June is Dairy Month

Celebrating the cows and farmers responsible for dairy products

By Diego Flammini, Farms.com

Across the United States and Canada’s province of Ontario, June is being recognized as Dairy Month.

For all 30 days in June, communities will be celebrating the farmers and animals responsible for producing the delicious milk, cheeses and other dairy products consumers find at their local grocery stores.

Every day in Wisconsin, there is an activity going on to celebrate the state’s dairy industry including various farms opening themselves up to the public for dairy breakfasts, and meeting cheese makers at LaClare Farms on June 6^th .

From June 4^th to June 6^th, South Dakota’s Switfel Center will host Dairy Fest. The two-day event will feature vendor booths, bus tours to dairy farms, Holstein shows and the opportunity to thank a dairy farmer.

Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center will play host to the Dairy-Deli-Bake Seminar and Expo from June 7th - 9th.

The Midwest Dairy Association lists events happening in Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North and South Dakota.

In Ontario, Canada, The Great Canadian Cheese Festival will be held at the Picton Fairgrounds from June 6^th – 7^th. The show will feature different cheeses and speakers.

On June 27^th and 28^th, different dairy farms from Ontario will open their doors and invite the public to visit as part of Open Farm Days. While there, visitors will be able to see the equipment that’s used and talk with farm families about their every day routines.

On a more governmental note, Canada’s Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz appointed Alistair Johnson as Chairperson of the Canadian Dairy Commission Board of Directors. He will serve a four-year term, effective August 1^st, 2015.

Here are some dairy stats from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations:

• India produces the most milk in the world, approximately 16% of global production, followed by the USA, China, Pakistan and Brazil.
• In the last 30 years, milk production has gone up by more than 50% - 482 million tonnes were produced in 1982, compared to 754 million tonnes in 2012.

Tell us your thoughts about these events happening during June and the celebration of dairy and the farmers who help produce it. As a dairy farmer, what does it mean to you to have all this spotlight on your hard work?