by Kevin Zimmermann
(WHBL) – The top ag official in the country got a firsthand look at issues faced by Wisconsin dairy farmers during a visit to Double Dutch Dairy in Cedar Grove on Friday. The meeting with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue was hosted by Double Dutch owner and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative President Brody Stapel, who runs the local farm with his brother, Jory, and father, Rudy.
Stapel said it was an “honor and a privilege” to host Secretary Perdue, and that it’s crucial that farmers bring their voices to those that need to hear them, saying, “How much higher up the chain of command can you get than our Secretary of Agriculture?”
Perdue, for his part, said that visiting the farm is a chance to leave D.C. and get a taste of “Real America,” and related that those who attended on Friday “know what they’re talkin’ about.”
Friday’s event was attended by about three dozen farmers, cheese processors and others from throughout the state.