Published: March 13, 2008 12:04 pm            

Back Roads: Economic heart

Originally published in the March 7, 2008, print edition.

Turn off State Highway 27, between Alexandria and Osakis, onto Nelson Road. Go past the BP station, the old brick schoolhouse and into downtown Nelson.

You’ll see the recycling business and The Corral with its good pie, coffee and retired farmers spinning out Ole and Lena tales. You’ll see Diamond Jim’s and the post office.

By then you’re heading out of town. If you look quickly to your right you may notice a little building, made from the same bricks as the school house, and a milk transport tanker or two.

Maybe you’ll see Larry Ahlbrecht, who drives one of the Nelson Creamery Association’s tankers, getting out of his cab after making a run to Litchfield, Perham, Minneapolis or another location that the four semi drivers for this 110-year-old cooperative creamery go to regularly.

“We employ 15 people including five route drivers and one contract driver,” said Darrin Savoie, the manager.

The route drivers pick up milk from 120 Grade A and 16 Grade B patrons from an area ranging from Wadena to Pope counties. Many of the Grade B patrons are Amish. Most farmers have Holstein herds between 60 to 70 cows, although there is one large Jersey herd. The biggest herd is 300 cows.

“Most of our patrons have been with us quite awhile,” Savoie said. “We have very good field service and they like it because the association’s management is local.”

But the Nelson Creamery Association has been adding patrons and has a waiting list. Savoie said a number of young start-up farmers have joined the association in recent years. Also, some farmers have left the big associations to come back to a locally owned creamery.

The Nelson Creamery Association is a member-owned co-op with an elected board of directors. It is also a member of the First District Association from Litchfield, which takes Nelson’s milk. But the Nelson Creamery Association is more than a collecting station for First District.

“We are a member of First District and our patrons can be elected to their board,” Savoie said. “They are a real ‘grass roots’ organization.”

If you stop through Nelson to see the Creamery Association you can get some cheese from their retail outlet. There are 20 varieties.

More importantly you’ll be able to see the heart of a 110-year-old economic engine, democratically operated, serving 136 farm families and their communities.

        

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