LANSING, Mich. — It was all smiles earlier this month as state officials and dairy industry representatives celebrated Michigan’s Dairy Food Awareness Day.

 

The yearly event, held on the State Capitol lawn, is meant to highlight the nutritional benefits of dairy consumption, as well as the economic impact of the dairy industry on the state; it also celebrates dairy farmers and dairy companies.

“Dairy Day and National Dairy Month are great reminders to get the recommended three servings of dairy daily, not only from milk, but also cheese and yogurt, since these foods are valuable sources of essential nutrients,” said Sharon Toth, chief operation officer of United Dairy Industry of Michigan (UDIM), a dairy trade group.

“Estimates show that most Americans are not getting enough calcium from their diets, which means they are not benefiting from optimal calcium absorption and nutrition.”

The event was hosted by the Michigan Dairy Foods Assoc., UDIM and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) and featured locally made dairy foods. This year Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer Allison Schmitt made a special appearance, offering pointers to parents and caregivers on helping children improve their eating habits, the importance of good nutrition and physical activity for children and how dairy fits into a well-balanced, healthy meal plan.

Dairy Day is traditionally celebrated in Michigan during June, with National Dairy Month and World Milk Day as a backdrop. Dairy advocates tout the consumption of milk and other dairy products as helping to reduce high blood pressure and the risks of osteoporosis, obesity and colon cancer.

Representatives from Michigan businesses served free dairy product samples, including cheese, sour cream dips, butter cookies, milk and ice cream. MSU Dairy Store, Country Dairy, Michigan Dairy/Kroger Co., Ashby’s Sterling Ice Cream and Guernsey Farms Dairy were among the businesses participating.

MDARD Director Jamie Clover Adams said the state has seen an expansion in new dairy businesses and technologies, including large dairy processors and automated robotic milking systems, as well as small on-farm artisanal cheese-makers.

She said MDARD is “ready to help those companies call Michigan home.”

Behind the celebration, dairy farmers and other dairy businesses are facing some tough challenges these days.

They now have to compete with products such as almond milk, soy milk and other products called “milk” that may or may not contain any dairy.

Recently, dairy farmers found out that selling their product in Canada could be more difficult after the Canadian government lowered prices for Canada-produced ultra-filtered milk, a byproduct of the butter-making process.

According to an April 28 article on the nonpartisan site FactCheck.org a recent surge in the popularity of butter has resulted in a great deal more ultra-filtered milk that farmers have to sell. Because of the large amount of milk being produced now, the timing of the new Canadian milk policy was really bad, said Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin- Madison.

Michigan has 1,800 dairy farms and, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, the state ranks fifth in the nation in milk production. Dairy is also the leading segment in Michigan’s agricultural economy, contributing nearly 22 percent of total ag cash receipts.