The efforts of Steve and Cheryl Schlangen have earned an Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability award from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. The Stearns County farm is one of four farms to be honored nationally as part of the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards.
June is National Dairy Month. The Dickinson Press toured a local dairy farm and learned firsthand about the challenges dairy farmers face in southwest North Dakota.
The new plant includes two vats, a pasteurizer, cheese compress, curd mill, packaging sealer, walk-in coolers, a sub-zero freezer for cultures and a testing lab.
Quaal Dairy in Otter Tail County sold off most of its herd in April. Vernon Quaal says the 2021 drought drastically cut into its feed supply and the rising prices for feed made maintaining the 300 cow herd unstainable. Quaal says many dairies are suffering. But he is determined to build back up, with a crop of bred heifers ready to calve in September.
Dairy groups across the United States are currently working on proposals to overhaul the Federal Milk Marketing Orders. For years, the orders have put Midwestern dairy producers at a significant pricing disadvantage to their counterparts in other areas of the country.
Wisconsin-based Organic Valley recently offered membership to 80 small organic farms in the Northeast that were poised to lose the market for their milk.
“This historic win will help eliminate unjustified trade restrictions on American dairy products, and will ensure that the U.S. dairy industry and its workers get the full benefit of the USMCA to market and sell U.S. products to Canadian consumers,” U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a statement Tuesday.
During its 85th annual meeting, the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts honored Mower Soil & Water Conservation District and Mallery Jerseys Inc.
