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CapitalPress.com
May 26, 2017
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Dairy/Livestock
Industry launches campaign to reconnect with consumers
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
The Innovation Center
for U.S. Dairy — in partner-
ship with U.S. dairy farmers
— have launched a multi-
year campaign to reintroduce
consumers to the undeniable
goodness of dairy, from the
enjoyment and nutrition dairy
products bring to people to the
responsible and sustainable
way they are produced.
The integrated, multi-me-
dia campaign is the first of its
kind, designed to bring the en-
tire dairy industry together to
“loudly and proudly” engage
with consumers to build trust,
Beth Engelmann, chief mar-
keting and communications
officer for Dairy Management
Inc., said.
Unlike
the
“Got
Milk?” campaign, the
new “Undeniably
Dairy” campaign
transcends
multiple dairy
products
to
consistently
engage
with
consumers, who
want to know
where their food
comes from, she said.
The campaign is “focused
first and foremost on con-
sumers” with a two-way di-
alogue to engage consumers,
meet them where they are and
show them the dairy industry
is a community committed to
making their lives better, she
said.
Consumers are three
generations removed
from the farm and
receive confus-
ing information
about
dairy
products, non-
dairy alterna-
tive products
and production
practices. The
campaign is de-
signed to be nimble and re-
sponsive to address consumers’
concerns about such things as
food safety, nutrition, animal
care and environmental im-
pacts, she said.
It will provide “the right
stories in the right places” at
the same time consumers are
receiving misinformation, she
said.
A variety of multi-media
content will showcase the unde-
niable taste and enjoyment that
comes from dairy and remind
consumers of the starring role
dairy plays in special moments.
It will also share how the indus-
try continues to evolve through
innovation and technology to
deliver exceptional animal care
and nutrient-rich products and
how it supports local communi-
ties, according to DMI.
It’s time to “open the barn
doors and let people in,” said
Amber
Horn-Leiterman,
a Wisconsin dairy farmer
and chairwoman of the Na-
tional Dairy Promotion and
Online
For more information: visit
undeniablydairy.org
Research Board.
“Consumers have certain
needs that need to be satisfied”
about how dairy products are
produced “and they need to
trust us,” she said.
“Each state has dairy farm-
ers and they all do things a
little differently, which makes
it hard to reach consumers
with a unified voice. But it all
comes down to producing a
quality product and ‘Undeni-
ably Dairy’ is putting a name
on that,” she said. “We can
be trusted, and they can feel
good about how dairy prod-
ucts are produced.”
Dairy families care for
their animals and the environ-
ment, provide jobs and con-
tribute to their communities,
she said.
“We have so much to be
proud of, and it’s time we
show that,” she said.
The campaign launched
on Monday with an online
video showcasing the joys of
dairy in everyday life and two
dozen videos and articles fea-
turing everything from pro-
duction practices to recipes.
The campaign will also coor-
dinate with the Food Network
and Cooking Channel and
hold national on-farm events
during June to celebrate Na-
tional Dairy Month.
Fake milk? Pressure builds for FDA
to address imitation dairy labels
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
Rancher, former House speaker receives award
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
BOISE — Rancher Bruce
Newcomb received a “Com-
mitment to Idaho” award
from Boise State Universi-
ty’s School of Public Service
May 9.
Newcomb served 20 years
in the legislature and his eight
years as speaker of the House
make him the longest-serving
speaker in state history.
School of Public Ser-
vice Dean Corey Cook said
Newcomb epitomizes what it
means to be a legislator.
“There’s no corner of the
state or public policy issue
that hasn’t been impacted by
his leadership and service,”
Cook said during the award
ceremony. “He is a leader and
a mentor.”
Cook said that all across
the state, “If you just say
Bruce, people know who
you’re talking about.”
Newcomb, a life-long
rancher from Buhl, held
leadership positions in the
legislature for 18 years and
currently serves as special as-
sistant to BSU president Bob
Kustra and as the university’s
director of government rela-
tions.
He is married to Celia
Gould, who is director of
the Idaho State Department
of Agriculture and served 16
years in the legislature.
“Together, what a team
they’ve been for the state of
Idaho,” Kustra said during
the award ceremony.
Lt. Gov. Brad Little, a
rancher who served with
Newcomb in the legisla-
ture, told Capital Press that
the former speaker “was al-
ways about doing the right
thing.”
“I was in lots and lots of
leadership meetings with
Bruce and he was always a
big-picture guy,” Little said.
“He always wanted to know,
how do we make Idaho a bet-
ter place.”
Newcomb, a Republican,
said he was inspired to enter
public service after hearing
President John F. Kennedy’s
famous, “Ask not what your
country can do for you, ask
what you can do for your
country” speech in 1961.
“That’s when public ser-
vice got into my heart,” he
said.
Newcomb quoted Ed-
mund Burke — “The only
thing necessary for the tri-
umph of evil is that good men
to do nothing” — as a way to
encourage others to get in-
volved.
“So if you are not in-
volved, get involved,” he
said.
This is the school’s sec-
ond “Commitment to Idaho”
award. Last year’s award
went to Rep. Mike Simpson,
R-Idaho.
The award honors some-
one who has gone above and
beyond in their commitment
to the state, said Jim Munk-
res of the School of Public
Service.
Dairy prices rise then slip
By LEE MIELKE
For the Capital Press
M
21-1/#4N
Capital Press/Sean Ellis
Former Idaho Speaker of the House Bruce Newcomb, a rancher, speaks during a ceremony where he
received a “Commitment to Idaho” award from Boise State University on May 9.
The battle over the mis-
use of dairy terminology on
products from plant sourc-
es — such as almond milk
and soy yogurt — is nothing
new for the dairy industry
and has only intensified in
the last 20 years with the
proliferation of such prod-
ucts.
But dairy industry repre-
sentatives say the drive for
the Food and Drug Admin-
istration to enforce federal
milklife.com
labeling regulations that Dairy groups argue that the Food and Drug Administration needs to
have been on the books ban the use of terms such as “milk” on non-dairy products.
since the 1950s might now
“From where we sit, it meetings to discuss the le-
be gaining momentum.
State milk regulators, hasn’t been a priority for gality of the product labels
meeting at the National them,” he said.
and the need for standards
“The FDA takes enforce- of identity across their in-
Conference on Interstate
Milk Shipments, last week ment action in accordance dustry, he said.
voted unanimously to re- with public health priori-
“Right now, it’s the Wild
quest that FDA work with ties and agency resources,” West” as far as their claims
them to clarify their role in Deborah Kotz, FDA press and labels, he said. They
enforcing the proper use of officer, said in an email to recognize that puts them at
milk and milk product la- Capital Press
risk with consumers, and
In February 2013, in a they’re taking steps to get
beling terms when it comes
to imitation dairy products. reply to a similar request everyone on the same page,
FDA’s longstanding reg- by Capital Press, FDA Pub- he said.
ulation specifies that milk lic Affairs Officer There-
Nutritional value is at
and milk products must sa Eisenman said,” FDA’s the heart of the labeling is-
come from an animal source guidance has been that sue for the dairy industry.
— “not from something terms such as ‘soy milk,’ There’s a reason plant-food
you’d typically feed a cow,” ‘almond milk,’ etc., do not companies want to use dairy
said Chris Galen, communi- meet standards to be identi- terminology — real milk
cations director for the Na- fied as milk. This is an ac- and dairy products are val-
tional Milk Producers Fed- tive issue that FDA contin- ued as nutritional products.
ues to address.”
eration.
However,
plant-based
There is reason to hope products don’t match the
NMPF first approached
FDA with concerns over that FDA will finally act, nutritional value of milk, he
plant-based products us- Galen said, adding that the said.
ing dairy terms on their la- issue is becoming much
Putting dairy terms on
bels in 2000, warning FDA more visible and gaining their labels makes it easier
that if it didn’t do anything momentum.
to switch to those products
Legislation addressing because consumers assume
there’d be a proliferation of
such products and the prob- the issue has been intro- they are nutritionally equiv-
duced in the Senate and the alent or similar, he said.
lem would grow.
And that’s what hap- House this year, and now
“If people for any reason
pened, he said. “We’ve been state regulatory agencies … want to move away from
seeing more and more of have weighed in with “a cow’s milk products, that’s
very clear signal that FDA fine. But it harms our dairy
these products.”
Over the years, NMPF hasn’t been doing what it farmers when plant-based
has renewed its request for should be doing,” he said.
companies play fast and
“I think it’s getting hard- loose with the rules,” label-
FDA to enforce the regula-
tion. Other dairy organiza- er for FDA to ignore the ing their products as dairy
pressure,” he said.
tions have done the same.
products “when in fact they
In addition, plant-food are just pale imitations,” he
But FDA has failed to
manufacturers recently had said.
act, Galen said.
ost mid-May CME
dairy prices climbed
higher, as trad-
ers absorbed last Tuesday’s
Global Dairy Trade auction
and awaited Friday after-
noon’s April Milk Production
report and Monday’s April
Cold Storage data.
Buoyed in part by the GDT,
CME butter shot up to $2.43
per pound Tuesday, the high-
est price since Dec. 9, 2015,
only to ease back Wednes-
day, regain ground Thursday,
then slip Friday to $2.3750,
up 11 1/4-cents on the week
after jumping 15 1/2-cents
the previous week, and is
30 1/2-cents above a year
ago.
The butter eased back
1 1/4-cents Monday and held
there Tuesday, at $2.3625.
Butter production is active
in the Central region, reports
Dairy Market News, and
some were taking discounted
cream from the Southwest.
Better-than-expected retail
sales are reported; others re-
port a seasonal slowdown.
“Global tightness on milk fat
Dairy
Markets
Lee Mielke
has some buyers purchasing
butter ahead of an increasing
export demand.”
Western butter output is
generally steady but larg-
er pulls of cream from ice
cream manufacturers are al-
lowing butter makers to ease
output.
The cheddar blocks hit
$1.67 per pound Tuesday,
then slipped back, recovered,
and closed Friday at $1.67,
up 3 1/2-cents on the week,
35 1/2-cents above a year
ago, and the highest price
since Feb. 6, 2017.
The barrels finished at
$1.47, down 6 cents on the
week but 11 1/2-cents above
a year ago.
The blocks lost 2 cents
Monday and a half-cent
Tuesday, slipping to $1.6450.
The barrels gained a pen-
ny Monday but gave back
three-quarters Tuesday, and
were at $1.4725, a still-too-
high 17 1/4-cents below the
blocks.