Dairy Checkoff Programs
The dairy checkoff works on behalf of U.S. dairy producers and dairy importers to drive increased sales of and demand for dairy products and ingredients through:
FUTP 60
The dairy checkoff extends its longstanding commitment to children’s health and nutrition through the student-led Fuel Up to Play 60 (FUTP 60) program, which is conducted in partnership with the National Football League®. FUTP 60 helps grow sales and protects dairy’s place in schools as public health leaders consider ways to provide healthier food offerings.
Exports/Ingredients
The U.S. Dairy Export Council® (USDEC), funded in part by the dairy checkoff, works on behalf of producers and more than 100 member organizations to enhance global competitiveness and exports of U.S. dairy products. USDEC programming provides professional export marketing support from USDEC headquarters staff and 10 international offices. In addition, the checkoff-funded domestic manufacturing and ingredients marketing program helps USDEC grow ingredient sales globally.
Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy®
Dairy producers, through their checkoff investment, created the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy in 2008 to address challenges and opportunities that require industry-wide action. Through this forum, leaders from dairy producer organizations (including dairy producers themselves), cooperatives, processors, manufacturers, and others are working together pre-competitively to identify solutions and implement plans to help grow short- and long-term dairy sales. The priorities of the Innovation Center are:
- Health and Wellness – This team works to promote the nutrient-rich benefits of dairy foods and remind consumers of the nine essential nutrients that dairy products offer as part of a healthy diet.
- Research and Insights – This team packages dairy nutrition, product, consumer and customer research and insights to share with the broader industry to help grow long-term sales.
- Consumer Confidence – This team works to unite the industry in communicating about dairy-related topics that may affect consumer confidence in U.S. dairy: animal care, environmental stewardship, innovation, food safety, value to the community, and health and wellness.
- Sustainability – This team is working to build a foundation of sound science to tell dairy’s story of sustainability and environmental stewardship, and credit dairy producers for their past and current efforts regarding sustainable practices.
- Globalization – This team focuses on industry-wide efforts to improve U.S. dairy’s global competitiveness by adopting consistent exporter practices and policies that will expand market shares and sales.
Strategic Initiatives
Checkoff partnerships drive change and grow short- and long-term category sales in pizza cheese, food service and lactose-free dairy. In addition, partners maximize producer investments by using their money to accomplish checkoff goals. Over the past year, marketing partners have contributed more than $6 for every $1 that producers invest.
Dairy Farmer Image
The dairy checkoff is committed to helping protect and promote the image of dairy products, producers and the industry. Dairy checkoff staff also offers communications training and tools to help dairy producers tell their story to the public. Dairy promotion organizations also work together through an industry-wide network that helps address misinformation through a comprehensive issues management system. They also develop and deploy crisis communications planning, including regional crisis drills that engage many sectors of the dairy industry.