Early in 2021, Nebraska college students were selected to serve as the Midwest Dairy Ambassadors. Throughout the year, a group of four promoted the dairy community and supported Midwest Dairy’s mission to give consumers an excellent dairy experience at a variety of industry and consumer events in Nebraska.
Courtesy photo
Events that the ambassadors attended and served as advocates included NEBRASKAland Days, Classic Dairy 25th Anniversary Open House (UD Grant supported), Cream of the Crop Dairy Show, Omaha Baseball Village Booth during the College World Series, Nebraska State Fair, Nebraska Extension Ag Literacy Festivals and more. Among the four ambassadors, they totaled 40 activations and reached well over 10,000 consumers during their year-long experience. In addition, this group was skillful and committed to promoting dairy through several social media opportunities.
As a result of their successful participation in the program, each ambassador has been awarded a $1,000 college scholarship from Midwest Dairy. The 2021 Nebraska Dairy Ambassadors included:
Abigail Langdon, from Clarkson, Nebraska, is an agribusiness major with a banking and finance option at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. This year was Abigail’s second year as an ambassador.
Whitney Hochstein, from Wynot, Nebraska, is a graphic design and entrepreneurship major with a minor in foods and nutrition at Wayne State College
Faith Junck, from Carroll, Nebraska, is an agricultural and environmental science communications major at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
Jordan Wilbur, from Kenesaw, Nebraska, is an agriculture education major with a leadership option at University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
In a recent exit (conclusion of program) survey completed by the 2021 Midwest Dairy Ambassadors, 100 percent of the 19 respondents found the Midwest Dairy Ambassador Program a valuable experience and would recommend the program to their peers. In addition, all 19 respondents indicated that the program was a positive to excellent experience.
A few testimonials from the Nebraska Dairy Ambassadors included:
“I learned how to communicate to consumers young and old about the dairy industry…(and) gained a lot of experience talking to consumers and make relations about dairy in their lives.”
“I learned more about … new practices that are arising… (and) learned more about connecting with business professionals within dairy and other agricultural industries.”
Midwest Dairy’s Dairy Ambassador Program is an educational and leadership opportunity for students who are passionate about dairy, are enrolled in post-secondary school, and possess strong communication abilities. To learn more about the Midwest Dairy Ambassador program, visit here (Ambassador Program found on the Young Dairy Leaders tab).
Midwest Dairy® represents 5,800 dairy farm families and works on their behalf to build dairy demand by inspiring consumer confidence in our products and production practices. We are committed to Bringing Dairy to Life! by Giving Consumers an Excellent Dairy Experience and are funded by farmers across a 10-state region, including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. For more information, visit MidwestDairy.com. Follow us on Twitter and find us on Facebook at Midwest Dairy. Dairy. For relevant conversations about issues and trends in the dairy community, listen to Dairy on the Air.