Livestock Farming in Southeast Minnesota

The number of animal livestock farms in southeast Minnesota has been decreasing in recent years. A major reason has been troublesome marketplace economics. Farmers, in need of economically viable alternatives, have changed over to corn and soybean crops to avoid the dramatic market downturns. Unfortunately, the shift from livestock farming to row cropping can be destructive to the land with annual tilling that can create erosion and cause the loss of valuable soil nutrients.

There is another reason livestock farms are on the decrease. As established livestock farmers grow older, the younger generation has avoided getting trapped in low-paying or dead-end situations and, thus, steered clear of animal agriculture. Also, much of Minnesota’s livestock is shipped out-of-state for processing. This generates increased costs, draws wealth out of the region, and creates logistical problems for farmers.

A New Focus

This reality led to an examination of whether the Experiment in Rural Cooperation should promote additional animal processing facilities in the region. An Animal Processing Study Task Force was formed to address the issues. Co-chairing the Task Force were Donna Christison – pictured above at the swine farm she and her husband manage outside of Plainview – and Ralph Lentz who has a grass-fed beef farm near Lake City.

The Task Force held numerous meetings to interview representatives of local processing facilities and other animal processing operations including the proposed farmer-owned facility under development in Dawson, Minnesota.

After considerable discussion, the Task Force advised against a further feasibility study on the expansion of processing facilities in the region. Rather, it recommended that the Experiment’s board focus on ways to practically support traditional livestock farmers in southeast Minnesota as well as supporting niche or part-time specialty farming that requires adequate in-area processing and cold storage plants. In the Task Force’s judgement, the root of the problem is not processing capacity. It is the fundamentals underlying traditional farming.

Future Collaborations

The Task Force was assisted by a faculty member from the University’s Department of Animal Science as well as a state official from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The initiative yielded a possible future collaboration through a University submitted grant for a 3-year project titled “Institutional Innovation in Livestock Value Chains” to identify options within the hog production sector.

Based in part on the work of the Animal Processing Task Force, the Experiment in Rural Cooperation established a permanent Agriculture Committee to, among other things, concentrate on policy, operations and production issues relevant to livestock farming. It is their hope to reinvigorate small, independent farmers in rural communities so they can sucessfully manage their farms in a global economy.