FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 2010

Legislators to face off in milk-chugging contest
Wednesday, June 30

RALEIGH — Several members of North Carolina’s General Assembly will compete in a milk-chugging contest outside the Legislative Building Wednesday, June 30, at 2 p.m. The annual contest and ice cream break are held to celebrate and raise awareness about the dairy industry in North Carolina.

     “Whether it’s milk, butter, cheese or ice cream, North Carolina dairy products make a large economic impact on the state,” Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said. “Milk production alone is valued at more than $191 million.”

     Rep. Dewey Hill of Whiteville and Sen. Bob Atwater of Chapel Hill, who chair the General Assembly’s agriculture committees, will lead their three-person teams in a relay race to see which team can finish off six pints of milk in the fastest time.

     The first-place team will receive $200 for a charity of its choice, and the second-place team will receive $100 for its selected charity. Last year, Sen. Atwater’s team, the Senate Speedy Super Sippers, chugged its way to victory, beating the House All-Stars by a few seconds.

     The event is held on the last day of June, at the end of dairy month and a day before the celebration of ice cream month starts in July. Following the competition, members of the General Assembly and attendees can enjoy ice cream on the north portico of the legislative building.

     North Carolina has 290 dairy farms with 45,000 milk cows that produced about 107 million gallons of milk in 2008. The state leads the Southeast for most milk production per cow. In addition, the N.C. dairy industry produces 15.9 million gallons of ice cream annually.

-pmj-2