Yesterday I testified before the House Agriculture and Food Finance and Policy Division in response to the bill to make milk a default beverage for children's meals in Minnesota. California, Vermont, and Hawaii have already adopted this law, in hopes of impacting children's health and revitalizing the dairy community. You can view my testimony here, or I have printed my testimony below.
Good morning, my name is Janet Bremer, and I dairy farm with my husband John in Hastings. I am also the Minnesota Dairy Princess Coordinator, working with Princess Kay of the Milky Way. When you go to the Minnesota State Fair, and visit the butter sculptures...those are my girls! But today I am here to talk about milk. Milk is our state’s official drink, and my husband and I are proud to be among the 2,500 dairy farmers producing it every single day.
It was one year ago when my husband John and I attended Dairy Day at the Capitol and while visiting with Senator Bigham and Representative Jurgens, John expressed an idea that he had read about ...making milk the default beverage for children’s meals. I could sit here and tell you the benefits of the 9 essential nutrients found in milk, and also tell you about the health benefits, but I am going to leave those topics to the health advocacy groups that are here today.
My husband John and I are fifth and sixth generation dairy farmers. I guess you can say farming is in our blood. John and I have always been active advocates for the dairy community. Almost 30 years ago I was hosting a school tour to our dairy farm, after explaining to the group of students what we do every day to care for our animals and our land, and describing a typical day on the farm that begins at 6:00 AM and ends 14 or more hours later, a 3rd grader asked me, "What is your husband's REAL job?" That 3rd graders question really got me to thinking about how important it is for me as a farmer to share our story, (what we do, why we do it, and the benefits of dairy foods). It’s important to share our story to all ages.
My hope today is that you get a glimpse of my family’s passion for the dairy industry. We are active on social media, host farm tours, make school visits, host a huge Christmas on the farm event, and I have even had several opportunities to promote dairy with the Minnesota Vikings. And today I am here before you, sharing my dairy story and the importance of milk...advocating in a much different way.
Minnesota’s dairy industry has a $9 billion impact on the state. Farm employees, veterinarians, processing plants, transportation companies, retailers, all rely on Minnesota’s dairy contribution. We dairy farmers have been struggling financially. I know you have heard about the low milk prices, poor mental health, and many dairy farmers leaving the career they love. Minnesota’s dairy farmers need your help. This bill could help lay the groundwork for revitalizing the dairy industry. Fluid milk sales have slipped in recent years, partially due to children being given the option of sugary drinks. As dairy farmers, we hope you join us in support of this bill, which does not take away choices, but helps nudge people in the right direction of a healthier future for their children, and simultaneously benefits Minnesota dairy farms by incorporating Minnesota’s official drink with children’s meals. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Thank you to Representative Jeff Brand for co-authoring this bill and asking me to testify.
We now wait to see what the next step is. We are hoping for a hearing with the Senate committee as well. Stay tuned...
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