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Loyal woman represents farmers on national stage
Talk to Kim Bremmer of Loyal for any length of time, and you’ll quickly find out she’s passionate about agriculture and sharing farmers’ success stories.
In her work as an advocate and lobbyist for the dairy industry, Bremmer is on a mission to “improve public perception of agriculture, positively affect policy at the state and local levels, and protect the overall use of technology and innovation in how we grow and raise food.”
Bremmer owns her own company, Ag Inspirations, and serves as a nationally recognized motivational agriculture speaker. She is also the executive director of Venture Dairy Cooperative, which represents 35-40 farms across Wisconsin.
Bremmer’s roots in agriculture go deep. She grew up on a dairy farm in Merrill, studied dairy science and agriculture journalism at UW-Madison, and worked as a dairy nutritionist for 15 years.
“Farmers really are my people,” said Bremmer.
Heradvocacyworkbeganseveralyears ago when she started volunteering with CommonGround, an organization for women in agriculture funded by the National Corn Growers Association. She would travel with Common Ground members to talk about agriculture at non-agricultural events. “We would go to dietitians’ conferences, women’s conferences, things like that. And I always knew there was a big gap between the average, everyday consumer and the farm, but it was then that I realized really how large it was, because we would just answer questions all day,” said Bremmer.
CommonGroundgaveBremmeropportunities to speak to a variety of groups, which she really enjoyed. Eventually, in 2015 she left Vita Plus so she could speak and do advocacy work full-time. She has traveled extensively throughout the contiguous United States, having spoken in every state except Rhode Island, Alaska and Hawaii. She’s also visited Canada, Mexico, Denmark and China. Her latest visit to Denmark involved touring biogas plants with industry leaders looking to establish biogas project sites back in the U.S.
Her speaking engagements include a blend of education and advocacy, with about half of her talks given to agricultural groups and the other half to nonagricultural groups.
Around the time of COVID, Bremmer started a new venture. Out of a conversation with a group of farmers and based on the needs she saw in the farming community, Bremmer decided to found Venture Dairy Cooperative, which works with legislators and business partners to effect positive policy change at the state and local level. Bremmer’s colleague Laurie Fischer, founder of CEO of the American Dairy Coalition, serves as the lead policy consultant for the cooperative, which is paid for through the milk checkoff program, with 1.5 cents per hundredweight going towards it. A board of five member farmers provides guidance and direction.
Around the time she started the cooperative, Bremmer also got her lobbying license. She sees political involvement as necessary for farmers to combat unnecessary regulations and bureaucratic red tape so they can preserve their way of life.
“Everyone hates politics, and I do too, but it affects your business,” said Bremmer. “You have to be in your legislator’s file of contacts so when a bill comes up that affects farmers, you can give input on that. After the bill gets passed, it’s too late. But it really starts with being engaged at the local level.”
Bremmer has attended county and town board meetings to advocate for farmers. For example, she recently helped a group of farmers in Polk County in a lawsuit against a town board that was attempting to enact a farming operations ordinance that would have placed significant restrictions on farmers’ hours of operations, including the times they could drive farm machinery on the highway; and the number of animals allowed, among other restrictions.
The Venture Dairy Cooperative works closely with Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC), including connecting farmers with legal advice through the WMC litigation center.
Bremmer finds it rewarding to help farmers find their voice and ensure they are being portrayed accurately.
“One of my biggest successes would probably be getting to work with farmers and then they get to speak up for them- selves. Farmers tend to be very humble people, so it’s giving them confidence in their message. And sometimes it’s just getting them to ask questions,” said Bremmer.
“I often see Wisconsin agencies that want to go above their statutory authority. It’s not in all cases, but too often, they make up rules that go above and beyond what the statute calls for. And it’s costing our farmers a lot of money.”
Just as important as the advocacy part of her job is the education component, informing the public on an industry they may be misinformed about. When speaking with non-agricultural audiences, Bremmer’s talks tend to center on science, technology and innovation in agriculture; “Farm Gate to Plate”; and answering any questions people may have.
She likes to dispel myths so consumers can make an informed choice about the food they purchase, rather than succumbing to fear-based marketing tactics. “There’s lots of fear about chemicals, pesticides, GMOs (genetically modified organisms), antibiotics. And none of that is black and white. But it’s getting people to better understand how farmers have shared values. They care about the water too. They’re our first line of conservationists. They’re always improving what they’re doing, in how they care for the animals and land, and how they conserve resources like never before,” she said. “I can think of people I’ve met that were grateful at the end of a conversation because they didn’t know that information before. Because fear about certain foods can be crippling, especially for mothers.”
She added that she fully supports of a farmer’s right to decide how they want to raise their animals, whether that be conventional, organic, grass-fed or corn-finished. She just wants people to be aware of the differences between those options and what those labels truly mean.
She also finds it gratifying to give people farm tours so they have a chance to witness farm operations firsthand and gain a better appreciation of what farmers do.
“A big part of it is understanding the why. A lot of people have strong opinions about different farming practices without taking the time to understand it from a farmer perspective or the why we’re doing it,” said Bremmer. “For example, I think the notion that ‘large farms are bad’ is misguided.”
She explained that of the 327 CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) in the state, most are family-owned or are a group of family members or neighboring farms that joined together as a business decision. As another example, she said that people tend to not like large, free stall barns, but when they get on the farm and actually see the animals are well taken care of and have their needs met, their perspective may change.
Those perspective changes are what motivate Bremmer to keep telling the story of agriculture. She wants people to understand where their food comes from and encourages everyone to get involved in agriculture, even if in a small way.
“I think it’s great to be in an area that has so much agriculture. That being said, if you have questions about farming, ask a farmer,” said Bremmer. “Also, support local farmers. Eat cheese. Over 90 percent of milk in Wisconsin gets turned into cheese. Go to your local dairy breakfasts. Slow down on the roads.”
She plans to continue sharing the story of agriculture for years to come.
Visit AgInspirations.com or Venture-DairyCoop.com for more information.
GIVING A VOICE TO THE VOICELESS -Bremmer’s support of farmers goes much farther than words. She has represented farmers and helped to “bridge the gap” between farmers and the everyday consumer since 2015.
