Nashville, Tenn. – Meradeth Whitley has been named the 2019 June Dairy Month Chairman for Union County.

Whitley will be honored May 30 at the Tennessee June Dairy Month Kickoff Event at Battle Mountain Farm in College Grove. The event includes recognition from Celeste Blackburn, president of the American Dairy Association of Tennessee.

The official kickoff celebration recognizes Tennessee 4-H members’ efforts to promote June Dairy Month in Tennessee. The event is co-sponsored by The Dairy Alliance, 4-H and the Tennessee Farm Bureau.

June Dairy Month activities are designed to communicate the value of milk and other dairy products to Tennessee consumers. Chairpersons play a vital role in spreading dairy’s message in their communities.

“My 4-H project is food science. I have been interested in dairy for a long time,” Whitley said. “I want to tell more people about how dairy can help them. I think kids my age are very unhealthy and I want to help change that.”

Whitley, a sixth grader at Smoky Mountain Homeschool, is the daughter of Kristinah and Kevin Whitley. Meradeth volunteers at the Humane Society and acts as a church youth leader. She is a Smoky Mountain Homeschool Club Officer. Meradeth is an active member of her 4-H chapter, participating in food science projects. She placed first for Regional Public Speaking, Big 9 Sub-regional Public Speaking and Regional Achievement Day.

“We wish Meradeth much success in her role of communicating the nutritional benefits of milk and dairy products to the people in Union County,” said American Dairy Association of Tennessee president Celeste Blackburn. “Meradeth will appreciate the cooperation of the people there. Her interest and enthusiasm will result in a better informed community from which all will benefit.”

Originally deemed “National Milk Month” by American grocers in 1937, National Dairy Month began to promote dairy consumption during peak milk production in the summer. Today, it continues celebrating with the Southeast’s communities and companies through festivals, contests and even a special night dedicated to dairy farmers at the ballpark.
In 2018, there were an estimated 37,000 Tennessee dairy cows living on 205 dairy farms producing 73.7 million gallons, or approximately 634 million pounds, of milk. The top five milk producing Tennessee counties were: Loudon, Monroe, Bradley, Bedford and McMinn.
This year’s theme, “Dairy is in Our DNA,” encourages families to make milk their first beverage choice due to its unique package of vitamins, minerals and nutrients that are an essential part of a healthy diet. With local media and farm bureaus, dairy farmers will be working alongside The Dairy Alliance to engage consumers through social media, radio contests, T-shirt giveaways, events and more. For more information on how you can celebrate June Dairy Month please visit us online at www.thedairyalliance.com/june-dairy-month/.

About The Dairy Alliance
On behalf of dairy farm families, the non-profit The Dairy Alliance works with schools, health professionals, retailers, dairy processors and the public to promote dairy foods. For more information, visit www.thedairyalliance.com.

For more information please contact Denise Jones via phone at (270) 970-4792 or by email at djones@thedairyalliance.com.