November 23, 2022 at 2:43 p.m.
Gaining skills to promote dairy
DEAL helps young farmers become advocates for industry
Current students of Midwest Dairy’s Dairy Experience and Agricultural Leadership Program – Jessi Sayers (front, from left), Stacy Rethman, Nicole Engelken, James Goldsmith and Ray Hildebrandt; (back, from left) Cole Hoyer, Elle Tibor, Lindsey Borst, Kevin Borst, Dan Venteicher, Natalie Barka, Paige Roberts and Courtney Lintker – gather Feb. 24 at their first session in Denver, Colorado. This is the second group of dairy farmers to go through the DEAL program, which helps young farmers become advocates for the industry. PHOTO SUBMITTED
Rozum dairy farms with three of her siblings and her parents at Takes Family Farms near Ely, Iowa. They milk 120 Holsteins and also run Dan and Debbie’s Creamery in Ely.
“Because of our creamery, I probably deal with consumers more than the average dairy farmer,” Rozum said. “One thing I loved about the DEAL program is that it gave us a look into consumers in a different way and coached us in how to educate them about what we do. There’s a big gap between consumers and producers, and I loved getting the tools, resources and coaching that we need to do a good job of telling our story.”
Midwest Dairy launched DEAL in 2021 to help farmers, age 40 and younger, become effective spokespeople for the dairy industry. Rozum completed the program in the summer of 2021.
With Rozum’s class having completed the program, and the second group starting up, program facilitators and participants are seeing positive results.
Jenna Finch is the agricultural affairs manager for Midwest Dairy. She plans and oversees the DEAL program by arranging events and reaching out to the group with updates and learning opportunities.
“We were trying to fill a need for young, emerging dairy leaders who wanted to be engaged with Midwest Dairy and learn more about dairy checkoff and how we’re applying those resources to build trust in, and demand for, dairy,” Finch said. “They also wanted to grow their leadership and advocacy skills.”
The 18-month program helps participants forge relationships with their peers and others in the industry, learn how to successfully engage with consumers and the media and better understand the dairy checkoff.
“Participants love the networking that takes place within the program,” Finch said. “I consistently hear back from the group that it’s so nice to meet so many great people from different areas and learn from them too.”
For Rozum, the program has helped her navigate difficult questions from consumers.
“One of the toughest questions consumers ask is about separating the mom and baby,” Rozum said. “To others, that seems like an awful thing to do, but we have good reasons for doing that as a dairy farmer, so to be able to gracefully and tastefully answer those kinds of questions, and still be respectful to those who don’t understand the dairy industry, is really important.”
Midwest Dairy brings in speakers and groups from the industry and teaches social media and communication skills to build confidence in representing and advocating for all things dairy. Although the core lessons remain the same, Finch and her team have been adding new opportunities and fine-tuning lessons based on feedback from DEAL students.
To select dairy farmers for the program, a committee looks through applications received from the 10-state region of Midwest Dairy and selects a class of 15. Midwest Dairy pays for the program and grants stipends to participants for stepping off the farm for the sessions. The students meet in person for three sessions over 18 months for a total of 11 days. Between sessions, participants do assignments aimed to build knowledge, confidence and communication skills.
Cole Hoyer is a member of the current class, which has completed two of the three sessions. He and his wife, Katie, along with her parents, milk 120 cows on their dairy near Estelline, South Dakota.
Hoyer applied for DEAL when a local dairy farmer suggested doing so. Hoyer said he is looking forward to the next DEAL assignment.
“It is to get involved with some type of promotion, whether that’s hosting people on your farm to educate them about dairy, going to someone else’s farm, working at some event Midwest Dairy is involved in – something to help promote dairy,” he said. “There’s a lot of options.”
Hoyer said he appreciates what he is gaining through DEAL. His last session focused on how to create a social media presence for a farm and present on social media in a positive way.
“I learned that I have a lot to learn, especially on the social media side of things,” Hoyer said. “I enjoy interacting with consumers, but it’s also intimidating in some ways, especially nowadays with the internet the way it is. You can say something, and seconds later people can have it up on their phones.”
DEAL sessions also connect farmers to people they might not be aware of in the industry.
A recent presenter was from GoodSport, which makes a sports drink from ultrafiltered milk.
“I had never heard of that company or the drink,” Hoyer said. “I wish the general farming population could know how much Midwest Dairy is doing to get milk consumed and used so that we can keep having a market and keep being able to do what we love.”
Lindsey Borst is also a member of the current DEAL class. A veterinarian and a calf and heifer nutritionist by trade, Borst helps at Borst Family Dairy near Rochester, Minnesota, which milks 230 cows. The farm is owned by Borst’s husband, Kevin, and his brother, father and uncle. Borst said she appreciates opportunities that have come her way through DEAL. Recently, Finch asked her to be on a discussion panel that Midwest Dairy is sponsoring at the Dairy Girl Network national conference.
“I absolutely would not (have said yes), so DEAL has opened up doors for me to doing new things and given me confidence to do so and to continue with social media,” Borst said. “It’s also given me more motivation.”
Midwest Dairy plans to open up applications for the third DEAL class in fall 2023.
Finch said she is excited to see the program continue.
“I feel so lucky that I get to be part of this program and work with these energetic, fun emerging leaders,” Finch said. “I’m in awe of how strong this industry is and how bright the future is.
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