Creeping across the pasture land. Got dirt on
the boots and a working hand. From the milk house
home to the auction call. These are the folks
standing strong and tall. Yeah, this is... Welcome
back to the Bullvine Podcast, where real dairy
producers get real talk on today's most pressing
issues and tomorrow's biggest opportunities.
Have you ever wondered if video games and virtual
worlds could boost your milk check? Well, you're
in for a treat. Today, we're sitting down with
Jenny McDowell, CEO of DairyMax, the group that's
bringing more than 700 dairy farm families straight
into the digital age, and not just for the hype.
We're talking $600 ,000 in milk sales, thousands
of new dairy advocates in places you'd never
expect, and partnerships that put real dairy
front and center on screens across the country.
Jenny's got stories, from launching Farm Tycoon
and Fortnite to teaming up with the Dallas Cowboys,
plus what it honestly takes to keep the next
generation excited about dairy. If you've questioned
how to connect with consumers or doubted if modern
marketing can move real product, this episode
is for you. So grab your coffee, get comfortable,
and let's dive in. So let's get started. DairyMax
represents over 900 farm families across South
Central US. But you're taking a very different
approach to how you guys market than most anyone
has seen before. Can you take us back to the
founding of DairyMax and point a picture of what
drove the creation of the organization? Sure.
You know, I think that the founding of Dairy
Max really is the story of farmer ingenuity and
forethought. And I have worked for dairy farmers
now for 13 years. I just had my 13th anniversary
last week. And one of the things that I am constantly
amazed by just about every day doing this work
is how forward thinking dairy farmers are. And
particularly, you know, when you think about
somebody who is building a generational business,
they're taking over a business. that they got
from their their father their grandfather however
many generations back that goes and their goal
is to pass that on to to their kids and grandkids
um and so in that context you know it does make
sense that they are so forward -thinking. But
how Dairy Max came to be really is the story
of dairy farmers getting together back in even
1915, coming out of some public health crisis,
some issues that were really making people wonder
if dairy was a healthy, nutritious product. And
so they built the National Dairy Council to really
reinforce that belief in dairy and its importance
in the diet, its ability to help kids grow, to
build strong bones, all of the things that we
know that dairy does. And so that was in 1915.
And then in the 1970s, farmers got together again
and under the United Dairy Industry Association
really aligned promotions. They had kind of in
that time frame, different promotion organizations
had popped up in different places and were. doing
the same things, building trust and relevance
in the dairy industry and connecting farmers
to consumers, but they were doing them in kind
of wildly different ways, and there was a lot
of inefficiencies of duplication of work and
that sort of thing. So UDIA started in the 1970s
to bring all of that together. And then Dairy
Max came around in the 1980s to really unify
promotions in the Southwest and help farmers
in this area speak with one voice. And since
then, we've expanded north into Colorado, Wyoming,
and Montana, and also support Louisiana as the
footprint of Dairy Max has changed. But the goal
and the mission has always remained the same.
And that is to drive demand for dairy, connect
consumers to where their food comes from, and
really tell the story of dairy farmers and how
hard they work to produce the most nutritious
food on the planet. And how would you describe
the lifestyle or the values that the dairy farm
families, the Dairy Max supports? Like how have
consumer perceptions or needs shifted and influenced
how you guys focus in promoting the values? Life
of the farm family. I think that the values of
dairy farmers and dairy farm families have really
remained consistent over time. They're incredibly
committed to their families. They're incredibly
committed to the cows that are on their farms,
and they're incredibly committed to the communities
that they serve. And I think that what does change
around that from time to time is how connected
people are to the farm. If you think about this,
you know, less than 2 % of the population feeds
the rest of us. And so our ability to kind of...
keep behind the curtain to see and know where
our food comes from and to really understand
what farmers are doing every day is inhibited
in a way that it's never been in the past when
folks were maybe one or two generations away
from the farm or had an aunt or an uncle who
were farmers and they could kind of get that
connectivity. As we see... Our urban centers
really grow in the connectivity to farms change.
I think it really is about making sure consumers
understand that farmers are staying consistent.
They are staying consistent, again, in their
commitment to the environment, in their commitment
to producing these products that are healthy,
that are wholesome, and that nourish the world.
Okay. Now, when you think about the, I think,
over 900 families that you guys represent, in
that region. Is there a story or an example that
for you best captures why DairyMax exists or
the need for DairyMax? I think about You know,
when I think about that, I think about how hard
farmers work every day on the farm. I grew up
on a horse and cattle ranch myself and so have
some understanding, though it wasn't a dairy
farm. I do understand what it is like to be in
agriculture and how things are constantly changing.
And so we serve all dairy farmers from all sizes
in our region. So from very, very small to very,
very large out here in the Texas and New Mexico
area, farms are growing in size. And we really
see that those farmers have to change every day.
They have to stay current with new farm practices,
new technology, new ways of doing things, you
know, staying current with the markets. And that
is all consuming. And so our role then is to
really help them, again, connect to consumers,
make sure that their products are marketed well,
that we're producing, we're helping the industry
to produce products that consumers really want
and meet their needs where they are today. consumers
know how important and beneficial those products
are so they see them as an essential part of
their diet and lives. And in that way, that's
how we're supporting these farm families so they
can stay focused on the farm, they can stay focused
on making a tremendous product, and we can help
with the focus of where that product goes, what
it becomes, and how the greater public connects
to it. And when you look back over the history
and the journey of DairyMax, Is there a specific
moment or a turning point when the organization
really noticed how it needed to completely rethink
how it connects or markets to consumers? Sure.
I mean, I think that for anybody who has been
working for even a short while, I mean, the pandemic
is, you know, key among those. And when I think
about that, before the pandemic, we were doing
a lot of grassroots work. We were working in
schools, kind of a one to one model where we
were having very direct contact. With stakeholder
groups, with consumers, with physicians, dieticians,
health care professionals, whomever it may be,
we were working with them directly to tell a
dairy story. And the pandemic really shifted
the way the entire world works. In fact, I remember
two weeks before lockdown, we had hired two new
people. One of them, their job was to work in
schools every day. The other one, their job was
to work in colleges and universities every day,
telling the story about dairy and its benefits.
We hired them, and within two weeks, both of
those work sites kind of completely shut down.
And so we had to stop and ask ourselves, what
do we do now? What does this look like going
forward? And in that way, we were able to really
rally in the short term and say, OK, there is
a lot of supply of milk. Cows didn't stop producing
milk. Farmers didn't stop milking cows. But the
way that people are consuming and getting that
milk has changed significantly, particularly
in retail channels and restaurants and that sort
of thing. So we have a surplus of milk in some
areas. And then we have folks in our communities
who are in really significant need in other areas
where they're not able to go to work. They're
not able to access things that they've accessed.
the past. And so in the short term, we were able
to look at that and say, OK, we have supply here.
We have demand here. How can we be the connector
for that? And we worked across processors. We
worked across Feeding America. We worked across
USDA programs to really connect the surplus of
dairy that was happening at processing facilities
with food banks and with folks who needed that
dairy who didn't have other ways to get it. So
we built trucking. We built partnerships with
trucking companies who we had never worked with
in the past because what we realized was the
holdup, the barriers in getting product from
one place to the other were really small. When
you stopped and asked the question of why can't
we do this? Why can't we move this product from
here to there? What's the holdup? You know, oftentimes
that was it was a really small thing. And we
could connect in another partner who could provide
a truck who had the opportunity. You know, they
had excess capacity in their systems as well.
And so they were able to step in and help with
those spaces. And so that was a short term learning
for us. But what it really drove for us in the
long term was how digitally savvy the country
got and everybody got during that time frame.
I read a statistic one time that and I might
get these numbers just a little bit wrong. But
in five months in the pandemic, we jumped forward
five years in terms of technology adoption and
things like people using e -commerce, picking
up groceries from curbside deliveries or having
having things delivered through Instacart and
other providers. And so we while we have short
term solutions during that time frame, we also
recognize that we have the opportunity to change
significantly how we engage to reach more people
with a digital footprint from an online perspective
where they were spending more time with. they
were getting more comfortable, and that has significantly
shifted our business going forward. Now, DairyMax
has become, and you talk about partnerships and
technology, and DairyMax has become known for
some groundbreaking partnerships, especially
in esports. Can you walk us through the room
where someone first suggested partnering with
Fortnite, and what was that conversation like?
Yeah, you know, it was... A interesting conversation.
So one of the things that I always challenge
my teams to think about is how high is high,
right? So when we come up with a solution, when
we're thinking about how to market something,
when we're thinking about how to connect with
consumers, the last question we always ask ourselves
is, are we thinking big enough? How high is high?
What more could we add to this? How could we
make this better? How could we increase the impact
and reach and ultimately the impact for our dairy
farmers? And so we were having a conversation
about reaching Gen Z. And Gen Z is a critical
audience for us. It's a critical audience across
the food chain and across the supply chain because
this tends to be these folks happen to be in
an age group where they're the most skeptical.
They kind of have the lowest trust. And we also
see that world dynamics are shifting and changing.
And one thing that has always been true in the
dairy industry. is that we may lose consumption
in folks a little bit in their teenage years,
but when they become parents, when they get married
and have kids, we see that consumption go way
back up in their household. The challenge, however,
is that Gen Z is doing that either at a much
later time frame or they're not getting married
or having kids at all. They think the latest
stat that I saw was about 46 % of Gen Z is predicted
to be unmarried and without kids by 2040, right?
When we think about that, you know, how they
are consuming and how we need to connect with
them as individuals, not just as future parents,
really has changed. And so that was what we were
talking about is how do we connect with this
group, even though they're kind of late teenagers
now going into college at the time and we may
not be thinking about them necessarily, you know,
as parents yet. How do we make sure that we build
a connection with them and that they are really
connected to dairy and that we're building that
trust? And so the first idea. was to have a retro
game. Like if you can remember in the early video
games, the snake game that you would play on
the old phones or on early computers, that was
kind of our idea was to put that on the website,
on our website, drive people to it, have some
engagement, share it on social media, that sort
of thing. And so we asked in that room as we
were having this conversation, how high is high?
Is this big enough? Will this get us to what
we want to get to? And then somebody said, well,
we need to make our own video game. And we really
need to think about how we build a dairy based
video game. And then we went and talked to some
experts and we realized maybe that was too high.
Right. The cost, the challenges of actually building
our own video game are prohibitive. However,
Fortnite has this opportunity to create maps
and to create sites within it that can be themed
and toned to what we're looking for. And we were
one of the first companies to actually step in
and do this. This was a new technology with Fortnite.
And there were some open developers that were
doing that on a... on a personal level, to build
themes that they were interested in. But as a
marketing tool, we were one of the first companies
to really step into that. And our first map was
Farmer Tycoon. And tycoon games are all about
building up an empire. And so we launched that
with great success. And then we've come back
and since launched a Diner Tycoon. And the goal
is to build on the story. We start on the farm.
We go to the diner. You know, our next iteration
will take the dairy story one step further. So
folks who are playing this get to grow and evolve.
And see how those products go from the farm to
retail to consumers and have an impact. Now,
there's been some exciting Fortnite updates and
they've expanded their gaming initiatives. Can
you describe how these new features are changing
the way the kids will be learning about dairy
farming? Sure. So we've learned a tremendous
amount from the work that we have done in Fortnite.
And so our first iteration was wildly successful.
And we were very excited to be able to take kids
on farms so they could see and kind of play the
game and get an understanding of some farming
fun facts and figures, what it's like to be a
dairy farmer, as much as you can communicate
that through a video game. And in this next iteration,
it is the... Restaurant tycoon. Goodness gracious.
It's a restaurant tycoon game or diner tycoon.
That's what I'm looking for, diner tycoon, where
players are able to run a diner that sells a
lot of dairy -heavy products. So we have grilled
cheese. We have pizza. We have fun things like
that. And they go through and go through the
state of the game play. And as they are buying
products for their diner, as they are serving
customers, as they are creating these dishes,
there are different fun fact cards that pop up
that tell them about why dairy. is nutritious,
why it's good for them, but in a language that
resonates with them. I think that is one of the
biggest innovations that we've had as we've come
along. is that in the past we tended to be very
clinical in how we talked about these things.
And we talked about things like nutrient -dense
foods, which is great if you're talking to a
group of dieticians, but if you're talking to
a group of 12 -year -olds, you know, that doesn't
have the same kind of impact, right? And so really
making sure that all of the messaging, all of
the language is not only in the game, but feels
like it should be in the game and feels like
it's a part of the game. And by doing that, we're
helping kids to see how dairy is just a part
of their life and how it can be. an important
part of their life and it feels very natural
to them. That's really cool. And one of the things
I'd seen or read was that one of the early milestones
is that we had been able to sell over 400 ,000
pounds of milk generated from this initiative.
And that's huge. Can you share the story behind
that achievement? What did that feel like for
your team and how has that impacted things? Yeah,
well, you know, it it'll come as no surprise
that the first time I stepped in front of our
farmer or dairy farmer board and said, we're
going to create a map in Fortnite. We're going
to use gaming to talk to kids to drive sales.
You know, they looked at me a little skeptically.
Right. And this is we took a big risk in doing
this. We took a big risk. in in opening up this
new channel and using this as a way to connect
with consumers again we were one of the first
companies in the country to do this and so one
of my favorite things about working for dairy
farmers is that if you can make a really good
case they are progressive folks and they are
willing to step out and take that risk with you
and so i think when we Got to the end of the
results of our first round of this and saw how
much we had sold in milk pounds, how many people
we had connected with. I think in our first game
had eight years of play time when you added up
all of the minutes of play time across the folks
who played it. It was played for a total of eight
years. When you think about that, that really
is us having a captive audience for that amount
of time to tell these stories. And so it felt
great to know that our risk paid off, that we
were connecting and that we were driving these
stories in new ways. And in our second iteration.
We've continued to grow that. And just in the
first month, we've had 2 .6 million minutes of
playtime, which is about four years. And we've
reached 41 million people. And so we don't have
our sales data back from that. It's still currently
in market. But that's been about a month and
a half worth of being active. So we know that
we are way ahead of all of the benchmarks of
our first iteration. And it's continuing to grow
and reach more folks. Now, you did mention about.
explaining it to your board and you know if for
a traditional dairy farmer or maybe an older
dairy farmer that this seems a little kind of
obscure to and kind of wondering why their checkoff
dollars are being invested in esports and partnerships
what would you say to them or how do you explain
to them why this is a great value for their marketing
initiatives Well, the first thing that we tend
to do when that question comes up is to invite
their kids or their grandkids into the room because
they get it immediately. And so I think that
that helps significantly to understand that this
really is how this next generation is connecting.
And it is about storytelling. It is about connection.
It is about having emotional relevance with these
audiences. And when we start to talk about that
and really help our farmers to understand that
while this may not be relevant to your demographic
and your perspective of video games, maybe positive,
maybe negative, maybe neutral. For this generation,
96 % of Gen Z games, they are constantly on their
phones. They are constantly connected in these
ways. And they are genuinely connected in these
ways. When they're playing video games. Most
often they're connected in a chat with their
friends. They might be FaceTiming with their
friends. They might be watching other people
play. This is very much a social engagement for
kids and for Gen Z. And I think that is something
that is not always obviously apparent to those
of us that are a little bit older and didn't
grow up playing games, is how connected they
are, how social it actually is. And this really
is the next version of movie night. It is the
next version of families watching football. You
know, it is folks getting together. play video
games. So we're just moving with the market and
we'll always continue to do that. There may be
something that comes after gaming that we'll
connect into as well and continue to stay relevant
to that next generation as they're growing up.
Now, you have this initiative with the esports,
but it's not your only sports initiative. You
guys are also doing work with the Dallas Cowboys.
Describe how Dairy Max first partnered with the
Cowboys and how that relationship started. Yes,
we are incredibly proud to be the official nutrition
partner of the Dallas Cowboys. And this has been
a partnership that I have worked on my entire
career at Dairy Max. And, you know, we first
started with our in -school program, Fuel Up
to Play 60, where we were working to connect.
kids to nutrition, to play, to really help them
think about how they could grow up fit and strong
by both eating a healthy diet and playing outside
on a regular basis. And so that was a really
natural partnership for us with the Cowboys.
And as we continued to do that work, what we
found was that we had tremendous strategic alignment
in how we looked at things and how we looked
at our communities. And the Cowboys really wanted
to have an impact. in the community that they
served, particularly around the Dallas area,
and be known as somebody who helps kids and who
drives a healthy lifestyle. And so we were able
to partner with them and look across a multitude
of their partnerships and the ways that they
engage and bring nutrition messaging into that
and really use their reach and their ability
to amplify along with our data -backed and data
-based nutrition messaging to work collectively
to have this community. community impact and
we see that it's having an impact every day.
That as kids are getting ready to go back to
school, we're able to talk to them about how
to take care of themselves, how to stay fit and
healthy. We just did that with the Arlington
Back to School Celebration. We do a cooking contest
every year, the Taste of the Cowboys, where we
bring in schools and they have a cooking competition.
And we talk about why these foods are healthy
and how they help them. And so they get to have
that really fun experience at AT &T Stadium.
And they get to be a part of the Cowboys while
they're doing this. And they're learning. And
the kids who win that competition also get to
come back and cook at a game, at a Dallas Cowboys
game during game day and be featured in the end
zone. So we have this tremendous partnership
that is really based around shared values of
helping to grow the community, staying focused
on kids and really making sure that we're building
the healthiest communities we can. Now, what
has been the reaction from, say, the professional
athletes or the organizations you've been partnering
with in regards to dairy nutrition? I think the
most fun thing in my time working with the Cowboys
and a variety of sports organizations is how
excited football players will get. Particularly,
you know, we get guys who are kind of right out
of college coming into the NFL and trying to
get themselves kind of figured out. And sometimes
they'll kind of sheepishly tell me. We always
ask them, what's your favorite dairy food? You
know, what do you eat the most of? And, you know,
sometimes they'll kind of, oh, well, I like pizza.
I know I shouldn't eat it. I know I shouldn't
eat it. And we get to say, no, there's a lot
of protein. in the cheese on that pizza. And
there's a lot of calcium in the cheese on that
pizza. It's really good for you. It's good for
your bones. It's good for your growth. So I think
that what is most exciting for me is how excited
those guys get when they find out the things
that they love. They can still eat those things
and those things are still good for them. And
in fact, we work really closely with the director
of sports performance, who is the team nutritionist
for the Cowboys. And he makes sure dairy is a
key and central part of the diet that the athletes
are having every day. And a lot of them get really
excited when they talk to me about, oh, yeah,
we just had mac and cheese. And, you know, we
just had this. And I know that it has protein
in it. And so I think seeing that reaction is
really exciting. We had one of my favorite players
was Travis Frederick, who used to be the center
for the Dallas Cowboys. And he is a big Wisconsin
boy. if y 'all remember him and he had this story
about coming out of college and having broken
a bone and he was going to miss the playoffs
for his team because it was going to take 16
weeks for his bone to heal and so he drank a
gallon of milk every day and his bone healed
in 12 weeks, and he was able to play, and they
won. And, you know, it's a movie -ending kind
of story. And so those stories, when players
get really passionate about working with us because
they see the benefits that dairy had in their
lives and how it helped to fuel those performances,
those are also really fun for us to hear. Those
are some really cool stories. But, and I think
you can relate to this as your new role as the
CEO, it also comes down to the bottom line. How
do you feel that these relationships with like
the cowboys and stuff have helped affect the
bottom line for producers? Sure. You know, I
think that it is all about connection. And it
is in many ways what we're doing is we're giving
people permission to enjoy the foods that they
love. And so. When we talk about that and when
we talk about connection, there's a variety of
ways that we build those connections to really
help build trust and drive sales in the dairy
industry. And so we can do that by working with
some great health and wellness professionals,
some great dieticians and folks who have a significant
amount of influence. But when it comes down to
everyday behaviors and what folks emulate and
who they follow and what they do. That's really
who we're looking for is who are those influencers
that are going to make it OK for kids to think
about having chocolate milk and eating cheese
and yogurt and really thinking about that as
a part of their performance diet. And the more
that we can connect folks like Travis Frederick
and different players to these stories, the more
real that it becomes for consumers broadly. And
so we have that great basis of. Science -backed
nutrition, we have key opinion leaders in our
health and wellness communities who are saying,
yep, this is great for you. But we also have
real -life examples of people who are using it
and doing it. And all of those things come together
to drive trust in dairy. And we're seeing that
trust at an all -time high. We're seeing sales
continue to grow to all -time highs. And as all
of that continues, you know, it's going to be
important for us to reinvest and make sure that
as the next generation is coming through, their
trust is just as strong. Now, you share a lot
of testimonies or examples of stories from the
football teams and the consumers. Are there any
stories or success stories that you guys have
had with your member farmers and how your programs
have helped them and how that helps inspire them?
Yes. One of our key focuses is making sure that
our dairy farmers and the dairy farm families
in our region all feel really comfortable telling
their story. Again, that connectivity, the trust
level for farmers is off the charts when you
talk to the average person. And so we want to
make sure that everybody feels capable and able
and comfortable to step into those spaces and
tell their story. And most often that happens
at the grocery store. It happens at a PTA meeting.
You know, it happens in these different community
spaces that are fairly low risk. Right. And so
we have a telling your story training to help
farmers know what how to frame their stories,
how to tell those stories in a way that can connect.
But we also have we also do a lot of work in
the case of issues popping up. And that can come
from the form of activists. And there was a dairy
farm family in Waco whose daughter was in college.
And on her college campus, there was an activist
group who was talking about dairy and, you know,
just spreading complete misinformation about
dairy farming and dairies and being very brave.
She stepped up and said, no, I grew up on a dairy
farm. That is not what happens. That is not what
happens on my farm and engaged with the activists.
And as you know, when somebody engages in that
way, that can bring all sorts of attention to
them. You know, it can really kind of put them
in the spotlight for the activists, so to speak.
So our team was able to step in and help that
family navigate that, work through that, kind
of manage the conversation. When the activists,
she invited them to come to her farm and see
what. what was actually happening on that farm,
we were able to step in and be a part of that
and help to manage that visit, make sure that
everything went positively and that that story
ended in a really successful way for that family.
Well, that's really cool. Now, one of the key
kind of trigger points, at least from a marketing
standpoint, that really gets a lot of consumer
attention is the sustainability and the discussions
around that. Have you had challenging conversations
or what has been the producer reaction when you
guys want to work on the sustainability theme?
How do you help educate producers on why sustainability
is important and connect that with consumers?
Yes. You know, I think sustainability can be
a real pain point for for dairy farmers because
they. it can seem like they're constantly getting
beat up about that in headlines, in the news,
and in kind of public opinion. And what I think
farmers don't always realize is how truly sustainable
they are and how the things that they do are
really important for consumers to know in terms
of reusing water. And reusing compost is bedding
and just all of the different things that they
are doing on their farm every day that consumers
are completely blown away by. They have no idea
that this is happening and they have no idea
how truly sustainable our farms are and how much
how how they are looking to grow in their sustainability.
Now, to farmers, that's just good business, right?
They're doing good business. They're doing good
business every day. And that doesn't really end.
their mind always become a story that they need
to tell. But the more that we can tell that story,
the more that we can help consumers see behind
the curtain and really see what those farmers
are doing and how. You know, I go again back
to this idea of generational businesses. If you're
building a generational business, you are not
going to poison the water. You are not going
to poison the land. Right. You are building a
generational business. You want this to live
way beyond you. And so I think the more consumers
can see that and can see how farmers actually
treat their cows, how they actually treat the
resources that are entrusted to them. the more
connected they feel to that. And the last thing
that I'll say here is that we do a lot of research
around this. We survey consumers on a biannual
basis. We're constantly tracking their perceptions.
One of the number one things that consumers connect
to sustainability is actually cow care. Now,
when I think about sustainability, cow care is
not the top thing that pops up for me, but it
is for consumers. And I think that if we can
get farmers comfortable telling the story about
all of the things they do to care for their cows,
to care for their comfort, to make sure that
they're happy, that they're healthy, you know,
all of the work that goes into that, that really
helps consumers feel confident in consuming more
dairy. Now, can you describe when you kind of
had or when Dairy Max had? Kind of that aha moment
when you realized that your consumer outreach
was having positive impacts for dairy farmers.
Man, I think it is that I think that most often
that happens in retrospect. Right. We get we
get to the end of something and we can look back
and see, wow, our fortnight. work is delivering
400 milk pounds through an online sales campaign.
We can look and see our exports are growing.
We have the largest export year that we've ever
had last year. We see the outcomes of all of
these different campaigns. You know, just in
the last two months alone, in terms of our Fortnite
campaign and our National Dairy Month messaging,
we reached an average of 3 .4 million people
a day. And so when we look back and see this,
things and when we see the industry growing and
we see farms thriving and cows moving into the
area that's when we know that we're having a
really positive impact and was there a specific
time when you realize that when you guys switched
from that traditional marketing to this more
innovative consumer engagement is there a specific
time when you realize that hey this is really
working or you saw that why this was going to
turn out for you guys You know, again, I think
it's all in retrospect and I think it was the
first year when we looked back at our accountability.
We looked back at our KPIs. We said, how many
people are we moving? How many people have we
connected with? And when we moved to a more digital
model, we were able to reach 10 times the number
of people that we were able to reach previously.
And we were able to have some tracking about
not only did we reach them and have a conversation
with them, but did it change their behavior?
And as we get better and better in terms of measurement
and tracking and seeing that, we continue to
really refine that and see that what is most
important for us is to be where consumers are
and where they're making decisions. And most
often that is not in a face to face engagement.
Right. Most often that's in a digital space.
You know, we know that just even online grocery
store sales reach 10 billion dollars in July.
That's a 26 percent increase to the previous
year. And so being more in that digital space
puts us in the center of where they're making
their decisions. And that for us is the big aha
is how do I impact you? right when you're putting
something in your cart, right when you're deciding
what you're going to have for dinner, right when
you're deciding what you're going to put in your
kids' lunchbox. And so this is where we're continuing
to stay focused. And you're reaching out to a
different demographic maybe than in the past,
the Gen Z marketplace. When reaching out or talking
with these Gen Zs, people what is the number
one miss or the biggest misconceptions that you
guys uh battle that you have to help educate
them on or any issues that you're facing with
them and how have you overcome that or what are
your kind of success stories that way Yeah, you
know, I think the two biggest misconceptions,
I think one is a consumer misconception. And
so I think that does come down to on -farm practices,
sustainability, cow care, those sorts of things.
That's a pretty easy story to tell, though, because
people love dairy, right? They love dairy. They
just want permission to continue to love it.
And so that's what we give them by telling the
story. I think that one of the biggest misconceptions
is actually a misconception that we have in the
industry, which is that imitators, the almond
milks, the soy milks, those folks are actually
competitors. And when we look at the market share,
when we look at the marketplace, what we see
is imitators own about 14 % of the market, and
that's about what they've always owned. And so,
you know, it ebbs and flows just a little bit.
But somewhere right between 11 and 14 percent.
And they just eat each other. And we hear about
new cashew milk and hemp milk and pea milk and
all these different imitators coming out onto
the marketplace. And we feel like dairy is under
attack. Real dairy is under attack. But that's
really not what we see play out in the marketplace.
What we see play out in the marketplace is they're
attacking each other. They own a very, very small
part of the market share. And the truth is that
we're in 92 percent of households. Consumers
love us. Consumers. love dairy. They're connected
to dairy. And again, they just want to have permission
to eat the foods they love. Now, your role has
changed here recently. You're now the CEO. So
I'm sure you've been doing some looking ahead.
And so I ask you, over the next five years, can
you paint me a picture of what success looks
like for both Dairy Max and the dairy farm families
you serve? You know, I as I look at the industry
that we're in, there are so many exciting things
happening. And of course, there are always challenges.
But we have so many tailwinds. We're as I said,
we're coming off the largest export year we've
ever had. Sales overall are at all time highs.
Consumer trust in dairy are at all time highs.
We are headed for really great things. And I
think that as we look forward. Collaboration
and unity are going to be the big stories working
together. And what I mean by that is there are
14 organizations that look like mine across the
country, along with our national organization,
DMI. And the more that we can work collectively,
the more we can work with one voice, the more
power that we will have in reaching consumers.
When you look at the work that we do and the
budgets that we have, you know, as one organization,
I don't even come. close to the average Gatorade
marketing budget. But when we can all work together,
then we can have a real impact. And I think you'll
see over the next five years is us working more
in a unified way with similar messaging, similar
approach, similar audience focuses, similar targets.
And that will really help us to drive sales in
a much more impactful way. I tell my team all
the time. that we cannot just be successful within
the borders of our region because the dairy industry
is national and it is international. And so as
we are thinking about how we reach consumers
and how we have an impact, we have to be thinking
outside of our own borders. And we're going to
continue to see that grow. And I think that that
is true for our dairy farm families as well,
that the industry is going to continue to grow
nationally and internationally. And how do we
think about really being a part of that, really
being engaged with that and driving out of those
tailwinds? that we have. So one thing you guys
have really become known for is thinking outside
the box. And so I'm wondering what initiatives
or outside the box thinking are you guys working
on now? What has you most excited? What projects
or initiatives have you most excited about working
on right now for Dairy Max? Well, I do think
it is exports, and it is really thinking about
how do we continue to drive sales beyond our
borders? How do we continue to make sure that
U .S. dairy is in the markets that are growing
the fastest, that it is available, that it is
in the sizes, the formats, the shapes, the styles
that people in those countries and communities
are seeking? And that is where we are going to
see, you know, significant, significant growth
over the next several years. I'm also really
excited a little bit closer to home. It's football
season. Those things are ramping up. And I am
really excited to see the work that we're doing
across college campuses with our NIL partnerships
and some of those collegiate athletes. We have
some really fun, really creative work that is
happening both in our region, but again, across
some other SRs where we're working collectively
on this. And I'm excited to see that come to
fruition. as we get better and better at working
together and get more effective at it. Now, you
mentioned about that college age, and one of
the biggest issues I've been seeing or we've
been seeing is the young people that aren't coming
back to the industry, that they're going off
to other industries and work. If you could talk
to a young person or a person who grew up on
a farm or didn't grow up on a farm, but they
are considering getting into dairy farming, What
story would you tell them about where the industry
is headed and why this is the route they should
go? You know, I think if I had that opportunity,
I would love to talk to somebody. about all of
the different aspects of dairy farming. And if
somebody going into college was seeking my advice,
I would encourage them to get an engineering
degree and I would encourage them to think about
robotics. And I would encourage them to think
about all of the technical side and aspects to
the industry, because, you know, that is going
to continue to grow. If that's not where their
passion lies, marketing and product development
and food science, you know, there are huge opportunities
there. I think that looking at something just
as, you know, we look at such a narrow scope
sometimes when we think about farmers and we
have such an image in our minds that we don't
recognize all of the career paths that are centered
around dairy farming and all of the technology.
all of the creative work that goes into innovation
and moving things forward and being cutting edge.
And all of that is happening every day on dairy
farms. I think it's a really exciting space for
someone to think about how they could engage
in a way that is maybe different than milking
cows every day, but still is really supportive
of the industry. Now, as someone who didn't grow
up in the industry, you've come into the dairy
industry. but you seem to have really embraced
it and you seem to have really engaged in the
industry. What brought that about for you? How
did you find the passion for Daria, someone who
didn't start in it but now working in it? Well,
I have to confess that I did an audit one time
and a full 25 percent of my grocery bill was
spent on cheese. So that was the first recognition.
You know, somebody who did grow up in American
agriculture and, you know, in Wyoming and in
a space that is heavily steeped in ag. I really
believe that the fact that we can feed ourselves
as a nation is the reason why we're able to be
a stable democracy. It's the reason why we're
able to, you know, argue about politics and the
different things that we disagree with. disagree
about. I have traveled to enough countries in
the world and spent a lot of time in spaces that
didn't have that same luxury. And I, you know,
I really believe that a nation that can feed
itself can be free. And without that, you can't
have that. And so I'm passionate about being
a part of American agriculture. And I'm passionate
about the work that dairy farmers do. And your
passion comes through very much. And it's very
exciting to listen to your passion. Are there
any stories or things that you've had over your
career or emotional responses that you've had
to the work you guys do with Dairy Max that really
helps drive that passion from either members
or from consumers that really help drive your
passion? You know, there is a note that I keep
on my desk that during the pandemic when we really
started working in food banks, And, again, making
sure product was going from areas of surplus
to areas of need through some USDA programs.
During that time, we got a note through one of
our food bank partners from a family, and it
was a. grandmother who was raising her grandchild
who had special needs and I don't know exactly
what his challenges were but they were so excited
that there was milk in their local food bank
that they had not had opportunity for that. This
was the first time that they had had milk in
and I think she said maybe two years because
of the challenges that they were living under
and What that meant to her grandson was that
it was a meal he could fix for himself. It was
independence for him because he could make a
bowl of cereal and he could eat that. And that
was one thing he could do for himself. And so
I. Man, I think about that story a lot because
we don't always know the ways we impact people's
lives, right? I know that we're providing the
most nutritious product on the planet. I know
that I'm helping people perform better, but never
in my life would I think that we're giving somebody
that measure of independence that makes a difference
in their day. And so those kinds of things are
really motivating to me and make me think about
how important the work we do is. Wow, that is
very touching. And it's neat because it hits
on so many different levels there. And I think
that's one of the really neat things about DairyMax
is you guys really have looked at different ways
of engaging both consumers and the member organizations
that you work with. So that's really insightful.
What are the next steps for you guys at DairyMax?
What are you working on or what challenges do
you foresee that you have to get past? Well,
we are, you know, we're working through a leadership
transition. And so Mike Conkle led our organization
really effectively for 16 years. You know, as
I'm taking on the helm and looking at how we
move forward, I think it really is. All of the
changes that we see in the world around us and,
you know, some of the uncertainty and all of
those pieces. And how do we stay consistent and
focused in our strategy and message and make
sure that we are meeting people where they are,
that we are always remaining relevant, that we
are always staying cutting edge and that we're
always driving things forward. And so that is
my primary focus, you know, particularly as we're
wrapping up our planning and moving into the
next year. And thinking about where we go from
here. And then, gosh, we have a whole new generation
coming up in terms of Gen Alpha and those folks
who are going to have different ways of moving
through the world. And we're going to need to
be right there with them. And again, make sure
that we stay incredibly relevant to them so they
understand how important dairy is in their diet
and how hard dairy farmers work for them. Well,
I really want to just commend you guys for the
work that you guys have been doing. I think that
the way Dairy Max has gone about. representing
us to consumers but also working with producers
is really insightful so I really thank you for
sharing that with us for those people who want
to learn more about DairyMax and the initiatives
that you are doing where would they go or where
should they find that Sure. We have DaringMax
.org is our website. And from there, you can
branch off and find all of the different work
that we're doing. Connect with our team if you
have questions or thoughts. And we're always
happy to hear from folks in the industry. Cool.
And with that, I want to thank you for taking
the time today. I learned a lot. And I think
that the initiatives you guys are doing are really
impressive. So I want to thank you for taking
the time. Thank you as well. This was very enjoyable.
I had a great time. That's a wrap for this episode
of the Bullvine Podcast. Huge thanks to Jenny
McDowell for sharing her time and for showing
us what happens when you take dairy out of the
barn and drop it into the digital world. Whether
you're a skeptic or already dreaming up your
own online dairy campaign, remember, innovation
on the farm isn't just for technology or genetics.
It's for marketing too. If you liked what you
heard, Give us a follow on your favorite podcast
app. Check out Dairy Max at dairymax .org and
browse more producer stories, insights, and advice
at thebullvine .com. Until next time, keep milking
those opportunities and keep challenging the
status quo. This industry needs it. Have a great
week, and we'll catch you down the road.