GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — Kicking off in June, National Dairy Month will celebrate dairy farmers and their long-time commitment to communities. Dairy MAX, a non-profit dairy council representing more than 900 dairy farm families across eight states, will commemorate the annual month-long event by sharing the great news of dairy – a delicious and nutritious, cost-efficient food produced by the original environmental stewards, farmers.
“Oklahoma dairy farmers know how important it is to feed our fellow Oklahomans,” said Jim Deaton, Dairy MAX board member representing Braum’s Ice Cream and Dairy Stores. “From improved farming practices, to our commitment to the community we celebrate real, delicious dairy this National Dairy Month.”
Dairy farms contribute nutritious food, jobs, income and outreach to their local communities. Over 3 million U.S. jobs are created by the dairy industry, generating $620 billion in overall economic impact. And for every dollar generated from dairy farming, it turns over up to seven times in the local community.
Dairy farmers are just as committed to giving back through their work, as they are to giving back to the communities, they call home. To celebrate National Dairy Month, Dairy MAX will partner with regional blood banks for the eighth annual Passion for Pints Blood Drive. Local dairy farmers will be present at select drives to visit with members of their community about dairy foods and how milk is sustainably produced on the farm. As a bonus, blood donors will receive giveaway items including a commemorative t-shirt, stress- relief cow squeeze toy, recipe book featuring dairy foods, and dairy products for post-blood donation recovery at select locations.
Originally known as “National Milk Month,” National Dairy Month recognizes the dairy industry and its significant contribution to feeding the world. The commemoration was started by dairy distributors and grocer organizations in 1937 and has grown into an annual tradition led by the National Dairy Council. Although June is the official dairy month, Dairy MAX works year-round to promote the dairy industry through events and the sharing of resources about the goodness of dairy to families, schools, health professionals, athletes and partners.
“With a unique nutrient package of calcium, vitamin D, and potassium, milk is the perfect choice for rehydration – especially going into the summer months. National Dairy Month recognizes that milk is number one in nutritional value for consumers and shows appreciation for the backbone of the dairy industry: dairy farmers and their cows,” said Marty McKinzie, Dairy MAX vice president of industry image and relations.
To find a Passion for Pints Blood Drive near you, visit Oklahoma Blood Institute at OBI.org.
Dairy – it’s real and it’s delicious. Join us in celebrating a world of goodness. To learn more, visit www.DairyDiscoveryZone.com, and be sure to share your National Dairy Month festivities on social media with the #DairyAmazing hashtag.
Meet the Meyer Family, M6 Dairy
Tom and Angie Meyer have been through some hard times, milking 125 Holsteins in the same Oklahoma barn Tom’s grandfather built. Sometimes really hard times.
“He just keeps saying, ‘If you can just give me six more months,’” Angie says with a little laugh. “That was 25 years ago. He just keeps saying that. But, when you love something like we love dairying, it’s easier to do that.”
Like many dairymen’s wives, Angie keeps a job in town to provide her family with insurance and other benefits of a steady, 9-to-5 job. But her heart’s at the dairy, too, and she says she couldn’t imagine a better place to have raised their four kids.
“My gosh,” she says, “our kids have the best work ethic. They just know what hard work is. When someone looks at their résumé and it says they were raised and worked on a dairy farm, they know they’re responsible people who work hard,” she adds.
Though the kids are now in college or about to be, they all come back and help on evenings and weekends. Recently, their oldest son told them he’d like to join the operation full time.
“My husband, myself, my kids … we’re not keeping up with the Joneses or anything,” Angie says. “I don’t really want to say that we live simple, but my kids didn’t ever really want for anything. They didn’t ask for much, but again, my kids were outside and busy and running all over the place.”
— Dairy MAX
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