HOT PURSUIT

The global dairy industry will be getting a taste of Steele County leadership.

For nearly the past decade Jon Schmidt has been serving as chairman of the Steele County American Dairy Association, a group that promotes the dairy industry on the local level. He is now expanding his leadership role to the national level.

Schmidt has been named to the World Dairy Expo Board. The board operates the largest dairy event in the world each fall in Madison, Wis. Two other new board members have joined Schmidt on the board, which consists of 34 directors from all over the U.S. and Canada.

And what a better person to have on the board than Schmidt, whose family has deep ties in Steele County.  The fifth-generation dairy farmer represents Associated Milk Producers Inc., the organization that processes Schmidt’s 6.7 million pounds of milk each year. As a board member for AMPI, Schmidt chairs both the Government Relations Committee and Political Action Committee.

The Schmidt family has been milking cows since 1884. The farm, which today is known as Schmity Holsteins, was recognized as a Century Farm in 1996. Schmidt’s father, Myron, still helps on the family farm.

One of Schmidt’s earliest memories of being on the farm is helping his grandpa bale hay at 4 years old. “I was driving the tractor, and grandma wasn’t really happy about it,” he recalled. He added he always helped in the barn with milking duties.

Since graduating from the University of Minnesota, Schmidt has developed a nationally recognized herd, earning the Progressive Genetics Award from the Holstein Association for 20 consecutive years. The award is given out to the top 1% in the nation for herd genetics.

Schmidt is excited about his newly expanded role in the dairy industry. “It’s the greatest dairy show in the world, and we want to keep it that way,” he said of the World Dairy Expo.

Noting the board consists of members involved in various occupations who have an interest in the dairy industry, Schmidt said he is proud to “bring the dairy farming aspect to it.” For example, one of the other new board members is a CEO of a dairy-related organization. Another is involved in marketing and sales.

“It’s still good to have a farmer perspective to keep us tied to who we are,” Schmidt says. “It’s all about the dairy farmer.”

Currently, Schmidt operates the largest dairy farm in Steele County with 240 milking cows. His family recently hosted the annual Breakfast on the Farm which attracted more than 1,000 people to the farm. 

Said Schmidt of dairy farming: “It’s something we have always done. It’s amazing we can keep milking cows all these years and still be successful at it.”

Serving on the World Dairy Expo is just another way for Schmidt to serve the greater community. He points to a great team of family members on his dairy farm to allow him the opportunity to take advantage in volunteer roles within the industry.

“Somebody has to do it,” Schmidt said. “I enjoy doing it. You meet a lot of different people. It’s not just staying at home 24 hours a day. It’s also giving back to the community.”

No doubt Schmidt will be in hot pursuit of continuing to promote the dairy industry not just locally, but nationally as well.