Hundreds of dairy farmers nationwide fear they could owe substantial sums to the bankrupt dairy processor Dean Foods after the company sent out letters attempting to claw back payments made to farmers in the months preceding the company’s Chapter 11 filing last year. Dean’s actions have been harshly criticized by farm groups and, for some, underscore the dangers of a heavily consolidated dairy industry that leaves farmers with few processing options.
Dean, once the largest milk processor in the country, filed for bankruptcy last November. Farmers began receiving letters from Dean representatives in late November of this year demanding that they return money that had been paid to them by Dean in the three months preceding the company’s bankruptcy filing. Some farmers were ordered to pay as much as 1 $50,000 by mid-December or face litigation.
These cows voluntarily come to the “feed rack” (a real term we use). A lot goes on while the cow’s are at the feed rack. The stanchion can be set to lock around the cow’s neck so that she cannot walk away, but most of the day the cows are free to come and go as they wish. The cows in this photo are locked in the stanchions, yet they are still completely comfortable. They are locked for about an hour every morning so that we can come through and clean the beds, sort the cattle that need to be moved to a different pen, and artificially inseminate the cattle that are in estrus. Yes, cows are artificially inseminated at the feed rack.
In 2020, farmers faced volatile markets and uncertainty thanks to adverse weather, changing markets, and COVID-19. Yet they remain optimistic and focused on what drives them each and every day. These 21 young and beginning farmers and ranchers are examples of persevering by seeking new opportunities.
Could having a healthy blood level of vitamin D help you avoid the intensive care unit and death if you become infected with COVID-19?
More research suggests that the “sunshine vitamin” may play a role in how severe your case may be.
While the studies don’t prove cause and effect, “these studies support the notion that vitamin D might be protective against COVID complications," says Vadim Backman, PhD, a professor of biomedical engineering and medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago. He researched the link between vitamin D deficiency and differences in death rates in different countries.
So I guess drinking all that milk is a good thing.
SHOW NOTES INTRODUCING TYLER GARDNER! Imagine for a moment that you are the nation’s highest achiever in a very niche crop. What could you do with that? Well, Tyler Gardner, the 2020 National Proficiency Winner in fruit production is that person. Tyler has grown up on a cranberry farm in Pittsville, Wisconsin. This is the largest cranberry producing county in the largest cranberry producing state in the U.S., and Tyler is right in the middle of it. Gardner Cranberries has been referred to as “the biggest little guy” in cranberries. Tyler’s family has vertically integrated their portion of the cranberry business from the growing of the fruit to the production of the concentrate. For many years, Tyler has been working in every aspect of cranberry production. Today he finds himself at the University Of Wisconsin, River Falls, studying agriculture business in preparation for a career farming this interesting and timely fruit. Tyler wants to set off to work for one of the big players in agricultural industry after graduation and then find his way back to the family farm at some point in the future. All of Tyler’s efforts to this point have led him to national recognition, and it will be fun to see where this story goes.
This is a very interesting podcast. I learned a lot about cranberry farming which I really didn’t know much at all about.
This is a pretty interesting video with lots of drone and other shots of manure injection directly into farm fields, helping to reduce manure run-off and pollution, while increasing the nutrients that help crops grow. Just watching this video smells very earthy, but in a good kind of pro-crop growth way.
