Wisconsin

A Place to Work and a Place to Live: How One Dairy Provides Housing for Nearly All of Its Employees

Fri, 15 May 2026 16:50:55 GMT

On dairy farms across the country, the labor challenge no longer stops at hiring. Producers are working to build operations where employees want to stay long term, raise families and create a life in rural communities.

But in some areas, one of the biggest obstacles has become housing. Affordable rentals are scarce and employees willing to work on farms often struggle to find a place to live nearby.

At Brey Cycle Farm in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., employee housing has become part of the long-term business strategy. What started with one farmhouse has grown into a network of homes, apartments and rentals that now house nearly the farm’s entire workforce.

“Providing housing has become a huge part of what we do,” says Moriah Brey, one of the farm’s four owners. “At the end of the day, farming is about people too. If I can help someone build a better life and give their family a safe place to call home, that’s incredibly rewarding for me.”

For the Breys, employee housing has become another part of running the dairy. Alongside managing cows, crops and employees, the family now manages a growing network of homes tied closely to the farm’s workforce.

(Brey Cycle Farm)

More Than a Place to Live

Brey and her family milk 1,500 cows, raise their own youngstock and operate a direct-to-consumer beef business. Along the way, they’ve also built an employee housing program that has become a central part of how the farm operates day to day and supports the people behind it.

“We have about 25 employees and we house 23 of them,” Brey explains. “Thirteen of them live with their families, and then 10 live as individual guys.”

To make that work, the farm owns 11 houses and rents another five. That’s 16 homes to manage alongside everything else the dairy requires.

“We joke that we’ve become a property management company,” Brey says with a laugh. “Honestly, we probably do need to hire someone for it. Managing all the houses and properties has become a big part of what we do.”

But behind the joke is a serious reality. Housing has become a big part of how they support and retain their workforce.

Why They Stepped into Housing

Brey Cycle Farm has had employee housing in some form for nearly two decades. But things really took off when the family began using the TN visa program to bring in workers from Mexico.

“As we started using the TN visa program, one of the requirements is that you provide housing,” Brey says. “That really got things going. We’ve always had one house on the farm that an employee has lived in. But as the farm has grown, the housing has grown with it.”

(Brey Cycle Farm)

Today, many of their employees came through that program, and most arrived alone at first.

“At first, when people come here through the TN visa program, they’re usually arriving on their own,” Brey explains. “In those first few weeks, they typically live in housing near the farm. Once their families join them, each family moves into their own house.”

Brey emphasizes the housing they provide is designed for privacy and stability, not shared living.

“We make sure the housing fits their situation,” she says. “Everyone has their own room, and when families arrive, we move them into a home of their own, whether that’s a house we own or one we rent.”

In Door County, where the farm sits, tourism drives up demand for rentals, and vacancy rates are low, leaving few affordable options close to work.

“Up here, it can be really difficult to find a place to stay,” Brey says. “We’re not close to an urban area, and Door County has about a 1.5% apartment vacancy rate. It’s extremely low, so finding housing is a real challenge and it’s part of why this has become so necessary.”

From Farmhouses to New Housing Options

Over time, the Breys have built a patchwork of housing. One recent addition came together in Sturgeon Bay, where they added a four-plex with four apartments and a shared outdoor space that has quickly become a gathering spot for employee families.

“It’s got four two-bedroom apartments in this really cute building with a big backyard where we’re going to put a swing set,” Brey says. “The group of employees who moved there were just so grateful. There are a few places where people naturally hang out, and this has become one of them. It really feels like a little family there.”

Brey Cycle Farm

(Brey Cycle Farm)

At another property, one employee now lives close enough that his children ride the same school bus as the Brey children.

“We moved this gentleman to a mobile home down the road from us,” Brey says. “So now his kids are on the same bus as my kids, and it’s just so cool.”

For the Breys, each home is more than just a property. It’s tied to the people who help run the farm and the relationships they’ve built over time.

Rent, Utilities and Expectations

Housing on the Brey farm is not free, but it comes at a reduced cost. The goal, Brey says, is to keep housing affordable while still asking employees to take care of where they live.

“We do charge rent, but it’s heavily subsidized,” Brey explains. “If you live as a family, you pay a little more. If you live as an individual, you pay a little less. But it’s still well below what a house would normally cost.”

The farm also covers many of the utilities in most homes, including heat, propane and internet. With that setup, expectations around upkeep become part of the day-to-day conversation. Small things like thermostats, trash and general housekeeping can add up quickly if they are not addressed early.

“Just assuming everyone is going to do things the way you would is not how it works,” Brey says. “Sometimes we go into a house and find the heat turned way up or a smoke detector unplugged.”

To stay ahead of those issues, the farm relies on frequent communication and simple reminders shared with employees to reinforce expectations around upkeep and utilities.

“We started putting reminders in their paychecks to keep things top of mind,” she explains.

(Brey Cycle Farm)

More recently, the farm has also adjusted how they handle some utility costs, including charging employees for a portion of electricity use tied to each home.

“We started charging for a portion of electricity use because it’s something we can track by house,” she says. “Other utilities are harder to separate out, so we still cover those.”

Even with those adjustments, Brey says the goal is not to police employees, but to create a system that is practical and easy to manage for everyone involved.

“These people are very capable,” Brey says. “It’s really just about making the system simple and workable for everyone.”

Spreadsheets, Clipboards and Managing the Homes

Managing 16 homes has added an entirely new layer to the dairy’s operation. Between utilities, maintenance, repairs and communication with employees, housing now requires regular organization and oversight.

“We have this huge spreadsheet,” Brey says. “Every house is different. One has forced air, another has a boiler and another has electric heat. We’re tracking things like smoke detectors, furnace filters, propane deliveries, utility bills and maintenance schedules. When you’re managing that many houses, there’s just a lot to keep organized and stay on top of.”

Much of the coordination happens through the farm office, where employees can report maintenance issues or ask questions about utilities and housing needs. The farm’s leadership team also meets regularly to review housing concerns and stay ahead of repairs and upkeep.

(Lori Hays)

“We meet at least once a month and go through everything,” Brey says. “We try to make sure something is always moving forward with the houses.”

Twice a year, the farm also does more formal walk throughs of the properties to check things like filters, smoke detectors and general maintenance.

“We try to go through every house a couple times a year and double check everything,” she says. “But honestly, we’re involved all the time because people call us whenever something comes up.”

Even with systems in place, Brey admits housing management is still a work in progress.

“I don’t know how we manage it sometimes, to be honest with you,” Brey laughs. “At some point, we’ll probably need someone dedicated to property management. So far, it’s worked, but we’re still figuring out the best way to organize everything.”

Culture, Not Just Housing

Ask Brey why employee turnover is so low, and she talks about relationships and the culture they have built on the farm.

“Culture is our game,” she says. “We try to be really responsive to what people need. They’re like our friends, truly.”

That mindset shapes everything from housing decisions to the way employees settle into life around the farm. Brey says many employees take pride in making the houses feel like home, whether that means planting a garden or raising chickens in the backyard.

“We call it their house, and they call it their house,” Brey says. “When people can really settle in and make it feel like home, that’s important to us.”

Employee Housing

(Lori Hays)

The housing program has also grown alongside the farm’s relationships through the TN visa program. Many employees arrived in the U.S. with agricultural degrees and strong experience working with livestock.

“They all have four-year degrees in an agricultural field,” Brey says. “We have veterinarians by trade working here. They really care about the animals and they care about the farm.”

Over time, many employees have taken on more responsibility throughout the operation, building careers and deeper connections to the dairy along the way. Stories like those are part of why housing feels bigger than just another employee benefit for the Breys.

“A lot of them have stories that most of us could never imagine,” Brey says. “It’s rewarding to know they have a safe place to live and that their families are doing well here.”

Advice for Other Producers

(Brey Cycle Farm)

Not every dairy will be able to provide employee housing on this scale. But as labor remains tight and affordable rural housing stays difficult to find, more farms are starting to think differently about what it takes to support and retain employees long term.

Brey says farms considering employee housing need to understand that it takes time, communication and a willingness to stay involved. Her advice centers on three things:

• Go in knowing it will take time and effort. “There’s pros and cons for sure,” Brey says. “It takes a lot of time, but it’s also a rewarding part of what you do. You can’t expect it to be maintenance free.”

• Treat employees like neighbors, not just workers. “The biggest thing is really getting to know people and their families,” she says. “We know the employees, we know their kids and we know what works best for each family. When you take the time to understand people and what they need, it changes the whole relationship.”

• Communicate expectations early and often. “Just assuming everyone is going to do things the way you would is not how it works,” Brey says. “Having conversations, sending reminders and putting expectations in writing is really important.”

For Brey, the housing program ultimately comes back to relationships and creating stability for the people who help keep the dairy running.

“This whole farm was built on relationships,” Brey says. “Relationships with employees, relationships with the community and relationships with the people who help us every day. That’s what makes everything work.”

She says some of the most rewarding moments come from seeing employees and their families truly settle into life around the farm, whether that means children riding the school bus together, families gathering outside after work or employees taking pride in a place that feels like home.

“If we can keep providing people with a safe and secure place to live, that’s probably all I could ever ask for,” she says. “We’re thankful for the people who work here, and they’ve become a really important part of our lives.”

The Invisible Enemy: The Audacity and Faith of One Incredible Wisconsin Dairy Family

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:09:11 GMT

In the world of dairy farming, we often talk about the things we can see: the quality of the silage, the conformation of a heifer or the rising numbers on a milk check. But for the Den Hoed family in northern Wisconsin, the most defining battle of the last 17 years has been against an enemy that is entirely invisible. It is a story of a silent killer that nearly broke their business, but instead, forged a family legacy of unshakable faith and the grit to build something entirely new from the ground up.

The story of Den Hoed Dairy doesn’t begin in the cabin country of Wisconsin. It begins in the Yakima Valley of Washington, where Walt Den Hoed grew up milking cows alongside his father and brothers. By 2008, the operation had grown to 1,200 cows. But that year, a storm hit: Walt’s father passed away from cancer, and the family realized — too late — that no succession planning had been done.

In 2010, at age 40, Walt faced a crossroads. He could stay in the shadow of a fractured legacy, or he could take a leap of faith. With his wife, Denise, and their children, he looked at seven dairies across the Midwest. They eventually settled on a site in northern Wisconsin, arriving with nothing more than two tractors, a loader and a determination to start over.

“We didn’t bring any cows,” Walt recalls. “We bought everything here. We didn’t know then why the former owner had sold the farm. We found out soon enough.”

(Den Hoed Dairy)

The Silent Killer: 17 Years of Stray Voltage

What the Den Hoeds had unknowingly purchased was a stray voltage farm. Located precisely between two electrical substations, the earth beneath their feet was a conduit for balancing energy. For the cows, it was a living nightmare.

“It affects their liver,” Walt explains, his voice heavy with the memory of the struggle. “The cows wouldn’t drink.”

At their lowest point, the cows were only taking in 13 gallons of water a day.

“We were down to 44 pounds of milk on 3x milking,” says Colton Den Hoed. “They wouldn’t even let their milk down in the parlor; they’d get back to the stalls and just start dripping. It was like they were being suppressed from the inside out.”

The numbers were staggering and, for any other business, it would have been a death sentence. The farm carried a 44% cull rate and a 10% death rate. In the winter, production hovered at 60 lb.; in the summer, 75 lb. Compared to the 90 lb.-plus averages they had achieved in Washington, the Den Hoeds were merely surviving in a state of constant “IV tube” management.

“We were in the shed at 3 a.m. in -25°F-below weather, building little pens to warm up calves that were dying because the stray voltage prevents calcium transfer,” Denise says. “They couldn’t keep themselves warm. We were doing whatever it took to save them, but you can’t out-farm physics.”

(Den Hoed Dairy)

The Legacy Farmer Pivot: Permission to Dream Again

For years, the family lived in a survival bubble. The Den Hoeds say when you are buried in the daily trauma of losing animals and fighting a plummeting milk check, you stop dreaming. You focus on the next bill, the next IV bag and the next sunrise.

The turning point came a year and a half ago when the family connected with Legacy Farmer. They wanted a cold, hard audit of their operation. They were prepared for the criticism. In fact, they invited it.

“We wanted to find the holes,” says Jayce Den Hoed. “We wanted to know where we were failing. But they dug into our portfolio for two months and came back with something we didn’t expect. They told us, ‘You guys can’t get any more efficient. The only thing you’re doing wrong is milk production, and you can’t help that in this facility.’”

That revelation was the green light the family needed. The audit proved their do-it-all philosophy — hauling their own milk, harvesting 1,700 acres of their own feed and handling every equipment repair in-house — had created a foundation of extreme efficiency. If they could just get the cows onto clean ground, the sky was the limit.

“We had a day of depression when we saw the reality of the numbers needed to build new,” Colton says. “But we all came back to the table with the same vision. We knew we had the equity. We just needed the courage to jump.”

Building from Scratch: 6 Miles to Freedom

The Den Hoeds are currently in the middle of a massive transformation. Just 6 miles away from their current death trap, they are building a brand-new facility from scratch. The new dairy will feature a double-20 parallel parlor and a state-of-the-art feed center.

The goal is to move the milking herd, dry cows and close-ups to the new site by November. The original farm will be repurposed for heifers and calves, who seem better able to handle the environmental stress until they reach breeding age.

“The bank approval was a miracle,” Denise says. “We spent months putting together a portfolio — projections for years to come, profit and loss statements, every detail laid out. We had a three-hour meeting with the board, and within 90 days, we had the approval. Our lender actually grew up on a farm that was also plagued by stray voltage. She understood our heart because she had lived our pain.”

(Den Hoed Dairy)

The Next Generation: Wired for the Legacy

Perhaps the most compelling part of the Den Hoed story is the two young men standing alongside Walt. In an era where the average age of the American farmer is rising, Jayce and Colton bring that figure down considerably. They are hardworking, tech-savvy and deeply committed to the family brand.

Jayce, who bought his first 100 acres at age 18, even before he graduated high school, handles the crop inputs and the beef side of the business.

“I’ve always wanted to farm,” he says. “You teach your kids responsibility, and that’s missing in our culture today.”

Colton, who cares for the youngstock, has taken the Den Hoed story to the world through social media, where he has built a following of nearly 200,000 people. He documents the good, the bad and the muddy.

“I want to show people what we do. I’ve had kids from small towns come through the barn who have never seen a cow,” Colton says. “The disconnect is huge, and we’re trying to bridge it.”

The brothers haven’t always seen eye-to-eye — they admit to butting heads in their younger years — but the shared trauma of the stray voltage years and the shared vision of the new build have welded them together.

(Den Hoed Dairy)

A Culture of “Familia”

The Den Hoeds don’t just treat each other like family; they extend that culture to their team. When they moved to Wisconsin, they struggled to find help until they recruited from the local Hispanic community. Today, they have four employees who have been with them for years.

“We treat them like family,” Colton says. “We have dinners together. We bring them donuts. We know about their lives. It’s not just a number on a payroll; it’s a relationship. That morale is why they stay, even when the facility was a struggle to work in.”

This focus on people is the secret sauce of their efficiency. By hauling their own milk, they save nearly $1.10 per cwt. — a figure that adds up to hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

“If we didn’t do it ourselves, we wouldn’t be here,” Walt says simply.

The Audacity of Faith

Woven through every conversation with the Den Hoeds is a profound sense of faith. In their barn, a sign reads “In God We Trust,” and it isn’t just for show.

“When we put that sign up, it felt like our problems got worse,” Walt says with a wry smile. “It was like Satan went to work harder. But it just made us pray harder. We stopped praying for God to ‘fix’ the farm and started praying for wisdom. And that’s when the pieces started falling into place.”

They see God’s hand in the timing of the Legacy Farmer audit, in the specific background of their lender and even in the naysayers who told them they would fail.

“You’re always going to have people who think you’re nuts,” Walt says. “But we’ve learned to manifest the positive. You don’t go forward unless you poke your head out of the shell. We’re taking a leap of faith because we believe this industry is worth it, and we believe our family is worth it.”

Looking Toward November

As the construction crews move dirt at the new site 6 miles away, the Den Hoeds are already seeing the cumulative wins. Their pregnancy rate has surged from 23% to nearly 50% after a shift in management protocols. Their days in milk have dropped from 215 to 160. Though these changes did not translate to a single extra pound at their current facility, the engine is being tuned for the big move.

“We need hope,” Denise says. “We were in that survival pool for so long we didn’t realize how depressed we were. We had actually stopped dreaming.”

But the dreams are back. In November, when the first trailer load of cows pulls into the clean parlor of the new facility, it won’t just be a move of livestock. It will be the culmination of 17 years of perseverance. It will be the moment the invisible enemy finally loses its grip.

As the rain falls over the Wisconsin cabin country, the Den Hoed family gathers for their daily lunch — a tradition that keeps them connected and grounded. They joke, they plan and they pray. They are a testament to the fact that the most valuable asset on any dairy isn’t the quota or the equipment — it’s the people who refuse to quit.

The Den Hoeds are no longer just surviving. They are building a legacy that will outlast the hardships and the stray voltage. They are proving that when you combine elite efficiency with an audacious faith, the cream always rises to the top.

Carving a New Path: How Wisconsin Native Transforms Cheddar into a Canvas for Dairy Advocacy

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:01:01 GMT

Most people look at a 40 lb. block of cheddar and see an ingredient. Vicki Janisch sees a canvas and a way to stay rooted in dairy, even after her family stepped away from milking cows.

In the last few years, the Wisconsin native has built a one‑of‑a‑kind career as a professional cheese carver. Her work has shown up at weddings, college sports announcements, major dairy events and even tied into the NFL Draft.

But if you ask her, it’s less about the spotlight and more about staying connected to the industry that shaped her.

The Day Carving Found Her

The idea first took shape during a normal day at the office. Janisch was working at Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin when Sarah Kaufmann, a skilled cheese carver from California, stopped in to carve for a project.

Curious about how it all worked, Janisch asked if she could come over and see the process for herself. Watching the carving up close stopped her in her tracks. Seeing the tools, the technique and the transformation from a simple block of cheese into a detailed sculpture lit a spark inside her that she couldn’t quite shake.

“I fan girled hard,” Janisch says with a laugh. “I was just in awe of what she could do and what she starts with. I thought, ‘This is the coolest thing ever! You get to carve cheese?’ I mean, cheese already tastes good, but now you get to put your artistic spin on it. That’s sounds like the best job in the world.”

Watching Kaufmann work, Janisch began asking all sorts of questions: What tools do you use? What cheese do you use? How do you turn this into a business?

After a steady stream of questions, Kaufmann smiled and offered a simple solution.

“[Sarah] goes, ‘Well, why don’t you come and carve with me tomorrow?’” Janisch recalls. “It was my birthday, and I had already taken the day off. So, I thought, ‘Yeah, why not? I’ll go.’”

The next day, Janisch spent several hours carving alongside Kaufmann and quickly realized how absorbing the craft could be.

“You can really lose track of time when you’re doing it,” Janisch says. “It’s such a fun medium to work with, and I loved just getting the chance to try it for myself.”

That night, she went home and ordered her own tools.

“I didn’t really tell anybody that I was doing it,” Janisch laughs. “I just wanted to carve for fun. I ordered some clay carving tools off Amazon and played around with some cheese I had in the fridge. I had no idea it was going to escalate as quickly as it did.”

(Photo Provided By Vicki Janisch)

A Carving Career Takes Shape

After that first experience, carving became something she kept returning to. Before long, friends and family started to hear about her new hobby. One of those conversations turned into an unexpected opportunity.

“A friend of mine came to me and said, ‘Hey, I know you’ve been doing this. Do you want to do my niece’s wedding? Would you be up for making a cheese wedding cake?’” Janisch remembers. “And I’m like, as my first project, this sounds awesome. But I have no idea what I’m doing.”

After saying yes, she sourced a 40 lb. block of cheddar and some wheels and built a tiered cheese “cake.” The display quickly became a major hit with guests and showed Janisch just how much excitement a carved cheese centerpiece could bring to an event.

(Vicki Janisch)

“As things kind of progressed and friends and families started hearing what I did, I started to get more requests,” Janisch says. “It was all through word of mouth, and the list of projects continued to grow.”

As more projects came her way, Janisch’s late-night hobby grew into something bigger, and with it came a larger time commitment. After a while, it became clear if Janisch wanted to keep carving, she would need to make some changes.

A Leap of Faith and an LLC

“Two years ago, I made a big leap of faith and decided I needed to change my routine,” Janisch says. “I have two really active kids who I wanted to spend more time with, and I was ready to create a new path for myself.”

After some reflection, Janisch left her 9-to-5 job to launch her own business, Janisch Creative, where she works as a creative and digital communications director. That change gave her the flexibility she needed while staying connected to communications, and her cheese carving business became the creative outlet that balanced everything else.

Originally, when she made the big jump, she promised her husband the cheese carving projects would stay small. But now, she jokes her definition of small has changed.

“I told him, ‘It won’t get out of hand.’ But I think our perspective of small keeps changing,” she laughs. “But it’s been so fun doing all of this as a family. Having my kids around to see what their mom can do has been pretty cool.”

(Vicki Janisch)

Respect for the Product

Janisch now runs her cheese carving business with a producer’s mindset: Respect the product, respect the people behind it and don’t waste what they’ve made.

“When you think about the craftsmanship that goes into cheese, it’s already so good on its own,” she says. “And then I’m blessed to be able to put my creative spin and artistic stamp on it.”

But it also means she has to carefully manage the product to keep the cheese fresh. That started with her first business purchase.

“My first business expense was a refrigerator,” she laughs. “Most Midwesterners have a beer fridge. We have a cheese fridge, and it’s stacked with insane amounts of cheese just waiting to be carved.”

While carving the cheese, she also had to figure out what to do with the scraps. It was her firm belief nothing should go to waste.

(Vicki Janisch)

“When I’m carving for an event, I’ll box up some of the scraps for people to eat on a charcuterie board or for the company to utilize,” she says. “But if I’m doing a living carving, those scraps can’t be eaten. So, I bring them back home and feed them to my chickens.”

Of course, mistakes still happen, and sometimes a piece of the sculpture doesn’t turn out as planned. Luckily, the cheese makes for a tasty medium to work with.

“If I mess up, we eat it,” she laughs. “There is no waste. We just have grilled cheese for a month.”

As her carving career continues to grow, Janisch has made a point to stay connected to the local cheese crafters who inspire part of her work.

“I’ve made it a really solid goal to work with cheese companies in Wisconsin,” she says. “I worked with over 20 cheese companies last year, and I’ve gotten to form personal relationships with those who are making the cheese.”

Those relationships have also helped her learn an important lesson. When it comes to carving, the type of cheese matters just as much as the design.

(Vicki Janisch)

Her Favorites

Even after years of experience, not every cheese behaves the same. Different textures and inclusions means Janisch has to adjust her approach.

“There are some cheeses that are more difficult to work with than others, but I just have to adjust how I handle it,” she says. “The tools I use are different for different cheeses. For some of the flavored cheeses, like pepper jack, where there’s items mixed in, you have to handle things differently.”

That’s where her relationships with Wisconsin cheese makers becomes critical. Texture, moisture and aging all influence whether a design holds its shape or begins to crumble.

“Cheese makers can make low moisture and aged cheeses. But if they’re aged too long, they don’t work as well for carving,” she explains. “I’ve found my sweet spot is usually a 90-day aged cheddar.”

Having conversations with cheese makers allows her to plan each project with the right product from the start.

“Because these cheese makers have it so dialed in, we can talk the science behind the cheese that I need. I’m not having to source just a random block of cheddar. I can go and find cheeses that I know are going to hold up for the project.”

Fortunately, Janisch has yet to meet a cheese she doesn’t like and is willing to give just about anything a try.

“Blue cheese is on my bucket list,” she laughs. “But I don’t think I’m ready to chase after it just yet.”

Over time, finding her favorites has become less about a single variety and more about matching the right cheese to the right project. Whatever the choice, she’s thinking about both the carver and the consumer.

(Vicki Janisch)

Connecting Farmers, Cheese and Consumers

While cheese carving has become a new adventure for Janisch, her connection to the dairy industry runs deep. She grew up on her family’s dairy farm in southern Wisconsin, participating in 4‑H and showing animals at local fairs. That hands‑on experience and dirty‑boot roots instilled in her a natural sense of advocacy and a pride in the industry that now helps her connect with consumers through her cheese carving.

“I love having the opportunity to tie it back to the farmers,” she says. “Growing up on a dairy farm, I understand that once you ship milk, it becomes products like cheese. But a lot of times, farmers don’t talk about what happens after that.”

For Janisch, that connection between the farm and the finished product is an important part of the story she hopes her work helps tell.

“Consumers want to know that they’re supporting dairy farmers, and they do that through the products those farmers help produce. I can talk to consumers about the farmers, the cheese and the cheese makers,” Janisch explains. “It’s one thing to be able to talk about cheese carving, but I’m able to tell more of the dairy story when I go to some of these events.

Her role, as she sees it, is to bridge the gap between the people who make the milk and the people who enjoy the finished product. And even though her family no longer milks cows every day, Janisch says cheese carving keeps her anchored to a larger purpose.

“This lets me be part of something bigger than myself,” she says. “When we were dairy farming, it wasn’t just about our farm, it was part of a larger story. Cheese carving helps me stay connected to that.”

(Photos Provided By Vicki Janisch)

Craft and Connection

Today, when Janisch picks up her carving tools, she’s doing more than shaping cheese — she’s celebrating the craftsmanship behind the product and the farmers who make it possible.

Her client list now reads like a seasoned professional’s portfolio rather than a hobbyist’s. Some of her standout creations include:

The Lombardi Trophy for the 2025 NFL Draft
The University of Wisconsin Men’s Basketball schedule
Musical notes for events at the Grammys
Showpieces for state food festivals
Custom carvings for major industry events

What began as curiosity has grown into a creative way to stay connected to the industry that shaped her.

“I never would have imagined that any of this was possible,” Janisch says. “But I leaned into the power of saying ‘yes.’ And it’s been the most amazing journey.”

And with every block of cheese she transforms into something special, Janisch knows she’s helping tell a story that starts long before the carving ever begins.

Wisconsin Dairy Farm Faces Rare Milk Dump During Brutal March Blizzard

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 21:32:06 GMT

A powerful March blizzard brought parts of Wisconsin to a standstill, blanketing roads, cutting off access, and forcing one dairy farm into an extraordinary decision.

Even as the storm shut down everything around one dairy farmer, it couldn’t stop the work, or the heart, of this farm family in Manawa, Wisconsin.

Whiteout conditions made travel impossible across the region, and for Chris Henschel, a dairy farmer in Manawa, the storm quickly turned from difficult to unprecedented. The March blizzard forced a decision he says he never expected to make.

“I would say this is probably one of the worst ones I’ve ever seen,” Henschel says.

Snow drifts reached five to fifteen feet high, and roads were impassable for roughly 36 hours. Milk trucks couldn’t get through, and employees couldn’t reach the farm, leaving the Henschel family to run everything on their own.

“The wind was huge because anytime you would plow anything, it would drift right back closed. So actually it basically wasn’t safe for drivers to be out… just my family trying to run everything by ourselves,” Henschel says.

With no way to move milk off the farm, the family was forced to make a decision no dairy farmer wants to face.

“Yes, we ended up dumping basically almost a day’s worth worth of milk because nobody could get here And have you ever had to dump milk before? We personally have no, we’ve never had, we’ve heard of other farmers having to do it, but we have never had to do,” Henschel says.

Even as the milk was lost, the cows were still cared for through the storm. Thanks to robotic milkers, the herd remained on schedule, but the human effort behind the operation became the biggest challenge.

“We milked with robots. So we did not have, our cows did not, it was more impact on our, the people, you know, just trying to get to the barn to take care of the cows and get the cows fed, you know, they did get fed a little late yesterday, but yeah, more, more so on the people than the cows. We made sure that cows were taken care of,” Henschel says.

While the financial impact remains uncertain, the storm tested the limits of the entire family and revealed just how far they were willing to go.

Ten-year-old Jack and six-year-old Elliot joined their parents in braving the blizzard, helping feed the cows and keep the farm running.

“Just getting around, getting the cows fed, you know, trying to open things up. So we could get the cows fed and get, you know, everybody taken care of and trying to keep everybody dry and clean. And yeah, that was a big truck, big struggle,” Henschel says.

Chris Henschel, Dairy Farmer, Manawa, Wisconsin

(The blizzard earlier this week created blinding conditions. With roads closed and employees unable to make it in, Henschels two sons stepped in to help. )

Through the wind, drifting snow, and near-impossible conditions, the family pushed forward—ensuring the cows were fed and cared for even when simply reaching the barn was a challenge.

“Dad’s still plowing some snow, but just kind of cleaning some things up, but yeah, everything’s pretty much back to normal,” Henschel says.

It was a storm Henschel says was worse than the blizzard of 2018, and one he hopes never to see again. But it also became a powerful reminder of the resilience of farm families—where grit, teamwork, and family come together when it matters most.

Cargill Announces Closing of Milwaukee Ground Beef Facility

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 22:25:15 GMT

Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation announced it will permanently close its protein processing facility in Milwaukee, Wis. This closing is expected to result in the permanent elimination of approximately 221 positions.

A Cargill representative reports the company made the difficult decision to close its Milwaukee ground beef facility to better align its portfolio with current customer demand and prioritize investments where they are needed most for the future.

“We recognize the impact this decision has on our 221 employees, and our focus is on supporting them with respect, care and assistance as they navigate this transition. Moving forward, we will shift ground beef production volume to our other North American beef processing facilities, including the nearby Butler, Wis., plant, to continue reliably serving our customers.”

The Milwaukee plant specializes in producing ground beef patties, loaves and chubs. The plant came under Cargill’s ownership with the 2001 acquisition of Emmpak Foods Inc.

According to the WARN notice , Cargill expects to begin the process of winding down operations soon, with production stopping on or around April 17 and the plant fully closed on or around May 31. Separations will happen in phases, based on customer and operational needs. The first employee separations are expected to be April 11.

Impacted employees may apply for open jobs at other Cargill facilities. Employees who exit the Company through this plant closing will be eligible for a severance package.

AMPI to Convert Wisconsin Cheddar Plant into Massive Cottage Cheese Facility

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 20:49:19 GMT

In the heart of Wisconsin’s dairy country, a significant transformation is brewing that signals a major shift in consumer demand. Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI) has announced a strategic pivot for its facility in Blair, Wis., transitioning the plant from traditional cheddar cheese production to high-capacity cottage cheese manufacturing.

While the move positions the Blair facility to become one of the largest cottage cheese plants in the U.S. by early 2027, the transition comes with a temporary cost for the local workforce.

The Great Cottage Cheese Renaissance

For decades, cottage cheese was often viewed as a vintage diet food, but it is currently experiencing a massive cultural and economic resurgence.

In 2023 alone, U.S. cottage cheese sales surged by 16.6%, driven by a new generation of health-conscious consumers. Last year, cottage cheese grew to nearly 1.2 billion pounds for the first 10 months of the year, the highest level since 1989.

This renaissance has been fueled largely by social media platforms like TikTok, where cottage cheese has gone viral as a versatile, high-protein superfood. From cottage cheese ice cream and bread to high-protein pasta sauces, the product has moved from the back of the fridge to the center of the plate. Brands leading this charge have seen sales exceed $200 million annually, proving that the demand isn’t just a fad; it’s a fundamental market shift.

AMPI’s decision to overhaul the Blair plant is a direct response to this double-digit growth. By the time the project is completed in late 2026, the facility will be an industrial powerhouse, capable of meeting national demand on a scale that few other plants can match.

“Cottage cheese demand is growing rapidly as consumers seek high-protein, low-fat, minimally processed foods. We know AMPI’s globally recognized cheesemaking expertise makes us an excellent fit for producing high-quality cottage cheese,” Sarah Schmidt, AMPI Vice President of Marketing said. “U.S. cottage cheese capacity is stretched and insufficient to accommodate projected growth. AMPI has the capacity and flexibility to transition to cottage cheese production and benefit the co-op’s dairy farmer-owners.”

Temporary Pause for the Workforce

To achieve this vision, AMPI has filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) letter indicating a temporary mass layoff effective March 31, 2026. The layoff will impact 86 employees as the facility undergoes the necessary retooling and infrastructure upgrades.

While the news is a challenge for the Blair community, there is a silver lining of stability:

Recall rights — The majority of affected workers are represented by Teamsters General Union Local 662. Under their collective bargaining agreement, these employees maintain layoff and recall rights, ensuring they have a path back to their jobs once the plant resumes operations.
Timeline — AMPI expects the plant to be back online and ready for regular operations by early 2027.

This transition is more than just a renovation; it is a testament to the agility of the Wisconsin dairy industry. By shifting away from commodity cheddar and toward high-growth power foods, AMPI is securing the long-term viability of the Blair facility. When the doors reopen in 2027, Blair won’t just be making cheese; it will be leading a national market trend from the heart of the Midwest.

Your Next Read: Idaho’s $4 Billion Dairy Boom: Why the Gem State is Defying West Coast Trends

First Case of Avian Flu Detected in Wisconsin Dairy Herd

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 19:40:26 GMT

A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been detected in a dairy herd in Dodge County, Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) announced Sunday. This marks the first confirmed detection of the virus in dairy cattle in the state.

Dodge County, Wisconsin

(USDA)

The herd was identified through routine National Milk Testing Strategy screening, not the surveillance required for moving cattle across state lines. The affected farm has been quarantined, and any cattle showing signs of illness are being separated for treatment.

Bird flu has already been detected in poultry flocks in Wisconsin. On Dec. 9, state officials reported HPAI in a flock in Marquette County, which is just one county away from the affected dairy herd.

HPAI in dairy cattle has been documented in the U.S. before, with the first detections reported in March 2024 in dairy herds in Texas and Kansas. Since then, there have been more than 1,000 confirmed cases across 18 states, primarily through targeted testing and monitoring programs. While the pace of new detections has slowed in recent months, one additional confirmed case has been reported in California within the past 30 days, indicating the virus is still a threat.

HPAI Confirmed Cases in the Last 30 Days

(USDA)

Total HPAI Confirmed Cases

(USDA)

A Wake-Up Call for Dairy Biosecurity

The Wisconsin case comes as new research from Farm Journal highlights ongoing gaps in dairy biosecurity practices nationwide. A survey of more than 300 dairy producers, presented at the MILK Business Conference, found that while many operations report having biosecurity plans in place, consistent implementation and regular review remain a challenge.

According to the survey, 68% of farms with at least 250 cows say they have a biosecurity plan, yet 34% of those producers acknowledge they do not routinely review or update it. The findings point to vulnerabilities at a time when disease threats such as HPAI, New World screwworm and bovine spongiform encephalopathy continue to raise concern across the livestock sector.

(Farm Journal)

“We need biosecurity efforts to be more impactful at the ground level,” said Kirk Ramsey, professional services veterinarian with Neogen, who reviewed the survey results. “Not only to prevent major outbreaks, but also to protect employees and families from what could be carried home every day.”

As emerging diseases continue to challenge dairy operations, the research reinforces the importance of consistent, practical biosecurity measures to reduce risk and protect herd health.

What are the Symptoms of HPAI in Dairy Cattle?

As monitoring continues, officials are urging producers to stay alert for early signs of illness within their herds, as prompt detection and response remain key to limiting further spread. Signs of HPAI include:

Drop in milk production
Loss of appetite
Changes in manure consistency
Thickened or colostrum-like milk
Low-grade fever

State officials are monitoring the situation and working closely with the farm to contain the virus and prevent further spread. DATCP emphasized there is no concern for the safety of the commercial milk supply, as pasteurization eliminates the virus. The CDC considers the human health risk low.

Read more on HPAI in dairy:

New Heart Brings New Life: 13-Year-Old Dairy Exhibitor Returns Stronger After Life-Saving Transplant

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 20:37:22 GMT

At last year’s World Dairy Expo , 12-year-old Lexi Anderson from Cumberland, Wis., looked like any other spirited farm kid — full of energy and spunk. What no one could see was the silent battle inside her heart.

“How long have you been coming to World Dairy Expo?”

“12 years, my whole life,” Anderson said last year.

A Shocking Diagnosis

In December 2023, Anderson collapsed on the basketball court. At first, her mom, Tamala Anderson, thought it might be something simple like dehydration. But a visit to the doctor revealed something much more serious: restrictive cardiomyopathy, a rare and aggressive disease where the heart’s lining hardens and loses its ability to pump.

“The walls of the heart are eventually going to harden and stop pumping. It’s really rare,” Tamala says. “Like, only 2% of the world has it.”

Doctors delivered devastating news — the only chance for survival was a heart transplant. Without one, many children with the condition only live about a year and a half past diagnosis.

Life on Hold

The family was forced to put everything on pause. Sports, showing animals and everyday joys became secondary as they anxiously waited for a new heart. By January 2025, Anderson’s health had declined so much she was admitted into the hospital to move higher up on the transplant list.

“I was nervous, but I wasn’t. I just wanted to get it over with,” she says.

For weeks, the family clung to hope. Then, on January 21, they finally got the call: a donor heart was available.

The Surgery That Saved Her Life

Anderson’s transplant surgery lasted through the night. For Tamala, it was an emotional rollercoaster.

“Honestly, that was a pretty hard experience because you don’t see your daughter. You see tubes and bandages. But at the same time, you know she’s alive because these doctors are amazing,” Tamala says.

Anderson’s fighting spirit showed almost immediately. Just a day after surgery, she was determined to get out of bed and push herself forward.

“Day by day, I got my energy back. And then like a week later, I felt like I could run a mile,” Anderson says.

On Feb. 6 — less than three weeks after surgery — Anderson was able to go home.

“I don’t want to say it, but she’s the little miracle child. She had the determination to get it done,” Tamala says.

A Spunky Return

That determination hasn’t slowed down. A month after leaving the hospital, Anderson was back on the softball field. Today, eight months later, she’s a thriving 13-year-old — full of the sass, spirit and spark her family worried they might lose.

“Honestly, her change in personality and everything is amazing. She acts more like a teenager now. She has the spunk, the spirit, the sassiness. She’s just herself now,” Tamala says.

Even showing during World Dairy Expo this year, it was proof that surgery brought their spunky little girl back to life.

Living With Purpose

For the Andersons, every day with their daughter is a reminder of resilience, love and the gift of life made possible through organ donation.

“To go from this feeling of loss, because you don’t know what’s going to happen, to this extreme joy — because she’s right there. She’s not rejecting. The heart is doing great,” Tamala says.

Anderson’s story is not just one of survival, but of determination — a reminder that even in the hardest moments, miracles can and do happen.

Wisconsin Ag Regulators Propose Massive Livestock Fee Increases

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 19:33:29 GMT

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is proposing changes to rules, ATCP 10 and 12 , regulating animal disease and movement and animal markets, dealers and truckers.

According to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation (WFBF) , these changes include massive fee increases that will be a substantial financial burden to markets, dealers and truckers that will unavoidably be passed down to farmers.

The license fee for what the DATCP calls “Animal Market Class A” would change from $420 to $7,430. A late fee for those markets would also increase by nearly 1,700% by shifting from the current price of $84 to $1,486. The registration fee paid by about 1,000 truckers transporting livestock in the state would increase 517%, from the current price of $60 to $370.

(Wisconsin Farm Bureau)

WFBF Government Relations Director Jason Mugnaini says it is important to clarify that Wisconsin’s program had historically received state funding support through DATCP, but this proposal shifts that onto industry fees.

The WFBF also reports the inspections and public health activity costs of these programs have previously been partially funded by state funding in Wisconsin, as they are in neighboring states. DATCP’s proposal shifts the full cost of these programs onto industry fees.

DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski explains the fees have not been adjusted since 2009 and the increases are needed to maintain critical animal health and transportation services.

“This program is currently in deficit because these have not been adjusted for so long,” Romanski explains. “Costs have increased during that time.”

He is transparent about the financial realities driving these increases. While the percentage increase might seem large, it reflects 17 years of accumulated cost pressures. He summarizes the goal is not to burden the industry, but to ensure the continued provision of critical animal health and movement services.

According to Sam GO, DATCP communications director, the DATCP Division of Animal Health receives federal funding through cooperative agreements for specific goals and objectives, such as animal disease surveillance and animal traceability. The cooperative agreements are separate from the programs in the proposed fee rules and do not fund the programs in the proposed fee rules.

She explains as federal funding for the cooperative agreements has decreased, those activities that are partially federally funded (such as animal disease surveillance and animal traceability) need to have a larger portion of their costs covered by the state animal health general program revenue. That means there is less state GPR remaining to cover the deficit in program revenue for the ATCP 10 and ATCP 12 programs.

The ATCP 10 fees support the following animal health programs: Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) Forms, Intermediate Handling Facilities, Disease Certifications (Brucellosis, Tuberculosis, Pseudorabies), Equine Infectious Anemia Retests, Equine Quarantine Stations, Feed Lots, Medical Separation, National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP), Farm-Raised Deer, and Fish Farms.

The Process

Romanski explains the administrative rule process is collaborative and takes about two and a half years. He says the process is designed to be collaborative with multiple opportunities for public input and engagement. He encourages stakeholders to not just critique the increases, but to offer constructive feedback and potential alternative solutions.

The current stage is specifically about public comment and engagement. He says the department wants to hear from industry members, producers and other stakeholders. They are actively seeking input that can help shape the final rule package.

The public can participate and provide feedback that can be considered by the department’s staff through several channels:

Attending public hearings
Submitting written comments by Oct. 15

The remaining hearings will be hosted virtually and at the Prairie Oaks State Office Building, Room 106, 2811 Agriculture Dr., Madison, WI 53708. For more information, dial-in instructions and to register for online access click on the ATCP 10 or 12.

ATCP 10:
• Monday, Sept. 15 – 1 p.m.
• Wednesday, Sept. 17 – 9 a.m.

ATCP 12 :
• Tuesday, Sept. 16 – 1 p.m.
• Wednesday, Sept. 17 – 1 p.m.

Individuals can submit written comments by Oct. 15 to: Angela.fisher1@wisconsin.gov or Angela Fisher, DATCP, P.O. Box 8911, Madison, WI 53708

Romanski explains after the public comment period, DATCP staff will review all submissions, consider suggested changes, and then present any revisions to their policy-making board. This ensures multiple layers of review and public involvement.

Neighboring State Comparisons

According to the proposal document , programs in adjacent states (Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois) are similar to Wisconsin, as all are based on federal standards. Neighboring states primarily fund these types of programs through general program revenue; therefore, they have lower fees than Wisconsin’s current fees. While Wisconsin’s program fees are collected from a small number of licensees, these critical programs have impacts and benefits across animal health, animal industries and public health.

In Iowa, a livestock market permit is $50 per year. The livestock dealer and livestock market agent permits are $10 per year. A bull breeder license is $20 every two years. A livestock dealer or order buyer permit is $50 per year. A feeder pig dealer agent permit is $6 every two years. A pig dealer’s agent permit is $3 per year.

In Michigan, an action Class I is $400 per year. A buying station (Class II) is $250 per year. The remaining fees are waived for veterans: A dealer (Class III) is $50 per year. An agent broker (Class III) is $50 per year. A collection point (Class III) is $50 per year. A trucker (Class IV) is $25 per year.

In Minnesota, a livestock market agency and public stockyard is $300 per year. A livestock dealer is $100 per year. A livestock dealer agent is $50 per year.

In Illinois, a livestock auction market license is $200 per year. The livestock dealer license is $25 for a new license, $10 for the annual renewal, as well as $10 for each location in addition to the first location, and $5 for each employee. A feeder swine dealer license is $25, the renewal is $10, and there is a fee of $5 for each employee. There is no fee for a slaughter livestock buyer’s license, just a requirement to submit an annual report.

Industry Feedback

Both the Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association (WCA) and WFBF have come out opposed to the fee increases.

Tressa Lacy, WCA president from Rio, Wis., voiced her concern at the first hearing on Sept. 11.

“The Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association is in opposition to the proposed fee increases inspections and registrations related to a variety of activities by Wisconsin animal dealers, truckers and markets in ATCP 10 and 12,” she says. “I raise beef cattle with my husband and our 8-month-old in Columbia County. We both work off the farm in agriculture to financially afford our beef and hay farm operation, and I know the cost of these fees will be passed directly on to producers like us.

“The result of such significant increases will be fewer livestock marketing options, the potential for reduced disease traceability and fewer opportunities to sell livestock in the state of Wisconsin. Fewer options inevitably mean lower prices and thinner margins in an industry that is already being pushed on thin profit lines.”

She explains the inspections and animal health protections funded by these programs serve a broad public purpose — protecting animal health and consumer confidence in the meat raised in Wisconsin.

“It is fundamentally unfair to shift the entire cost onto the users as this is certainly a public food safety conversation,” Lacy adds. “I share the industry concern that these initial proposals are just the start of all programs in Wisconsin shifting to being user funded. Other states fund these programs with state support as the benefits are shared by everyone. DATCP should restore and continue the approach for these outlined programs.”

She concluded her comments saying: “WCA respectfully ask that DATCP reconsider these unreasonable fee increases and maintain a funding structure with state support that is fair, practical and supportive of both public health and Wisconsin agriculture.”

Mitch Giebel a WFBF member from Lyndon Station, Wis., also shared his thoughts on the proposed fee increases.

“I’m very concerned about the massive increases of fees being proposed,” he says. “As a young farmer, every dollar really does matter on our operation. We work hard to raise our livestock, and we already face high input costs, tight margins and unpredictability when it comes to marketing. Adding thousands of dollars in new fees, especially increases as massive as what is proposed doesn’t seem realistic. It’ll undoubtedly make it harder and tighter for the sale barns and livestock markets to survive, and unavoidably, it is probably going to be passed to us as the producers and farmers.”

He also explains programs such as animal health, disease control and traceability benefit everybody in the state, not just farmers.

“Healthy animals and safe food are the best interest for our state; other states recognize that and utilize state funding to maintain these programs and cover these costs,” he says. “Wisconsin needs to restore and maintain its state funding that has historically existed for these programs, rather than shifting a substantial burden on a small number of farmers and marketers. I am asking you to please reject these fee increases as they are written. They are too steep, too fast and out of line with our neighboring states.”

WFBF is calling on producers to share their concerns: “These unprecedented fee increases cannot move forward without your voice being heard. Share how these proposals would impact your farm, your business and Wisconsin agriculture.”

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

Smart Calf Rearing Conference Comes to the U.S.

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 16:00:00 GMT

The 4^th annual Smart Calf Rearing Conference will be held September 24-27, 2025, in Madison, Wis.

This will mark the first time the biannual global conference -- focused on both scientific and on-farm applications of raising calves -- will take place in the U.S. The event will be held on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, just prior to the 2025 World Dairy Expo, also held in Madison.

Following a welcome banquet and reception on Wednesday, September 24, Thursday and Friday’s agenda will feature noted speakers from around the world, addressing topics that include:

Is the microbiome our secret weapon to raise healthy calves antibiotic free?
Re-evaluating nutrition models to predict calf growth.
Beyond passive transfer: The role of colostrum in programming immune development in calves.
The impact of transportation on young dairy calves: New insights and a bumpy road forward.
Data-driven nutrition, disease, and welfare management of calves: Shaping the next generation... of cows.

The final day of the conference – Saturday, September 27 – will focus on producer perspectives and hands-on demonstrations of calf management. It promises to bring science to the farm, featuring talks from calf experts on colostrum management, group housing strategies, calf health, and how to succeed with automated feeding systems. Separate registration for just the producer day is available.
A scientific poster session also will demonstrate research focusing on calf health, nutrition, physiology, and welfare.

The first 3 days of the conference will take place at University of Wisconsin Memorial Union in Madison. The final day will be held at the university’s Arlington Agricultural Research Station near Arlington, Wis.

Along with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the conference is being hosted jointly by the University of Guelph, Förster-Technik, and Trouw Nutrition. Additional support is being provided by Dairy Tech, Inc.; Lallemand Animal Nutrition; Lely; SCC: and Vita Plus.

The Smart Calf Rearing Conference will bring together scientists, industry leaders, and calf raisers, all of whom are looking into the future or raising calves. Registration is being managed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A full agenda and housing information can be accessed here .

The Sweetest States: Where America Loves Ice Cream Most

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 20:11:16 GMT

July is National Ice Cream Month, and Americans are indulging like never before. But which states truly have the biggest sweet tooth? Recent research from SpinBlitz analyzed Google Maps listings nationwide to rank states by ice cream shop density, specifically the number of ice cream shops per 100,000 residents. Here are the top states who take their frozen dairy treats most seriously.

Top 10 Ice Cream-Loving States

1. Vermont (18.51 shops per 100K residents) Vermont tops the list with the highest number of ice cream shops per capita, and it’s not just thanks to Ben & Jerry’s. The state has a strong dairy foundation and a deep appreciation for small-batch, locally made ice cream. Whether in rural towns or tourist-friendly spots, ice cream shops are a visible part of Vermont’s food culture.

2. West Virginia (18.08) West Virginia ranks second in ice cream shop density thanks to a strong presence of locally owned parlors, custard stands and small-town scoop shops. It might not be a headline-grabbing food destination, but the state has a steady, long-standing appreciation for traditional favorites like banana splits, hand-dipped cones and floats.

3. Rhode Island (17.84) Rhode Island earns bronze in the nation for ice cream shop density. Known for regional favorites like frozen lemonade and coffee milkshakes, the state also supports a strong network of ice cream parlors across its coastal towns and neighborhoods. From tourist areas to local main streets, frozen treats are easy to find.

4. Pennsylvania (17.58) Pennsylvania ranks fourth with a diverse ice cream scene that reflects its mix of communities. From family-run creameries in rural areas to innovative shops in urban centers, the state offers a wide range of frozen dessert options.

5. Wisconsin (16.44) Known far and wide for its cheese, Wisconsin also delivers big on ice cream. Known as the Dairy State, it’s no surprise the state is brimming with mom-and-pop scoop shops, custard stands and local brands producing rich ice cream. Whether you’re at a farmstead creamery or a college-town cone counter, Wisconsin’s pride for ice cream shines.

6. Illinois (16.12) Chicago might be the driving force behind Illinois’ ranking, with its booming food scene filled with Instagram-worthy sundaes, small-batch gelato and quirky flavors. But don’t overlook the rural towns and suburbs, where old-school diners and small-town scoop shops keep the classics alive.

7. New Mexico (15.89) The only Southwestern state to crack the top 10, New Mexico might surprise you. But with sizzling summer temperatures and a thriving local food culture, it makes sense frozen treats are in demand. You’ll find shops serving everything from chile-spiked chocolate to cactus fruit sorbet.

8. Michigan (15.79) Snow doesn’t stop Michiganders from indulging. With thousands of inland lakes and summer tourists flooding towns like Traverse City and Petoskey, ice cream is a lakeside staple. From old-fashioned scoops to cherry-studded blends, Michigan’s ice cream culture is powered by nostalgia, local ingredients and a serious sweet tooth.

9. New Hampshire (15.54) New England knows its dairy, and New Hampshire is no exception. This state might not be flashy, but its abundance of seasonal roadside stands, maple-infused flavors and mom-and-pop ice cream stops make it a solid contender. Summer drives through the mountains or along the lakes are rarely complete without a cone in hand.

10. New York (15.35) New York ranks 10^th, where ice cream is as diverse as the state itself. From trendy, creative scoop shops and food trucks in the heart of New York City to time-tested creameries in upstate towns, there’s a flavor and style for everyone. With tourists and locals alike lining up for their favorite cones, New York’s ice cream doesn’t disappoint.

See How Your State Stacks Up in the Ice Cream Race
Whether you’re craving a classic cone or something a little more adventurous, it’s clear that some states really know how to satisfy that ice cream craving. Curious how all 50 states stack up in the great ice cream showdown? Check out the full ranking and see where your home ranks:

Rank	State	Ice Cream Shops per 100,000 residents
1	Vermont	18.51
2	West Virginia	18.08
3	Rhode Island	17.84
4	Pennsylvania	17.58
5	Wisconsin	16.44
6	Illinois	16.12
7	New Mexico	15.89
8	Michigan	15.79
9	New Hampshire	15.54
10	New York	15.35
11	Massachusetts	14.99
12	North Dakota	14.92
13	Ohio	14.90
14	Maine	14.89
15	Nebraska	14.83
16	Alaska	14.79
17	Indiana	14.78
18	Idaho	14.27
19	Delaware	14.05
20	Montana	14.00
21	South Dakota	13.96
22	Hawaii	13.78
23	Florida	13.67
24	New Jersey	13.61
25	Wyoming	13.56
26	Mississippi	13.25
27	Iowa	13.02
28	North Carolina	12.58
29	Texas	12.40
30	Arkansas	12.23
31	California	12.10
32	Arizona	12.09
33	Kansas	11.71
34	Connecticut	11.60
35	Virginia	11.25
36	Oklahoma	10.66
37	Nevada	10.54
38	Utah	10.38
39	Minnesota	10.37
40	Oregon	10.37
41	Tennessee	10.26
42	Louisiana	10.20
43	Georgia	10.00
44	Colorado	9.98
45	Kentucky	9.73
46	Washington	9.43
47	Alabama	9.23
48	South Carolina	8.80
49	Maryland	8.56
50	Missouri	8.44

Growing Pains and Big Gains: A Wisconsin Dairy's Fast-Paced Journey From 70 Cows to 700

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 15:05:00 GMT

Perry Baeten’s path in the dairy industry is one of resilience, innovation and a deep-rooted passion for excellence. His dedication to sustainable growth, employee development and technology-driven efficiency has earned him the prestigious MILK Business Young Producer of the Year Award — a well-deserved recognition for a producer who has navigated challenges and built a thriving operation.

Baeten’s story starts with his parents, who established their dairy back in the early ’80s.

“My dad bought the farm in 1979, and it wasn’t operating at the time. My mom started milking cows in 1980 with about 30 cows, and by 1989, they had doubled to 70 cows,” he recalls.

But as the farm grew, so did the decisions that would shape its future. In 2012, during a pivotal transition, Baeten made the life-changing decision to buy into the farm.

“My parents were getting a divorce at the time. My mom wanted to continue farming, and my dad didn’t, so I bought his share,” he explains. “My mom and I farmed together until 2015, when I bought her out.”

It was a bold move, and one that his wife, Cassandra, admits she didn’t fully understand at first.

“We weren’t together yet when he first took over,” she says. “When we got together in 2013, he had already been back on the farm for a year, and honestly, there were some decisions he made that I wasn’t quite on board with. But in the long run, looking back now, I can see how they’ve been for the better.”

Growing Pains and Big Gains
Since taking over, Baeten has led the farm through significant expansions. This journey first began in October 2016, when they started milking 70 cows at their home farm and another 70 in a neighbor’s barn.

“We did this to pay down debt faster and make our cash flow work so we could be approved for our 300-cow expansion,” Baeten says.

Once construction was underway, they brought all the cows home in April 2017.

“We were milking 140 cows out of our 70-stall tiestall barn, with half housed in the barn and the other half living outside,” he recalls.

By August, the new barn was finally complete and more animals were added, but they still had to bring roughly 300 cows in and out of the tiestalls.

“We got sick of that pretty fast,” he says. “So, in September, we came up with a low-cost way to milk more efficiently. We retrofitted our tiestall barn into a double-10 flat barn parlor and added a holding area. Then, two years ago, we installed a parallel parlor in our old heifer barn and brought our herd up to 700 cows.”

For Cassandra, the early years of marriage and dairy farming felt like a whirlwind.

“It was quite the roller coaster,” she says. “I was going to school, had an internship, then got a full-time job, but I was still out milking in the mornings, coming home, milking again and feeding calves. Before we had the parlor, it was a lot. And financially, things were tight. Some months were really tough.”

But through it all, they leaned on each other.

“It kind of feels like a blur now,” she admits. “We just kept going. Every day, you just get up, do the work and somehow we’ve made it over that hump where we can finally breathe a little.”

(Trey Cambern)

Technology, Teamwork and a Trusted Adviser
One of the reasons Baeten was recognized as Young Producer of the Year is because of how he embraces technology.

“We installed a herd monitoring and cow manager system,” he says. “It’s like having an extra set of eyes in the barn. It cut our shots for breeding in half and helps with health monitoring. Our death losses are at a bare minimum.”

Beyond technology, Baeten takes great pride in his team.

“We have nine employees between both milking shifts, plus myself,” he says. “It was a challenge transitioning from doing everything myself to managing people, but I’m proud of our team. They take care of the cows, keep everything clean and show up ready to work. That means a lot.”

Brad Zellner, a dairy nutritionist with ProActive Technologies, has worked closely with Baeten for more than a decade.

“I started with Perry doing the nutrition work right about when he took over the farm,” Zellner says. “We both learned together. There were some mishaps here and there, but nothing major. It’s worked out well for both of us.”

Zellner credits Baeten’s drive and adaptability as keys to his success.

“He’s very aggressive, and he likes to stay up on new technologies,” Zellner adds. He’s good with people. His employees respect him. It feels more like a family than just a job.”

Watching Baeten build his operation from the ground up has been especially rewarding.

“Perry didn’t have a lot of help from family or outside sources. He built this all himself, with his wife, and brought in the people he wanted on his team,” Zellner says. “That’s why he deserves this recognition.”

Zellner often points other young farmers toward Perry as an example.

“I reference him quite a bit,” he says. “The things he’s tried and the way he handles challenges are a great resource for others to learn from.”

When the days get long, Zellner says Baeten’s character shines.

“He’s quite the character and always fun to talk to,” Zellner says.

“It doesn’t feel like work when you’re here. Even when times were tough, we got through it, and now we know what’s possible. That kind of perspective is priceless.”

Zellner also recalls times when the two had to get creative.

“We had some years where we were short on feed and had to try rations that weren’t common around here,” he says. “It was trial and error, but we figured it out. The expansions brought their own headaches too, but we talked through them and worked it out. Perry’s the kind of guy you can bounce ideas off of and know he’s going to think it through.”

Zellner even penned one of the nomination letters for the award.

“I didn’t nominate him directly, but I wrote one of the letters. I believe in what he’s doing,” he says. “He’s earned this.”

Raising a Family on the Farm
The Baetens have two children, Nathan and Ivanka. Raising a family while managing a dairy has been another challenge.

“It’s definitely been a learning curve,” Cassandra admits. “I’m not out in the barn like I used to be, which makes it harder to help out. But I hope the kids want to be part of the farm someday. I’d love for them to work elsewhere first, learn different practices, and then come back if they choose.”

For now, the kids are growing up surrounded by the farm.

“They drive their pedal tractors in the barn and play with their dog. It’s different from when I was out there milking every day, but they’re still involved in their own way,” she says.

(Trey Cambern)

Long Days and Hard Work
Long days are just part of dairy farming. But with 700 acres devoted to corn and alfalfa, the days during silage season can be grueling.

“Luckily, we have a custom operator do our fieldwork, so Perry isn’t physically in the fields all day, but he’s constantly checking in, making sure everything runs smoothly,” Cassandra says. “Some days are really long, and we definitely get frustrated with each other. But at the end of the day, we need each other. Sometimes you just have to step back, take a breath, and talk things through.”

Zellner agrees, saying, “Sometimes I’d show up, and he’d be in five places at once. I don’t even look for him anymore — I just text and ask where he is. He’s always juggling something, but that’s what makes him good at this.”

Looking Ahead
Being able to see her husband recognized for his hard work has meant a lot to Cassandra.

“He’s not one to be in the spotlight, so this is big for him,” she explains. “I think it’s a great opportunity for younger producers to hear his story and realize farming now isn’t just about driving a tractor. It’s about perseverance. Hopefully, it inspires others to keep going, even when things get tough.”

As for advice to other farm spouses, she has this to say, “You’re not always going to like each other’s ideas. Just listen, let it sink in and talk it over. Perry’s pretty stubborn, and I can be bullheaded too, but we always work through it. In the end, you figure out that what they want to do is usually for the best.”

For Baeten, the journey is far from over. Expansion is always on the radar, but only in ways that make sense for the farm’s future.

“We’re planning to add a sand separation system, a bigger feed pad and a truck scale,” Baeten says. “The goal has always been to create long-term sustainability on the farm.”

Looking at the operation today, he takes pride in what they’ve built.

“You can drive past our place, and it shows for itself. We keep things clean, our cows are healthy and our milk quality is excellent. Seeing everything come together after years of hard work and knowing that our employees take pride in our operation — that makes me proud.”

And with his family by his side, Perry Baeten’s story is still being written with one determined step at a time.

World Dairy Expo Announces Official Judges for 2025

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 17:33:31 GMT

The eight individuals who will serve as official judges during World Dairy Expo 2025 have been confirmed. Nominated and selected by Expo’s 2024 Dairy Cattle Show Exhibitors, these individuals will evaluate North America’s finest dairy cattle on the colored shavings, Sunday, September 28 through Friday, October 3.

The group of official judges for the 58^th World Dairy Expo is as follows:

International Ayrshire Show

Official: Gregory Evans, Georgetown, N.Y.

International Brown Swiss Show

Official: Allyn “Spud” Paulson, Rockford, Ill.

International Guernsey Show

Official: Mark Rueth, Oxford, Wis.

International Holstein Show

Official: Aaron Eaton, Marietta, N.Y.

International Junior Holstein Show

Official: Pierre Boulet, Montmagny, Quebec, Canada

International Jersey Show

Official: Kelly Barbee, Concord, N.C.

International Milking Shorthorn Show

Official: Mike Maier, Stitzer, Wis.

International Red & White Show

Official: Adam Hodgins, Kincardine, Ontario, Canada

Serving as the meeting place of the global dairy industry, World Dairy Expo is the premier forum for the global dairy community to learn, share, create commerce and showcase competition. The annual event will return to Madison, Wis. September 30 – October 3, 2025, where dairy producers near and far can experience the world’s largest dairy-focused trade show, a world-class dairy cattle show, attend seminars, meetings and presentations highlighting the latest and greatest in the industry and connect with other producers. Download the World Dairy Expo mobile app, visit worlddairyexpo.com or follow WDE on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Spotify, or YouTube for more information.

Your Next Read: The Beefy Secrets of Cull Cow Profitability

Ultra-Endurance: Running for a Reason with Jordan Matthews, Rosy-Lane Holsteins

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 15:48:15 GMT

On the tranquil trails of southern Wisconsin, a remarkable story unfolds. It’s a tale of endurance, perseverance, and, above all, purpose—one that transcends personal aspiration and serves a greater cause. This is the story of Jordan Matthews, a dairyman from Rosy-Lane Holsteins who is not just running for fitness but running with a mission to support cancer research.

A Day in the Park: More Than Just a Run

On November 16th, Jordan Matthews gears up for an extraordinary challenge: a 13-hour trail run as part of what has become an annual fundraiser, “A Day in the Park.” This ultra-running experience isn’t just a personal trial of endurance but a heartfelt effort to raise $10,000 for cancer research at the Carbone Cancer Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Nestled in the inviting Korth Park of Lake Mills, Wisconsin, participants will be part of an event that encourages activity, community, and philanthropy. It’s an opportunity for everyone, regardless of fitness level, to join in a walk, run, or cheer in support of a common cause.

Jordan’s resolute spirit and commitment to this cause are deeply personal. In October of 2019, Jordan’s brother, Ross, was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. Despite being one of the healthiest people Jordan knew, Ross’s condition was a stark reminder that life is unpredictable.

“I don’t want anyone to ever worry about me,” Ross would say, choosing to live each day fully and fight vigorously for his family.

Inspired by Ross’s battle and determination, Jordan decided on a rigorous course to support his brother—not just emotionally but through tangible action and advocacy.

For Jordan, the physical challenge of ultra-running is symbolic of the fight against cancer. It’s about pushing his own limits to mirror Ross’s relentless battle. From running about 58 miles in past events, Jordan now aims to surpass 70 miles in his upcoming run, each mile a testament to resilience and hope. This ultra-endurance endeavor serves as a catalyst for introspection as well. During those extended solo runs, Jordan finds clarity, peace, and a reaffirmed purpose—a time to reflect on his brother’s courage and the broader significance of every step he takes.

Join Jordan’s Journey

Want to join Jordan in making a difference? Make your contributions to the Carbone Cancer Center, here.

For more, listen to this episode of the Uplevel Dairy Podcast:

For the Love of Farming and Football

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 12:25:00 GMT

There’s a special energy the fall season brings to both farming and football. You can feel a buzz in the air that fills both the fields and the stands as farmers and players alike dig deep to push through a season driven by long hours, hard work, determination and commitment.

UW-Football

(Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin)

While it might seem like football players and dairy farmers come from different worlds, they share more similarities than what meets the eye. Just ask the crew at Virhada Holsteins LLC. in Mount Horeb, Wis., who recently hosted part of the Wisconsin Badgers football team to their dairy operation.

The Kickoff Moment

In early March, Virgil Haag, part-owner of Virhada Holsteins, along with his wife, Dawn, attended a Top Chef watch party, hosted by Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. During the event, the duo had the opportunity to meet Travis Beckham, a previous tight end for the New York Giants and a former University of Wisconsin-Madison football player.

UW-Football

(Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin)

“Travis mentioned that he had never visited a dairy or had even been close to a cow before,” Dawn said. “So, we wanted to give him an opportunity to see what dairy farming was like.”

Plans were drawn up to have Beckham visit the family’s 70-year-old, 240-cow robotic operation in June. During his visit, Beckham got to see the robots in action and even experienced what it was like to milk a cow with a portable milker.

“He wanted the full experience,” said Karsen Bentley, Virgil and Dawn’s daughter and herd manager and part-owner of Virhada Holsteins. “He understood that farming isn’t easy and he really seemed to enjoy learning the ins and outs of what we do.”

After a full day of farming, Beckham, who now works as a manager of business development for Badger Sports Properties at the University of Wisconsin, told Karsen and Dawn, along with Virgil and Kody, Karsen’s brother, that he wanted some of the UW-Badger football players to share his experience.

“A lot of the football players come from different states,” Dawn said. “So, part of Travis’ goal to bring the Badgers out here was to make this an educational experience for them so they can learn a little more about the state they’re playing for. And obviously dairy is a huge part of what drives Wisconsin.”

UW-Football

(Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin)

Game Day on the Farm

In partnership with Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Beckham and his team, along with the Haag family, coordinated a special visit for members of the UW-Football team to come see their farm in July.

“I’ll never forget watching that ‘Wisconsin’ bus drive up the driveway,” Dawn said. “I think we all just got this sense of pride of showing off our farm. The Badgers are a really big part of Wisconsin culture, so getting to know some of the players and showing them what Wisconsin’s dairy farmers can do was such a neat experience.”

UW-Football

(Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin)

In total, 30 football players made their way to Virhada Holsteins where they got an up-close look at the cows and calves, robotic milking systems, TMR wagons, and nearly every aspect of farm life. Throughout the day the Haag family enjoyed highlighting their day-to-day tasks and having conversations with the athletes about where their food comes from.

UW-Football

(Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin)

“We had to remember that only one of the players had ever been on a dairy farm before, and that was in Arizona. So, we really had to go back to the basics,” Dawn said. “It was so fun answering their questions and just seeing our dairy through their eyes.”

One of the standout moments for Karsen, along with many of the football players, was when she brought out her five-year-old show cow, Cheers, to greet the team.

Cheers

(Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin)

“I’ve had Cheers since she was a December calf and she’s just a big puppy dog,” Karsen said with a laugh. “She makes me look tiny. But when the guys stood next to her, they made her look small! It was great getting to watch them interact and take pictures with her.”

Cheers

(UW-Football)

Conversations on the Sidelines

Along with teaching the players about the facets of farming, the Haag family also had the chance to dive into deeper conversations about the nutritional aspects of dairy products. Dawn recalls having a chat with one of the players about the yogurt their farm helps produce.

UW-Football

(Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin)

“Our milk plant provided some yogurt for us to pass out to players while they were touring the farm,” Dawn recalls. “One of the guys saw the brand, Odyssey, and said, ‘Hey! That’s the yogurt we eat all the time after practice. That’s good stuff!’ I then told him that the milk from our cows goes into tanker trucks, which go to the plants that make the yogurt. You could just see the lightbulb go off for him. He was fascinated.”

While the Haag family relished the opportunity to showcase their operation, they equally enjoyed learning more about the football players themselves.

UW-Football

(Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin)

“These guys come from all over the country to play football here in Wisconsin,” Karsen said. “They were such a diverse group, and they were just getting to know each other, too. Football is just like farming – it takes teamwork to get the job done. So, this was a great team building opportunity for the guys. And it just so happened to include cows.”

By bringing the team to the farm, the Haag family was able to highlight just how much these seemingly different worlds have in common. From the shared values of hard work and dedication to the camaraderie needed to achieve a common goal, both farmers are football players are driven by passion – whether it’s for the game or for the farm – and rely on a strong foundation of resilience and determination to overcome challenges. And, at their core, football players and dairy farmers are united by their shared commitment to a purpose greater than themselves - whether it’s winning a game or feeding a community.

UW-Football

(Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin)

Four Things You Need to Know Before Becoming a Multi-Site Operation

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 15:28:43 GMT

When you think about expanding your dairy, typically your first thought goes to adding on to your existing site. Today’s modern operations, however, are thinking outside the box – or, outside of their existing property lines.

Expanding your dairy farm from one location to multiple can be a game-changer for your operation. However, this leap also comes with its own set of complexities and challenges that require careful consideration and strategic planning. Just ask John Vosters and Jordan Matthews, two dairy farmers who have experienced what it takes to create multi-site operations.

During a recent Professional Dairy Producers webinar, Vosters, a partner and livestock manager at MilkSource LLC, based in Kaukauna, Wis., and Matthews, a partner at Rosy-Lane Holsteins LLC, based out of Watertown, Wis., discussed the opportunities and obstacles of managing multi-site facilities.

Here are four tips they recommend farmers consider before deciding to operate another facility.

Employee the Right People

Whether you manage a single dairy or multiple operations, Vosters and Matthews note that success boils down to having the right people on your team.

“We stick a lot of time into making sure that we have the right guys in the right place,” Vosters says. “Our best people go through training on how to become better leaders and team members. And typically, our best employees are the ones who are homegrown, not hired from outside, because they have learned and grew in our culture.”

At Rosy-Lane, Matthews shares how they had three key employees who had the potential to become great leaders. So, when the opportunity to run a second operation was brought to the table, Matthews and his partners made sure that these three employees were on board to help expand the farm and grow in their roles.

“People in leadership roles want to be continuously challenged,” Matthews says. “These guys were up for that challenge. We made sure to have conversations with them throughout the process, and it was their buy-in that helped us make the final decision to move forward with the expansion.”

Communicate

Another key area Vosters and Matthews emphasized is the importance of maintaining clear communication. Managing multi-site operations requires an efficient communication strategy to ensure everyone is on the same page. For Vosters and Matthews, this means using various tools and methods to keep their teams informed.

One way Rosy-Lane helps ensure communication is kept up across multiple sites is by creating WhatsApp text groups. These groups enable quick and efficient communication with different teams, eliminating the need to gather everyone for a brief meeting.

Similarly, the teams at MilkSource also utilize WhatsApp to communicate efficiently and quickly. Some of these groups include the milking teams, feeding teams and even a group for all of the different location farm managers.

From regularly scheduled in-person meetings to team group texts, both farmers work to ensure that all team members, regardless of their location, are aligned with the farm’s culture and goals.

Stay Organized

Having standardized protocols across locations is another tactic Vosters and Matthews say has helped streamline daily responsibilities. They emphasized the importance of having clear protocols in place to ensure consistency and efficiency across all locations.

“You can’t be the guy that does all the hands-on stuff,” Vosters says. “You have to share the responsibility and organize that work structure. We have definitely learned that organizing work is critical. This means every job is done at a specific time in a specific way.”

In addition to clear protocols, the duo highlights the necessity of training all team members. This ensures that everyone understands their roles and responsibilities and can operate effectively no matter the location.

“We have specific protocols for all work and someone responsible to see that those jobs are performed to expectation,” Matthews adds. “A lot of this comes back to how those employees were trained.”

Have a Plan

Before committing to operating a second location, Vosters and Matthews stress analyzing the details and creating a comprehensive roadmap to achieve your goals. This includes evaluating resource requirements, financial implications and potential challenges.

Some of the questions they recommend asking yourself before making the final decision include:

Is your current management structure efficient? If not, running multiple operations is going to further complicate this.
Do you have the time? How will you split your time in the future?
Are you willing to give up some of the hands-on responsibility? Who are some of the
Where will you source the animals? Do you plan to grow from within or purchase heifers/cows from other locations?
Are you absolutely sure you can’t expand at your current site?

Expanding your dairy farm from one location to multiple sites is a complex but potentially a transformative opportunity. By considering the outlined factors and learning from those who have successfully made the transition, you can better position your operation for growth and sustainability.

Grande Cheese Breaks Ground on Acquired Foremost Facility, Plans New Renovation

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:47:18 GMT

A manufacturer of Italian cheese, Grande Cheese Company announced last year that it had acquired the former Foremost Farms cheese plant in Chilton, Wis., furthering its manufacturing capabilities.

Recently, Grande Cheese broke ground for a 60,000-square-foot expansion to the former Foremost plant. Along with the new construction, Grande will renovate 20,000 square feet of the existing facility.

Todd Koss, chief executive officer for Grande, says that over the past several years, they have explored opportunities to develop their manufacturing network.

“The Chilton property will undoubtedly help us meet our obligation to support a growing and thriving business and those who are a part of the Grande family – including producers, foodservice operators and distributors, CIG customers, and stakeholders,” he said last year. “The addition of this facility also continues to build on our commitment to financial security and development opportunities for current and future generations of associates and their families.”

According to the company, construction is expected to be complete in mid-2026. The Chilton facility will be Grande’s third largest plant and will primarily produce mozzarella cheese.

Grande Cheese Company manufactures several lines of cheese for pizzerias and restaurants and provides specialty whey products to international food and beverage manufacturers. They have seven Wisconsin production facilities, including Brownsville, Fond du Lac, Friendship, Juda, Lomira, Rubicon and Wyocena.

24/7 Herd Management Through Automation

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 21:26:29 GMT

Do you ever wish you had a 24-hour herds person who never showed up late, never complained, and picked up on a problem with a cow better than you could?

Well, that’s what automation has done for Jessica Pralle Trimner.

At Miltrim Farms, home to 3,400 cows, technology is the backbone of their operations, featuring 30 milking robots under one roof, along side a 1,400-cow conventional herringbone parlor.

Jessica Pralle Trimner, the dairy manager at Miltrim Farms in Athens, Wisconsin, shares how integrating advanced tech and data-driven practices has revolutionize their dairy operations in Episode 118 on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast.

“I’m here working with cows and people every day, and I’m grateful for the facilities and the team. We’ve come a long way from the days when teammates didn’t even know how to use Microsoft Word, let alone Dairy Comp software,” Trimner says. “Today, we’re leveraging real-time data to transform transition cow management and empowering employees with data-driven insights.”

Data-Driven Decisions and Technology Integration

Jessica shares how the unique setup at Miltrim Farms, with both a conventional parlor and a robot barn, allows her to gather and utilize a wide range of data. This dual system helps in making accurate decisions, from managing vaccine protocols to optimizing repro programs.

“Technology for us skyrocketed when we built the robot facility in 2019. The collars and sorting gates essentially act as a 24-hour herdsman, alerting us to cows that need attention. We’ve seen benefits in days open reduction and improved cow health, thanks to activity and rumination data,” she adds.

Enhancing Employee Training through Data

Training employees to use tech tools effectively has been a focus at Miltrim Farms. Jessica explains how they’ve managed to get employees up to speed with the available tools, turning data into actionable insights.

She explains, “We all come from different walks of life. And I am forever grateful for my herdsman, Mary. She comes from a 40 cow dairy, you don’t find people who see cows like my parents see cows or my grandpa saw cows, and that’s not something you can train. And so she’s been able to take that and empower her employees down in the robot barn. I throw a lot of my interns with her and right now, it’s very easy for us to get that generation to understand the data before they understand the cow themselves.”

“And that data provides that support back to us, so then they can have that ‘a-ha’ moment when they’re like, I see it, I see this cow, and I understand why you keep talking about what she looks like and not what the report says. To me, that’s one of the biggest things,” Trimner says.

Listen to the entire Uplevel Dairy Podcast, here:

Wisconsin Will Now Require a Negative HPAI Test in Order to Exhibit Dairy Cows at Fairs and Shows - What Producers Need to Know

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 21:22:30 GMT

The state of Wisconsin is now requiring a negative highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) (H5N1) test in order for exhibitors to showcase lactating dairy cows at local fairs and exhibitions within the state. This comes off the heels of a recent announcement made by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), stating that the requirement will go into effect on June 19.

According to Wisconsin officials, producers wishing to exhibit lactating dairy cows must receive a negative test for Influenza A at an approved National Animal Health Laboratory Network Lab, with samples collected no more than seven days prior to the event.

Currently, the tests are available at no cost through the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Officials say the order will remain in place until 60 days after the last detection of the pathogen in cattle herds in the U.S.

DATCP notes that it is important to check requirements prior to importing animals from any state, as requirements can change. Requirements such as official identification and certificates of veterinary inspection (CVIs) help ensure cattle entering Wisconsin are healthy prior to import.

In summary, exhibitors wishing to exhibit lactating dairy animals at Wisconsin fairs and exhibitions should know the following:

Lactating dairy cattle must receive a negative test for Influenza A virus at an approved National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) laboratory prior to moving to fairs or exhibitions.
The samples must be collected no more than 7 days prior to movement to the fair or exhibition.
Testing is available to producers at no cost through USDA APHIS at NAHLN laboratories.
Producers may apply for reimbursement of shipping and veterinary fees for collection of samples.
This intrastate order requiring a negative Influenza A test prior to travelling to a show or exhibition will remain in effect until 60 days after the last detection of H5N1 in cattle herds in the United States.

USDA Partners with UW-Madison, Breaks Ground on a Spectacular New Dairy Research Facility

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 18:04:49 GMT

The USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and University of Wisconsin–Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) has officially broken ground on the construction of a world-class dairy research facility. According to the duo, the new facility, located in Prairie Du Sac, Wis., will expand the two organizations’ long-standing partnership to tackle key issues affecting dairy farms across the country.

Scheduled for completion in 2027, the new facility and its associated buildings will house robotic milking systems, chambers for measuring greenhouse gas emissions, an advanced animal nutrition unit and state-of-the-art laboratories for agronomy and dairy science, as well as offices and a visitor center.

“The construction of this new facility represents a continuum of cooperative research between ARS and UW–Madison CALS that builds on achievements of the past to meet the evolving needs of our dairy producers now and in the future,” said ARS Administrator Dr. Simon Liu. “This facility also is a testament to the unwavering support and advocacy of our stakeholders at all levels of the process.”

Located on a 42-acre site about a 45-minute drive from the city of Madison, WI, the new facility will broaden both laboratory and field research aimed to improve soil health, forage production, forage quality, dairy nutrition, nutrient-use efficiency, ecosystem services, milk production, and resiliency in the face of climate change.

“Wisconsin is America’s Dairyland, and we take very seriously our responsibility to conduct relevant research that can be put to use by our dairy farmers” said Dr. Glenda Gillaspy, dean of the UW–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. “The partnership between UW–Madison and USDA has allowed us to amplify our collaborations with the state’s dairy industry, and we look forward to that continuing with this new facility.”

According to ARS Acting Associate Administrator Dr. Nora Lapitan, the new facility will enable research that better replicates conditions of modern dairy farms, from studies with free-stall pens to the use of automated milking systems that reflect the more than 35,000 robotic units operated on dairies worldwide. This new facility will foster holistic studies of dairy forage agroecosystems, including the improvement of manure management and the application of nutrients back to the field, as well as the prevention of potential environmental impacts that could arise from manure use, including preventing the occurrence of manure-borne pathogens.

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:

He Started Out as a Milker Nearly 30 Years Ago. Now, He's the Manager and a Leader in Technology at Wisconsin's Largest Family-Owned Dairy

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 20:48:46 GMT

2023 Milk Business Leader in Technology Award Winner – Chris Szydel

It’s another busy day at Pagels Ponderosa Dairy in Kewaunee, Wis.

“We try to make everything as comfortable for our people and for our animals as possible,” says JJ Pagel, CEO of Pagel Family Businesses.

This is a mantra the family has been following since the early days of the operation.

“In 1946, our grandfather returned from World War II and him and our grandma borrowed some money from a neighbor and started (the farm) with eight cows, some pigs and some chickens,” JJ says.

Today, the family milks thousands of cows across multiple locations. And technology is a big part of their day-to-day.

“Our dad and our grandfather were both very aggressive when using technology,” JJ adds.

Veterinarian Don Niles, head of dairy operations at Pagel Family Businesses, has worked with the Pagels since 1983.

“I love standing up here on the platform watching the rotary go around and seeing the cows getting milked and chewing their cud. Anytime a cow is just standing there relaxed and chewing her cud you know she is feeling good. And that makes you feel good,” says Dr. Don Niles, head of dairy operations at Pagel Family Businesses.

“John and I would start traveling around the country to go look at dairies, equipment and other things we might utilize to modernize our dairies here in Kewaunee county,” Don adds.

From the beginning, the goal and the dream of John Pagel was to be the best.

“We wanted to grow and we wanted to make our farm one of the top in the country. So, what we did is we learned from the best people in the industry to do the best job we could do to take the best care of our cows,” said John Pagel in 2017 when he was a finalist for the Top Producer of the Year.

One year later, John and his son-in-law, Steve Witcpalek, along with an airplane pilot, were lost in a plane crash in Indiana. While John is no longer here, his vision for the farm and his family lives on.

“The one thing John helped to teach us and that we are able to carry on is putting the cows first and taking the best care of the cows that we can,” says Chris Szydel, herd manager and this year’s Milk Business Leader in Technology award winner.

Szydel joined Pagels Ponderosa as a nighttime milking technician in 1995. A decade later, he was promoted to herd manager and now manages both the Pagel Ponderosa and Hilltop Farm dairies, overseeing three different parlors and 65 employees.

“Anything that will reduce stress and make [the cows] more comfortable is the key for us,” Szydel says.

That means reducing headlock times, giving cows more time to walk and lay down, utilizing comfortable flooring, rubber mats and clean bedding.

“In the past, we would have people outside to separate the cows that [needed attention.] Now [we have] sort gates and can type into Dairy Comp system, that talks to SCR which talks to the sort gates, and we’re able to automatically separate the cows that we need,” Szydel says.

A system built by Parlor Boss and SenseHub work together in the rotary to allow the team to perform many herd management tasks while the cows are being milked.

“When we started with the SCR collar technology, within three weeks Chris said, ‘Alright JJ, we’re getting rid of spray paint.’ I was like, let’s not get the cart before the horse. And he said, ‘It’s the only way we’ll know if it works,’” Pagel recalls.

“The technology is doing a great job of letting us know which cows need attention,” Szydel says. “If a cow is coming into heat, the technology lets us know that. If a cow is not feeling well, the technology is going to let us know that. And it gives us the information in real time.”

Out in the barn, temperature control systems help optimize temperatures to help keep cows cool and fly free.

“We have people from all over the country and all over the world that come here, and we like to help educate the people that stop by the dairy and let them know what’s working for us and what isn’t. We try to be honest with them and share the technology,” Szydel says.

Constantly looking at technology in other industries is also helping the team to innovate. They recently implemented a pulse, needle-free injector from the swine industry. They looked at wastewater treatment plants in city municipalities. They also tried a bedding dryer from the sawmill and wood industry.

“It’s very, very cool to see as hard as the guys and gals on Chris’ team work to see them get recognition for all the things they do. Because for the hundred things they do right, there’s always some things that happen and go wrong. But they’re always willing to put themselves out there and try, and they go all in,” Pagel says.

“When we do the work day-in and day-out, you tend to think that it becomes pretty routine. But when we have opportunities like this and receive an award, it tells you that it’s special here,” Niles adds.

Pagels Ponderosa is indeed a special place with a special bond. And they’re willing to attempt the unknown.

“I see a little bit of John in everything that goes on here still,” Niles remarks.

Congratulations to Chris Szydel and the team at Pagels Ponderosa Dairy, winners of the 2023 Leader in Technology Award.

For more on the MILK Business Conference Award winners, read:

The Truth Behind Wisconsin Losing 455 Dairy Farms

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 20:00:17 GMT

Ask any dairy farmer how they feel about today’s markets and they will say that the economics don’t add up. Simply put, $15 milk is not cutting it. This is true in any state, but certainly being highlighted in Wisconsin. The state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) reported that last year America’s Dairyland experienced a decline of 455 dairy farms.

To put that in perspective, in 2005, Wisconsin had 15,100 licensed herds, with an average herd size of 82 cows. A decade later it had 9,900 herds, with an average herd size of 129 cows. In 2022, the state had 6,350 dairy farms with an average herd size of 200 cows. The total number of cows in Wisconsin has held steady over the past decade at around 1.2 million cows.

Chad Vincent, CEO of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin shared that they work closely with the Department of Agriculture, and in March of 2020, they sent out a farm survey asking how long dairy producers are planning to stay in business and if they have a succession plan in place.

“At that point in time, 17% of all dairy farms in the state said that within five years they would not be milking,” Vincent said, adding that none of the numbers he sees on a monthly basis is a surprise.

The 2020 survey also indicated that 22% of all the dairies under 100 head had plans to exit in the next 5 years.

“A lot of that is going to be heavily dependent on the milk price,” he says. “Costs, financials, economics and all that kind of stuff.”

In the last three months, the Department of Ag in Wisconsin has reported 94 dairies exited in October, 94 in November and 87 in December.

“Those are pretty consistent numbers with what the survey showed,” he says, reporting the majority of those numbers are more slanted toward smaller dairies. “That it is because there’s a lot more farms that are under 200 cows than there are over 200 cows in our state.”

At the start of the New Year, Wisconsin had 5,895 dairies. Vincent said that he has been talking with Secretary Romanski and the Department of Ag about fielding the next survey to get more up-to-date information from dairy decision makers.

“I don’t see it slowing down in the next three to five years,” he says, sharing that 65% of the primary decision makers on the farm were over 50-years-old and 15% were over 65.

“The biggest issue that we’re facing is that the farmers are retiring,” Vincent says, sharing that 40% of decision-makers from the 2020 survey had identified a successor. “And for those farms with under 100 cows, only 30% in 2020 had identified a successor.”

According to Vincent, the last five times the dairy industry has seen record high prices, the following year illustrated extremely low or record-low prices.

“You hit the highs and producers can pay off the bills and they’re able to put their nose above water for a while,” he says.

Despite the hard facts of America’s Dairyland losing farms, Vincent says Wisconsin has an amazing infrastructure and fantastic dairies ranging from 25 cows to thousands of cows.

“I think Wisconsin dairy is as strong today as it’s ever been, although it is sad to see the next generation not come back,” he says. “Dairy farming is hard work. Labor is hard to find. It’s hard to find talented people that will stay and do the hard work, day in and day out, 365 days a year.”

Vincent shares that more times than not when dairy farmers retire, they sell the cows and often the cows stay in the state.

“The good news is we have great infrastructure in Wisconsin and milk continues to be produced. The plants continue to process World Class cheese. Our cheese production and sales continue to increase. We’re in a really healthy position as an industry,” he says. “It’s sad to see the farms don’t have the next generation or the ability to weather the storm to continue as I believe that diversity of farms that we have in this state is magical and it’s one of the really wonderful things that makes Wisconsin America’s Dairyland.”

To learn more about Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin visit: www.wisconsindairy.org .

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:

ADM to Acquire Dairy Flavor Firm Revela Foods

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 16:14:37 GMT

Global grains merchant Archer-Daniels-Midland said on Monday it will acquire Revela Foods, a Wisconsin-based developer and manufacturer of dairy flavor ingredients and solutions, to bolster the company’s flavors portfolio.

ADM has been diversifying its traditional grain handling business into flavors and nutrition foods over the years, and has acquired multiple flavor companies since its acquisition of WILD Flavors for $3 billion in 2014.

“Our flavors business is an important pillar of our Nutrition growth strategy, and we are continuing to add to our flavors pantry to ensure we remain the partner of choice for customers around the globe,” said Ian Pinner, president of ADM’s Nutrition business.

The company said that with Revela’s projected sales of almost $240 million in 2023, it would add new capabilities to ADM’s global flavors portfolio in the $1.8 billion global dairy flavors segment.

The deal is expected to close in early 2024. ADM did not provide any financial details of its deal to buy Revela.