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At the World Dairy Expo, dairy farmers and industry representatives gathered to discuss innovations in dairy, with a focus on increasing the use of dairy products in everyday items. Randy Roecker, a Wisconsin dairy farmer and member of the Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) board, spoke about recent efforts to boost dairy consumption through strategic partnerships and innovation.
Roecker highlighted DMI’s partnership with Domino’s Pizza, which continues to be a major success. “Domino’s is hungry for more pizza sales, which means more cheese sales for dairy farmers,” he said. Another exciting partnership is with Taco Bell, which has introduced a grilled cheese burrito featuring a dairy-based shell.
Beyond fast food, DMI is exploring new frontiers in dairy-based products. “We can’t think of it as just milk, cheese, yogurt, and sour cream,” Roecker noted. He explained that modern innovation is looking at the components of milk, such as lactoferrin, and their potential uses in new products. These efforts were showcased at Expo West, the nation’s largest natural products show. According to Roecker, this event was a major success, drawing attention to innovative uses of dairy in products like sports drinks and healthcare items.
Roecker also discussed new ideas for utilizing whey, a byproduct of cheese production. “It’s these creative ideas that are game changers for the industry,” he said.
DMI continues to explore ways to increase dairy sales through partnerships and new product development. “We need to be creative to help dairy sales,” Roecker said.
World Dairy Expo continues through Friday in Madison, Wisconsin.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet News Hour and The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.