LOOK INSIDE FOR OUR CENTRAL PLAINS DAIRY EXPO PREVIEW EDITION!
Volume 26, No. 2
Dairy industry continues to grow in SD
March 9, 2024
“All dairy, all the time”™
Finding common ground Iowa dairy farmers to lead National Young Cooperators Program By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
Recent data shows large increase By Jan Lefebvre jan.l@star-pub.com
PIERRE, S.D. — The dairy industry’s growth trend in South Dakota rolls on, according to a press release Feb. 13 from the South Dakota State News. As of January, the total number of dairy cows in the state equaled 208,000, the press re-lease said. This represents a 70.5% increase since 2019 and a population that more than doubles that of 12 years ago when it stood at 90,000. Tom Peterson is executive director for South Dakota Dairy Producers. He summed up the reason his state has seen success in growing its dairy industry when many other states have not. “In a nutshell, the growth was the result of commitment from the dairy industry and dairy community, including processor investment to create plant capacity, dairy farmer investment to ll the capacity, and the entire dairy industry creating infrastructure and supTom Peterson port for the growth Executive Director, in cow numbers,” South Dakota Dairy Producers Peterson said. Creative planning, he said, helped to foster the upward trend. “If we go back around 20 years in the early 2000s, South Dakota’s dairy cow numbers hit an all-time low at just under 80,000 milking cows and a trend that put dairy (in the state) in real peril,” Peterson said. “A future-thinking group of stakeholders came together with a vision to turn the dairy industry around and not just survive but create a path to grow South Dakota into a recognized dairy state.”
Turn to SD GROWTH | Page 9
PHOTO SUBMITTED
MaƩhew and Hannah Lansing aƩend the cheese contest held during the NaƟonal Milk Producers FederaƟon naƟonal meeƟng. The Lansings were selected to serve as chairperson for the NaƟonal Young Cooperators Program. The Lansings work with Hannah’s family on the farm, where they milk 1,200 cows and farm over 5,000 acres.
CLINTON, Iowa — Matthew and Hannah Lansing are combining their experiences of growing up on dairy farms to grow their network and be a voice for fellow producers. The pair was elected to serve as chairperson for the National Young Cooperators Program as representatives of Prairie Farms Dairy Inc. The Lansings want consumers to know that just because farms look different from the road, they often face similar challenges and work toward similar goals. “We’re excited to have this platform to share our story as well as gain leadership to help us along the way,” Hannah said. “(We’re also excited to) meet other producers that share the same struggles we do.” Turn to LANSING | Page 2
A new chapter
Schefers brothers decide time is right to sell herd By Jan Lefebvre jan.l@star-pub.com
LAKE HENRY, Minn. — When Schefers Brothers LLC sells its 55 dairy cows later this month, it will be the rst time that cows have not been milked on the farm since 1943. It will be a big change for brothers Ralph and Ken Schefers as well as for Ken’s wife and son, Julie and Jason, who own and operate the dairy farm near Lake Henry. However, they said the time has come for the next chapter. Turn to SCHEFERS | Page 6
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Ralph, Jason and Ken Schefers stand in their Ɵestall barn Feb. 27 near Lake Henry, Minnesota. Ralph and Ken have been milking cows together since 1979 and recently decided to sell their herd. Jason is a partner on the farm.