Online at www.dairystar.com What has the higher income from the current milk prices allowed you to do on your farm?
Make up for when prices were low 25%
Make several upgrades
Just maintaining Plan for 25% the future 8%
DAIRY ST R
Volume 16, No. 13
The crop insurance for milk production Margin Protection Program set to start Sept. 1 BY KRISTA KUZMA Staff writer
Implementation of part of the 2014 Farm Bill will start Sept. 1 with the Margin Protection Program for Dairy Producers (MPP-Dairy). Although not all rules for the new program have been released, dairy producers can start to prepare themselves for how they will use the program in the future. The MPP-Dairy replaces the Milk Income Loss Contract program and the Dairy Product Price Support Program and focuses on protecting the margins between milk income and feed costs in an insurance-style format. Marin Bozic, assistant professor of applied economics at the University of Minnesota, explained that the federal dairy safety net programs that have protected dairy revenue for the past nearly 50 years needed to be changed. “In the last ve years, we have discovered [the federal dairy safety net] is insufcient – feed costs matter a lot. The program that will be offered to dairy producers will be a simple-to-use insurance-type product that will allow producers to protect against catastrophic events like 2009 at very affordable premiums … ,” Bozic said. Bozic called the MPP the crop insurance for milk production. “Going forward, producers should strongly consider protection that can help them in a bad year. Once the bad year happens, it’s too late. You need to think about the insurance before adversity occurs,” he said. One of the biggest changes is that there will be no more MILC program or any other price oors, Bozic said. “If dairy producers decide not to participate in this proTurn to MPP | Page 5
42%
“All dairy, all the time”™
Haler crowned 61st Princess Kay
August 23, 2014
Carver County is home of new dairy ambassador BY KRISTA KUZMA Staff writer
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Jeni Haler’s younger years were foreshadowing her future as Princess Kay of the Milky Way. “Jeni has always loved animals since she was really little. She’d put on a dress and go out and play with the animals and in the dirt. She sometimes put a crown on, too,” said Haler’s mom, Connie Helget Haasken. Now Haler will be able to wear a crown for the next year, representing Minnesota’s dairy farmers after being crowned the 61st Princess Kay of the Milky Way on Aug. 20 at the bandshell at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul, Minn. The 19-year-old will
MIDWEST DAIRY ASSOCIATION
Jeni Haler of Norwood Young America, Minn., is crowned the 61st Princess Kay of the Milky Way Aug. 20 at the Minnesota State Fair Band Shell in St. Paul, Minn. Sabrina Ley of Belgrade (far left), and Audrey Lane of Prior Lake (center) rounded out the top three.
Turn to PRINCESS KAY | Page 10
Land taken away
A portion of Sorgs’ Century Farm taken by Dakota County through eminent domain BY KRISTA KUZMA Staff writer
KRISTA KUZMA/ DAIRY STAR
William “Bill” Sorg, who milks 300 cows with his family on their dairy, stands on the shoreline of Spring Lake, which opens into the Mississippi near Hastings, Minn. Dakota County recently took 72 acres, including nearly one-half mile of shoreline, by eminent domain from the Sorgs’ farm, which has been in their family since 1896.
HASTINGS, Minn. – Whether it was swimming on the sandy shore of Spring Lake with his wife and their children or roaming through the woodland pasture to nd fresh cows to bring to the barn as a kid, William “Bill” Sorg has many memories using 72 acres of his family’s farm. “Growing up along the river is different than most childhoods, especially when you live on a farm. When we would go out to nd cows in the pasture woodland, they had their favorite hiding spots. We would be gone for hours,” Sorg said, reminiscing about a few of his favorite memories on the land. However, those 72 acres were taken away from the Sorg family by Dakota County on April 1 through eminent domain, which is the right of the government to take away private property for public use, with payment for compensation. Turn to SORGS | Page 8