A good day advocating for dairy

THORP, Wis. — Sander and Amy Penterman believe that part of dairy farming is advocating for the industry and teaching the consumer about a world they are becoming increasingly removed from.

The Pentermans hosted U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Wisconsin 7th district congressional candidate Michael Alfonso and his family Aug. 3 at Dutch Dairy LLC. The 900-cow family dairy farm is located near Thorp. The Pentermans’ sons — Evan, Izaak and Ethan — help on the farm around their school and sports schedules.

“Any day we can advocate for agriculture is a good day,” Amy Penterman said. “We were so honored to host Secretary Rollins and share our farm and agriculture story with her. Any day you can have the U.S. secretary of agriculture on a Wisconsin dairy farm, it’s a win for all of agriculture.”

The Pentermans carefully considered the message they wanted to convey to Rollins and Alfonso, sharing what makes their family farm unique, yet similar to other Wisconsin dairies.

“We wanted to share that family farms come in all shapes and sizes,” Penterman said. “People need to understand that you can have a dairy farm this size and still be a working family farm. Our kids work at the dairy right alongside us, making sure whatever needs to get done gets done.”

Rollins expressed appreciation for family farms like those operated by the Pentermans.

“We’re in a battle for this way of life,” Rollins said. “Wisconsin is ground-zero on the policy side, protecting family farms so that the next generations can continue the tradition here. We’re working on that with some of the biggest tax cuts in American history and with 129 regulations out the door, which is a big deal for farmers. We’ve cut the agricultural trade deficit in half, with 20 new trade deals, which is a massive win.”

Alongside the importance of family farms to America, Penterman shared the vital role technology plays in growth and efficiency.

“We wanted to showcase the technologies we are using on the farm,” Penterman said. “We just wanted to educate them on what a modern dairy farm looks like.”

Penterman said they spoke about the technology applied at the farm, from the milking parlor to the feed bunks to the fields. They shared how they invest in bringing innovations to the farm, often serving as trial farms for developing technologies.

“They were very interested in learning about the technology that we use and how fast it moves, changes and improves,” Penterman said. “We shared that we were the first farm to get CowManager when it came to the United States and how it has been improved over the years.”

While showing Rollins and Alfonso the farm, the Pentermans told them about the labor issues that dairy farmers face, adding that their family has personal, first-hand knowledge of the immigration process, as Sander came to the United States from the Netherlands.

“We talked about the need for year-round visas for workers in the dairy industry,” Penterman said. “There are seasonal visas available, but that doesn’t work for dairy industry workers, so continuing work on that front is something that is important to our industry as a whole.”

Penterman said they shared with Rollins and Alfonso the regulatory burden farmers carry.

“Farmers want to do what is right for our land and our environment,” Penterman said. “We want it to be here for future generations — don’t hinder us from that. Let us innovate; we don’t want the government to innovate and make those decisions for us.”

Penterman, who served as the first female president of the Dairy Business Association, said the time spent connecting with legislators and government officials is a wise investment.

“It is important to engage with and build relationships with our government leadership on both sides of the aisle,” Penterman said. “I don’t care about the letter behind their name. I want them to get to know us, to learn about what we do on our farm and why agriculture is so important to the very fabric of our country.”

She said building those connections is paramount.

“It’s hard for farmers to open their farms to political figures, but if we don’t bring attention to agriculture and the challenges we face, we’re going to be forgotten,” Penterman said. “There are so many other issues and problems facing the country. If we don’t stand up and make ourselves seen, we will be left behind.”

Penterman pointed to the proposed 2023 farm bill as an example, moving through Congress three years past its renewal deadline, leaving farmers bound by the 2018 version.

Rollins agreed the delay has been frustrating.

“The farm bill has stalled in the Senate, but a lot of what would have been in the farm bill was passed in the Working Families Tax Cut Act,” Rollins said. “We got the death tax out of the way for families to keep passing on these generational farms.”

Rollins expressed her appreciation for what the dairy industry means to Wisconsin and to America.

“When I think about the Old Testament and Exodus, the land of milk and honey, dairy cows represent the very beginning of what we know,” Rollins said. “For me, this is the greatest blessing of all. This is my favorite place to be in the world, in a dairy cow barn in Wisconsin, and to be fighting alongside you, with our entire team, every single day.”

Until this month, hosting a sitting U.S. secretary of agriculture on their farm was something the Pentermans had never considered as a possibility. Now that the impossibility has become reality, Penterman said it was a day that will forever be imprinted in her family’s memories.

“Regardless of who is in office, it’s an honor to host a sitting cabinet member,” Penterman said. “I hold Secretary Rollins in such high regard, and meeting her in person has been something I had only hoped to do. She is such a strong female leader and cares so much about agriculture. The opportunity to host her on our farm and bring that attention to Wisconsin’s dairy industry was just an amazing experience.”