Having your hand on the pulse of dairy producers and the industry in general only comes from years of experience.
Connie Bellingtier, this year’s Nebraska Holstein Industry Award winner at the Nebraska State Dairy Association convention, which was held recently in West Point, is a manager at Automated Dairy Specialists in Clearwater, Neb.
And Automated Dairy Specialists took the NSDA Friend of the Industry Award home too.
Speaking and working with producers every day, Bellingtier says that dairy producers have plenty of concerns right now — mostly centered around milk prices, cost of production and those looking to bring the next generation back to the farm — because they are faced with higher-than-expected construction costs.
The good news
On the other hand, dairy is cool in the eyes of consumers, Bellingtier says. “There is growing consumer perception of the value of dairy products,” she says. “This will, in turn, drive demand for nature’s perfect food. Also, right now, if you have replacement heifers for sale, you have a substantial asset on the farm.”
Growing up in Brown County, Neb., between Ainsworth and Springview, Bellingtier and her husband settled in Callaway after college. Hoping to return to the Ainsworth area, they eventually decided to start a dairy of their own, building a small, four-stall milking parlor and milking primarily Jersey cows.
In 2002, they purchased a farm in Wheeler County, just southwest of Clearwater, where they rebuilt and updated their dairy operation. The couple milked cows until 2014, when they made the tough decision to sell the herd.
In 2006, while they were still milking, Bellingtier started working part time as a secretary for what was then Automated Dairy Services. Over the years, that company changed hands and grew, and Bellingtier’s role within the company expanded as well, as she took on sales and management responsibilities.
“In the past, being able to raise my family on the farm was priceless,” she says. “Now, I am so very thankful for the opportunity to work in the industry I am so passionate about. Many of the people I have met because of this job have become lifelong friends. Helping dairy producers reach their goals on the farm is such a rewarding experience.”
Got milk
Midwest Dairy, which represents 4,000 dairy farm families in a 10-state region — including Nebraska and surrounding states — recently released its 2024 report.
Aimed at inspiring consumer confidence and providing resources for dairy product retailers, Midwest Dairy has been partnering with social media influencers to expand the reach of dairy products, especially to Gen Z and other adult consumers.
A big part of the growth in consumer demand that Nebraska Holstein Industry Award winner Connie Bellingtier talks about for dairy has come, in part, from efforts of dairy promotions, such as those developed through Midwest Dairy.
According to the report, influencers were engaged for campaigns during the “cheesy season holidays,” and promoting the importance of dairy in the first 1,000 days of life. These campaigns — encouraging dairy consumption to support healthy bones, teeth and growth in young children — resulted in more than 19.03 million impressions, with 3.9 million people reached and 172,570 engagements.
The report also touted a partnership with three of the largest pizza restaurants in the country, including Marco’s Pizza, Pizza Ranch and Godfather’s Pizza, driving what Midwest Dairy is reporting as 3.4 million-plus additional pounds of milk sold, thanks to this campaign.
Learn more at midwestdairy.com or at nebraskamilk.org.