PA DAiry Post

The PA Dairy Post aims to keep our Pennsylvania dairy farmers informed about local promotion efforts in the American Dairy Association North East territory.

American Dairy Association North East (ADA North East) is your dairy farmer-directed organization funded by participating dairy farmer’s checkoff investment to build demand and sales for milk and dairy foods throughout the local region. ADA North East represents more than 10,000 dairy farm families in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New York, New Jersey and northern Virginia. Visit AmericanDairy.com or call 315-472-9143 to learn more.

ADA North East Provides Key Messaging Tips, Checkoff Information to Pennsylvania Dairy Promoters More than 90 dairy promoters gathered in Pennsylvania for the annual Dairy Princess Seminar in July to prepare for upcoming dairy promotions.Hosted by the Pennsylvania Dairy Princess & Promotion Services, Inc., ADA North East’s Cindy Weimer, Senior Vice President, Industry Relations, presented an overview of dairy checkoff programs, along with tips for using key messaging to make the most impact with consumers while advocating for dairy. Weimer also moderated a panel of dairy farmers and industry representatives including Tanya Baldwin of Meadow Vista Dairy, Kathy Hartzell of Hartzell Farms and AgChoice Farm Credit, Stanley Burkholder of Burk-Lea Farms, and Jane Upperman from Land O’Lakes. Dairy farmer Danielle Smoker of Belleville, Mifflin County, attended the seminar with daughter Lauren, the Mifflin County Dairy Princess.

“The dairy princess program is an excellent opportunity for our young women to be advocates for an industry they have so much passion for. As a dairy farmer, we’re lucky to have this organization that does an outstanding job of preparing them to represent us.”

– Danielle Smoker ADA North East financially supports and provides promotional resources to the dairy princess programs in Pennsylvania.

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Summer 2020

Many Pennsylvania Children Go Hungry without Summer Meals When schools started to close in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ADA North East supported school foodservice programs as they struggled to change the food distribution model for quarantined students. Meals including milk were distributed to all children ages 18 and under throughout the six-state region. On AmericanDairy.com website, we kept a running list of food distribution sites, and helped schools find solutions for distributing milk and dairy foods by providing cooler bags and other needed equipment.

This summer, meal distribution will continue at designated sites, helping millions of students find access milk and meals while school is not in session as part of USDA’s Summer Food Service Program.

ADA North East is working with the two school districts in Pennsylvania with the highest student population – Philadelphia and Pittsburgh – in addition to 24 other districts throughout the region to help families find meal locations.

By using enhanced “geo-targeting” of social media ads, ADA North East is guiding families to meal locations close to their homes by focusing on specific zip codes where need is the greatest.

ADA North East also distributed a Summer Meals Digital Toolkit to more than 1,800 school food service directors and nearly 13,000 school superintendents and principals to help them plan and promote their

meal program.

Video messages featuring our National Football League partner

players will also be placed on targeted school district websites and social media outlets to direct families to program sites.

National Medical Association Members Support Dairy, Address Food Insecurity Issues Forty health care professionals from nine states participated in a webinar hosted by ADA North East for the National Medical Association. The virtual conference placed dairy front and center with physicians, pediatricians, and other medical professionals who share nutrition information and guidance with their clients and patients.

Results of a post-conference survey showed that the participants who engage with nearly 15,000 clients or patients monthly support the health benefits of milk and dairy foods and most recommend at least three servings of dairy a day. Many also expressed interest in learning more about milk allergies and lactose intolerance, dairy nutrition myths, and the differences between milk and milk alternatives.

Speaker Clancy Harrison, registered dietitian, ambassador for National Dairy Council and spokesperson for ADA North East presented “Food Insecurity: A Physician’s Direct Response to COVID-19.” She discussed how health care

professionals can help their clients and patients gain access to milk using ADA North East resources, and through the National School Breakfast Program, Summer Meals program and local food banks.

Snider Family

Jared Kurtz

Caitlyn Pool

‘Fun on the Farm’ Social Media Series Featuring Pennsylvania Farmers Viewed 2.5 Million Times; Virtual Farm Tours Rack Up More than 234,000 Views

ADA North East continues its successful “Fun on the Farm” video series to highlight local dairy farmers, which to date has racked up 2.5 million views since launching in March.

Initially started at the onset of COVID-19 when kids were home from school and families needed help with both education and entertainment, video viewers can watch local dairy farmers describe the attention they give their animals, how they value the land, and their commitment to feeding people.

Participating Pennsylvania farmers include:Jessica Peters, Spruce-Row Dairy, Meadville, Crawford CountyLolly Lesher, Way-Har Farm, Bernville, Berks County Renee Norman Kenny, Kenny Dairy Farm, Enon Valley, Lawrence County Emily Shaw, Dairy Girl Fitness Snider Family, Snider Homestead Farm, Bedford County Jared Kurtz, Kurtland Farms, Elverson, Berks County Caitlyn Pool, Fantasyland Holsteins, Robesonia, Berks County Dr. Jody Kull, Valley Mobile Veterinary Service, Danville, Columbia County Alyssa Dietrich, Cargill Calf and Heifer Specialist, Camp Hill, Dauphin County

ADA North East’s Virtual Farm Tours were relaunched in March through a social media marketing campaign when the pandemic hit. Since then the videos were viewed more than 234,000 times, as families looked for educational material.

Subscribe to ‘Checkoff Check-In’ to Get Weekly Electronic UpdatesStay up-to-date on your dairy checkoff investment. Sign up for ADA North East’s free weekly e-newsletter, the “Checkoff Check-In.” Each issue highlights results of current dairy checkoff programs and events happening throughout the region. Visit AmericanDairy.com and click the “For Farmers” tab to subscribe.

PA DAiry PostSummer 2020

Retail Team Adjusts to ‘New Normal’ to Provide Positive Shopping Experiences, Encourage Shoppers to ‘Choose PA Dairy’

With many families in need of food during the pandemic, American Dairy Association North East, local dairy processors, cooperatives and community groups have worked together to distribute more than 125,000 gallons of milk in Pennsylvania so far this summer.

Nearly 82,000 gallons was funded with grants from the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) and was supplied by Clover Farms Dairy, Dairy Farmers of America Harrisburg Dairies and Schneider’s Dairy. The additional 43,000 gallons was donated by Dairy Farmers of America before the CFAP program launched. To date, ADA North East has helped distributed nearly 650,000 gallons across the six-state region.

The Pennsylvania State Dairy Princesses participated in the Philadelphia milk drive where they distributed milk from Harrisburg Dairies that was purchased with CFAP program funds. From left to right: Alternate Pennsylvania Dairy Princess Denae Hershberger, Pennsylvania Dairy Princess Paige Peiffer and Alternate Dairy Princess Vannika Rice.

National News Checkoff Pizza Partners Increase Cheese Use to Help Support All Dairy Farmers Pizza became the top user of cheese during the COVID-19 pandemic, outselling all other food service categories, because of the dramatic market changes due to food chain disruption at the onset of quarantine.

Dairy checkoff partners responded to the drop in dairy sales with help. Pizza Hut launched its new large “3-Topping Stuffed Crust” pizza promotion in June, which was accelerated from its original fall launch as a way to quickly help boost cheese sales. This pizza uses almost twice the amount of cheese as a regular pie.

Papa John’s pizza added two ounces of extra mozzarella cheese on several menu items, thanks to a joint effort with Leprino Foods, a leading pizza cheese supplier, and Dairy Farmers of America. Dairy checkoff is reinforcing the effort with marketing and advertising.

Taco Bell Increases Cheese Use, Adds New Dairy Item to Menu During COVID-19 To retain drive-through sales at Taco Bell during COVID-19, dairy checkoff

helped Taco Bell develop to-go meal kits. Each kit contains 11 ounces of cheese, which is more than a large pizza.

Taco Bell also launched its first dairy-based beverage, the Pineapple Whip. The recipe was developed with the help of dairy checkoff food scientists. With unemployed families on restricted budgets in mind, the chain also offered free “Taco Tuesdays.” Visit one of the nearly 550 Taco Bell stores in our region to try the new items.

Milk SaleS

Surge!

March-June 2020

NortheaSt u.S. All milk sales up by 12%

u.S. All milk sales up by 9.6%

Year-to-date

NortheaSt u.S. All milk sales

up 5.4%u.S.

All milk sales up 4.5%

3-Topping Stuff Crust Pizza adds 45% more cheese or an incremental volume of

400,000-500,000 pounds of cheese!

CheeseYogurt

- 131,455 units

- 13,932 units

- 17,100 units

Milk CheeseYogurt

Total: 162,487Total:

162,487dairy products

stocked

Milk and dairy retail sales remain strong even as quarantine restrictions are lifting, and the ADA North East retail team continues to work with stores to ensure a positive shopping experience for customers.

In March at the onset of COVID-19, panic-buying in retail stores caused consumers to stock up on essential items like milk, often leaving the dairy case bare. ADA North East’s retail team assisted more than 1,200 stores making sure the dairy cases were well stocked for shoppers. To date, we helped replenish more than 162,400 units of milk, cheese and yogurt.

While panic-buying has stabilized, dairy remains in high-demand because consumers continue to prepare and eat more meals at home. While still helping to stock shelves in some locations, ADA North East’s retail team has returned to implementing the Dairy Aisle Performance Program (DAPP) ensuring that dairy cases are clean, cold and well-stocked by auditing in-store conditions and providing detailed reports to store management. In a normal year, they make more than 6,000 visits to 1,400 retail stores to determine the condition of the dairy case.

Other members of the team continue to execute the Dairy Aisle Reinvention program, which gives

the dairy case a “makeover” to maximize retail merchandise techniques that increase

dairy sales. These include customized signage to highlighting real dairy; nutrition and product use ideas; and farm-to-table photos that feature local farm families. Retailers report significant sales growth after implementing this marketing

program.

“Choose PA Dairy” signage is part of the Dairy Aisle Reinvention program, reminding shoppers they’re buying milk and dairy products from local farms. To date, we have installed the signage in 208 stores – including Weis Markets, Redner’s Markets, Shop ‘n Save, Karns Foods, Kuhn’s Market, Kennie’s Market, Giant Eagle, Naser

Foods, Stauffer’s Market, Community Super Market, Saubel’s Markets, Sunnyway Foods, Key Foods, and Foodtown. An additional 34 Shop ‘n Save stores and 46 Acme stores are scheduled to receive the Choose PA Dairy signage.

125,000 Gallons of Milk Delivered to Pennsylvania Families this Summer; Nearly 650,000 Gallons Across the Region

Jennifer Heltzel of Piney-Mar Farm in Martinsburg, Pa. Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program and National Dairy Board member “These milk drives are especially important in rural America because of the senior citizen population – the hidden face of food insecurity. Most of the people that came through the line fell into that category. It’s so important that we can provide nourishment for all people who need it.”

Louie Diamond, Diamond Dairy Farm in Masontown, Pa. Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program board member“The milk drives are an opportunity for our local communities to work together

including law enforcement, fire departments and churches. On Sundays we preach from the pulpit but on Saturdays we preach with our hands.”

Pennsylvania Dairy Farmers Share Volunteer Experiences at Milk DrivesFour local dairy farmers shared their volunteer experiences at milk drives this summer:

Dean Kind of Grassycrest Dairy in Slippery Rock, Pa.“In this turbulent time, it has been very uplifting and empowering to see people in the community coming together to serve those who need it, and we’re happy to be a part of this event.”

Diane Hoover of Brook Corner Dairy in Lebanon, Pa.“The milk drives have been a great show of ‘neighbor helping neighbor. As a dairy

farmer who is part of American Dairy Association and Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, it’s good to see our product being appreciated by those who need it so much during these difficult times.”