DMI launches Portraits of Modern Dairy
Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) introduced Portraits of Modern Dairy on October 12, coinciding with National Farmers Day and the United Nations’ International Year of the Woman Farmer. The initiative will use national media, digital and social channels, and a public collection of photographs to present the people, technology and decisions involved in dairy farming.
The launch segment featured Lolly and Jaylene Lesher of Way-Har Farms in Pennsylvania; Alice Crothers of Long Green Farms in Maryland; Kyndra Brown of Moo-View Dairy in Texas; Emily Schaapman of Schaapman Holsteins in Georgia; Margaret Johnson of Trailside Holsteins in Minnesota; and Meagan Hempfling of Hemsteads Holsteins in Ohio. Lolly and Jaylene represent two generations of one family business, while Crothers brought experience in healthcare administration to farm finances, a methane digester and other long-term investments.
The farmers’ profiles cover different parts of modern dairy work. Brown combines digital herd-management tools with experience gained on a fourth-generation farm. Schaapman returned to farming after developing an entrepreneurship, storytelling and fitness business for women in agriculture. Johnson applies a master’s degree in agronomy to soil, crops and water on a multigenerational farm. Hempfling, whose family has farmed since 1862, uses robotic milking and data-based herd management.
Caroline Krajewski, DMI’s senior vice-president of communications, said that most consumers would not have the opportunity to spend time on a dairy farm. She said the project was intended to show the farmers’ care, expertise and daily decisions in an authentic and accessible format. Marilyn Hershey, a Pennsylvania dairy farmer and DMI chair, said the initiative would allow farmers to show how dairy farming looks today.
DMI has created a dedicated section on USDairy.com with farmer profiles, photographs and a 90-second video featuring all seven participants. The site is intended to remain the project’s long-term home. A separate collection of photographs will be available for free on Unsplash, which is used by media organisations, companies, content creators and the public. The initiative also includes further national media coverage, social-media activity and paid promotion, including a sponsored editorial feature in The Wall Street Journal.
State and regional dairy organisations will adapt the project for local markets and may connect local farmers with coverage arising from the national launch. The participating farmers will receive photographs, video and other material produced on their farms. DMI said media outreach and promotion would continue through the rest of 2026, while the profiles and images would remain available for future dairy-related storytelling. The organisation is funded by more than 23,000 dairy farmers and dairy importers and manages the national dairy checkoff programme in cooperation with state and regional teams.
