Dairy Farmers of Canada won an award for innovation in marketing and communication
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Members of the Canadian dairy sector received recognition during an international awards event.
Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC), for example, won an award for innovation and marketing during the International Dairy Federation’s (IDF) Dairy Innovation Awards ceremony in Chicago, Ill., as part of the IDF’s World Dairy Summit.
DFC took home the prize for its “Net Zero by 2050 – We’re In” campaign, which helps spread awareness about sustainability and the industry’s commitment to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
These messages are important tools for the dairy industry to communicate with consumers, said David Wiens, president of DFC.
“These campaigns highlight the commitment and advances our sector is making towards net zero and we are proud to share real farmer success stories with our fellow Canadians,” he said in a statement.
The campaign also won the marketing award during the 2023 World Dairy Innovation Awards in England this year.
Daisy, DFC’s digital cow ambassador and her available mini games, were a finalist in the same category.
Lactanet and Semex also took home hardware during the awards ceremony.
The companies won an Innovation in Climate Action award for developing Canada’s Methane Efficiency genetic evaluation.
This tool, the first of its kind in the world, helps dairy farmers genetically choose animals that will contribute to lower methane emissions without affecting production levels.
“Methane Efficiency can be defined as methane production genetically independent of milk, fat, and protein yields,” an information page says. “Methane Efficiency has an average reliability surpassing 70% for genotyped young bulls and heifers.”
The award represents 10 years of research, development, and collaboration, and the dairy industry’s commitment to responsible farming.
“We are proud to accept this joint award that has allowed us to bridge the gap by leveraging our resources and bringing the best of our talents forward to provide a solution to address a complex challenge,” Barbara Paquet, chair of Lactanet, said in statement.