Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association (MDVA) recently earned two top awards in the National Milk Producers Federation’s (NMPF) annual cooperative communications contest. Jay Bryant, CEO, and Lindsay Reames, EVP of Sustainability & External Relations accepted the awards at the 2023 Joint Annual Meeting of the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (NDB), NMPF, and United Dairy Industry Association (UDIA) in Orlando.
MDVA Member Austin Schwartzbeck from Peace & Plenty Farm in Union Bridge, Maryland earned the NMPF Farmer Communicator of the Year Award for his desire to share his love story – for both dairy and his wife – to local media outlets on the fringes of the Maryland State Fair. MDVA was awarded Cooperative Communicator of the Year, beating out 14 other U.S. dairy cooperatives.
“Our farmer-focused story is what resonates with all audiences,” said Reames. “No matter if we’re communicating directly to farmers, our customers, or directly to consumers buying our Maola Local Dairies products, we shape our messages to lead with the story of our family-owned dairy farms. We thank our farmer-owners for investing in our communications and marketing department so we can contribute to their profitability.”
MDVA also earned:
- First place in the profile feature category for the story “MDVA Member Stands as Beacon of Service to Others.” The same story took Best of Show across all writing categories.
- First place in the e-newsletter category
- First place in scenic photography
- Second place in the special purpose category for MDVA’s 2023 calendar
- Second place in the promotional video category
- First place in the advertisement category