December 2011 Highlights « Back

Fuel Up to Play 60 in North Dakota

Five North Dakota Schools recently received a total of $17,750 from Midwest Dairy to help fund their Fuel Up to Play 60 projects. Schools receiving funding this fall are Cheney Middle School and STEM Center in West Fargo,South Middle School in Grand Forks, Ben Franklin Middle School in Fargo and Stanley Elementary in Stanley. Projects being pursued with the funding include starting an after-school “healthy food cart” for student athletes,developing a smoothie program and starting a walking club. The next deadline for schools to apply for up to $4,000 is this week, and so far there are five additional schools who have submitted applications for review.

Other North Dakota Updates

Mark your calendars: the 2012 Dairy Cow College and annual Midwest Dairy Association meetings are scheduled for the week of January 30 (Monday - Linton; Tuesday - Dickinson; Wednesday - New Salem; Thursday – Towner and Friday -- Jamestown). The topic and exact locations are still being determined, so watch for more information in the coming weeks.

Thank you to all those who attended and/or participated in the 45th annual N.D. Dairy Convention. More than 50 dairy producers and others involved in the dairy industry attended the conference in Mandan, which focused on “refining sustainability.” The program was filled with interesting topics such as robotic milking, replacement heifers and Rural Development programs. Dairy producers Kenton Holle, Derrick Rusch, and Mark and Kristi Doll gave a great presentation on automatic feeding systems. Dave Doctor entertained us with his experience in visiting Kazakhstan as a representative of World Wide Sires and N.D. Dairy Princess Rachael Rott gave a welcome presentation at the evening banquet. Special thanks to J.W. Schroeder for all his help in planning and organizing this convention and for his attention to detail in making it a success. Congratulations also to the Merit award recipient, Jim Kautzman from New Salem.

The N.D. Dairy Princess, Rachael Rott, helped a West Fargo School “kick off” their Fuel Up to Play 60 activities Dec. 2.  She gave a presentation on the importance of healthy eating, which of course includes three servings of dairy every day. Students will then have an opportunity to show their support of dairy by having a milk mustache picture taken and displayed in the school cafeteria.