As a dairy farmer, dairy month is basically hyped up like the month of December is for Christmas. Throughout the month of June, there are so many different things that we can do to promote dairy and educate consumers on it, but there are also so many different ways that you can get involved to support dairy and learn more about it too.
Over the past five years, a big way that I have started to promote dairy is to post daily on social media every day in June. For me, this is an easy way to relay information to consumers and to give them a look into the inside of a dairy farmers day. Sometimes it might seem like a lot to have to post daily, but to utilize tools like scheduling posts, or even just posting a quick picture really isn’t that difficult. These posts can be a great way to teach something, or to open up a conversation for those that have questions about our industry.
Out of all of my June dairy month posts, a handful have stuck out as really getting a lot of engagement, or sparking interest from the public. I will share a few of those with you to hopefully help you better understand the world of dairy farming.
• Farmers are into recycling and helping the environment. We partnered with a local tavern to take their used fryer oil which we then incorporate in small amounts to our heifer feed as an added fat source. Not only does this help them with disposal, but it helps to supplement our animals too.
• Are you, or someone you know lactose intolerant, but don’t want to switch to a milk alternative? There are real dairy options are might work for you. For example, the Fairlife brand is ultra-filtered which then concentrates the calcium and protein content and removes lactose. Any remaining lactose is converted via a lactase enzyme.
• Do you want to know where your milk comes from? Every dairy product contains a plant code, often located by the sell by date on the jug. Visit whereismymilkfrom.com, type in the code, and there you will see which facility your milk was processed at. Often times it is fairly local to you and you might not even realize that!
These are just a small selection of topics that I have discussed over the years. There is so much that we as dairy farmers do daily out of routine and don’t even think about the fact that not everyone might not know of understand the why behind it. As dairy farmers we take pride in caring for our cattle as well as producing a wholesome dairy product that is available to you and your family. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with me, or any dairy farmer that you may know and we’d love to help you better understand where your food comes.
Holler is a member of the Trumbull County Farm Bureau Board of Trustees.
