“Well, this pandemic certainly brought challenges over the last nearly two years for our staff and our new strategic plan. But our focus remains on our dairy promotion and research work. We’ve prioritized helping today’s consumers know about the wellness benefits offered by dairy as we face a global pandemic with our heightened consumer concern also about dairy sustainability. So, we’re dedicating ourselves as staff at Midwest Dairy to share dairy’s story about being good for you and being made with care for the planet.”
For 2022, Pelzer says one of the top priorities is reaching the younger generations.
“For 2022, we’ll continue to focus on that sustainable nutrition, dairy good for you and good for the planet. And we’re also focusing our efforts on remaining top of mind with that Gen Z consumer, Generation Z, that ten to 24 year old audience. We are very excited about reaching them to share dairy’s story.”
To reach Generation Z, that work starts in schools.
In 2022, Midwest dairy will also explore dairy’s impact with grades eight through 12.
“We have a long history of being involved with schools and sharing dairy’s nutrition story. We think there’s an opportunity to work on these higher grades to showcase dairy’s role in health and how we take care of the planet with new curriculum standards that teach the STEM, or Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, objectives. Dairy farms are real life examples of how all these STEM ideas make an impact as we bring food from farm to table.”
She adds that the dairy checkoff, which provides value back to the producer, will continue to do so in 2022.
“We are very excited about the opportunities in the new year for dairy. We know that our research is extremely important, whether that’s on nutrition, environment or consumer insights, and we can use that research in our promotion efforts to build trust and demand for dairy. It’s also very promising to see U.S. dairy consumption has continued to increase, but we also know that exports are an important part of our work. Midwest Dairy farmers are very committed to that, and we’re excited to play a role in that work.”
Learn more about Midwest Dairy online at MidwestDairy.com.
