MMPA members and guests gather to celebrate association’s success

The world is changing at a rapid pace. Today’s consumers are evolving and MMPA isn’t stepping back to witness change but is orchestrating it. It takes change to survive in our industry. And we’re proud to say we’re a different cooperative today than we were yesterday, and even prouder to say we’ll be different tomorrow than we are today. MMPA members and guests gathered in Novi, Mich. for the 108^th Annual Meeting on March 20 to learn how we’re evolving, and to celebrate our partners and members who have made this success possible.

During the meeting, attendees learned more about our investment in GoodSport, a brand disrupting the sports drink aisle as we know today; how we are breaking ground on one of the most sustainable ethanol facilities in the world this year as part of our partnership with Dairy Distillery; and witnessed the announcement of a new alliance with Amul, a brand owned by the largest dairy cooperative in the world. And MMPA is doing all of this while remaining committed to producing some of the highest quality milk in the nation.

Award-Winning Members

During the Annual Meeting, MMPA Outstanding Young Dairy Cooperator finalists, members reaching 35 and 50 years of membership, MMPA Dairy Communicator Service Award recipients, and the MMPA Top Quality Award winner were recognized.

Outstanding Young Dairy Cooperators

2023 Outstanding Young Dairy Cooperator
Ryan Benthem of McBain, Michigan

2023 Outstanding Young Dairy Cooperator Runners-Up
BJ & Autumn Benkovsky of Eaton Rapids, Michigan

2023 Outstanding Young Dairy Cooperator Finalists
Bryan & Molly Benson of Cadillac, Michigan
Steven & Whitney Wamhoff of Hopkins, Michigan

Milestone Members

35- Year Members
Roger Weiss of Frankenmuth, Michigan
Marvin J Rubingh of Ellsworth, Michigan
Terry K Lautner of Traverse City, Michigan
David Schultz of Sandusky, Michigan
Glen Sparks of Fremont, Michigan
Rodney Hisler of Charlotte Michigan

50-Year Member
William G Cumper of Marlette, Michigan

Dairy Communicator Service Award Recipients

30-Year Dairy Communicator
Jane Wood of Kingston, Michigan

10-Year Dairy Communicator
Jordan Noll of Croswell, Michigan

5-Year Dairy Communicator
Tammy Spicher of Paw Paw, Michigan

MMPA Top Quality Award Winner

De Grins Oer Dairy of Blanchard, Michigan

 

 

MMPA Annual Report: 2023 in Review

• Members Adopt New Governance Structure
  In March of 2023, MMPA delegates unanimously approved a proposal to modernize MMPA’s governance structure. Originally put forward by the MMPA Membership Structure Task Force, the proposal gives every member farm one vote and shifts the cooperative’s grassroots efforts from a local to a district structure.

• 96-ounce Bottle Innovation Launches
  MMPA launched a 96-ounce bottle made from Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) in 2023. The groundbreaking, patent-pending innovation is from Creative Edge, MMPA’s team of creative thinkers focused on pushing the needle and keeping dairy relevant to today’s consumers.

• MMPA Donates 1 Million Gallons of Milk in 2023
  MMPA is committed to supporting the communities we live and work in, especially in the face of a crisis. As part of the effort, MMPA donated 9,400 gallons of milk from the Superior Dairy plant in Canton, Ohio to residents of East Palestine, Ohio when a train derailment contaminated local drinking water. During periods of water contamination, milk is a safe source of nourishment.

• MMPA’s Constantine Plant Receives Employee Safety Award
  MMPA’s plant in Constantine, Mich. received an International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) safety award for outstanding worker safety. The annual Dairy Industry Safety Recognition Awards program, co-sponsored by IDFA and Dairy Foods magazine, honors U.S. dairy facilities and trucking operations for outstanding worker safety. Superior Dairy Acquisition Provides Greater Innovation
• MMPA Launches Milk Moovement
  In 2023, MMPA announced a partnership with Milk Moovement, a dairy supply chain software provider, to digitize and optimize our supply chain. Milk Moovement digitizes the entire supply chain to optimize production from the farm to the processing facilities. The cloud-based platform tracks all milk shipments and delivers real-time quality and quantity information to all dairy stakeholders, allowing better decisions to be made faster.

 

This article was originally published in the March/April 2024 issue of the Milk Messenger. Subscribe »

By Joe Diglio, MMPA President & CEO

Early this year, I had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion during the International Dairy Food Association’s Dairy Forum. During the panel, we discussed evolving consumer behavior and the pressing need for businesses to be responsive. Drawing insights from a McKinsey study on consumer trends, we talked about the intricacies and challenges that companies encounter in meeting ever-changing consumer demands.

On the panel, I had the privilege and honor to represent MMPA and shed light on our own journey from a business-to-business model to a cooperative with a growing consumer-centric approach. This transition was accelerated with the strategic acquisition of Superior Dairy, a move that underscored our commitment to understanding and meeting the evolving needs of consumers. Our approach has been gradual yet deliberate, aligning our strategies with the dynamic shifts in consumer preferences.

During the panel, we talked about how our society continues to see significant shifts, with consumers increasingly expressing interest in understanding the origins of the products they consume. This trend has been further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the importance of transparent communication and consumer education.

While we continue navigating today’s consumer landscape and the volatile nature of the dairy market, we continue to be committed to fostering innovation and enhancing technology, in a way that’s sustainable on member farms, in our plants and in our communities.

Our investments in ventures such as GoodSport, the pioneering dairy-based sports drink; Dairy Distillery, a ground-breaking alliance that will build the world’s lowest-carbon ethanol plant at our Constantine, Mich. facility; and our new partnership with Amul, using MMPA member milk to bring the well-known international brand’s fluid milk to U.S. markets for the first time, all exemplify our proactive approach to diversifying our portfolio, driving sustainable growth and staying ahead of evolving consumer preferences.

During our Annual Meeting held in March we heard from our partners at Good Sport, Dairy Distillery and Amul. The meeting provided a great example of our company’s resilience and adaptability in the face of dynamic market forces and shifting consumer behavior. Through strategic investments and partnerships, and a relentless focus on meeting consumer needs, we are ready to thrive in an ever-evolving marketplace.

This optimism for the future wouldn’t be possible without the team who works on our members’ behalf. When we consider all the awards our members received recognition for during the Annual Meeting and the quality milk they produce on the farm becoming a wholesome, nutritious dairy product, it’s a testament to the whole system working. We’re primed and ready for the next challenge and opportunity, because as a team, alongside our members, we’ve proven that we can evolve.

This article was originally published in the March/April 2024 issue of the Milk Messenger. Subscribe »

De Grins Oer Dairys’ commitment to family and dedication to quality milk earned them the MMPA Top Quality Award in 2023.

Family. It is everything to Tjerk Okkema. In 1999, fueled by a dream to establish a dairy farm according to his vision, he relocated his wife, Ramona Okkema-Clark, and three children-Evelyn Okkema-Damveld, Cora Okkema and Dirk-Thomas Okkema-from The Netherlands to America. Together they have built a healthy herd in Blanchard, Mich., with milk quality that sets them apart from Michigan Milk Producers Association’s membership, earning them the cooperative’s coveted title of Top Quality Award Winner in 2023.

“We don’t have a somatic cell count goal. Our goal is to have healthy animals that produce high quality milk,” said Tjerk. “Consistency is key. Do the same thing every day.”

The Okkema family places great value in the health of their cows and quality of milk. It is their consistently low average somatic cell count, a common milk quality indicator, of 49,000 proves they’re doing something right.

Family First

Everyone in the Okkemas immediate family is involved on the farm in some form, helping De Grins Oer Dairy succeed.

“The youngest daughter, Evelyn, is completely involved 100% as the herdsperson. Cora, our middle one, is somewhat involved, working mainly with Michigan State University’s Dairy Extension Team. And Dirk, the oldest, is a realtor, but he wants to keep his roots in dairy as he is in charge of the farm’s social media and promotion, and helps out around the dairy when needed,” said Ramona.

Ramona, former calf feeder and cow handler, now works mostly in the office handling bookkeeping, paperwork, phone calls, etc. As the owner, Tjerk oversees big picture things but doesn’t shy away from getting his hands dirty. “I enjoy working with the cows the most. I like everything except feeding calves. The summer and fall time are especially my favorite, I enjoy being outside.”

Aaron Damveld, Agricultural Equipment Foreman, is a jack of all trades, ranging from mechanics and fieldwork to tending to the heifers, he enjoys working with all aspects of the dairy. “I can do almost everything on the farm. I learned a lot from working for my grandfather and uncle growing up.”

The Okkema’s contribute their success to the strength of their family unit and their faith in God.

Ramona states, “Working with family, I mean that’s all I’ve ever done. Your family has your back. No matter how the day ends, you know your family has your back. We all have a silent understanding of what everybody’s going through as far as when it comes to the farm scene.”

The Beginning

Tjerk and Ramona’s story begins in 1982 when she traveled from America to the Netherlands through a 4-H program. There she met Tjerk who was working with his father on their dairy farm. They married 9 ½

years later, Ramona moved to Achlum, and they grew their family. During their time in the small village in the Netherlands, Tjerk took over operations of the family farm milking almost 50 cows. Not long after

Tjerk came to Ramona with a proposal.

Ramona states, “[Tjerk] came to me and said, ‘What would you think, because of the milk quota here, of moving to America? Fast forward, we went through the immigration process and moved here June 1, 1999. He’s been making improvements and transforming this dairy ever since.”

Tjerk was quick to add, “Well, we showed up June 1^st, but I had to do a lot of cleaning before we started milking in August. I started by buying a load of seven milkers and the others were springers that came from Canada. The first load of milk for shipment had a 350,000 somatic cell count as the agitator couldn’t even reach the milk tank.”

They have come a long way since then. Now milking 700 cows, three times a day, in a 40-stall rotary and producing the highest quality of milk.

Today’s Practices

The dairy’s mission reads, “By exemplifying high standards through animal care and progressive practices, we commit ourselves daily to creating quality milk for everyone near and far.”  Not only have the Okkema’s stayed true to their mission but they have had success in knowing that they could not have gotten to where they are alone. Before their expansion of the newest barn and rotary in 2017 the family prayed to God over the land. Their accomplishments have been attributed to the profound influence of their faith, with the belief in God playing a pivotal role in their journey to success.

Industry professionals and technology are resources that the family has taken advantage of to be as efficient as possible.

“Every couple of months we have a management meeting and I work personally with a lot of the companies that we hire to help us on the farm such as our vet office, nutritionist, etc.,” Evelyn shared. “The company our nutritionist is with has a calf specialist, so we work closely with them as well.”

The implementation of ear tag monitors five years ago has aided in monitoring herd health and becoming more precise with breeding protocols.

“It tracks the cow’s eating habits, by monitoring how often they’re flipping their ears. If a cow feels sick her ears will droop and may be an indicator that she has mastitis. The tags catch illness a lot faster than somebody just quickly walking through the barn who may overlook her. The sooner we are aware she is ill the quicker we can treat her and have her healthy again”, states Evelyn.

Another technology that has improved milk quality but also solved a labor issue, is the use of a post dip robot arm for the rotary. “The robot has a camera on it so that it can find the teats and it is 99% accurate. We have been able to take two people from the parlor and reduce our somatic cell count,” Tjerk said.

The Okkemas take pride in their cleanliness on the farm. They bed the stalls with clean sand every week and scrape the stalls three times a day.

As members of MMPA for 25 years, they’ve utilized member services such as milker trainings and educating employees through the Dairy Care Academy Program. “I utilize the Dairy Care Academy courses for the calf feeders and MMPA’s Spanish milker trainings for the people in the parlor,” states Evelyn.

“The key to improving milk quality is in the details,” Tjerk said. “The little things and the consistency. If you’re doing it right, you’re doing it right. Our goal is not to have the lowest somatic cell count, but to produce high quality milk.”

This article was originally published in the March/April 2024 issue of the Milk Messenger. Subscribe »

Steve and Whitney Wamhoff

Hometown: Hopkins, Michigan
District: 2

Steve and Whitney Wamhoff are all about diversification on Wamhoff Family Dairy Farm LLC. The couple recognizes the advantages of multiple revenue streams and knows what it takes to make it happen. They raise quality heifers and steers for sale and have pushed to grow more cash crops. These two can’t do it alone though, Steve’s father and brother help operate the dairy and they are raising three kids, Jameson, Makenzie, and Haley.

Q&A:

Q: What’s your farms greatest achievement?
To be able to continue as a family run and worked farm for 6 generations now.

Q: Is what you’re doing now what you dreamed of doing as a kid?
I always thought I’d be tied to the farm somehow when I was growing up.

Q: What do you love about being a farmer?
Working for myself, knowing that I’m building my own future, not someone else’s.

Q: What’s the key to running a dairy farm?
Hard work and communication.

Q: What’s your favorite chore? Why?
Breeding cows because it helps push the farms genetics and bottom line forward.

Q: Ultimate cow? Sired by who? Average production?
1004, Sired by Billy (one of our own bulls raised bulls), 92lb average over days milked.

Q: Why do you milk cows?
I grew up in a barn helping milk cows and feeding calves. After finishing my degree, I couldn’t stand the idea of being behind a desk or in an office for 40+ hours a week. An opportunity arose on the farm, and I jumped into it with both feet.

Q: Describe your farm management style in three words.
Full Family Effort.

Q: What’s one practice you’d try on your farm if you knew it was impossible to fail?
Putting cover crops on all field while grazing cattle on the cover crops.

Q: What does your farm look like in 30 years?
Hopefully full of healthy cows, luscious soil, and a beautiful great family.

On their farm:

On their dairy in Hopkins, Michigan you’ll find Holstein cows being milked in a double eight parallel parlor. With monitoring systems on the cows and the Delpro parlor system they use technology to gather information and make decisions on an individual cow and whole herd basis. The Wamhoff’s continually strive to grow and be better every day. They move to grow as a family and farm to ensure that they have a chance to do it again and again.

This article was originally published in the March/April 2024 issue of the Milk Messenger. Subscribe »