Columns

Without a place to call home

When Duane and I returned to the farm from a meeting in Kansas City, we entered a winter wonderland.

So, this is Christmas

Christmas is the time of year when traditions are revisited. Most people have at least one special thing they celebrate at Christmas.

Supply, demand numbers updated

 The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report increased its 2023 milk production forecast slightly.

Tradition

As Da Yoopers belch along in their classic deer hunting song, “The second week of deer camp is my favorite time of year.”

The darkness of December

All of us farmers seem to have a reluctance to go to the doctor. As a group, farmers put in long hours and often put our own health last on the list of appointments.

Reflections: Seek the helpers, be positive

The month of December can be a good time for reflection. I am inclined to think about where I have been and what is ahead as I go about taking care of the livestock and people in my life.

How we do it here

Any work protocol is just how we do it here. A protocol defines a process, which is a series of steps.

Who owns the water?

This has been an interesting month in our small town of Elko New Market, Minnesota.

The season of joy, dairy

The Christmas season is one of my favorite times of the year. Each year, I look forward to the joy Christmas time brings; the falling snow, lights and decorations, and time spent in the kitchen preparing goodies for the season.

Cold, flu season

‘Tis the cold and flu season, an especially brutal double whammy that often afflicts this part of the world at this time of year. You catch the flu and mutter to yourself, “I wish I flew the coop when I had the chance.”

Family holiday recipes

From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, I have recipes scattered all over the countertop as I line up family favorites to make for the holidays. The guaranteed staples are my grandma’s fudge and divinity, Mark’s grandma Preusser’s date filled cookies and my mom’s Christmas morning caramel rolls.

Holidays increase dairy demand

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the November federal order Class III benchmark milk price at $21.01 per hundredweight, down 80 cents from October but $2.98 above November 2021.

Record income

  Net U.S. cash farm income is forecast to be a record high $188 billion for 2022. That’s up 25.5% from 2021. Cash receipts for corn, soybeans, wheat and other crops are up 19%. Receipts from animal agriculture are expected to increase over 30% from last year.

Christmas trees with character

My dad was a big believer in cutting down our own Christmas tree out of our own woods. To go to the store and buy one would be a travesty in his mind.

Open door policy

Doors are opened wide as we welcome home family and friends this holiday season. It could be called an open door policy where all are welcome. That has certainly been the case around our farm these past few weeks as we welcome home family members and new friends.

The witch of November

November has arrived, and winter has moved in with us Northlanders like a loutish brother-in-law who came for a weekend and stayed for six months.  

Cold weather survival

All right, someone has to say it. It’s cold.

Thanksgiving in Washington

As winter starts to show its cold and windy forecasts, we start to hunker down and work as efficiently as possible.

Midwestern cheesemakers running near capacity

Americans chewed through a lot of cheese in September, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest Dairy Supply and Utilization report.

Cow whisperer

The smell of coffee, Shania Twain on the radio and the milk pump going are the three most prominent things I keep close to my heart from growing up on a dairy farm.

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