LOOK INSIDE FOR OUR WORLD DAIRY EXPO PREVIEW EDITION!
2 DAIRY ST 5R C E L E B R A T I N G
Y E A R S
September 9, 2023
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 25, No. 14
Deafness not a deterrent for Rickert
2 5
Farming in silence
By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
ELDORADO, Wis. — When meeting Andrew Rickert for the rst time, it can be hard to tell he is deaf. Born with normal hearing, Andrew’s world did not turn silent until around 20 months of age after he contracted spinal meningitis. Exposed to a year and a half of sounds would provide him with audible speech later in life. “Andrew’s speech is so good because he heard for 1.5 years compared to a person born deaf,” said his dad, Jim. “The memory of speech makes a difference.”
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
The Rickert family — Micah (front, from le�) and Jonah; (back, from le�) Jim, Kelly, Emma, Miles, Shannon and Andrew — milk about 1,000 cows and farm nearly 2,100 acres at Rickland Dairy near Eldorado, Wisconsin. Andrew has been deaf since around 20 months of age a�er contrac�ng spinal meningi�s.
Andrew is good at reading lips and can understand much of what people say. He can
then respond verbally. “People know they have to face me so I can read their
lips,” Andrew said. Andrew and his wife, Shannon, and their kids —
Miles, Emma, Jonah and Micah — farm with Andrew’s parents, Jim and Kelly; his grandfather, Don; Jim’s brother, Greg; and Greg’s son-inlaw, Andy DeVries. The Rickerts milk about 1,000 cows and farm nearly 2,100 acres at Rickland Dairy near Eldorado. Cows are milked three times a day in a double-16 parallel parlor with a rolling herd average of 30,000 pounds of milk, 3.8% butterfat and 3.1% protein. The Rickerts are passionate about registered Holsteins, and this year, the family received a special honor when they were named Wisconsin’s 2023 Distinguished Holstein Breeder. The family has bred or developed over 110 Excellent cows and sent 97 bulls to stud. Turn to RICKERT | Page 6
The difference 2 cents can make in Taylor, DPA has been buying and donating dairy products since 2011. The money raised by this dairy farmertal checkoff of 15 cents per funded group comes from aphundredweight equaled $327 proximately 200 members in million that was paid in by 10 states. DPA is a grassroots, voldairy farmers. Two cents per hundredweight would equal untary dairy farmer organization that uses pro$43.6 million per ducer assessments year that could be to purchase excess spent on dairy proddairy products from ucts for food banks. the marketplace. “The checkoff These products are was supposed to then donated to huhelp the farmer keep manitarian causes farming,” Olson that do not displace said. “But when you existing sales. DPA look at the declining Tom Olson is a regular, active dairy farm numbers Dairy farmer buyer in the daily since 1983 when the checkoff was started, it is im- cash-traded block cheddar possible to say this program cheese market, which the group sees as a benet to milk helped the dairy industry.” Olson milks 30 cows near checks across the nation. DPA’s mission is to proBlack River Falls and is the president of the Dairy Pric- mote domestically produced ing Association. His proposal dairy products and establish is an extension of what DPA the minimum price the dairy does on a regular basis. Based industry receives for its pro-
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. In the Dairy Checkoff Reform Proposal, Olson is asking 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 to-
duction. At the same time, they maintain a level of milk production to meet the needs of the consumer. “The need for dairy products for use in food banks across the nation is unbelievably large,” Olson said. “The dairy donation program that started during (the pandemic) has ended and left a lot of low-income people struggling to keep dairy in their family’s diet.” After the program ended, Olson received a call from the Jackson County housing and urban development program which was looking for more donations of dairy products. “Some of the people they serve are handicapped or elderly, and all are low income,” Olson said. “They’re all on a real tight budget and have to choose how to spend money, whether it be on food or medicine.” As a result, DPA bought and sent 534 pounds of ched-
dar cheese to Jackson County in July. The county has 90 recipients who qualify for the HUD program. “They were really happy to get the cheese,” Olson said. “It made these people’s day.” When stores remove dated products from the dairy case, Olson said low-fat and non-fat milk is what does not sell and is then donated. Under his proposal, farmers would have the ability to donate 11 million gallons of whole milk or a whole array of dairy products to food banks and soup kitchens annually. “Food banks have different needs across the nation, but they all have one thing in common and that is the need for dairy products,” Olson said. “When I look at what food banks receive for donations, the thing I see that is in short supply is whole milk.” Turn to CHECKOFF | Page 8