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“You give the cows what they need, and they give you an excellent product. And we get to send that off to thousands of people who benefit every day.”

Shannon Kuball
Dairy Farmer

Name: Shannon Kuball
Location: Waterville, Minnesota
Years farming: 12 years.
My family: Nathan is my husband, and we have three kids; Kelsey is eight, Emma is six, and Keegan is three.
How I came to be a farmer: I grew up on a Holstein steer beef farm, and became involved in the dairy farm after marrying Nate. Thankfully, his parents, Bob and Deb, had a profitable business that we could join. In the beginning we were considered employees of Kuball Dairy, but we also purchased our own 120 acres in 2002, thus running our own small farm. In 2004, we bought into Kuball Dairy and became partners. Since that time, we have increased our percentage of ownership and moved onto the home farm place.
The best thing about being a farmer: As a farmer, you have the opportunity to physically see the fruits of your labor, all the while realizing that you work not only for your family, but for families everywhere who desire wholesome products for their families. We have been given an awesome privilege and responsibility to be good stewards of the land and animals in our care, and when we do that, the animals and land produce what we need. You put the seed in the ground and you watch it grow, you take good care of the cows and they produce milk, and that work feeds thousands of people. It is also very rewarding to involve your whole family in the work that you do. As a family, we can work together as a team and help one another accomplish the tasks at hand. Our children learn the importance of hard work and determination.
My personal philosophy on farming: No matter the occupation, your best work is done when you put your heart and soul into it. It is no different for us as farmers. We love taking care of our land and our cows, so we pour ourselves into our farm. When I do my very best to produce wholesome products that I, as a mom, feed my own family, I can then rest well knowing I have done my part to impact the lives of others positively.

Dairy Production in Minnesota and the United States

• Minnesota dairy farms will produce 1,048 million gallons of milk annually.
• Minnesota milk production ranks sixth among states nationally.
• Minnesota’s dairy industry includes both dairy production and processing, creating nearly 40,000 jobs in the state.
• Research shows that drinking chocolate milk after exercising can help replenish muscles and aid recovery as well as, or even better than, popular sports drinks.
• More than 60,000 dairy farms in the U.S. provide milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products to the U.S. and other countries. About 99 percent of all U.S. dairy farms are family owned and operated.
• Cows eat about 100 pounds of feed every day and drink about a bath tub (50 gallons) of water.
• Cows chew at least 50 times per minute and spend 10 hours per day chewing their cud in order to aid digestion.
• If you open the refrigerator in 96 percent of U.S. households you’ll find a container of milk. You’ll find cheese in 94 percent of them.
• There are more than 400 different varieties of cheese and many are named for their place of origin. For example, Cheddar cheese originated in Cheddar, England.
• It takes 10 pounds of milk to make one pound of whole milk cheese.

For more information about dairy farming in Minnesota, please visit http://www.midwestdairy.com/.

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