LOOK INSIDE FOR OUR WORLD DAIRY EXPO PREVIEW EDITION!
2 DAIRY ST 5R C E L E B R A T I N G
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Y E A R S
September 9, 2023
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 25, No. 14
The Coming full circle difference Socha, Volden return to local 2 cents farm after college can make By Alex Middendorf
Dairy Checkoff Reform Proposal seeks to divert portion of dollars to food banks By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
TAYLOR, Wis. — Tom Olson has an idea. He believes his idea will move a lot of dairy product while putting dairy checkoff dollars to good use. As a result, he is seeking a 2-cent slice of the dairy checkoff. I n the Dairy Checkoff Reform Proposal, Olson is Tom Olson asking Dairy farmer Congress to amend the Dairy Product Stabilization Act of 1983 to allow dairy producers to divert 2 cents out of the 15 cents per hundredweight they pay to a parent food bank in their state. Two cents can add up quickly. In 2019, the U.S. produced 218 billion pounds of milk, Olson said. The total checkoff of 15 cents per hundredweight equaled $327 million that was paid in by dairy farmers. Two cents per hundredweight would equal $43.6 million per year that could be spent on dairy products for food banks. “The checkoff was supposed to help the farmer keep farming,” Olson said. “But when you look at the declinTurn to CHECKOFF | Page 9
Staff Intern
ST. MICHAEL, Minn. — As high school students, Maggie Socha and Grace Volden spent time working together at Green Waves Dairy near St. Michael. Socha, being a year older, soon ventured to South Dakota State University to obtain a degree in dairy production. Volden followed in her footsteps, also attending SDSU to major in animal science. While at college, the two young agriculture enthusiasts again found themselves immersed in the dairy industry, working together at a dairy farm near their college campus. Today, having both
ALEX MIDDENDORF/DAIRY STAR
Grace Volden (le�) and Maggie Socha show off one of the cows July 25 at Green Waves Dairy near St. Michael, Minnesota. Volden and Socha work as full-�me employees alongside Mark and David Berning, the owners of Green Waves Dairy.
graduated with their respective degrees, the two young women have come full circle and returned to the dairy farm they worked at in high school, this time as full-time
employees. Green Waves Dairy is owned by Mark and David Berning, a father-son duo who milk 480 cows and farm 750 acres. Together with
Socha and Volden, the four make up the staff of full-time employees.
Pa�ence pays off
Turn to SOCHA/VOLDEN | Page 6
Mellgrens named Wabasha County Farm Family of the Year By Amy Kyllo
amy.k@star-pub.com
AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR
The Mellgren family — Adam (from le�), Emily, Roger, Ashley and Sarah — gathers Aug. 4 at their dairy, Higher Ground Holsteins, near Zumbro Falls, Minnesota. The Mellgrens milk 70 cows and manage 350 acres.
ZUMBRO FALLS, Minn. — Patience has been a dening characteristic of Adam and Sarah Mellgren’s farm from the beginning of their career until today. Adam and Sarah and their three children milk 70 cows and manage 350 acres of crops on their farm near Zumbro Falls. This year, they are being honored as the Wabasha County Farm Family of the Year.
Turn to MELLGRENS | Page 8