U.S. dairy exports are at record levels, showing the potential of overseas markets. But trade integrity is necessary to expand dairy sales, making enforcement of the USMCA trade agreement a must, NMPF Senior Vice President of Communications Alan Bjerga said on RFD-TV.
Author: Alan Bjerga
Farmer Focus: 13th Generation. Massachusetts Farmers Rely on Sustainability and Community for Dairy’s Longevity
ARLINGTON, VA – Darryl and Lucinda Williams operate the Belden dairy farm in Hatfield, MA. Their family has been farming the land since 1661. Over the course of 360 years and 13 generations, much has changed – from the development of electric power to the innovation of methane digesters, one of which now produces 2.5 kilowatts of electricity per year on the Williamses’ farm. What has stayed the same is the family’s dedication to their community and stewardship of the land.
“We can’t be expected to continue to work with 1940s, ‘50s, ‘60s technology – just like we’ve got our cell phones and no longer use the old rotary that we had,” Lucinda says. “We can’t continue to thrive as an industry without moving into the new world.”
In the latest Farmer Focus, the Williamses talk about how they use their digester on a smaller farm and what it takes to keep a long family tradition intact.
For more Farmer Focus stories, co-sponsored by NMPF and the FARM Program, check out NMPF’s Sharing Our Story page, which also includes its Dairy Defined thought-leadership series and CEO’s Corner, a monthly column from NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern.
NMPF’s Bjerga on Food Box, Vaccinations, and Butter’s Bright Future
NMPF Senior Vice President of Communications Alan Bjerga discusses the rise and fall of the Farmers to Families Food Box program and the potential for improved food-assistance programs, along with the need for stepped-up rural COVID vaccinations and how the pandemic could brighten the long-term outlook for butter. Discussion on WEKZ radio, Janesville, Wisconsin.
NMPF’s Bjerga on COVID Community Corps
NMPF’s Senior Vice President for Communications, Alan Bjerga, discusses dairy’s leadership in getting farmers and farmworkers vaccinated against COVID-19, as well as NMPF’s membership in the federally led COVID Community Corps, in audio from an interview with RFD-TV.
NMPF’s Bjerga Discusses “Farmer Focus”
Alan Bjerga, NMPF’s senior vice president for communications, discusses the organization’s “Farmer Focus” initiative in tandem with the National Dairy FARM Program, on WEKZ radio, Janesville, Wisconsin.
CDI Clinic
NMPF’s Bjerga on Ag Labor and Dairy Activism
NMPF Senior Vice President of Communications Alan Bjerga discusses why the Farm Workforce Modernization Act is important to dairy, and how the dairy community is mobilizing in support of the legislation, on RFD-TV.
Wisconsin dairy uses planting, cropping strategies for sustainability
Arlington, VA – Kris Scheider manages and operates Zirbel Dairy Farms in De Pere, WI with his in-laws. Together they prioritize soil health and sustainable farming practices on the dairy operation, implementing cover cropping and no-till farming practices and last summer incorporating 400 acres of forage sorghum into their cows’ feed ration.
In the latest Farmer Focus, Scheider talks about how continuous improvement is important to their sustainability strategy.
“I think the biggest key to a sustainable operation is you’re always putting your best foot forward and you’re always improving the ground that you’ve got,” says Scheider, Vice President of the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Farmer Advisory Council and a member of NMPF’s Young Cooperators program.
For more Farmer Focus stories, co-sponsored by NMPF and the FARM Program, check out NMPF’s Sharing Our Story page, which also includes its Dairy Defined thought-leadership series and CEO’s Corner, a monthly column from NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern.
NMPF’s Bjerga on Ag Labor Bill and Vaccine Information
The Farm Workforce Modernization Act is an important step toward easing agriculture’s labor crisis, NMPF Senior Vice President of Communications Alan Bjerga says in an interview with WEKZ Radio, Monroe, Wisconsin.
NMPF’s Sweeney-Murphy Explains Vaccination Resources
NMPF’s Theresa Sweeney-Murphy says confusion can vary by state or even among counties for when for COVID vaccines will be available for essential food and ag workers. “There are 50 states, and they each have different plans for distributing vaccines,” she said in an interview with the Brownfield Ag News She says a new toolbox aims to answer COVID questions and help dairy farmers navigate the continually changing eligibility requirements.
FARM Program’s Yeiser Stepp on Rethinking Dairy Engagement
Emily Yeiser Stepp, NMPF’s vice president for the National Dairy FARM Program, discusses how 2020 changed the way dairy-sector engagement has pivoted into the virtual world. She speaks on RFD-TV.
https://www.rfdtv.com/story/43427310/rethinking-engagement-strategies-in-the-dairy-industry
Young dairy farmer balances present unpredictability with future promise
Arlington, VA – Josh Sauter and his family have managed challenges in the past, unpredictability in the present, and opportunities in the future. In the latest “Farmer Focus” co-sponsored by NMPF and the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program, Sauter shares the secret to resilience.
“You have to say positive,” Sauter says. “Leave what you can at the dairy. Some days you get to do that at six, and some days you don’t get to do that till midnight, but that’s important.”
Sauter and his wife, Katie, work alongside his parents to run their milking operation and plan what the future of Sauter Farms may look like. For more Farmer Focus stories, check out NMPF’s “Sharing Our Story” initiative, which also includes its Dairy Defined thought-leadership series and CEO’s Corner, a monthly column from NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern.
