Dairy Farmers of Manitoba Celebrates Generational Wisdom for Father’s Day

Just in time for Father’s Day, Dairy Farmers of Manitoba (DFM) announces the release of their latest short documentary, ‘The Inspector.’ This heartfelt film tells the story of Alain, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, and the invaluable lessons passed down from his father, Raymond.

Dairy farming in Canada is often a family affair, with multiple generations working side by side. ‘The Inspector’ delves into this tradition, capturing the beauty, struggles, and enduring legacy of family-run dairy farms. The documentary is both authentic and cinematic, providing an honest exploration of the parent-child relationship and the dynamics of stepping into new roles within the family business.

“All dairy farms in Manitoba are family run and operated, with an average herd size of around 200 milking cows,” said Teresa Ciccarelli, senior manager, marketing and communications for Dairy Farmers of Canada. “The objective with our rebrand is to build a connection between Manitoba dairy farmers and the Manitoba public, fostering both brand and industry sentiment. Our focus is to give dairy farmers a voice and a platform to share their stories. The story of The Inspector transcends the industry, resonating on a deeply human level of love and legacy.”

For Alain, the turning point came with his father’s passing, leaving him to ponder if he had absorbed enough knowledge to carry on as ‘The Inspector’ of the farm. Now, his son Nico continues the family’s agricultural legacy, marking the next chapter in the Philippot family story.

Filmed entirely on location at the Philippot family farm, the production was unscripted, capturing genuine moments and conversations. “We’ve had a lot of success with these style of stories by really getting to know the farmers first. The production team usually has the beginning of a story outline when they begin interviewing the farm families. With the Philippot story though, the term “The Inspector’ just happened to be mentioned in passing, and the story we thought we were going to shoot, completely changed,” said Carolyn Shaw, president and CCO at Humanity.

The Inspector is another instalment in DFM’s ‘All from a good place’ series of short documentaries featuring dairy farmers from across Manitoba. The ‘All from a good place’ brand platform launched in September, 2022, from DFM’s AOR agency Humanity, with the goal of giving the province’s dairy farmers a voice to tell their story, and foster an emotional connection with Manitobans through shared values. “At a time when more Manitobans than ever are questioning where their food, and in particular their dairy, comes from and who is behind it, telling stories that mirror the same deep, family values of the Manitoba public is perhaps the strongest way to reassure them that they can trust their local farmers. This is what “All from a good place” is all about and something that is beautifully brought to life in this series of short documentaries” said Ryan Hughes, chief strategy officer at Humanity.

The Inspector campaign will be featured in programmatic, social, high-impact banners, and web, all leading to the full-length film on YouTube. 

Campaign creative was led by Humanity, video production was led by Mast Creative, and digital media was handled by MiQ.