Dairy cows have been at the center of Rachel Rynda’s life since before she could walk. It is fitting that she now represents Minnesota’s dairy industry as the 69th Princess Kay of the Milky Way. Many of Rynda’s childhood memories revolve around black and white cattle, family, and county fairs. “I remember playing in the barn alley while my parents…

The Isle Hotel & Casino in Quad Cities, Iowa, is home for our annual winter member meeting March 7 and 8. Convene ’23 is just two days long, and a national board meeting begins at 2 p.m. on Monday, March 6.
Committee meetings will take place Tuesday morning, March 7, beginning at 7:30 a.m. A member welcome morning…

National Farmers Legislative Coordinator Gene Paul flew to Washington, D.C., in early September to talk with farm policy influencers as part of the National Farmers Union fly-in. He spoke with National Farmers Communications Director Perry Garner about his trip…

Greetings to all. Here in the upper Midwest, we saw our first frost in late September and the leaves turned beautiful fall colors. Corn and soybean harvest was in full swing the second week in October after the crops matured. Fall is the traditional time of the year when National Farmers begins to see our annual membership…

In the last issue of our magazine, President Olson wrote about our tremendous growth that has taken place under some of the most challenging times your organization has ever endured. This growth has made our dairy program stronger and more efficient in many ways:

Nate Kauffman, an economist for the Omaha branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, recently said that despite higher-priced inputs, interest rates and inflation, overall conditions for Midwest farmers right now are stronger than they were before the pandemic. He also highlighted that many producers are in a good financial condition…

The Oxford Dictionary defines risk management as the forecasting and evaluation of risks, together with the identification of procedures to avoid or minimize their impact.
In the current agricultural marketplace, regardless of the commodity produced, risk management practices and strategies are more important than…

Eddie and Tracy Foster in Montgomery City, Missouri, are on track to support the aspirations of the next generation that are tilling the soil and raising livestock. While some farming traditions have remained the same since the first Foster stepped onto the land, others have changed…

Dairy farming is about more than cows. Some families are just born to be dairy farmers.
A few minutes visiting with Mike and Missy Cottrell will convince you that dairy farming seeps into your soul. The Cottrells live in…

Surrounded by the Coast Range Mountains on the east and north and the Coquille River to the south, a small southern Oregon town greets visitors. Nestled in a picturesque valley, Coquille, Oregon, is just 20 miles from the coast and happens to be a perfect location for dairying. Enjoying warmer weather and less wind than nearby…

NForganics and the Montana Organic Producers Cooperative have announced a three-year contract to provide organic hard red spring wheat to One Mighty Mill, headquartered in Lynn, Massachusetts.
The wheat will be cleaned and bagged into 2,000 pound units in Montana before transportation to One Mighty Mill facilities…

Organic grain and hay remain in high demand with robust sales. The prices received by our producers have been excellent and demand is strong. NForganics has racked up national sales from Massachusetts to Oregon this year. Our producer and customer base has grown significantly…

When the next Independence Holiday rolls around, imagine 4,000 people showing up at your farm for breakfast. That’s exactly what happened this past July 3, in Door County, Wisconsin, on the Mike and Jamie Henschel farm. But it’s not the first time Mike and Jamie, along with their three sons, Mark, Brian, and Kevin…

Greetings from all of us at National Farmers Organization. By the time you read my column, we will be approaching the end of our fiscal year.
A huge thank you to all of our loyal producers and the efforts of our dedicated staff, from field representatives to…

I’ve spent my life in the dairy business. I’ve worked as an auditor, managed a milk bottling and a cheese plant, and now I have the privilege to serve as your national sales director. My work in each of these positions, as different as they are, has had one thing in common—understanding the Federal Milk Marketing Order System is…

The prolonged drought in the west and southwestern states has taken quite a toll on the beef cow herd. In Oklahoma alone, the July slaughter cows and bulls have more than doubled since last year.
Nationally, beef cow slaughter was up over 14 percent compared to last July. Cull cow prices have been…

A myriad of events are influencing grain markets and activity at the Chicago Board of Trade. This summer’s weather, the Russo-Ukrainian War, and the potential for a U.S. recession are major concerns of all participants in grain marketing. At this point, we have no way of knowing which single factor or…

Thriving amid a global pandemic takes hard work, commitment, thinking outside the box, and having marketing options in place. That’s according to Gary and Parker Yost, who have a cattle feeding operation in Wheaton, Minnesota. The Yosts operate a 600 head finishing operation on land that has been in Gary’s wife’s family since…

Committed to supporting and encouraging farm kids to pursue ag careers, National Farmers awarded three $1,000 scholarships this year. Taryn Goss, Justyne Frisle, and Carlee Mae Long are our 2022 Farm Kids for College Scholarship recipients.

Illinois National Farmers Member and State Leader, Ron Schultz passed away June 6. He was a member of the National Farmers Organization since 1962, holding the office of a national board director for Illinois since 1991. Schultz was a lifetime grain and livestock farmer, retiring in 2018. He became a Burrus seed dealer in…

Four-decade-long former National Farmers staff member Pete Lorenz, Beloit, Kansas, passed away May 1. He was 76. Lorenz was known for his farmer-focused approach and promoted the need for farmers to group market to receive more income from the marketplace. “Pete was a dedicated professional and helped thousands of…

Gene A. Starchaska, age 88 of Manawa, Wisconsin died unexpectedly while fishing with his son in Minnesota on May 22. He served National Farmers in DePere, Wisconsin, at National Farmers Ledgeview Marketing Center for more than 30 years. He is responsible for Ledgeview Marketing Center’s growth in cattle numbers through…

Dedication. Commitment. Fun. Those words exemplify John Petersen, a former National Farmers national director who passed away May 5, in Caledonia, Minnesota. He was best known for growing and managing the National Farmers Caledonia Marketing Center that handled both hogs and cattle. He was 88. “I remember running hogs with…

National Farmers Organization’s ongoing support of mandatory Country of Origin Labeling continues with recent U.S. House legislation. Congressmen Lance Gooden (R-Texas) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) introduced a bill for MCOOL in late March, which would help consumers differentiate beef produced domestically from the nearly 3 billion…