February 1, 2023

Straight Talk on dairy with N.D.'s youngest legislator

Topic: Issues

The following interview is an excerpt from the Straight Talk podcast. It has been edited for clarity. To listen to the entire podcast, scroll to the bottom of this page.

Host Emmery Mehlhoff: Today I interview the youngest-ever legislator in North Dakota, Representative Dawson Holle. Dawson is the son of a dairy farmer and ran for the House of Representatives because he was concerned about the future of the dairy industry in North Dakota. How are you, Representative?

Rep. Holle: Well, thank you so much for having me on the show. 

Emmery: Representative Holle is from District 31, and he is the youngest ever legislator to serve in our North Dakota legislature. Dawson, tell us about yourself and your district and why you ran for the legislature?

Rep. Holle: So, I'm from District 31, so that is Sioux, Grant, parts of Hettinger and then Morton County. And it has been a crazy journey getting here. I ran for the state legislature because right now there are currently 37 dairy farms in North Dakota, and we lose an average of one to two every year. And I just couldn't sit by anymore and watch the dairy industry perish. I decided to throw my hat in the ring because we need change for dairy in North Dakota, and I believe I have the ideas to change it so we can have generations of good dairy in North Dakota.

Emmery: I knew the dairy numbers were down there, but I didn't realize they were that low. When you think about how North Dakota is an ag state, but most of our milk comes from Minnesota or South Dakota.

Rep. Holle: The most depressing part is that some parts of the state we're actually importing more than what our state is producing. It's very hard to attract new customers to the dairy industry because it's a very tough industry. The cows don't take a break. They need to be milked three times a day, 365 days a year. So it's not really attractive to the young generations, but it's attractive to the families that have had generations in North Dakota. And I think it's for the remainder, 37 families that are in North Dakota, it's definitely a heritage thing that we want to keep going in North Dakota, so I hope that we stay around.

Emmery: So you grew up on a dairy, and it sounds like that's been in your family for a long time.

Rep. Holle: Yes. We're originally from New Salem. I'm a fifth-generation dairy farmer. In 2003, we sold the farmstead in New Salem and moved down to Northern Lights Dairy, which is 15 miles south of Mandan right now, and we have our milking, an 800-cow rotary parlor facility. And our milk goes to Prairie Farms in Bismarck.

Emmery: It's exciting to hear your passion for the dairy industry and how you were concerned about the diminishing number of dairies in North Dakota. What do you see as solutions for the dairy industry in North Dakota to make it more attractive?

Rep. Holle: I've introduced a few legislation pieces which I believe are key. At least get us in the door in the right direction because I feel like the door is shut right now in the dairy industry and locked. In my first piece I define milk in the Century Code and update it to better national standards and make it more encompassing for all the dairy mammals. And then there's also this war about, “What is milk?” And I feel that it's very hard for the dairy industry when they are competing with the grain industry to define what milk is.

Emmery: I don't think little soybeans or rice grains have udders on them. You have to have really tiny figures to just sit there and milk.... [laughs from both]

Rep. Holle: I saw an alarming statistic that a lot of people think almond milk has the same nutritional benefits as mammal milk. And that's just staggering to me. So my first piece of legislation is a clean up so we encompass all of the dairy industry and stop confusing the consumer.

Emmery: A couple of sessions ago, we defined what meat was and said that it has to be flesh from an animal. It can't just be some lab cultured thing and it's not something that is “veggie meat.” It makes a lot of sense that we would define milk. It obviously benefits the dairy producer but also the consumer to know real milk is not the same as soy and rice milk. The nutritional value is just vastly different.

Rep. Holle: Yeah, it is. And then my second key piece I'm working on this bill where it legalizes the sale of raw milk in North Dakota, and it requires a Grade A facility and a Grade A permit, and the raw milk can only be sold on the farm to the consumer. And I feel like why I wanted to introduce this key piece of legislation is that [it’s] another avenue we can give the dairy industry to thrive. A lot of producers in the dairy industry are afraid of raw milk because of the possibility of harmful bacteria and that's why we pasteurize it. But there's been a really [big] swing in recent years to the organic side where people want raw milk. I drank raw milk all 18 years and I think it would be awesome if someone from Bismarck wanted raw milk, they could go down to my farm and buy some raw milk in a safe way. I believe people should be able to if we regulate it correctly and we have all the necessary processes in place.

Emmery: There is definitely a growing interest in this raw product and traditional foods in general. Some people, myself included, it is easier for them to digest.

Rep. Holle: A lot of people who are allergic to cow's milk are not allergic to goat's milk. We don't really have a goat's market in North Dakota, but it's growing in Wisconsin and Minnesota. If we legalized raw milk then people that wanted to establish a small herd of goats, they could and they would be very successful. This is just a way that you don't have to be an 800-cow facility like myself. You can be a 20 to 50 cow dairy or goat farm and you can be sustainable for yourself because you can sustain the community, because you would be supplying milk to your neighbors. And right now, you can only get it from the grocery store, or you have to have the cow share program. So, this is just another avenue in which the dairy industry can thrive.

Emmery: Do you have any goals for the dairy industry long term that you think legislation will be able to help out with?

Rep. Holle: I think long-term is cutting the red tape for farms in general. [T]here is so much government holding your hand and telling you which way to go or direct your farm. If we would just cut that red tape, like the governor has said, and allow farms to do what they've done for centuries and just farm, they'll thrive like they have for generations. I think that's the main thing which North Dakota is lacking compared to other states. We are a very pro ag state, don't get me wrong. It's just that there's just some key pieces that we just need to fix.

Emmery: Thank you, Representative Holle, for being on with me and for being a representative to your district and your community and ultimately for being a dairy farmer and for representing the fellow dairies out there and appreciate all that you're doing to really take an honest look at the dairy industry in North Dakota. And how can we cut the red tape and encourage more young people to come back and farm? Because that's what my dad did. That's what my grandpa did way back, and that's what yours did, too.

Rep. Holle: Exactly! Thank you for having me on the show.

Since the podcast conversation, there has been discussion of amending HB 1515. To find the most updated information visit https://www.ndlegis.gov/assembly/68-2023/regular/bill-overview/bo1515.html .