June is National Dairy Month

06-04-2013 in Dairy

Summer is on its way and that means hot, long, sunny days! And what’s the best way to cool down on those days? Ice cream of course! While you enjoy that cold, refreshing ice cream, think of all the effort dairy farmers put forth to get it to you and help them celebrate June Dairy Month!

Dairy foods are rich with protein, which is the start of a healthy lifestyle for building strong muscles, and may even help lower blood pressure and lose weight when taken in the correct amounts. Calcium, one of the many important nutrients a healthy body needs, is provided by various dairy products. Milk, yogurt, ice cream, cheese and other dairy products help provide the protein and calcium to help live a healthy lifestyle.

“Be sure to support Iowa dairy farmers who work hard day in and day out to provide safe, wholesome, and healthy products for consumers around the world,” says Brian Waddingham, executive director of the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers. “Whether it’s milk, yogurt, cheese or ice cream that you enjoy, remember to support your local dairy farmers and thank them for all they do!”

Iowa’s ranks #12 in national dairy production and produces 505 million gallons of milk annually with 204,000 head of dairy cows. These cows are cared for in 1,488 different herds and produce $718 million in sales annually.
Here are some other fun dairy facts:

• It takes just 48 hours for milk to travel from the farm to a retail outlet in Iowa.
• In Iowa, the average dairy cow produces 2,336 gallons of milk over the course of a typical year.
• Iowa has 36 plants that process one or more dairy products.

For more information about Iowa’s dairy industry, visit www.midwestdairy.com.

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