Dairy farmers react to needs to diversify

By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Thursday, June 5, 2008

Gone are the days when most dairy farmers relied solely on making their livelihood from milking cows twice a day. Today, most dairy farmers have two options: increase the number of dairy cows or work in a second venture. The latter holds true for Doug and Randy Green who run the family dairy farm northwest of Underwood.

Nature’s Call Septic Service is a business run by Doug Green and his wife, Karla.

“Despite the challenges, Randy and I enjoy working together in the dairy business,” said Doug while interviewed with Karla and Randy in commemoration of June Dairy Month. “Our late father, Ray, and our mother, Eileen, purchased this farm in 1952.”

“Back then,” Randy said, “my father started milking operations with only 16 cows. A few years later he added a barn and increased his operation to 41 milking cows.”

Their father retired from farming in 1980. Doug and Randy became a team to continue dairy operations at the Green farm.

Today, Doug and Randy have 50 milking cows, raise their own replacement heifers and also raise dairy steers. Milking operations start at 6:30 in the morning and 6:30 each evening, lasting a little over two hours in the morning and the same in the evening.

Their milk is hauled to Melrose where processing takes place.

“You always look for ways to eliminate overhead,” Doug said. “As an example, we share forage equipment with our neighbors, Bruce and Russ Nelson, who also are dairy farmers.”

Hay work, due to recent cold and rainy weather, is about two weeks behind schedule. The brothers also have assistance on the dairy farm from Doug’s two sons, Wesley, 17, and Jared, 15, who attend school in Underwood. Two friends of their sons also help out at the dairy farm.

The Greens maintain a tie stall barn for their dairy business. Larger dairy operations now include parlors in which the cows come to the farmer, instead of the farmer going to the cows.

Doug, already with a busy work schedule, finds time to serve as one of three supervisors for Aurdal Township. He’s been a township supervisor for 15 years. Karla is a member of the American Dairy Association West Otter Tail County Board. They’ve also been involved with 4-H and other activities over the years.

The dairy industry wants to attract younger people, but the number of farms still are on the decline. The Greens estimate that in their area of Otter Tail County there are no more than 25 percent of the dairy farms in operation today compared to 1980.

Their mother, Eileen, talks often about what she refers to as, “the good old days of farming.” Despite the challenges with dairy farming in 2008, Doug, Randy and Karla said they are proud to continue the Green family farming tradition.