Like many early small communities, Good Thunder, Minnesota, just outside Mankato, has its roots in agriculture. Named for a local Dakota chief, this town on the Maple River was a bustling center of commerce in the late 1880s. With an influx of settlers, the town boasted multiple churches, grain elevators, flour mills and hardware millinery stores. Other businesses took root in the growing town including…

In 1975, a young farmer from Watertown, Minnesota began his farming career. Born and raised on a dairy farm, his family has been a part of National Farmers since the early 1960s. Through his nearly 50 years of membership, he has produced dairy, grain and livestock commodities, and marketed them through the organization. He is now solely focused on growing grain. When National Farmers began…

Two longtime serving staff members in National Farmers Organization have passed away. Tim Ennis, 77, of Waukee, Iowa, passed away September 10. Doris McElwain, 88, of Corning Iowa died August 18. Ennis’s economics degree and farm background qualified him to join his National Farmers in the 70s. He worked for the organization for nearly 40 years. Tim grew up on a dairy farm near…

Greetings from the upper Midwest. Many September days the weather was picture-perfect, allowing good corn silage and soybean harvests. The corn fields dried down rapidly, and that job is largely in the rearview mirror. For the most part, the crop looked good considering the late, wet spring that we had. This area has been blessed with a bountiful hay crop with most farmers getting four or five cuttings….

Hoard’s Dairyman recently published its annual list of the Top 50 milk cooperatives in the United States. This year’s list had some bad news concerning farm numbers. Total membership in the Top 50 was down by almost 2,000 farms in a single year. No surprise there, I’m afraid. The 18th largest organization on the list bucked the trend, however. Its numbers for both members and volume…

Well, the attitude of fund traders continues to swing wildly in approximately three to four-month cycles. In August the Chicago Mercantile Exchange was just starting to crash, supposedly because the stock market had a big correction. The stock market recovered all of its lost territory in less than ten days. As of mid October, the CME live cattle futures is almost back to where it was on…

USDA has placed the average price for corn in the $4.50/bu range for 2024 through 2026. That projection has, unfortunately, proven to be reality to date. Cash corn prices for corn slipped below $4.00 in many locations this fall. The market doesn’t have much support above current levels because of adequate projected stocks in the US and a significant South American crop. Soybean and wheat markets are experiencing…

Milking 800 cows three times a day doesn’t leave much room for change. In 2020, when the dairy processing plant decided it couldn’t haul the 65,000 pounds of Double Dale milk produced daily, Dan Rossiter thought it might be the end. “Thankfully, NFO was there to enable us to continue doing what we enjoy,” said Rossiter. While the world shuttered due to the pandemic, the Rossiters were looking…

Combating the economic constraints placed on family dairy farms can take various forms. One dairy may turn to high-tech solutions, while another chooses to go old school. Either way, capable human help can be scarce. Robots provide answers for some but for centuries, people have turned to herding dogs for assistance with livestock. The same is true today. Herding dogs bred specifically to…

Three Wisconsin National Farmers families hosted key dairy events in their communities this summer. The events familiarize city folks about the workings of a dairy farm, and producers attend also to catch up with friends and neighbors. Vernon County Breakfast, Newton Valley, Wis. June 22 brought downpouring rain to Goede Family Farms in Newton Valley, but that didn’t stop hundreds…

Hello everyone, from south-central Wisconsin. Several important issues are developing in the dairy industry. As of August 1, there are numerous dairy plants looking for milk. The milk supply has tightened up in just about every region of the country. This is directly attributable to heat, drought and flooding. With supplies tightening, we expect it will put pressure on milk prices, moving them…

49 days of hearings. 12,000 pages of testimony. A 332-page report. Finally, USDA has made some recommendations about changing the rules for Federal Milk Marketing Orders. The process is still not over, not by a long shot. USDA calls it’s report recommendations, rather than final regulations. Now the agency is collecting comments on what it has come up with so far. USDA will study those…

We at National Farmers have taught and encouraged risk management for as long as I have been in the livestock department. Our primary tool is the CME live cattle futures. So, what do we do when our tools break down?
I hate to say it, but I don’t know. What I do know is that the futures market is not paying any attention to fundamentals or current market prices…

The saying ‘what a difference a year makes’ certainly applies to grain markets and the strategies employed to effectively market the grain you produce. Production costs on August 1 exceed the pricing offered by grain buyers. Hopefully, a portion of your 2024 crop has been priced as the industry projections for harvest prices are below $4.00/bushel for corn. Soybeans have fared better but…

Farming in northeast Iowa for over 170 years, the Gerlachs have learned the importance of adapting to the evolving landscape of agriculture. With the original Gerlach family settling near Bellevue in 1855, Jeff Gerlach and his sons, Jake and Nate, are fifth and sixth generation farmers that are continuing the legacy that was handed down to them.

Dave and Kathleen Hafemeister, along with their children, Alayna and Ethan, hosted the Dodge County, Wisconsin Dairy Brunch on Sunday, June 2. “The Dodge County Dairy Promotion Committee had heard about our operation and how nice our farm is, so they asked to host it here,” said Dave Hafemeister. Dave and Kathleen host tours and other…

Investing in the future of agriculture through our Farm Kids for College Scholarships for over two decades, National Farmers is always spoiled for choice. This year was no exception. Narrowing down the pool, judges selected three seniors – Dayton Hoffman, Cassandra Bohnert and Travis Cox, who are following their passion that began on their farms and…

In late May, a huge area of the country witnessed some extremely volatile and dangerous weather, including tornadoes, hail and flooding conditions. The planting and growing season has been challenging for many of our members — to say the least. When you follow global weather conditions, it’s not just our country that is facing serious weather patterns.

Gene Paul served us wonderfully as our legislative coordinator. Now that he has retired, we need to find ways to continue and build upon the work he did for our organization. Looking ahead, government policy will continue to be an important part of maintaining a healthy dairy economy. But Washington has become so slow and unproductive that we must also…

Despite the roller coaster ride on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange futures market, fed cattle have held relatively steady over the past several weeks. June through December is between $6 and $8 higher than in April, but still $6 to $8 lower than March. When you compare markets from last September though, we are still $10 to $15 lower.

Organic grain markets continue to see softening prices, especially in organic corn. There are many reasons, but topping the list is supply and demand. Current organic corn prices reflect last year’s bumper crop. A decrease in demand and organic imports are also taking their toll. Organic farming is not easy, and not everyone who transitions into organic will survive these low prices.

Almost Paradise Farm is where Jake and Jessie Hensley call home. “We chose this as our farm name, because we firmly believe that while the farm involves a lot of daily hard work, living off the land with our family is truly almost paradise,” emphasized Jessie. This small Indiana dairy farm continues a five-generation tradition. While the Jersey cows are a relatively new addition, dairy farming has remained…

At National Farmers Convene ’24, dairy consultant and authority on the Federal Milk Marketing Order System Dick Bylsma, updated members on the FMMO hearings that began last year. Changes are important to dairymen, because they set the stage for how milk is marketed well into the future. Bylsma complimented the National Milk Producers Federation and its two years of work to develop…

At National Farmers Convene ‘24, highly-regarded speakers spoke about farm topics of keen interest, and awards were presented to high-performing staff and marketing centers in Coralville, Iowa, March 12 and 13.
At the President’s Dessert Reception, Alva and Debbie Heiss received the President’s Award from Paul Olson for their years of service to the organization.