By Rep. Paul Anderson
Summer meetings kick into high gear this week. They vary from a tour of area dairy farms to meeting with county commissioners to discuss the recently completed legislative session. There’s also a gathering to discuss the dairy situation, sponsored by the Minnesota Farmers Union. It will be held Tuesday, June 12, at the Osendorf farm near Paynesville.
The dairy industry has been particularly hard-hit by this recent run of low commodity prices and relatively high input costs. What makes these times especially difficult is the long duration. Most operators can survive a few months or even a year of poor prices, but this time it has lasted much longer, going on two and even three years for some. To compound the situation, the federal safety net, which is based on the cost of feed, hasn’t worked, either. Now, changes have been made to that program, and it’s gotten better, which should help provide additional operating capital in the short term.
Many smaller operations have gone out of business. They either couldn’t secure loans to continue operating or decided that enough is enough and didn’t want to burn through additional equity. Some producers looking to add cow numbers to bring in additional income have had issues with finding processing capacity for those additional pounds of production.
We can talk about farming being a “way of life.” If that’s true, then certainly dairy would be at the top of the list of farming operations that qualify. It’s usually the whole family, working together to keep the operation going. I read a story over the weekend about an athlete from Melrose High School, Jesse Middendorf, who won a championship in the 800-meter run at the state track meet. When asked what he would be doing on Sunday morning, he replied that he’d be back home helping with chores on the dairy farm!
Another example would be the Vogt Dairy of rural Sauk Centre. They hosted the annual Stearns County Breakfast on the Farm two weeks ago and, despite rain that fell part of the morning, an estimated 1,500 folks came out for breakfast and a tour of their operation. Ken Vogt and his two sons, Ethan and Aaron, have built up the operation. What’s impressive is that their expansion has allowed two sons to return to the area, and now three families make up the operation. That’s good for the entire area, including the businesses that work with the family, the schools and churches they attend and the towns where they buy groceries.
That’s why livestock operations, and especially dairy farms, add so much vitality to the community. And if some things are worth protecting and trying to save, the family-operated dairy farms of Minnesota certainly would qualify. Thanks to all those who work in the dairy industry! You provide a wholesome and healthy product, ranging from the milk we drink to the ice cream we enjoy to the pizza we all love.
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As this is written on Monday morning, rain is falling. We have been on the short end of the moisture situation all spring, with four-tenths being our largest rainfall total … that is, up until this morning. The radar is colorful which means heavier precipitation is still in the area, and our total is up to an inch and a half and counting. I text with my son, who lives in Michigan, and give him weather updates when we get rainfall. I have been telling him of scant totals all spring, and how the rain either misses us or the systems fall apart when they get to our area. This morning, I texted that it could stop raining anytime. Funny how quickly the situation can change!
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