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DAIRY ST R

Volume 19, No. 6

“All dairy, all the time”™

May 13, 2017

Dairying from a retailer’s perspective Coborn’s teams up with MDA for academy By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com

ALBANY, Minn. – “Are the cows comfortable standing on cement all day? “What happens to the colostrum after a cow gives birth?” Those were among the many questions Steve and Lisa Groetsch received from dairy case managers during a tour of their dairy near Albany, Minn. The Groetsches hosted the grocery store personnel as part of Midwest Dairy Association’s Dairy Academy training May 3-4 with Coborn’s. Kemp’s was also a partner in the academy. “A lot of these people have never been on a farm, but they’re selling our products,” Stacy Dohle said. “They need to be able to tell the consumer about antibiotic use on the farm, the difference in organic and conventional practices, and other hot topics.”

JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR

Lisa Groetsch demonstrates the automaƟc feed pusher to Coborn’s dairy case managers during a tour of Groetsch Dairy May 3 near Albany, Minn. The tour was part of Midwest Dairy AssociaƟon’s Dairy Academy.

Dohle, senior communications manager with Midwest Dairy Association, organized the two-day event, where more than 40 individuals participated from the grocery store’s Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota locations. Each day began at the grocery store’s corporate ofce in St. Cloud, Minn., where participants heard from Dr. Lloyd Metzger, South Dakota State University, Dr. Leo Timms, Iowa State University, and Julie Mattson-Ostrow and Beth Bunton, Midwest Dairy Association, on food safety and quality, sustainability and on-farm practices, nutrition, and consumer trends and growing dairy sales. At this time, participants also watched a video tour of a dairy processing plant before taking a bus to the Groetsches’ 260-cow dairy. For the past six years, Midwest Dairy Association has coordinated the academies with more than 10 retailTurn to RETAILERS | Page 7

A full house

Story & Photos by Jennifer Coyne

Barka family doubles in size through adoption

LITCHFIELD, Minn. – Josh and Lynn Barka always wanted a large family; but when they rst married, neither imagined their home would be so full – full of hungry mouths, laughter and love. On their 350-cow dairy near Litcheld, Minn., the Barkas are parents to eight children – Natalie, 16, Liz, 13, Joe, 8, Chris, 7, Ben, 6, Hope, 5, Annie, 3, and Olivia 2. “I had always dreamed of having a family of 10,” said Lynn, smiling. “First we had four, then six, seven, eight.”

Josh agreed. “Once we got past our rst two girls, and then another, what’s one more,” he said. After having four of their own children – Natalie, Liz, Joe and Ben – Josh and Lynn made the decision to adopt four siblings – Chris, Hope, Annie and Olivia, welcoming them into their home as children of their own. Turn to BARKAS | Page 6 Pictured from leŌ: Hope, Natalie, Chris, Liz, Joe, Ben, Olivia, Josh, Lynn and Annie Barka.