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.

Hoard's visits with DMI board member Steve Maddox

We recently sat down with Steve Maddox of Riverdale, Calif., to visit with him about some of the current initiatives of your checkoff dollars. Maddox currently serves on the national DMI (Dairy Management, Incorporated — the umbrella organization of the checkoff) board. If you enjoyed this video, you're in luck. We just posted another video over on our Bonnie's Brush with Hoard's Blog today! Bonnie visits with viewers about the underpainting — the monochrome-painted framework of the artwork.

Video and essay contest to promote ag

Classrooms across the country will soon be filled with students. And the timing couldn't be more perfect for the launch of the Reach, Teach, Learn video and essay contest being sponsored by Alpharma Animal Health. The contest began last year as a way to educate consumers about modern agricultural practices, and this year will include an inaugural essay contest being planned for high school students.

In it first year, the Reach, Teach, Learn Student Video Contest yielded 150 entries from major universities across the country. From those 150 short clips, five full-length videos were produced from the top group of entries. In the contest's final phase, videos were posted on YouTube, and nearly 8,000 votes were cast from some 15 countries. This year, a similar format will be followed, and the top three vote getters will be eligible for $5,000, $2,000, and $1,000 cash prizes.

Meanwhile, an essay contest is being planned in partnership with Ag in the Classroom. The program includes development of curriculum for high school advanced-placement classes. The contest will allow students to share their views and opinions about agriculture based on a lesson plan, a select book, and an essay topic. Student prizes include a $500 first-place award, $250 for second, and $100 for third, while the schools from the top three will receive $1,000, $500, and $250. The teacher of the top essay student will receive a $2,000 grant to attend the Ag in the Classroom annual conference. Both contests begin in September and run through late December.

For more information go to www.reachteachlearn.com

Hoard Farm featured on Wisconsin Dairy News