Newsletter, Team

California is the number one milk producing state in the nation, with four University of California (UC) Farm Advisors serving major dairy areas of the State. Beyond extending education to clientele, UC Farm Advisors are responsible for developing and executing applied research programs at the local level. Absence of critical mass and a need for consistent messaging and branding led to the creation of a statewide dairy newsletter. The objective of the California Dairy Newsletter is to provide dairy producers quarterly publications of current research findings, emerging regulatory information and information pertaining to improved production efficiencies on dairies. The newsletter is a collaboration of county-based Farm Advisors, State Specialists, and Agriculture Experiment Station faculty. In addition to traditional dairy science articles, collaboration across disciplines provides agronomic information, important for a state that relies on homegrown forages to mitigate feed costs, and one that is required to adhere to strict manure management regulation on cropland. This team approach allows for consistent delivery of information to clientele, including articles from experts in their respective fields. The newsletter is edited and formatted by J. Heguy, with each county office producing and distributing the newsletter. County offices cumulatively mail 2,900 copies per newsletter issue, with a targeted audience of dairy producers, dairy employees, and allied industry. The newsletter is also available electronically, with subscribers across the US and world. The statewide dairy newsletter approach has allowed the UC dairy team to consistently deliver timely, science-based information to dairy clientele.