Founded by farmers and owned by farmers, MMPA is one of around 40,000 cooperatives nationwide. Though credit unions, housing co-ops, retail stores and milk marketing cooperatives don’t appear to have much in common, cooperatives around the world operate according to the same set of core principles and values. Cooperatives trace the roots of these principles to the first modern cooperative founded in Rochdale, England in 1844. Here’s the seven cooperative principles that guide MMPA and fellow cooperatives worldwide:

1. Voluntary and open membership

Cooperative membership is open to all who are able to use its products/ services and willing to accept the responsibility of membership.

2. Democratic member control

Cooperatives are controlled by their members who actively participate in setting policies and making decisions.

3. Members’ economic participation

Members contribute equally to the capital of the cooperative. This benefits members in proportion to the business they conduct with the cooperative.

4. Autonomy and independence

Each cooperative is managed by an independent board elected from its membership, and decisions are made that democratically benefit its members.

5. Education, training, and information

Cooperatives provide education and training for members, managers, and employees, as well as information to the general public about the benefits of cooperatives and the products and services they provide.

6. Cooperation among cooperatives

Cooperatives serve their members by working together through local, national, regional and international structures.

7. Concern for community

While focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of communities through policies and programs accepted by the members.

Cooperative

noun | co.op.er.a.tive |  \ koh-op-er-uh-tiv \

A jointly owned enterprise engaging in the production or distribution of good or the supplying of services, operated by its members for their mutual benefit, typically organized by consumer or farmers. Cooperatives provide a guarantee of market and payment to their members.

This article was originally published in the September/October issue of the Milk Messenger. Subscribe »

Think about all the problems you solve in a typical day. There’s the electric bill to pay, creative solutions to uncover at work and finding time for that dentist appointment. If you’re a parent, you might help your daughter navigate endless math homework. If you’re a dairy farmer, you might spend time thinking about how to nudge down your quality results.

But what if resolving all these problems was clouded by one thing? What if you didn’t know where your next meal would come from?

“When you’re hungry, you only have one problem. You don’t have seven problems. And until you solve that, your mind is not free to think about those seven problems,” Dr. Phil Knight said.

After experiencing a life upset several years ago, Knight found himself struggling to feed his family. “I did everything right. I worked two jobs. I have a doctorate.” Yet he couldn’t make ends meet.

Knight is not alone. There are 1.4 million people struggling with hunger in Michigan. Today, he’s the executive director of the Food Bank Council of Michigan (FBCM) and helping bring food to people in need every day, just like the support he once received.

Made up of seven regional Feeding America food banks, FBCM alleviates hunger statewide through food distribution and advocating on behalf of their network.

“If I hadn’t had people and programs to get alongside me, I don’t know how I would have survived,” he said.

MMPA has partnered with FBCM since 2015 and distributed almost 250,000 gallons of milk across their network. In recognition of this relationship, MMPA honored the non-profit with the Valued Partner award earlier this year.

Helping the One in Seven

Across the United States, one in eight people are food insecure. In Michigan, it’s one in seven. Food insecurity, as defined by Feeding America, is a household’s inability to provide enough food for every person to live an active, healthy life.

Many of these people turn to the food bank for emergency assistance and they come from all walks of life. For FBCM, 47 percent have someone in the home who is employed, 27 percent are children, 19 percent are senior citizens and 4 percent are homeless.

“That’s 97 percent of our network,” Knight says. “That changes your perspective. It’s not people who are abusing some system. It’s people who are doing things right, people who are working but they have more month than they have money.”

Knight says the individual effect of FBCM covers four areas: stability, empowerment, health and economic impact.

Living under food insecurity brings “toxic stress” to the household and prevents people from thinking about solving any problem except hunger. A reliable source of food brings stability and leads to empowerment. “Because their mind is free, they can think about other challenges and opportunities,” he said.

Food banks today provide fresh, healthy foods like fruits, vegetables and dairy. Food bank clients aren’t just eating to satisfy an empty stomach, they’re being nourished and becoming healthier individuals. Compounding the power of stability, empowerment and health, the economic impact has lasting benefits.

With inadequate resources, people often need to make sacrifices when choosing where to spend their limited money. Food—or at least healthy, nutritious food—is an area that often suffers.

“The health issues, the unemployment issues, the mental health issues. All those problems are ungodly expensive to solve on the backside,” Knight said. “So why don’t we solve these problems with healthy, nutritious food and people can start to solve these problems on their own?”

It Starts in the Field

Food banking is different than when the system started around 40 years ago. Knight says that back then any food solved hunger. Today, they’re focused on the quality of food.

FBCM helps their member food banks procure food through a centralized, efficient system. In 2018, they distributed 200 million pounds of food, 80 of which was fresh.

In many cases, FBCM procures fresh food through partnerships with farmers and food companies. Through the Michigan Agricultural Surplus System (MASS), they created a secondary market for produce that won’t be accepted by grocery stores due to size and shape. MASS is a grant program funded by the State of Michigan which allowed them to source over 12 million pounds of food last year, at a cost of only 12 cents per pound.

Kath Clark, FBCM director of food programs, works directly with farmers and donors to funnel food to the regional food banks based on the needs of their populations.

When the food can’t be used in Michigan within its shelf life, FBCM often works with Feeding America to distribute it out of state. This helps fight hunger elsewhere in the nation while supporting Michigan farmers.

“Our hungry neighbors here in Michigan are taken care of first. Then we want to take care of our farmers,” Knight said. “Solving hunger starts in the field.”

Clark says the food bank clients, who may not have access to fresh food on their own, love when produce or fresh milk is distributed. In one case, a senior citizen was amazed after FBCM was able to procure excess cherries.

“She hadn’t had fresh produce in years because her budget didn’t allow it,” Clark said. “Some people had dropped cherries and she was picking it up off the ground. She said, ‘That’s good food, I’m not going to let that go to waste.’”

A Milk Ripple Effect

For food banks in Michigan and across the country, milk continues to be one of the most requested items. But with a short shelf life and refrigeration needs, it can be a challenge to get milk in the hands of those in need.

In the summer of 2015, MMPA made the cooperative’s first large-scale statewide donation of milk–22,700 gallons to be exact. Since then, MMPA has made multiple donations of milk and more recently, cheese, all to FBCM. The donations were made possible, in part, through MMPA’s partnership with The Kroger Company of Michigan, who has donated processing and packaging for many of the donations. Determined to make the donation possible, FBCM found solutions to keep the milk cool and efficiently distributed across Michigan.

“It was a learning process for everyone. If MMPA wasn’t willing to donate the milk, we wouldn’t have learned. You made us better,” Knight says.

In the years since that first donation, FBCM and their member food banks have developed strong systems to accept and distribute milk, along with other needed items like eggs and cheese.

Gleaners Community Food Bank, covering Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston and Monroe counties, is one of FBCM’s member food banks. When Gleaners Chief Operating Officer Julie Beamer came aboard five years ago, she says they weren’t distributing any milk.

But after the MMPA’s milk donation initiative and a partnership with the United Dairy Industry of Michigan, they recognized the need to provide their clients with dairy and learned how to navigate the logistical challenges of distributing milk.

Gleaners has a refrigerated van and 24-foot box truck—both with Undeniably Dairy imaging to boot—dedicated to dispensing milk at mobile food pantries all over Southeast Michigan.

“Gleaners has distributed a total of 342,000 gallons of fresh milk through all our channels, which is just about 8 truckloads per month,” Beamer said of a recent 10 month period.

Beamer says many people served by Gleaners have limited access to affordable or good-quality fresh food, either because of transportation or economic challenges. Milk can be hard to come by or is often expensive and nearing the expiration date. With proximity to Michigan Dairy in Livonia, Gleaners can distribute milk directly to communities often the day after it leaves the plant.

While Gleaners serves Southeast Michigan, hunger isn’t restricted by zip code. FBCM’s distribution model serves people in all 83 counties of Michigan, including rural communities.

Knight says rural areas bring unique distribution challenges. While “vastly different” than the urban centers, food banks still seek solutions to bring food to people in need.

One method involves mobile distribution centers like the ones used by Gleaners. “It’s a very effective way to distribute the food without a brick and mortar location,” Clark explained.

Through FBCM’s network, they can ensure food is distributed to every corner of Michigan. Hunger threatens every community and puts added stress on our neighbors, our communities and our economy. With every gallon of milk, MMPA helps FBCM inch closer to solving hunger.

“We want more food, more often, to more people. No one can do that better than the members of the Food Bank Council,” Knight said.

Food Bank Council of Michigan regional food banks:

• Greater Lansing Food Bank
• Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan
• Forgotten Harvest
• Food Gatherers
• Food Bank of South Central Michigan
• Food Bank of Eastern Michigan
• Feeding American of West Michigan

This article was originally published in the September/October issue of the Milk Messenger. Subscribe »

Tucked away in America’s heartland – over hills, through winding roads and past Amish buggies – lies the homestead of the 2019 Indiana Dairy Farmers of the Year: John and Cynthia Adam. Although the Adam family is surrounded by a slower pace of life in Goshen, Indiana, their first-generation farm is bustling, integrating technological innovation with agricultural education.

The farm’s uniqueness paired with the couple’s community involvement most recently awarded them the title Indiana dairy farmers dream of: Indiana Dairy Farmer of the Year. The success came as a surprise to John and his family, but served as a form of recognition of the hard work they have put in. The award is the result of their efforts to share their dairy story with their community and implement technology as a solution to the issues they face on their farm.

“It was a shock. It was a surprise. It was quite an honor,” John said, reflecting on the title awarded at the Indiana Dairy Producers Forum earlier this year by Indiana Dairy Producers. “I don’t feel that we’re any different than anyone else out there, but I do appreciate receiving the award. It makes all of the hard work and everything else you do pay off when you get an award like that.”

Family Driven

As the first generation on Knollbrook Farm, John and Cynthia have grown their operation from 30 Holstein cows to 240 mostly Jersey cattle in a 30-year time span. Today, along with dairying, they also raise corn, soybeans and hay on 450 acres of land. Throughout the years, while John and Cynthia continued to establish their land base and increase their herd size, they were also raising their four kids in one of the best ways possible.

“Dairy farming allows us to have family time and have the opportunity to teach our kids work ethics and, of course, Christian principles,” John said. “Although we are busy and we don’t get to everything that we like, when the kids are here and they want to see you, they just come out to help you.”

To spend more time off the farm as a family and as a solution to a shortage of labor, John and Cynthia chose to install two robots on their farm over five years ago. The robots were a welcomed addition, allowing for more family time and improved cow care – a notion the Adam family doesn’t take lightly.

With John and Cynthia’s emphasis on cow comfort, the robots take center stage in their milk house, where they are shadowed by an antique Pioneer Dairy Feeds sign reading, “In this barn, every cow is a lady… treat her with kindness.” Originally given to John by his brother, the sign hangs there with a purpose, because according to the Adams, “it hits home pretty good with what happens here.”

An Educational Mission

Just like every other dairy farmer passionate about their cows, John and Cynthia love the dairy products that they work hard to produce. However, Cynthia’s seven years of higher education gives her the extra qualifications to support milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy product promotion even more as a registered dietician.

With Cynthia’s professional position off the farm and as a National Dairy Board member, she is fortunate to work every day promoting the good that dairy products can provide in a diet. She also invites the interns at her work’s facility to visit Knollbrook Farm where she provides hands-on education about the nutrition of dairy products.

“I really like to broaden the interns’ horizons through hands-on education about the reality of livestock management,milk production and farm field production because most individuals, even in dietetics, don’t have any experience with how food gets made,” Cynthia said. “I’m trying to get the next generation of up and coming dieticians to have an accurate representation of agriculture.”

Educating future dieticians isn’t where the Adam family stops though. Their farm welcomes six thousand visitors every
fall to get lost in a corn maze, pick a pumpkin and most importantly, learn about the dairy industry through touring their farm and asking questions.

During the weekdays in the fall, two to three school groups or classes visit their farm every day and enjoy hands-on educational programming delivered by Cynthia and her family. It’s an educational wonderland for teachers seeking science-related curriculum in a field trip setting.

“Visitors experience five different education stations,” Cynthia explained. “They have an opportunity to come in the barn and learn about milking cows, pet calves and learn about cattle in an animal petting area, participate in hands-on education about pumpkins and basic agronomy, and then they go through the hayride and spend time in the corn maze.”

Even in the corn maze though, visitors have the chance to engage in educational programming around the topics of bible, history or agricultural trivia. Instead of getting lost in the maze, the goal is to find all the signposts with questions scattered throughout and be able to have answers to all of the questions found.

This unique variety of education provided on the farm attracts school groups, youth groups, scouting groups and families, keeping the Adam family busy with a constant flow of eager visitors on the farm during the fall months. While it’s a lot of work for each of them, it’s all for the noble cause of promoting the dairy industry they love.

“We want to educate people about the farm, our love of animals, how we take care of the cows and how we’ve grown our family on this farm,” John said. “It’s not what the perception of a lot of farms are. It’s actually what a real dairy farm is. It’s your family, you’re all working together and you have your cows you’re taking care of.”

This article was originally published in the September/October 2019 issue of the Milk Messenger. Subscribe »

Michigan 4-H youth took time out of their summers to compete at the Michigan Dairy Expo held at Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing, July 15-19. The gathering of 4-H’ers from counties across the state showcase youth who love to learn and have a passion to win.

The event features a collection of dairy contests that tests the youths’ knowledge and problem-solving skills. Teams from a variety of counties were decked in matching team shirts showing their county pride and preparing to give it their all. The clusters of color were scattered throughout the MSU Pavilion as teams met in preparation for the contests they had spent months studying for.

“Participating in the Michigan Dairy Expo teaches kids life skills that they will need for the rest of their lives: time management, confidence, sportsmanship, communication. There’s a lot that is to be learned from one week at the MSU Pavilion,” Melissa Elischer, MSU Extension youth dairy educator, said. “For some kids, they also learn how to accept defeat gracefully, learning that even when you put in all the work ahead of time, there will always be factors outside of your control that can result in you not doing as well as you hoped.”

This spirit of giving and caring for others is in the air at the Michigan Dairy Expo as youth practice good sportsmanship while competing in dairy quiz bowl, management, judging and showing competitions.

For most youth at the event, training begins early, meeting every other week months in advance to learn new information and sharpen their dairy knowledge. “We usually start practicing right after the holidays, kind of slowly, but as we get closer to spring, we increase our meetings and start visiting farms,” said Cathy Fry, coach of a multi-county team based in Isabella County. “We teach a lot about cow care, diseases and management.”

Coaches often glean dairy materials from MSU, Virginia Tech and other online resources. These materials help teach youth more about the dairy industry while improving the many skills it takes to be successful in this kind of competition.

The Allegan County group of kids have varying backgrounds. “Some of them come from farms, some don’t and others get dragged along by their friends. It’s really a mixed group,” Bev Berens said. Berens is an 18-year veteran 4-H leader and quiz bowl coach in Allegan County.

Isabella County’s group is the same. “I have kids on the team who are homeschooled who don’t get out much and I have kids who are outgoing, but they all seem to bond and work well together. Not all of them are coming off of dairy farms, they just like cows, which is really cool too,” Fry said.

Sam Geerlings from Allegan County is not from a farm but has a family cow and loves to learn while Sage Scripps, also from Allegan, has absolutely no farm background but was dragged into the group by coach Robyn Wixom. Scripps placed second in the management contest.

For some youth, they see the fruition of their hard work as it pays off during the Michigan Dairy Expo. The Tucker tribe, Caleb, Katrina and Colby Tucker from Allegan County, raise dairy steers and show sheep but have a deep
dairy pedigree from their maternal grandparents. “It’s fun to compete and win,” commented Colby.

Olivia Coffey, a senior member of Allegan County this year, enjoyed winning the quiz bowl competition, “We work hard through the year but have a lot of fun. And then to win the contest is a sweet reward to the work we put in.”

Another member of the winning senior quiz bowl team is Shannon Good who comes from an organic dairy farm. Her parents have been breeding Registered Red and Whites for years. “Our team is like family. We do a lot together through the year.”

Teams feeling like family is common among the groups exhibiting at the Michigan Dairy Expo. For Fry, when asked about what it’s like to watch friendships flourish between the youth she coaches, she shared, “It’s awesome. I don’t even know how to put it in words. It’s one of my favorite parts.”

Once youth who were involved in the competition age out, many come back to coach or help their county’s team in other ways. Everyone wants everyone to win and volunteers and alumni want to make sure it happens so that today’s youth get the same experiences that they did when they were young.

Is winning the only goal?

“Absolutely not. Winning is just the victory lap,” Elischer explained. “Sometimes it’s nice to walk away with a blue ribbon or a backpack, but that’s not what the journey is about. It’s about learning, growing, networking and leaving as a better person than what you came.”

The youth that participate in the Michigan Dairy Expo embody every word that Elischer shared. Winning with pride and losing with grace, 4-H’ers involved with the dairy industry understand what it means to represent themselves and their county at the event.

“I really emphasize that we are a group,” Fry said. “I want you as an individual to succeed, but I want all of us to do well and help each other along the way.”

This spirit of teamwork and sportsmanship can easily go unseen at such a large event, but those closely associated with the Michigan 4-H program and the dairy industry know what it means to attend the Michigan Dairy Expo.

“The Michigan Dairy Expo is so much more than just cows and ribbons,” Elischer said. “Youth take a week out of their summer and spend time at the MSU Pavilion, building their knowledge, creating lasting friendships and truly learning what it means to be a part of the dairy industry.”

This article was originally published in the September/October 2019 issue of the Milk Messenger. Subscribe »

Selected from more than 50 entries, the five winning photographs from MMPA’s second annual photo contest capture exactly
what it means to live the dairy lifestyle.

In this year’s contest, there were five awards given: first, second and third place judged by a panel of judges, along with a People’s Choice Award determined by public voting and a Staff Choice Award, an additional honorable mention, to the favorite photo among MMPA employees.

FIRST PLACE

The first-place winner was Cassie Packard of Clare, Michigan, with her photo titled “Life on the Farm”. The photo was taken on her family’s farm, Packard Farms, and is the perfect setting for a prize-winning photo. Capturing the picturesque red barn and beautiful black and white Holsteins awarded Cassie a $100 gift card to MMPA’s Farm Supply Store.

 

 

SECOND PLACE

Cassie also took home second-place with her other photo entry titled “Enjoying the Michigan Sunshine”. Everyone knows that sunshine wasn’t something easy to come across this past spring, but Cassie snapped this photo on one of those rare sunny days. As recognition for her impressive photography skills, Cassie will also receive an additional $50 gift card to MMPA’s Farm Supply Store.

 

THIRD PLACE

Placing third was Stephanie Weil, of Goodrich, Michigan, with her photo “Enchanted Sunrise”. Taken on Weil Dairy Farm, the photo could be a painting with how beautifully it captures the first rays of sunlight peaking across a dewy field. Stephanie will receive a cheese box from Heritage Ridge Creamery to acknowledge her success.

 

 

PEOPLE’S CHOICE

The People’s Choice Award was given to “The ‘Pick Up’,” captured by Jacob Niederman of Hamilton, Ohio, on Emmons Farm LLC. With the bright blue sky and gorgeous flower beds in front of a stark white barn, it caught the eye of the general public receiving over 20 percent of all the votes in the People’s Choice contest. Jacob will receive a $25 gift card to MMPA’s Farm Supply Store.

 

STAFF CHOICE AWARD

Last but not least, honorable mention goes to Lisa Gildner of Alpena, Michigan, for her photo titled “Best Furry Friends.” The touching combination of a dog and calf spending quality time together on ButterWerth Dairy won the hearts of MMPA’s employees earning Lisa the Staff Choice Award. Lisa’s photo rounds out the best of the best of the 2019 MMPA Photo Contest.

 

 

 

This article was originally published in the September/October 2019 issue of the Milk Messenger. Subscribe »

James Weber is ambitious, yet cautious. In 2015, not long after graduating from California Polytechnic State University, he did something you don’t hear too often anymore: he started a dairy farm.

On former pastureland in Millington, Michigan, Weber erected a double 10 parallel milking parlor, sheltered by a solar panel covered roof. Just a short walk away, he built a hoop barn to house 130 Jersey cows trucked in from Battle Creek, Michigan. He’s a new player in the dairy community, but he’s cognizant of the current dairy economy and strategically managing his farm with insight from mentors and family legacy.

In recognition for his achievements, Weber was recently named the 2019 MMPA Outstanding Young Dairy Cooperator by a panel of judges represented by leaders in the Great Lakes dairy industry. Owner of Weber Family Dairy, he milks 130 cows and farms 800 acres as an MMPA member of the Frankenmuth Local in District 7.

Owning Weber Family Dairy

Before starting the farm, Weber received a dairy management certificate from Michigan State University. An internship sent him to work on a California dairy farm and he stayed out west for a few years working on several dairy farms. He eventually graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a bachelor’s degree in dairy science.

When he returned to Michigan, he knew he wanted to stay a part of the dairy community. But Weber didn’t want to just work on or for a dairy farm, he wanted to own it.

“It always came back to ownership. I don’t like being told what to do or how to do it. And I have that freedom with my own farm,” he said. “When I get something in my mind that I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it.”

The dairy side of the business is one of four entities owned by Weber and his family, alongside Weber Farms, Weber Land and Weber Equipment. Weber’s dad managed Weber Farms with around 40 Holstein cows until selling out in 2011.

“MMPA was the co-op my grandparents joined, the one my dad was with,” he said. “When I started this farm, there was never any thought of a different co-op, it was, ‘Who do I call at MMPA?’”

Owning the Outcome

Weber’s tenacity pushes him forward, but his prudence is driving his success. He keeps his production costs low, makes his decisions based on numbers and uses what he’s learned from mentors to his benefit.

Weber credits much of his knowledge and passion for dairy to his family, his core teachers at MSU and the families he lived with on dairies in California. “I know that I wouldn’t be where I am without their support and influence,” Weber said.

While working on Tollcrest Dairy, a dairy farm in California, Weber developed many of the skills he’s now using to manage his own farm. “That was one of my biggest influence and role model. The owner started his farm off on his own. I learned a lot from him and I’m trying to use what I learned out here.”

Though the buildings are new, the parlor is new, and the farm itself was recently restarted, Weber didn’t go overboard with all the latest gadgets. Instead, he made strategic decisions about where he spent his money and how to sustain his farm with a lower cost of production.

“The only automation we have in parlor is the detachers. We don’t do individual cow milk weights. We don’t have herd management software. I manage the cows on a breeding wheel and excel sheets. It works on small scale,” he said.

If he undergoes an expansion or shifts away from personally managing the cows, Weber says there’s technology he would like to implement. The first step would be to grow his herd to around 400 and then upward from there. When developing the property, he planned out the current structures with an idea of where the next barns would go. But for the moment, he’s waiting until the numbers make sense.

“Following my gut and what I think is right has proven to work for me,” Weber said.

The farm’s mission, Weber says, is to produce a safe, nutritious product. Beyond that, he wants to ensure his employees are happy and that they are protecting the farm’s natural resources.

Weber is continually thinking about how he can efficiently produce quality milk and have a sustainable farm. For example, the cows rest on beds of recycled manure solids. Weber says one day while thinking about his next move and considering how to store his manure for a potential expansion, he noticed his compost pile.

“I was just looking out there at the compost pile. With 130 cows, it was three and a half feet deep. I realized, well there’s my bedding for a future free stall barn right there,” Weber said.

While he ended up putting his expansion plans on hold, his bedding and manure storage solution stuck. And it works without damaging his milk quality results.

“My cows lay on their own manure.  It’s not a low pathogen environment, yet we’re able to achieve good milk quality,” Weber said. “That’s through understanding the relationship to the animal, her health and how somatic cell comes into play.”

An MMPA bronze quality award winner last year, Weber Family Dairy is continuing improving its quality, measured in part by low somatic cell counts.

Owning MMPA

While Weber leads his farm, as a member of MMPA, he also has an ownership stake in the co-op, something he doesn’t take lightly. He’s a delegate for Frankenmuth Local and has served on the resolutions committee, the District 7 nominating committee and as a delegate.

As an OYDC, Weber is hoping it will lead to greater involvement in MMPA. OYDCs often go on to hold leadership positions within their community and cooperative.

Weber attended the initial OYDC conference in August with fellow OYDC finalists. They had an opportunity to look into their cooperative through discussions with co-op leaders and a tour of the offices and milk testing laboratory. Moving forward, Weber will represent MMPA at national dairy meetings, serve an honorary term on the MMPA Advisory Committee and influence the MMPA Young Cooperator program.

Weber says he’s looking forward to representing MMPA, along with enjoying fellowship with members and forging relationships with industry contacts.

“My focus has always been on the farm, being efficient,” Weber said. “So what do you do after you accomplish the things you want on your farm? Well, how do you influence the survivability of your farm beyond just what’s on your farm? You go out and you work in the industry in whatever capacity you can.”

–Allison Stuby Miller

This article was originally published in the September/October issue of the Milk Messenger. Subscribe »