July 2011 Highlights « Back

Fuel Up to Play 60 in Kansas

Midwest Dairy Council recently sponsored a Fuel Up to Play 60-themed breakfast and an exhibit booth at the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians annual conference in Wichita. In an effort to further engage Kansas physicians in Fuel Up to Play 60, a survey was conducted with booth visitors to assess knowledge of the program and interest in opportunities for involvement. Participants were put into a raffle and one entrant was selected as winner of a Matt Cassel autographed Kansas City Chiefs jersey, football and a Fuel Up to Play 60 polo shirt.  Survey responses showed that physicians want to learn more about Fuel Up to Play 60 and highlighted names of those willing to participate in Fuel Up to Play 60 activities and/or give presentations to schools.

Eddie Kennison, former NFL and Chiefs player, was recently trained to be an ambassador for Midwest Dairy and Fuel Up to Play 60. He stopped by the Overland Park office this summer and joined the staff for lunch. The staff enjoyed visiting with Eddie and talking about his two kids, his post-NFL journey and the Fuel Up to Play 60 program. He demonstrated that he truly is the perfect representative as he spoke to us about his own kids eating healthy and staying active. Eddie explained, “When I heard about this program, I knew it was a perfect fit. It is so important for all kids to eat healthy and stay active.”  He continued by stating, “I mean, we all have our bad days, like me eating this cupcake right now. But, really, this was a no brainer. I’m excited to get started.”

Other Kansas Updates

We’ve said “so long” to our industry relations intern in the Kansas City and Ozarks Divisions as of last week. Alan Thompson of Nicollet, Minn., fulfilled the intern role for us throughout the summer.  . Alan grew up on a dairy farm raising and showing registered Holsteins. He is an accomplished 4-Her and has received recognition for his dairy judging. He is attending Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, studying English, Spanish and international studies. Alan has helped at various shows and events in Midwest Dairy region. His Spanish writing skills have been put to the test this summer as we have asked him to translate some of Midwest Dairy’s consumer messaging documents to Spanish for use with the Hispanic population. Alan’s first day in the Overland Park office was unique for him as we had tornado warnings and had to spend part of the day in the building safe space. Alan worked with interns of other commodities in Missouri to keep the social media channels running for the Farmers Care program. He adjusted well to the office and to the heat and will be missed now that he’s returned to Minnesota.

The annual Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead event was held mid- June in Overland Park, Kan. Megan Snow, our Midwest Dairy communications intern, Julie Johns, dairy farmer’s daughter from Gardner Kan., and her daughters helped my daughter, Molly, and me with this event. Hundreds of families came by our Midwest Dairy tent to milk “Sophia” the cow, learn how to churn butter, taste string cheese, receive dairy recipes and information, take a “say cheese” photo and play a dairy trivia game. Megan reported the kids and parents alike learned about dairy and dairy farming by playing the trivia game. First, each player would spin the wheel and then our volunteer, Julie, asked a June Dairy Month question. She asked a very young girl, “What sound does a cow make?” The girl’s face lit up as she shouted, “Moo!” It was clear that she was delighted to get the answer correct as she proudly walked away with her prize. This game also revealed that kids want to know more, too. For example, a child was asked if chocolate milk contains the same nine essential nutrients that regular milk does. He replied, “Chocolate milk does not contain as many nutrients as regular milk.” Julie provided the correct information in a fun and entertaining way. This child was so satisfied learning this that he rushed away to share it with others. It was a delight to see such a long line of families waiting to play the trivia game and learn more about dairy directly from a local dairy farmer.