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Volume 14, No. 2
March 10, 2012
Small changes, big results
Organic Valley, Horizon boost farmers’ prices Modest, gradual Higher base pay aimed at changes yield encouraging production, keeping farms in business big dividends for Rybinskis By ron johnson Staff writer
Dairy farmers who sell organic milk have been receiving higher prices lately. On March 1, Organic Valley, La Farge, Wis., gave its farmer-members a pay increase of $2 per hundredweight. That’s on top of a $1 increase last August. Together, the two moves bring Organic Valley’s base price to $26.55. With premiums factored in, the national average Organic Valley pay price is $30 per hundredweight, according to Eric Newman, vice president of sales. Another large player in the organic milk market, Horizon Organic, Broomfield, Colo., began paying its farmers $2 more on Feb. 1. That brings the nationwide average price Horizon Organic is offering also to $30, said Molly Keveney, the company’s communications director. Those moves are attempts at finding a delicate balance that encourages farmers to produce enough organic milk to meet demand, yet not overproduce or drastically underproduce. They’re also attempts to keep farmers in the organic fold, and not scamper back to conventional farming. In 2011, the relatively strong price for conventional milk – $20 or more – prompted some farmers to drop out of organic production. They found they could make good money on regular milk, without having to pay sharply higher prices for organically grown feed. “We were running into some shortages,” said Keveney. “Feed costs have gone up 101 percent compared to last year.” Other costs dairy farmers face have also risen, though not as much. Keveney said fuel costs are up six percent from a year ago. A news release from Organic Valley sums up the situation thusly: “The year (2011) was not without its hardships, as feed and other input costs Turn to organic | Page 5
By jerry nelson Staff writer
HENDRICKS, Minn. – Little things mean a lot, and small changes can make big differences. No one knows this better than Kevin and Lisa Marie Rybinski, who milk 83 cows and farm 410 acres near Hendricks, Minn., in northwestern Lincoln County. Over the past year, the rolling herd average at Rybinski Dairy has risen substantially. “A year ago, our RHA was in the 17,000 to 18,000 range,” Turn to Rybinski | Page 8
jerry nelson/ dairy star
Hired man, Tyler Nelson (left), along with Kevin and Brian Rybinski, make up the core of the work crew at Rybinski Dairy. A series of small improvements over the years has led to some big gains in their herd’s productivity. These changes include the installation last summer of a sprinkler system and some additional fans in their freestall barn.
Lexvolds master the mat
Kenyon, Minn., family holds Minnesota record for most wrestling wins By krista m. sheehan Staff writer
KENYON, Minn. – Before any of Wayne Lexvold’s sons went into a wrestling match, he gave them the same simple words of advice: have fun and focus on one point at a time. “You can’t get the second point until you’ve got the first,” Wayne said. This advice turned into big success for the family, who now holds the record in Minnesota for the family with the most wrestling wins – 712. Although the brothers – Nathan (22), Chad (20), Drew (20) and Mitchel (18) – were the ones on the mat, it was a family effort. Their dad, Wayne, coached them through elementary school and at home, while their mom, Donna, and older sister, Shelia, cheered them on from the sidelines. “It wasn’t our goal to get the record … but we’re humbled,” Wayne said. Being a former wrestler, Wayne introduced each of his sons to the sport at about the age of 5 and started coaching them through elementary school. “Dad taught us a lot of what we know,” Drew said. Mitchel added, “He helped us with
photo submitted
The Lexvold family now holds the record in Minnesota for the family with the most wrestling wins with 712. The family is pictured front row from left: Wayne and Drew. Middle row from left: Chad, Donna, Mitchel and Shelia. Back row: Nathan. a lot of technique when we were younger. Then he would take us to tournaments for a weekend. He’d load up the van and everyone would be there.” But the gym wasn’t the only place where the Lexvold brothers would practice and compete. “If we weren’t working together at practice we’d work together at home,” Nathan said.
With coaching from their dad, the Lexvold boys practiced on the mat they had in their basement or in the aisle of the barn during milking. “Even when we were at cow shows they’d be rolling around in the straw wrestling,” Wayne said.
Turn to LEXVOLDS | Page 10