Celebrating Wisconsin's Heritage During June Dairy Month
by James Stemper, WMMB District #18 Director

Statewide June Dairy Month activities help the Wisconsin dairy industry celebrate our strong heritage. It's also our opportunity to share with all Wisconsin residents the fact that the dairy industry produces $18.5 billion each year for our state. Our heritage is what helps make our industry strong, and it's an important cornerstone as we continue to build a stronger future together.

This year's June Dairy Month promotion celebrates Wisconsin dairying's past, present and future. Heritage will be a key theme. Another Wisconsin institution, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, will be celebrating its 100th anniversary. We're using this special occasion to draw attention to the dairy industry with one of Wisconsin's own Harley-Davidson Heritage Softtail® motorcycles, complete with a custom paint job featuring cow spots. It's sure to turn heads this summer as consumers register for a chance to win this one-of-a-kind motorcycle, as well as baskets filled with cheeses from Wisconsin's Master Cheesemakers.

This cow-spotted motorcycle will make appearances throughout the state and, with each stop, help generate interest in the Wisconsin dairy industry.

That's the primary goal–draw attention to the dairy industry and our quality dairy products. The sweepstakes, the appearances, and the motorcycle itself give media a reason to write about or televise June Dairy Month events. That media attention, in turn, builds awareness and draws positive attention to the Wisconsin dairy industry.

It opens the door for us to tell our positive story–how the Wisconsin dairy industry injects $18.5 billion into the state's annual business economy. And, it allows us to tell this story to our non-farm neighbors.

There's more going on during June Dairy Month, and I invite you to participate in your local events. One of the more visible events is the county dairy breakfasts. Each host deserves a round of applause for inviting their neighbors to their farms for these worthwhile events. While at your county's breakfast, thank your neighbor for taking the time to stand up for dairy.

Local activities like the dairy breakfasts are the foundation for all WMMB activities and provide a great opportunity for each Wisconsin dairy producer to spread the word about our dairy industry, highlight our strong heritage and point out our $18.5 billion economic impact to the state. And, be on the lookout for that special Harley-Davidson motorcycle coming to your town. It's going to make stops statewide throughout the month, bringing with it consumer and media attention as well as our chance to once again share our industry with non-farm state residents.

Each time you share your heritage with a neighbor, a newspaper reporter, a government official, you've raised the profile of our industry. We have an important and powerful message to share with all state residents. And the more voices that share that message, the higher our visibility.

As always, we're here to help. Events will soon be rolling, so be sure to stay up to date. To find out what's going on in your area, call WMMB or visit our web site at www.WisDairy.com.

Jim Stemper is a dairy producer from Plymouth, Wisconsin. Jim is a WMMB director for District 18 and has served on the board since 1992. He is currently a member of the Communications and Local Promotions Committee.