Checkoff Update - February 2012 « Back

HEADLINES

McDonald’s Promotion Features People Behind the Product – Winter outreach in Midwest Dairy states. Read more...

Online Holiday Outreach Gets Results – Baking dish giveaway prompts activity.  Read more...

Crisis Drills Help Prepare Industry – Two sessions focus on FMD. Read more...

Producer Service Center Reaches 1 Million Mark – Producers and industry calls total 1,800.  Read more...

Fuel Up to Play 60 – Partnership with Physical Education group.  Read more...

PROMOTION UPDATES

McDonald’s Promotion Features People Behind the Product
Midwest Dairy is working with McDonald’s stores this winter to promote the chain’s dairy-friendly products.  In the Heartland region, Kansas and Missouri, direct mail coupons include People Behind the Product graphics.  In the Midwest region, including Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska, the promotion includes a frequency card where consumers collect five stickers on any Hot McCafe´ beverage and receive a free one.  People Behind the Product graphics are included on in-store and drive-through signage, door decals and table tents.   

Back to Top

Online Holiday Outreach Gets Results
Midwest Dairy’s outreach to influential regional mommy bloggers during the holiday season focused on sharing family traditions, tips and recipes, and included a baking dish giveaway for readers who responded online to the dairy-related blog posts. The effort reached 10 regional bloggers from six Midwest states, among them this post from SAHMReviews.com, which does a great job promoting both the farm and family, and generated great comments. In total, Midwest Dairy’s blogger outreach received more than 3,000 reader comments/giveaway entries and 62,000 online impressions.

Back to Top

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

Crisis Drill Helps Prepare Industry
More than 180 dairy industry representatives have participated in two Crisis Drills conducted by Midwest Dairy and Dairy Management Inc. recently.  A Nov. 30 session in Kansas City and another in Minneapolis this past week focused on a Foot-and-Mouth Disease scenario.  A U.S. outbreak would significantly impact the availability of milk and is likely to cause concern among consumers about the safety of milk and dairy foods. The workshop was developed with input from USDA-APHIS, experts from the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety at the University of Minnesota, and others across the industry. Government participants simulated the National Incident Management System (NIMS) command structure in the context of our fictional scenario. Participants included government, industry partners, dairy producers and staff.

Back to Top

Producer Service Center Reaches 1 Million Mark
Since the inception of Midwest Dairy’s Producer Service Center in 2009, more than 1,800 calls have been received and materials have now reached more than one million consumers. Dairy farm families or local groups hosting events or helping industry partners honor the industry have a direct line to free items through their checkoff dollars.  The Producer Service Center can be accessed by calling 1-877-360-FARM (3276), by emailing producerservicecenter@midwestdairy.com or by requesting a user name and password at midwestdairycheckoff.com. At the website, users will see the Producer Service Center section once they have requested their login information and been approved. In order to access the Center’s free materials, producers must be contributing to Midwest Dairy Association through the dairy checkoff on their milk sales. To celebrate, right now while supplies last, first-time callers can get a free t-shirt!

Back to Top

FUEL UP TO PLAY 60 UPDATES

Fuel Up to Play 60 Sponsors Physical Education Brochure
Fuel Up to Play 60 will be the sole sponsor of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education’s (NASPE) new 101 Tips for Teaching Nutrition Concepts in Physical Education brochure. The brochure will be promoted in all of the group’s communications and distributed at state, district and national conferences across the country.  In addition, Fuel Up to Play 60 will sponsor the group’s March webinar called “Integrating Nutrition Education into Physical Education,” designed to give physical education teachers simple ways to integrate nutrition and healthy eating concepts into an existing physical education curriculum.

State Program Advisors to be Honored
The 2012 Fuel Up to Play 60 State Program Advisor of the Year opportunity is being featured in an upcoming alert to those involved with the program.  This year, the award is supported by the NFL Alumni Association. Each 2012 State Program Advisor of the Year will be awarded an in-school visit from a NFL Alumni player with a goal of activating in 49 states (sorry, no Hawaii!) and Washington, DC.

New “Play” Capitalizes on Let’s Move!
A new Play in the Fuel Up to Play 60 Playbook used by student teams takes advantage of First Lady Michele Obama’s Let's Move! Chefs Move to Schools program.  Meet Your Inner Chef  challenges schools to work with local restaurants to find chefs who can volunteer their time to help get kids interested – and spice things up – in their school meals program.

Back to Top