New years are many times celebrated with new resolutions.  I challenge you this year to make one step to promote dairy right where you are.  In your classroom, community or computer, there are many ways you can help in sharing your dairy story.

Many times teachers and professors allow students to choose topics for projects.  Whether you make a virtual tour of your farm, research the nutritional value of dairy in diets or teach elementary students about the new Old McDonald, there are plenty of ways you can incorporate dairy into the discussion.

Many schools seek out farms which they can visit.  My own family farm hosts school children, provides guided tours, and treats are provided through UDIM and my parents.  As a dairy in your community, you can grow beyond Ag in the Classroom and open up to the community.  Many people are curious to learn what is behind those parlor walls and now more than ever is a time to show farmers have nothing to hide.  We all care about providing safe, healthy and nutritious products for your family and ours.

Get online!  There are many social networking sites you can use to share your story or look for great ideas.  My Dairy Toolkit is a great social media toolkit which provides overviews of different social media outlets.  There are fact sheets, talking points and you can connect with other dairy advocates.  Contact your local dairy checkoff for more information to gain access.

Proud to Dairy, an extension of Progressive Dairyman, is a ning network where you can make friends, post blogs and even look for dairy employment!  http://proudtodairy.ning.com/index.php is connecting dairy men, women and linking them coast to coast.

Don’t forget about the standards: blogs, Facebook, twitter and the list goes on.  Maybe you have always wanted to share your daily farm life with others.  Maybe you read an article you want others to know about.  Maybe you are looking for ways to bring dairy into the lives of the everyday consumer.  Social media connects and expands the impacts you make on the farm and takes them around the world.

This year, make it your resolution to share your dairy.  Agriculture is under attack.  Skepticism, confused consumers and anti-agriculture groups are making it difficult for farmers to succeed.  How do we overcome these challenges?  We step up and open up.  The work ethic found on the farm is nothing compared to the passion we agriculturalists have for our industry.  Let’s take that passion, sweat, blood and tears.  Let’s make more than milk.  Let’s make 2010 a time for getting personal.

Did you know Santa was a dairy farmer?  Check out this YouTube video:

Don’t forget the milk and cookies!

AutumnFest with the Ambassadors

The last home football game at Michigan State is reserved for AutumnFest, a tradition for many alumni and their families to tailgate at the livestock pavilion.  Over 1,000 alumni participate; Sparty, the band and cheerleaders come out to celebrate.  Many commodity groups and student organizations also host booths to highlight the diverse array of Michigan agriculture and natural resource products.

This has to be my favorite event as a Spartan!  Everything I love about MSU and agriculture comes together under one roof to support the college and football team.  Every year I try to volunteer as a student for the event and knew this was perfect for the ambassador program to gain exposure.

After participating for the first year in 2008, the Michigan Dairy Ambassador booth won the People’s Choice Award and received a free booth for 2009.  This year, alumni and their family received free cheese samples from past Dairy Ambassadors Tera Kebol, Lynnae Slavik and myself.  We also had milk mustache photo ops and a raffle to support the ambassador program.  UDIM donated our grand prize basket and we also raffled off two cow balloon bouquets during the event.  Sparty even milked our balloons!

Don’t forget…applications for the ambassador program are due December 20!  It’s dairy cool and it could be you as the next senior or junior ambassador!

2009 MSU Dairy Club

The Michigan State University (MSU) Dairy Club camped out for “The Rock” and spent a day educating students about the dairy industry.  “The Rock,” a favorite spot for many MSU student groups, is a rock on the main strip of campus which is painted and guarded daily by students.  The MSU Dairy Club took this billboard space to do more than advertise their club.

“The point of Dairy Awareness Day was to promote the dairy industry and also the MSU Dairy Club,” said Jessica Makowski, club member and event organizer.  “Many people do not know where their dairy products come from and that was the major reason for the display.  It was basically to get the dairy club known to the MSU community as well to promote involvement with students.”

The event featured Holstein calves, free milk sponsored by Country Fresh and give-a-ways from the United Dairy Industry of Michigan and the Michigan Farm Bureau.  More than 750 MSU students stopped by to grab some milk and pet the calves.

“We would also like to see cows out there in the future to have a mini ‘I milked a cow booth’ on campus to also give people an opportunity to milk a live cow and register where there milk comes from,” said Jackie Rowley, club president.

Dairy club members were confronted with many different viewpoints from those who stopped by during the event including treatment and health of dairy cows.  Members passed out Farmers Care pamphlets from the Farm Bureau and talked about what they did on their own farms to ensure safe and health milk for consumers.

The dairy club wants to continue creating educational opportunities like Dairy Awareness Day to promote agricultural and bring consumers and producers closer together.  Plans for an Agricultural Awareness Week are being made by College of Agriculture and Natural Resources students for a larger scale event in the spring.

The new applications are here! Apply to the 2010 Michigan Dairy Ambassador Program today and compete for the chance to serve Michigan’s dairy industry! I know I have truly enjoyed serving as the 2009 senior ambassador and hope next year students take this program even further.

What will you be doing as the next ambassador? Our program has a unique way of supporting your passions. If you want to do workshops with students, set up farm tours, volunteer, speak, blog or continue supporting dairy in your community – you can!

This year I have tried to put a resource kit together through the Michigan Dairy Ambassador Blog for others promoting dairy and help with events or activities which want help promoting the dairy industry. I have also become involved with the Breakfast on the Farm planning and hopefully will have more resources to add to the Tips &Tricks page about conducting tours on dairy farms. Past years have arranged events, attended national conferences and increased their personal skill sets through their experiences.

Do you have questions about being an ambassador or want to brainstorm about what you can do? Email me at schaend1@msu.edu or comment on this post and I would be happy to answer your questions. Applications are available at http://glrdc.msu.edu/ambassador.asp and are due December 20, 2009.

It’s time for you to stand up and support Michigan’s dairy industry by serving as an ambassador. Get moo-ing and fill out an application today!