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.

Our longtime staff member and dairy risk management coordinator, Wayne Moore called after convention to offer his congratulations. He said he never thought he’d see the day when Farmer’s Union, Farm Bureau, Pete Hardin and the National Dairy Producers Organization would be strongly in support of…

I hope many of you were able to view our premier virtual convention on February 9 and 10. I would like to thank everyone involved in making this happen, especially, Perry Garner, Helene Bergren, Frank Alampi and Judy Krier. Our hats off to NFU for all of their assistance with our Zoom resolutions meeting on February 4.

At its 2021 virtual Convention February 9, the Dairy Division announced it favors congressional measures to eliminate bloc voting on USDA federal milk marketing referendums. It would help create a system where dairy producers can have direct input about their futures.

Three National Farmers dairy staff members were honored at Convene ’21. Last year, Pam Riesgraf led the renewal of producer certification and buyer contracts for non-GMO producers in Wisconsin. “We are honoring Pam today for the outstanding job she did bringing on new organic producers in the states of…

For cattle producers, 2020 started optimistically, after the fall 2019 Tyson plant fire in Kansas that blasted prices through that fall. “Then the market started trending up a little to start the year 2020,” said National Farmers Livestock Director Pat Lampert in Livestock’s Virtual Convene ’21 workshop. But as it turned out…

Jim Buelow, former dairy marketing director in the Northeast for National Farmers Organization passed away Dec. 16 in Schenectady, New York. His career in the dairy industry spans more than 35 years. He was the owner operator of a dairy farm in the Northeast from 1966 to 1987. He joined National Farmers Organization as…

The Grain Division presentation Feb. 10 to Virtual Convene ’21 viewers brought insights about conventional and organic grain marketing programs at National Farmers, and about National Farmers Crop Insurance choices for 2021. For the Grain Marketing Plus World of Marketing presentation, Theresa Seiler, grain marketing…

For the first time in its history, a National Farmers in-person convention has been cancelled, and replaced with a virtual meeting. “The uncertainties of COVID-19 have impacted the world, and our national board members recognize they must put the health and safety of our members at the forefront. Therefore, they voted unanimously…

Remember the last time you took your kid on a trip and they asked: Are we there yet? That’s the question cattle producers have been asking about markets, and the answer is: Not quite, but we’re getting closer every day.