The team at Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council wish you all a very happy New Year! As we look back on 2022, we are proud of our successes and want to acknowledge the hard year that Oregon’s dairy farmers have endured. The resilience of our farmers is more evident than ever. We are also proud to have several processors and cheesemakers throughout the state that have received awards and recognition for their outstanding products.  

Looking ahead to 2023, there is a great deal to look forward to across all areas of the work we do. In the first part of the year, you can expect to see the team at the Oregon Dairy Farmers Association’s Convention on March 6-7^th.  Join us for dinner on March 6^th and hear a keynote address from our Executive Director, Anne Goetze. You can also expect to visit with the entire ODNC team. We hope you can join us!  

Over the next several months, we are excited to spend more time visiting farms and sharing stories from farms across Oregon with consumers. Not only that, but we are excited to get more students and educators out to farms across the state to learn about dairy farming and sustainability. We are proud sponsors of Ag in the Classroom and will be supporting their efforts to bring more dairy centered education to students. In April, ODNC is hosting the 2023 Pacific Northwest Sustainability Partnership spring meeting in Tillamook to showcase local research, innovation and sustainability practices in our state.  

We are committed in 2023 to continue to provide the necessary tools and opportunities to champion the growth and prosperity of dairy in Oregon. What does this look like? Well, it includes supporting the further establishment and recognition of the OSU Arbuthnot Dairy Center, as a center of dairy excellence locally, regionally, and nationally. It also includes supporting the ongoing university research science and discovery at Oregon State University through funding of two BUILD Dairy projects by Food Science and Technology Masters Students. We will also continue to champion Oregon dairy through both domestic promotion with ecommerce, foodservice and retail partnerships in addition to exploring opportunities to expand exports internationally.  

Throughout the next year, the team at ODNC will continue to make nutrition and education about dairy a priority focus. This includes increasing our thought leader education and engagement with healthcare providers, future health professionals, and other key influencers to recognize and promote dairy as an essential source of human nourishment and an environmental solution. We will aim to communicate nutrition benefits through evidence-based science to build trust and support in dairy foods and decrease misinformation surrounding the nutritional quality, safety and sustainability of dairy products.  

Lastly, we will continue to focus on youth wellness, optimizing dairy and expanding access to—and sales of—dairy foods in schools and child nutrition programs throughout Oregon. We will support schools to keep and expand dairy offerings in nutrition programs, as research has shown the nutritional benefits offered by dairy as a part of a well-rounded diet leads to better learning environments for students. We will continue to work with STEM Education networks, Oregon Department of Education and Oregon School Nutrition Association to achieve these objectives.  

It is a busy year ahead for our team, and certainly an exciting one! We are looking forward to working with farmers and processors across the state and thank you for your unwavering support. We hope to see more of you face-to-face in 2023 than the previous years have allowed.  

Let’s raise a cold glass of milk to 2023!