In Iowa, where the price of a few acres of land could buy you a brand spanking new pickup truck, the Nieman’s fatten around 2,500 head of cattle and manage their risk with the help of National Farmers. Corn is king in Iowa. According to the USDA, 12 to 14 million acres are dedicated to corn in the state each year. However, on Nieman land, you might say cattle are king. Justin Nieman, along with…

National Farmers ongoing efforts to modify the Dairy Margin Coverage Program has gained traction in ag publications in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic U.S. Tom Crosby, a Wisconsin dairy producer and National Farmers Midwest Regional Dairy Director, wrote an article about making the Dairy Margin Coverage program work for smaller dairy operations. So far, the letter has appeared in…

Challenges within the dairy industry have touched every dairy family. The future of small dairies lies in a simple truth: Meet the challenges or exit the industry. Getting down to the nitty-gritty, the economics must be sustainable. If we can count on anything within the agriculture industry, it’s that producers find creative solutions to tough problems. Family dairies have thrived for centuries in…

The Johnsons were organic before organics were cool. Their organic crops were among the first sold by National Farmers through its NForganics program. “I can’t imagine marketing my grain alone. Working with National Farmers gives me peace of mind,” Aaron Johnson of Madison, South Dakota, said. The Johnsons have been growing…

National Farmers’ annual farm business meeting is set for the third week of March in the Quad Cities. The Isle Casino Hotel will host the two-day event. It’s located off Interstate 74 in downtown Bettendorf, just minutes from Interstates 80 and 88 and about 10 minutes from Quad Cities International Airport in Moline, Illinois. Attendees can choose a deluxe king room for…

Calves and kids are started right in Minnesota. Ken and Linda Glicszinski of New Prague will tell you the “right way” means the family is all in for their county fair.
While their children — Scott, Elizabeth and Sara — were young, the two weeks at the end of July were the highlight…

In the early 1950s, the systematic dismantling of reasonable government farm programs led to a collapse in commodity prices. In 1953, Congress passed legislation that discontinued the 90 percent parity minimum price levels for agricultural commodities. The end of parity pricing caused dramatic drops in…

Life is like a roller coaster – full of unexpected twists and turns. With only a glimpse of the tracks ahead, we rarely know what’s coming. Sue Huelsman began her life on her family’s dairy farm in west-central Ohio. Surrounded by cattle and constant chores, she worked alongside her father and brothers, embracing…

National Farmers annual farm business meeting is set for the third week of March, in Quad Cities, Iowa. Hosted by the Isle Casino Hotel, the two-day event combines ag business, policy and entertainment into a great member package. Isle Casino Hotel® Bettendorf is located off the I-74 in downtown Bettendorf…

Tom Crosby wrote about the Dairy Margin Coverage program in the last issue of this magazine. He discussed how today’s alarmingly low feed prices are reverberating through the DMC program—a program many of our members rely on to get through tough times. It no longer functions as Congress…

The fed cattle market is moderating as beef demand slows heading into fall. Nearby futures prices are $8 to $11 per hundredweight below the all-time highs recorded in late August. Deferred months are mostly only $3 to $5 below their highs. Overall, Chicago Mercantile Exchange prices are starting to resemble…

Several options are being proposed to bolster the financial survival of grain producers in the United States. I want to preface the following remarks with a principle that National Farmers has embraced and advocated since its founding in 1955: A fair price, based on the cost of production plus a reasonable…

Arriving on Ellis Island in 1897, John Gliko was one of more than 12 million people who passed through that gateway between 1892 and 1954, leaving behind everything they knew and carrying only dreams to guide them. The Gliko brothers worked their way across more than 2,000 miles of unfamiliar country. Arriving in Great Falls, Montana, they took jobs at the local smelter…

“Working with National Farmers dairy families, staff and partners is a joy,” says Lesley Ollies, National Director of Milk Sales. Hailing from Pennsylvania, Ollies grew up around beef cattle, but the dairy world was just around the corner. “My aunt and uncle managed a dairy co-op, and I spent quite a bit of time with them.” She began helping out in the office whenever the opportunity…

Nestled in the scenic Appalachian Mountain ridge, Frescura Farm LLC represents the enduring spirit of generational farming and a commitment to conservation. Operated by Todd and Marla Frescura, with help from their sons, Dante and Evan, the 100-acre hilly, organic dairy farm has evolved into a thriving, sustainable operation. The Frescuras are aligned with National Farmers…

Hello from South Central Wisconsin. Just like the weather for many of you, our weather here has been challenging for making quality hay and maintaining milk production. As we start to step out of summer and into fall, our producers and livestock will both welcome the cooler temperatures. With that transition, we also have the opportunity to reflect on the challenges…

We’ve all seen some big changes in dairy farm size. One thing has not changed, however. National Farmers is just as much about family farming today as it ever was. Here’s a good example of what I mean. Last month’s magazine featured the Breitenmoser farm that milks 460 cows in Wisconsin. The family owns the farm, is fully involved in its management, and does the day-to-day…

In April, Jeff Rose and I anticipated the highs for the year hitting in the summer months. It’s happened maybe twice that I can remember in the last 40 years. We are experiencing that right now. It feels like the CME has marked record highs every week since June. Not only has the CME broken through record highs, the fed cattle market (both Natives and Holsteins), feeder cattle and…

2025 has, so far, been challenging for grain farmers across the United States. However, the greatest challenge has been the lack of opportunity to market the stored 2024 crop and the 2025 growing crop at profitable levels. All indications and projections point to a record crop for both corn and soybeans. This, combined with the record carryover from the 2024 crop, has created…

Alongside numerous small family dairies that dotted the rural Wisconsin landscape, the Breitenmosers made the long journey from Switzerland to America wanting a better life. Hans Sr. and Margrit Breitenmoser arrived in 1968 with the hope that hard work would result in a prosperous farm and happy life…

National Farmers Organization is celebrating our 70 years birthday. From humble beginnings in Northwest Missouri and Southwest Iowa, what began as an idea driven by drought in those areas of the country along with falling farm prices-especially for cattle and hog producers, to where we are today…

Today, there is a lot of uncertainty in markets and the long-term effects of on-again, off-again tariffs and resulting trade disputes. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some unpleasant surprises for National Farmers members as things play out. I’m especially worried about Dairy Margin Coverage, or DMC payments. Let me explain…