able to tell the powerful story dairy foods can bring into their lives? In the work that we do, in the communities we serve, in the places we worship, are we telling dairy’s story in a way that's compelling and inspiring people to choose dairy and unlock its powerful gold?”
Putting Ideas into Action
Partnerships and innovative, responsive programming that meets consumers where they are continue to be the backbone of Michigan checkoff efforts and a leading force for opportunity. Highlights from the past year include:
- Integrated messaging on lactose intolerance, focused events and the first 1,000 days campaign were three ways UDIM made milk an everyday moment. For example, information targeting pregnant women and mothers of young children regarding the benefits of dairy from conception to age two reached 6.4 million people over three months through social media, programmatic ads, social influencers, paid media and more.
- Efforts to connect with youth in schools underscored the need to capture their attention and create meaningful experiences for this important audience who will shape future dairy consumers. For instance, during National School Lunch Week in 2024, UDIM visited five high schools representing 8,200 students with an iced latte sampling. Surveys indicated a 97% student acceptance rate of this dairy-forward school recipe. With that positive engagement and reinforcement, four high schools implemented an iced latte program the next week.
- Community transformation activities in Grand Rapids are also on the upswing. Nearly half the city’s population is under the age of 29, and just under 30% of that fraction are between the ages of 15 and 29. By leveraging both established and new partnerships—such as those with the Grand Rapids Public School system and the YMCA—UDIM is strategically expanding its reach to meet our target audiences where they are to share dairy’s message.
Protecting Dairy
Crisis preparedness also created alliances as UDIM played a crucial role in helping Michigan dairy farmers cope with the challenges created by the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 virus. Working with key partners including milk cooperatives, state and federal agencies, industry organizations and across species, key stakeholders monitored the disease and armed farmers with information and recommendations to keep animals and people healthy.
“Our objective is to share a unified voice during times of uncertainty,” explained Caroline Krajewski, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications at Dairy Management Inc. “It has been important during the H5N1 outbreak because across the entire dairy value chain, it means that we are all singing from the same song sheet”
UDIM Leadership Update
The UDIM Board of Directors held officer elections following the general session. Reelected to the leadership team are:
- President – Corby Werth, dairy farmer from Alpena, Michigan
- Vice President – Scott Lamb, dairy farmer from Jeddo, Michigan
- Treasurer – Burke Larsen, dairy farmer from Scottville, Michigan
“As we look to what’s ahead in 2025, I’m inspired by the incredible progress we’ve made, and I’m excited about the opportunities ahead,” says Corby Werth, UDIM President. “Together, we can continue to build consumer trust in dairy while showcasing the passion and dedication dairy farmers pour into their work every day.”
To learn more about UDIM, visit milkmeansmore.org. Also, check out this video from the annual meeting.
About the United Dairy Industry of Michigan
The United Dairy Industry of Michigan (UDIM) is dedicated to serving Michigan’s hard-working dairy farm families and promoting Michigan’s locally produced dairy products. UDIM is the umbrella organization for the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council of Michigan. These non-profit organizations provide dairy product promotion and nutrition education services on behalf of their funding members.
