Marilyn Hershey, Dairy Management Inc. board chair, joins Lucas Lentsch on the Dairy on the Air podcast to discuss the power of partnerships and how checkoff is collaborating to meet the needs of consumers, build trust in dairy and boost sales.

In the newest episode, Hershey, a dairy farmer from Pennsylvania, shares how checkoff-funded dairy scientists are working inside partners’ test kitchens—including McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Dominos—developing new ways to enjoy and incorporate more dairy.

Through these programs, partners are incorporating more dairy into their menus, making dairy farmers’ investment more impactful in helping drive dairy demand.

As an example, Hershey points to McDonald’s switch from using margarine to butter.

“That was the result of dairy scientists in the kitchens,” she says. “It had a catalytic effect in that others soon followed and added butter as well.”

During this episode, Hershey also discusses:

• The Undeniably Dairy campaign and its success in reaching new consumers
• The importance of dairy farmers getting involved in sharing their story, especially in the age of social media
• How school programs, such as Discovery Education, are bringing dairy into the classroom with virtual field trips and helping students understand where their food comes from