Dairy Management Inc.(DMI) has launched “Acres + Avenues,” an initiative to protect and grow public trust in dairy, to advance the conversation and help people reconnect with dairy farmers who producers.
Acres and Avenues is a three episode web series, featuring seven and a half minute videos, and works to reveal the shared values and parallels in the lives of of dairy farmers and urban millennials by joining two very seemingly different people from each of those two areas in each episode, encouraging them to share their craft with one another.
The series highlights their shared values through unique job shadowing experiences that demonstrate the enduring relevance of dairy, whether those parallels exist through a shared interest in sustainability, shared involvement in a family business, or a shared background in nutrition.
“Most of the millennials embraced the experience of learning about agriculture,” said DMI board member and California dairy farmer Ray Prock during an interview at the 2015 World Dairy Expo, “Not only did they get a greater appreciation for what the dairy industry does, but there were a lot of friendships that came out of it. They were able to bridge the gap that way and build friendships that they never knew they had.”
The episodes are available online, and will also begin to collaborate in a paid partnership with The Huffington Post, Brit + CO and Mashable, in hopes to engage a broader audience that shares the values illustrated in each episode.
Dairy farmers, manufacturers, co-ops and other industry professionals are encouraged to share the content of these videos with their colleagues and friends on their social media channels through the checkoff’s online Amplification Center
For information about the checkoff-led, industry-wide consumer confidence initiative, visit their website
Listen to my interview with Ray here:
Interview with Ray Prock, Dairy Management Inc.
View and download photos from the event here: 2015 World Dairy Expo Photo Album
