The California Milk Advisory Board (Real California Milk), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families. With headquarters in Tracy, the CMAB is one of the largest agricultural marketing boards in the United States. The CMAB executes advertising, public relations, research and retail and foodservice promotional programs on behalf of California dairy products that carry the Real California Milk seal, throughout the U.S. and internationally. For more information and to connect with the CMAB through social media, visit RealCaliforniaMilk.com, like at Facebook, view videos at YouTube, follow at Twitter and Instagram, and pin at Pinterest.
A Healthy Dairy Industry
The CMAB helps promote increased consumption of dairy products through effective use of:
- Promotion: The CMAB aggressively promotes dairy products with generic advertising utilizing print, radio, television and digital media, in-store promotions and publicity. The Board believes that these techniques have contributed to increased visibility and sales of dairy products.
- Education: The CMAB develops pamphlets, brochures, recipes and other educational materials to inform the trade and public about California's dairy industry and the importance of milk and other dairy products in their diets.
- Research: The CMAB conducts ongoing research to improve food safety and cow herd health care and productivity.
A Professional Staff
CMAB programs are managed and coordinated by a professional staff headquartered in Tracy, Calif. Staff members have backgrounds in a variety of specialties, including advertising, in-store product merchandising, retail management training, public information, public relations and international economics. The staff is assisted by outside agencies that create and execute various promotional programs. Research projects and programs are primarily conducted through the California Dairy Research Foundation, but also under contract with companies in the private sector and major universities in the public sector.
Funding
The CMAB is funded by dairy families through a special assessment based on milk production. Its programs and administration are supervised by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
The Board
The CMAB's activities are governed by a board of directors comprised of 18 California dairy farmers. Each dairy farmer board member is nominated by their home districts (7 throughout the state) and are confirmed by the State Secretary of Food and Agriculture.