Farmers Feed Us

Follow Us on Twitter

Follow Us On Facebook

“At the end of the day, we always know that we have worked hard to produce a good, nutritious, affordable product.”

Rita Vander Kooi
Dairy Farmer

Name: Rita Vander Kooi
Location: Worthington, Minnesota
Years farming: I've been farming for nine years.
My family: Along with my father-in-law, my husband Joe and I farm together, and we have our two children as well. Vince is four and Livvy is two.
How I came to be a farmer: We both pursued degrees in dairy science, graduating from the University of Minnesota in 2001 and 2002, and love what we do.
The best thing about being a farmer: The best thing is being able to have your children work beside you, learning by doing.
My personal philosophy on farming: We believe that, as farmers, we constantly need to be changing and incorporating new technologies into what we do. We believe in working smarter, not just harder. We like what we do, and are proud to be people who work to feed the world.

Dairy Production in Minnesota and the United States

• Dairy products made from milk produced in Minnesota include cheese, butter, pudding, fluid milk, and cheese sauce.
• According to the USDA, there were more than 470,000 dairy cows in the state of Minnesota in 2010 that produced more than 700 million pounds of milk per month.
• Stearns County (St. Cloud), Minnesota, has more dairy farms than any other county in the state, totaling 1,154.
• Minnesota's dairy industry includes both dairy production and processing, with a combined total annual output value of $4.6 billion.
• The Minnesota dairy industry accounts for 39,000 jobs and has a total economic impact of more than $8.96 billion statewide.
• In Minnesota, milk yield per cow increased by 34 percent from 1990 to 2008, from 14,000 pounds to 19,000 pounds. These increases are largely due to better nutrition, more efficient milking, and overall care of the cows.

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

Adobe Flash Player is required to view this content.

Click the button below to download the latest version of this plugin for free.

Meet Another Farmer