Livestock has been a staple on the J&A Frieler Farm, LLC in Melrose, Minnesota, since the start. This land, which evolved into a small farm with a diverse mix of crops and livestock, has supported the Frieler family for over 100 years. The towns surrounding the farm and the agriculture industry itself have weathered many changes…

March 19, eight members of the national board retired at Convene ’25. President Paul Olson thanked them for their commitment to the organization and their exemplary service to America’s farmers and ranchers. National Farmers began a board reorganization process more than 24 months ago that was approved by…

At National Farmers annual winter meeting March 18, President Paul Olson thanked attendees traveling to Pewaukee, Wisconsin, and he welcomed those watching via livestream on the organization’s website. National Farmers board of directors voted two years ago to livestream the event to members who can’t get away from…

Greetings from the Upper Midwest. Spring is definitely starting to make an appearance with several days in the 60s & 70s, along with some badly needed moisture. It’s the second year in a row for us with very little snow to help replenish our moisture deficit. It was great to see many of you at our national convention. We had some…

Thanks to all of you who participated in this year’s Dairy Workshop at national convention. I was once again reminded of why I love working for National Farmers Organization—you, our wonderful farmers and staff. There was a lot of good news to report. We continue to grow our program in both membership and…

Another national convention in the books. I especially want to thank the staff and producers who attended. I know it’s not easy getting away from all the farm work. I also congratulate the Top 5 Collection Points on their awards. There are between eight and ten who are in the running each year, which says our livestock staff…

Looming large over grain markets is the impact of tariffs imposed by the United States and the reaction of other countries to them. The immediate result for agriculture was a significant reduction in prices received for our production. The long-term effects are still to be realized. Farmers have once again borne the burden of…

Having children in 4-H has undoubtedly led many families down paths they never imagined. One Illinois family’s 4-H journey lit their passion for dairy cattle. In 1984, Jim and Wanda Bohnert purchased a couple of older registered Jersey cows from the local sale barn for their boys…

March is the month, Pewaukee, Wisconsin — just outside of Milwaukee ­— is the place. It‘s National Farmers annual winter farm business and ag marketing meeting, set for March 18-19 at the Ingleside Hotel. And, best of all, members register free this year! Book author Brian Reisinger…

When will our nation’s farmers and ranchers stand up and be heard — or is it too late? Many of us are trying to make sense of what’s going to develop with the expired Farm Bill. As of early December, it looks more like another one-year extension versus getting a new bill signed. Meanwhile…

Your holiday mail had something unusual this year–a letter from the Federal Milk Marketing Order Administrator. Don’t throw it away! It’s your ballot for voting on changes to the FMMO system. As you probably know, USDA has held hearings, read comments, and involved…

National Farmers has encouraged price risk management as long as I have been in the livestock department. In mid December, the Five Area Weighted Average was almost $191.00 and the December ‘24 futures closed at about $190.00, only a -$1.00 basis compared to…

The political football known as the Farm Bill has not been acted upon by Congress, and that’s severely impacting farmers around the country. This inaction significantly affects policy, markets, risk management, and the many other factors necessary for farmers and ranchers to…

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…