DFO launches popular Milk and Cookies campaign

Nov 30, 2022

Giving back to and supporting local communities has always been important to Ontario dairy farmers. This holiday season, Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) is making its fourth consecutive holiday donation of $500,000 to The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and other Ontario children’s hospitals in Hamilton (McMaster Children’s Hospitals), London (Children’s Hospital) and Ottawa (CHEO). Since 2019, DFO has donated more than $2 million through the Milk & Cookies campaign to initiatives that support patients and families spending the holidays in Ontario children’s hospitals.

We kick off this year’s campaign with a new TV commercial, Home for Christmas. The ritual of leaving milk and cookies out for Santa means hope, excitement and, above all, … magic. The ritual of milk and cookies is the inspiration behind our TV commercial. The objective is to generate awareness of DFO’s donation to Ontario children’s hospitals and strengthen consumers’ perceptions of the dairy industry, while driving consumption by reinforcing the importance and tradition of milk during the exciting holiday season.

To further amplify the donation and generate consumer engagement, the magical pairing of milk and cookies will be used to spread joy to kids spending the holidays in Ontario children’s hospitals. DFO is providing these kids with a custom Santa’s Milk-O-Gram kit. Each kit includes everything a child needs to decorate a unique and festive milk bottle for Santa’s milk to leave out on Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve), including milk coupons. To encourage consumer participation, DFO is inviting families across Ontario to get involved by posting their own messages of support on social media right through the holiday period. The first 300 individuals to post a message will receive a Santa’s Milk-O-Gram kit of their own. Consumers can visit DFO's social channels to learn more.

The campaign launches on Nov. 28, with 30- and 15-second ads on TV, online video ads, social media, influencers, public relations, billboards, digital advertising, radio ads and broadcast segments on CP24. Our media buy and PR efforts will reach all Ontarians and invite them to join us in showing support for kids who are in children’s hospitals across the province this holiday season.

Source : New Milk

Video: Independent Seed, National Impact | On The Brink: Episode 9

A survey of 200 independent seed businesses reveals what Canada's seed sector actually contributes — and what it stands to lose.

On the Brink, Justin Funk, a third-generation agri-marketer, shares the findings of a national survey conducted in early 2026. The numbers reframe the conversation: independent seed companies in Canada represent upwards of $1.7 billion in dedicated seed infrastructure, approximately 3,000 full-time equivalent jobs in rural communities, and an estimated $20 million in annual community contributions. And roughly 90% of Canada's cereals, pulses, and other small pollinated crops flow through them.

The survey also asked how dependent these businesses are on public plant breeding to survive. The answer was unambiguous. For policymakers evaluating the future of publicly funded breeding programs, Funk argues the economic case for this sector and the case for public plant breeding are the same argument.

On the Brink is a cross-country video series exploring the future of plant breeding in Canada. Each episode features voices from across the industry in an open, ongoing conversation about innovation and long-term investment in Canadian agriculture.