I am turning my blog over to my friend Amy from DCC Waterbeds to talk about the awesome event she is heading up to help bring awareness of Men’s Health issues, especially in the dairy farming community. But before I turn the blog over to Amy I have to share the video of my Father-in-law on Channel 3 in Madison this morning talking about why he is going to shave his beard off for the first time in 40 years… check it out! And if you’re in Madison, you should be HERE tonight!
P.S. I plan to share the story of Clem’s beard and the shaving of it on November 1st!
If you know Dairy Carrie personally or are a regular reader of this blog, you know she is not afraid to stir things up, and has a soft spot for making animals’ lives and the people who care for them better.
It’s no surprise that she’s supportive of getting the word out about Movember Dairy.
Dairy Carrie and the fabulous Dr Jude Capper, rocking the ‘stach.
What is Movember Dairy?
During November each year, the Movember Foundation, the world’s largest fundraising organization for prostate cancer research, is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on tens of thousands of men’s faces in the US and around the world.
The theory is that for every new moustache that pops up on an otherwise clean-shaven lip, at least 2,000 conversations will get started.
How your facial hair can save a life.
What would you say if you saw your neighbor with a bit of peach fuzz? What about the moment when you see a familiar face but they’ve SHAVED their long-time moustache? Or what happens when someone asks you, “What is that thing on your lip?”
The answer is: “I’m growing a moustache in November to raise awareness about prostate cancer risks. It’s part of Movember.”
Then you can tell them that 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetimes.
Follow it up with 92% of the United States’ 53,000 dairy producers are men – that means 8,000 dairy producers alone will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetimes – and this doesn’t even count the tens of thousands of farm employees, industry professionals, and international dairy producers who are men.
Then maybe you share with them you’ve already made your dad and grandpa go in for a screening. Maybe they should consider seeing their doctor this year or telling their fathers, brothers, uncles, and friends about Movember.
Your moustache may just help save a life.
What if you’re a woman?
I’m a girl, so I know exactly what you mean. I can’t grow a moustache (hopefully), but what I can do is write a blog, ask my dad to grow a moustache, tell my friends, host a moustache party where we all wear glue-on ‘staches, and then take a second to pass out a pamphlet on prostate cancer. There are so many things women can do to help encourage participation in Movember and converstations about men’s health.
How can you get involved?
This year dairy producers and dairy industry professionals – well, anyone in agriculture, really – are being encouraged to grow moustaches.
November 1 – SHAVE and start growing!
It’s that simple.
BUT there is another element to it, too. Join the Movember Dairy network online and share your stories, photos, and help raise money to fund prostate cancer research.
Find the Movember Dairy network at www.MoNetworks.co/MovemberDairy.
Sign up with your photo.
Shave on November 1.
Grow your moustache, share your network page with your friends, and start creating conversations about men’s health issues.
Encourage people to donate to your page, or start a contest with some other Mo Bros for the best moustache!
“Like” Movember Dairy on Facebook at www.facebook.com/movemberdairy
Find us on Twitter at @movemberdairy and tag #MOOvember alongside #Movember to get with the conversation online.
How did this all get going?
When I started researching Movember, I saw that it was 90 percent bankers, gamers, programmers, hipsters, urban-dwellers – people who are online all the time and who are way less likely to be skipping their doctor visits because they need to deliver a calf or milk the cows.
It is precisely industries like the dairy industry who are likely missing out on the online Movember message, which is: you can’t just take care of the cows, you have to take care of yourself, too.
We at DCC Waterbeds teamed up with nine other companies in our industry and pooled ideas, resources, and our online and offline networks – and we’re going to get this message out there in as many ways as we can.
There are a number of dairy producers are online, like Dairy Carrie, and a number of young people connected to the dairy industry.
So maybe a dairyman’s son who has Facebook will see Movember and will decide to compete with his cousin on the neighboring farm for the best Mo, and then you can bet that Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, uncles, aunts, friends at church, and pretty much the whole community will be talking about these crazy kids and their silly moustaches. And that’s the whole point.
When men sign up to grow moustaches for Movember, whether part of the online fundraising event or not, they become walking, talking billboards for men’s health. The simple growth of a new moustache opens a dialogue around men’s health issues. The Movember Foundation has found that each new moustache generates 2,413 conversations during the month, raising awareness, which can save lives.
The moustache has become somewhat of a trendy statement in the past few years with Mo images on everything from beer mugs to throw pillows, but in agriculture tons of men already have moustaches. We know that it will be much more of a jaw-dropper when we can get our first moustachioed dairy producer to shave on November 1st for the first time in decades. You can bet that will get people talking.
Meet the coalition
Movember Dairy is captained by Reedsburg, Wis.-based, DCC Waterbeds (Dual Chamber Cow Waterbeds). Distributed by parent company Advanced Comfort Technology, DCC Waterbeds are the most comfortable concrete-based dairy bedding solution on the market today and have been providing proven comfort benefits to dairy cows for the past decade. Find more information at www.DCCWaterbeds.com.
The campaign would not be possible without the generous support of Progressive Dairyman, a national dairy farm magazine published every three weeks for forward-thinking dairy producers. The magazine is the flagship publication of Progressive Publishing, which also produces Progressive Forage Grower, Progressive Cattleman and El Lechero magazines. These publications are offered free-of-charge to agricultural producers and allied industry personnel. Find more information at www.ProgressiveDairy.com.
Generous financial support from Jaylor (www.Jaylor.com), the Ontario, Canada-based manufacturer of the innovative Vertical TMR (Total Mix Ration) feed mixers for dairy and beef farmers that are distributed throughout North America and 30 countries worldwide, and A&L Laboratories (www.aandl-labs.com), a Minneapolis-based firm that for more than 60 years has discovered, developed, and manufactured new and better ways for dairy producers to help care for their animals and produce higher-quality milk, has made possible much of the campaign’s offline communication materials.
Financial and in-kind contributions that are supporting the campaign’s online and offline efforts have been received from Uddertech, Inc. (www.uddertechinc.com), a family-owned manufacturer of fabric items for the dairy industry that include include waterproof garments, aprons, milking sleeves, towel bags and calf blankets, based in Lakeville, Minn.; Sierra Desert Breeders (www.sierradesertbreeders.com), a leading genetics firm based in Tulare, Calif., with more than 100 independent reps selling dairy cattle semen around the globe; and Schaefer Ventilation Equipment (www.schaeferfan.com), the Sauk Rapids, Minn.-based designer, manufacturer, and distributor of powerful, reliable, cost-effective, and energy-efficient ventilation and thermal comfort products to agricultural, industrial, commercial, and government customers.
Movember Dairy has also received in-kind contributions from Supreme Graphics (www.supremegraphics.com), a full-service commercial printing and graphic design firm in Arcadia, Wis., Throndsen Lettering (www.ThrondsenLettering.com), a promotional company specializing in decorated apparel, signage, and advertising specialty items in Janesville, Wis., Crave Brothers Farmstead Classics (www.cravecheese.com), a south-central Wisconsin crop and dairy farm producing award-winning specialty cheese; Wisconsin Distributors (www.wisconsindistributors.com), a beer and other beverages distributor serving more than 22 counties in Southern Wisconsin.
About Movember
Movember is the largest non-government funder of prostate cancer research in the world. In its 7th year, Movember is challenging men to grow and women to support the Mo (slang for moustache) to raise awareness and funds for men’s health issues, specifically prostate and testicular cancer initiatives.
In 2012, more than 145,000 Americans grew and supported the Mo, raising over $15 million for the cause. Globally, Movember raised more than $150 million in 2012. In the US, funds raised are directed to programs run by Movember and its men’s health partners, Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) and the LIVESTRONG Foundation.
Together, Movember, PCF and the LIVESTRONG Foundation work to ensure that Movember funds are supporting a broad range of innovative, world-class programs in the areas of awareness and education, survivorship and research.
Awareness and Education:
Each year, Movember funds and delivers a high-impact awareness program, which aims to communicate men’s health messages to the Movember community and its supporters. Through this, Movember endeavors to inspire action through education.
In 2011, 79% of participants discussed their health with friends, family or colleagues, 71% of participants further educated themselves on men’s health issues, and 69% of our participants scheduled a general health checkup.
Survivorship:
With the LIVESTRONG Foundation, Movember helps fund their Cancer Navigation Center, which provides free, confidential services to help guide men through the cancer journey from treatment to recovery.
Research:
With the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Movember funds research that is accelerating the discovery of better treatments, and ultimately a cure, for prostate cancer.
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Movember is approaching!