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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 19, No. 22
January 13, 2018
Bigger, stronger calves raised with less labor
Liquid Coin Dairy enjoys benets of automatic feeders By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
MILLADORE, Wis. – Labor issues sent Scott and Joyce Karl searching for other options for calf care on their family’s Liquid Coin Dairy in Wood County near the town of Milladore, Wis. The answer that best t their needs was building a barn to house an automated calf feeding system. Since October 2015, Liquid Coin Dairy has used an automatic feeding system to give its calves milk. The dairy is a partnership consisting of the Karls along with Joyce’s parents, Leroy and Leiann Altmann, and her brother, Pat and his wife, Jill. Scott and Joyce are in charge of the 500cow dairy herd and Leroy and Pat work together to run the crop and machinery aspect of the farm. Scott and Joyce’s children, Cheyenne, Tyler and Christopher, and Pat and Jill’s sons, Dylan and Noah, all work on the farm. The need to change their
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
The Karls (from leŌ) – Cheyenne, Joyce and ScoƩ – manage the dairy herd at Liquid Coin Dairy near Milladore, Wis., in Wood County. In October 2015, the Karls built a new facility to house an automaƟc calf feeding system. calf program came about three and a half years ago. Cheyenne left to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Farm and Industry Short Course, and another employee left to take a job off the farm. “It was going to be just me feeding calves,” Joyce said. “We needed to either do this or
hire more employees.” The rst calves were moved into the new barn on Oct. 2, 2015, and now there are over 150 calves on milk at any given time. Calves are kept in four groups. “We started with just bottle calves going on to the robots,” Joyce said. “The ones that were
on pails in the hutches stayed there until they were weaned.” The Karls had a smooth transition into using the new system, and they are now calving in the rst groups of heifers that were raised on the robotic feeding system. “We denitely see a difference in those heifers,
especially in increased milk production as young 2-yearolds,” Scott said. “They are bigger heifers.” The Karls attribute that growth to the increased feedings calves compared to when they raised the calves in the hutches. “We fed twice a day in the hutches,” Joyce said. “Now they can go to the feeder ve times a day.” Two Urban calf feeder systems were installed into the barn and four groups are raised on each feeder. There are 15 to 17 calves per group, all born within a two to three week period. Calves spend the rst ve to seven days of life in individual pens in the nursery before being transitioned to the group pen and trained to use the robot. “Each group is all-in, allout,” Joyce said. “When a group is weaned and moved out, we clean the entire pack out and the pen is foamed and sanitized. While the calves live in the pen, the packs are cleaned out weekly.” The calves spend about 63 days on the robots. Each calf has a button tag that the robot Turn to KARLS | Page 6
Why are some farmgate pay prices below class III? UW’s Mark Stephenson explains pricing, premiums By Brittany Olson
brittany.o@dairystar.com
RICE LAKE, Wis. – Between a well-documented surplus of milk putting downward pressure on milk prices, shrinking premiums and farmers being paid under class III federal minimum for their milk, many are scratching their heads and wondering what’s happening to their milk checks. Dr. Mark Stephenson, director of the University of Wisconsin’s Dairy Policy Analysis and Center for Dairy Protability, was on hand to explain this phenomenon at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College in Rice Lake, Wis., Jan. 3. In his presentation, “What’s
Happened to My Milk Check?”, Stephenson summed up trends in the dairy landscape stateside and abroad, offered his analysis as to how those trends affect farmers’ milk prices and gave some insight as to what may happen in the years to come. “Overall national milk price is more reected in impacts of trade, while regional changes in milk production give that price an upward or downward tilt with premiums,” Stephenson said. Production in Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest as a whole continues to grow, leaving the region at a net surplus by about 32 billion pounds. However, milk production in the West, particularly California – whose Central Valley region is still at a net surplus of milk – is declining, as well as the Southeast and East Coast. “Not all the data from 2017 is in yet, but we are seeing substantial declines in the South and California, but growth
in the plains states and Wisconsin,” Stephenson said. “Milk is declining in [those] regions, leaving plants running below capacity and stimulating premiums.” In fact, the Southeast is in a milk decit by about 41 billion pounds of milk. Stephenson said it is becoming harder to dairy in the South Dr. Mark Stephenson as the infrastructure University of Wisconsin to support any kind of dairy farming activity begins to fade with a declining number of dairy herds in that region. “Milk is produced in all 50 states, but increasingly occurs in more isolated regions and pockets that are located further away from major population centers,” Stephenson said. “The task of the dairy industry is to send products to
the places that need them, and they tend to be in different places as dairy tends to move away from populated areas.” Wisconsin, in particular, is so awash in milk that it is taxing plant capacity, and processing capacity is not catching up with milk production. “We are running at the bleeding edge of what Wisconsin can process, and that puts downward pressure on prices,” Stephenson said. “Overall, we are producing an additional 7 million pounds of milk per day in Wisconsin.” Plants can be built to process that additional milk – with some signicant caveats. “We can build plants, but they’re expensive. A new plant can easily cost $250 million or more,” Stephenson said. “Where do we put the plant? What do we make, who are our customers, how do we get the product to them, and Turn to PRICING | Page 5
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Amanda Thooft 320-352-6303 amanda.t@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Andrea Borgerding - Associate Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Krista Kuzma - Assistant Editor (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Ron Johnson (608) 874-4243 ron.j@dairystar.com Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048 cowlady@centurylink.net Brittany Olson (320) 352-6303 brittany.o@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman (715) 245-6848 danielle.n@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Advertising Sales Main Ofce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Jeff Weyer (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-8505 (cell) jeff.w@dairystar.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 fax: 507-634-4413 laura.s@dairystar.com Jerry Nelson (SW MN, NW Iowa, South Dakota) 605-690-6260 jerry.n@dairystar.com Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Lori Menke (Eastern Iowa, Southern WI) 563-608-6477 • lori.m@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 megan.s@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute nal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters.
Note from the StaffNorth America dealers.
Dairy Prole brought to you by your
Happy New Year from Dairy Star!
Thank you for being loyal readers of Dairy Star! As we embark into another year, there are exciting things to note. With the turn of the calendar, we welcome 10 new counties in Wisconsin to our free mailing list. If you are a dairy farmer in the counties of Marathon, Wood, Adams, Juneau, Sauk, Columbia, Fond Du Lac, Dodge, Jefferson or Rock, this issue is your rst. Subscription is free! It has always been our goal to write about what is happening in the barn. Whether we’re speaking with a farmer who recently installed new equipment to a young individual nding their footing in the industry, or perhaps a couple who was engaged with the help of a few cows, the dairy barn is in everything we do. Not only do we write about dairy farmers, but dairy farmers also write for us. Several of our columnists, such as Dave Vander Kooi, Sadie Frericks, Natalie Schmitt and Jacqui Davison, spend their work days on their dairy farm. When we do step out of the barn, we let our talented group of professionals, such as veterinarian Dr. Jim Bennett, and nutritionist Barry Visser, inform us about the topics affecting the industry. Our publication also includes tried-and-true features like From Our Side of the Fence, Women in Jeans and Dairy Prole, which feature dairy farmers in a simple-to-read question and answer format. Dairy Star’s outreach is not limited to the printing press. We also have a free e-newsletter called Milk Break. It is sent out weekly to members of the dairy industry. If you would like to receive this email, send your address to andrea.b@dairystar.com and put “Milk Break” in the subject line. It’s easy to do, and we’ll never release your information. Also, if you haven’t looked at our website (www.dairystar.com) lately, we have a new look and platform. While you are online, check out our searchable Business Directory. This is a great way to nd what you want without having to put up with all the sponsored ads generated on a search engine. As always, we encourage you to shop from our advertisers when you can – they are the main reason we are able to send you our paper twice monthly. Next month, we begin our 20th year bringing you the dairy news from Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. We thank you for letting us into your homes, your barns and your businesses, sharing your stories. We look forward to better times in 2018 and we wish you a healthy and happy year ahead. – The staff at Dairy Star
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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Columnists Ag Insider Pages 8-9 1st Section
The Transition Pen Page 27 1st Section
Menomonie
Labor continues to be a sticking point for agriculture Second Section: Page 5
Rice Lake
Why are some farmgate pay prices below class III?
Withee
First Section: Page 36
Third Section: Pages 4, 8
Women in Jeans: Dakota Bowe
First Section: Pages 1, 5
Ramblings from the Ridge
Chippewa Falls
Milking routine, cow comfort affect SCC
Milladore
Liquid Coin Dairy enjoys benets of robotic feeders First Section: Pages 1, 35
Page 30 1st Section
Veterinary Wisdom Page 31
Bayeld
Douglas
Iron
Deer Park
Second Section: Pages 6 - 7
n
Hillsboro, Wis.
ur Burnett
hb
Making Cents of Dairy
Ashland Sawyer
W as
Quist proposes to Solum with youngstock, paint stick
Dairy Prole: Scott Brickl
Price
Page 39
Page 32
Polk
Rusk
Barron
The Next Generation
Country Cooking
Page 29 Second Section
Menomonie
Hart gives crop and livestock outlook for 2018 and beyond Third Section: Pages 6- 7
St. Croix Pierce
Dunn
Pepin Buffalo
Chippewa
Marathon
First Section: Pages 34 - 35
Clark
Eau Claire Trempealeau
Page 33 1st Section
Rosendale
Vision-Aire Farms takes pride in milk quality
Taylor
Wood Jackson Adams
La Crosse Monroe
Juneau Vernon
Lancaster
Nobles pleased with new dairy center Second Section: Pages 3, 4
ford
Richland
Sauk
Craw
Iowa
Fond Du Lac Columbia
Dane J
Zone 2
Green
on
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Grant Lafayette
Dodge
Helenville
Wheelchair transport lls a need in the community First Section: Page 12
Rock
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:
How have you prepared your farm for the cold weather? Pages 15-16
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
Lake Mills
Wisconsin Holstein Association celebrates junior members First Section: Pages 22 - 23
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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018 • Page 5
how do we move milk? Raw milk is expensive to move.” Raw milk is so expensive to move, which has caused farmers to see their pay price sink below class III, particularly in Michigan where the processing capacity simply doesn’t exist to handle all the extra milk coming in; this is putting pressure on the premiums of farmers in that state and Wisconsin, where much of the excess Michigan milk is going around Lake Michigan into Wisconsin. It is also causing hauling charges to increase. Farmers in the Midwest have typically enjoyed discounted milk hauling, which Stephenson described as another premium, but as milk must be hauled longer distances, hauling costs will continue to rise. “Wisconsin and New York’s premiums have held steady for several years, but Michigan’s premium structure is under real stress,” Stephenson said. “Foremost Farms is building a new plant in that state, which will probably help them more than us by lowering hauling costs, but what will they produce and
“We need to produce less milk, and not just in the United States because the European Union is in the driver’s seat of expansive production right now.” ȃ DR. MARK STEPHENSON, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
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who is their customer? If they produce cheese, we will be competing for the same customers.” The question looming large for many farmers is this: how can they receive less than class III for their milk? Stephenson explained that cooperatives, which he estimated market 80 percent of the milk in the United States, can pay less than federal minimum, while regulated independent plants and creameries must pay federal minimum; Stephenson estimated that 60 to 65 percent of the milk in the United States is regulated under federal milk marketing orders.
Fluid milk plants in a federal order must be regulated. However, if a plant makes cheese, they can deregulate, or have the option to partially deregulate if they have separate intakes for raw milk. “Cooperatives have to receive regulated minimum price from a regulated plant, but they don’t have to pay the federal minimum. They can blend their costs back into the pay price, which is what has been happening with hauling costs for milk from Michigan,” Stephenson said. Stephenson described the milk prices farmers are dealing with as a long, slow scrape. “It’s not like 2009 or 2012, and we’ve had cycles the last 10 to 15 years, but by the time this one is done, probably never as long a trough as this,” Stephenson said. “The milk price is just barely scraping along and covering variable costs but not total cost of production for most producers.” He said domestically there is room to grow with cheese and other product demand, but exports are where the real opportunity lies. He also predicted that the dairy industry will begin to shift northward and eastward again after decades of westward movement, as the earth’s surface temperature continues to warm and create more extreme weather patterns. “Improved production efciency per cow has our current national average at 23,000 pounds of milk per cow,” Stephenson said. “A cow milking 30,000 pounds per year generates something like 30 percent more body heat than a cow milking around the national average and a cow like that simply isn’t comfortable in hot and humid climates. However, hot and dry climates such as the West are still hot for a cow.” In short, global export demand inuences class III price, while local and regional changes dictate the tilt of prices via premiums. Stephenson said that, overall, there is simply too much milk in what has become a global marketplace. “We need to produce less milk, and not just in the United States because the European Union is in the driver’s seat of expansive production right now,” Stephenson said.
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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018
ConƟnued from KARLS | Page 1
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Cheyenne Karl feeds a newborn calf in the nursery room of the calf barn, where calves live for the rst 5 to 7 days before going to the automaƟc calf feeder. reads to determine the amount of milk that calf is to receive, based on her date of birth entered in the computer system. “At the peak, each calf is getting 11 liters of milk a day,” Scott said. “They start out at about ve liters and ramp up to the peak, and then slowly decrease as they are getting ready to be weaned.” Milk replacer is fed through the robots, and they work with a calf nutritionist to ensure the proper rate
of mixing. Calves are fed a 22 percent texturized calf starter on a free choice basis. The Karls notice that the calves are eating starter earlier than they were in the hutches. “We don’t see any scour issues with the robots,” Scott said. “The biggest challenge with the group pens is respiratory issues, ensuring that we have clean air. We had to change our vaccination program a little moving Turn to KARLS | Page 7
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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018 • Page 7
ConƟnued from KARLS | Page 6 in here, but our vet worked with us to make sure everything was taken care of. We overcame the rst year issues pretty well.” The Karls stress that having a robotic calf feeding system doesn’t decrease the management work involved with raising calves. “You can’t just think you don’t have to do anything with the calves because they are on a robot,” Joyce said. “Besides managing the calves, you have to manage the robots, too. The plus side to the system is that one person can run this building, as opposed to needing several people to care for this many calves in hutches.” A local refrigeration company works with the Karl family to keep the automated feeders running efciently. The machines are fully serviced once a year. Each month, they are calibrated to ensure the water is the correct temperature and the correct amounts of milk powder, water and additives are being used and dispensed each time a calf visits the feeders. Each day, the nipples on the machines are removed and washed manually. The machines themselves are cleaned twice daily, once manually and once on an automatic cycle. Hoses are changed weekly. During the recent extreme cold in central Wisconsin, the Karls have had no cold-related issues with the feeding systems. There have been some adjustments that the Karls have had to make since moving calves onto the robots. “We’ve changed the nipples we use to ones with smaller openings,” Scott said. “We had some trouble at rst with
them being too fast and getting some in the lungs.” Despite these adjustment, the Karls have been pleased with their decision and say they would do it again in a heartbeat. “We see a difference in our calves since we’ve moved in here,” Scott said.
“Especially in the strength and the rib structures. We always felt like we had trouble putting rib on our heifers. Our vet has commented on our 2-year-olds, too. I feel like they are reaching their full growth potential now.” With increased labor issues that dairy farmers are facing, the Karls feel
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Trump touts tax bill and the impact on farmers Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018
During a Rose Garden event celebrating the Focusing on need new tax reform bill, President Donald Trump Combest, Sell and Associates co-founder and acknowledged agriculture. “One thing very impor- managing partner Tom Sell said all of the major tant for the farmers, the great farmers and the great farm groups have recognized the importance of adsmall business owners that were forced dressing the dairy and cotton problems Ag Insider to sell their businesses at bargain baseearly to make things easier for the next ment numbers. We have provided, for farm bill. “With these other issues bethe most part, estate taxes wiped out so hind us, hopefully, there will be a better they can keep their farms in the family. ability to focus on the real needs of the That’s a big factor.â€? The tax bill reduces 2018 farm bill.â€? the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. It includes immediate exSmall increase seen in U.S. milk propensing and expanded Section 179 deduction ductions. In the 23 major dairy states, November milk production totaled 16.2 Pay-as-you-go rules waived billion pounds. That’s up 1.1 percent Congress has passed a stop-gap from last year. Wisconsin milk producBy Don Wick measure that funds the government tion increased less than 1 percent. CaliColumnist through January 19. The continuing fornia production dropped by just over resolution also waives the pay-as-you1 percent. go rules for the tax bill. Without that waiver, the government would be forced to make signiďƒžcant Promoting the beef brand budget cuts, including the elimination of all farm The beef checkoff’s famous ‘Beef – It’s What’s program payments. for Dinner’ campaign is 25 years old and being reintroduced to consumers, food industry partners Farm program changes included in disaster bill and other centers-of-inďƒ&#x;uence. A new component The House passed a disaster bill that includes is called ‘Rethink the Ranch,’ which puts the spotkey provisions for agriculture. It eliminates the light on the farmers and ranchers who produce existing $20 million cap on the Livestock Gross beef. From October to early December, more than 2 Margin program. National Milk Producers Federa- million people visited the BeefItsWhatsForDinner tion President and CEO Jim Mulhern said this lan- website. guage provides new risk management options for dairy farmers. The Senate has not taken up the di- Koepen Holding and CRI consider merger saster bill yet. Senators Debbie Stabenow of MichThe boards of directors of two agriculture busiigan and Patrick Leahy of Vermont are pushing for nesses have agreed to a plan to merge into one a legislative ďƒžx for the Margin Protection Program. entity. The deal between Koepon Holding and CoThere is general consensus in Congress that MPP operative Resources International is subject to due needs to be improved, but the lack of funding is the diligence and the regulatory process. Koepon Holdnumber one hurdle. ings operates Alta Genetics, which serves the beef and dairy industries. Koepen also operates a dairy
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management software business and a calf nutrition business. CRI is a farmer-owned cooperative that operates the GENEX cattle genetics business. GENEX operates four auction markets, including West Fargo and Albany. If successful, this merger will take place in mid-2018. New tool for big square bales Krone North America has introduced the BaleCollect, a bale accumulator that allows farmers to collect multiple bales of hay. Krone said the new piece of hay and forage equipment is designed for hay producers that want faster baling and the ability to collect more bales per hour. Feed company expands Furst-McNess has acquired Big Gain Wisconsin. Furst-McNess leadership said the expansion will create new opportunities in the Midwest. This deal does not include the Big Gain feed business based in Mankato, Minn.
Ripp moves to DATCP State Representative Keith Ripp of Lodi has resigned his Assembly seat to take a job at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Ripp will serve as the agency’s assistant deputy secretary. Ripp is a past president of the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association and the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board. USDA names dairy board members Stacy Eberle of Monroe and Becky Levzow of Rio have been selected to serve a three-year term on the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board. Eberle and Levzow are two of 12 dairy farmers appointed to the checkoff board.
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Silo group honors Wisconsin man The International Silo Association has presented its honorary member award to Leroy Shefchik of Luxemburg, Wis. Shefchik founded Shefchik Silo Company, which is now known as Wisconsin Silo. Shefchik is a past president of the organization. Trivia challenge The normal temperature for an adult cow is 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit. That answers our last trivia question.
For this week, how many pounds of milk are needed to produce one pound of cheese? We’ll have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018
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This past year was tumultuous for the dairy industry with several matters affecting many producers’ bottom lines – from weather to government policy. As the year came to a close, Dairy Star reviewed the topics that greatly impacted the dairy industry in 2017 and how they might inďƒ&#x;uence the next 12 months. Milk markets disrupted by supply, demand Despite the third consecutive year of poor milk prices, milk production steadily grew in 2017, with the United States Department of Agriculture noting a 1-2 percent increase month over month from the year prior. Unfortunately, the swelling supply could not be resolved with demand, neither domestically nor internationally, and the results were seen throughout the industry. Last May, nearly 75 producers across Minnesota and Wisconsin were dropped from their processor, Grassland Dairy Products, Inc., due to a change in Canadian dairy pricing policies that halted the country’s import of ultra-ďƒžltered milk from U.S. dairies. The policies affected the distribution of nearly 1 million pounds of product, said a representative with the Wisconsin-based processor. Of the farmers whose contracts were eliminated, Richard Johnson had been selling milk to the company for a handful of years. “We received our letter at the beginning of April and had 30 days to ďƒžnd a new processor,â€? Johnson said. “Just two days before our contract ended, we were picked up by Agropur, and we’ve been fortunate with how things have worked out.â€? To encourage already-full processors to take on patrons who lost their contracts, dairy farmers began a social media campaign asking processors to “just take ďƒžveâ€? farmers whose milk needed a home by May. Over the last year, the entire food industry saw a sharp decline in demand, despite a strong U.S. economy. Phil Plourd, of Blimling and Associates, explored the reasoning behind this trend hitting the food sector and provided examples of how companies are rebranding their products to appeal to the American consumer. In the cheese business, individual snack-sized portions of the dairy product are inďƒžltrating grocery store dairy cases. “Ultimately, we’re still eating, but how we’re eating, where we’re eating and what we’re eating is different,â€? Plourd said. Phil Plourd A revived marketing Blimling and platform, however, has not helped Associates the markets rebound, alone. Experts suggested the solution lies in exports. “The reality is we do an incredibly good job at producing milk,â€? said CEO and president of the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) Tom Vilsack during a meeting in October. “No matter how well we do on the domestic side of consumption, we’re still going to have to have strong exports in order to stabilize the markets.â€? Currently, the United States exports 15 percent of the nation’s dairy sales, according to USDEC. To grow the international trade by 5 percent, Vilsack and CEO of Dairy Management Inc. Tom Gallagher presented an opportunity to reach dairy markets in neighboring countries, as well as those in Asia, the Middle East and Africa over the next few years. Policies setback, propelled industry Two years ago, the nation was politically charged as individuals vied for the 45th presidency. When Donald Trump was elected and then sworn into ofďƒžce last January, many of his campaign promises showed
relief to the dairy industry, but also posed threats. As President Trump’s agenda developed through 2017, so did the concern for crucial international partnerships, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the United States, Canada and Mexico. Negotiations were conducted throughout the year, but an agreement was not made by year-end, as planned. With the United States being the largest exporter of dairy products to Mexico, with nearly 75 percent of Mexico’s dairy supply being provided by their northern neighbor, the U.S. industry cannot afford to have the agreement dissolved. Canada, Mexico and United States ofďƒžcials will continue with negotiations through the ďƒžrst quarter of 2018. The administration’s intentions also threatened the dairy industry’s labor force – an already difďƒžcult aspect of farming. To combat the loss of a labor force, Maristela Rovai and her team at South Dakota State University developed a program that could secure a legal labor force for dairy farmers. The Upper Midwest-Puerto Rico Educational Collaborative was designed to expose job candidates to real on-farm scenarios through extensive training before the individuals seek job positions. “In May, I traveled to Puerto Rico and headed up the training of several individuals,â€? Rovai said, who noted three trainees are now working on dairy farms in Michigan and Wisconsin. With Hurricane Maria toppling the island this past fall, however, the program is at a current standstill. Although labor was addressed, industry woes were far from resolved. Last spring, processors across the Midwest urged dairy farmers to discontinue Maristela Rovai the use of the synthetic growth SDSU hormone recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST), effective Dec. 1, 2017. Throughout the year, farmers across the region re-evaluated their herd management protocols and nutrition to recoup the loss in milk production expected with eliminating rbST. “This next year, we will continue making management changes that we think will soften the blow of the loss of production,â€? said Marianne Peterson, who milks 400 cows with her family near Pine City, Minn. The removal of rbST from dairymen’s toolbox was one in a series of cries for industry support. Last spring, Minnesota lawmakers approached the legislative session with two pieces of legislation to provide relief for milk truck drivers. The push for such changes came from a coalition of cooperatives and the Minnesota Milk Producers Association. The ďƒžrst bill was nestled within the Minnesota Department of Transportation bill, which would allow semi-trailer milk truck drivers the ability to receive a permit to go over the current 80,000-pound limit. Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa) and Sen. Michael Goggin (R-Red Wing) also authored a bill to allow a 10 percent allowance on weight restrictions for straight-unit milk trucks. Both pieces of legislation were approved in the 2017 session. Also in the last Minnesota legislative session, 40 Square Cooperative Solutions was legally granted permission to offer healthcare coverage to participating members in the 2017 open enrollment period last fall. This option for healthcare coverage provided many dairy farming families with the opportunity to explore more affordable choices than what was previously available. With government approval, noted by Gov. Mark Dayton’s signature, 40 Square developed the 40 Square Consortium Health Plan for individuals in rural Minnesota. To date, 1,050 farm families and those involved in agriculture communities are enrolled. On the national level, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) pushed for proper labeling of dairy Turn to 2017 INDUSTRY NEWS | Page 11
Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018 • Page 11
ConƟnued from 2017 INDUSTRY NEWS | Page 10 products, as enforced through the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) regulation to label milk and dairy products. Her DAIRY PRIDE Act was rst presented in January last year, and is currently being reviewed. If placed into law, the act will require the FDA to issue guidance for products improperly labeled as dairy and hold the agency accountable through Congress. Baldwin’s bill mimics efforts made through Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) to encourage dairy condence and consumption. On June 1, DMI launched the Undeniably Dairy campaign – a movement that incorporates multiple facets of the industry in a unique and fun way. “Our objective is to really loudly and proudly, and in a consistent manner, engage with consumers in a way that we build trust and relevance over time,” said Beth Engelmann with DMI. The campaign is expected to evolve in the coming years. Companies merge in effort to better serve customers Consolidation within the dairy industry was rst noticed prior to 2017, but two large mergers this past year captured the attention of farmers and industry partners, alike. At the beginning of the year, Swiss Valley Farms and Prairie Farms announced their intention to become a joint cooperative. The announcement was met with an outpouring of support, and the two cooperatives merged to form Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., March 31, 2017. The merger affected more than 1,200 dairy farmers between the two cooperatives. While the cooperatives now operate under one name, they each retained their brand identity. No more than a few months later, the breeding sector of the industry faced a similar situation as Accelerated Genetics and Select Sires Inc. became one cooperative. Effective July 1, 2017, Select Sires acquired all assets of Accelerated Genetics, which allowed for both companies to further their goals of providing better services for their customers and dairy farmers. With the merger, members of Accelerated Genetics became members of Select Sires and retained full voting membership of the cooperative. Weather troubles persisted yearround From record droughts in one state to extreme cold and ample rainfall in the next, and terrorizing hurricanes, weather played a prominent role in this year’s crop production. Troubles began last January, as moisture ceased in parts of North Dakota. As the year went on, and the drought was established, it traveled south, affecting livestock and crop farmers in the northwest corner of South Dakota and on both sides of the Missouri River. The past year easily became one of the driest years on record, with accumulative rainfall reaching 4.47 inches from March 1 to July 20, according to North Dakota State University Extension Service. Some relief was provided to farmers as United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue authorized the use of Conservation Reserve Program lands for emergency grazing and haying. Then, in August the dry spell broke. “We got 6 inches of rain and that allowed for us to make just enough silage corn,” said Gregg Klusmann, who
milks about 80 cows near New Salem, N.D. “We did have to sell some cows and we’re still a little short on hay, but that August rain saved us.” As the Dakotas pleaded for rainfall, the remainder of the Midwest could not catch a break. Much of Minnesota and Wisconsin endured heavy bouts of rainfall and unusually cold temperatures throughout the growing season and well into harvest. The conditions resulted in many dairy farmers harvesting up until December, some leaving elds untouched. In hopes of nishing harvest, the Capkos – brothers Larry and Jerry, and Jerry’s son, Jared – purchased tracks for their combine. The Capkos run 1,500 acres of row crops on their 250-cow dairy near Swanville, Minn. “We used the tracks until the ground froze and we were able to put the tires back on. We nished harvest Dec. 5, but have about 90 percent of our elds to plow this spring,” Jared said. Drew Schefers Jared Capko agreed. Dairy farmer “Just a couple weeks ago we custom chopped earlage with the ground frozen, but we’ll be a little further behind this spring catching up on tillage,” said Schefers who milks 80 cows near Foley, Minn. If crops could be removed from elds, challenges remained with nishing fall eldwork, and caused a growing shortage for corn stalk bedding. “I don’t remember demand being so great, and that’s reecting in the price of corn stalks, as well as alternative bedding sources,” said Randy Kath with Steffes Group, Inc. A moderate spring season could hold the potential for harvesting any remaining 2017 crops. Optimism on the horizon With 2017 in the rearview mirror, the upcoming year poses its own challenges. “We do expect volatility in 2018, but it won’t be bad if you can act accordingly,” said president of AgResource Company Dan Basse during a Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin webinar Dec. 20. As the United States continues to hold a strong dollar, productivity improving with technology, and other key dairy regions, such as New Zealand and the European Union, slowly expanding their dairy herds, the market outlook for 2018 seems stagnant. For the rst half of the new year, milk prices will remain in the $13.25$17 range, Basse said. However, there is optimism for 2018. If the U.S. dollar weakens and China can become an even greater importer of powder and cheese with their strengthening currency, the markets could bottom on a long-term basis this spring. Additionally, cull rates are expected to be the highest in the rst quarter and predictions indicate the milk market leveling off after the spring ush, most likely in June. “Don’t get excited about a runaway bull market, but we are setting the seeds for more bullish markets due to reduced cow numbers, a little bit better export demand, and less milk supply on down the road,” Basse said. “There is reason for optimism as we look towards the second half of the year.”
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018
Public service a way of life for Heine family
Wheelchair transport lls a need in the community By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
HELENVILLE, Wis. – Service in re and ambulance departments has been a way of life for Rick and Kim Heine for over 30 years. That history led them to ll a void they saw in their community of Helenville, Wis. In November 2012, the couple began Prestige Wheelchair Transport. “We knew there was a need in this area for the service,” Kim said. In addition to the wheelchair transport service, Kim and Rick milk 35 cows and farm 250 acres of owned and rented cropland in Jefferson County. Their ve children, Tony, Katy, Cody, Tyler and Noah, all help with both the farm and the transport service. Awareness for the need of the transport services came from Rick and Kim’s work as EMTs with area ambulance services. The Dodge Caravan the Heines use for their service has a ramp that folds out the back, allowing them to accommodate both stretcher and wheelchair calls. While they are CPR and rst-aid certied, the Heines provide no cardiac monitoring for their transports. Rick and Kim provide transport from hospital to hospital or from hospitals to nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities. They also transport wheelchair-bound people to doctor appointments. Many patients end up at hospitals in their area (Level 1 and 2 trauma centers) because
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
The Heines (from leŌ) – Noah, Kim and Tyler – along with Kim’s husband, Rick, and their other children, Tony, Cody and Katy (not pictured) – operate PresƟge Wheelchair Transport and Holy-Ayr Farm in Helenville, Wis. “We take people to weddings, funerals, to loved ones’ homes for the holidays, and we even take people to bingo or the casino,” Kim said. “We take them where they need to go.” The Heines frequently transport people up to the Green Bay and Marsheld areas and have taken people as far as Detroit, Mich., and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. During 2017, the Heines had about 2,000 calls to transport people, which breaks down to about 100 to 120 calls per month. On Thanksgiving Day, they helped four people go to their family’s celebrations. They provided transportation for three people on Christmas Eve and one additional person on Christmas Day. Transporting people on holidays often takes the Heines away from their own family on those days. “We are willing to give up our holidays so other people can do things they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do,” Kim said. On Thanksgiving, Rick left home to start transporting people at 7:30 a.m. and didn’t return home until 9 p.m. “When we were younger, we hated it,” said Katy. “But we grew up understanding
“We are willing to give up our holidays so other people can do things they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do.” ȃ KIM HEINE, DAIRY FARMER
they have come in on Flight For Life due to accidents or medical emergencies, and when they are released many require specialized transportation. Their services aren’t limited to medical transportations, though.
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how important it was for those people, and how thankful they were. Some of these people might be spending their last holiday with loved ones. It has given us a different perspective.” The transport service is as much a family affair for the Heines as running their farm is. Typically Kim and Noah do the majority of the milking, and Rick does the majority of the van calls. When van calls require both Rick and Kim to be gone from the farm, their kids pick up and ll in wherever they are needed. “We couldn’t do this business without the kids,” Kim said. “They are great about stepping up and taking over chores or helping with transport calls.” Sometimes the Heines will transport hospice patients back home for the nal time. “It’s the end for them,” Kim said. “It’s very nal. We give these patients what we call a love blanket, a soft light-weight blanket for them to cover up with. The idea behind these is that when they pass, their loved ones will have that blanket that smells like them.” Kim can speak to the comfort this gesture brings from rst-hand experience. “We gave my grandmother one when she was suffering from cancer,” Kim said. “She had it from March until June, when she passed away. My grandfather had [the blanket] until he passed away, and then it came back to me. I can still smell my grandma on that blanket. It’s that caring aspect, we’ve gotten good feedback about doing it, it’s usually a crying session.” This life of service and caring is nothing new in the Heine household. Rick began his public service career in 1988 working as a rst responder. Both Rick and Kim became licensed EMTs in 1994 while being members of the Cecil Fire Department and First Responders while farming in Shawano County. They came back to the Jefferson County area to farm with Rick’s family in 2000 and joined the Sullivan Area First Responders. In 2004, Rick became the chief of the Sullivan Area Ambulance Service and Kim wrote the operational plans for the ambulance
department, which allowed them to increase their level of service. Growing up watching their parents’ involvement in public service, the Heines’ children are continuing the family tradition. Tony is a Fireghter 2, and Tyler is entry-level trained as a reghter and is starting Fireghter 1 training. Katy is a student at UW-Stevens Point majoring in elementary and special education. Public service isn’t the only passion in the Heine family. On their farm they have all of the major breeds of dairy cattle, except Guernseys. Rick and Kim fostered their children’s love of the dairy industry in much the same way they instilled an ethic of public service. “We bought or gave each of our kids a calf when they were born,” Kim said. “That way they had an animal they would grow with, that would be special for them.” In 2011, Katy exhibited the Reserve Grand Champion Ayrshire at the Wisconsin State Fair with a homebred cow and came back in 2012 to win Grand Champion honors with the same cow, which was descended from the calf she was given at birth. Wisconsin State Open State Fair championship accolades were also earned in the Ayrshire show in 2014 and 2015, as well as Reserve Grand Champion honors with the same cow in 2016. In 2016, the Heines also exhibited the Honorable Mention Grand Champion Milking Shorthorn at the Winter National Show in Louisville, Ky. With their dedication to both public service and the dairy industry, the Heines have spent their lives giving back to their communities, and have raised their children with the same values instilled in them. Kim sums up her family’s desire to help others in a simple statement of caring. “When there is a need in the community, you just need to ll it,” Kim said. “We are thankful for the people who have helped us in life, and we want to return that to our community.”
Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018 • Page 13
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for Prairie State/Select Sires Prairie State/Select Sires would like to invite all Northeast Iowa dairymen to our upcoming customer appreciation meetings the first week of February. Our program will feature Joel Mergler, Select Sires Global Sales Training Manager. Joel will share an update from Select Sires and feature his international travels to dairies throughout the world. Come join us for dinner and take part in special promotional opportunities. We look forward to seeing you there!
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February 7 11:45 a.m. Elma Memorial Hall Elma, Iowa February 7 7:30 p.m.
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How have you prepared your animals, farm for the cold weather?
How have you prepared your animals and farm for the cold weather? We just tried to plan ahead when they rst forecasted this bout of really cold weather. We got all our lots cleaned and bedded really heavily. We closed up and buttoned down as many drafty spots as possible. We put up extra plywood panels to divert wind. We went over protocols with milking/barn crew for things that must be done differently when weather is frigid, i.e. skidloaders and tractors plugged in, scraping schedule in barn, maternity pack checks etc. What have been major problems on your farm during cold weather? How have you overcome them? The major problem has been manure system freeze up. When temps dip to zero and manure in barn freezes, we can’t scrape it into our manure drops in the center channel of the barn. We made solid metal covers to put on drops. When solid covers are on we have to scrape everything and pile it up outside the barn and then spread it on elds. We lost the channel one year and didn’t get it open and owing til March. Keeping the skidloaders up and running is always a challenge when the fuel wants to gel up. Our 30-yearold L.B. White heater in the hospital parlor decided to give it up just lately. I was able to get all the replacement parts and get it running again, which was way cheaper than buying a new one. What handy tool or strategy have you developed to help protect your herd from the cold weather? Since we built a new parlor a few years ago, we’ve been able to use our old milkhouse as a warm room for new calves before they go to the calf barn. Otherwise just making sure everything is bedded extra heavily all the time. What apparel would you not leave the house without during cold snaps? I can’t be without my Carhartt insulated bib overalls. My wife, Sandy, swears by her glove liners with special thermal lining. Thin enough to wear under milking gloves and still have good dexterity. If you could get away from winter and go anywhere, where would you go and why? My parents tell me it’s 75 and sunny in Arizona and happy hour starts at 3 p.m.! Describe the toughest winter you remember. The winter of 1994-1995. We moved to this farm in September 1994 so it was our rst winter here. We had so much to do to get cows settled in and feed around that time got away from us and it got cold. We fought with frozen drinkers all winter long. We also had a feed system with stationary TMR and mechanical bunk, four silos and lots of conveyors that hadn’t been well maintained and caused headaches everyday. It wasn’t the coldest winter we ever had, but we were just overwhelmed (no hired help and two young children) and not well prepared for winter challenges. Tell us about your farm. My wife and I are rst generation dairy farmers that started farming with 40 cows in a rented barn. We have grown our herd to 485 cows of mostly Registered Holsteins with a few Jerseys. We raise our own youngstock and keep our bull calves until feeder size. Our crop operation runs 1,800 acres. We are now farming with our son, Garrett, and his wife, Dominique and our daughter, Theresa. We are also lucky to have seven very good long-term employees. We are looking forward to welcoming our rst grandchild in April.
Sarah Tommerdahl Hudson, Wis. St. Croix County 100 cows
Peter Winch Fennimore, Wis. Grant County 220 cows
Troy Madland Lyndell Dairy Lyndon Station, Wis. Juneau County 485 cows
How have you prepared your animals and farm for the cold weather? We try to bed heifers extra and get sand put in on the warmest days for our cows. What have been major problems on your farm during cold weather? How have you overcome them? Waterers have been issues over the year. We updated to new ones in the last few years. And, we’ve learned where to pile a little snow on the walls of buildings for insulation. We are getting behind on scraping frozen manure. What is a handy tool or strategy you have developed to help protect your herd from the cold weather? We use different dips in cold weather and feed more. What apparel would you not leave the house without during cold snaps? Insulated boots, socks and gloves and my long underwear, of course. If you could get away from winter and go anywhere, where would it be? I would head back to Hawaii to do some more sightseeing and warm up. Describe the toughest winter you remember. In the mid 1990s when I started on halves with my parents, we bought heifers to calve in January and February. Our barns are very open and cold, so we had a bunch freeze their udders. We have learned not to calve in that time period. Tell us about your farm. We milk up to 220 cows with my wife, Christina, and three boys and two hired hands, James and Juan. Our cows are fed a TMR and pasture. We are building a new dairy setup for 240 head this summer on a green site.
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How have you prepared your animals and farm for the cold weather? We put a plastic curtain on our freestall barn and changed the ventilation in the tiestall barn to keep warm air moving through. We also bed calves like crazy. What have been major problems on your farm during cold weather? How have you overcome them? Our washing machine in the barn froze, but we got it thawed out in time before it became a big problem. This winter we have been more prepared because we learned tough lessons in winters past. What is a handy tool or strategy you have developed to help protect your herd from the cold weather? We built a freestall barn in 2014 so we could start keeping cows inside in the winter, and it was a game changer. Going from keeping cows outside to inside was a lifesaver. What apparel would you not leave the house without during cold snaps? I wear a hunting mask when I’m outside doing chores, and it’s just fabulous. Also, my head lamp is top notch and I have to have it. If you could get away from winter and go anywhere, where would you go? Australia looks amazing. Our winters are their summers, so I want to sit on the beach with an umbrella drink and pet kangaroos and koalas. Describe the toughest winter you remember. It was the winter of 2013-14. The underground water lines froze and stayed frozen until May, so I was keeping hoses in our basement and hauling those outside to water animals all while pregnant with our oldest daughter. Trudging through the snow hauling hoses while I was huge was miserable, but we learned a lot of hard lessons that helped us prepare for future winters. Tell us about your farm. My husband, Charlie, and I milk 100 cows in a tiestall barn and switch groups. Some cows are in the tiestall and some are in the freestall. We are also raising several dozen heifers, about 30 calves, and our two daughters, Claire and Nora.
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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018
ConƟnued from FENCE | Page 17 Shane Schumacher Houston, Minn. Houston County 50 Cows
Mark Rueth Oxford, Wis. Adams County 30 cows
Terry Molitor (pictured with his son, Pat) Sauk Rapids, Minn. Benton County 125 cows How have you prepared your animals and farm for the cold weather? We feed more silage and grain to any of the animals (heifers and dry cows) outside because they have to eat more to maintain. In the summer months, they don’t get grain. We also feed them better hay during the cold spells. We don’t change our cows ration because they stay in all day. What have been major problems on your farm during cold weather? How have you overcome them? We’ve had some scours and pneumonia with the calves. They are housed inside in the old barn, but it’s still cold. We try to keep them dry and well bedded, and we watch them closely when it’s really cold. What is a handy tool or strategy you have developed to help protect your herd from the cold weather? We try to get the new born calves dry and get them fed right away so they have something in them. For the bigger cattle, we try to bed them better; they have a pack and a shed. What apparel would you not leave the house without during cold snaps? Long johns are the key; they keep you warm. I also wear a stocking hat. If you could get away from winter and go anywhere, where would it be? I would go to Arizona for a week or two. I couldn’t go longer than that because as a farmer you aren’t used to much vacation, and it would drive me nuts. Describe the toughest winter you remember. The most recent one I remember was in 2013. It was a cold winter with lots of snow. I remember the milk truck getting stuck, and we had to pull him out. It was up on the ridge near the end of the driveway and the snow banks were high. Tell us about your farm. I farm with my son, Pat, and we milk 125 cows in a tiestall barn. We also have a nephew, Dale Prom, who works for us full-time. We farm 700 acres and grow corn, soybeans and alfalfa.
How have you prepared your animals and farm for the cold weather? I believe every farmer has to be a weather man year-round. You always have to be looking a week or two ahead to see any changes coming. It’s better to be prepared. We bed with mostly shavings, but when very cold weather comes, we use straw because its warmer and cattle can nestle down in it. My wife, Nicky, also feeds calves milk three times a day. We feed a lot of hay, so I try to get a good supply close to the barn so it’s easier when weather is bad. Cattle can handle cold better than they can handle wind, so I may put up some wind blocks for calves and cattle outside. We also check waterers outside to make sure heaters are working and set oats so the smallest amount of water is in it so heaters work better and water keeps owing. We let the motors in the equipment warm up before using the equipment, and we plug tractors and loaders in at night. I also crank silo loaders up to start easier. What have been major problems on your farm during cold weather? How have you overcome them? Some of the biggest problems have been keeping silos going with frozen build up on walls. Also, adjusting ventilation in the barn to keep fresh air but not freezing water lines can be challenging. We just have to take things a little slower. We are never in a rush in cold weather. You don’t want to be xing stuff in the cold. What is a handy tool or strategy you have developed to help protect your herd from the cold weather? The calves have blankets or jackets for the rst few weeks, and are fed three times a day. The calves are in hutches, so we ensure good bedding and that they are out of the wind. We keep the older calves out of the wind and increase their feed consumption. The cows are in the barn, and kept well bedded and fed.
What is a handy tool or strategy you have developed to help protect your herd from the cold weather? We use a dry post dip in the winter. I tend to go a little overkill with it. Anytime it gets below 27 degrees, I start using it. It’s better to be proactive than be reactive and have frozen teats. Other than that, we make sure to have good nutrition along with lots of bedding and keep fresh air in conned spaces even if it’s really cold. Plus, a good vaccination schedule helps, too. If you have the basics along with the smaller details, the cows will take care of themselves. What apparel would you not leave the house without during cold snaps? My long johns, wool socks and sheep skin mittens. When my hands and feet get cold, it’s over, and I usually have to go in the house to get them warmed up. If you could get away from winter and go anywhere, where would it be? I would go to Arizona. I can still nd cattle there, and I’m sure I could nd a farm to help.
If you could get away from winter and go anywhere, where would it be and why? We show cattle and in January is the Swiss Expo in Switzerland. It is a great cattle show, and I am wishing I was there this week. But you hate to leave the farm when the weather is bad because lots of things can go wrong.
Describe the toughest winter you remember. Last winter there was so much ice. It got to the point where you couldn’t walk between the buildings. Usually feeding cows would take 20 minutes, but it took an extra hour because of the inch of ice that was all over the farm yard. Cows tolerated it better than we did. None of them fell, but we got our share of bumps and bruises from falling on the ice.
Describe the toughest winter you remember. Without a doubt a few years ago with the polar vortex was brutal with a lot of snow and very cold weather. We had water lines that froze underground. The water line to the calf hutches did not thaw out until Mother’s Day.
Tell us about your farm. My grandpa bought this farm in the late 1940s after he got out of the service. In 1991, my dad took over. In the fall of 2013, I came back full time. In addition to our dairy herd, we have a beef herd of about 30 head along with 200 acres of corn and hay. In addition to dairy farming, I haul milk on the weekends as a relief hauler and sell seed corn.
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What have been major problems on your farm during cold weather? How have you overcome them? Cows calving out in the open. Even when we give them lots of bedding outside, some of them still want to calve where there is no bedding. Now, we use an enclosed shed for calving.
What apparel would you not leave the house without during cold snaps? I like my boot heater, so my boots are warm. Also, a vest that covers my neck and a good hat with a face mask on it.
Tell us about your farm. Our farm has had a few changes this past year. We sold the majority of our breeding herd in March. Now we are housing some nicer cattle for the show industry, and we kept a small nucleus of our herd for ourselves.
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How have you prepared your animals and farm for the cold weather? For the farm, we make sure our tractors have No. 1 diesel in them and we check their antifreeze so they don’t gel up. We also check the temperature on the cattle waterers and turn them up so they don’t freeze. For the cows, we meet with our nutritionist to add calories and energy to the ration. We make sure all the animals have plenty of bedding. We house our milking herd outside so having good bedding is important. During cold snaps, we also keep a closer eye on all the animals. We make sure to take a couple extra minutes to look them over and watch for any problems.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018 • Page 17
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018
Top Performers
Third robot boosts production at Heintzes’ farm Heintz Badger Valley Farm Doug, Julie and Dayne Heintz Caledonia, Minn. Houston County 210 cows
3X a day, have you tried it in the past? The average number of milkings ranges from 2.9 to 3.1 depending on how many cows are in the barn.
What is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? Our current rolling herd average is 29,262 pounds of milk with 1,040 pounds of fat and 912 pounds of protein. Our somatic cell count runs between 110,000 and 126,000.
Do you contract your milk? Has it been successful for you? We have done a little bit in the past, but have not contracted milk for at least four years.
How many times a day do you milk? If you don’t milk
Describe your housing and milking facility. We have three robots. We built the free ow facility nine years ago.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Doug Heintz and his son, Dayne, milk 210 cows on their dairy, Heintz Badger Valley Farm, near Caledonia, Minn. Their herd is milked by three roboƟc milking units and has a current rolling herd average of 29,262 pounds of milk with 1,040 pounds of fat and 912 pounds of protein.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
A laser on a robot detects a cows teat during milking unit attachment. Adding a third robot to their farm helped the Heintz family boost their herd’s producƟon.
At that time, we only had two robots. We added on to the robot room to accommodate a third (used) robot in July 2014. The housing is a threerow sand bedded freestall barn with 115 stalls. There is only one group, so all cows have access to all three robots. To accommodate our growing herd and an increasing number
of youngstock, we converted a shed to a heifer barn and added a lean-to with headlocks to another barn. What is the composition of your ration? What has been one of your most recent changes that has been successful for you? The cows are given a high forage diet with
corn silage, baleage, dry corn and soybean meal. In the robot, cows are fed a high palatable pellet based on production – one pound of pellets for every 10 pounds of milk. We have had nearly no changes with the pellet from day one. In the rest of the ration, the most recent change was balancing for lysine, which we started Turn to HEINTZ | Page 20
BYRON SEEDS Presents 2018 Winter Forage Seminars Don’t Miss It!
Iowa Seminars Featuring:
• Ev Thomas - Retired Forage Agronomist for the WH Miner Institute • Jim Paulson - Retired Extension Dairy Educator These are Educational Seminars, not sales pitches, free to all Livestock Owners, Nutritionists and Agronomists. These sessions will be worth your time!
Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018
Feb. 14, 2018
Feb. 15, 2018
New Haven Community Center
Cam Building
Country Junction Restaurant
Burkholder Seeds
Rick Tamm
NW Territory Manager
320-267-5021 Brad DeBauche
NC Territory Manager
920-660-7974 Larry Hawkins 608-516-0101
507-279-0292 Justin 507-456-0006
Gerard Becker
Long Prairie, MN (320) 290-9261
Hy View Feeds 507-493-5564 Mabel, MN
Valley View Ag Russ Funke Dyersville, IA (563) 590-6939
Schueler Farms
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For more details, call Brad DeBauche, NC Territory Manager at 920-660-7974 Greenwald Elevator
Jack Stamschror Kellogg, MN (507) 259-0269
Timberline Dairy Service Joe Graber Kalona, IA (319) 656-3527
Thursday,
All seminars start promptly at 10 a.m. and end exactly at 3 p.m. Lunch is provided.
Sherman Schueler 330-987-3159 Willmar, MN John Dockendorf (320) 894-4808 Greenwald, MN (320) 290-1240 Cleeson Mill Travis Schlosser Altura, MN Miltona, MN (507) 458-5907 218-639-1727
Luxemburg Feed Service
1006 Nutmeg Ave. Kalona, IA
3000 360th St. Osage, IA
Don’t worry - our Minnesota Seminars will be March 20-23, 2018 For more info or dealer Claremont, MN inquiries - please call: Dwight
Wednesday
Dale Ommodt, CCA Crop & Livestock Nutrition Atwater, MN (320) 212-3190
Winscher Seeds Mike Winscher 320-282-6748 Shawn Winscher Royalton, MN (320) 420-4516
Lee Kurtenbach
Mechanicksville, IA (319) 241-5105
Peak Forage Products LLC
Benjamin Arlt
Natures Best
Tim Huffman 608-574-7918 Nelson Horst Adam Decker 608-988-6855 Canton S.D. Kevin Zimmerman (605) 359-0765 608-574-7918
Natures Best
Big Stone City S.D. (651) 331-8865
Jason Mickelson Frazee, MN 218-849-3137
Mervin Beachy St. Ansgar, IA (641) 381-0054
DJ Cattle Co.
Daryn Yoder Leon, IA (641) 344-6002
Chad Tesch Canton S.D. (605) 759-5622 Dan (Boone) Uphoff, Sioux Falls S.D. (605) 321-1862
Natures Best Roger TeSlaa
Inwood, IA
(605) 370-2249
Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018 • Page 19
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“ ... tough on swelling, tender on skin.” — Graisson Schmidt
RUANN GENETICS, RuAnn and Maddox Dairies Steve and Pat Maddox, RIVERDALE, CALIFORNIA 5000 registered Holsteins 27,200M 3.7 1007F, SCC 150,000 Reserve Grand Champion Holstein 2017 NAILE
Photo credit: Bullvine
“Udder Comfort™ gives us an edge, used for fresh cow edema and hard quarters. At home, we like the blue, to know our milkers use it,” say Pat and Steve Maddox, Riverdale, Calif. Together, their RuAnn and Maddox Dairies milk 5000, all registered Holsteins. Breeders of elite Holsteins, including over 700 EX and 7000 VG, RuAnn Genetics sell worldwide, building on the record of their late father Doug, a Dairy Shrine Distinguished Dairy Cattle Breeder. At the 2017 World Dairy Expo, homebred Ruann Doorman Jean was 2nd fall yearling, and 4-yr-old Claquato-RH Eve-ET was 8th of 33. She was reserve grand in Louisville. “Our show cows get Udder Comfort after bagging. It’s all about blood flow and supporting the cow. We use it on fresh cows at home under the same principle.
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018
ConƟnued from HEINTZ | Page 18
about two years ago. We seemed to get a good response from it. We also pulled cottonseed three years ago to try to cut cost. We were worried about taking it out, but we didn’t seem to see a change in production. We are constantly trying to make the best quality alfalfa we can. Through the years you’ve been farming, what change has created the biggest jump in your herd average? The biggest change was when we added the third robot. At that time, we knew the heifers were struggling, partly because we were running too many cows per robot. Within the rst week of having the third robot, the number of milkings with the heifers jumped from 2.1 to 3.1. That rst year with three robots, the total pounds of milk per cow increased 9 pounds. We had no intention of adding another robot, but it helped our herd. What is your herd health program? We do a herd check once a month. We have found that the less we do in the barn to stir up the cows, the better they are. It is part of our robot theory. We have realized Sundays are our best days of production because we disturb the cows in the pen the least that day. We pregnancy check cows at 28 days and again at 60 days. What does your dry cow and transition program consist of? We have one group of dry cows. We did this because every time a cow is moved to a new pen, it puts stress on her. Every day, we sort out the cows in the dry cow pen that are due in 21 days or less in order to give them ionic salt on top of dry corn. We feel that helps them in the transition period. The length of a
dry period will depend on how much a cow is milking and the number of cows milking in the barn. Typically, it is between 45-60 days, with a target of 55 days. The dry period is when we do hoof trimming, and we make sure they have the appropriate vaccines. At calving, cows are given Bovikalc and Imrestor, a product that helps build the immune system. For the rst 28 days in their lactation, cows are also given a liquid glucose product in the robot. We try to target the dry cows so they can hit the ground running and not have any problems with starting their lactation. What role does genetics play in your production level and what is your breeding program? Our herd has been AI bred and mated for over 35 years. We have a closed herd and all our animals are home bred. We do not use genomics – only proven sires. We look at type, specically udders along with feet and legs, and production. We watch rear teat placement with our matings because it takes longer for the robots to attach if the teats are too close. The robots give us activity and also tell us optimum breeding time. For our heifers, our herdsman, Matt Feldmeier, does tail chalking. Because of this, we are able to have a pregnancy rate of 31 percent with conception at rst breeding at 54 percent. We are quick to use CIDRs on open cows so we do not have to keep rebreeding and do not have to disturb them. Matt takes care of the breeding during the week and our son-in-law, Paul McCormick, does the breeding on the weekends. When either one of those two can’t, Dayne and I (Doug) do it. Recently, we started using a combination of sexed semen and Red Angus. We like the barn to stay at 165
What would you say are the three most important factors for you that helped you attain your current herd average? The rst is a great environment with sand bedded free stalls. The cows are comfortable so they produce. The second is consistency – both in feed and in milking. The third is reproduction. We are getting our cows pregnant, but we’re also taking care of them when they do get pregnant. Plus, we are getting them a great start when they freshen.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
A high palatable pellet is fed in the robots. The amount given to each cow depends on producƟon – one pound of pellets is fed for every 10 pounds of milk the cow produces. cows, but we have times it gets more or less than that because of the number of cows having calves at certain times. If it is nine months from the time we want more cows in the barn, we use sexed semen. If it is nine months from a time we want fewer cows in the barn, we use Red Angus. What type of improvements would you like to make that would increase your rolling herd average even higher? Either more bunk space and more stalls or fewer cows. Right now, we are over capacity. With the robots, we have found that we can run more cows in our barn than a parlor setup because cows are up moving around to get milked. Our magic number is 165 cows in the freestall barn.
Tell us about your farm. In addition to our dairy, we farm 450 acres of corn and alfalfa. Half of the corn is chopped for silage. We raise all our own replacement heifers. We all have our jobs: Doug mixes the feed, watches for cows calving, and takes care of the fetch groups in the evening and weekends. Julie does the bookwork. Dayne has always helped on the farm even while in school and working full-time off the farm with robot start ups; however, he returned to the farm full-time one year ago. His main responsibilities are calves, eldwork, and robot and machinery maintenance. Our daughter, Jackie, is a teacher for the local school district, and her husband, Paul McCormick, is our nutritionist. Our herdsman, Matt Feldmeier, has been working for us for 14 years. He works part-time in the mornings on weekdays. He is in charge of breeding and drying off cows along with other herd health tasks. He also takes all our bulls and raises them on his farm as steers. We have recently started the process of transition planning as we bring in the next generation.
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7 2 11 8 11 2 2 4 11 4 8 13 8 4 7 2 13 7 2 13 8 1 2 2 8 2 6 9 6 7 5 4 12 2 5 7 6 5 7 8 4 12 4 12 4 9 3 7 8 4 4
ARTICULATED 4WD TRACTORS Versatile 485, 2011, 1825 hrs., #143384 ..... $134,900 JD 8640, 1987, 10435 hrs., #137151 ...............$20,350 JD 9400, 1996, 6332 hrs., #134367 .................$69,500 JD 9400, 1997, 6450 hrs., #143813 .................$73,000 JD 9620, 2006, 6120 hrs., #138706 .................$99,500 JD 9410R, 2013, 1760 hrs., #143197............ $209,500 JD 9410R, 2014, 1525 hrs., #143772............ $230,000 JD 9460R, 2014, 2656 hrs., #141947............ $233,000 JD 9520R, 2017, 350 hrs., #142212 .............. $329,500 JD 9620R, 2015, 561 hrs., #137678 .............. $365,000 JD 9620R, 2015, 693 hrs., #125913 .............. $365,000 Caterpillar MT945C, 2009, 2805 hrs., #143742 ................................................................ $159,000 NH T9020, 2009, 2700 hrs., #142873 ........... $129,000 BOX DRILLS JD 455, 1992, #143815 .......................................$18,900 JD 455, 1996, #132155 .......................................$19,500 JD 455, 2004, #141660 .......................................$20,700 JD 455, 2017, #139188 .......................................$55,900 JD 455, 2016, #131015 .......................................$62,900 JD 1590, 2007, #143037 .....................................$31,900 JD 455, 1992, #137165 .......................................$14,500 COMPACT LOADERS JD 304K, 2015, 346 hrs., #137480 ...................$69,900 JD 324K, 2015, 530 hrs., #132149 ...................$86,900 JD 324K, 2016, 488 hrs., #134263 ...................$87,900 JD 324K, 2016, 609 hrs., #143799 ...................$89,000 COMPACT TRACK LOADERS JD 323E, 2016, 152 hrs., #137785 ....................$54,900 JD 323E, 2017, 317 hrs., #140018 ....................$56,500 JD 329E, 2014, 313 hrs., #131459 ....................$56,900 JD 333E, 2014, 894 hrs., #133945 ....................$54,900 JD 333E, 2014, 942 hrs., #135021 ....................$59,900 JD 333E, 2015, 352 hrs., #134320 ....................$68,900 JD 333E, 2016, 327 hrs., #134167 ....................$68,900 JD 333G, 2016, 198 hrs., #143181 ...................$71,000 JD 333G, 2017, 429 hrs., #142769 ...................$71,900 NH C227, 2011, 1000 hrs., #140112 ................$27,500 FIELD CULTIVATORS JD 980, 1998, #143425 .......................................$14,900 JD 985, 1993, #138938 .......................................$15,000 JD 985, 1995, #130971 .......................................$18,000 JD 985, 1998, #135905 .......................................$21,500 JD 985, 1998, #138937 .......................................$15,000 JD 2200, 2003, #142441 .....................................$26,000 JD 2210, 2005, #120515 .....................................$39,500 JD 2210, 2009, #143803 .....................................$43,500 JD 2210, 2013, #140858 .....................................$59,500 JD 2210, 2013, #143827 .....................................$29,000 JD 2210, 2015, #143511 .....................................$49,000 International Harvester 45, #124448 .................$1,995 Case 4800, 1988, #142790...................................$8,350 Wil-Rich QUAD X, 2005, #138553....................$20,900 Wil-Rich QUAD X2, 2011, #138552 .................$38,695 CIH 200, 2011, #129150 .....................................$55,000 CIH 200, 2012, #135767......................................$52,000 CIH 200, 2012, #135951 .....................................$53,000 CIH TIGERMATE 200, 2010, #140723 ..............$45,000 PLANTERS: DRAWN JD 1750, 1998, #142760 .....................................$13,000 JD 1750, 2009, #138391 .....................................$13,900 JD 1750, 1998, #143368 .....................................$17,600 JD 1750, 2001, #127462............................... $20,500 JD 1750, 2014, #141859 .....................................$32,000 JD 1750, 2013, #131524 .....................................$33,000 JD 1760, 1996, #140452 .....................................$27,500 JD 1760, 1997, #137790 .....................................$28,050 JD 1765, 2015, #140333 .....................................$72,900 JD 1765, 2015, #138495 .....................................$79,900 JD 1770, 2011, #132629 .....................................$72,500
5 7 12 10 8 11 8 9 1 9 8 5 5 3 8 3 7 9 8 3 10 5 5 4 5 7 3 4 10 11 8 4 7 7 11 2 4 7 4 8 8 4 8 6 6 3 5 4 8 4 8 8 8 5 4 7 4 8 12 10 13 4 9 6 10 11
JD 1790, 2011, #143812 .....................................$79,000 JD 1790, 2013, #140721 .................................. $104,900 JD 7200, #132029 .................................................$13,900 JD 7200, 1986, #136880 .....................................$14,985 White 8200, 2013, #137538 ...............................$49,900 White 8524, 2013, #140624 ...............................$79,500 JD 1770NT, 2006, #135018 ................................$64,000 JD 1770NT, 2010, #131019 ................................$75,000 JD 1770NT, 2014, #140214 ............................. $109,000 JD 1770NT CCS, 2013, #142692 .................... $103,000 Wil-Rich 24-22, 2009, #139224 .........................$53,900 JD 24R22, 2005, #143814 ..................................$39,000 JD DB44, 2017, #141612 ................................. $255,000 JD DB60, 2010, #140814 ................................. $135,000 JD DB60, 2016, #138733 ................................. $266,000 JD DB66, 2005, #141473 ................................. $125,000 JD DB66, 2016, #140442 ................................. $239,500 PLANTERS: INTEGRAL White 8186, 2005, #139731 ...............................$34,000 JD DR24, 2017, #138592 ................................. $189,500 PULL-TYPE SPRAYERS Redball 580, 2006, #136873 ..............................$17,500 Fast 7400, #130185 ..............................................$21,500 Fast 9518T, 2013, #140445 ................................$44,000 Hardi COMMANDER 4400, 2011, #135264 ...$37,900 Hardi NAV 1100, #137542 ..................................$17,000 Hardi NAVIGATOR 4000, 2012, #138223 ......$30,900 Summers ULTIMATE, 2012, #143706 ...............$31,350 ROW CROP TRACTORS JD 4430, 1976, 6250 hrs., #143382 .................$18,000 JD 4555, 1990, 8384 hrs., #140253 .................$45,000 JD 4955, 1990, 13645 hrs., #142214 ...............$34,500 JD 4960, 1993, 10115 hrs., #141012 ...............$43,900 Case 5088, 1983, #143666 ................................$18,500 JD 7420, 2007, 5301 hrs., #134042 .................$58,900 JD 7810, 1997, 6801 hrs., #137231 .................$59,500 JD 6140R, 2013, 2059 hrs., #139642...............$91,900 JD 6145R, 2015, 426 hrs., #120191 .............. $122,900 JD 6155R, 2015, 242 hrs., #134317 .............. $129,900 JD 6155R, 2016, 236 hrs., #127619 .............. $142,900 JD 6170R, 2013, 1165 hrs., #139818............ $134,900 JD 6195R, 2017, 302 hrs., #134688 .............. $169,500 JD 7210R, 2015, 445 hrs., #141371 .............. $169,500 JD 7215R, 2012, 1992 hrs., #142529............ $139,500 JD 7230R, 2015, 195 hrs., #125073 .............. $189,500 JD 7230R, 2017, 130 hrs., #143269 .............. $209,000 JD 7430 PREMIUM, 2010, 3710 hrs., #142442 ................................................................ $101,000 JD 8245R, 2010, 2086 hrs., #140015............ $136,900 JD 8245R, 2017, 534 hrs., #142213 .............. $209,500 JD 8270R, 2010, 5140 hrs., #140901............ $114,900 JD 8270R, 2016, 1145 hrs., #143513............ $170,000 JD 8270R, 2017, 85 hrs., #143239................. $249,000 JD 8285R, 2013, 453 hrs., #137303 .............. $206,000 JD 8295R, 2017, 501 hrs., #141853 .............. $239,500 JD 8295R, 2017, 263 hrs., #133820 .............. $249,500 JD 8310R, 2012, 1595 hrs., #142757............ $210,000 JD 8320R, 2014, 2305 hrs., #127013............ $199,500 JD 8320R, 2015, 1264 hrs., #143520............ $209,000 JD 8345R, 2015, 918 hrs., #136799 .............. $239,500 JD 8345R, 2015, 667 hrs., #137679 .............. $249,500 JD 8345R, 2017, 100 hrs., #143653 .............. $312,000 SKID STEER LOADERS JD 240, 2000, 1383 hrs., #138075 ....................$14,900 JD 320, 2007, 1045 hrs., #142698 ....................$22,500 JD 325, 2008, 3136 hrs., #138043....................$19,900 JD 318D, 2012, 2346 hrs., #143720 .................$23,500 JD 318D, 2013, 890 hrs., #135024....................$29,500 JD 318E, 2015, 2811 hrs., #140525..................$25,900 JD 318E, 2015, 2297 hrs., #135979..................$26,500 JD 318E, 2014, 762 hrs., #135937 ....................$33,500
8 8 11 7 5 5 4 6 4 11 3 7 6 12 4 4 1 5 10 7 11 8 11 7 9 11 4 3 4 8 1 3 6 4 3 5 9 2 2 4 12 11 10 5 4 4 4 6 10 4 2 9 10 6 4 4 10 11 4 8 4 4 6 10
JD 318E, 2015, 478 hrs., #136780 ....................$33,500 JD 318E, 2015, 335 hrs., #142491 ....................$34,000 JD 320D, 2013, 1023 hrs., #133492 .................$28,900 JD 320E, 2015, 1734 hrs., #134169..................$30,900 JD 320E, 2014, 1101 hrs., #135139..................$34,900 JD 320E, 2014, 470 hrs., #142118 ....................$35,900 JD 320E, 2015, 145 hrs., #142683 ....................$38,500 JD 320E, 2016, 79 hrs., #140280.......................$39,900 JD 320E, 2015, 260 hrs., #143386 ....................$42,900 JD 324E, 2016, 104 hrs., #137786 ....................$45,000 JD 326D, 2012, 250 hrs., #135015....................$38,500 JD 326D, 2012, 210 hrs., #135673....................$40,500 JD 326E, 2016, 1105 hrs., #141601..................$38,900 JD 326E, 2015, 387 hrs., #118578 ....................$40,900 JD 326E, 2016, 347 hrs., #138363 ....................$42,000 JD 326E, 2016, 120 hrs., #142477 ....................$46,000 JD 328D, 2010, 410 hrs., #141011....................$38,900 JD 330G, 2016, 600 hrs., #140027 ...................$53,000 JD 332D, 2012, 812 hrs., #127231....................$41,900 JD 332E, 2014, 1359 hrs., #132664..................$38,900 JD 332E, 2015, 122 hrs., #135560 ....................$49,500 JD 332E, 2016, 390 hrs., #139118 ....................$54,500 NH L230, 2011, 3300 hrs., #139121.................$27,300 Bobcat S185, 2003, 1550 hrs., #141064..........$18,900 Bobcat S300, 2004, 3050 hrs., #142625..........$20,900 Bobcat S650, 2013, 859 hrs., #140188 ............$37,500 Bobcat S850, 2013, 550 hrs., #140039 ............$48,900 Gehl SL4835SXT, 2003, 1685 hrs., #143757 ..$14,850 TRACK TRACTORS JD 8335RT, 2012, 3200 hrs., #143521 .......... $169,000 JD 8370RT, 2017, 408 hrs., #143196 ............ $315,000 Caterpillar 85E, 2000, 3019 hrs., #143743 .....$69,500 JD 9510RT, 2013, 1490 hrs., #141091 .......... $249,500 JD 9510RT, 2014, 1293 hrs., #142684 .......... $262,500 JD 9520RX, 2016, 946 hrs., #143518 ........... $369,000 JD 9560RT, 2012, 2093 hrs., #140934 .......... $229,500 JD 9620RX, 2016, 350 hrs., #142273 ........... $459,000 Caterpillar MT765C, 2012, 1779 hrs., #136810 ................................................................ $163,000 Challenger MT865, 2003, 5791 hrs., #138939 ................................................................ $120,000 UTILITY TRACTORS CIH 95, 2010, 972 hrs., #143823 .......................$37,900 JD 2840, 1979, #137677 .....................................$13,000 JD 5320, 2004, 449 hrs., #143775 ....................$27,900 JD 5400, 1992, 5917 hrs., #143385 .................$18,500 JD 6200, 1997, 9911 hrs., #141979 .................$28,600 JD 6420, 2002, 7725 hrs., #143373 .................$37,900 CIH 115C, 2014, 425 hrs., #142395 ..................$63,800 JD 5045E, 2015, 150 hrs., #143514..................$21,900 JD 5075M, 2015, 175 hrs., #143519 ................$37,500 JD 5100E, 2016, 542 hrs., #124826..................$54,900 JD 6105E, 2016, 313 hrs., #124869..................$65,900 JD 6105M, 2014, 396 hrs., #132099 ................$66,900 JD 6105R, 2013, 454 hrs., #135169 .................$91,500 JD 6110R, 2015, 176 hrs., #119898 .................$94,900 JD 6110R, 2017, 198 hrs., #132073 .................$99,500 JD 6110R, 2016, 193 hrs., #133619 .............. $112,000 JD 6110R, 2017, 140 hrs., #142813 .............. $116,000 JD 6120R, 2015, 280 hrs., #124875 .............. $106,900 JD 6125R, 2013, 1500 hrs., #143649...............$92,500 JD 6125R, 2014, 1527 hrs., #142739...............$94,500 JD 6125R, 2013, 600 hrs., #134131 .............. $103,000 JD 6130M, 2016, 217 hrs., #127623 ................$94,900 JD 6130R, 2016, 170 hrs., #138428 .............. $110,000 JD 6135E, 2017, 92 hrs., #134655 ....................$84,900 JD 6430 PREMIUM, 2007, 3725 hrs., #143744 ...................................................................$68,000 CIH MAXXUM 140, 2014, 914 hrs., #140549 ...................................................................$78,500
e
e
rg me
ctE
ctE
Exa
JD 455, 2017, #139188
55,900
$
rg me
Exa
255,000
JD DB44, $ 2017, #141612
239,500
JD DB66, $ 2016, #140442
266,000
JD DB60, $ 2016, #138733
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018
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Carley Krull, of Lake Mills, Wis., was named the Outstanding Holstein Girl and Joey Opsal, of Blue Mounds, Wis., was named the Outstanding Holstein Boy at the Wisconsin Holstein AssociaƟon’s annual Junior ConvenƟon held Jan. 5-7 in Stevens Point, Wis.
Opsal, Krull earn top honors at annual convention By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
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STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The annual Wisconsin Holstein Association Junior Convention took place Jan. 5-7 in Stevens Point, Wis. Over 300 junior Holstein enthusiasts from across Wisconsin gathered to take part in a variety of activities and contests at the gathering hosted by the Wood County Junior Holstein Association. The association’s top junior awards, the Wisconsin Outstanding Holstein Boy and Girl, were presented to Joey Opsal of Blue Mounds and Carley Krull of Lake Mills. “I was so happy and grateful when they announced my name,” Opsal said. “I was really emotional. All my work and dedication and activities as a junior member paid off.” Opsal, 19, is the son of Troy Opsal and Jane Sarbacker. He is attending Madison College, pursing an associate’s degree in professional photography. Opsal just completed a two-year term on the association’s Junior Activities Committee (JAC), including one year serving as the group’s vice chair. Leadership roles in the Dane County Junior Holstein Association, 4-H and FFA ll in Opsal’s resume, and he has also served as a herdsman for Dane County’s Wisconsin Junior State Fair dairy exhibit. Opsal managed the “Hands On Hub” at the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW) Business Conference, which allowed conference participants access to both necropsy and live animal demonstrations. Throughout his years as a junior Holstein member, Opsal has participated in dairy quiz bowl and a variety of other contests, as well as showing his dairy cattle at local, state and national levels. Following completion of his associate’s degree, Opsal plans to return to his family’s 80-cow dairy farm, to work with his father and brother. He also plans to continue to grow his small photography business. Krull, 20, is the daughter of Cindy Krull-Begeman Turn to WHA | Page 23
Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018 • Page 23
ConƟnued from WHA | Page 22 and the late Brian Krull. Carley is a sophomore majoring in dairy science at Iowa State University. On campus she is involved in the Iowa State Dairy Science Club and the pre-vet club. Krull also serves on the JAC, having just completed the rst year of her term. She has been elected to serve as the committee’s chairperson for the upcoming year. Recognition for her work in her dairy projects is not new for Krull. She was selected as a Holstein USA National Distinguished Junior Member Finalist at the breed’s national convention in June. She was named Star Farmer at the 2017 Wisconsin State FFA Convention, along with collecting top honors in the Dairy Entrepreneurship prociency, and placed among the top four in the Dairy Production Entrepreneurship contest at the National FFA Convention in October. “I still don’t really have words to describe my feelings,” Krull said of her latest achievement. “There were so many good candidates. I spent all day thinking I wouldn’t get it, I was really nervous and a little down on myself because I didn’t know if I’d done well enough in my interview.” After school, Krull is looking to pursue a career in dairy cattle reproduction or farm business management for a few years before returning to her family’s farm where they milk 40 head of registered Holsteins and Jerseys. Allison Bruenig of Sauk City, Wis., was named the 2018 Wisconsin Holstein Princess and Brooke Trustem of Evansville, Wis., was named the Princess Attendant. Wisconsin Holstein Youth Adult Leader awards were presented to
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Allison Breunig (leŌ), of Sauk City, Wis., was named the 2018 Wisconsin Holstein AssociaƟon Princess at the recent Wisconsin Junior Holstein ConvenƟon, while Brooke Trustem, of Evansville, Wis., was named the princess aƩendant. Heather Jauquet of Pulaski, Wis., and Angie Ulness of Valders, Wis., in honor of their work with Holstein youth in their counties.
In addition to Opsal and Krull, Wisconsin Distinguished Junior Member awards were presented to Bruenig, Trustem, Jenna Broegge,
Janesville; Kelsey Cramer, Juda; Carmen Haack, Algoma; Kalista Hodorff, Eden; Kaianne Hodorff, Eden; Rachel McCullough, Juda; Sam Minch, Vesper; Austin Nauman, Norwalk; Dawson Nickels, Watertown; Nicole Pralle, Humbird; Lindsey Sarbacker, Edgerton; Ryan Smith, Monticello; Alli Walker, Wisconsin Dells; and Danielle Warmka, Fox Lake. Younger Member Recognition awards were presented to Colton Brandel, Lake Mills; Nicole Broegge, Janesville; Madison Calvert, Cuba City; McKenzie Calvert, Cuba City; Coltin Coffeen, De Pere; Eliza Endres, Waunakee; Matthew Gunst, Hartford; Hannah Hockerman, Westeld; Ainsley Noble, Lancaster; Drew Noble, Lancaster; and Samantha Pitterle, Watertown. Juniors selected to receive the 12 and Under Member Recognition award were Campbell Booth, Plymouth; Ashley Brandel, Lake Mills; Payton Calvert, Cuba City; Gina Frisle, Prairie Farm; Cathryn Gunst, Pine River; Christopher Gunst, Pine River; Elizabeth Gunst, Hartford; Kaydence Hodorff, Eden; Macie Noble, Lancaster; Dylan Ryan, Fond du Lac; Cole Sarbacker, Edgerton; and Kenadee Weigel, Platteville. Juniors elected four new representatives to the JAC: Emma Buss, Belmont, who will join Jessica Steger, Prairie du Chien representing the Southwest District; Hannah Ullom, Bloomer, joining Minch in representing the Northwest District; Mason Jauquet, Pulaski, who will represent the Northeast District with Caleb Hamm, Waupaca; and Joshua Gerbitz, Milton, joining Krull in representing the Southeast District.
Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018
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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018 • Page 25
Country’s largest conference on Nelson McCammon organic farming set for Feb. 22-24 Youth Heifer More than 3,000 farmers and agriculture professionals are expected to gather in La Crosse, Wis., Feb. 22 through 24 for the 29th Annual MOSES Organic Farming Conference—MOSES stands for Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, the nonprot that organizes this event. The conference features 66 workshops in tracks such as eld crops, livestock, dairy, vegetables and specialty crops, as well as soil health, farm policy, and business strategies. Examples of popular workshop topics include Integrate Cover Crops in Row Crops, Technology for Enhanced Protability, High-Density Grazing for Soil Health, Brand Your Booth for More Sales, and Painless Organic Certication. “The MOSES Conference is a goldmine,” said Steve McCaffrey, a farmer from Dixon, Ill., who has attended the conference the past three years. “There’s no better forum for learning about organic
“There’s no better forum for learning about organic practices – for transitioning farmers to experienced organic farmers.” ȃ STEVE MCCAFFREY, DAIRY FARMER
practices—for transitioning farmers to experienced organic farmers.” Farmers can dig more deeply into a topic at an all-day Organic University course Thursday, Feb. 22. There are 11 courses with topics such as biological orcharding, hoophouse production, organic transition, ecological weed management,
and organic pastured beef. See the course descriptions at OrganicUniversity.org. Keynote speakers for the 2018 MOSES Conference are John Mesko, Melinda Hemmelgarn, and Chris Blanchard. Mesko heads MOSES and owns a grass-fed beef operation in Minnesota. He’ll explore the inuence the organic movement has had on agriculture, and how it could impact the future of farming. Hemmelgarn is a registered dietitian and host of the nationally syndicated Food Sleuth Radio show. She’ll share reasons and ideas for reforming the nation’s food system. Blanchard hosts the Farmer to Farmer Podcast. He’ll draw on insights gleaned from the podcast to talk about ways farmers can create a positive work-life balance. In addition to educational opportunities, the conference offers a two-oor exhibit hall with more than 170 exhibitors, including organic crop buyers, certication agencies, seed and tool suppliers, and other organizations that offer products, information or services to help farmers succeed. The event also has a bookstore with a wide selection of farming books, including presenter-recommended titles. Conference registration includes admission to the exhibit hall, workshops, organic meals, and evening entertainment. See complete details and register online at mosesorganic.org/conference. To request a conference guide with a mail-in registration form, call 715-778-5775. StoryCorps, the national oral history project, will be at MOSES 2018 to capture stories of farm transfer. A growing number of farmers are nearing retirement age, many without an heir to take over the farm. StoryCorps plans to interview retiring farmers who have found an unrelated successor to carry on farming. Farmers and successors can sign up for a limited number of interview slots by emailing bailey@mosesorganic.org.
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The Youth Heifer Program aims to help youth from all breeds, interested in working with dairy cattle gain hands-on experience with high quality Registered Brown Swiss. By working with Brown Swiss in this manner, it is the hope of the Wisconsin Brown Swiss Association that youth will learn to appreciate the many outstanding qualities and rewards the Brown Swiss breed offers. It is intended for this to be a two year program with the applicants being between the ages of 9 and 18 for cows and 9 to 19 for heifers as of January 1. Applicants must be residents of Wisconsin and become members of the Wisconsin Junior and the National Junior Brown Swiss Associations. Award recipients will receive a grant for 50 percent (up to a $1,000 total) of the purchase price of a Registered Brown Swiss female of any age. Example: If you are selected and purchase an animal for $1,500 you will receive a check in the amount of $750. Twelve youth have purchased Registered Brown Swiss heifers since the project started in 2013. Applications and project reports will be due to the WI/McCammon Youth Heifer Program Committee, Norman C. Magnussen, PO Box 146, Lake Mills, WI 53551 by Feb. 1. Winners will be presented at the Wisconsin Brown Swiss Annual Meeting, March 3, 2018 at the Deer Valley Lodge, Barneveld, Wis. Applications and more information about this and other programs can be found at the Wisconsin Brown Swiss Association website at www. wibrownswiss.com.
Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018
Direct loans available
FSA offers direct farm ownership and direct farm operating loans to producers who want to establish, maintain or strengthen their farm or ranch. FSA loan ofcers process, approve and service direct loans. Direct farm operating loans can be used to purchase livestock and feed, farm equipment, fuel, farm FSA News & Notes chemicals, insurance and other costs including family living expenses. Operating loans can also be used to nance minor improvements or repairs to buildings and to renance some farm-related debts, excluding real estate. Direct farm ownership loans can be used to purchase farmland, enlarge an By Ryan Brunn existing farm, construct and Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. repair buildings and to make farm improvements. The maximum loan amount for both direct farm ownership and operating loans is $300,000 and a down payment is not required. Repayment terms vary depending on the type of loan, collateral and the producer’s ability to repay the loan. Operating loans are normally repaid within seven years and farm ownership loans are not to exceed 40 years. With the recent economic hardships, interest in these loans are increasing so it is important to act today. Contact your FSA ofce for more information or to apply for a direct farm ownership or operating loan. FSA offers text alerts FSA farmers and ranchers can now can receive notications through text messages on their cell phone. Whether producers are in the eld, on a tractor or even on horseback, this service enables FSA customers and stakeholders to receive notications while on the go. Producers will receive text messages regarding important program deadlines, reporting requirements, outreach events and updates. Producers can text MNStearns to FSANOW (372669) to subscribe to text message alerts from Stearns County. If you would like to receive text message alerts from another county, please text MNXXXXX where XXXXX is the full county name in which you are interested to FSANOW (372-669). For example, MNMeeker, MNMorrison, MNBenton, etc. Standard text messaging rates apply. Contact your wireless carrier for details associated with your particular data plan. Participants may unsubscribe at any time. Please contact your FSA ofce if you have questions regarding FSA’s email news service or the new text message option.
Farm Service Agency is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Visit the Farm Service Agency Web site at: www.fsa.usda.gov/ for necessary application forms and updates on USDA programs.
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Bringing in the new year The Transition Pen
By Laura Scholtz & John Rosenhammer Father/Daughter Farming Duo With the dawn of a new year, another chapter of our life is about to begin. The last 22 years of our lives revolved around our children and their involvement with our school. We attended piano recitals, band concerts, school plays and parent-teacher conferences. Saturdays were lled with basketball tournaments, working concession stands and keeping score of free throws at local Knights of Columbus competition events. We found ourselves at many boys’ basketball games because all three girls were involved with dance line or cheerleading. We became experts at making popcorn and salted pretzels. It was either putting up decorations for prom or taking them down. We would help build sets for the school play. The Christmas programs evolved into musicals and creative homecoming skits. In our spare time, there were the FFA fruit sales in fall followed by 4-H fruit sales in the spring. Laura set the bar too high with FFA sales by setting up a stand at basketball games and selling record dollars worth of fruit. The ip side result of that meant delivering fruit to people that we had no idea where they lived. And then each sibling would try to surpass Laura’s record. In high school, home games on Friday nights were just a beginning to the evening. Parents graciously took turns hosting players, coaches and other parents right into their living rooms where solutions instantly appeared to all of the world’s problems. And when it was our turn to host, the house and garage never looked better. As you can see, for over 20 years our lives were structured and laid out before us. When you know that you have to be somewhere, you know that chores must come rst and develop a plan to accomplish that priority task. Many parents appeared relieved that their children had graduated and nally, in a small way, moved on. For me, there was a void in my life. Something was missing, almost depressing really. Along this new journey God blessed us with Laura’s beautiful wedding and gave us a son-inlaw, Chris, who has been a wonderful addition to our family. We have been also blessed by a healthy and beautiful grand daughter, Ava Leona. She is the center of any activity that occurs in our house. Her innocent smiles are so genuine and those big blue eyes give us so much to appreciate in the beauty of God’s creation. With each day, we get to experience her new accomplishments and help in a small way to shape and be a part of her life. After a year-end tax appointment, Laura and I got to spend the next few hours together for a few last-minute gifts. The conversations that followed remind me that, “Once a father, always a
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father.” She expressed to me how the accountant’s perspective and visions were so different than what we were experiencing from our side of the fence. She expressed to me the different concerns and challenges that she is experiencing. Some of them I suspected, and others I was not even aware of. Her sharing and ultimately asking of advice showed me that she has a void and is also searching for answers. She even shared with me that she went out to the cemetery to visit her great-grandmother, Leona’s, grave. Grandma was always a source of comfort, understanding and sound, faithful advice. I did not tell her what to do, but I shared my thoughts as to why and how I handle different situations in the manner that I do. It seems that in my life, God has put people in place to help me in my times of need. Our task is to recognize this help and to be open and trust that He is taking care of us. We have to allow Him to walk with us.
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So, with the new year ahead of us, we must nd ways to connect and develop relationships with others. Making time is important, but having conversations with those closest is always the rst to get postponed and taken for granted. Setting up a specic time to listen and share what is on everyone’s mind is on top of my resolution list. All too often those closest to us are the most hurt by our actions and words. Not intentionally, but as a result of our human nature and the daily grind. The feeling of receiving a compliment or of helping someone else in need may be the extra boost we need to face another year of challenging milk prices. Happy and a blessed new year to all. John Rosenhammer farms with his daughter, Laura Scholtz, on Roseview Dairy near Sleepy Eye, Minn. They milk 200 Holsteins and run 580 acres of cropland.
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Betty Berning bberning@umn.edu 320-203-6104 Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130 Hugh Chester-Jones chest001@umn.edu (507) 835-3622 Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu (612) 624-5391 Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu (320) 589-1711 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu (612) 625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Claire LaCanne Extension Educator 507-332-6109 lacanne@umn.edu Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu (320) 732-4435 Kota Minegishi kota@umn.edu 612-624-7455 Randy Pepin pepin019@umn.edu (320) 333-1369 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu (320) 203-6093 M. Scott Wells mswells@umn.edu 612-625-3747 Emily Wilmes krek0033@umn.edu (320) 255-6169
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Renewable energy systems for dairy production
The typical dairy farm uses a large amount of energy during milking activities. This is due to the frequency of milking and the energy intensive nature of harvesting milk, keeping it cool and cleaning the equipment with hot water. Renewable energy systems generally become more efcient as the amount of energy used increases, making dairy farms a great place to incorporate renewable energy. The dairy operation at the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) in Morris milks between 200 and 275 cows twice daily and is representative of a mid-size Minnesota dairy farm. The cows are split almost evenly between a conventional and a certied organic grazing By Brad Heins herd, and all cows spend the winter outside in U of M Extension lots near the milking parlor. The existing dairy equipment is typical for similarly sized dairy farms and includes none of the commonly recommended energy efciency enhancements such as a plate cooler, refrigeration heat recovery or variable frequency drives for pump motors. The WCROC dairy provides an ideal testing opportunity to evaluate and demonstrate the effect of on-site renewable energy generation and energy efcient upgrades on fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. A data logger was installed in the utility room of the milking parlor in August 2013 and has monitored 18 individual electric loads, 12 water ow rates, 13 water temperatures and two air temperatures. Average values were recorded every 10 minutes for the last four years. The milking parlor has gas and electric meters that measure the total consumption of natural gas and electricity within the parlor. The data helped us evaluate energy and water usage of various milking appliances. Some small energy loads were not measured in unused parts of the barn or were not directly related to the milking operation. During the fall of 2016, we installed a TenKSolar Reect XTG 50 kW DC array. The annual production from this solar PV system is projected to be 70,000 kWh. The total solar system cost was $138,000 ($2.77/W), which is a 19.7-year simple pay back without incentives. However, if the Made in Minnesota incentives are added, the system would have an 8.6 year pay back. In 2017, we installed two 10 kW VT10 wind turbines from Ventera. These turbines are a three-blade, downwind turbine model. The annual predicted generation for each turbine is 22,400 kWh. The total wind system cost was $78,400 per tower with a 35-year simple pay back without incentives. With the 30 percent federal credit each turbine would have a 24.5 year pay back. Our study suggests that fossil energy use per unit of milk
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A 50 kW solar array is used at the University of Minnesota WCROC dairy in Morris, Minn. could be greatly reduced by replacing older equipment with new, more efcient technology or substituting renewable sources of energy into the milk harvesting process. To improve energy efciency, begin with an audit to gather data and identify energysaving opportunities. Some energy efciency options that may be installed on dairy farms include refrigeration heat recovery, variable frequency drives, plate coolers and efcient lighting and fans. A majority of these upgrades have immediate to two- to veyear paybacks. Make all electrical loads as efcient as possible, yet practical. Consider converting all thermal loads to electricity by the use of heat pumps that allow for cooling of milk. In the future, we have plans to harvest energy from our manure lagoon and store electricity as heat by use of heat pumps. Renewable energy options also can improve energy efciency. We have developed a Dairy Energy Efciency Decision Tool to help provide producers a quick way to estimate possible energy and cost savings from equipment efciency upgrades. The tool can be used to quickly see what areas of a dairy operation may provide the best return on investment. Furthermore, we have developed the University of Minnesota Guidebook on Optimizing Energy Systems for Midwest Dairy Production. This guidebook provides additional information about the topics that were discussed in this article, as well as the decision tool. More information may be found at https://wcroc.cfans.umn.edu/energy-dairy.
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In June of 2014, Time magazine’s cover was “Eat Butter.â€? The article was subtitled, “Scientists labeled fat the enemy: Why they were wrong.â€? Since then, McDonald’s has eliminated margarine and American consumers have drastically increased the consumption of higher fat dairy products. This trend is expected to continue and is having an effect on mailbox milk prices. A milk plant ďƒželd representative recently mentioned there was nearly a $3 difference in pay price among his patrons’ farms (all Holsteins). This difference was primarily due to butterfat and protein tests and also somatic cell count. As an example, for a herd averaging 80 pounds of milk per day, a $2 difference in pay price is a $1.60 difference in daily income per cow. This is over $58,000 income per 100 cows annually. Many farms are able to achieve high components and high milk production. There are farms that are achieving over 90 pounds of milk daily with over 3.9 percent butterfat and 3.1 percent protein. By Jim Salfer Research from Cornell University and the Miner Institute U of M Extension provides insight into this wide variation in component tests. Some milk butterfat is made in the udder tissue. These are called De novo fatty acids and are less than 16 carbons long. The mammary tissue uses volatile fatty acids produced in the rumen to synthesize these De novo fatty acids. The fatty acids longer than 16 carbons are absorbed whole from the blood and are called preformed fatty acids. Fatty acids that are 16 carbons long can come from either source and are called mixed fatty acids. Dr. Barbano and colleagues from Cornell University analyzed bulk tank fat and protein tests on 40 dairy farms in Vermont and New York. They discovered that as the De novo and mixed fatty acid levels increased, so did the herd’s butterfat and protein tests (Figures 1 and 2). The preformed fatty acids were not nearly as well correlated to butterfat and protein test (Figure 3). This shows the importance of a well-functioning rumen to achieve high fat and protein milk. The ration and feeding management strategies both affect rumen health. They followed up by visiting farms to understand the management strategies that might be affecting these differences. Below are some of the factors they discovered and other factors that affect rumen function: 1. Feed a well-balanced diet focusing on highly digestible ďƒžber. Of particular importance is physically effective ďƒžber that promotes cud chewing. 2. Diets higher in fat had lower De novo fat content. 3. Herds with high levels of anti-nutritional factors such as mycotoxins or wild yeast may have low De novo fat content. 4. Herds that have empty bunks for extended periods of time had lower De Novo fat content. 5. Feed bunk space less than 18 inches per cow was associated with lower De novo fat synthesis and lower fat and protein test. 6. Stocking density of greater than 110 percent was associated with lower De novo fat content and lower fat and protein test. Research shows that cows without adequate bunk and lying space eat faster and consume fewer meals. This may negatively affect rumen fermentation. Cows without adequate lying time may also have decreased rumination. Both Minnesota DHI labs are able to analyze milk samples for fatty acids and will provide an FIGURE 1 i n t e r p r e t a t i o n The relaĆ&#x;onship between De novo fat synthesis and bulk of the results. Contact them for tank fat test.1 1 proper sampling Barbano and Melilli procedures. It is also important to note that samples come from the herd or larger groups, not individual cows. These relationships can only be applicable to groups from 150 to 220 days in milk. Early lactation groups will be different because cows are in a negative energy balance. If your herd’s components are low, this tool might provide some insight to you and your nutritionist as to the cause of the problem. " %
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Missing Grandma Ike Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018
She held on ‘til just past Christmas, Our dear Grandma Ike, With family surrounding her Faraway grandkids making the hike.
Memories were shared Through tearful giggles and grins, “I remember the time when ...” Most every famous family story begins.
As a family we held one another, We laughed, cried, prayed, and sang loud, We celebrated her life, but a new worry is near Will Grandpa be okay without the crowd?
Grandpa barely left her side For nearly a week, Holding the hand that got him through life In times that seemed so bleak.
Quilts were dug out And placed back on the bed, For sleeping under a scrappy Grandma Ike quilt Puts the best dreams in your head.
Hidden treasures have been found Scrapbooks of newspaper clippings, pages of pride, Each and every thank you card All placed neatly inside.
Molasses cookies were made To help recall the times we’d stop by, And she’d unearth an ice cream tub full From the freezer – in July!
The woman who stood beside him For nearly 70 years Is now laid to rest Near others held dear.
Her children her stars, Her grandkids her shining lights Picture after picture showed Being a grandma was her true delight.
Handmade sweaters were discovered And great-grandsons wore with glee. It was she who made them all Warm, cozy, and on them – a puppy.
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He’ll get up in the morning Take his seat in the chair, Glance to his right But … she won’t be there.
Ramblings from the Ridge
By Jacqui Davison Columnist
The daily rituals of their life Prayers said, meals shared together Trips to Rockton, uptown to eat This storm he must weather.
For many of us, time will pass As we think of her each day But dear Grandpa Ike The minutes may slowly tick away. Though we know where she is She’s happy and that’s a relief Saying “I didn’t know,” giving lefse lessons And no doubt continuing to give Grandpa grief. It will give us a smile As we feel her presence still As we say “gee whiz,” Or crack open a Sundrop as Mlsnas will. Jacqui and her family milk 800 cows and run 1,200 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wis. Her children, Ira (11), Dane (9), Henry (4) and Cora (adventurous crawler), help her on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones, or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos – and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.
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WHO seeks to end antibiotic use without disease
The World Health Organization (WHO) published guidelines in November 2017 that state livestock industries should stop using antimicrobials to prevent disease or improve production in livestock. WHO also advocates reducing overall antimicrobial use in livestock, especially use of medically important drugs in human medicine. The guidelines contend that the potential human health benets of lowering the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in humans outweighs any harm of limiting antimicrobial use. (JAVMA Veterinary Wisdom potential news bulletin, December 2017) Most people in the United States would probably think this all sounds reasonable. However, in reality, these statements are confusing, make some assumptions that have little basis in science or facts and could lead to harm. First of all, there is a difference between using antimicrobials to prevent disease or improve production. In the United States using antimicrobials to improve production is no longer allowed. An example of preventing disease might be giving a pen of calves an antibiotic injection to prevent a By Jim Bennett pneumonia outbreak when moving into a new pen, or arriving on a new farm, for example, and this type Columnist of use is medically appropriate, and can signicantly reduce animal suffering and disease. Lumping these two different types of use confuses the public and does not advance the cause of appropriate antimicrobial use. Second, while it is true that lowering the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in humans could likely have human health benets, it is not necessarily true that broadly limiting antimicrobial use in animals will reduce antimicrobial resistance in human disease. Antimicrobial resistance is a very complicated subject. Efforts to reduce resistance in humans need to be targeted toward specic actions. A recent summary of antimicrobial use in food animals for 2016 published by the Food and Drug Administration offers some insight why this is true. FDA classies antimicrobials into two broad classes: medically important (for human medicine) and not medically important. FDA is concerned about developing drug resistance to medically important antimicrobials, not necessarily all antimicrobials. In 2016, medically important antimicrobials accounted for only 60 percent of all sales to the livestock industry. Blanket statements about antimicrobial use in livestock almost never consider this fact. Not medically important products are mostly ionophores (82 percent). While it is technically correct to call ionophores such as Bovatec and Rumensin antimicrobials, they really have nothing to do with antimicrobial resistance in humans, and including them in the discussion makes no sense. Second, there is a difference between antimicrobial resistance to different antimicrobials. If we again look at the FDA summary, we nd that 70 percent of all sales of medically important antimicrobials was for tetracyclines. Oxytetracycline, Tetracycline and Chlortetracycline are the specic compounds used in agriculture. Most of us will recognize oxytetracycline as the product in LA 200, and chlortetracycline as the product in Aureomycin crumbles. While it is important to minimize resistance to tetracyclines in humans, it is not accurate to blame resistance to newer antimicrobials that are critically important to human medicine, e.g. uoroquinolones, or cephalosporins on tetracycline use in livestock. According to the FDA report, uoroquinolones and cephalosporins each accounted for less than 1 percent of sales of medically important antibiotics in 2016. Again broad statements about overall antimicrobial use in livestock are not helpful and do not focus efforts toward solutions that FDA classifies l ifi antimicrobials i i bi l actually could promote better human health. For example, into two broad classes: some years ago Denmark introduced a requirement medically important (for for mandatory reduction of human medicine) and not antimicrobial use. Many dairy farmers stopped using medically important. dry cow antibiotic treatments as a result. While it is true that blanket dry cow therapy may not be necessary in well managed dairy herds, and implementing selective or no dry cow therapy could be considered responsible antimicrobial use, it is pretty clear that dry therapy represents a tiny fraction of antimicrobial use, and that its contribution to antimicrobial resistance to medically important human antimicrobials is probably miniscule. There are some other interesting statistics in the FDA report. First, total sales of approved antimicrobials decreased by 10 percent from 2015 to 2016. Total sales of medically important antimicrobials declined by 14 percent in 2016. The new Veterinary Feed Directive rule did not go into full effect until Jan. 1, 2017, so it is likely overall sales will decline even more in 2017. Second, the percentage of sales of medically important antimicrobials that were for improvement of production was 69 percent. This use will largely go away with the new VFD rule, so we can expect signicant reductions in total sales for 2017. It would be helpful if discussions of antimicrobial use in livestock and its relation to antimicrobial resistance in humans would always start with understanding of facts about actual antimicrobial use in animals. Animal agriculture needs to be at the table of discussion regarding antimicrobial resistance, but opinions should be based on actual, specic use of antimicrobials rather than just citing overall use, or even overall use of medically important products. Jim Bennett is a dairy veterinarian at Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center in Plainview, Minn. He and his wife, Pam, have four children. Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@gmail.com with comments or questions.
Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018 • Page 31
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Forget 2017
Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018
Will 2017 go down as one of those forgettable she can tie her shoes one handed. years? In some ways, yes. But, forgettable years Spring of 2017 started out on the cool and wet sometimes mean more good things happened than bad. side and stayed that way until it quit raining at the end Family – good; crops – good; health – pretty good; of June. It never rained again all of July or the ďƒžrst cows – average; proďƒžts – 10 days of August. The corn fair; projects completed – went into shut down mode But, fforgettable B bl years some- by Aug. 1, and third crop excellent. Our oldest grandson times mean more good things hay was quite light. County became a teenager, our fair time rolled around on youngest granddaughter happened than bad. the 10th of August and the is 4 months old, and there rains came. The corn perked are 13 in between those right up and turned into two. Eight boys and seven girls in all, we can go to a bumper crop, fourth crop hay was great, and the school programs and athletic events for a long time. soybeans were average. I asked my agronomist if the Granddaughter Ava can use her right arm to hold corn was so good because of our precision plant picket things against her body or hold paper on a desk, but so fence stand, the good genetics in the seed nowadays, far does not have ďƒžnger movement in her right hand. the urea we side dressed in June, or the fact that it She is busy in kindergarten learning how to read, and never got really hot during the drought? His answer
was all of the above. Almost everyone in the Midwest had a great corn crop, so I’m thinking it was a higher power and nothing we did that was special. My only health issue that I know about Making Cents of Dairy is my troublesome left foot. Foot doctors call it weak tendons, ďƒ&#x;at foot, arthritic, etc. I have learned to use Tylenol 8-hour arthritis pills and a Velcro brace to make it through a long day of farm work. My grandkids also like to stand on Grandpa’s electric foot massager By Dave Vander Kooi that I use when reading Columnist Dairy Star. It tickles their feet, and they start giggling. I say the cows are doing average. That would be true at 85 pounds per day. Components have been excellent, though, and that helps pay the bills. Our SCC count continues to improve. We hope that can continue in that direction through the summer months when we see challenges. Getting heifers pregnant has been a problem for the last six months, and that problem magniďƒžes when breeding pens become overcrowded and there are not enough headlocks for all the heifers. We had about 200 cows on BST at the beginning of 2017, or about 13 percent of 1,500 cows milking. We have slowly reduced that number to zero during 2017, and we are quite current on our cull list. Sometimes, I think with all the little things we try every year that supposedly get us 2-3 pounds more milk, we should have a 100-pound tank average. Proďƒžts on the dairy and cropping have been tough to come by. Going forward into early 2018 sounds like it could be even tougher. I’m going to go out on a limb and say national milk production will ďƒ&#x;atten out very soon, due to lack of BST, low prices, higher cull cow prices going into spring and higher than average sellouts. If we get a hot summer, milk prices will rebound nicely by August. Save this paragraph and call me an idiot if I’m wrong. The year 2017 was a success in terms of projects we completed. The south barn addition is ďƒžnished and full of cows. We pattern tiled 270 acres this fall. We are in the process of redoing our ofďƒžce and bathrooms, and are straightening freestalls in the north barn. We also are replacing all 66 of our belt drive fans in the cross-vent barn with direct drive fans. I wish all of you a blessed 2018, and I’ll keep writing if you keep reading. Vander Kooi operates a 1,800-cow, 4,500 acre farm with his son, Joe, and daughter-in-law, Rita, near Worthington, Minn. Send him feedback at davevkooi@ icloud.com. Follow him on Instagram, @davevanderkooi.
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An incredible reason to smile
Dairy farming is tough, especially now. Cold weather often makes chores more challenging. Our wonderful full-time employee took a different job, so we are without regular help at the moment. And, dread doesn’t even begin to describe our feeling about the price forecast for the rst-half 2018. But, we’re dairy farmers. We are tough. We’ll persevere. And, one thing that keeps us going is nding joy in what we do. Here’s a story that will keep us smiling for a long time. Dairy Good Life Several years ago, our cow, Sassy, gave birth to a set of twin heifer calves. On the day she calved, the sky was literally divided between sunshine and storm clouds. We named her twins Sunny and Stormy; Sunny was the white twin and Stormy was the black twin. Sunny and Stormy grew up to be completely different cows, but both were beautiful in their own way. And in the interesting way genetics work, Sunny’s rst heifer calf, Shine, turned out to look just like Stormy. Stormy’s rst heifer calf, Spring, looks By Sadie Frericks more like Sunny. Columnist After that rst heifer calf, Sunny went on to have a couple of bull calves. Then, in her third lactation, she settled with twins. When it came time to dry Sunny off, we decided to keep her with the milk cows instead of moving her to the dry cow pasture. We wanted her to have access to a higher-calorie diet; it takes a lot of energy to grow twins. One day during milking, we could clearly see Sunny’s twins wrestling inside of her. The prenatal kicks continued for quite a while. I took a short video of the kicking and shared it on social media. The response to the video was crazy. Several of the video’s viewers asked if I would share the birth of Sunny’s twins, as well. I promised I would, provided we were around when she calved. I wasn’t about to stage an all-night watch party just to capture the birth on lm. Sunny cooperated and delivered her twins at lunchtime on a mid-June day, under the shade of the oak trees in the pasture. Between checking calf positions and assisting, I took a few photos and videos of the process. It truly was a pictureperfect twin birth. The only unfortunate part was that Sunny’s twins were a male and a female. I had hoped that these already-famous calves would have a future in our herd. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. However, when it came time to sell the next group of bull calves, Glen couldn’t bring himself to send Sunny’s heifer calf along. He liked how she looked so much – and knew that she was out of a very promising bull – so he decided we should double check to make sure she was truly a freemartin before we sold her. In the rst years we were farming, we tested a couple of twins, but they were always conrmed to be freemartins. Plus, we have an abundance of replacements. So we stopped testing. We asked our vet about the blood test. He offered that, instead of the blood test, we could wait until she was about 400 pounds and then check her reproductive tract via ultrasound. We decided to go with the ultrasound. Sunny’s twin graduated from the calf feeder pen and moved out to the heifer yard. We never gave her a name. We didn’t enter her in the computer. We didn’t even put an ear tag in her. I guess we were doubtful that she’d be on the right side of the odds. As it was, we never got around to having the vet out to ultrasound Sunny’s twin. But lo and behold, the heifer started coming into heat. So, one day when we had the heifers in the headlocks, Glen palpated Sunny’s twin himself and declared that it felt like all of the right parts were there. We crossed W d our fi fingers that h In October, Sunny’s twin was bred. she’d settle. A pregnancy for Now she needed a name Smile would be all the more so we could at least record her service in the breeding chart. special because we had said Glen named her Smile. goodbye to Sunny in September. We crossed our ngers that she’d settle. A pregnancy for Smile would be all the more special because we had said goodbye to Sunny in September. After a longer than normal open period, Sunny had settled and was due to calve in the fall. We dried her up a little early and sent her to one of our remote pastures with the heifers. We’ve found that sending a gentle, old mama cow along helps to keep the heifers from running amok when they’re rst introduced to pasture. Unfortunately, the pasture owner called a couple weeks later to tell us that it looked like Sunny had lost her calf. Glen drove over to the pasture to check on Sunny. Sure enough, the worst was true. Sunny looked content and unstressed, but had denitely lost her calf. We suspect that she might have been pregnant with twins again, thus the early calving. We left Sunny with the heifers for the rest of the summer. But when the heifers came home from pasture, we said farewell to Sunny. In December, we sent the blood sample in to check Smile’s reproductive status. We all smiled real big when she came back pregnant. If all goes as it should, Smile will calve in July. She’ll be our rst ever twin-toa-male to become a cow. You can bet I’ll be right there to photograph her delivery, smiling the whole time. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minn. They have three children – Dan, 11, Monika, 8, and Daphne, 5. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com
Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018 • Page 33
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018
Vision-Aire Farms takes pride in milk quality Advocating for dairy industry takes precedence for family By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
ROSENDALE, Wis. – Janet and Travis Clark have a deep sense of pride for what they have accomplished with their registered Holstein herd at Vision-Aire Farms near Rosendale, Wis. The Clarks own Vision-Aire Farms in partnership with Janet’s parents, Roger and Sandy Grade, and her brother, David Grade. The Clarks manage the farm’s dairy herd and David operates the cropland and machinery aspect of the farm. The Grades and Clarks own and rent just
under 1,000 acres of cropland in Fond du Lac County. In addition to the dairy herd and crops, they also operate a custom harvesting and baling business. Roger and Sandy began Vision-Aire Farms in 1972. Travis and Janet joined the farm as employees in 2010, and in 2013, the family formed an LLC for the dairy to begin transitioning ownership to Janet and David. The land is owned by Roger and Sandy in a separate LLC. Major expansion isn’t in the
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Those at Vision-Aire Farms (from leŌ) – employee Corey Tavs and owners David, Roger and Sandy Grade, and Janet and Travis Clark – focus on milk quality as a top priority for the dairy. Vision-Aire Farms is a 140-cow dairy near Rosendale, Wis.
books for the future of VisionAire Farms, although they work to acquire land whenever possible to help prevent becoming land-locked by urban sprawl. “If we expand at all, it would be to a couple hundred cows, enough to be able to hire more labor,” Janet said. “Right now, the family provides all the labor, with the help of one employee. Robotics have been discussed, as well.” When Janet and Travis returned to the farm in 2010, DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR the herd was being milked in a Cows enjoy the feedbunk on a cold January aŌernoon at Vi- stanchion barn. In 2012, they built a double-8 herringbone sion-Aire Farms. parlor off the side of the
stanchion barn and converted the barn to sand-bedded freestalls. Heifers are custom-raised from 8 months until they are conrmed pregnant 60 days. “Travis and I decided to join the farm to be closer to family,” Janet said. “We wanted to give our children the upbringing we had. I had such a fantastic childhood being raised on the farm; I wanted the same for them.” Travis and Janet have three children: Grace, 13, Eve, 10, and Levi, 6. Grace and Eve are involved in the Fond du Lac County 4-H program and Levi will be starting the Cloverbud program next year.
Today, they are milking 140 head of registered Holsteins with a rolling herd average of 26,000 pounds of milk and had a somatic cell count of 88,000 for the month of December. The herd is type classied through Holstein USA and has a BAA (breed age average) of 104%. Vision-Aire Farms won top milk quality awards from the National Mastitis Council for two consecutive years in 2015 and 2016. They were nominated by their creamery, BelGioioso Cheese, for the award based on their components and SCC scores. The Clarks then proceeded to ll out a six-page application detailing their dairy
Turn to VISION-AIRE | Page 35
Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018 • Page 35
ConƟnued from VISION-AIRE | Page 34 protocols and standard operating procedures that are in place to ensure milk quality. The Clarks take great pride in building the genetic base and potential of their herd. Travis handles most of the mating decisions. Emphasis is placed on selecting for good feet and legs and udders, as well as for stature. “We breed more for type,” Janet said. “My dad had a good genetic base built up in the herd, and we are working to grow that.” The Clarks children enjoy showing in the 4-H dairy project and have had success early in their 4-H showing careers. Travis and Janet enjoy fostering their children’s love of the farm and the dairy industry, giving them calves to show. “Watching them connect
with the animals, not just in the showring but here on the farm is great,” Janet said. “Grace’s rst show calves have calved in now, and she has a second generation of animals to work with.” “My dad started the registered Holsteins,” Janet said. “We keep doing it because it’s a tradition for us, something we value personally. We are looking to be able to market more genetics to other dairy herds in the near future.” The Clarks have genomic tested about 150 head of heifers in the past, but have stopped for now due to milk prices. Sexed semen is used to breed heifers on the rst service. All cows and heifers not conceiving on the rst service are bred with conventional semen, unless they are ushing or performing IVF
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Janet Clark operates the dairy herd at Vision-Aire Farms with her husband, Travis. The farm is owned and operated in partnership with Janet’s parents, Roger and Sandy Grade, and her brother, David Grade.
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Vision-Aire Farms is home to 140 head of registered Holstein cows and is located near Rosendale, Wis., in Fond du Lac County. on a cow. The farm’s rst embryo transfer calves were born in March, out of one of the Clark’s top cows that is scored EX-93. They have plans to do more ushing and IVF work on a few of their key animals to continue to grow the genetic base of their herd. In addition to operating the farm, Janet is very involved in a variety of activities off the farm. She was elected in July to a threeyear term to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB) to represent Fond du Lac, Green Lake and Marquette Counties. “I nd marketing very fascinating, and there are so many things that the milk marketing board staff does to assists dairy farmers in moving our product,” Janet said. “I didn’t know all the things they do. I’m learning so much. I ran for the milk marketing board because I wanted to have an inuence on the marketing of our product.”
The Clarks are active in the Farm First Dairy Cooperative, where Janet has been the chair of the Young Cooperators Steering Committee for two years. They have had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with Wisconsin’s legislators as part of a delegation with the National Milk Producers Federation’s Advisory Council. “We had a really good experience meeting with the legislators from Wisconsin,” Janet said. “They were very interested and engaged. We discussed things like the Dairy Pride Act and FDA labeling and enforcement, immigration and proper documentation of workers, and the general landscape of the dairy industry and how the prices are affecting farms.” Janet is also seeking a seat on the PDPW (Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin) Board of Directors in their upcoming election. She also has
served on Fond du Lac County’s Agribusiness council. Janet sees value in the time she spends away from the farm taking part in these organizations and activities. “It’s worth the time away from the farm to share our story to someone who doesn’t have that farm experience,” Janet said. “We need to continue to increase the positive presence of the dairy industry in order to have a positive inuence on consumers.” The Clark and Grade families take great pride in the appearance of their farmstead and the impression that is conveyed to the public. Janet works to maintain a farm Facebook page to help educate consumers about life on the farm. It is apparent that at VisionAire Farms they subscribe to the philosophy that anything worth doing is worth doing well, and with a great deal of pride.
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018
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Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. When I was younger, I was deathly afraid of snakes, so my dad would chase me with garter snakes that he’d nd in bales. I also enjoyed goong around with my cousins and getting into shenanigans on the farm. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I enjoy the diversity of activities and the ability to see the cause and effect of practices that we implement. I also like being my own boss. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? I attend conferences not only to network with others, but to stay up to date on technology because it seems like something new comes out every week. In your opinion, what’s the importance of women in today’s dairy industry and how have you seen that change over the years? Women have had a positive impact on dairy, especially in management roles where we tend to be better organized and communicate better. I’m not saying men are bad managers, but women tend to thrive more in those areas. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? Ellen DeGeneres, not only because she has a positive impact on everyone, but because she is involved with PETA. I think that if she came to a farm she could relay our message better. What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? I went on a study abroad trip in college for credits, and it was hands down the best experience I’ve ever had. What are some words you like to live by? I try to keep an open mind and listen to others’ opinions. I’m not very good at it, but I try. Also, stuff happens. You can try 50,000 different things and not one of them will work.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018 • Page 37
Class III milk price expected at $15.30 to $16.10 By Ron Johnson
ron.j@dairystar.com
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Look for the 2018 U.S. all-milk price to average somewhere between $16.65 and $17.45 per hundredweight (cwt.), a decline of 30 cents from the November expectation. That updated forecast is $1 lower to 20 cents higher than the $17.65 to $17.75 range that was anticipated a month earlier. The new numbers are from the December 2017 Dairy, Poultry and Livestock Outlook Report compiled by the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS). For the Class III milk price, the forecast for 2018 is an average price between $15.30 and $16.10. The Class IV milk price is expected to be lower than that, at $13.90 to $14.80. The price slippage is being blamed on two factors. The ďƒžrst is continued high stocks of dairy products. The second is a price declines. In addition, the ERS has lowered its outlook for the usage of dairy products and dairy ingredients within the United States. The 2018 forecast for domestic use on a milk-fat milk-equivalent basis has been lowered to 215.9 billion pounds, 0.8 billion less than last month’s forecast. On a skim-solids milk-equivalent basis, the forecast for 2018 commercial use is 183.2 billion pounds, 1.9 billion less than last month’s (November) forecast. With lower expected prices, the 2018 milk production forecast has been lowered to 219.3 billion pounds, a reduction from last month’s forecast of 219.7 billion pounds, according to the report. What’s more, the December report has the U.S. dairy cow herd shrinking. The new expectation is for 9.435 million head. The smaller number of cows is said to be due to lower milk prices leading to slower growth from July through December of 2018. Based on recent data and lower expected prices, the milk-per-cow forecast has been reduced to 23,250 pounds. With these changes, milk
production is now projected at 219.3 billion pounds for the year, 0.4 billion pounds lower than previously forecasted, according to the ERS. Even so, milk production in the ďƒžrst half of 2018 is forecasted to rise, compared to the ďƒžrst half of 2017, by 1.6 percent. While U.S. milk production is expected to grow, no growth is seen when it comes to exports and imports. According to the outlook report, the forecasts for imports and exports on a milk-fat basis for 2018 are unchanged at 6.1 billion pounds and 9.4 billion pounds, respectively. If realized, these forecasts would represent a growth of 0.3 billion pounds in exports and no change in imports from 2017. As these high stocks hang around, ending stocks are now projected at 0.4 billion pounds higher than previously forecasted. The new expectation is for them to be 12.8 billion pounds for 2018. Recent weakness in dairy product prices, coupled with high stocks, suggest lower domestic demand than previously thought. Therefore, the domestic use forecast for the year, on a milk-fat basis, has been lowered 0.8 billion pounds, to 215.9 billion, said the ERS. Turning to dairy products themselves, the ERS sees lower prices across the board during 2018. Look for a wholesale cheddar cheese price between $1.62 and $1.70 per pound. Look for dry whey to range between 31 and 34 cents per pound. The butter price is forecasted at $2.270 to $2.380 per pound for the year, two cents lower at the midpoint of the range than last month, and the nonfat dry milk price is forecasted at 74.5 to 80.5 cents per pound for 2018. That is an expected drop of 3 cents. Feed prices The ERS has its dairy feed outlook unchanged. Corn is expected to sell for $2.85 to $3.55 per bushel. Soybean meal is expected to sell for $295 to $335 per ton. And, the alfalfa hay price is seen at $152 per ton.
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6710, 1995, 2908 Hrs, RWA .......................$68,500 5830, 1991, 3700 Hrs, RWA .......................$39,900 5730, 1986, 4980 Hrs, RWA .......................$35,900 Claas 970, 2011, 1050 Hrs, RWA......... Coming In! Claas 970, 2008, 3000 Hrs, RWA ............$175,000 Claas 900, 2005, 2848 Hrs ...................... $115,000 Claas 890, 2002, 2290 Hrs, RWA ............$129,000 All hours listed are “cutter hours�.
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WCMA pledges second gift to UW-River Falls Dairy Pilot Plant
Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association announced its Board of Directors’ pledge of a second gift of $100,000 to the Foundation at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, to help the school rebuild its dairy pilot plant. WCMA kicked off the fundraising drive in 2014 with its initial gift of $100,000. “WCMA members recognize education as the key to the future success of the dairy processing industry, and we’re proud to invest in projects that will help deliver the skilled dairy plant workers we need nationwide,� said John Umhoefer. The College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences at UW-River Falls reinstated its Food Science and Technology program in 2016, and offers a food processing technology minor. The school’s dairy processing plant also hosts continuing education classes focused on pasteurization, cheesemaking, and food safety To provide students in all programs with a hands-on learning experience, UW-River Falls plans to fully renovate its dairy processing plant, featuring new automation, piping, and equipment. The project is estimated to cost $4 million, and $3.1 million has already been raised. Construction is slated to begin in June 2018. “Bridging this gap is a critical step, not only in getting the dairy pilot plant built, but in meeting our industry’s workforce development needs,� said Umhoefer. “WCMA is proud to support the project, and invites members to match – or surpass – our gift, to get the plant up and running and students learning as soon as possible.� Umhoefer noted that matching gifts of any amount will be gratefully accepted over the next three years. To get involved, call 608-286-1001 or email jumhoefer@ wischeesemakers.org.
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Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018
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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018 • Page 39
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Scott Brickl Hillsboro, Wis. Vernon County 125 cows How did you get into farming? After getting married in 1985, my wife, Teresa, and I moved to Florida for three months. We both got homesick and decided to move back to Wisconsin to our current location, where we rented the farm. We did this for nine years before we nally purchased the farm in 1995. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? I am concerned about the oversupply of milk that is keeping the price down. What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? In October of 2015, we purchased two Lely A4 Astronaut robotic milkers as a way to reduce my time in the barn for milking. something different each day. roof with insulation on the old They allow me to have more freestall barn. time for other jobs on the farm. What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Farming is How do you or your family like What is a management practice a lot of hard work, which takes a you changed in the past year lot of patience. Sometimes things that has beneted you? Not just don’t happen overnight. In being able to use BST anymore. the long run, it is very rewarding. I have started breeding cows after they are 60 days in milk. What has been the best purchase you’ve ever made on your How do you retain a good farm? My 2001 New Holland working relationship with your 160 skid-steer. It now has over employee(s)? Taylor Vesbach 10,000 hours on it and is still has been working for me for 3.5 going strong. Hopefully, when years. I try to communicate with milk prices get better, I can add her as much as possible and trust the robots to that list. her judgement and abilities in making decisions with the herd. What has been your biggest accomplishment while Tell us about a skill you possess dairy farming? Achieving a that makes dairy farming easier 30,000-pound rolling herd for you. I have the love of farming average. that seems to make things easier. What are your plans for your What do you enjoy most about dairy in the next year and ve dairy farming? Being my own years? Filling the barn with boss and being able to do milk cows and putting a new
to spend time when you are not doing chores? On Sundays during the summer, I like to go to Rockton for barbecued chicken.
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 13, 2018
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Your Local GEA Milking Equipment Dealers Centre Dairy Equipment Sauk Centre, MN 320-352-5762 • 800-342-2697 Eastern Iowa Dairy Systems Epworth, IA • 563-876-3087 Fitzgerald, Inc. Elkader, IA • 563-245-2560 Fuller’s Milker Center, Inc. Lancaster, WI • 800-887-4634 Hobert Sales, Inc. Cokato, MN • 320-286-6284
J. Gile Dairy Eqpt, Inc Cuba City, WI • 608.744.2661
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Leedstone, Inc. Melrose, MN 320-256-3303 • 800-996-3303 Glencoe, MN 320-864-5575 • 877-864-5575
Preston Dairy Equipment, Inc. Sparta, WI • 608-269-3830 • 888-863-0227
Midwest Livestock Systems Menomonie, WI • 715-235-5144 Owen, WI • 715-229-4740 Pine Island, MN • 800-233-8937 Sioux Falls, MN • 800-705-1447 Beatrice, NE • 800-742-5748
Sioux Dairy Equipment, Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-5608 • 800-962-4346 Colton, SD Service 800-944-1217 Edgerton, MN Chemical Sales 507-920-8626 Tri County Dairy Janesville, WI • 608 757.2697