In this presentation, I draw upon my own work and experiences as Dairy Public Affairs lead for Monsanto and Elanco as well as peer-reviewed research published by others in working in this area. I will also incorporate survey work done by Deloitte, Nielsen, Center for Food Integrity and others to demonstrate the public’'s values as they relate to dairy management practices. Management practices on the dairy farm have traditionally been done in a manner consistent with the owner’s desires and the “standard of practice” of the day. Consumers were primarily interested in the price and taste of food, and accepted that food was safe. In the past many consumers had a connection to the farm through a relative or neighbor. They trusted the person who was the caretaker on the dairy or farm and accepted that they managed the animals appropriately. In many cases they had been on that farm. That relationship led to a level of trust which is not present between most consumers and producers today. Today, many consumers do not have a direct connection to the farm. These consumers are subject to asymmetrical information with regard to food production. That is to say, they cannot see it, feel it, and touch it. This creates a need for them to get their information from other sources. Couple this with the fact that many consumers are interested in value drivers beyond price taste and convenience. They are interested in multiple areas of the food production process. They hold all participants in the food production chain responsible for everything from animal well-being to environmental impact to food safety. Marketers in food companies, grocery stores and restaurants have responded to that consumer interest in several ways. These include the advertising direction taken, process labeling of foods, and setting specific demands on suppliers. This session will explore how we arrived at where we are today with regard to management practices on dairy farms. It will look at the impact public perceptions has on the practices we use today, and how that perception may impact what management practices dairy producers will be able to utilize in the future. It will also propose ideas and methods to potentially impact those public perceptions in ways that benefit the producer and the consumer.