July 2011 Highlights « Back

Fuel Up to Play 60 in Missouri

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 Missouri 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 Missouri State Fair ended its run in Sedalia over the weekend. The Gerken Dairy Center once again served great ice cream (hand dipped and soft serve) and grilled ham cheese sandwiches featuring four different types of cheese. A fair favorite, the butter cow, was back “dancing” her way thru the fair. Local Sedalia artist, Janice Hargrave, sculpted the 800 pounds into a “dancing cow” for fair-goers to enjoy.  Former KC Chief and St. Louis Ram Eddie Kennison and KC Wolf were also there doing a kids program about Fuel Up to Play 60, including the interactive HOPSports experience. There was also a “Missouri Farmers Care Day” at the fair where Missouri farmers greeted fair-goers at the gate and collected can goods for the statewide food banks.

The 2011 Missouri Farmers Care Campaign with the St. Louis Cardinals is well underway with two lucky people winning $500 worth of groceries for the months of June and July. Consumers register by going to www.mofarmerscare.com and watching videos of Missouri farm families. Radio ads featuring Cardinal left fielder Matt Holliday and Missouri dairy farm family, Paul, Cindy, Chris, Ben and Sarah Heins of Higginsville, have been playing during every St. Louis Cardinals game. Cardinals mascot Fred Bird visited the Heins Dairy farm and shot a video of life on the farm which rotates with three other videos that air during every home game. Friday night “Busch Bashes” have included dairy producers and given them an opportunity to visit with fans, and hand out recipes and baseball cards featuring famers and fun facts. The campaign will run through September.