Born to Dairy

MADISON, Wis. — Promoting Wisconsin dairy products and the unique men and women who make them is the heart and soul behind a new campaign crafted by Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.

The “Wisconsin Originals — Born to Dairy” campaign is a farmer-first storytelling campaign designed to highlight the personalities, heritage, pride and funny quirks behind Wisconsin’s dairy farmers.

“We wanted it to be humorous because we know people respond to humor, but we also wanted it to be respectful,” said Suzanne Fanning, executive vice president at DFW. “It’s an interesting combination to come up with, and the way people have received it and embraced it has been great. It’s spreading like wildfire.”

The call to action for the campaign is clear, Fanning said: support dairy farmers by drinking Wisconsin milk and eating Wisconsin cheese and loading up on other dairy products, such as ice cream and butter, while looking for the Proudly Wisconsin badge.

“Our mission is to drive demand for Wisconsin milk,” she said. “We want consumers to get to know the farmers and realize they’re real humans. They are their neighbors and their friends, and they should support and embrace them.”

The campaign kicked off Oct. 1, capturing the essence of the person between the hat and the boots through six personas introduced at World Dairy Expo. Starring real dairy farmers and dairy community members, each persona represents a distinct type of dairy farmer.

“We wanted it to be authentic, genuine,” Fanning said. “That turned out to be the magic behind this in so many ways.”

The Farm MacGyver persona is played by dairy farmer and DFW board member, Gary Kohn. Farm MacGyver is portrayed as the ultimate Mr. Fix It. He is the guy who does not throw anything away and can fix anything with baler twine and duct tape.

“I think people can identify with this because I think so many dairy farmers are this,” Fanning said. “For the photo shoot, we said, ‘Wear what you work in.’ Gary came in a plaid button-down shirt that he cut the sleeves out of. We loved it. We thought it was great that he MacGyvered his own work shirt. He also brought his FFA bucket and his own can of WD-40. It couldn’t have been better.”

Representing Gen-Z Farmer is Alice in Dairyland, Sarah Hagenow. With one AirPod in and one eye on the heifers, this persona’s trusty sidekick is a scrappy rescue dog.

“Sarah was so excited and proud to represent the many young people stepping into dairy farming today, who are bringing  new ideas, technology and dedication to the future of farming,” Fanning said. “Sarah shared that farming looks different than it did for her grandparents, but the love for the cows and the land is still the same.”

The Barnyard Baller persona is played by dairy farmer Jeff Betley.

“He represents that farmer who believes in technology and has to have the latest shiny, new toy and the biggest tractor,” Fanning said.

Fanning said they came up with the term BTE — big tractor energy — to exemplify this persona who runs diagnostics for fun and waxes the hood of his chopper on Sundays.

Julie Gabris from Professional Dairy Producers is MooMaw. She represents the older generation of dairy farmer — that nurturing yet no-nonsense multitasker who raised two generations of farmers and is never short on practical advice.

“MooMaw is that eccentric grandma who always has Scotcharoos in her purse and dresses in cow print and rhinestones, has barn shoes older than you and believes that butter and prayer can fix any problem,” Fanning said.

Dairy farmer Annaliese Wegner, who is also known as Modern Day Farm Chick in social media circles, is the Dairyland Darling, representing women in the dairy industry. This persona blends beauty, fashion and wit into a hard day’s work on the farm.

“I don’t know that people realize how many women are in dairy farming these days,” Fanning said. “About 33% of dairy farmers are women, and they play more than a supporting role; they’re playing a leading role in many cases. They’re driving innovation, driving tractors, keeping up traditions, leading community groups and being moms. Talk about doing it all.”

Within her advocacy, Wegner said she tries to show the world that there are all different types of farmers.

“I love to break that stereotype that farmers are old men with calloused hands,” she said. “That is not the case. Farmers come in so many shapes and sizes. We’re men, we’re women, we’re different ages. We’re smart, and we use technology. Something I’m very passionate about is showcasing all the different types of women in agriculture. We are more than just a mom or just a farmer.”

Wegner said when consumers can dive deeper into who their farmer is, they are going to feel more comfortable about the dairy products they are buying.

“Getting closer to who our farmer is can solve a lot of farm-to-table problems,” she said.

Dairy farmer and DFW board member Andrew Christenson represents the FarmTok Hotshot. This persona does not just grow crops — he grows followers, one viral post at a time.

“There are so many great farmers live streaming their morning chores and giving people a glimpse of farm life,” Fanning said. “People are eating it up. There are a lot of stories out there, and these FarmTok Hotshots are one viral video away from an ag influencer deal.”

Comedian Charlie Berens is packing a punch of Midwest humor into the campaign as its host.

“Charlie said he has so much respect for dairy farmers and was happy to participate,” Fanning said. “He was all in.”

People stood in line at WDE to meet Berens and get their picture taken with him.

“The launch exceeded our expectations,” Fanning said. “It was a fantastic day. We even had a longer line than the grilled cheese tent. Charlie was so full of personality and so happy to meet people. He had great conversations and was autographing peoples’ hats.”

DFW made trading cards of the different personas as well as T-shirts, hats and other swag. Fanning said she and other DFW staff enjoyed talking with farmers who visited the booth.

“We were so pleased with how they received the campaign and how it spoke to them,” she said. “When people saw the trading cards, they either felt like they were that person or knew that person, and that was our hope. Everyone gravitated toward something.”

Berens was not the only one signing autographs as some of the personas were on hand to sign autographs as well.

“We love seeing our farmers as celebrities,” Fanning said.

DFW made a series of three videos with Berens for use on social media, which have received 1.5 million views and climbing, Fanning said.

“It’s been so positive, but what I think is pure gold are the comments,” she said. “There is so much love coming forward for these farmers and for dairy. We’re just so excited because we love showcasing our farmers and this is such a fun way to do it.”

Fanning said this is just the beginning of the Born to Dairy campaign, with the release of more farmer personas soon to come.