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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 24, No. 4
Creating a lasting legacy McConkey discusses emotions in farm transitions By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
Transitioning a family farm from one generation to the next can be a stressful endeavor, full of questions that need to be answered and decisions that need to be made. Often times, those involved are so Marcia Kramer wrapped McConkey up in the w h a t , when, why and how that they can lose sight of the who. Taking into consideration the feelings and emotions of both the older and younger generations was the focus of the Rural Resiliency Project’s March 23 webinar featuring Marcia Kramer McConkey’s presentation, “The Human Side of Farm Transitions.” McConkey encouraged families to use the ICR model – important, condent and ready – when beginning to look at the changes forthcoming during a farm transition. “Does the person think the change is important? Are they condent in their ability to make the change? Are they ready to make the change?” McConkey said. “When those stars align, we’ll see change happen. When one of the elements is not present, it will often look like resistance.” McConkey said that sometimes what might be construed by the younger generation in the transition as reluctance or unwillingTurn to TRANSITION | Page 7
April 9, 2022
Stepping up to the challenge Griep is father’s right-hand man for more than 15 years By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
HARTFORD, Wis. – From xing the barn cleaner to chopping hay, Tina Griep can do most any job on the farm that her dad, Curt Becker, does. However, dairy farming was not the career she once pictured for herself. And taking on a lead role operating the farm alongside her dad was a position she never thought she would be in when she returned to the farm in 1997. She simply wanted a job that would allow her to work without sending her son to daycare. But Griep’s world was turned upside down Aug. 16, 2006, when her mom, Sandra, died unexpectedly at the age of 56 from a brain aneurysm during morning milking. “From that day forward, my life changed forever,” Griep said. “Mom passed away, and somehow my siblings and I needed to step up and support Dad, plan a funeral and nish getting my younger brother married two days later.” Becker and Griep milk 65 cows in a tiestall barn and farm 300 acres near Hartford. After her mom died, Griep’s role on the farm grew. And in the absence of his wife, Becker found a new business partner in his
Turn to GRIEP | Page 6
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Curt Becker and Tina Griep milk 65 cows and farm 300 acres near Harƞord, Wisconsin. This father-daughter duo has been farming together since Griep’s mom passed away in 2006.
Stabilizing the roller coaster
Dairy groups promote growth management plan By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. – Some may enjoy a good amusement park ride but most dairy farmers would probably agree the roller coaster ride the dairy industry has been in the last decade has not been a whole lot of fun. Stabilizing milk supply and prices has been a lingering question with a bevy of ideas bandied about from coast to coast. Finding a one-size-tsall approach that is palatable to all industry stakeholders is a proposition that makes winning at a carnival game look like a sure bet. A collaborative effort between Wisconsin Farmers Union, Wisconsin Farm Bu-
reau Federation and the University of Wisconsin called the Dairy Revitalization Plan is underway to nd that solution to bring stability to the industry. The framework of that plan was presented to dairy farmers in a series of three meetings held in western Wisconsin in March, including one in Chippewa Falls March 25. “Over the last decade, we’ve lost over 17,000 U.S. dairy herds, which is about one-third of the total,” said Bobbi Wilson, WFU Dairy Together coordinator. “This most recent downturn was particularly problematic here in WisTurn to GROWTH MANAGEMENT | Page 8
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Bobbi Wilson, Wisconsin Farmers Union Dairy Together coordinator, explains how the current Dairy RevitalizaƟon Plan came to be at a meeƟng March 25 in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.