Do you love dairy? Prove it.

Okay, so the title may sound like a bit of a second grade playground dare. But, we do want you to take this as a challenge. Dairy Management, Inc. (check-off organization) along with its social media guide and website, myDairy, have launched the Why I Love Dairy Video Contest. The contest hopes to get the creative and humorous juices of the dairy industry flowing to create a viral video to be used as a promotional piece for the dairy industry.

Packed into just two minutes, the videos will tell your story why you love milk and dairy products, being a dairy farmer, life on the farm, showing/caring for cows, working with dairy farmers/being part of the dairy business, and/or producing nutrient-rich food. While cramming all that information (or what you can) into two minutes, they also encourage you to be funny, unique, quirky, and engaging. If you aren't sure what that means, check out some of YouTube's most watched videos, and you'll get the picture.

The check-off organization hopes that video creators will tell the dairy industry's story while reinforcing key messages regarding dairy product quality, safety and nutrition, animal care and well-being, sustainability/environmental stewardship, and dairy’s contributions to the economy and local communities. If you want to know more about these messages, click here.

To enter, you must register as a member of the myDairy website. (Don't worry, it's easy, and you won't get a ton of e-mails for signing up). You must also be actively engaged in the dairy industry as a dairy producer or dairy family, dairy association or business, college student or dairy club, or a youth member or club involved in 4-H, FFA, or breed organization.

A winner in each of those categories will be selected to receive a $200 Target gift card in addition to its video being utilized for online dairy promotion. We'll post them on our blog, too, as soon as we find out who wins! Winners will be announced on the last day of World Dairy Expo 2010 — Sunday, October 3, 2010. Entries are due by 5 p.m. CST, August 31, 2010. To register, submit your video, or for more information visit myDairy's video contest page.

Dairy direction for social media

Here’s some direction for all of the online dairy advocates out there. It’s called the myDairy social media program and it’s an online starting point developed by producer check-off investment. To kick off the website, DMI hosted two webinars recently to encourage over 350 dairy advocates to become online spokespeople through the use of social media. It’s part of an initiative to have farmers “tell their story” firsthand to the consumer. This isn’t their first dip into social media. The dairy industry already has an 820-fan-strong Facebook page, an impressive YouTube channel, and they’re on Flickr, too. The myDairy program has a toolkit and includes tips on utilizing websites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, links to positive on-line dairy articles, ideas for blogging, and tips on joining online conversations. The myDairy program encourages users learn who their audience is, how to critically evaluate messages, and choose which conversations to join in order to effectively educate those unfamiliar with dairy. The password protected toolkit that houses this information is limited to only those dedicated to promoting a positive image of dairy on-line. To find out more about the program or to obtain a user name and password, contact myDairy@rosedmi.com.

Hoard’s Dairyman joins Facebook; become a “fan”

Just yesterday we started the Hoard’s Dairyman “fan page” on Facebook. In less than 12 hours and next to no promotion, it has already grown quickly. We haven’t been the only ones to see the quick popularity from the social networking site. This afternoon we visited with Mark Jewell, founder of AgJobNetwork.com, an agricultural job resource site with a social networking twist. We know you’ve likely heard of Facebook, Twitter and the career-oriented LinkedIn. Yet, unlike those sites, this one is strictly agricultural, an industry that Mark says “has not even begun to harness the power of new media.” Jewell started a Facebook group less than a year ago to build a network of qualified freelancers for another website he had started. “After 30 days, we had 1,500 members.” It was then that Jewell realized the power of what the website calls “the word-of-mouth engine” and started the job site.

If you’re on Facebook, join us. Just search for Hoard’s Dairyman! You can watch for what’s new on our blog through the RSS feed, view videos about Hoard’s Dairyman, and network with fellow readers. Utilize the discussion board, and tell us what you think.