Donna Werley, PDPPS southeast coordinator, became involved with promotion when her daughter became Berks County Little Miss in 1992. Another daughter, Angela, was later crowned county and state dairy princess. “This is a wonderful program. It’s our responsibility to promote what we produce,” Werley said. She and her husband milk 70 cows in Hamburg. Deanna Rose and Carolyn Weaver review books and props that portray scientific, accurate, and fun dairy infor mation available for promotional use through the Ameri can Dairy Association Dairy Council. Jan Harding, Junia Isiminger, and Charlene Ranck review materials distributed during the five district meetings. Behind The Scenes With Dairy Promotion LOU ANN GOOD Lancaster Farming Staff DENVER (Lancaster Co.) County dairy princesses gener ally are the ones photographed and quoted by the media during dairy promotion events. But behind every successful dairy princess are county committees made up of volunteers who put in time and energy by coordinat ing events and doing the gruel ing work required to make promotion successful. These unsung heros receive no pay and little recognition for the hours they donate to the dairy industry. Most share the same basis for their dedication: they are dairy farmers who be lieve in promoting the product they produce. “The best promotion is done by people who promote their own product,” said Junia Isim inger, assistant director for PDPPS. Isiminger and executive direc tor Jan Harding realize volun teers are busy people and strive to utilize the potential of every volunteer. Harding said, “The purpose of PDPPS is to promote the con sumption and sale of milk and dairy products to consumers and to create a better under standing between rural and urban people through one-on one contact at the local event.” One of the ways PDPPS help dairy committees become better promoters is by holding day long workshops in five districts throughout the state. Atten dance ranges from a handful to about 100 at the workshops. Volunteers learn practical advice such as food safety for serving cheese, milkshakes, and milk punches, promotional ma terials available, funding to cover promotional materials, working as a team, and record keeping. Since its inception in 1956, the dairy princess program has changed to meet promotional demands. In addition to dairy princesses, those helping with promotion include alternates, male and female ambassadors, (Turn to Page BIS) Alicia Risser, a former Lebanon County dairy princess, remained in dairy promotion by joining the committee. “I wanted to help dairy farmers by giving back to the indus try,” she said of her appreciation for representing them as dairy princess. Today, she, her husband, and daughter Ab igail, 1, own heifers and work on a dairy farm. Ginny Ranck is the mother of Lancaster County Dairy Princess Elisa Ranck. Ginny has been active with the county committee since her daughter served as a dairy darling and later as an ambassador. “This is a positive ex tension of individual dairy promotion,” Ginny said. She shares dairy products and the nutritional message with guests at her family’s Verdant Green Bed and Breakfast Dairy Farm, Paradise. THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT ICE CREAM^
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