Dear Friend,
Dairy Council of California is in full motion as we embark upon our new fiscal year and welcome a new school year. We are proud to support the dairy community through advocacy and education, as seen through the updates in this Elevated News. Please take special note of several opportunities to engage and support dairy’s role in healthy eating patterns and sustainable food systems.
Amplifying Dairy’s Health Benefits to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee
Dairy Council of CA is actively engaged throughout the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) process to advance dairy’s significant role in healthy eating patterns. The release of the updated Food Pattern Modeling protocols: provided us with an opportunity to share current dairy nutrition and health insights and evidence related to the following protocols:
Click here to read Dairy Council of CA’s public comments on the Food Pattern Modeling protocols.
Next Steps:
The DGAC’s sixth and final meeting is scheduled for September 25–26, 2024, with the Scientific Report expected to be released for public comment by late fall 2024. Dairy Council of CA plans to submit additional comments following the last meeting and prior to release of the DGAC report. We encourage members of the dairy community to get involved and share their input through the public comment process.
The California Air Resources Board invites interested parties to join a public workshop to learn about its progress in compiling California-specific dairy activity data and evaluating the dairy sector emissions trends. Attendees will also hear from a diverse set of stakeholders, including people who live and work near dairy operations and members of the dairy industry. Here are further details of this event:
Date: August 22, 2024
Time: 10:00 a.m.
In-Person Location:
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
Central Region Office, Governing Board Room
1990 E. Gettysburg
Avenue, Fresno, CA
Remote Option: Zoom
The workshop materials will be posted on the workshop web page as they become available. If you have questions about the workshop, please contact: CADD@arb.ca.gov
It is important
that members of the dairy community share their stories and engage in this process to demonstrate their leadership in sustainability efforts and commitment to serving local communities.
World School Milk Day—September 25Join Dairy Council of CA in celebrating World School Milk Day on September 25, 2024! Let’s shine a spotlight on the vital role of school milk in supporting students' optimal growth and development. Engage with your community and champion school
milk consumption by sharing our World School Milk Day Toolkit and first annual poster contest with your network.
Visit HealthyEating.org/WSMD for more information and stay tuned for exciting announcements!
As a reminder, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has proposed amendments to the pricing formulas for Federal Milk Marketing Orders following extensive industry feedback. These changes include updates to milk composition factors, revisions to the base Class I skim milk pricing and adjustments to manufacturing allowances for cheese, butter, nonfat dry milk and dry whey. Additionally, USDA recommends removing certain cheese prices from the Dairy Product Mandatory Reporting Program and updating Class I differential values to better align with current market costs.
The proposed rule will be available for comment until September 13, 2024. California's dairy community is encouraged to act and provide public comment on these proposed changes. Your input is vital to ensuring fair and effective milk pricing. Click here to provide your public comment.
How Dairy Foods Support Healthy Aging
The increasing older adulthood demographic is now a reality impacting nearly every aspect of society, from jobs and health care to family support and long-term care. How the
nation navigates the changes associated with an aging population will no doubt cause debate, but one part of the healthy aging equation is certain—Food is Medicine strategies can help. In a recently published article in Agri-Pulse, I share the
many reasons dairy can play a significant role in healthy eating patterns that can promote optimal aging. Click here to read the article titled Opinion: Aging Demographics Provide Opportunity for Food and Ag.
Bring a Cow to School Day
It was a full circle moment for Dairy Council of CA’s Mobile Dairy Classroom instructor Miranda Blagg as she brought Buttercup the dairy cow to her childhood elementary school, Richard Moon Primary School in Waterford. Giving back to her community and building a lifelong connection to dairy agriculture is one of the reasons Ms. Blagg is so passionate about the Mobile Dairy Classroom program. An article, which ran in Stanislaus Farm News, also highlights Dairy Council of CA board member, Denair dairy producer and Stanislaus County Farm Bureau First Vice President Vance Ahlem, who was in attendance. You can read the article here to see how Dairy Council of CA’s original farm-to-school program educates not only the students on where milk and dairy foods come from but also their parents and educators.
If you have questions, concerns or feedback you would like to share, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Best regards,
Amy DeLisio, CEO
Dairy Council of California
adelisio@DairyCouncilofCA.org