BlMjncastor Fanrtnfl, Saturday, April 11, 19M
Milk Promotion
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Fanning Staff
DENVER (Lancaster Co.)
Maybe she’s shy. Maybe she’s
unskilled and unknowledgeable
about dairy promotion, but within
a few months a daily princess
becomes a competent spokesper
son for the dairy industry.
That’s because the people
behind the dairy princess program
have the stuff that makes a dairy
princess.
These people form the Pennsyl
vania Dairy Princess and Promo
tion Services, Inc. (PDPPS).
Headed by Jan Harding and
assisted by Arlene Wilbur, PDPPS
has a network of district coordina
tors and committee people dedi
cated to dairy promotion at the
grassroots level.
To train the committee people,
PDPPS holds bi-annual work
shops in five different regions of
die state. At these workshops, par
ticipants receive specific instruc
tions on how to plan and carry out
promotion at the local level.
Much of this training is in over
seeing the local dairy princess
program. While the program has
traditionally catered to females,
Wilbur said, “We have several
young men interested in dairy
promotion. One county has several
18-year-old males working as
ambassadors. We want their parti
cipation. They make excellent
spokesmen for dairy farmers.”
The male issue is a topic that
PDPPS will need to address.
In a recent day-long meeting
held in Denver for the southeast
section of the state, committee
members were given the tools and
inspiration needed to make promo
tion easier and more effective.
Carolyn Weaver of Dairy Coun
cil in Southampton showed exten
sive materials the the Dairy Coun
cil makes available for use in
schools. Books, videos, classroom
curriculum, and props include out
standing graphics, and colorful,
creative layouts filled with facts
and figures.
Pa. State Grange
GETTYSBURG (Adams
Co.) The Pennsylvania State
Grange recently named Mark and
Patti Sveda of Irvine its 1998-99
Young Couple.
What’s remarkable is that the
rural couple hasn’t been active
very long with the Grange, and
only recently decided to make time
to participate.
According to the couple, know
ing last year’s Grange young cou
ple and desiring a better life for
themselves provided the inspira
tion to become involved.
The Svedas went from hardly
participating in Grange activities
to applying for and being named
the Pa. State Grange Youth
Department’s young couple of the
year, during an annual Young
Marrieds/Young Adults weekend
getaway held at the Gettysburg
Days Inn.
The Pa. State Grange Youth
program is for young adults ages
14-35. It places emphasis on the
development of leadership skills,
recreational activities, community
service and working to make Pen
nsylvania a better place to live.
The Pa. State Grange is an agri
cultural, rural and community ser
vice organization dedicated to
improving the lives of rural Pen
nsylvanians through legislative
action, offering member services
“These materials teach nutrition
in creative ways in play format,”
Weaver said.
In addition. Dairy Council has
educational brochures that explain
the truth about lactose intolerance
and other controversial issues that
dairy princesses are often ques
tioned about
“You don’t need to reinvent the
wheel. We have lots of informa
tion from the Dairy Council to
effectively get the message
across,” Weaver said.
Jayne Seabright and Rebecca
Sonnen of Middle Atlantic Milk
Marketing Association (MAM
MA) told how the checkoff money
goes for advertising. A coordi
nated method for promotion has
been worked out recendy.
“DMI advertising targets kids
and MiIkPEP advertising targets
teens and adults,” Seabright said.
Video clips of the new “Got
Milk?” ads created for kids and by
kids were shown for participants to
review.
“If you don’t understand them,
that’s because you’re not suppose
to,” Sonnen said. “Kids made them
arid love them.”
Sonnen talked about the Youth
Soccer Campaign used to teach
participating on soccer teams with
the message: Drink Milk.
“Dairy promotion is essential to
sell more milk and improve the
farm image to the consuming publ
ic,” Wilbur said.
Participants were given news
release forms, official entry forms,
presentation and speech guide
lines, nutrition information, and
information about some of those
often overlooked issues such as
insurance to cover promotional
events.
Extensive paperwork is required
to chronicle promotions so that
princesses can receive reimburse
ment through incentive awards.
Wilbur apologized for the
paperwork but said, ‘To succeed
one must learn in life to follow
guidelines and rules.”
Wilbur cautioned committee
members to keep the program fun
and participatin in community
affairs.
“It’s been a slow start,” Patti
said, “but we’re ready to climb that
hill and get active, and this seemed
like a good place to Start”
According to the Svedas, their
best friends who live nearby, Jim
and Terri Wertz, inspired them to
become involved.
Both couples are members of
the Broke ns traw N 0.407 Subordi
nate Grange in Youngsville, and
last year the Wertzes were the state
Grange young couple.
According to the Svedas, seeing
the fun and effect the title had upon
their friends convinced the Svedas
to forward their names for consid
eration for the honor even if
they didn’t win, they couldn’t lose.
“(Winning) was somewhat
unexpected,” Mark said, “But we
saw how happy Jim and Tetri were
and we decided to go for it.”
Paid said, “They said it was a
very good experience and we
would have a wonderful time. I
think being involved with the
youth is going to be a wonderful
experience.”
Mark said he expects that they
will grow from the experience.
“I feel we will become more
outgoing and active instead of
standoffish and taking a wait-and
see altitude toward participation,”
How To’s Ta
Jayne Seabiight
and to be flexible. “Use daily
maids and alternates so that the
responsibility does not become
overwhelming to your county
dairy princess.” she said.
The effectiveness of PDPPS
would not be possible without the
financial assistance of businesses.
In addition to providing a $l,OOO
scholarship for the state princess.
Site Power offers $lOO to each
active county promotional prog
ram.
In addition to the meeting held
in Denver for the southeast region,
similar meetings were held for the
southwest region at New Stanton,
the northwest region at Clarion,
the central region at State College,
and the northeast region at
Wyalusing.
Tammy Balthaser Weaver,
industry relations director for the
Pa. Beef Council, encouraged par
ticipants that they can make a dif
ference and make their efforts
Names Young Couple Of Year
Mark said.
“Being in front of people will
also help us be belter public speak
ers,” he said.
They are to get many opportuni
ties to develop public speaking
skills.
In addition to serving on the
Youth Department Committee
during the coming year, they are to
represent the Grange Youth
Department at Grange Leadership
School in June; at the state session
to be held in Crawford County in
October, at the national session in
Greensboro, North Carolina, this
fall; and at the 1999 Pennsylvania
Farm Show in January.
Additionally, they are to make
visits as the state young couple to
various subordinate and Pomona
Granges across the state to discuss
the programs.
Mark said their goal is to
increase participation by all rural
youth and eligible members.
“We will try to get more young
people to join Grange by talking to
them and teaching them about the
Grange,” he said.
Mark, a laborer at a local tire
company, and Patti, a secretary
with a local petroleum company,
said they will be putting some
energy into drafting another
Brokensttaw couple to be consid-
count
A former dairy princess herself.
Weaver credits much of her exper
tise in the public relations field to
the training she received in the
dairy princess program.
“No other industry matches the
dairy industry for the involvement
of producers promoting their own
product” she said. She noted that
committee persons seldom receive
recognition for their many behind
the scenes work to do the program.
She encouraged them not to
become discouraged. “You ate
enriching many people’s lives,”
Mother’s Day Tribute
Surprise your mother, wife or grandmother by sending one of her
recipes to be included in a special tribute to mothers in the May 9th
issue of Lancaster Farming,
Include a few sentences about her and a picture if you have one.
Make sure that you include your name. Your address must also be
included if you want the picture returned.
Submissions must be received in our office by May 4 to be included.
Send the information to Lancaster Farming’s Mother’s Day Tribute.
Attention Lou Ann Good. P.O. Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522.
ered for the next young couple Grange to be named state young
selection. couple, they said they were going
* to work on getting another couple
Since the Svedas are the second from die Brokenstraw Grange to
consecutive couple from the same apply.
Marfc and Patti Sveda show a cake presented to them
upon being named the Pa. State Grange Young Couple.
Charlene Ranck
Weaver said.
Attitude shows in everything we
do, Weaver said of the hectic
responsibilities many people
handle. She encouraged commit
tee people to assess their attitudes
before contacting businesses and
people when setting up promo
tions. because our attitudes show
in our voices.
The quality of life can be
improved by your attitude accord
ing to Weaver who lives by the
philosophy; Life is 10 percent of
what happens to you and 90 per
cent your attitude towards it