Overall, June Dairy Month serves as a reminder of the critical role dairy products and producers play in our daily diets and the agricultural economy. The Agri-Business Council of Envision Greater Fond du Lac takes this seriously.
June Dairy Month is an annual celebration dedicated to promoting and appreciating the dairy industry and its contributions to health and nutrition. It started as National Milk Month in 1937 and was later renamed to All Dairy Products.
Historical records show that this festive “holiday” was initiated by dairy distributors to help stabilize dairy demand during the summer months when production was at its peak.
Throughout history, June Dairy Month has aimed to encourage the consumption of dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt and butter while highlighting the nutritional benefits they provide.
2024 Breakfast on the Farm: Parking will change to off-site shuttles for Breakfast on the Farm on June 23. Tickets are still available.
During June’s Dairy Month, Envision’s Agri-Business Council is busy, to say the least. In fact, they start preparing for it as early as May with Day on the Farm. This precursor event provides a real farm experience for kindergarten and first grade students. Hundreds of students participate in this event every year.
June starts with June Dairy Day. This event kicks off the month with a plethora of activities for the whole family. Coinciding with the weekly Saturday market in the center of Fond du Lac, guests can enjoy a petting zoo, dairy games and many tastings of dairy products (cheese, milk, ice cream, popcorn and grilled cheese).
Breakfast on the Farm is perhaps the largest agricultural event of our year and takes place on the fourth Sunday in June. For 35 years, the Agri-Business Council has hosted this event, which showcases a local farm along with the many farm-adjacent items that fall under the agriculture umbrella. Guests enjoy an extensive country-style breakfast; music; local cheese tasting; an agricultural education zone; ice cream; a petting zoo; antique agricultural machinery; modern agricultural technology; and so much more.
Celebrating dairy is not excluded up to one month a year. In fact, the largest overall impact occurs during the academic year. The Agricultural Ambassador Program visits more than 10,000 students each school year. This program was developed out of the need to educate and inform adults and youth about the production and nutritional value of agricultural products produced in our community or state, as well as the impact agriculture has on our daily lives. The Agricultural Ambassador presents various educational programs at schools for free. In 2022, this program received a grant to expand the program and in late 2023, this program was recognized with the Classroom Agriculture Literacy Leadership Award from the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation.
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The Fond du Lac County Fair also takes place a little outside of the June dairy month. In 2022, the Agri-Business Council partnered with the fair to create an education space, including the ‘Moo-turnity Ward’. This experience allows children (and adults) to participate in farm activities, see baby animals and, if they’re lucky, see a cow being born!
The Agri-Business Council ends the year with an annual meeting and a gift box fundraiser (filled with local dairy treasures!). There always seems to be plenty to do in the agricultural world.
For more information on these topics, please visit envisiongreaterfdl.com/agri-business-council/.
Tracy Qualmann is senior director of marketing and communications at Envision Greater Fond du Lac.
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: June Dairy Month in Fond du Lac Shows the Economic Impact of Dairy
