Midwest Dairy Helps to Fund

New Dairy Research FacilityThe Institute for Dairy Ingredient Processing, a component of the new Davis Dairy Plant at South Dakota State University, will provide dairy farmers a means by which to expand domestic and global market opportunities for dairy-based products. The Institute will provide the facilities and experts to assist dairy ingredient manufacturers in research, development and testing of new dairy-based ingredients and processes. The new facility was funded by dairy farmers through Midwest Dairy Association, dairy processors, dairy suppliers, alumni and friends of the SDSU Foundation, the State of South Dakota and South Dakota State University.

Chicago Bears Partnership Helps Expand Fuel Up to Play 60 Midwest Dairy’s partnership with the Chicago Bears provided plenty of opportunities to reward and involve students in Fuel Up to Play 60. An appearance by Zack Bowman, #35, reached 750 students and staff at one school, while Bears alumnus “Big Cat” Wil-liams greeted more than 1,000 people at the WGN Back to School Fair. Both personalities emphasized the importance of good nutrition, including dairy, and regular physical activity for kids. Messages from the Bears’ Roberto Garza and dairy producer Dale Drendel were featured at a pre-season game, and a Fuel Up to Play 60/Bears logo is being displayed prominently at three Chicago Public Schools.

The dairy checkoff has corraled roughly $800 million in outside resources to ad-vance producer goals in selling more dairy, ac-cording to Dairy Man-agement Inc. CEO Tom Gallagher. The result is 4.2 billion pounds more dairy sold in the 12 months ending with July of 2011.

One example: the dairy nutrition and product research plan formed by the Dairy Research Institute, newly created by the dairy checkoff, has amassed $60 million. Of that total, $45 million comes from non-checkoff sources.

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Dairy Checkoff Work Draws Outside Resources

McDonald’s PromotionEncourages McCafé Purchases

McDonald’s stores and Midwest Dairy are offering a free McCafé beverage with up to 80 percent milk after multiple purchases this winter. The offer capital-izes on the third year of a partnership between McDonald’s and the checkoff, which has resulted in more than 1 bil-lion pounds of additional dairy sales. Six checkoff employees work on site at McDonald’s corporate offices to promote dairy items.

Fuel Up to Play 60Reaches Deep into Illinois

The Illinois School Nutrition Asso-ciation board has pledged its support to the guiding principles of Fuel Up to Play 60, the dairy checkoff ’s partnership program with the NFL to empower youth to fight obesity. The group joins the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians and the Illinois chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics in pledging its support.

Work with schools across Illinois to implement Fuel Up to Play 60 has been extensive. Examples include:

• An expanding partnership between Sodexo, one of the top three contract feeders in the U.S. for schools, and Midwest Dairy Association;

• Efforts to expand breakfast, includ-ing dairy, with Elgin U-46, the sec-ond largest public school district in Illinois;

• Participation by more than 250 school and community stakeholders, health and wellness partners, local healthcare facilities and others at an Action for Healthy Kids event; and • Dairy optimization rewards for five northern Illinois schools for their work to innovate with dairy products in schools.

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School Nutrition Group Visits Illinois Dairy A tour at Bohnert Jerseys near East Moline was part of the Illinois School Nutrition Con-ference last June. About 50 school nutrition leaders at-tended. In addition, a breakout session called Farmers Fueling Up America was featured at the event, which drew high ratings from those who participated.

Domino’s Efforts Include New ItemsSales of Domino’s Pizza® Stuffed Cheesy Bread, which con-tains as much cheese as a medium pizza, are exceeding the chain’s initial expectations.The success of Stuffed Cheesy Bread, which launched in late Novem-ber, builds on a partnership between the dairy checkoff and the chain to help grow category sales.

In addition, Domino’s Smart Slice will be in more than 2,088 schools in more than 317 districts this year. The dairy checkoff collaborated with Domino’s to develop the Smart Slice line, includ-ing the Bellroni Pie that uses light mozzarella and provolone, and the Cheezzzilla Pizza with five cheeses. Domino’s Smart Slice delivers a nutritious, kid-approved solution that helps increase school meal participation.

School Health Days Include Milk ToastMore than 450 school nurses joined Midwest Dairy staff members in a milk toast at Illi-nois School Health Days meet-ings. The toasts were a salute to Illinois dairy farmers for funding programs like Fuel Up to Play 60, and to school nurs-es for their role in shaping the healthy eating and physical activity habits of students. Midwest Dairy provided Fuel Up to Play 60 flyers at all five meeting locations, reaching more than 800 school nurses and health educators.

St. Louis Rams Partnership ContinuesMidwest Dairy’s contract with the St. Louis Rams to promote Fuel Up to Play 60 includes appearances by player Chris Long and the team mascot, Rampage. Each will appear at several school assemblies, and Long was also included in a photo shoot to create items promoting the program. Rampage also appeared with Rams cheerleaders at a fall football kickoff at Magic House in St. Louis in August. Yogurt parfaits were on the menu. More recently, 125 students from St. Louis area schools who have excelled in activating Fuel Up to Play 60 attended a Kids Clinic at the Rams’ training facility.