Minnesota

Strike Ends: Teamsters Ratify New Contract at AMPI Paynesville Facility

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:11:35 GMT

The strike at the Associated Milk Producers Incorporated (AMPI) dairy facility in Paynesville, Minn., has officially concluded. Early Sunday afternoon, members of Teamsters Local 471 overwhelmingly voted to ratify a new contract, bringing an immediate end to the work stoppage that began on Saturday morning.

According to Matt McQuaid, media coordinator for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the ratification marks a successful resolution for the more than 60 workers at the critical cheese processing and shipping hub. The swift agreement prevents a long-term disruption to the Midwest’s dairy supply chain.

End to a Year-Long Deadlock

The ratification follows nearly a year of stalled negotiations and a weekend walkout triggered by what the union described as “unfair labor practices” and a lack of a fair, comprehensive proposal from the company. Prior to this agreement, workers had been operating without a wage increase for 12 months, even as the cost of living continued to climb.

While the specific terms of the newly ratified deal were not immediately detailed, the union’s core demands focused on securing:

Meaningful wage increases: addressing the year-long freeze
Succcessorship projections: ensuring if the facility changes ownership, workers retain their jobs and union contract
Heath care stability: gaining more flexibility and security in coverage.

“The workers secured significant wage increases and language that protects standards if the company is sold or changes ownership, as well as the ability to move into a Teamster health insurance plan which will significantly reduce costs to members,” McQuaid said.

Securing the Cooperative’s Network

The end of the strike is a significant development for the broader AMPI cooperative, which is owned by 685 farm families across Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and the Dakotas. These farmers market approximately 4.9 billion pounds of milk annually through a network of six manufacturing plants.

Because the Paynesville plant is a vital link in this multi-state infrastructure — specializing in cheese production — a prolonged strike would have created a bottleneck for the cooperative’s 4.9 billion pounds of annual milk production. The “overwhelming” support for the new contract suggests the agreement successfully addressed the primary concerns regarding job security and fair compensation.

Moving Forward

With the contract ratified, operations at the Paynesville facility are expected to resume normal rhythms. Teamsters Local 471, which represents dairy processing and distribution workers throughout Minnesota, had maintained the strike was a necessary last resort to protect the livelihoods of the workers who keep the Midwest cheese supply moving.

“The employees at AMPI in Paynesville, Minn., stood strong in solidarity to win this strike and ratify their first contract. The employer had pushed them around for far too long, and they had had enough,” Lyndon Johnson, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 471 said. “They will have a voice in the workplace without fear and will be supported by the strongest union in the world.”

As the picket lines disappear, the focus returns to the production floor, ensuring the milk supplied by hundreds of Upper Midwest farm families continues to reach the market without further delay.

Southern Rust Set To Take Big Bite Out Of Midwest Corn Crop?

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 14:17:28 GMT

If one picture is worth a thousand words, then the video Iowa farmer Dan Striegel shot last week must be worth thousands more. In the video, Striegel is shown harvesting a field of emerald-green corn enveloped in a cloud of orangish-red southern rust.

“We were just getting that field opened up, and I looked over and saw that dust boiling up out of the chopper, so I shot the video,” Striegel says.

Southern Rust? Never heard of her.
What Cheer, Iowa. USA. #pftour25 #harvest25 pic.twitter.com/tiIsUc2CHl
— Dan Striegel (@djsinseia) August 21, 2025

To date, Striegel’s video has garnered more than 48,000 views on X, formerly Twitter.

“We’re in southeast Iowa, Keokuk County, and I think the southern rust is as bad here as it is anywhere,” Striegel adds. “Every field you walk in, if you’re wearing a white T-shirt, you’ll come out of there red.”

A Red Path Of Disease Mars The Midwest

Expect to see more red T-shirt-clad farmers walking out of cornfields across the upper Midwest, based on what the Crop Protection Network (CPN) southern rust map is showing.

The CPN continually updates its online, interactive map showing the counties by state where southern rust infections are confirmed. Now, in late August, the counties look like red steppingstones. They form a checkered path from southwest Michigan through northern Illinois and Indiana, into southern Wisconsin, across all of Iowa and nearly two-thirds of the way across Nebraska. Eastern South Dakota is also lit up with a string of red counties, as are parts of southern to central Minnesota.

The amount of southern rust present in the upper Midwest is worrisome to Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist. In severe cases, the disease can wipe out 45% of the yield potential in a field, according to the CPN.

“At most, one in 10 growers in northern Iowa and Minnesota have seen the kind of southern rust some of them are seeing this year,” says Ferrie, who was working last week with corn growers in both states.

“It was a problem in probably eight out of every 10 fields I was in, and they’d all been sprayed at least once,” he says. “Minnesota has a corn crop that’ll knock your socks off – yield potential of 250, 270. I encouraged every grower to spray their field a second time except for two fields. One had been knocked down by hail, and the other had a hybrid that was clean.”

I spoke with a good friend of mine from Iowa yesterday that is an agronomist and farmer. He said the southern rust in corn across Iowa and much of the Midwest will take 9 to 12 bushel/acre off corn yields on average from what his team and himself are seeing. pic.twitter.com/Ad1VJ9oQBg
— Captain Cornelius1 (@ISU145) August 26, 2025

Hybrids Have Little To No Resistance To Southern Rust

A combination of early-season moisture, heat and wind formed the perfect storm for southern rust this season, allowing the disease-causing fungal spores (Puccinia polysora) to move from southern climes up to the Midwest, according to Kurt Maertens, BASF technical service representative for eastern Iowa and western Illinois.

“We’ve seen it all – southern rust, tar spot, northern corn leaf blight, gray leaf spot. Our corn has been inundated with all these fungal diseases, and we started seeing them early,” says Maertens.

If there’s a silver lining to southern rust, it’s that it does not overwinter in corn residue like tar spot does. But like tar spot, southern rust takes advantage of hybrids that have no built-in resistance. For many growers, that was an Achilles heel this season.

“When you’re dealing with a 117-day hybrid like they grow in southern Illinois, Tennessee, and Kentucky, you don’t grow corn that doesn’t have good southern rust resistance, because they deal with it every year,” Ferrie notes. “When you move to Minnesota, and you’re planting 102- to 95-day corn, you’re probably not going to find hybrids with southern rust resistance.”

Striegel says that was true for his neighbor’s cornfield, which he custom chopped for silage. “That field had two hybrids in it, one was worse than the other, and the field had been sprayed with a fungicide,” he says.

He adds that he also sprayed his own cornfields with fungicide, but they are still inundated with southern rust.

“We’ve had southern rust before, and it’s not usually something we have to worry about, but this is really bad,” Striegel says. “I’m standing on my deck looking at the cornfield next to my house, and you know, all of the leaves from the ears down in that field are covered with it.”

Southern rust is real in eastern Nebraska. Fungicide 3 weeks ago, 2nd app today with some potassium acetate pic.twitter.com/WZubU6IBwz
— Trent Mastny (@TrentMastny) August 21, 2025

How Late Is A Fungicide Application Still Worthwhile?

Ferrie says the fields he scouted last week were at late R3 to early R4 and had already been sprayed with fungicide at least once, but the disease was rebuilding.

“Any field where farmers had sprayed two weeks previously, the southern rust and northern corn leaf blight, to a lesser degree, were coming back, especially the southern rust. It was resporating,” he says.

The intense disease pressure from southern rust, tar spot and others have kept fungicide use at high levels this season, despite poor commodity prices.

“Because of that [amount of disease pressure], we have seen increased demand for our fungicides this year,” says Maertens, who encouraged customers to get applications made at the beginning of tassel.

Maertens says he has fielded a lot of questions this summer from farmers, asking how late they could go with a fungicide application and still benefit.

“Our recommendation is to get in front of disease,” he says. “Generally, we stop applications before we get to dent (R5). That’s not to say a later application can’t have some benefit, but our best results have been before infection was able to take place.”

Southern rust is a yield enemy farmers routinely face in the Southeast, reports corn yield champion Randy Dowdy, Valdosta, Ga. He participated in the Pro Farmer Crop Tour last week and said on U.S. Farm Report he believes many Midwest farmers still have time to address disease.

“We need to implore the fungicides, the technologies out there and get after it and protect this crop, especially that crop that still has not reached dent,” he says.

Farm Journal Field Agronomist Missy Bauer likes to see farmers complete their fungicide applications on the front side of dough (early R4). “Once we get to early dent, I think it’s a little more challenging to get the payback consistently, though we’ve applied at early dent (R5), and seen a nice response,” says Bauer, who is based in south-central Michigan.

Under the tough disease pressure farmers are facing this year, Bauer is telling growers to scout fields and evaluate what growth stage their crop is in before they walk away or pull the fungicide trigger one last time.

She adds that farmers need to check the label to make sure the product used is able to address southern rust effectively. She describes these as “Cadillac” products containing the newest chemistry.

“When it comes to some of these diseases, especially southern rust and tar spot, I do believe a little bit of a Hail Mary pass can be effective,” she says. “Will it be as effective as an application you could have made on a more timely basis? Well, no, you could have made more money doing it timely, but you’re still protecting bushels and gaining ROI at the end.”

Ferrie adds that farmers might want to do the late-season fungicide application to keep their corn crop standing until they can put their harvest plan in place.

“Be doing the push test to check stalk quality,” he advises.

Southern Rust/Silage Alert!!

Southern Rust has been aggressively advancing in many fields, especially those without a fungicide treatment. In some situations the plants are shutting down prematurely and plant material is senescing rapidly.

While we typically want to get down… pic.twitter.com/aK3hGgZE19
— Pioneer Troy (@deutmeyer_troy) August 26, 2025

Striegel says some of the farmers around him are heading to fields to harvest their silage corn sooner than later, because of standability concerns. “Some of this corn got planted early, and we had a lot of heat. The crop matured quickly, and the diseases are kind of shutting it down. It’s just dying out, and guys are going to go get it,” he explains.

That’s the strategy Ferrie encourages farmers to use in regular production corn, too.

“Harvest the fields most at risk first. But if a field of corn goes down, go combine the fields where the corn is still standing and come back to that one later,” he recommends.

The reasoning is you don’t want to risk more corn going down while you’re harvesting the field of corn that already has.

“While I was driving through Iowa last week, I kept thinking that if I built corn reels to pick up down corn I’d bulk up my inventory, because I know where they’re going to get used,” Ferrie says, only half joking. “Yes, harvesting corn at 25% moisture is expensive, but down corn will kick your butt.”

Your next read: Revenge Applications: Why They Don’t Work, Cost You Money and Bushels, and Are Frankly Illegal

Tradition to Tech: How a Minnesota Couple is Modernizing Their Dairy

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 14:07:31 GMT

In an era where the fusion of traditional farming and technology is revolutionizing the agriculture industry, individuals like Megan and Tim Schrupp exemplify what it means to combine passion, community and innovation for a sustainable future. Nestled in the heart of Eden Valley, Minn., their operation, NexGen Dairy, is a beacon for modern dairy farming practices.

A Legacy of Dedication
The Schrupps’ farming journey started as part of Megan’s family farm. This duo represents the new wave of farmers, milking 1,200 Jersey and Jersey-cross cows along with 30 registered Guernsey cows from Tim’s family stock. Though farming wasn’t initially on the career trajectory for this young couple, as Tim ventured into construction and Megan aimed to be a meteorologist, they were eventually drawn back to their roots, driven by the potential they saw in modernizing their family operations and carrying on their legacies.

“My father always encouraged me to be a dairy veterinarian,” Megan says. She now smiles looking back and says, “He obviously saw my future path better than I did.”

Innovative Management
After practicing veterinary medicine in a clinic for a couple years, Megan came back to her home farm in 2014. Today, under her management, NexGen Dairy emphasizes employee excellence and sustainability. She actively leads efforts in hands-on cow health practices, which include pregnancy checks and surgeries, ensuring the best care through comprehensive in-house services like breeding and hoof care.

On the other hand, Tim brings his construction background expertise to enhance farm infrastructure, evidenced by the heifer barn the family built in 2016.

“Every year we seem to have a decent size building project,” he says. “We utilize summer help with high school students.”

Tim Schrupp’s background in construction gets put to use at the dairy as each year brings a new building project.

(Nexgen Dairy)

Community Leadership
Despite how busy farm life is, the couple is actively involved in the agricultural community, starting their journey with the Young Cooperator group through their milk processor, First District Association, in 2013. Their leadership was recognized as they were appointed chairs of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) YC advisory board this past fall. The Schrupps’ passion for networking creates valuable learning opportunities and connections for themselves and others facing similar challenges across the industry.

“It’s good to be part of these kinds of networking opportunities,” Megan explains. “It’s nice to know others are also going through similar situations and challenges.”

Not only do they participate in initiatives such as “Dinner on the Dairy,” to engage with the public about their dairy farm life, but they also empower young enthusiasts through a heifer lease program, guiding children in county fairs and state competitions. The duo believes nurturing future generations helps create advocates for dairy farming in otherwise suburban environments.

“We have 14 kids at our local county fairs, state fair and some national shows with them,” Tim shares. “We try to help them with fitting and clipping animals, too.”

The couple work hard to help kids who otherwise wouldn’t get this experience and say if the urban kids show interest, it’s worth helping them out.

“Many of these kids live in the suburbs of the Twin Cities. If they go back and tell their friends how much they love cows, that is a good thing for our industry,” Megan says.

Megan Schrupp uses her past in veterinary medicine to lead the dairy’s health initiatives and implement new tools.

(Nexgen Dairy)

Embracing Technology
Technology forms the backbone of NexGen Dairy operations, with Megan leading data-driven decision- making processes framed by cutting-edge tools such as Alta CowWatch and Nedap collars. Their categorical approach to breeding optimizes herd health and productivity with a balanced plan using sexed semen and strategic sales of beef-on-dairy cross calves.

“In this day-and-age, making decisions is so crucial that we need to collect data that helps us make subjective decisions objective,” she says. “We need to dairy at the next level, and so we rely heavily on technology to bring us to that level.”

The herd’s focus is on both longevity and production with the top portion of the herd bred to sexed semen and the bottom portion to Angus. They breed just enough females to fill the pipeline of replacements and don’t want to raise any extra. The beef-on-dairy cross calves are sold within a few days of age, with a buyer who comes and picks them up when there is enough to fill the trailer.

“Beef cross calves usually leave anywhere from two to seven days,” Megan explains.

Sustainability and innovation can also been seen in the farm’s solar panels that were added in 2019.

At NexGen Dairy, Megan and Tim Schrupp are continuing their legacy while taking it to the next level.

(Nexgen Dairy)

Facing an Uncertain Future with Optimism
Despite the uncertainties that are facing the dairy industry today, the Schrupps continue to be steadfast in their overall mission. Their approach molds time-honored practices with new, cutting-edge technologies to help predict and capitalize on any emerging opportunities.

For Megan and Tim, dairying isn’t merely a profession, it’s a legacy that has continued and transformed with each passing generation.

“We both are grateful that we’ve been given this opportunity to actually run this farm,” Megan expresses. “It’s so hard if you are not in the industry to get where we are at, so I feel a big sense of gratitude that we’ve been given the opportunity.”

The Schrupps are not content with maintaining the status quo. They are pushing the envelope, continuously refining their processes, learning, growing and being inventive. They recognize the value of their team and seize each opportunity to propel their farm’s success further.

NexGen Dairy is more than just a dairy farm; it’s a progressive model of sustainability and innovation. Under their stewardship, the farm exemplifies how modern agricultural practices can coexist with a rich heritage. By fostering dedication, community involvement and technological advancements, they’ve set a meticulously blended blueprint for future success in dairy farming.

Heifer Prices Hit Astonishing Values: It's a Seller's Market

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 16:07:04 GMT

High-quality Holstein springers topped the market at a stunning $4,250 per head at the Pipestone Livestock Auction in Pipestone, Minn. in late November. Prices softened a bit in California compared to last month, but still remain above $3,000 on the high end -- well above the cost of production.

At the Turlock Livestock Auction Yard November 2024 Dairy Video Sale, two lots of 40 Holstein springers sold for $3,250/head, and three lots of 50 Jersey springers brought $2,475/head. Calves remain strong as well, with Holstein heifer calves fetching $250-775/head, and beef-cross calves still surpassing the $1,000/head mark in spot markets.

	Springing Heifers		Heifer Calves	Beef Cross Calves
Location (sale date)	Supreme/ Top	Approved/ Medium	90-120 pounds	60-100 pounds

Turlock, Calif (11-22-24)	$2,600- $3,475	$1,800- $2,500	--	--
Lomira, Wis (11-29-24)	$1,800- $2,400	$1,200- $1,700	$250- $400	$550- $1,020
Pipestone, Minn. (11-21-24)	$4,000- $4,250	$3,750- $4,000	No test	No test
New Holland, Pa. (10-24-24)	No report	No report	$325- $775	$700- $1,025

Your Next Read: The Last Frontier: The Story of Alaska’s Only Dairy Farm

Harris Taps Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz As VP Pick, Can He Now Help Boost the Rural Vote?

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 18:53:31 GMT

Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her 2024 vice presidential pick. The Harris campaign revealed the choice via an online message to supporters before a rally in Philadelphia, where Harris and her VP pick will make their first joint appearance. They will then tour other battleground states.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, is also set to campaign in Philadelphia following a joint rally in Georgia on Saturday.

Who is Tim Walz?

— Walz, aged 60, has been the Governor of Minnesota since 2018. He also serves as chair of the national Democratic Governors Association. He previously served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Walz’s background includes a diverse range of experiences:

• He was born in West Point, Nebraska.
• A graduate of Chadron State College in Nebraska, Walz served in the Army National Guard, and then worked as a teacher, first on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where he met his wife Gwen, a fellow teacher, and then in China and later as a high school teacher in Mankato, Minnesota, south of Minneapolis.
• He spent several decades as a high school educator, coaching football and serving as a faculty advisor for the school’s gay-straight alliance.
• Walz initially entered politics as a member of former Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign.
• In Congress, Walz focused on veterans’ issues and agricultural policy, reflecting his roots in rural America.
• As governor, some of Walz’ political accomplishments include ensuring tuition-free meals at participating state universities, enshrining abortion rights into state law, banning conversion therapy and providing protections for gender-affirming healthcare.
• Walz signed a bill last May expanding voting rights in Minnesota for an estimated 55,000 formerly incarcerated residents, and in 2020, oversaw the state’s response to both the Covid-19 pandemic and police brutality protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police, though he faced criticism from state Republicans over his delayed response to protests following Floyd’s killing.

— Walz’s selection is seen as a strategic move to appeal to rural voters and progressives, given his track record of progressive policy achievements and his Midwestern charm.
Perspective: His appeal to rural voters could be challenged. Sources say once he became governor, Walz was more attuned to city and suburban voters, not the rural sector, telling one contact that “I don’t need the Ag vote any longer.”

— Kamala Harris has taken the lead over Donald Trump in the Economist’s poll tracker ( link ), marking the first time a Democratic contender has led in the national popular vote since October 2023. Harris is currently ahead with 48% compared to Trump’s 45%. This represents a significant improvement from Joe Biden’s position, as he was trailing Trump by about three points when he ended his presidential campaign. Winning the nationwide popular vote is not enough to win the presidency, as Hillary Clinton and Al Gore can attest. Harris must win battleground states, such as Pennsylvania and Michigan, which have leaned to the right of the country in recent elections.

Flavored Milk Promotes Successful Sale Results at Kwik Trip

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 14:00:00 GMT

When you think of flavored milk, chances are your mind will immediately turn to the classics – chocolate and strawberry. And while those are two great options, Kwik Trip, one of America’s fastest growing convenience stores, has found success offering up unique flavored milk options to their customers.

In 2023, Midwest Dairy partnered with Kwik Trip (also known as Kwik Star in Iowa) to promote their limited-time offer of milk flavors. According to the checkoff company, this partnership aimed to encourage innovation in the dairy industry and well as drive incremental sales through a consumer awareness campaign. Kwik Trip/Kwik Star has over 800 stores in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and South Dakota.

The company kicked off the campaign in July with their signature root beer flavored milk. As the season changed to Fall, Kwik Trip began offering pumpkin spice flavored milk from September through October. Finally, the egg nog flavored milk campaign began in November and ran through the end of 2023.

According to Midwest Dairy, these three campaigns drove over 800,000 incremental pounds of milk. The programming included a 15-second in-store television advertising, cooler clings, and online advertising of the milk flavors, which can be viewed here.

For more industry news, read:

Minnesota Lost More Than 50 Dairy Farms in November

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 18:03:11 GMT

According to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) Dairy Farm Activity Report, Minnesota lost 58 dairy farms in the month of November.

Lucas Sjostrom, the executive director of Minnesota Milk Producers Association, shares these numbers can easily be shifted but adds that this number reflecting a monthly decline in dairy permits has not happened since 2007.

Sjostrom says record high beef prices and uncertain milk futures are a big culprit to these figures.

“It’s a very worrisome number telling me that we’re seeing a higher exit rate than normal this late 2023,” he says. “However, it shouldn’t be seen as 50 plus truly ‘lost’ herds. The truth is less than that, but a good indication of what dairy farmers think about the future.”

Phil Plourd, president of Ever.Ag Insights, highlights that last year was a challenging year for dairy producers.

“Last year was a rough year for dairy producers, with DMC calculations likely showing an annual average margin of less than $7 per hundredweight and dropping to the lowest level since 2012. And, given higher non-feed costs and lower milk pay relative to published prices, the reality on the farm was almost certainly worse,” he says. “Risk management programs such as DMC and DRP helped a lot of producers, but for most, it was a struggle.”

Plourd says the challenge now is that cheese prices finished the year on a real down note, and Class III prices for early 2024 aren’t going to be good, adding pressure.

In total, Minnesota ended 2023 with 146 fewer dairy farm permits than the state did at the beginning of the year, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The big-ticket question is with dairy’s razor-thin financial margins, how many more dairies will exit in the year ahead?

For more industry news, read:

Organic Valley Added 84 Farms to its Membership in 2023

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 21:22:45 GMT

During a year full of farm consolidation, Organic Valley, the largest dairy cooperative of organic farmers in the nation, added an additional 84 farms to its membership in 2023.

“This is who we are,” says Shawna Nelson, Organic Valley executive vice president of membership. “Last year, we brought in farms that were abruptly dropped by their milk buyers, and this year, we’ve welcomed 84 more into our organic dairy community. Our commitment to organic family farmers is unwavering, and we aim to be the go-to option for those seeking a stable future in farming.”

According to the company, the cooperative welcomed:

26 farms from Pennsylvania
22 farms from New York
12 farms from Wisconsin
6 farms from Ohio

Several other farms from Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota and Vermont were welcomed as well.

“We can’t do this alone,” says Jaclyn Cardin, Organic Valley chief brand officer. “If you care about how your food is produced and who is producing it, we think we offer a lot. We want consumers to buy with both heart and head, knowing that Organic Valley products come from a place of integrity. Because we’re a farmer-owned cooperative, when you purchase our products, the farmers who dedicate themselves to caring for the land, the animals and their communities receive stable and farmer-determined compensation. We believe good food comes from good, small family farms.”

Looking ahead, Organic Valley plans to continue supporting small organic family farms in 2024.

For more industry news, read:

Lack of Labor Remains a Serious Challenge for Farmers

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 17:47:19 GMT

A new survey from the Minneapolis Fed found ag bankers rank labor availability as a top concern for their farm clients.

The survey, which was conducted with ag bankers from the ninth district (Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin), found the issue is viewed as a “serious challenge” for 63% of respondents and a minor challenge for the majority of the remaining 37%.

“It’s becoming more and more difficult to obtain the labor needed to operate,” a Minnesota-based banker told the Minneapolis Fed.

The availability of livestock workers was seen as more limited than crop workers and those surveyed also shared that finding long-term help is more difficult than temporary help due to the seasonal nature of the ag industry.

As far as how this compares to past conditions, 39% of respondents said labor availability has gotten “much worse” over the past five years and 44% said it’s “a little worse”.

The Minneapolis Fed attributes this challenge to the region’s low influx of migrant workers and aging workforce.

According to U.S. Census Bureau data, 10% of animal production employees in the area are foreign born, compared to 18% nationally. The number is even lower for crop production with just 5% of workers being foreign born, compared to 32% nationally.

The region also has some of the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S.

At the same time, the median age of workers in the region rose from 51 to 56 in 2021. The number of workers between 45 to 54 has declined over the past decade with a small increase of those between the ages of 25 to 44 and a large increase of those over 55.

For more on labor, read:

CannonBelles Becomes a Premier Cheesemaker in Minnesota

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 03:01:32 GMT

CANNON FALLS, Minn. (AP) — Jackie Ohmann and Deeann Lufkin found themselves trying to make mozzarella one evening in 2012.

The pair joke that they were “bad alcoholics” after trying to make beer and wine, finding themselves unable to consume all their beverages.

So they decided, why not try their hand at cheese?

The results were less than ideal. Ohmann, a Christian education director in Northfield, said the finished 20-minute mozzarella resembled “Silly Putty.”

With little to no dairy experience between them, Ohmann and Lufkin weren’t deterred by the slushy cheese-like substance before them.

Shortly thereafter, at a Philanthropic Educational Organization meeting, the women approached Kathy Hupf, a longtime dairy farmer who left the business to work for the United Methodist Church in Northfield, as a children and family ministries coordinator.

Only minutes into their pitch, Ohmann and Lufkin were cut off by Hupf, who’d heard enough. She was in.

“They said something to the effect of ‘do you want to join’ and (I said) yes,” Hupf told Agri News .

Thus began CannonBelles, a cheese-making business that converted from a hobby to what is now a premier cheese-making facility in southern Minnesota.

Established in Cannon Falls, the trio did market research, going to every grocery store in a 25-mile radius to test cheese and find price points, and inquiring with local cheesemakers about their secrets, aside from recipes.

In August 2016, the women went to the University of Minnesota Food Science and Nutrition building in Falcon Heights where they made 500 pounds of cheese curds.

“We had an entire refrigerator entirely full of 500 pounds of cheese curds,” Hupf said.

In the beginning, Lufkin said they had a lot of waste, trying to find a way to make delicious and delicate cheeses as well as finding buyers.

While all three women help with the cheese-making process, with some family member volunteers, Lufkin, a retired Air Force meteorologist, has become the head cheesemaker, studying the process at places like the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

CannonBelles has found ways around the cheese-curd dilemma, converting some of the cheese into blocks of an aged variety and the rest going to the bite-sized pieces.

Even before mass producing cheese curds, the women made cheeses like gouda and queso fresco. The gouda, Lufkin said, gave them the confidence to sell their cheeses.

However, the women acknowledge their queso fresco recipe, which is more of a traditional Spanish recipe, has helped push them further into the cheese community.

This year, CannonBelles’ queso fresco won the American Cheese Society first prize in the queso fresco and queso blanco category in Denver. It’s an honor that helps make the cheese a better seller, said Hupf, who handles the marketing for CannonBelles.

The owners of CannonBelles said when they enter contests like the American Cheese Society, they aren’t necessarily looking to win an award, but receive critical analysis and get advice from experts. But they won’t complain about getting the recognition either.

“When we won, it was a definite confidence booster,” Ohmann said. “We’re actually a legit business now, not just some three goofballs doing whatever.”

It was also acknowledgement that they are cheese-making professionals.

“For me, I felt like sometimes we were looked at as, ‘oh, you’re bored housewives, aren’t you cute,’” Lufkin said. “Once we got this award, it just seems like they see us differently now.”

They want to diversify their product line and build a plant in Cannon Falls.

They’d like to break ground this spring on a new plant, rather than reconfigure an existing one, and are looking for an investor.

CannonBelles also wants to use Square Deal Dairy, a dairy farm in Randolph, for their milk after their plant is built. Right now, they have to use the University of Minnesota’s milk while in their facility.

Ohmann said using Square Deal Dairy’s milk would be “huge,” calling them a reliable farm with a solid family at the helm.

Hupf said they want their products to be locally sourced and to reflect their family-style company atmosphere.

“One of our goals, when we started this, was to make a family friendly cheese, an affordable cheese for families,” Hupf said. “That’s truly one of our mission statements.”

Information from: Agri News, http://www.agrinews.com/

An AP Member Exchange shared by Agri News.

Minnesota Farmers Turn to Bankruptcy as Low Prices Continue

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:59:25 GMT

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota’s crop, livestock and dairy farmers are suffering with continuing rock bottom prices for their commodities, driving some into bankruptcy.

John Quaal, 71, operates a dairy farm near Fergus Falls and tells Minnesota Public Radio News that it’s nearly impossible to break even producing milk.

“For almost two years now we’ve been going backwards,” said Quaal. “You’ve got to learn to deal with it I guess. It’s just the way it is.”

Quaal said his farm has lost as much as $40,000 in a single month and figures the family operation lost a total of $300,000 last year.

“It’s pretty hard to go to any bank, or anywhere and borrow money with a negative cash flow,” said Quaal. “So it looked like about the route we should probably go is filing a Chapter 12 bankruptcy.”

His family will continue to milk nearly 300 cows, but have more time to pay off debt.

Quaal turned to Bill Januszewski, a farm business management instructor at Alexandria Technical and Community College, for financial advice. Januszewski is currently working with a total of 21 conventional dairy farms in the area.

“Out of the 21 I have about 12 of them that are under some sort of stress,” said Januszewski. “And I would say out of those 12 I’ve got five that are under considerable stress.”

The number of troubled agricultural loans is rising statewide and the number of farmers offered mediation by lenders is up 20 percent so far this year.

Farmers that have managed to stay in business are drawing on savings to pay their bills, said Sterling Liddell with Rabo AgriFinance, which provides financial services for agricultural producers and agribusiness in the U.S.

Liddell says that savings likely came from a run of historically high corn and soybeans profits between 2007 and 2014. With another record harvest expected this year, prices will likely stay low, he said.

Minnesota Milk Producer of the Year Utilizes Robots to Get the Job Done

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:57:17 GMT

By Lucas Sjostrom

The Heintz Badger Valley Farm, Caledonia, Minn., was named 2015 Producer of the year during Minnesota Milk Producer Association’s annual conference last week in St. Cloud. The Doug and Julie Heintz family, as profiled in the December 2014 issue of Dairy Herd Management, switched to robotic milking with two Lely automatic milking system robots in 2008.

The herd remained at the top of the charts in milk per robot when compared within other similar robots, as they milked 130 cows with the two robots on opposite sides of their freestall barn, operating as two herds. Before robots, Heintz was milking 75 cows in a 52-tiestall barn after taking over when his father and grandfather died in his junior year of high school.

Today, he and his wife, Julie, work with one part-time employee, Matt Feldmeier, in their current 150-cow and 400-acre operation in southeastern Minnesota’s rolling hills. Their son, Dayne, works off the farm with an independent robot consulting company as a robot startup specialist, hoping to join the farm in the future. Their daughter, Jackie, is a teacher at a local elementary school.

Read more on DairyHerd.com .

Minnesota Dairy Industry Crowns 62nd Princess Kay of the Milky Way

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:55:32 GMT

Kyla Mauk, a 19-year-old college student from Howard Lake, Minn., representing Wright County, was crowned the 62nd Princess Kay of the Milky Way in an evening ceremony at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds August 26.

Mauk will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for nearly 3,500 Minnesota dairy farm families. Kyla is the daughter of Chris and Harlan Mauk, and attends South Dakota State University, where she is pursuing a degree in agriculture education.

Twelve county dairy princesses from throughout Minnesota competed for the Princess Kay of the Milky Way title. Kylee Fernholz of Hoffman, representing Douglas County, and Ellen Sheehan of Rochester, representing Olmsted County, were selected as runners-up. Kylee Fernholz was also named Miss Congeniality. Scholarships were awarded to Michele Green of Greenbush, representing Roseau County, Samantha Keller of Goodhue, representing Goodhue County, and Kyla Mauk.

Throughout her year-long reign as Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Mauk will make public appearances to help connect consumers to Minnesota’s dairy farm families. She will also promote the Fuel Up to Play 60 program, through which she encourages students to get 60 minutes of physical activity each day and eat a healthy diet that includes three servings of dairy.

Mauk’s first official duty as Princess Kay will be to sit in a rotating cooler in the Dairy Building for nearly six hours to have her likeness sculpted in a 90-pound block of butter on the opening day of the Minnesota State Fair – Thursday, August 27. This year marks butter sculptor Linda Christensen’s 44th year carving the Princess Kay of the Milky Way winner and finalists at the Minnesota State Fair. Other finalists are scheduled to have their likenesses sculpted as follows:

Friday, August 28: Michele Green, Greenbush, representing Roseau County
Saturday, August 29: Maggie Mills, Lake City, representing Goodhue County
Sunday, August 30: Jennifer Oelfke, Hamburg, representing Sibley County
Monday, August 31: Kylee Fernholz, Hoffman, representing Douglas County
Tuesday, September 1: McKinzie Smith, Adams, representing Mower County
Wednesday, September 2: Samantha Keller, Goodhue, representing Goodhue County
Thursday, September 3: Ellen Sheehan, Rochester, representing Olmsted County
Friday, September 4: Carley Vinkemeier, Norwood Young America, representing Carver County
Saturday, September 5: Rachel Stender, Lester Prairie, representing McLeod County
Sunday, September 6: Kallie Baker, Plainview, representing Wabasha County
Monday, September 7: Morgan Uphoff, Melrose, representing Stearns County

Princess Kay candidates are judged on their general knowledge of the dairy industry, communication skills and enthusiasm for dairy. The Midwest Dairy Association sponsors the Princess Kay program, which is funded by dairy farmers through their promotion checkoff. Midwest Dairy Association is a non-profit organization funded by dairy farmers to build demand for dairy products through integrated marketing, nutrition education and research. Midwest Dairy is funded by checkoff dollars from dairy farmers in a 10-state region, including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. For more information, visit www.midwestdairy.com . Follow us on Twitter and find us on Facebook at Midwest Dairy.

Source: Midwest Dairy Association

Minnesota Dairy Farm Withdraws Disputed Expansion Proposal

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:55:12 GMT

The owners of a southeastern Minnesota dairy farm have withdrawn their application to expand their operation to as many as 1,500 cows.

The Post-Bulletin of Rochester reports the proposal had divided Plainview Township, a community of less than 500 people, over what’s best for farming communities versus what’s best for the environment.

Tim Zabel and his family officially withdrew their variance request Tuesday night. He declined to comment on what led to their decision, but said his family is re-evaluating their proposal and could bring it back in the future. He says they’ve also looked at other sites but have yet to find one likely to be sold.

Planning commission member John Koepsell says Zabel had not yet obtained numerous documents and informational reports needed for his variance request.

KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and Sports

Milk Prices Drop After Years of Profits for Farmers

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:52:19 GMT

Milk prices have fallen by more than one-third since last fall, putting a crunch on dairy farmers after several profitable years.

Minnesota Public Radio News reports the downturn’s duration is unclear, but some Minnesota farmers are already losing money month-to-month. Steve Hoffman, a dairy farmer near New Ulm, says he lost more than $1,000 in January, after having what he called “by far the best year” he’s had.

Milk imports to China, a major buyer of late, are projected to go down by about $1 billion. The European Union is set to lift milk production caps next month, and University of Minnesota professor Marin Bozic says the likelihood of added supply is weighing on prices.

Bozic says even a short-term drop in prices could make some farmers think of leaving the dairy business.

Dairy that Won Challenge of CapX2020 Going out of Business

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:50:56 GMT

A small New Prague, Minn., dairy will stop producing and selling milk just months after winning a legal fight over a high-capacity power line across its land.

Cedar Summit Farm owners Dave and Florence Minar announced the news on their website effective the end of January, though they said they would continue selling beef. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the Minars declined to comment further.

The Minar family has run the farm, known for creamy organic milk from grass-fed cows, since 1926. They challenged the $2 billion CapX2020 power line, arguing it would ruin the dairy. They used a state law known as “Buy the Farm” that says utilities that threaten a farm’s existence must buy the land if the owner wants to sell.

The utilities behind CapX2020 had argued the law didn’t apply because their transmission structure took up less than an acre. A judge sided with the Minars in August, ruling the power line affected the whole property.

The Minars had said after the ruling that they planned to search for new locations to carry on the dairy operation.

Their lawsuit was closely watched by other small operators. Thom Peterson, director of governmental relations for the Minnesota Farmers Union, said all the affected farmers he’s talked to want to relocate and keep farming, but it’s hard to find the land for it.

Julie and Dale Schwartz, who live on a dairy farm near Arlington that’s also crossed by CapX2020are hoping for a resolution similar to the Minars’. They know they are going to leave their farm, but aren’t sure where they will go.

“We’re in our 50s, so it’s not like we can retire,” Julie Schwartz said.

Minnesota Woman Seeks Record For Cow Memorabilia

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:50:26 GMT

The most frequent statement made upon entering Ruth Klossner’s home is likely “holy cow!”

More than 15,000 cow related items decorate the house. The collection includes items such as stuffed animals, cookie jars, toys, Christmas tree ornaments, paintings, clothing and even a tractor painted to resemble a Holstein cow.

Last Sunday, Klossner held an open house for the accurately described “Moo-seum.” The event marked the 16th open house held in her home, which traditionally takes place on the first weekend in December, The (New Ulm) Journal reported.

Klossner’s passion for collecting all things cow has been well documented. Articles written on her collection have appeared in Polish and Danish publications. Friends and family often help grow the collection.

Klossner estimates that anywhere from a quarter to a third of the collection were gifts. One of Klossner’s most prized cow statues is named “Tippifina,” and it is a gift from actress Tippi Hedren, who grew up in Lafayette and visited Klossner several years ago.

Klossner began collecting cow items in 1979. Her love of cows goes back to her childhood growing up on a dairy farm. “I’ve loved them since I was a kid. In 4-H my projects were always dairy related,” she said.

One of Klossner’s latest acquisitions is a painting of a Holstein she raised to be the 4-H Grand Champion in 1966. The cow’s name was Klossner Princess Delight and is still fondly remembered decades later.

At this point, her collection of cow memorabilia is probably the largest in the world. In fact, Klossner is attempting to make the record official.

“Everything has a number,” said Klossner, referring to each and every cow item in the collection. “That number is logged into a computer.”

The creation of an inventory of all cow items on a computer database will allow The Guinness Book of Records to verify the record. Klossner is confident she has the record because the current recorder holder’s collection is only 2,400 items.

Securing the world record would be a great feat, but Klossner said the real fun is hunting down all the bovine items and sharing them with people.

People from all over the world come to visit the Moo-seum. Last year’s open house brought visitors from 17 different towns. Klossner has also received guests from as far away as the Netherlands. She welcomes everyone to visit and share her love for these animals.

The Moo-seum is located in rural Lafayette in the village of Bernadotte.--Clay Schuldt, The Journal

Minnesota Dairy Farmers Struggle to Find Workers

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:07:07 GMT

Staci Sexton keeps busy at her dairy farm near Millville, Minnesota.

“My dad, technically, kind of retired this year,” she said. “Mom’s not retirement age yet.”

That means the bulk of the work on her dairy — her parents currently own 60% of the dairy operations on their 300-acre, 127-head dairy, and Staci owns 40% — falls to Staci and her youngest brother, Lance Sexton.

Well, and her mom. And the “neighbor kid.”

And that’s where the trouble looms, Staci Sexton said.

The “neighbor kid,” a high school student who milks the herd on weekend nights, is the lone non-family employee, giving the Sexton clan a night off. “We take a night off, swapping on the weekend, my brother, myself and my parents,” she said.

Before this “neighbor kid” there was another one, Sexton said. When that part-time worker graduated high school, he bequeathed the job to his friend who often tagged along to help out. But when the current “neighbor kid” finishes high school, Sexton doesn’t see another one taking his place, the Post-Bulletin reported.

Caring for the combined herd of her business and her parents’ business — called Schoene Kuh (German for “Beautiful Cow”) and Irish Ridge Dairy, respectively — is really a two-person job, she said. Milking, feeding and caring for upward of 120 cows can be a lot for just one person. Too much, really.

On a short-term basis, Sexton said she can handle the herd on her own. But when she and Lance take over the work completely, they’ll need that person who fills in from time to time to give a little respite when the other one is gone, sick or needs to go to a meeting.

Sexton said she remembers when she was the “neighbor kid.” Her junior and senior years of high school — plus some holidays and summers in college — she worked for Kevin Siewert, who’s Hyde Park Holsteins is just a few miles away near Zumbro Falls.

Siewert, who’s milking herd of 520 is more than four times the size of Sexton’s herd, has eight full-time employees and four part-time employees.

“As you have more cows you have more help and you have to pay people,” Siewert said. “If you’re on your own, you’re on your own.”

With about 200 head to milk, Alan and Bill Miller at Little Red Dairy near Millville employ four part-time workers who help with the daily chores and milking.

Alan Miller recently started making cheese curds, which also involves packaging, distributing and marketing the tasty treats. Some of that work, particularly the marketing, is taken by his wife.

“We’ve been very fortunate with good help,” Miller said, but added, “It’s hard to find a replacement, or someone who just wants to work in general.”

Sexton said she understands the difficulty. Her “neighbor kid,” she said, is responsible and reliable. That, she said, isn’t always the case.

And while she knows the local schools have agriculture programs where they offer some credit for job experience, her farm is “a little far out for those schools.”

“Long term, I guess it’s going to be hard when my parents want to retire,” she said. “I think it’ll be a little tougher, especially in the summer when you want to get crops done and you still have to mix feed or milk cows.”

But for that day-to-day, every week work, she said, the farm just doesn’t need a full-time employee. And, in a way, that’s good.

“It takes us about two hours to milk,” she said, adding that her part-time teen helper has a friend who lives on a larger dairy where the milking takes significantly longer. “He says, ‘I don’t think I could milk for that long.’”

Minnesota Legislature Backs Disaster Aid for Barn Collapses

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:06:19 GMT

The Minnesota Legislature has approved expanding a zero-interest disaster loan program for farmers, just in time for producers with buildings damaged by heavy snow this winter.

The bill unanimously passed the Senate Thursday, and then passed House without opposition. It now goes to Gov. Tim Walz for his signature.

The bill broadens eligibility for the Disaster Loan Recovery Program run by the state’s Rural Finance Authority. It adds uninsured losses from the weight of snow, sleet or ice to the list of damages covered by the program. It would be retroactive to Jan. 1.

The proposal was one of many that were included in a massive budget bill vetoed by Gov. Mark Dayton last year.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture says around 75 barns statewide have collapsed this winter.

DFA Purchases Agropur’s St. Paul, Minnesota Dairy Processing Plant

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 05:53:33 GMT

Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) has entered an agreement with Agropur to purchase Agropur’s St. Paul, Minnesota, dairy processing facility.

The acquisition of the facility expands DFA’s extended shelf-life capabilities, along with introducing aseptic processing into the cooperative’s business portfolio.

“This acquisition offers an opportunity to grow our customer base while strengthening our processing capabilities for existing customers and diversifies our product portfolio,” says Pat Panko, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for DFA’s Fluid Milk and Ice Cream Division.

The dairy processing facility produces a variety of fresh, extended shelf-life and aseptic dairy products for well-known grocery store chains and organic milk brands.

Regarding the sale, Doug Simon, President of Agropur, adds, “DFA is a tremendous organization with strong cultural and business ideations that marry well with those of Agropur’s cooperative roots. Our focus has been and will always be meeting the needs of our customers and being strategic in our investments toward complementary growth areas. This transaction is well aligned with long-term strategic plans for both parties. ”

Employees at the plant will retain their current positions. Also, the management team at the plant will continue to manage all day-to-day operations, including customer relationships, milk procurement and production.

According to a joint release from the cooperatives , the sale is still pending satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close in early January.

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