Our annual toast to milk

Dairy Field, Jun 2003

* Processors nationwide get into the spirit of June Dairy Month.

Cereal without milk.

Macaroni without cheese.

Cake without ice cream.

Get the picture?

Go hug a cow and celebrate Dairy Month.

So reads a card available on an Internet greeting card site, the presence of which serves to further legitimize this month-long industry holiday in the hearts and minds of American consumers.

Processors, associations and other groups are in the thick of organized activities to celebrate June Dairy Month, observed annually since 1939. Outings, contests, demonstrations and giveaways are among the events being used nationwide to commemorate these 30 days honoring milk, cheese, ice cream and all things dairy.

The state that calls itself America's Dairyland is combining two Wisconsin icons for its part in this year's celebration. The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB) invites consumers to celebrate their state's heritage with the sights, sounds and tastes of Wisconsin classics, from quality dairy products to Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Dairy goodwill ambassadors, donning Holstein-spotted vests and riding Harley cycles, will appear at June Dairy Month events at select grocery stores, dairy breakfasts and other special events throughout Wisconsin. Consumers are invited to visit the WMMB tent at special events for free recipe brochures and other giveaways, and to catch a glimpse of the grand prize in the June Dairy Month sweepstakes: a Harley-Davidson 100th Anniversary Heritage Softail Classic motorcycle, custom painted with black and white Holstein spots. Fifty first-prize baskets featuring cheeses made by some of Wisconsin's master cheesemakers, as well as other prizes, also will be awarded. For more information on WMMB's celebration of June Dairy Month, visit www.wisdairy.com.

More June Dairy Month information comes from the Midwest Dairy Association (MDA), a non-profit organization responsible for increasing consumer demand for dairy products on behalf of farmers in nine Midwestern states. MDA offers its own salute to Midwest dairy farmers who, as the association says, "work hard to provide us with the safe, wholesome and delicious dairy products we enjoy so much." For MDA's June Dairy Month trivia and fun facts, visit www.midwestdairy.com.

University extensions and 4-H Club chapters across the country are celebrating in their own ways. For example, the University of Wisconsin Clark County Extension offers recipe contests, while 4-H'ers in states like Tennessee and Virginia can enter a youth poster contest inspired by the theme, "Savor the Flavor Drink Milk."

Let's not forget the plethora of California organizations that consistently honor all that dairy has to offer. Not the least of which is the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), which is using the occasion to remind the nation that its state has the most productive dairy cows. And if it's June, it's time again for the Real California CheeseMobile to hit the road. The specially designed van is part of the CMAB's "It's the Cheese" marketing campaign and its sponsorship of 10 minor-league baseball teams in California. The van appears throughout the state at grocery stores and ballparks, where consumers can stop in to sample a variety of California cheeses, meet ball players and try to win ballgame tickets.

At nutritionexplorations.org, a Web site supported by the National Dairy Council, school foodservice administrators can find nutritional messages to add to their menus to promote June Dairy Month. Recipes using dairy ingredients are part of the June Dairy Month celebration at www.easyhomemeals.com, a site sponsored by the National Frozen and Refrigerated Foods Association. This site also features serving suggestions, food safety and nutrition information, games for kids and a sweepstakes.

June Dairy Month also is being touted as a way to promote dairy sales. For example, the Web site of DeForest, Wis.-based Agri-Nutrition Consulting Inc. urges visitors to take the opportunity of June Dairy Month to "be your own best salesperson" by promoting staples like milk, butter and cheese.

There's no shortage of advice for families on how to celebrate June Dairy Month with the kids. A visit to familyinternet.about.com reveals a host of suggestions for honoring the country's dairy heritage, including museum and farm visits. There also are links to various dairy-related sites offering virtual tours of milking parlors, dairy-inspired recipes and dairy-themed crossword puzzles.