THE GREAT
See pages 24 and 25 of this section for details!
2 DAIRY ST 5R C E L E B R A T I N G
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Y E A R S
November 11, 2023
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 25, No. 18
Back to work again Miron recovers from heart surgery, is not cutting back on farming By Amy Kyllo
amy.k@star-pub.com
AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR
Fran Miron smiles in his freestall barn Oct. 31 at his farm near Hugo, Minnesota. Miron underwent open heart surgery in July to receive a triple bypass and an aorƟc valve replacement.
HUGO, Minn. — When dairy farmer Fran Miron was recovering from triple bypass and aortic valve replacement open-heart surgery, he played a lot of card games with the grandkids, possibly orchestrated by their parents to help keep him from going outside and farming. Miron and his wife, Mary Ann, milk 150 cows alongside two of their sons, Paul and Andrew, who are in charge of the day-to-day operations on the farm. Miron said his grandchildren helped monitor him
to make sure that he was not overdoing it. “It was a blend of caring and bossing me around,” Miron said. Thanks to the surgery, today Miron is feeling healthy. Instead of cutting back as he had planned to do, he is back to working long hours on the dairy farm near Hugo. “I really haven’t felt this good for a long time,” Miron said. “I have my ambition back; I’m not as lethargic.” The journey to open-heart surgery and Miron’s subsequent recovery started two and a half years ago when he experienced chest pain on both a Saturday and Sunday while walking to the barn. Miron
had previously been diagnosed with a heart murmur, so on Monday, he called a cardiologist and set up an appointment. “He chastised me for not dialing 911,” Miron said. “He said, ‘When you’re having chest pains, you dial 911; you don’t make an appointment.’” That Tuesday, they discovered two partially blocked arteries and put in stints that same day. The cardiologist also noticed that Miron’s aortic valve was going to need to be replaced sometime in the next ve years but was currently doing ne. Fast-forward to the fall of 2022, and Miron began to feel unwell again. He had a lack of energy and experienced shortness of breath, but he had no chest pain. Turn to MIRON | Page 7
Global industry gathers on American soil IDF World Dairy Summit convenes in Chicago By Maria Bichler
maria.b@dairystar.com
CHICAGO, Ill. — More than 1,200 dairy industry leaders from dozens of countries, including processing experts, dairy farmers, suppliers, government representatives and more, gathered in Chicago to discuss the latest issues facing the global dairy sector.
The International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit took place Oct. 16-19 at the McCormick Place conference center in Chicago, the rst summit held in the U.S. since 1993. The theme of the summit, “Be Dairy — Boundless Potential, Endless Possibilities,” showcased the challenges and opportunities represented
around the world with a focus on a more sustainable global food system. First District Association, of Litcheld, Minnesota, sent four dairy farmers to attend the event.
Turn to SUMMIT | Page 6 PHOTO SUBMITTED
Marty Shay (from leŌ), Paƫ Schaefer, director of milk marketing and member services at First District AssociaƟon, Megan Schrupp, and Heather and Carl Olson pause for a group photo Oct. 18 at the InternaƟonal Dairy FederaƟon World Dairy Summit in Chicago. Dairy farmers Shay, Schrupp and the Olsons attended the summit with support from First District AssociaƟon as members of its Young Cooperator program.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
The sun sets over a freestall barn Nov. 1 at Deters Dairy near Sauk Centre, Minnesota. The family milks 650 cows.