I think I speak for all Indiana dairy farmers when I say, “Dear April, thank you so much for coming. We have been looking forward to your arrival”! April brings flowers and showers and preparations on our Indiana dairy farms as those families get ready for the Spring planting season. Following the brutal winter we’ve just come through, Spring is even more welcome than usual.
Spring is an extra-busy time on a dairy farm. Equipment needs to be inspected and tuned up in preparation for planting. The ground must be prepared and planting must get done during a relatively short window of opportunity in order to provide feed for the cows which, like you and me, get hungry and need to eat every single day.
Those hungry cows are getting their meals every day and making milk every day so we have a ready supply of fresh, protein-packed, nutritious milk every day.
Most of us can make a quick trip to the grocery store to stock up on fresh milk anytime we like, so we could take having nutritious milk on hand for granted. But did you know that hunger impacts 1 in 6 Americans, including 12.5 million families who do not have access to adequate nourishment to help them reach their full potential? Hunger has no boundaries and is a problem that exists in urban, suburban and rural communities. I recently discovered that these hungry Americans, on average, receive the equivalent of just one gallon of milk per person per year. That was very sad news to me.
That’s why I’m so excited about the Great American Milk Drive which is being made possible by America’s milk companies. Hungry families in your community are missing out on the essential nutrients supplied by milk because it’s not typically donated to food banks – even though it’s in demand. (Fresh milk is like liquid gold in the food banking system). But now you can help by making a small contribution and the dairy industry will donate a gallon for you and make sure it gets to families who need it.
Click here to learn more and find out how to give a gallon of milk to help your hungry friends and neighbors.
