LOOK INSIDE FOR OUR DCHA CONFERENCE PREVIEW EDITION!
DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 20, No. 3
How to weather the economic storm Kohl shares tips for success By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
Editor’s note: This is the second of two articles on Dr. David Kohl’s presentation, “Positioning for success in cyclical economics,” hosted by Ridgewater College Farm Business Management Programs Feb. 21 in Willmar, Minn. WILLMAR, Minn. – Every generation of dairy farmers have experienced some form of volatile markets; it is the natural result of being a part of an industry molded by cyclical environments. How farmers prepare and weather the volatility is the differentiating factor between protability and loss. “Moving forward, we’re going to have to manage volatility in the extremes, which means management is really going to show its face in the next ve to 10 years,” said Dr. David Kohl, Professor of Emeritus at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. The cyclical environment of the dairy industry can be best described by seasons – summer, fall, winter and spring – which most recently began in 2006. From 2006 until 2012, demand for dairy products was strong, the value of the dollar and interest rates were low, as well as a growing interest in technology and ethanol. “That [period] was an aberration and it’s only ever happened in three other times [in history],” Kohl said. “Baby boomer farmers who made it through the ‘80s made more money in those ve years than they did the previous 40. That was summer, and everyone Turn to KOHL | Page 5
March 24, 2018
A smooth transition
Stommes acquires herd, begins dairying career By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
ALBANY, Minn. – Brandon Stommes grew up with the desire to be a dairy farmer. With the guidance and support of veteran farmers, Stommes has been able to become what he always hoped to be. In January, Stommes purchased the 76-cow herd of Earl and Darlene Felling and began renting their facilities near Albany, Minn. “Earl and Darlene were very good dairy farmers and they left me with cows that do very well,” Stommes said. “That’s what drives me. I look at them and this place, and I’m happy with the way things Turn to STOMMES | Page 10
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Brandon Stommes milks 76 cows on a rented farm site near Albany, Minn. Stommes purchased the herd from Earl and Darlene Felling, who own the faciliƟes and surrounding land.
A move to pursue their dairying dream
Guisewhites leave East Coast to settle in Minnesota By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Nicole and Norman Guisewhite, accompanied by their daughter, Alexis, check over their herd on a recent aŌernoon. AŌer moving from the East Coast four years ago, the family bought a herd of cows and started renƟng a facility near Mayer, Minn.
MAYER, Minn. – There’s no doubt in Norman and Nicole Guisewhite’s mind of what they are meant do to. Their mission is to dairy farm. But pursuing their career of choice meant taking a leap of faith and moving to a new state – from Pennsylvania to Minnesota – where they did not know anyone. Nearly one year ago, Norman and Nicole Guisewhite, along with their children, Hanna, 7, and Alexis, 4, bought a 100-cow herd and started their dairying dream on a rented farm near Mayer, Minn. The journey to get to this point, however, hasn’t been the straightest path. The couple started farming right out of high school in 2004 with Norman’s family milking 400 cows in Virginia. When that didn’t work, they moved to Pennsylvania in 2008 to try dairying on their own until they sold the cows in 2011. Turn to GUISEWHITES | Page 6