12/29/06 Dairy checkoff results

When it comes to the dairy checkoff, success equals results. So how are the producer-funded efforts helping to increase dairy sales? Tom Gallagher is CEO of Dairy Management Inc., the group that manages the national checkoff. He says one accomplishment is getting more appealing milk choices in restaurants. GALLAGHER "We're helped facilitate Sonic and Burger King to transition from a cardboard container of milk to a plastic container of milk. That brings us to a total of 35 thousand food service stores that now offer milk in white and chocolate varieties in round resealable, plastic containers." Another success is the new look of school milk. More than six thousand schools now offer milk to 3.5 million students in plastic single serve bottles. That will pay long term dividends says Arizona dairyman and DMI chairman Paul Rovey. ROVEY "And it's creating lifelong consumers of milk that will continue to utilize the dairy products out into the future." Meadow Gold Dairy has upgraded its Boise plant so it can produce more milk in plastic containers for Idaho schools. There's been continuing education on health benefits to three dairy servings per day and new cheese menu ideas. The end result more than 270 million incremental pounds of milk. Learn more about the checkoff at this website, dairycheckoff.com. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott