Farm and Dairy Newspaper 12-31-2020

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INSIDE

Over 40 Auctions and 285 Classifieds

2020

See page A9

Thursday, December 31, 2020

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News, Auctions and Classifieds Since 1914

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FarmandDairy.com

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Single Copy: $1.75

Pandemic shapes a dairy farm’s success By Rachel Wagoner rachel@farmanddairy.com

LATROBE, Pa. — Jason Frye and his employee, Regis Jackson, are draining whey off a batch of cheese curds. They pile the curds on the side of the vat, making a path down the middle for the excess whey. In an hour or so, they’ll cut the curds into blocks, rotating and stack-

ing them to squeeze additional whey out. This is the cheddaring process. This batch of cheddar cheese will be available to purchase next Christmas. “We’re making cheddar in the ancient and traditional way,” Jason Frye said. But with a lot of modern technology in their state-of-the-art cheesemaking facility. (Continued on Page A8)

Jason and Todd Frye stand in the new free stall barn being built on the family dairy farm, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Dec. 23. They’re also adding a robotic milking machine to the operation to help transition it to the next generation. (Rachel Wagoner photo)

Farmers reflect on 2020, look to 2021 By Sarah Donaldson sarah@farmanddairy.com

This year has been a mixed bag for farmers. A global pandemic brought challenges with processing and logistics, in addition to health concerns. That same pandemic shifted focus back to local food, as larger systems struggled. It’s been a year of adapting, adjusting plans and solving problems on the fly. Some have struggled. Others have seen their businesses boom. Growth. Kevin Henslee, of Yellow House Cheese, in Seville, Ohio, told Farm and Dairy for an Aug. 20 article that the farm shifted from farmers markets to online sales early in the pandemic. Sales boomed in the spring and summer, as more people started shopping locally and online.

And heading into the end of the year, it hasn’t slowed down. “We’re picking up more and more customers,” Henslee said. Last year, the Henslees raised and sold about 100 hogs. This year, Henslee estimated it’s been between 150 and 200. They did 1,500 broiler chickens and 200 turkeys last year, and those numbers doubled in 2020. Processing challenges that Henslee faced earlier in the year are continuing to get better. Laying low. Katie Hawkins, of Happy Toes Homestead, in Columbus, has seen a bit of a drop off in sales recently, with winter approaching and with COVID-19 cases going up. “I think more people were kind (Continued on Page A3)

Volume 107 - No. 16 | Two Sections ©LYLE Ptg. & Pub. Co. - ISSN 0014826

Antique Collector..........................B9 Around the Table ........................A19 Auction Calendar ..........................B1 Baxter Black ...............................A10 Calendar........................................B2

Classifieds ..................................B20 Commodities ................................A6 Crossword/Sudoku ....................A16 Dairy Excel ..................................A15 Dirt on Conservation ..................A14

FFA News....................................A13 Julie Geiss ..................................B16 Hazard A Guess ............................B3 Markets .......................................A12 Barbara Mudrak..........................A18

Home Delivery - Call 800-837-3419 | FarmandDairy.com/subscribe | P.O. Box 38 - Salem, Ohio 44460

Opinions ........................................A4 People .........................................A14 Religion .......................................A17 Kymberly Foster Seabolt .............B1 Scott Shalaway ..........................B15


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