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2 DAIRY ST 5R C E L E B R A T I N G
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Y E A R S
July 22, 2023
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 25, No. 11
Deadline Ready to listen, share for FDA Gov. Walz, comment Commissioner of Agriculture period Petersen visit Le closing Sueur dairy farm July 31 By Amy Kyllo
amy.k@star-pub.com
Farmers still have chance to give feedback on agency’s labeling guidance By Jan Lefebvre jan.l@star-pub.com
The extended deadline of July 31 is drawing near for the closing of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s comment period for its dairy labeling guidance. Many in the dairy industry are hoping that farmers who have not yet commented will nd time to do so. The FDA’s “Labeling of Plant-Based Milk Alternatives and Voluntary Nutrient Statements; Draft Guidance for Industry” rst appeared in the Federal Register Feb. 23, drawing criticism by many as to the guidance not going far enough to stop the use of the term “milk” in marketing plant-based beverages. Those wishing to respond should submit comments to regulations. gov and identify those comments with the docket number FDA-2023-D-0451. In its guidance language, the FDA recommended that plant-based beverage products labeled with the term “milk” in their names should “have a nutrient composition that is different than milk, include a volTurn to LABELING | Page 9
LE SUEUR, Minn. – The sun shone and clouds oated through a cornower sky as Karl Heldberg welcomed Gov. Tim Walz, the Commissioner of Agriculture Thom Petersen and a small swarm of media from across the area to his 70cow dairy farm near Le Sueur July 6. The governor and Petersen were given a farm tour, visited with Heldberg about the challenges of dairy farming and shared about the legislative changes affecting the dairy in-
AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR
Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Thom Petersen (leŌ), Karl Heldberg and Gov. Tim Walz chat July 6 on Heldberg’s dairy farm near Le Sueur, Minnesota. This legislaƟve session, the Legislature authorized $4 million to assist in paying the Dairy Margin Coverage program premiums should DMC be reauthorized this fall in the federal farm bill. dustry from the spring session. “We just want to take a little time ... for us to hear from
producers to hear the things that make life a little easier,” Walz said.
Turn to FARM VISIT | Page 6
Giving his neighbor a second chance at life Liner donates kidney to save a friend By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
VAN DYNE, Wis. – On April 6, Dan Liner gave a piece of himself to someone else. One neighbor saved another when Liner donated his kidney to Troy Stettbacher. “It was no big deal,” Liner said. “I wanted to do it, and I would do it again.” Liner farms with his parents, Tim and Kathy, and his brother, Mike, near Van Dyne where the family milks 250 cows and farms 700 acres. Liner barely skipped a beat at the farm following his procedure. He spent one night in the hospital and went back to work not long after, starting out with
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Dairy farmers Troy SteƩbacher (leŌ) and Dan Liner discuss haylage quality June 22 on Liner’s farm near Van Dyne, Wisconsin. Liner donated a kidney to SteƩbacher. lighter chores at rst. “I feel no different today than I did before the surgery,” Liner said. “Other than the small scars I have, I wouldn’t
know any different. I have no restrictions. I’m living my life the same as before. It was a fast recovery, and everything turned out perfect.”
Stettbacher was a week or two away from needing dialysis when he received Liner’s kidney. Stettbacher’s health was deteriorating quickly from polycystic kidney disease – a genetic disorder that can cause serious complications, such as kidney failure. His dad and brothers also had kidney transplants. “Within hours, the new kidney turned my life around,” Stettbacher said. “I could see better. Before, things were blurry.” Even Stettbacher’s thinking had been unclear, he said, confusion brought on because of the disease poisoning his body. “A lot of my blood levels were way out of whack,” Stettbacher said. “I was extremely low on red blood cells, and my skin was a bluish-yellow color. I didn’t have a lot of energy. I was sick and just trying to get by.” Turn to KIDNEY | Page 7