June Dairy Month is all about the cooperation between farmers, community members, manufacturers, retailers and consumers all to celebrate one awesome ingredient: milk—and all the products that come from it! And as one of the nation’s largest cooperatives, we know just how important it is to work together for a greater good.

That’s why we’re celebrating the important role Land O’Lakes, Inc. member-owners have in the dairy industry—all while giving back to our communities.

We kicked off the month with a World Milk Day social media event on June 1. Our Dairy Foods and Land O’Lakes, Inc. social media platforms featured photos of Land O’Lakes dairy producers with special thank-you messages. Land O’Lakes Animal Milk Products Company shared the campaign on its We Care for Calves Facebook page. Member Relations even engaged our members to take part in the event.

For every like, comment or share these photo tributes received, we committed to give $1 to the 4-H youth organization, up to a total $20,000.

How did we do, you ask? We’ll let the numbers speak for themselves. We reached more than 2 million people with this campaign, garnered more than 30,000 likes/comments/shares of the post and easily achieved our goal of donating $20,000 to 4-H!

Here are just a few of the thousands of positive and heartwarming comments people posted throughout the day:

“Thank you for contributing to 4-H! Dairy farmers are some of the hardest working people I know!”

“Thank you for supporting America’s dairy farmers of today and future. I consider myself very blessed to be raised on a family farm.”

“Thanks Land O’Lakes for supporting hardworking dairy farmers everywhere.”

Throughout June, we’ll continue using our Land O’Lakes, Inc. social media platforms to highlight our dairy member-owners by sharing photos of them working from “Sunrise to Sunset.”

We’re just getting started

Keep an eye out for weekly stories highlight the power and possibilities of dairy. And we’re also celebrating the 50th anniversary of Kozy Shack, so check out the Land O'Lakes, Inc. blog for a story about how our beloved pudding company went from the back of a bread truck to grocery stores all over the country.

We’ll also share stories about how we’re growing the customer base for Foodservice and how Land O’ Lakes’ International Development, and milk, are helping improve the health of families in Rwanda. And we’ll get to know Vermont Creamery better, too.

Summer is the perfect time to remind consumers of the delicious, nutritious and refreshing dairy options available. Our retail colleagues are designing displays that will help consumers “Discover the Cool Possibilities” in dairy aisles across the country.

We invite you to join us in celebrating June Dairy Month. Let’s all raise our milk glasses in recognition of the people—and cows—who make it all possible.