Today’s guest post was written by dairy farmer Kelly Scheetz, who represented Dakota Rural Action at our coalition’s annual D.C. fly-in last February. Kelly is co-owner of Scheetz Mercantile, a micro-dairy and bakery in Mount Vernon, South Dakota.
In December 2024, Megan EisenVos, a community organizer for Dakota Rural Action, approached me about serving as a dairy farmer representative for the organization at the annual National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC) Fly-In to D.C. Initially, I wondered, “Why me?” but then I thought, “If not me, then who?” For the next three days, I prayed for guidance. During our family’s daily dinner, which is filled with conversations about everything from school to farm chores, where we also discuss significant events, we discussed the possibility of me leaving for a four-day trip to DC. My husband and our three wonderful kids reminded me, “You always say that when a platform is offered to use our voice for something we care about, we should seize that opportunity.” With the support of my family and many small to medium-sized dairy farmers in our community, I felt compelled to share our story with policymakers and provide them with insight into the challenges we face as dairy farmers dealing with volatile milk prices.
Kelly Scheetz in Washington, D.C. for NFFC’s annual fly-in, February 2025. Photo courtesy of subject.
How is it possible that our grandparents could support large families as dairy farmers, while we struggle to provide for our family of five?
Both my husband Sam and I come from dairy farming backgrounds. My grandparents operated a dairy farm in Schelds, North Dakota, where they successfully raised fifteen children and financed their education in private Catholic school. My husband’s grandparents raised ten children on their family dairy farm, which we returned to in 2017, marking the start of our journey as the fourth generation on land homesteaded by the Scheetz family 135 years ago. It’s surreal to think that just at the end of the summer in 2024, my husband and I went two straight months without receiving any income from our milk checks, as all the earnings went to our hauler to cover his costs for transporting our milk to a processing co-op. We eventually had to tell him to stop picking up our milk. How is it possible that our grandparents could support large families as dairy farmers, while we struggle to provide for our family of five? We noticed our processing co-op declining, so in 2023, we began exploring the possibility of selling raw milk directly to consumers. We are incredibly grateful that this path opened up for us. We have fostered a strong community with local customers who are eager to buy directly from farmers, knowing how their food is produced.
Small and medium-sized dairies are the backbone and economic engines of rural communities. We are not seeking handouts; we simply want a fair seat at the table to earn a living wage and raise our families on our generational farms.
Over two days, our dairy team, consisting of six members from five different states, met with seven House Representatives and two Senate offices. We presented the Milk from Family Dairies Act (MFDA), developed by the NFFC, which proposes using supply management and price floors to stabilize volatile milk prices and ensure dairy farmers receive a fair market price for their milk. Although the MFDA is still seeking a champion, we felt heard and received positively by all the offices we visited. Our group was also honored to have Representative McGovern and Senator Welch, both long-time supporters of dairy farmers, join us in meetings.
Small and medium-sized dairies are the backbone and economic engines of rural communities. We are not seeking handouts; we simply want a fair seat at the table to earn a living wage and raise our families on our generational farms.
Official U.S. Senate photo by Daniel Rios. The National Family Farm Coalition’s Dairy Team Meets with Senator Peter Welch (D-VT). Back row, L-R: Kelly Scheetz, SD; Senator Welch, VT; Samantha Cave, NH. Front row, L-R: Patty Naylor, IA; Sarah Lloyd, WI; Maeve Leslie, VT; Stephen Leslie, VT.