New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball today announced the release of the New York State Dairy Promotion Order (DPO) annual report for 2020. In the 2020 contract year, the DPO supported the promotion and advertisement of the New York dairy industry, as well as research and educational activities highlighting the industry, through contracts with seven organizations. The funded initiatives are highlighted in the report. Additionally, the DPO is launching a YouTube channel to better showcase its efforts to promote and support New York dairy.

Commissioner Ball said, “New York State is home to some of the very best dairy products in the world, and the New York State Dairy Promotion Order Advisory Board plays an important role in promoting these world-class products to consumers across the globe. The year 2020 was especially difficult for all of us, including our dairy farmers and producers, and I am proud of the Board’s tremendous efforts to support our dairy industry during those unprecedented times and today.”

In conjunction with the release of its annual report, the DPO is also launching a new YouTube channel. The page will serve as a central location that will make it easier to find DPO meeting recordings, video proposals, and presentations submitted by contracted organizations, as well as educational videos about the DPO and New York’s dairy industry.

The DPO budget for the 2020 contract year had available funds of $14,830,000 for promotion and advertisement of the New York dairy industry, as well as research and educational activities. Awarded projects spent a total of $14,825,111. A summary of awarded projects is below:

• American Dairy Association and Dairy Council (ADADC): ADADC was awarded $10,500,000 to work towards increasing dairy sales for youth; executing a comprehensive retail sales and trust initiative; enhancing dairy’s image and usage among customers; and enlisting dairy farmers to tell their stories.
• New England Dairy Promotion Board (NEDPB): NEDPB was awarded $1,650,000 to continue increasing consumption of New York milk and dairy products by youth; improving the image of dairy products and/or farmers among consumers; and participating in national programs to influence an increase in consumption of milk and dairy products.
• Dairy Management Inc. (DMI): The DPO did not directly award DMI a contract for the 2020 year. Funds were contributed to the national program DMIM through funding received by ADADC and NEDPB. DMI used this funding to accelerate additional dairy products and ingredient sales; build trust in dairy among youth and targeted consumers; position dairy in a global food system; and engage farmers in checkoff activities.
• Venturefuel: Venturefuel was awarded $475,000 to develop NY MilkLaunch – a first-of-its-kind dairy product innovation competition to accelerate innovation in fluid milk, increase the demand for milk; and position New York as an innovation leader in dairy.
• Milk For Health on the Niagara Frontier (MFH): MFH was awarded $450,000 to create advertisements for television, streaming media, radio, movie previews, and the Attica (A&A) Railroad. MFH also used the funding to participate in several events at the Explore and More Children’s Museum in Erie County and other events including county fairs in western New York.
• New York Animal Agriculture Coalition (NYAAC): NYAAC was awarded $150,000 to execute a variety of public engagement campaigns, including a digital campaign called Vision 2020; a campaign called Documenting Dairy that shared the stories of modern dairy farmers; and a program called Dairy on the Moo-ve to show the public what happens on dairy farms. The funding was also used for a televised campaign focused on choosing New York dairy products during the holiday season.
• US Dairy Export Council: The US Dairy Export Council was awarded $100,000 to support the “5% Plan,” which seeks to raise the share of US dairy production exported to 20 percent.

Research Contracts and Summary of Projects:

• Milk Quality Improvement Program (MQIP): MQIP was awarded $774,080 for the 2020 contract year and used this funding to support four research projects focusing on dairy product quality and safety.
• North East Dairy Food Research Center (NEDFRC) Research Projects: The NEDFRC was awarded $726,031 for the 2020 contract year and used this funding to support eight research projects focusing on topics including fermenting value for dairy, identifying sources of undesirable flavors in aseptic (UHT) milk, center technology transfer, and more.

The DPO Advisory Board advises the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Commissioner on the disposition of approximately $15 million a year in funds collected from milk producers under the producer-approved New York Dairy Promotion Order. The DPO Advisory Board also makes recommendations on promotion and nutrition education programs, and various dairy product and research projects. The Advisory Board consists of ten New York milk producers appointed by the Commissioner who serve a three-year term. The first New York State Dairy Promotion Advisory Board was appointed in May 1972 at the request of dairy producers.

New York State has roughly 3,400 dairy farms that produce over 15 billion pounds of milk annually, making New York the nation’s fifth largest dairy state. The dairy industry is the State’s largest agricultural sector, contributing significantly to the State’s economy by generating nearly half of the State’s total agricultural receipts, and providing some of the highest economic multipliers in the State.