After being a net importer of dairy products roughly a decade ago, the United States now benefits from a dairy trade surplus of more than $2 billion. In fact, approximately one days’ worth of milk production each week, more than 15 percent of U.S. milk production, is exported to other parts of the world. That’s a great story to tell, and the U.S. dairy industry has created a new communications campaign to put a face on the 100,000 American jobs that are created through dairy exports each year.

IDFA joined with the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the National Milk Producers Federation this month to sponsor Dairy Exports Mean Jobs, a year-long campaign focused on the benefits that exports bring to the U.S. dairy industry.

By telling stories about the men and women who are earning a living producing U.S. dairy products for export, the campaign will inform the public, policymakers and the media about the significant contributions dairy exports are making to the U.S. economy. On a weekly basis, the campaign will also demonstrate the impact of dairy exports created by the industry in individual states. The three groups launched the campaign this month on Medium.com, a social media site with rich multimedia, articles and content. The groups will also integrate these materials into their own communications strategy.

“By combining compelling stories with solid facts and figures, this campaign will demonstrate the economic stimulus that dairy exports bring to every state,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M, IDFA president and CEO. “We are pleased to collaborate with our dairy industry partners on this important initiative, which supports IDFA’s goal of expanding dairy exports as the industry seeks new international markets for products.”

The campaign complements IDFA efforts to quantify the overall economic impact of dairy manufacturing in the United States through its interactive economic impact tool.

For more information, contact Peggy Armstrong, IDFA vice president of communications, at parmstrong@idfa.org.