Jackson County Dairy Chair Amilia Rich said Dairy Month offers all of us the chance to understand more the importance of milk.
June is National Dairy Month. Rich, a Jackson County High School student, works through the Jackson County Agriculture Extension Office. Rich said this month she is engaging with the community to share the message in a variety of ways.
“It does make your bones stronger,” Rich said. “There’s a lot of protein and calcium in milk, so it helps grow your muscles, it makes your teeth really strong, and really overall just makes you have a lot of energy when you are down and out, you know, you need something healthy to pick you back up.”
Rich said this year’s Dairy Month theme is called “Dairy Defenders.” Dairy acts as a superhero for the human body, Rich said.
Rich said she dresses up as a cow that wears a cape and is “Saving the world one glass at a time”.
“It’s wonderful,” Rich said. “It’s such an opportunity you get to go and practice your speech, and you practice your presentation skills, and you get to interact with your community, and it’s just so much fun. You put a smile on everybody’s face when you’re dressed up as a cow.”
Rich said the Jackson County UT Extension Office has promoted Dairy Month since 1933. Rich said she wanted to help promote in Jackson County, as she has been involved with 4-H since she was a kid.
“Since I was like in the fifth grade, I was doing speeches and posters and things like that,” Rich said. “And so that just helps me grow in my speech, and doing all these things in front of people.”
Rich said she has interacted with kids at summer school and at the Charles Ralph Holland Memorial Library. Rich said part of her interactions with kids is making smoothies. Rich said she will make her next trip to Over The Rainbow Daycare in Gainesboro.
