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.

Putting family farm faces on the No. 1 milk state

Building greater consumer confidence in dairy products by showing the tremendous care and caring that California dairy families put into what they do is the focus of 15 compelling videos at www.realcaliforniamilk.com, hosted by the California Milk Advisory Board.

Filmed at dairies up and down the state, the beautifully crafted videos don’t focus on “where does milk come from?” as much as they do on some of the people who produce it -- in their own homes, in their own fields and corrals, and in their own words. There are no scripts or sets or suits, just real California milk producers and their families talking honestly and spontaneously about what they do and why they love doing it.

The two-minute vignettes are informative, engrossing and often surprising slices of Golden State dairy Americana. Not only does the unabashed joy of working with animals and producing wholesome food come ringing through loud and clear, but there are also some unexpectedly touching, poignant moments when memories of sacrifice and loss are recalled.

The videos brim with insight and surprises, calves and kids, gorgeous cinematography, and sincerity that can’t be rehearsed. They also put real, reassuring faces on the No. 1 milk state that debunk the corporate farming myth and skewer the myopic “factory farm” stereotype. Whether you take the time to watch a few videos or all 15, we think you’ll be glad you did.