Dairy Star: History, Star Publications, Coverage and Columnists
Profile updated November 2026
Dairy Star lives up to its slogan, All dairy, all the time. Published since February 1999 by Star Publications of Sauk Centre, Minnesota, it is a free regional dairy farming newspaper for producers in Minnesota, Wisconsin and six other Midwestern states.
| First published | February 1999 |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Star Publications LLC |
| Address | 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, Minnesota |
| Coverage | MN, WI, SD, NE, ND, IA, IL and Upper Michigan |
| Price | Free in print, online and electronic editions |
| Slogan | All dairy, all the time |
| Official website | DairyStar.com |
History of Dairy Star
Dairy Star began in February 1999 in Sauk Centre, in Stearns County, the heart of central Minnesota dairy country. The Minnesota Historical Society lists it as a regional dairy farming newspaper still in publication, with issues preserved at its Gale Family Library.
The paper is published by Star Publications LLC, a privately held Minnesota company that also publishes the Sauk Centre Herald, The Star Post, the Sauk Rapids Herald and Benton County News, plus niche titles Country Acres, Country Acres South, Star Shopper and Benton Ag Plus. Star Publications employs roughly 50 people in five offices and homes across Minnesota and neighboring states and also runs Sign Design.
The company is owned by seven partners, all born and raised in Minnesota: Mark Klaphake, Joyce Frericks, Missy Traeger, Natasha Barber, Nancy Powell, Tim Vos and Amanda Thooft. Dairy Star and Country Acres share an agriculture reporting staff, and the company has recruited ag reporters through the Minnesota Newspaper Association.
Dairy Star Today
Dairy Star is printed in zoned editions and posted online, and all versions are free of charge. Its readers range from dairies milking 10,000 cows to farms with fewer than 50, and the paper says its coverage area includes about a third of all U.S. dairy producers.
Its website carries news, columns and coverage of programs such as Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Minnesota's dairy ambassador.
What Dairy Star Is Publishing Now
Dairy farm features
Profiles of dairy farm families of every size, herd management, facilities, forage and calf care.
Columnists
A roster that includes dairy farmers and market voices such as Tim Zweber, Sadie Frericks, Natalie Schmitt, Tina Hinchley, Barry Visser, Lee Mielke, Jerry Nelson, Megan Weisenbeck and Jim Bennett.
Markets and industry
Milk market analysis, dairy policy, cooperative and processor news, and dairy events across the Upper Midwest.
Dairy Star Editors and Staff
Star Publications' pages, Dairy Star's site and editorial contact listings name these people:
- Mark Klaphake - Partner, Star Publications; Dairy Star contact
- Amy Kyllo - Editorial contact
- Stacey Smart - Editorial contact
- Natasha Barber - Partner, Star Publications
- Lee Mielke - Columnist
- Sadie Frericks - Columnist
Dairy Star's main line is 320-352-6303.
Who Reads Dairy Star
Readers are dairy farmers, herd managers, nutritionists, vets and dairy businesses across the Upper Midwest, with Minnesota and Wisconsin at the core. Dairy produced $41.8 billion in U.S. farm cash receipts in 2021 according to USDA ERS, and the ERS dairy program tracks the milk prices and costs that shape every farm the paper covers.
Dairy Star readers already live by the motto all dairy, all the time, so they rarely get a day off from the cows. For a quick break between milkings, farm.FM offers farm satire and farm humor about bulk tanks, barn cats and milk checks, with some ranch humor for the beef-on-dairy crowd. Its farm jokes are free too, which fits.
The outlet behind those laughs, farm.FM, is the nation's first satirical farm site, complete with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers. A farm.FM humorist's archive shows what a week of it looks like.
Dairy Star Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Dairy Star: About - publisher, coverage area and audience.
- Minnesota Historical Society: Dairy Star - newspaper hub record and founding date.
- Star Publications: About us - the company's owners and titles.
- USDA ERS: Dairy - federal research on dairy markets and farm economics.
- USDA ERS: Animal product cash receipts - dairy's share of U.S. livestock income.
Dairy Star FAQ
When did Dairy Star start?
Dairy Star was first published in February 1999 in Sauk Centre, Minnesota.
Who publishes Dairy Star?
Star Publications LLC, a privately held Sauk Centre company owned by seven Minnesota partners.
Is Dairy Star free?
Yes. Print, online and electronic versions are free of charge.
Which states does Dairy Star cover?
Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Iowa, Illinois and Upper Michigan.
More than 25 years in, Dairy Star is still all dairy, all the time, for Upper Midwest milk producers.