Category: Milk Messenger

From the Cows to the Consumers: 2016 MSU Dairy Farmer of the Year Hank Choate

Milk Messenger

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When the milk truck turns off the driveway and passes the old bank barn, it’s easy to step back and let the haulers, processors and marketers complete the supply chain. But MMPA Member Hank Choate keeps his eye on the entire milk route, knowing consumer demand for dairy is what truly milks the cow. A dairy farmer with 47 years of experience, Choate is a fervent promoter of dairy and agriculture.

In recognition of his passion for dairy, involvement in the industry and accomplishments on the farm, Choate was recently recognized by the Michigan State University (MSU) Department of Animal Science with the 2016 Dairy Farmer of the Year award.

“I am completely humbled by this award from MSU. I see myself no different than any other producer because I know we all work hard to provide safe, wholesome and nutritious product for the world. I, along with other farmers, take great pride in fulfilling that need,” Choate admits.

Efficiency for Seven Generations

Choate farms with his brother, Randy, son, Levi, nephew, Rick, and seven full time employees on Choate’s Belly Acres. In addition to Levi, Choate and his wife, Katie, have two other children: Stacey, who also assists on the farm, and Dustin, who is a student at Davenport University. Choate and Randy—who took over ownership in 1989—are forming an operating LLC and to enable family members to have ownership.

The family’s history on their land in Cement City, Michigan, dates back seven generations to 1837 when the Choate homestead was founded. Choate purchased the homestead from his cousin in 1996 adding it to the main operation established in 1913. Now, all 2,000 tillable acres of Choate’s Belly Acres span three different counties. The farm underwent recent expansions in 2008 and 2012, bringing the milking herd up to 435 cows housed in new and enlarged freestall barns.

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Choate accepted the MSU Dairy Farmer of the Year award with his family at the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference on Feb. 5 in Mt. Pleasant. Pictured, from left: Katie Choate, Hank Choate, Stacey Hughes and Brandon Hughes.

The farm continues to maximize efficiencies in various areas of their operation, using Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure consistency and accuracy. They maximize feed efficiency through a feed watch system and the assistance of their nutritionist. All forages are grown on their land and the farm brings in additional revenue from cash cropping. Variable planting rates, grid soil sampling and variable application of fertilizer help keep their cropping operations efficient and sustainable.

For the last decade and a half, Choate’s Belly Acres has remained 100 percent Artificial Insemination (AI) to breed their cows, with the use of double ovsynch timed breeding. They also rely on weekly check-ins with their veterinarian to assist with breeding and other herd health concerns.

“We emphasize productivity and efficiency in everything we do, by maximizing comfort and minimizing stress of the animals. As best we can, we focus on the bottom line and strive for financial sustainability,” Choate explained.

From the days of crawling between the cows as two-year-old in the stanchion barn to present day as the farm’s CEO, Choate’s role has evolved in the family business. Today, every morning starts at 3:00 a.m. in front of the glow of a computer screen. Choate monitors market reports and data on his cattle before going out into the barn to keep up with his chores, his cows and his employees. Through time, he has become more a manager of people than a manager of cows.

“I’m still on my first job. Ever since I aced sandbox in kindergarten, I’ve known what I’ve wanted to do, Choate revealed. “I’m fortunate to have a family legacy built before me and I hope to lay solid foundation for the next generation so the farm will reach its 200th year.”

Promoting for the Next Generation

Choate knows the key to ensuring a strong foundation for the next generation: dairy promotion.

“I’m committed to being a consumer advocate and spokesperson for agriculture because some organizations and groups of people try to tell our story in a jaded manner. Activists against us have a slanted agenda,” he affirmed.

Chaote’s passion has fueled his active involvement in dairy promotion at the local and state level through programs like the Jackson County Fall Fest and MSU Extension’s Breakfast on the Farm. In 2012, Choate’s Belly Acres hosted Breakfast on the Farm and welcomed 2,675 people to the farm for three hours of fun educational activities. Choate continues to be involved in Breakfast on the Farm as a member of the statewide planning council and convincing fellow farmers to become a host.

“The beauty of Breakfast on the Farm is that it is producer-driven. Being there and sharing our story allows us to put a face of producers on a product,” Choate said. “The program is a great way to continue to build on consumer confidence.  If I lose the confidence of consumer, there’s nothing I can do efficiently on my farm to make up for the loss in demand.”

In addition to Breakfast on the Farm, his participation in MSU Extension has provided many opportunities including training on nutrition, finance, management, soils and crops.

“It is humbling to be chosen as the MSU Dairy Farmer of the Year, as I have no formal education beyond high school,” Choate revealed. “MSU Extension programs have been the basis of furthering my education. I’ve also learned through involvement in the industry and observing other agriculture leaders and how they engage in finding solutions.”

Choate holds various leadership positions in the agriculture industry, including organizations such as MMPA, Michigan Farm Bureau and Green Stone Farm Credit.  Since 2012, Choate has represented District 1 on the MMPA board of directors.

“In today’s economy, it’s important I meet my obligations to MMPA members as a board member. I take seriously our due diligence,” Choate relayed. “If we make the right decisions for today, it will carry us to the next 100 years. The dairy industry is definitely in time of challenge, but over its 100 years the co-op has navigated many challenges and survived. We are strengthening the co-op as we move forward.”

From efficiency on the farm to dairy promotion and industry involvement, Choate is one dairy farmer committed to his passions.

“As farmers we’re connected to the earth,” Choate illustrated. “It gives us a set of accomplishment and pride every day.”

From Farm to Table in 100 Years

Milk Messenger

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Milk trucks are a fixture on the dirt roads and highways across the nation carrying a valuable, yet perishable product for farmers and consumers alike. Milk haulers are the link from the cow that produces that white, power packed nutritional punch to the consumer who enjoys it. Milk quality is unsurpassable in today’s market but it hasn’t always been that way and we have the evolution of milk transportation to thank for it.

A century ago, when MMPA was a budding cooperative, milk was picked up in cans and transported to the processing plants by truck or by rail. The cooling systems were crude involving cold water passing over a can of milk to cool it to 60 degrees. It wasn’t until the early 1920s when the Board of Health in various cities around the state demanded that their milk providers construct a milk house on their farm to ensure a higher quality product.  In an article in the Michigan Milk Messenger, August of 1920, authored by editor R.C. Reed, the following advice was given:

“One may build it [a milk house] cheaply or elaborately as desired. We have seen milk houses that answered every demand of the Board of Heath and which did not cost, for new material, more than fifteen dollars.  This was in a time when lumber was somewhat cheaper than it is now, but make the calculation for yourself. Use the same apparatus for cooling which you use now; put over it a little house seven feet wide by eight feet long, with the roof nine feet high on one side and seven feet on the other; paper it within, overhead and on the sides, with any kind of remnants that can be obtained of house paper, and if necessary cover it with roofing on the sides and top.

“If possible place it under a shade tree and this as a temporary structure, until the time comes when you can build a permanent one, will satisfy the demands of the Board of Health. I recently saw one of this kind which had been built by a man and his wife and it took the two but a little over a day and a half and they had a clean place, free from germs and dust, away from the heat of the sun, and had as nice a quality of milk as could have been produced or kept in a milk house costing one hundred times the amount this one cost.”

But by May of 1931, the Milk House Requirements for the Detroit markets were hard and fast for producers, requiring them to have a milk house that could be used year round and completely sealed on the inside.  If they did not satisfy these requirements, they would not be issued a permit.

While milk house rules were changing, the path from farm to the plant was the same. According to former MMPA leader Jack Barns the movement of milk went directly to processing plants in the secondary markets but almost all of the milk for the Detroit processors was delivered in cans to MMPA receiving stations scattered across southern Michigan. From the receiving stations, the milk was loaded into over-the-road tankers for shipment to the processing plant.

The first milk trucks had no cover or protection for the milk but that changed in the 1930s when insulated trucks came on the scene and cans were hauled by muscle bound milk men slinging eighty pound milk cans from the truck into the plant. It wasn’t until the 1950s that bulk trucks came on the scene and suddenly routes changed, more milk could be hauled by one truck and milk quality improved exponentially.

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Because milk haulers frequented farms, they were almost like family to the farmer.  The same hauler came down the same routes, picking up the same farmers milk, sometimes for decades. Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, snow, rain, ice, sleet, the day didn’t matter because the milk had to be hauled.

The Traver family of Williamston was an example of this longevity. The Travers were in it for the long haul with four generations of milk haulers in the family.  Hailing from Williamston, George Traver hitched up his horse and buggy and began hauling milk in 1904. In 1927, George passed the route on to his son Marc Traver who experienced several decades of MMPA history.

When the Great Depression arrived, times were tough everywhere. Marc Traver and other milk haulers around the state had the responsibility of delivering milk checks to the producers. In one instance in 1933, the banks in Detroit closed before the farmers checks were delivered.  Traver had cashed his check in Fowlerville and when he delivered the ‘bad checks’ to the farmers he was able to give them each a small loan until their checks were cashed.  According to Traver, the milk checks backed by MMPA were always good.

From tornado trashed routes to snow drifts that made roads impassable, to muddied drives that required tractors for extrication from the farm yard, milk haulers continue to be an invaluable asset from farm to table.

A century of MMPA could only happen with a century of reliable transportation taking the farmers hard earned product to a broad population in need of the natures perfect nutrient-dense delicious delight: Milk.

Leaders’ Conference 2015

Milk Messenger

Kicking off 2015-2016 Local Meetings, the 2015 Leaders’ Conference brought together MMPA leaders from all facets of the cooperative to the Michigan State University Kellogg Center in East Lansing on November 23.

In addition to presentations by MMPA General Manager Joe Diglio and President Ken Nobis, MMPA welcomed Joel Mergler from Select Sires, Kelly Millenbah from the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) and Bill Creal from Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Members listened and asked questions about dairy market conditions, MSU CANR initiatives, water quality issues and the global dairy industry.

Nobis first addressed the group of leaders, providing a positive outlook after a challenging year. “Our cooperative and the dairy industry are still in a good position and the future is still positive. Consumers demand a high quality protein source and dairy fits that need beautifully,” Nobis said.

His presentation also included updates on the impact of the global dairy industry, programs related to MMPA’s involvement in the Agricultural Leaders of Michigan and how the Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has assisted marketing members’ milk.

In his overview of MMPA operations and current market conditions, Diglio presented to members a year in review snapshot of the activities and changes. “In 2015, we saw massive market volatility and the market was very competitive when seeking new customers. Despite the distressed price, the assets you’ve invested in—our processing plants—are performing very well and we continue to pursue new opportunities for the future,” Diglio explained to the conference attendees.

Diglio also highlighted MMPA accomplishments over the last fiscal year, including attaining Level 3 Safe Quality Foods (SQF) Certification in the two processing plants, realizing a net savings of $6 million and paying out $24.4 million in producer incentive premiums to members. Diglio also commended members for producing milk with historic low levels of somatic cell counts, leading customers to covet MMPA’s high quality milk.

Mergler, the Vice President International Development for Select Sires, brought his expertise in international market development to share his insight on global dairy markets to MMPA leaders. Mergler strives to assist global customers breed better dairy cows, especially in countries with a growing middle class. “We are breeding for the global population,” Mergler said.

Yet he noted many countries are unable to meet their domestic demand for demand for dairy and U.S. producers are at a distinct advantage.  “You are no longer just a milk producer in Michigan, you need to have a global perspective and understand the world dairy market,” Mergler relayed.

2015 Outstanding Young Dairy Cooperators (OYDC) Shawn and Beth VanDrie lead the luncheon program, which included honoring the MMPA MSU Scholarship recipients. MMPA awarded 10 scholarships to the children and employees of MMPA members attending the MSU Institute of Agricultural Technology. The VanDries also introduced their fellow 2015 Top Ten OYDCs and raffled off two free registrations for the 2016 Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference.

The couple welcomed CANR Associate Dean Millenbah during the luncheon, who provided updates on CANR, MSU Extension, AgBioResearch and the CANR dean search. Incumbent CANR Dean Fred Poston retired in December and Millenbah announced Douglas Buhler will begin serving as interim dean on Jan. 1 until a successor is named.

In the afternoon, Creal provided insights on water quality issues through the lens of DEQ, including the algae bloom in Lake Erie. Following his presentation, Nobis and Diglio returned to the stage, opening up the floor for questions and comments from members.

The conference offered to members a forum to hear from MMPA management and learn industry perspectives as a lead into the following months of local and district meetings and the 100th Annual State Delegate Meeting.

100 Years of Integrity, Dedication and Commitment

Milk Messenger

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One hundred years.  A century. Transforming from one millennium to the next.

This time span can encompass several generations and engulf iconic changes in a civilization.

From 1916 to 2016 that’s exactly what happened.  Generations passed, a new century was turned and changes in the landscape of the dairy industry went from slow and steady to quick and intense.

On one end, dairymen were milking ten cows by hand. On the other end, thousands of cows are being milked by robots. In the beginning, milk was lucky to make it from farm to creamery with reasonable quality. Today, milk is extracted from the cow and put into a bottle, churned into butter or processed into a dairy product within hours. Automation has changed the industry from farm to table and every step of the process in between.

As technological developments have driven the change of an entire industry and made it more streamline and convenient, one cog in this wheel has stayed as slow and steady as the dairy cow itself: the dairy farmer.

MMPA is embarking on a year of celebration as the entire cooperative from members to leadership take a moment to enjoy 100 years of existence.  MMPA pioneered the milk cooperative movement in Michigan out of sheer desire for dairymen to make a profit.

In an article from the August 1919 issue of the Michigan Milk Messenger, editor R.C. Reed writes:

“The Michigan Milk Producers Association is a corporate body under the laws of the State of Michigan. The purpose expressed: To promote in all legal ways the interests of the milk producers of Michigan by mutual co-operation in producing, buying, selling and marketing all milk and dairy products within the State of Michigan.”

In short, MMPA existed for dairymen and women to sell their milk for a profit, envisioning they would be better, together.

MMPA was birthed in Livingston County with early members ringing familiar names like Munsell, Bamber, McPherson, Nixon, Wrigglesworth and Carr.  Influential men in their communities, they started down the untraveled road of a milk cooperative formation and laid a firm foundation from which to build decade after decade of success.

As the first ones through the brick wall, they found themselves, bloodied, tested and tried but took their position seriously as cooperators and providers of a wholesome food to a hungry nation.

“A different spirit than ever before pervades the social, moral and commercial interests of the world. In fact, we think that mankind is being dominated by higher and holier impulses than in any other decade in the world’s history. This spirit is pervading every part of our body politic. The peace table across the water is possibly the highest attainment and the nearest to the idea of all the efforts that have been made for raising the level of common humanity up to a constructive basis upon which to build the great structure for the common brotherhood of man.

This principle so manifest in the establishment of the League of Nations is the same as dominated the officers of the Michigan Milk Producers Association in their effort to do the most conscientious, careful, and constructive work for the stabilizing of this great industry upon which depends so much of the moral, mental and physical being of the people of this nation in the years to come.

We feel the responsibility of the obligation we are assuming most keenly. We must not be derelict of duty nor recreant to the trust imposed in the opportunity given us to help to mold and fashion the thought and purpose of the food producers of this great commonwealth. As feeble as it may be, we must do our best. And we invite your cooperation.” –R.C. Reed, Michigan Milk Messenger

In 1915, the average price of milk paid to the producer in the Detroit market was $1.60 per hundredweight. In 1916, a group of men met on the campus of Michigan Agricultural College and forged the framework of MMPA. In 1917, the average price of milk paid to the producer was $2.24. Month after month, year after year, from 1916 to 2016, the price that producers were paid for their milk was and still is the most important result of all activities of the MMPA.

Put aside all the advances in technology, the promotion explosion and number and variety of dairy products that have been developed in 100 years and zero in on what has driven the longevity of MMPA: the integrity and dedication of its leadership to the members.

From the very first president, N.P. Hull to today’s leader, Ken Nobis, and every president in between, these leaders were dairymen willing to dedicate their time and offer their abilities to guide and direct a membership of independent thinking dairy producers from Michigan’s coast to coast. Along the way they faced opposition and questioning, collaborated with national agricultural leaders and had the ear of those inside the beltway including several U.S. Presidents.

The leadership has been unparalleled, the dedication has been unequaled and the result has been a century of trust, commitment and strength.

It’s now 2016 and the year of celebration of the 100th anniversary begins. As MMPA celebrates their long history they will continue to work together toward tomorrow.