KX NEWS

North Dakota Dairy farmers collaborate at annual convention

Producers shared ideas Wednesday at the 54th Annual North Dakota Dairy Convention in Bismarck.

About 30 million gallons of milk are produced at dairy farms across North Dakota, along with cottage cheese, yogurt and other products.

To break it down even further, there are just about 60 dairy farms in the state contributing to producing those products with two major processing plants in Bismarck and Fargo.

These products are then distributed all over including to grocery stores and schools in the area.

A Mandan farmer KX News spoke with at the convention said that coming from four generations of producers helps her share how her product is used throughout the state.

“It’s all fluid milk, so one out of three bottles out of the state and around here is actually from our farm so we just do all milk products,” Northern Lights Dairy owner Jennifer Holle said.

Producers at the Dairy Convention also shared ideas that will benefit the overall dairy industry despite the decline in newcomers.

The industry took a hit at the start of the pandemic due to the closure of schools and restaurants, resulting in a decrease in production across the board.

They shared ideas on how to keep and increase public interest by participating in different community outreach events and public farm visits.

“A lot of focus on sustainability. They are encouraging dairy farmers to open up their dairy farms with personal visits from school kids or by getting involved in social media. You have people who tell stories and show how they raise cows,” ND Milk Marketing Board Director Lance Gaebe said.

About 35 dairy farmers from across the state participated in this year’s convention.

The keynote address was from Al Gustin, a Morton County rancher.