Pennsylvania has the second-largest number of family dairy farms in the United States. The majority of our 6,570 dairy farms are family owned, managing 525,000 cows. They pump nearly $15 billion into our economy, support more than 52,000 jobs, and produce an abundant supply of fresh, delicious, nutritious milk every year to the tune of 10.9 billion pounds.
But these are challenging times for our PA dairy farmers. An oversupply of milk on the market and declining demand for fluid milk have combined to put tremendous financial strain on many of these proud dairy farm families. Competition in today’s beverage industry is fierce and somewhat unscrupulous. Some food companies label their products as “milk” when in fact their product has no dairy-based elements. Real milk is virtually unrivaled in its nutritional impact, with an 8-ounce glass of milk packing 8 grams of protein and 8 other essential nutrients.
The significant financial burden on Pennsylvania’s dairy farms, coupled with fewer market options, have left some of our farm families with no other option than to exit the business. Others are changing to different sectors of our state’s number one industry, agriculture. As these farms move away from dairy, what’s at stake is Pennsylvania’s ability to continue producing an abundant, homegrown supply of farm fresh milk most of us take for granted.
But PA dairy farmers are tough, and our dairy industry remains robust and resilient. Our goal is to keep your business with the best product we have: Our delicious milk. Dairy organizations like ours have come together with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to launch a statewide public education and consumer awareness campaign – Choose PA Dairy – to highlight the substantial health benefits of milk and to encourage more consumption of our state’s official beverage, Pennsylvania milk and diverse dairy products. A key feature of the campaign is a new website, www.ChoosePADairy.com, which explains how consumers can make sure their milk is produced and processed in our state by simply looking for the “PA Preferred® logo or the number 42” in front of the plant code on milk. The website also provides stores and locations where you can purchase fresh Pennsylvania milk along with some brands to look for when you are grocery shopping.
You are also hearing and seeing us on statewide radio, TV, and billboards extolling the virtues of Pennsylvania milk. We’ve forged partnerships with the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters and the Outdoor Advertising Association of Pennsylvania to make possible those important outreach efforts.
National surveys show that buyers prefer to purchase locally-sourced foods. Buying local milk is a testament of your support for Pennsylvania’s rural communities. Our PA farm families take good care of their cows, and are strong stewards of their farmland and our natural resources. PA dairy farms provide wide open spaces, and good, family-sustaining jobs that add valuable economic revenue for the commonwealth. Every 10 cows support one job in Pennsylvania, while every one cow generates more than $24,000 in annual economic revenue to our state, through direct and indirect sources.
As we noted, milk is the star of this campaign. Farm fresh, real dairy milk produced in Pennsylvania is naturally nutrient rich – which is difficult to match in most non-dairy milk alternatives. Milk’s complete package of natural nutrition is backed by decades of research demonstrating milk’s role in building strong muscles, a healthier immune system, stronger bones, and an overall healthier body.
As an industry, our farmers give back to our local communities through initiatives such as the nation’s first statewide, charitable milk distribution program, Fill A Glass With Hope®, which has raised more than $1 million and distributed more than seven million servings of fresh milk in Pennsylvania to those at risk for hunger, especially our nearly half a million hungry children.
Our milk creates an economic and goodwill ripple effect across the globe. Pennsylvania milk makes its way into the international marketplace in products like butter, ice cream, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products or into dairy ingredients that are used in products like chocolate, snack foods, and baked goods made here in Pennsylvania.
June, Dairy Month, is the perfect time to remind everyone about the importance of this unrivaled beverage and our dairy delicious foods produced right here in our Keystone State for all to enjoy. The next time you reach for a refreshing, nourishing beverage, make it milk and Choose PA Dairy. It’s goodness that matters to your health, your family, your community, and our commonwealth. Together, we can keep Pennsylvania milk flowing from our farms to your families for the benefit and enjoyment of generations to come.
By:
Dave Smith
Executive Director
PA Dairymen’s Association
717-679-1357
440 Plaza Drive
Palmyra, PA 17078
Jayne Sebright
Executive Director
Center for Dairy Excellence
717-817-1376
2301 N. Cameron Street
Harrisburg, PA 17110