03/05/2026
Midwest Dairy DEAL day 2 Charleston South Carolina! Dairy Alliance, Farm Tour and Ghost Tour!
Dairy Alliance similar to Midwest Dairy partnered up on this DEAL Leadership venture! It was great to know what the statistics for milk production, farm geographics and milk consumption look like in their southeast neck of the woods.
Although some of us producers were still wondering or one could even say questioning the schematics of milk hauling and dollar trails; it did become very understandably clear that check off money does and should follow milk consumption! All I can say to that is if you don't like it drink more milk 😂
I am starting to really understand why farmers get that feeling that check off dollars aren't really helping; I feel that to my core y'all! In saying that I also now know that unlike other commodity check off programs, Dairy is not allowed any conquests into policy or anything that could manipulate price. As farmers we don't like nor understand that; that is a USDA regulation on our check off. I do enjoy wrapping my head around politics. I wrastle like the rest of us with understanding how the wheel turns and how to seek change. So Thank you DEAL for educating me! I do believe that the milk market would not be as robust without our check off dollars and the research and partnering that is done. I'd also like to suggest Dairy Farmers are not necessarily discouraged with the .15 cents/cwt withdrawn but with how Congress and USDA allow or prohibit farmers within the check off to disperse those funds 😁 Now how do we change that??? 😳
Following the morning meeting we bussed an hour away from Charleston to Bowman SC to Lowcountry Creamery. A small family owned Jersey Dairy that has been processing their own milk for about a year now. A trend starting to take hold when considering $14/cwt milk the same price for milk farmers were seeing in the 80's. We were so grateful for the hospitality received as he laid it all out of the table for us; his struggles, his accomplishments, his finances and his business model. He was educated, experienced and humble and he truly gives hope to small family farms across the country with his story!
I think by this point in the day we were all ready for a spooky night on the town. And you can't get any spookier than USDA and Congress except for downtown Charleston 😂
Guys I do like me some history. So Charleston local Robert Mills had designed the Washington Monument in DC, a few decades later the Washington Light Infantry Monument modeled after the DC structure would be erected in honor of men who fought in the WLI in the revolutionary war! Who specifically designed it is unknown but how cool to see in person! The monument sets in Washington Square which borders Dan Ravenel's historic home. This house was the longest generationally owned estate of this nations history. And it's also HAUNTED folks. By none other than Edgar Allen Poe's teenage sweetheart! Annabel Lee. So Anna Ravenel's mother's maiden name was Lee; don't feel like it's a coincidence. The real love story between Edgar and Anna is an interesting one. This story was just one of many including the fact that our dear Francis Marion Hotel was also on the list of haunted habitats 😲 which explained why night one I heard my 100 year old closet door open a few inches and one foot step. Im a light sleeper and that had me wide eyed. Ignorant of the haunted fact I fell asleep only to be awakened at 2:30am by what sounded like window banging open. Night two more banging not sure on time Night 3 I have now been informed of the issue so no surprise 2:30am I'm awakened again to the window banging. That morning I asked the custodian why I'd be hearing that expected to hear they have an old boiler unit. Nope apparently the 10th floor has extras but he wasn't necessarily a believer himself. Guys in 1920 a love stricken man was either thrown out the 12th floor winder or he jumped. Police records confirm the incident. I don't believe in ghosts but may the poor man rest in peace and stop banging around at 2:30am. I was not very motivated to research the suspected time of death of said love stricken man. 😳
This was just a snippet of the days activities and accounts. I'd like to give a shout out to our DEAL members by this time in the trip we have all really trauma bonded between the USDA, the car sick bus ride, the ghosts, and the DEAL Farmer Introductions we all have been giving daily, we have really become one heck of a support team 😂
Just one more day to tackle!
