SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Nearly 100 dairy promoters from five states participated in a three-day virtual training to prepare to engage consumers at the grassroots level. American Dairy Association North East hosted the event on June 28-30, with help from New York State Dairy Princess Shelby Benjamin and State Alternates Elizabeth Hyman and Holly Niefergold.
ADA North East manages the New York and New Jersey dairy princess programs, and provides funding, training and promotional resources to the dairy princess programs in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. The seminar was open to all promoters from the region.
“The dairy princess program is key component of dairy checkoff’s promotion efforts, and this training arms the princesses and county promotion teams with accurate, science-based information to share with consumers,” said ADA North East CEO Rick Naczi. “The princesses provide a face for our industry, but they also grow as individuals in their roles, and will serve as dairy advocates for the rest of their lives.”
Benjamin participated in the training seminar as the Chenango County Dairy Princess before competing for the state title in February.
“Seminar is like a boot camp for the county princesses, giving them the tools to go out and represent our industry,” said Benjamin.
Hyman who is from Jefferson County, added, “Even though we were presenting virtually, the seminar was a great way for the new county girls to meet each other and hopefully be able to better promote together.”
Niefergold from Erie County, agreed, saying, “Seminar is the chance to learn how to be stronger promoters, and as more opportunities open up to do in-person promotions, we’ll all be ready.”
Presentation topics conducted by ADA North East included a detailed explanation dairy checkoff; a Fill a Glass with Hope® overview; tips for answering tough consumer questions; dress code requirements; social media promotions; and program incentive information.
For more information about the dairy princess programs, contact ADA North East Industry Relations Specialist Reegan Domagala at rdomagala@milk4u.org, or call 315.4729143.
Photo caption: American Dairy Association North East Industry Relations Specialist Reegan Domagala (left) led the virtual New York Dairy Princess Training Seminar, June 28-30. New York State Dairy Princess Shelby Benjamin and State Alternates Elizabeth Hyman and Holly Niefergold assisted in the training.
About American Dairy Association North East
American Dairy Association North East (ADA North East) is the dairy farmer-funded organization funded by participating dairy farmer’s checkoff investment to build demand and sales for milk and dairy foods throughout the local region. Representing nearly 10,000 dairy farm families in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and northern Virginia, ADA North East develops and implements local programs to drive milk and dairy sales at retail outlets and in schools. The organization also conducts consumer education about dairy through events, traditional and social media, and in collaboration with health professionals through National Dairy Council®. ADA North East works closely with Dairy Management Inc.™, the national dairy checkoff organization, to support nutrition research, national partnerships and developing export markets for dairy to bring a fully integrated promotion program to the region. For more information, visit www.AmericanDairy.com.
