SYRACUSE, N.Y. – American Dairy Association North East and Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program recently joined the Pennsylvania Beef Council to coordinate a farm tour for 15 registered dietitians at the Spring House Market and Farm in Eighty Four, Pa., to debunk dairy myths and build trust in dairy.
“Hosting health professionals like those from the Pennsylvania Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is a crucial part of dairy checkoff’s programming and relationship-building because of the ripple effect it can have in building trust in dairy,” said Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program Chair Lolly Lesher. “These dietitians have seen first-hand how dairy farmers sustainably produce milk and therefore can confidently recommend dairy as a safe, nutritious product for their own families and their clients.”
The tour started with a hot breakfast prepared and served in the Spring House Market with a welcome from market and farm owner Beverly Minor. Washington, Pa., beef producer William Devore also spoke to the group about beef production and the nutritional value of beef.
The group then toured the dairy farm where the Minors milk 120 cows whose milk is processed at the Spring House and sold in the market. Tour guides answered the dietitians’ many questions about the on-farm production practices that highlighted how the farmers care for the land and the environment.
Attendee Andrea McCollum, MBA, RD, LDN Registered Dietitian at Cura Hospitality said, “The Spring House Farm Tour was very educational, and I feel more comfortable drinking any type of real dairy milk because I now know that all milk is safe, nutritious and delicious.”
“Tours like these are so important to debunking myths about dairy by building a connection with the farmers who are producing the foods they recommend to their clients,” said ADA North East CEO John Chrisman. “It’s a win for our farmers and it’s a win for those who consume dairy.”
For more information, visit AmericanDairy.com.
Photo caption/Spring House Farm Tour: A Spring House Farm tour guide speaks to 15 registered dietitians from the Pennsylvania Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics during a tour coordinated by American Dairy Association North East and Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program.
Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program is the dairy farmer-directed organization funded by participating dairy farmers’ checkoff investment to build demand and sales for milk and dairy foods throughout Pennsylvania. Managed by American Dairy Association North East, Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program develops and implements local programs to drive milk and dairy sales at retail outlets and in schools. The organizations also conduct consumer education about dairy through events, traditional and social media, and in collaboration with health professionals through National Dairy Council®. For more information, visit www.AmericanDairy.com or call 315.472.9143.
