ROSEMONT,
Ill. –
Dairy farmers’ longstanding commitment to the environment and their stories of
stewardship are taking center stage for Earth Day communications strategies led
by the checkoff.
Following
Earth Day on April 22 and continuing into May, Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) will
showcase tangible examples of real environmental progress being made on farms
and throughout the dairy supply chain.
“At
a time when the environment only continues to increase in importance with
consumers, the great news is dairy has a solid story to tell that many people
aren’t aware of,” said Marilyn Hershey, a Pennsylvania dairy farmer and chair
of DMI. “We have made progress and we have made commitments and we continue to
embrace new technologies that show how much we are dedicated to the health of
the planet. Earth Day is dairy’s moment to shine.”
DMI
will use its channels, including www.USDairy.com
and its social media properties, to publish sustainability related content,
such as videos, articles and infographics highlighting farmer
stories. Other strategies include cultural influencers publishing dairy
sustainability content via their social channels and the recent release of a video
from media partner Vox examining what happens to nutrition and the environment
if the U.S. dairy cow herd was removed. The video is based on the recent U.S.
Without Cows study. The first Vox video on Cow
Power was released last fall.
DMI
also has been committed to a steady flow of media outreach that will continue.
Efforts include leading influential sustainability media members on farm tours
and creating a media
resource guide with key information.
Finally,
the checkoff has led efforts to build awareness with important audiences about
dairy’s vital role in sustainable, equitable and secure food systems over the
past six months, sparked by the announcement of the 2050
Environmental Stewardship Goals and Net Zero Initiative. DMI also has engaged with thought leader
organizations, such as the World Economic Forum and The Economist Global
Sustainability Week in March.
Heather
Oldani, executive vice president of corporate communications for DMI, said
consumers are increasingly looking for products they can consider “green” and
companies and brands are making sourcing decisions based on sustainability
commitments.
She
said DMI’s Earth Day strategy focuses on reaching three audiences to build
trust and sales:
- Thought Leaders –
Those who consider themselves informed on the issues of the day. They are
leaders and decision-makers within their organizations, and they expect
stakeholders to understand the climate challenge is a systemic problem
interconnected with multiple global issues.
- Conflicted Health Seeker Millennial Parents – They’re concerned not only about what they’re feeding
their kids but how it’s made. They’re expecting organizations and the
people who make their products to help them be more environmentally
friendly and ethical in their everyday lives.
- Gen Z (aged 10-23) –
They’re looking for authenticity and expect companies and brands to help
them navigate the anxieties they face, particularly when it comes to
global issues such as the environment. In fact, according to a YPulse
Sustainability Report of Gen Z and Millennial audiences (captured here
as 13-39 years old), two in five young people worry about climate change
every week.
Oldani
said sustainability takes on an added focus with the United Nations’ Food
Systems Summit this fall. The Summit’s goal is to raise global awareness and
shape commitments that can transform food systems to resolve hunger, reduce
diet-related diseases and restore planetary health.
“It’s
important that we tell the story of the incredible things farmers and the dairy
community are doing to demonstrate their care for the land and animals in the
realm of sustainability,” Oldani said. “More than ever, this is an opportunity
for dairy and all of agriculture to stand up and say this is the essential role
we can play in sustainable food production and one we’ve played for
generations.”