We recently wrapped up one of our Dairy MAX board of directors meetings, where we heard updates from staff on demand-driving programs. As I listened to all the amazing work our team does, it made me think about how far we’ve come in dairy promotion through the checkoff.
When I first got involved with Dairy MAX at the board level, I paid attention to the programs I already understood. The things that felt close to home. Dairy nutrition, our work in schools and the kind of work that made natural sense to a guy who milks cows for a living.
Gaming? E-commerce? Influencers? Those took longer for me to wrap my head around.
But that’s the thing about checkoff. It doesn’t follow our comfort zones. It has to follow the consumer.
Once I started learning more about where our consumers are, where they are getting their entertainment, where they are doing their shopping and all of the data that backed this up, I came home from every board meeting a little more convinced that Dairy MAX and the checkoff as a whole is spending our 15 cents in exactly the right places.
I realize kids today aren’t watching commercials. That has become a thing of the past. They are online, they are gaming, engaging on social media, shopping and consuming content in virtual places many of us aren’t familiar with. I knew that. What I didn’t fully appreciate was just how enormous that space has become and how present our competitors already are online.
Historically, the dairy industry has played it safe, but what I love about checkoff is our boldness. Boldness in going for it. Boldness in deciding to no longer sit on the sidelines.
Following the Consumer
I’ll give you a couple of examples of this. The Dairy MAX team, through our Level Unlocked brand, has built custom gaming worlds inside the hugely popular online game, Fortnite. Fortnite is one of the largest gaming platforms in the world and Dairy MAX found a way to strategically place dairy right into the game itself. It’s not a traditional ad. It is an actual experience where players grow their own food, run their own diner and use dairy as a natural part of the game. And it’s working. A second world was built, Diner Tycoon, which reached No. 1 worldwide during its opening weekend. What that proves to this farmer is that Dairy MAX has found a way to reach the younger generation in a way that is natural to them, and most importantly, they can remember it.
I have thought about what it might have cost to reach that many young people through traditional marketing methods, and whether any of this generation would have paid attention or even remembered. This is different. This type of consumer engagement builds a community that trusts where their food comes from and understands how dairy benefits their daily lives.
Beyond the game itself, Dairy MAX is showing up in other areas this generation of consumers lives and interacts in: TikTok and YouTube. We built partnerships with gaming influencers who talk about their favorite dairy foods during live streams and then link them directly to Instacart so viewers can purchase in real time. Making it much more personal to the influencer and viewers, and much easier to purchase dairy. That connection between entertainment and the point of sale is something our industry did not utilize even five years ago. This is what demand-building looks like in 2026. We are reaching the next generation of consumers where they already are and we are making dairy feel like part of their world. As a farmer, this is exactly where I want our investment to be.
Turning Attention Into Sales
That same instinct of meeting people where they already are carries into how we sell dairy too. Here’s a number that got my attention: Gen Z’s spending power is projected to hit $12 trillion by 2030, according to a recent global report by NielsenIQ. This generation already makes up a quarter of the world’s population, and they’re on track to outspend every generation before them at the same age. I don’t think that is an audience we can afford to overlook. This is the future of our market.
For a large number of consumers, we are learning that the grocery store is a screen. They plan their purchases in an app. They click and the milk shows up at the door, which is why it is crucial that dairy is visible in this online environment. Dairy MAX has built a real presence on those digital shelves. Through partnerships with Instacart, Walmart and Dollar General, our team reaches consumers with targeted campaigns that keep dairy front of mind and easy to buy.
I’ve learned retail campaigns like these historically return around $7 for every dollar invested, and some of our recent campaigns have come back at more than $12 to $1 of spend. Those are the kinds of returns I look for in any investment decision I make at my dairy. The fact that our checkoff dollars are generating that kind of performance on the digital shelf tells me the strategy is sound and the execution is working.
On top of that, the e-commerce work connects directly to the gaming and influencer work. When a streamer plays Diner Tycoon and recommends their favorite dairy foods to hundreds of thousands of viewers, there is a link right there to buy. Entertainment becomes awareness, and awareness becomes a sale. That full-circle approach is something the checkoff has built deliberately, and from my perspective as a farmer, this is exactly where our investment should be.
Building Demand Beyond Our Borders
And that work doesn’t stop at our borders.
I serve as vice chair of the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC), and a recent mission trip to Japan changed how I think about what we’re building here at home. Standing in Tokyo, traveling up to Hokkaido, sitting across the table from Japanese dairy companies and food manufacturers made it real in a way no report ever could. What struck me most is that the challenges they’re navigating aren’t so different from our own. Different geography, but same conversations. And what they’re looking for isn’t a quick transaction. They want partners they can trust for the long haul, they want value and that’s the kind of thinking that resonates with me as a farmer. We think in seasons, in generations. So do they. U.S. dairy exports hit $8.3 billion in 2024, which is the second-highest amount on record, and nearly 20% of the milk produced in this country now goes overseas and that number must continue to increase. The opportunity in front of us is significant. And the same practice of showing up, building relationships and earning trust is exactly what will win internationally too.
Asking the Questions That Matter
Fifteen cents on every 100 pounds of milk adds up. I have always known that. Serving on the Dairy MAX board has shown me that the team managing that investment is asking the same hard questions I ask about every dollar I spend on my dairy.
Is this working? Can we measure it? Are we reaching the right people at the right time?
The answer is yes!
