Dairy Farmers of America

Teams from our Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas offices volunteered last week at the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas, cooking up a storm and serving families. Dwain Wooley II, senior diversity, equity and inclusion specialist, reflected on this recent experience in a post on his profile. We're #DFAProud of how employees across our Cooperative continually exemplify our value of community by making a difference in the places we live and work.

We’re #DFAProud of Janelle Commodore, our director of strategy and insights, for being one of Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City's seven recipients of the Young Leaders in Agribusiness award. In her current role, she works across the Cooperative to drive DFA’s strategic planning process and ensure it’s a living component of the Cooperative’s culture. To do this, she collaborates with leaders throughout DFA to connect strategic priorities to existing business plans and performance goals. “It’s been fun watching Janelle grow as a leader at DFA — from her start in marketing to, now, her critical role with our Cooperative strategy,” Michael Lichte, chief insights and optimization officer, says. “She is an outstanding member of our team, and I’m thrilled to see her recognized in the Kansas City community.” Outside of work, you can find Janelle and her husband making pizzas at the Imo's Pizza location they franchise or spending time with their son and dog. Join us in congratulating Janelle on this award!

We’re driving into a greener future for dairy one milk truck at a time. As you’ve seen at the gas pump, transportation costs have only been rising. With thousands of milk trucks and delivery vehicles in our fleets driving more than 270 million combined miles per year, that’s a lot of milk and dairy products moving around the country. By implementing driver monitoring technologies powered by artificial intelligence (AI), like Samsara, we’re improving efficiencies and reducing our environmental impact at the same time. “Samsara programs train and protect our drivers,” says Scott Brown, director of transportation and distribution in DFA’s Northeast Area, one of the geographical regions DFA is divided into. “By encouraging and improving driving metrics as a fleet, we are also able to achieve better fuel efficiency.” Milk haulers are responsible for getting our farmer-owners’ milk from the farm to the manufacturing facility. Once that raw milk has been transformed into the products you know and love — like cheese and ice cream — delivery drivers ensure that DFA customers receive the finished product in a timely manner. Drivers can review and improve driving habits, like speed and braking time, through an app on their phones (when they aren’t en route!), contributing to fewer accidents and increased driver safety. These steps also reduce idling time at the manufacturing facility waiting to unload the raw milk, which means our trucks waste less fuel, emit fewer pollutants and reduce costs. “Every penny we can save throughout the supply chain, we can put back into our farmer-owners’ milk checks,” says Corey Gillins, chief milk marketing officer. “We take that very seriously and look for opportunities to do that wherever we can.” Recently, using Samsara, a DFA fleet in our Mountain Area saw a reduction in idling time while at the manufacturing facility by a little under an hour and a half per truck. Reductions like this help improve our carbon footprint while minimizing fuel costs. Moving milk efficiently and sustainably? That’s just how we roll.

Every time Dana Clark visits the grocery store, she takes a detour down the ice cream aisle — and not just because it’s #NationalIceCreamMonth. She’s not shopping for something to satisfy a sweet tooth; she’s checking on the ice cream products she helps make at DFA’s manufacturing plant in Rochester, Minn., which churns out a variety of ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, frozen yogurt and sherbets, all under our beloved farmer-owned brand: Kemps®. “I have to make sure it looks good,” she says. “You only want the best out there, so I always check. It feels good to know that I put it out there.” With 25 years of experience at the plant, Dana knows what goes into making good ice cream. She has worked in the wrapper room, where the ice cream gets shrink wrapped before it goes on to be delivered; the mix department, where ice cream mix is made; and currently as a line operator on the production floor. Her day-to-day requires putting empty pails into a machine to be filled with ice cream that then go on to be hardened, and when the ice cream flavor calls for goodies like cookies and cream (known as inclusions), she makes sure those get added in, too. “I like everything about my job,” she says. “Everybody works together, so that’s a plus. That makes the job easier.” When asked what people think when she tells them she works at an ice cream plant, she says, “They just want to know if I can get them some.” While she can’t hand out freebies, she occasionally indulges, and when she does, it’s always Kemps’ Simply Crafted Chocolate Chip. What’s next for Dana? She plans to continue working as a line operator and is secretly hoping for some grandkids. We’re #DFAProud to have dedicated employees like Dana as part of our Cooperative!

What does DFA farmer-owned butter have to do with barbecue? For DFA employee Jen Canfield and her husband, Troy, it meant winning first place! Jen, a trade analyst at DFA, didn’t know she was destined to be a pitmaster. But when her husband started up a passion for barbecue competitions, Jen wasn’t far behind. “In 2019, Troy and his friend were competing in the largest competition in Minnesota,” Jen says. “At the last minute, his friend couldn’t make it. So, I hit the road bright and early to save the day.” Call it beginner’s luck, but with Jen at the grill, the duo took home seventh place in the chicken category. Hungry for more wins, Jen and Troy were hooked on competing and learning how to perfect their meats. The trick? DFA farmer-owned Plugrà Premium European Style Butter. “We were using Kerrygold® at first due to the fat content,” Jen says. (A high-butterfat butter helps lock in the flavors of sauces and rubs while keeping the meat from drying out during the barbecuing process.) When Jen’s boss suggested she try Plugrà, an 82% butterfat option made from our farmer-owners’ milk, the results were clear. Once they made the switch, Jen and Troy’s team, Pittie Q BBQ, took home first place in chicken for the first time. “At a competition, you’re judged off of one single bite,” she says. “So, you want that bite to pack a punch. Plugrà adds both flavor and moisture.” The wins didn’t stop there. Since switching to Plugrà, the Pittie Q BBQ crew has taken home a perfect score in turkey, fifth place team of the year in chicken and sixteenth place in turkey (out of 219 teams!) at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue. All that from DFA farmer-owned butter? We’re not surprised! Fanning the flame of their success, the Pittie Q BBQ team recently opened a restaurant by the same name in Roseville, Minn. If you get a chance to stop in, you’ll taste the difference for yourself. Can’t make the trip? Find Plugrà butter near you and add it to your next great recipe. >> https://bit.ly/4brJi4y

#FunFactFriday: Did you know that cows are red-green colorblind? Cows have dichromatic vision, meaning their retinas lack receptors for identifying the color red. Instead of seeing a full spectrum of colors, they perceive the world in shades of blue, yellow/brown and gray. Here's an image showing the difference between human vision and what cow vision may look like!

Check out the smart technology keeping our farmer-owners' cows healthy and happy! 🐄💡 Our farmer-owner and #DFACreator, Paul Windemuler, shared some of the innovations he uses to provide top-quality care for his gals. Here’s a glimpse of what Paul wrote about his first-generation dairy farm: "As @dfamilk farmer-owners, we're committed to using cutting-edge innovations to provide top-quality care for our gals. Here's a glimpse of our high-tech dairy farm that helps us work smarter and not harder: -- Smart Fans 🌬: Automatically adjust to keep cows cool in the heat. -- June the Feed Pusher 🤖: Ensures fresh feed is always within reach, which keeps our barns cleaner and reduces food waste. -- Rain Sensor Curtains ☔️: Close during rain to keep cows dry and snug. These tools enhance efficiency, ensuring our cows thrive and produce top-quality milk that goes from my family to yours. Follow for more behind-the-scenes farm insights!" For more behind-the-scenes look at Paul's family farm, follow Dream Winds Dairy on Instagram >> https://bit.ly/3JADoCn.

Turning cow poop into power? It's no bull! Ever wondered how our cow manure transforms into renewable energy at DFA? Think of an anaerobic digester as a supercharged garbage disposal. It takes manure from our farmer-owners and food scraps from local businesses to break it down and turn it into clean energy. This energy powers some of our farmer-owners’ dairy farms and even nearby communities, making sustainability a full-circle affair. The liquids produced help fertilize crops, and the solids provide cozy bedding for our cows. Want to learn more? Check it out here >> https://bit.ly/3wwmoVM.

You’ll never convince us that #CowAppreciationDay is *only* an unofficial holiday. From Holsteins to Jerseys and all the queens in between, the cows on our farmer-owners' dairies are more than just farm fixtures—they're the heartbeat of our dairies and the pride of our farmer-owners. “Caring for our cows well isn’t just our job, it’s our passion,” Arlene Vander Eyk, a DFA farmer-owner from Pixley, Calif. says, “There are a thousand things we could give our lives to, but ensuring our herds are healthy and happy, producing a high-quality product and nourishing our neighbors is our calling and we wouldn’t have it any other way.” So, raise a glass of 🥛 to our queens of the parlor and those who care for them. What dairy product, that they help make, do you appreciate most?

We’re #DFAProud of Kevin Strathman, our executive vice president and chief financial officer, on his recent appointment as chairman of the board of directors for Harvesters—The Community Food Network.         Kevin has been active with Harvesters since 2016 and has served as board treasurer and, most recently, president-elect in 2023.        Harvesters, according to their website, is a certified member of Feeding America and serves as a regional food bank for a 27-county area of northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas. Their mission is to mobilize the power of our community to create equitable access to nutritious food and address the root causes and impact of hunger.       “Addressing hunger in our communities is not just a responsibility, but a critical issue that we can help to alleviate by doing our part,” Kevin says. “I’m excited about stepping into this new role and working alongside passionate people invested in connecting those in our community with meaningful assistance, education and resources.”