Corey Scott, the new president and CEO of Dairy Management Incorporated (DMI), introduced her leadership priorities last week to more than 730 dairy farmers and industry leaders at the checkoff's joint annual meeting with the National Milk Producers Federation in Florida.
Scott, who took over on Oct. 12 from Barbara O'Brien following her 25-year tenure with DMI, told attendees she intends to lead "from the kitchen table," encouraging farmers to continue sharing what's working, what's challenging and what they need from their checkoff.
She laid out three goals for her first three years: helping every farmer and importer understand and confidently explain how checkoff dollars are spent, making DMI a great place to work and growing dairy consumption by encouraging every eligible consumer to add one more serving of dairy per day.
Scott framed the opportunity using a hockey analogy, asking whether the checkoff is "skating to where the puck is or where the puck is going."
Checkoff leaders also elected national officers, re-electing Pennsylvania farmer Marilyn Hershey as DMI chair. Hershey emphasized the stakes facing the industry today, stating: "The importance of our promotion dollars working remains as critical as ever."
With dairy farmers paying 15 cents per hundredweight into the checkoff, Scott's leadership will shape how that investment supports research, promotion and farmer trust in the years ahead.
This synopsis was created with the use of AI.