Let’s take a look at cattle market fundamentals first, and it’s all good news. Cattle on feed numbers are down, the cow herd is shrinking while domestic and foreign demand are strong. Nothing but blue skies and higher markets on the horizon, right? Sure if this was pre-BSE, which I will refer to…

The countdown is on. In last year’s August monthly crops reporting, corn yield was set above 180 bushels per acre. Then a rare storm, Derecho, passed through much of the Midwest causing destruction to buildings and crops. As harvest progressed, yields were found considerably lower than…

No one reading this needs to be reminded of how rough our marketing road has been during the past several years. Mega-dairies are flooding our markets with milk, a pandemic turned the entire industry on its head, processors and retailers grow bigger and more powerful by the day. The list…

The summer of 2021 has proven to be a year of volatility from weather, markets and in some cases finding market access. It makes a farmer flinch.
In mid-July a tornado did extensive damage to our largest marketing center which is located in…

President Joe Biden on July 9 issued a comprehensive executive order addressing issues related to consolidation of businesses, including agribusinesses, and the tide of economic issues it sparks for the production level of the farm industry. National Farmers commends the administration’s efforts…

On my Montana ranch we finished haying this year on July 4. That may not sound like news to most people, but producers in our area usually don’t even start preparing to get into the fields until after Independence Day. With extreme drought hammering the whole region, we actually began haying…

In March 2017, National Farmers opened a new Northeast Region office in Cortland, New York after cancelling ties with Dairy Marketing Services, LLC, which had previously handled marketing. The new office was started from scratch, finding milk haulers and establishing routes, hiring staff members and…

Two National Farmers livestock marketing centers were damaged from a tornado and a severe thunderstorm in July.
In Manchester, Iowa, the July 14 tornado made its way east through town, causing damage to several buildings, including…

Minnesota’s nick-named the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but it runs on agriculture and people like Don Petersen, a National Farmers member and Hokah area cattle producer. Petersen produces quality livestock. “He’s definitely got good cattle,” Jason Storlie said about Petersen. Storlie works with Petersen…

Al and Ann Middendorf, Long Prairie, Minnesota, start their farm work days together, milking 82 Holsteins. “We work well together,” Ann said. “We put our ideas together to solve any day-to-day issues.” Ann wasn’t raised on a farm. “I’ve got a good wife,” Al said. “I snowballed her and told her this would be a lot of fun.” However…

Shelby Biasini earned her dairy bona fides growing up on her family’s dairy farm in Morrisville, Vermont where they currently milk 40 head of registered Brown Swiss and Holsteins. “In 2009, we started Mt. Mansfield Creamery where we make a number of raw milk European style cheeses which are aged a minimum of…

Only nine months after a USDA proposal to transition away from metal and plastic identification ear tags, USDA reversed course. They can now be used indefinitely on dairy cattle, cattle that cross state borders and on cattle exhibited at fairs. In case of an outbreak of dangerous diseases, APHIS was signaling radio frequency…

In the late 1920s, the federal government understood healthy farm economies make our country stronger. The agricultural parity concept was created to ensure farmers received fair prices for their back-breaking work. The Great Depression caused farmers to go broke, because their purchasing power declined year after…

The past year has brought enormous challenges for our organization and for each of our farmer members. I’ve recently had a wonderful reminder that we are not alone in facing those challenges. That’s some good news for Dairy Month! I have written before about how we must get rid of bloc voting if we want to have any…

The first of four quarterly stocks and acres reports prepared by the USDA put acres for both corn and soybeans below expectations of even some of the more historical bulls out there. Very rarely does this happen and it could result in higher prices down the road as trends tracking 50- and 100-day moving averages remain…

Something had to give. Dairy farms have been breeding increasing numbers of cows using beef semen for more than two years now. Semen companies have been selling this as a way to get more money for bull calves, and it seems to be working. The major Holstein steer markets and the veal business don’t want the resulting…

In 2018, National Farmers and New York’s Finger Lakes Milk Co-op officials established a relationship, which means National Farmers now pools the co-op’s milk and balances it with the plants, provides farmer payroll services and schedules all loads between the milk plants and the haulers.

Country roads don’t just take people home. For National Farmers field representatives, the hills, twists and straightaways of gravel roads and rural highways take them to farms that rely on National Farmers for marketing and milk handling. It’s true for Katlin Miller, a New York dairy service representative since 2015.

The National Farmers organic grain program, NForganics, exemplifies the adage, rain makes grain, with numbers of participating certified organic growers climbing and organic crop volume, too. “It’s really taken off in the last six to 12 months,” said NForganics Program Manager Mike Schulist. “We’re integrating…

The Communications Department introduced a new way for members to receive the Dairy Update, National Farmers Magazine and other e-news products. “We are now distributing the National Farmers Magazine to our members electronically,” said Director of Communications Perry Garner. We also…

Three sons, Danny, Nick and Mike Kleaving are spurring Kleaving Farms forward, with their parents, Gilbert and Margie. The Tell City, Indiana setup involves livestock operations that are separate, a cooperative grain operation, National Farmers marketing and the blessing of all the farms lying within about three…

Mother nature is amazing. In the last issue, I pondered if we could get any kind of a rally in early 2021. After a week and one half of sub-zero temperatures and blizzards as far south as Texas, I have my answer.

The countdown is on. Once we turn the calendar to start a new year, my husband gives me— and anyone else who will listen— a daily report of how long it will be before planting begins. Bruce does this because he loves farming and he is always planning ahead.