SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., & MODESTO, Calif. – June 5, 2012 – The month of June may be the start of summer, but it also kicks off a month-long celebration of all things dairy. As the number one dairy state, California is celebrating June Dairy Month with a proclamation from California Governor Jerry Brown declaring June “Real California Milk Month” in recognition of the importance of California’s dairy industry and 30 days of activities celebrating and supporting milk and dairy products and the farmers who bring this essential food to the table.
The proclamation can be viewed at http://gov.ca.gov/s_proclamations.php.
“We are thrilled Governor Brown continues to show his appreciation for our industry and the more than 1600 dairy families that work hard every day to milk for our tables and the dairy products consumers love,” said Stan Andre, CEO of the CMAB. “This year we are asking dairy fans to show their support of California dairy families by looking for the Real California seals when they shop. Those seals represent real people who provide jobs and are an integral part of our state’s economy.”
Beyond the diversity of dairy products made with California milk, the state has another reason to celebrate. Dairy is California’s number one agricultural commodity. The Golden State produces more milk, ice cream, butter, yogurt and Hispanic dairy products than any other state and is the nation’s second largest producer of cow’s milk cheeses. In fact, California produced over 41 billion pounds of raw milk – more than one-fifth of the nation’s total production – in 2011 alone.
The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) is helping consumers celebrate Dairy Month with 30 days of tips, tools and recipes designed to showcase all of the delicious ways California dairy fits into today’s busy and active lifestyles. Did you know a cold glass of California milk can cool the heat from spicy foods? Or that California produced more than 1.3 billion pounds of Mozzarella cheese in 2011? That’s a lot of pizza topping! From breakfast to ballgames, date nights to on-the-go snacks for the whole family, California dairy has something to offer every day of the year, not just June.
“While we celebrate California milk and dairy every day, June is especially important because it gives us an opportunity to spotlight not only our favorite tips and tools but also the importance of dairy to the state’s economy,” said Jennifer Giambroni, CMAB Director of Communications. “And this year we’re using Pinterest to challenge dairy fans to share their own favorite tips and recipes as well.”
The CMAB is asking dairy fans with Pinterest accounts to pin or upload their favorite dairy related images, recipes or tips onto their boards and then share those pins on CMAB’s Facebook wall by posting the Pinterest link for a chance to be repinned on the CMAB “June Dairy Month” Pinterest board (http://pinterest.com/realcalifmilk/). The CMAB will pin their favorite submissions daily and at the end of June, the image with the most repins will win a gift bag of California dairy goodies.
Dairy products made with California milk can be identified by the Real California Milk or Real California Cheese seal, which certifies that the products are made exclusively with milk produced on California dairy farms.