EDITOR’S NOTE

BY EMILY KITTENDORF

Summer is finally here and with local restrictions easing up, it’s the perfect time to celebrate all the good things in life! From county fairs being in full swing to weather being perfect for an evening bonfire, a pure American summer is kicking off and there’s a lot of things to be grateful for as we move past last year.

On The Cover

I had the chance to catch up with Terry Lautner and his son Erich on their farm in Traverse City, Michigan. Along with milking cows, they raise cherries and are politically active with Terry serving as a township trustee and Erich active with the Army Reserves. You really don’t get anything more quintessentially American than that! You can learn more about them on page 15.

In This Issue

As Terry Lautner mentioned, cherries are a good product just like milk and MMPA members Horning Farms know all about it! They're passionate about bringing dairy education to the Ann Arbor area. You can learn more about their dedication to dairy promotion on page 22. Along with Horning Farms, MMPA Dairy Communicators have been busy sharing their dairy stories too. They recently participated in a virtual meeting where they received an MMPA update, learned more about UDIM’s efforts and joined in recognizing the 2021 service award winners. Allison caught up with the two 35-year service award winners and they shared their insight into dairy promotion on page 20. You can flip to page 18 to meet MMPA member Brent Robinson and learn about his farm’s sustainability efforts. On page 10, you can learn more about MMPA scholarship offerings.