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8 201 2019
DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 20, No. 20
Vilsack hopeful for U.S. dairy industry USDEC working to increase exports to 20 percent By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
WELCH, Minn. – Tom Vilsack is hopeful for the dairy industry. “There is a good day ahead if we stay committed to exports,” said Vilsack, president and CEO of the United States Dairy Export Council. Vilsack shared how the U.S. dairy exports will increase to 20 percent during his presentation Nov. 27 at the Minnesota Milk Dairy Conference and Expo in Welch, Minn. USDEC helps create awareness, expand knowledge and peak interest of U.S. dairy products in global markets. It focuses on cheese and dairy ingredients, with major markets being Mexico, Latin America, South America, the Middle East, North Africa, southeast Asia and northern Asia. To start his presentation, Vilsack rst thanked the farmers and those who work in the agriculture and food industry. “We don’t have to import any food in order to feed our population,” he said. “That’s not true of almost any of the major countries in the world today. We have incredible security because of the work you do every single day.” But this productivity is more than what is needed in the United States. “These are difcult times in the dairy industry, and the agriculture and food industry,” Vilsack said. “In my lifetime you have all increased dairy production per cow almost ve fold. … That would be a great story to tell if consumption of milk domestically had increased at the same rate. But the reality is that today there is a lot of competition … .” The good news is that United States dairy exports are increasing, Vilsack said. Over the last nine months, exports have reached 16.5 percent. Turn to VILSACK | Page 5
December 8, 2018
Trying to better the dairy business
Volenec agvocates to improve milk prices By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
MONTFORT, Wis. – All Jerry Volenec wants to do is to be able to milk cows and raise his family, working as the fth generation on his family’s dairy farm in Montfort, Wis. The current economic situation in the dairy industry is making that an increasingly more difcult thing to do, prompting Volenec to step outside of his comfort zone and enter the world of agvocacy. “I’ve never had any political-type experience or aspirations,” Volenec said. “But everything is changing, and I can’t run any faster. I’m at a position in life where I have to ght, because we can’t keep running like we are. We can’t get any more efcient.” Turn to VOLENEC | Page 7
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Jerry Volenec is the Ōh generaƟon of his family to operate their farm outside of Monƞort, Wis., and he fears he may be the last. That has led Volenec to explore the growing world of agvocacy, ghƟng to help x the problems he sees in the dairy industry.
Rising from the ashes
Orths plan to rebuild barn, edgling creamery following re By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Inga and Chance Orth operate a micro-dairy near Osseo, Wis. They have a small herd of seven Jerseys. The Orths were planning to begin producƟon of a high-end farmstead, raw-milk cheddar cheese with the compleƟon of their creamery last month but had a re Nov. 14.
OSSEO, Wis. – Inga and Chance Orth will not soon forget the morning of Nov. 14, when they looked out the window to see the dairy barn and nearly completed creamery engulfed in ames on their farm near Osseo, Wis. The Orths own seven dairy cows. They were in the process of building a creamery where they would produce high-end farmstead cheese. The Orths employ seasonal production and were in the process of drying the Turn to ORTH | Page 6