The Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB) today unanimously approved the $28,840,000 promotional program plan and budget covering the 2015 Fiscal Year (FY) which begins July 1 and runs through June 30, 2015. The FY2015 plan covers in-state and national cheese and dairy product promotion; retail, food processing and foodservice marketing and education programs; national communications activities and administrative budgets.The FY 2015 budget is $807,000 lower than last year due to less revenue in the newly-approved budget. "As dairy farmers, we know any investment we make, whether it is on our farms or with our checkoff dollars should be made wisely. At WMMB the dollars invested in promotion, education and research directly support our goal of growing the demand for dairy in Wisconsin and beyond our borders," says WMMB Board Chair and Coleman-area dairy farmer Connie Seefeldt.
Communications activities in the FY2015 budget include national Wisconsin Cheese advertising and public relations, in-school nutrition education programs conducted by the Wisconsin Dairy Council and statewide promotion programs for fluid milk and other Wisconsin dairy products. Also included are promotional support for statewide June Dairy Month events, the Tour of America's Dairyland cycling series and Wisconsin State Fair activities and various farm shows. Other in-state seasonal activities will include sponsorship of the WIAA high school state tournaments and other sports-oriented marketing promotions involving teams at UW Madison and Green Bay and Marquette University.
Support for Wisconsin's Alice in Dairyland program and the year-round promotion activities conducted by 63 County Dairy Leader Groups are again also part of the FY2015 promotional plan. The America's Dairyland television series and weekly Wisconsin Dairy News segments are also included next year as well as the highly popular online magazine, Grate. Pair. Share.
The FY2015 Budget continues to build on the organization's success in reaching consumers through social media portals such as Facebook, Twitter and online blogs, and through popular websites which helped generate over two billion consumer impressions last year.
Plans for the upcoming year continue to support Wisconsin Cheese promotion and activities in all 50 states and continuing promotional initiatives within the state for all Wisconsin dairy products. At the national level, activities include retail and foodservice promotions, buyer education, manufacturer/marketer co-op product demos, point-of-sale information and in-store Wisconsin Cheese signage. Expanding Wisconsin identification on more retail cheese packaging is also included in the plan as well as an increased focus on having more Wisconsin Cheese used in the pizza and sandwich segments.
The FY2015 Budget continues support for the UW-Madison Center for Dairy Research (CDR), which provides research and technical assistance to Wisconsin cheese and dairy processors.
WMMB's FY2015 budget:
Communications: $12,468,000
Channel Management: $14,898,000
Administration: $1,136,000
Capital Appropriations: $63,000
Contingency Fund: $275,000
Total FY2013 Budget: $28,840,000
The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Inc. is a nonprofit organization created by Wisconsin dairy farmers to promote the consumption of milk, cheese and other dairy products made in America's Dairyland. The organization is overseen by a board of 25 dairy farmer-directors elected for three-year terms by the state's dairy farmers.
4.7.2014