National Dairy Month
National Dairy Month has been celebrated in the U.S. since 1937. It initially ran from June 10 to July 10 and was branded with the tagline “Keep Youthful—Drink Milk.” In 1939, the National Dairy Council renamed and reframed the event to encompass the entire month of June. National Dairy Month has evolved into a commemoration of the dairy industry’s global contributions and is observed in America in a variety of ways.
Truckers are vital to the industry, as they represent, in most cases, the only viable way to transport dairy products quickly and affordably. After milk is transported from a farm and processed into dairy goods (butter, ice cream, and cheese) it is packaged and shipped to consumers all over the U.S. in refrigerated trailers.
American truckers are supported in a number of ways through dairy companies, distributers and retailers. Did you know that in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota alone over 4.7 billion gallons of milk, 4.1 billion lbs. of cheese, and 1.4 billion gallons of ice cream are transported by reefer trailers? That’s a lot of dairy!
The Dairy industry supplies over 81,700 jobs to outside trucking companies who depend on spending by the dairy industry. All told, the dairy industry creates almost $4.89 billion in wages and nearly $13.47 billion in economic impact for American trucking companies. So the next time you spread that delicious cream cheese over your bagel in the morning take a second and silently thank the transportation industry for a job well done!
