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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™

Volume 18, No. 22

Swiss Valley Farms, Prairie Farms merge BY RON JOHNSON Staﬀ writer

DAVENPORT, Iowa – The proposed merger between Swiss Valley Farms and Prairie Farms Dairy can benet both cooperatives, according to Chris Hoeger, chief executive ofcer (CEO) of Swiss Valley Farms. “It’s going to be a great opportunity for our membership and employees,” Hoeger said. “It’s going to be a good opportunity for both companies to grow and diversify.” Swiss Valley Farms, headquartered in Davenport, Iowa, and Prairie Farms Dairy, headquartered in Carlinville, Ill., began discussing joining forces last July, Hoeger said. “They approached us, and we said, ‘Well, let’s sit down and talk,’” he said. “We’ve worked together on things over the years, and we sold them our Dubuque bottling plant.” If dairy farmer members approve the merger, Hoeger will oversee the operation of the enlarged group’s cheese plants. In a news release, he said, “We are very excited to be joining forces with Prairie Farms. This merger offers numerous benets for our cooperative members and is an ideal opportunity to bring together two industry leaders. We will leverage the strengths of both companies to offer a broader range of products and to enhance and expand relationships with customers.” Ed Mullins, CEO of Prairie Farms Dairy, said, “The merger with Swiss Valley was driven by our commitment to build value for our cooperative members and is consistent with our growth strategy. Swiss Valley’s contributions will allow us to diversify our product portfolio and expand into new markets.” Before the merger can take place, it needs to be approved by Swiss Valley’s 520 members and Prairie Farms’ approximately 700 members. Voting is taking place now. Hoeger said Swiss Valley members have until Jan. 20 to turn in Turn to MERGER | Page 5

January 14, 2017

“I didn’t know I had more friends than I had cows.” – Keith Eckhoff

Fire ravages Henning dairy Eckhoff sells herd after disaster destroys several buildings BY JENNIFER COYNE Staﬀ writer

HENNING, Minn. – Just two days shy of Christmas Eve, Keith Eckhoff was wishing for a year of good milk prices and continuing his family’s fourthgeneration dairy farm near Henning, Minn. What he received instead was an empty barn and a pile of charred rubble where the milking parlor once stood. On Dec. 22, ames engulfed Eckhoff’s double-3 autoow parlor, further destroying the milkhouse, holding pen and all milking equipment. “We lost everything,” Eckhoff said. “The cows had a place to sleep and they were all there, but everything we needed to milk the cows was gone.”

MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR

Keith Eckhoﬀ stands in front of what is le� of his milking parlor, milkhouse and holding pen. Eckhoﬀ sold his 55 cows a�er losing his milking facility on Dec. 22 near Henning, Minn.

Turn to ECKHOFF | Page 7

Saved from the silo

Fall Creek couple rescued from entrapment BY CASSIE OLSON Staﬀ writer

FALL CREEK, Wis. – The holiday season is a busy time for many people, including farmers. As schedules become increasingly busy, Norman and Jane Anderson remind fellow farmers of the importance to remember both personal and farm safety following a farm accident, which trapped the couple in a silo on their 30-cow dairy near Fall Creek, Wis., on Dec. 18. The couple said the day had been anything but typical. “It was a very cold day,” Norman, 69, said. “The water had frozen and the barn cleaner wasn’t working.” With temperatures well below zero and a long list of tasks to complete, Norman headed to the barn to begin chores and evening milking at 4 in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Jane was inside putting the nishing touches to gift wrapping for their week’s holiday celebrations. Turn to ANDERSONS | Page 6

CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR

Jane and Norman Anderson milk 30 cows on their dairy farm near Fall Creek, Wis. The couple was rescued from a silo on Dec. 18 a�er becoming trapped due to haylage plugging the chute.

Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017

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 (ofce) 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 - Managing Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Krista Kuzma - Assistant Editor (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Missy Mussman (320) 429-1084 missy@dairystar.com Ron Johnson (608) 874-4243 ron.j@dairystar.com Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048 cowlady@centurylink.net Jennifer Coyne (320) 352-6303 jenn@dairystar.com Cassie Olson (715) 245-6848 cassie.o@dairystar.com Brittany Olson (320) 352-6303 brittany.o@dairystar.com Advertising Sales Main Ofce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication

North America dealers. A glance at what’s inside

Dairy Prole brought to you by your

With 2017 underway, the Dairy Star staff had a chance to look back on the stories of the past year. We put together a list of the news and human interest stories we thought made 2016 memorable. We also summarized the top 10 viewed stories from our website, dairystar.com, and gave an update on most of them. Check out the recaps and relive stories of the past year on pages 18, 20-21 in second section. As cold weather settles in in the Upper Midwest, industry professionals share tips on how to keep livestock comfortable and healthy during the winter months in our “A By Mark Klaphake closer look” feature. To learn more about proper ventilation, maintaining udder health and adjusting nutrition for these Editor frigid times, read the story on page 10 in rst section. A free silage recycling service through Revolution Plastics is continuing to spread into Minnesota. Since Dairy Star last reported about the service in October, the number of farms enrolled has increased from 1,600 to 2,400 and will continue to grow throughout the year. The company services areas that have a large interest in recycling the plastic. To nd out about how to sign up for the service, read the story on page 11 in rst section. Bob Hecker knows that having a herd that isn’t stressed can mean good things for milk quality. He and his family were recently named a silver winner for the National Dairy Quality Award presented by the National Mastitis Council. During the months of May and June 2016, Hecker’s 50-cow herd near Sheldon, Wis., had a somatic cell count of 90,000. Read about how the Heckers keep SCC low on pages 3 and 5 in second section. Veterinarians were the focus of the “From our side of the fence” feature this issue. They answered questions about how dairy producers are handling animal care during the cold weather and low milk prices along with how their practice has been affected by the veterinary feed directive change. Read their responses on pages 15-16 in rst section. This issue, we featured two students in our “Dairy’s star youth” feature. Twin brothers, Caleb and Collin Vinkemeier are seniors at Central High School in Norwood Young America, Minn. While they have different interests, the Vinkemeier brothers enjoy living on their family farm. Read more about the brothers on page 9 in third section.

The views and opinions expressed by Dairy Star columnists and writers are not necessarily those of the Dairy Star LLC.

The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Dairy Star, LLC, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sauk Centre, MN and additional mailing ofces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.

“None of the dairy farms around here are able to grow 100 percent of their own feed because it’s so dry.”

- Ben Smith (Second Section, Pages 14-15)

“The kids have a vision for the operation. Sometimes, the best thing to do is to step back and let the next generation follow their vision.” - Arlan Schmidt (Third Section, Pages 2-4)

By the Numbers

of daily gain with an 2: Pounds automatic calf feeder at KG4 Farms. (Second Section, 4, 6, 8)

of wet potatoes in Tim 37: Pounds Aho’s ration. (First Section, 18, 20)

CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE WHEN BEDDING OR FEEDING

Sales Manager - Jeff Weyer (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-8505 (cell) jeff.w@dairystar.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofce) 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.

Favorite quotes from this issue:

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Lindell Sales & Service

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Dairyland Supply

Beck Implement

Isaacson Sales & Service

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Jaycox Implement Worthington, MN

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Pfeifer Implement Sioux Falls, SD

Mark's Machinery Yankton, SD

Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017 • Page 3

It’s all inside...

FIRST SECTION

Browerville

Third Section: Pages 7 - 8 Kittson Roseau

Marshall

or n

Kids Corner: The Bue Family

Douglas Charles Mix

n nso

Lake

Moody

McCook Minnehaha

Wright Hennepin

McLeod

Renville

Yellow Medicine Lincoln

Meeker

Carver Scott

Sibley Lyon

Redwood

Nicollet Brown

Murray

Rock

Nobles

sey

Chippewa

Ra m

Kandiyohi

First Section: Page 36

Dakota

Rice

Goodhue Wabasha

Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted Jackson

Martin

Faribault

Freeborn

Mower

Winona

Fillimore

Houston

vis

Sa nb

Miner

Brookings

Isanti

Anoka

Swift

Pipestone

Kingsbury

Deuel

Rushford

Women in Jeans: Kristi Tveten go

Hamlin

Benton

Stearns

Pope

Sherburne

Lac Qui Parle

Codington

Mille Lacs

Morrison

Douglas

Stevens

Grant Clark

Pine

Todd Grant

First Section: Pages 12 - 13

Carlton

Crow Wing

isa

Roberts

Day

Big Sto Stone

Aitkin

Third Section: Pages 2 - 4

Cass

Washinton

Ottertail

Wilkin Tra ve

rse

Change, growth are Schmidt Dairy’s hallmarks of the past Marshall 10 years

Lewiston

Olsons named 2016 Winona County Farm Family of the Year

Kanabec

Becker

Clay

Woodstock

nom

Mah

Itasca

Hubbard

Norman

First Section: Pages 1, 7

Pages 10 - 11

Classieds

Koochiching St. Louis

Polk

Eckhoff forced to quit milking

THIRD SECTION

Pages 16 - 17 Some Udder Stuff Pages 18 - 22

Lake of the Woods

Wadena

Henning

Star Youth: Caleb & Collin Vinkemeier Third Section: Page 9

Beltrami

Red Lake

Pages 30-31 Dairy Recipes

Pages 14 - 15 Dairy Calendar

First Section: Page 35

Norwood Young America

Rinkel serves over 30 years in dairy promotion

Pages 14 - 15 Dairying Across America Pages 18 - 22 2016: A year in review Page 25 Mid-American Hay Auction Results Page 26 - 27 Top 10 Most Read Online Articles

First Section: Page 37

Pennington

SECOND SECTION

Page 3, 5 Hecker named silver winner of National Mastitis Council award Pages 4, 6, 8 Moellers’ calves pack on pounds, thanks to automatic feeders Pages 10 - 11 The “Mielke” Market Weekly Page 12 Dairy markets

Hillman

First Section: Page 18, 20

Lake Henry

Stang brothers create partnership, dairy 26 years

Becker, high school junior has hopes of farming

Consistency keeps production up for Aho’s herd

Frazee

Clearwater

Pages 1, 5 Swiss Valley Farms, Prairie Farms merge Pages 1, 6 Fall Creek couple rescued from silo entrapment Pages 8 - 9 Ag Insider Page 10 Healthy cows in cold weather Page 11 A silage plastic solution Page 23 MDA shares how check-off dollars are being used Page 26 FSA News & Notes Page 27 The Transition Pen Page 28 Does early life calf nutrition affect milk production of cows? Page 29 Is my herd’s pregnancy rate keeping up? Page 30 Dear County Agent Guy Page 31 Starting a new chapter Page 32 Making Cents of Dairy Page 33 Dairy Good Life Page 34 Veterinary Wisdom

Hutchinson

Turner

Bon Yankton Homme

Lincoln Clay

Union

Lyon

Osceola Dickinson Emmet

Sioux

O’Brien

Clay

Palo Alto

Kossuth

FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:

Veterinarians: Give adivce to help manage animals in cold weather. Pages 15-16

Plymouth

Monticello, WI

Zone 1

For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com

Dairy Prole: Don, Marlis and Andy Silver Page 39

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Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017

NEW EQUIPMENT SAUK CENTRE TRACTORS NH TS6.130, Cab, FWA, Pwr. Shuttle ........ In Stock! NH T4.100 & 110 Utility, Cab & Loader .......................... 4 to choose from! NH T6.165 Plus, Suspended Cab, Super Steer, LED Lights ..................................... Two In Stock! SKID LOADERS NH L218, L220......................................... In Stock! HAY TOOLS NH SpeedRower 220 & 260 ..................... In Stock! NH Procart 819, 1022, 1225 Rakes........... In Stock! NH Dura-Vee 1020, 1225, 1428 Rakes...... In Stock! Kemco Inline Bale Wrappers ..................... In Stock! NH H7230 & DB313R Discbines ............... In Stock! NH H6740, 7’ 10” Disc Mower, 3 Point .................................................... In Stock! NH ProRotor 3114 & 3223 Rakes ......In Stock! NH ProTed 3417........................................ In Stock! BALERS NH RB450 Roto-Cut, RB560 Bale Slice ..... In Stock! TILLAGE Salford 8208 Plow, 8 Bottom .................... In Stock! Salford I-2218, 18’ Vertical Tillage ............ In Stock! Salford 9809, HD Ripper, 9 Shank ............ In Stock! Salford I-4124, HD Vert. Tillage, 24’ ......... In Stock! GRAIN HANDLING Parker 505 Gravity Box ............................. In Stock! FORAGE Miller Pro 5300 18’ Forage Box, 14T......... In Stock! NH FP240 & FR500 Forage Harvesters ..... In Stock! MISCELLANEOUS Messer Attachments and Rock Wagons.... In Stock!

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017 • Page 5

ConƟnued from MERGER | Page 1 their ballots, while Prairie Farms members have until Jan. 31. If the merger is agreed upon, the new cooperative – to be named Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. – would begin operating the middle of this year. But, Hoeger acknowledged the possibility that members could turn thumbs down to the proposed merger. He said both co-ops have long histories and loyal members. Prairie Farms Dairy dates to 1932. Swiss Valley Farms was formed in 1958 and will mark 59 years in business Chris Hoeger Swiss Valley Farms this spring. “I think we both (the leaders of the two cooperatives) anticipate that the merger will be accepted favorably by the membership,” Hoeger said. But he also recognizes the other possibility. Prairie Farms Dairy is the larger of the two co-ops. According to Hoeger, in 2015 it ranked No. 11 among U.S. dairy foods companies, while Swiss Valley Farms ranked No. 60. Swiss Valley posted $325 million in sales income last year, and Prairie Farms came close to $3 billion when its income from joint ventures is included. Prairie Farms buys milk from more than 700 member farms, while Swiss Valley counts roughly 400 farms among its membership. The co-ops have their strengths and weaknesses. But, according to Hoeger, the rms can complement each other. He described Prairie Farms as a well-diversied company that’s strong in uid milk and cultured dairy products. By contrast, Swiss Valley knows how to make cheese. “We have strong cheese making knowledge and a good business in the specialty cheese area,” Hoeger said. Prairie Farms, according to its website and Hoeger, operates 37 milk processing plants in 23 states. Along with cultured dairy products, it makes butter and ice cream. That cooperative’s area extends from Dubuque, Iowa, and Rockford, Ill., east into Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky. It goes west into Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma, and takes in Mississippi and part of Texas to the south. Swiss Valley has cheese facilities at Luana, Iowa; Faribault, Minn.; Spring Valley, Minn.; Shullsburg, Wis.;

and Mindoro, Wis. The co-op makes Alpine-style Swiss cheeses, Mindoro Blue, Gouda and cream cheese. In addition, Swiss Valley operates Wisconsin-based White Hill Cheese Co. in a joint venture with the Swiss dairy company Emmi. And, Swiss Valley makes whey powder and supplies all the milk for the Prairie Farms bottling plant at Dubuque, Iowa. On the export side, Swiss Valley sells some of its production to countries such as South Korea, The Philippines, and Saudi Arabia. Hoeger mentioned that the co-op, just a few months ago, was given the ‘exporter of the year’ award by the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC). It should continue to be business as usual if the merger goes through. “Prairie Farms doesn’t want to make drastic changes,” Hoeger said. “They feel that the Swiss Valley brand has strong recognition out there, and they want to continue it on the cheese side.” Swiss Valley sells much of its cheese in bulk. But Hoeger said the co-op is preparing to launch a brand in Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois that will bear the Swiss Valley label. That line will be found in grocery stores and will consist of random weights of Swiss and blue cheese. Hoeger said he sees a lot of synergies between the two co-ops. “We make products PF (Prairie Farms) buys in the marketplace, like whey powder, for instance. And they make a lot of product we buy on the open marketplace and resell to a lot of our customers. That’s what really drove the merger,” he said. Dairy farmer members might not necessarily see larger numbers on their milk checks if the merger occurs, Hoeger said. But he said they might very well see larger dividend checks at the end of each year, thanks to the higher patronage income. One change the merger would bring for Swiss Valley members is new signs for their yards. Hoeger said the co-op began redesigning its signs last summer, simply to give them a fresh look. It halted that project once merger talks began. “I don’t think there’ll be a lot of changes,” Hoeger said. “The merger will still provide them a strong, secure market for their milk. It’s going to allow Swiss Valley members to be part of a well-diversied company.”

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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017

ConƟnued from ANDERSONS | Page 1

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“I knew she had a lot to do, so I even told her not to check on me,” Norman said. To begin his evening feeding, Norman went to one of the farm’s four silos to start unloading haylage. Having recently moved the silo’s unloader to make room for a hopper earlier in the week, he climbed into the silo to handpitch the haylage. The sky had already fallen dark, making it difcult to see, despite the ashlight he had attached to his hat. Without thinking anything of it, Norman began pitching haylage down the chute. The haylage had been put into the silo in November following the nal harvest of the year. The freshness and warmth of the hay had prevented it from compacting and freezing, making it much looser than Norman had expected. By the time he realized, it was too late. “It was very light, uffy hay, so I didn’t realize how much I had already delivered down below,” Norman said. “It stacked up and before I knew it, fteen feet of haylage had clogged the chute.” Without a cell phone in hand, Norman was careful not to panic. Jumping on the haylage to try and loosen up the chute would only add to the problem. After several attempts to yell out the silo for help in hopes that Jane, a neighbor or the Anderson’s dog would notice him, Norman settled in to wait in hopes that Jane would realize he was in trouble. “I had a damp arm and wet leg from having xed the water earlier, so I found the warmest spot of haylage, and covered up my arms,” Norman said. “I listened carefully in case I could hear someone outside and started saying my prayers.” Meanwhile, Jane, 67, continued wrapping gifts. Time passed by and she realized that her husband had not come

“When I got to the barn, the cows were bellering and hadn’t been milked or fed yet.”

JANE ANDERSON, DAIRY PRODUCER

in from chores yet. After looking at her watch, she realized it was already 8 p.m., which told her something was wrong. He had been trapped in the silo for 4.5 hours. “When I got to the barn, the cows were bellering and hadn’t been milked or fed yet. I went back to the feed room and saw haylage had been frozen to the bottom of the chute,” Jane said. Jane began shoveling out the haylage while calling out to Norman. Not hearing a response, she ran to the house. Grabbing her cell phone and a ashlight, she noticed her husband’s phone charging in the kitchen. Not knowing her husband’s state or the severity of the situation, she dialed 911 as she made her way back to the silo. The dispatcher told Jane to stay on the line as she continued to chip away at the haylage in the chute. She was making considerable progress, when suddenly she found herself in a situation of her own. “The haylage above me came loose and fell. Suddenly I found myself trapped, too, with haylage three feet above me and piled below my feet,” Jane said.

CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR

Norman recalls the events of Dec. 18. Due to the silo unloader being moved earlier in the month, Norman had to climb the silo to retrieve the haylage. It was at this point Norman could hear Jane in the chute. “I told her not to panic and that I was all right,” Norman said. Trapped inside the chute, Jane had lost cell reception. Soon thereafter, however, rst responders, police, reghters and an ambulance had arrived to help rescue the Andersons. With four silos and no way to reach the couple, it was difcult for the emergency personnel to nd the couple’s whereabouts. Once they did, however, Jane called to them. “They wanted to dismantle the chute, but I told them to start digging. Soon the haylage was moved and I was able to get out,” Jane said. Norman soon followed. “Once she was out, I rattled the power cable inside the chute and the rest of the haylage came loose,” Norman said. While Norman left the silo unharmed, the situation had caused a considerable amount of stress to the couple. Upon exiting the chute, Jane collapsed due to elevated blood pressure and heart rate, which was later diagnosed as stress-induced cardiomyopathy, more commonly known as heartbreak syndrome. She was taken to the area hospital where she stayed until Tuesday morning. “I’m still recovering, but I am doing much better considering what could have happened,” Jane said. Following their rescue, the Andersons’ son, Chad, arrived to the farm to complete the evening chores, which still had to be done. The couple’s three other children, Wade, Christine and Kayla, all assisted Norman in the following days while Jane recuperated. While it was a severe situation, Norman said it is one from which many can learn. “Farmer’s take risks every day, even more so when they are alone,” Norman said. “There are many activities that we take risks in, that in retrospect, we shouldn’t have. This serves as a warning: it can happen to anyone.” The couple is thankful for the help of the emergency responders, family and friends who helped them during and following the accident. Since the accident, the couple has returned to their daily lives with minimal harm. “It wasn’t my time to go,” Norman said. “I still have way too many chores to do.”

Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017 • Page 7

Con�nued from ECKHOFF | Page 1 Nearly a week after the re and with the aftermath apparent, Eckhoff sold his milking herd on Dec. 30. Eckhoff milked 55 cows with his wife, Angela, and four children – Austin, 17, Sydney, 14, and Natalie and Gretchen, 11. “At some point I was going to quit milking, but I sure didn’t think that was the way I would stop,” Eckhoff said. “I have to keep reminding myself that this was not in my control. If I step back and look at it, there are too many things that needed to be done before bringing the cows back. They had to go…” The re began in the afternoon, after both Eckhoff and the milk truck driver had left the farm. At 2:30 p.m., Eckhoff received the haunting phone call after a passerby notied the local re department of the blaze; nearly a half-hour away from the farm, Eckhoff rushed home. “I needed to get home as fast as I could,” Eckhoff said. “By the time I got home, I knew the parlor and milkhouse were gone, but the cows were OK. I was glad to hear that.” As the Henning, Deer Creek and Ottertail Fire Departments worked to contain the re, people began showing up to offer help. Under the direction of a reghter who once worked for Eckhoff, the cows were safely moved to a different housing facility on site. “People showed up with stock trailers ready to move the cattle,” Eckhoff said. “When I arrived, the cows were already let out of the freestall and into the heifer barns.” The hours that followed were a blur for Eckhoff as the cattle were loaded onto trailers and hauled to the farm of Mike and Denise Menze, who farm near Ottertail, Minn. “I couldn’t decide what to do when

MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR

Snow covers the remainder of the double-3 autoow parlor Keith Eckhoﬀ lost in a re on Dec. 22. I saw what was happening, so [friends] made the decision for me – the cows would get milked,” Eckhoff said. By 9:30 p.m., Eckhoff was back at home – the re was under control, and the cows were safely moved to another farm and milked for the evening. “You wouldn’t think that could all happen in an afternoon, but it did,” Eckhoff said. “Things like this don’t happen without the help of a lot of people, and it’s amazing to think how many helped me.” Unfortunately, the trouble was not over yet. The re rekindled the next morning and then again in the afternoon. “By the time it was over, the re trucks had been out three different times,” Eckhoff said. “A backhoe was used to get inside to reach the hotspots, tearing into the milkhouse, pulling the bulk tank out and crumbling the structure.”

With the parlor, milkhouse and holding pen in shambles, the cause of the re has yet to be determined. However, it was likely sparked through an electrical fault. For a week, Eckhoff’s milking herd was housed and milked at the Menzes’ farm until the fate of the dairy was known. Eckhoff’s freestall was retrotted in 1996 with the parlor being added shortly after. The design allowed a short alleyway that separated the parlor and freestall, which ran parallel to each other. Because of the space between, the freestall barn and a lean-to were spared from the re. For several reasons, Eckhoff put his cows on the auction bill. “I didn’t decide right away on what I was going to do, but I knew it was all about keeping going,” said Eckhoff, who

runs 750 acres. “I didn’t want to reconstruct a parlor in January, and the cows were at a good place but I couldn’t ask for it to be a long-term solution.” One by one, Eckhoff watched his herd sold to area producers at the Perham Stockyards in Perham, Minn., and reminisced of those cattle in his barn and the dairy his ancestors began. In the coming years, Eckhoff’s property is going to become a century farm. “One hundred years would have been pretty cool to milk cows all that time,” said Eckhoff with a quiver in his voice. “We’re still going to make it a century, just not as a dairy farm.” Although selling the cows was emotionally draining for Eckhoff and his family, the dairyman was pleased to see the animals do well at the auction and provide a future for another family. “Looking at my cows while at Mike’s barn, I could tell which ones were nice cows. Then when I saw them come into the sale ring, the only thing I hoped was that they would still be able to do the job for someone else,” Eckhoff said. Youngstock and heifers will remain on the farm until close to calving, and then Eckhoff has plans to sell them, too. He will also continue custom-raising heifers for another dairy. While Eckhoff pieces together the events that unraveled in those last days of December and plan for his family’s future in the industry, he is sure of one thing – the support his family has received from friends, community members and fellow dairy producers is second-to-none. “I spent my life taking care of the cows,” said Eckhoff, as his eyes welled with tears and voice began to crack. “I didn’t know I had more friends than I had cows.”

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Page 8 â€˘ Dairy Star â€˘ Saturday, January 14, 2017

Break-even or better Class III milk prices expected

Even before the recent bump in cheese and Class III milk futures, dairy farmers were looking at breakeven or better milk prices in 2017. FCStone dairy economist Nate Donnay said the proďƒžtability prospects have improved. â€œWith the $1 to $2 that weâ€™ve added into Class III milk in the past month, it does push margins up into positive territory. We would expect some mild expansion to the dairy herd.â€? Low feed costs will also be beneďƒžcial. Compared to other major dairy-producing countries, Donnay said the United States has been an outlier with strong cheese and butter prices. In the rest of the world, dairy product prices are very low. Dairy farmers in Europe, New Zealand and Australia suffered low farmgate prices. â€œThe United States was saved from that with the good domestic demand for cheese and butter. Dairy farmers internationally have not been so lucky, and now weâ€™re seeing the supply response to the negative margins.â€?

Milk production in Europe is down nearly 4 percent from a year ago, New Zealand milk output is down 5.3 percent and Australia down more than 11 percent. The United States will likely beneďƒžt from the downturn in the rest of the world, generating more dairy exports.

Domestic cheese sales supported by mozzarella INTL FCStone dairy economist Nate Donnay said the demand for milk fat in the U.S. diet is very strong, which has kept the butter price elevated. Pizza has been one of the few bright spots in quick-serve restaurants, which has helped increase the demand for cheese. Domestic disappearance of mozzarella increased 3 to 4 percent over the past year. â€œThat kept milk out of cheddar production and it is cheddar that sets the cheese price. The mozzarella consumption, driven by pizza, kept milk out of cheddar and sup-

ported the cheese price.â€?

Positive export forecast U.S. dairy exports are increasing. According to the Dairy Market Report from the National Milk Producers Federation and Dairy Management, Inc., butter exports during August Ag Insider and October were up nearly 50 percent from a year ago. Cheese, skim milk powder and dry whey exports are also up after losses in the past two years. Strong export and domestic demand will be needed with milk production moving higher. Proďƒžt outlook In his monthly dairy By Don Wick outlook, Penn State University ag economist Jim Columnist Dunn is forecasting Class III milk prices will be higher for all of 2017 when compared to last year. Dairy exports have improved with milk production declining in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Since feed prices remain low, Dunn expects a clear improvement in dairy proďƒžtability this year. Vilsackâ€™s future plans Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has reportedly lined up a job for when he leaves ofďƒžce. Vilsack is expected to become president and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council. The current head of the USDEC, Tom Suber, retired at the end of the year. Vilsack has not conďƒžrmed this news, saying only that he is focused on his USDA job. MPP needs work Dairy policy was discussed at the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting, including possible adjustments to the USDA Margin Protection Program. Minnesota Farm Bureau Vice President Dan Glessing, who is a dairy farmer at Waverly, said that message has been taken to Capitol Hill. â€œI think Congress has heard loud and clear that there is an issue. The template is good, but, it deďƒžnitely needs some work.â€? Glessing expects any changes in MPP to happen in the 2018 farm bill.

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Unďƒžnished business The Minnesota legislative session is underway and lawmakers have plenty of unďƒžnished business from the last session. Center for Rural Policy and Development Executive Director Brad Finstad said the tax bill, transportation bill and bonding bill were not completed this past year. Finstad also said there has been a lot of ďƒžnger-pointing and personality disputes between the Governorâ€™s Ofďƒžce and legislative leaders in recent months. â€œYouâ€™ll probably see some highly political contentious issues. For example, the buffer law being revisited. There are counties asking for some delay in that.â€? In the past, transportation funding has been bogged down by a battle over light rail and a gas tax. Finstad expects more focus on roads and bridges with a GOP majority in the House and Senate.

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Rural issues to get attention in St. Paul Himle, Rapp & Company CEO John Himle is not sure how much will be accomplished in the new Minnesota legislative session, but rural issues will be on the front burner. â€œThe key mandate coming out of the last election is that rural voters and issues matter. I do believe lawmakers, whether Republican or Democrat, are going to be paying attention to rural issues more than they have in the past. I do think that will be helpful in trying to advance an agenda that is important to agriculture and rural Minnesota.â€?

Managing alfalfa Like all crops, high-yielding alfalfa needs proper fertility, disease resistance and insect control. According to WinField United alfalfa agronomist Randy Welch, the crop will beneďƒžt from additional management. â€œMost of the disease complex that happens in alfalfa is in the ďƒžrst cut. We need to be using fungicides at some point in the growing season to reduce Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9

Dairy Star â€˘ Saturday, January 14, 2017 â€˘ Page 9

ConĆ&#x;nued from AG INSIDER | Page 8 the pathogen load to raise high yielding, high quality alfalfa.â€? Alfalfa checkoff launched A new national alfalfa checkoff program has been created to invest more research dollars into the industry. National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance President Beth Nelson said there is a need for more research. â€œAlfalfa is the nationâ€™s third most valuable ďƒželd crop behind corn and soybeans. A lot of people donâ€™t realize that. Our acres have been declining and we attribute some of that to the lack of public research. There isnâ€™t the same public commitment to research you see in corn and beans or wheat.â€? The checkoff rate is $1 for every bag of alfalfa seed sold. Participation by the seed companies is also voluntary. The checkoff ofďƒžcially launched January 1. The ďƒžrst request for research proposals will be made this spring. Four candidates ďƒžle for MFU presidency Four people are in the running for the presidency of the Minnesota Farm-

ers Union. Long-time MFU President Doug Peterson retired, creating the vacancy. The candidates are MFU Vice President Gary Wertish of Renville; former State Senator Vicki Jensen of Owatonna; former State Representative Lyle Koenen of Clara City and Harmon Wilts, who is an agronomist for Asgrow/Dekalb at Kerkhoven. The election will be held Jan. 21. Trivia challenge The average U.S. dairy herd has 187 cows. That answers our last trivia question. For this weekâ€™s trivia, what state does Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Pat Roberts represent? Weâ€™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 ďƒžve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora, and Sterling.

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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017

A closer look

Healthy cows in cold weather

by Jennifer Coyne

Tips to make it through winter months

The coldest months of the year are upon us. In January and February, temperatures are expected to remain 6 degrees below the average temperature, making the 2016-17 winter season colder than usual, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. With temperatures dropping below freezing – and in some cases remaining subzero – dairy producers are faced with many challenges concerning herd health.

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KUHN Krause offers a line of primary tillage tools that promote the breakdown of crop residue and allow for excellent root development for the next crop. These sub-surface tillage tools break up compaction while preserving the soil surface, promote aeration, limit erosion and runoff, and improve water inﬁltration which helps the soil retain moisture. 800-642-4104 or 507-228-8224 • www.ufcmn.com Main Ofﬁce/Ag Service Center 840 Pioneer Ave., Lafayette, MN Used Dryers & Augers

Good Selection of Used Dryers - Call! Feterl 12”x72’, swing drive .........$8,500 WestÄeld WR8026 EMD .............$1,895 Sheyenne 13-70 Swing Dr.......... $12,995 Hutch 8”x62’ swig auger .............. $6,200 Sudenga 10”x71’ swing auger ..... $7,900 WestÄeld MK 130-71 swing drive auger ........................................ $13,900 Batco 2500 drive over hopper ...... $8,290 Sudenga 10”x41’ pto auger w/hopper .................................... $4,595

Skid Loaders

Bobcat S630, 400 hr, heat, 2 spd..$34,800 Bobcat S590 heat 2-spd . (3) from $31,900 Bobcat S852, heat & A/C, 2-speed 2 units .................. starting at $45,900 Bobcat S850, heat & A/C, JS ...$46,500 Bobcat S650, heat, 2-spd. ‘12 ... $23,900 Bobcat S550, heat, 2-spd. 2014 $31,500 Bobcat S550, heat, 2014, 2 spd. $29,900 ‘15 Bobcat S205, heat/AC, 2 spd. $31,900 Bobcat S130, heat, ‘12............. $22,400 Gehl 5240, heat, 2 spd, 400 hrs, radio .......................................$29,975 Gehl 5240E, heat, 2 spd., 525 hrs .$22,900 Gehl V330, heat & A/C, ‘12, 2400 hrs..................................$34,600 ‘07 Gehl 4640, single spd., heat $15,500 Gehl 4400 w/rops .......................$3,999 Gehl 4240E w/heat (3) start @ $14,900 Gehl U330, heat, 2 spd. ...........$36,800 Case 430, ‘10 ...........................$24,900 Gehl R220, heat 2-speed, ‘13 ..$34,800 Gehl R220, heat, 2 spd., joystick $29,800 Gehl R190, heat, AC, ‘15, 2 spd. $36,800 Mustang 1750 2014 open cab .$37,900 Bobcat 2200 UTV .......................$6,950

TMR’s

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Tillage

JD 2700, 9-24 ...........................$23,900 JD 985 49.5’, 3 Bar...................$18,900 JD 980, 44.5’ ............................$19,600 JD 980 44.5’, 3 Bar...................$17,500 JD 960 cult 32.5’, 3 Bar ..............$6,900 JD 960 28.5 ft 3 bar ..................$16,900 JD 512, 7 shank, 2013...................$29,900 JD Crumbler model 200, 45’ ........$10,500

CIH Tigermate II, 45.5 ft w/basket $34,900 CIH Tigermate II, 54.5’ .............$29,900 CIH 730B, 7 shank ...................$15,900 CIH 600PTX chisel plow, 38’, 3 bar harrow ...........................$29,800 2) CIH 370, 28’..........................$31,900 JD 2210 4-bar, 2006, 45.5 ft.....$39,900 JD 980, 36’ ...............................$13,700 JD 331 disc, 28’ .........................$6,850 DMI Tigermate II 36.5’, basket .$29,900 DMI 730 ripper..........................$10,900 DMI 730B .................................$15,900 DMI 527B .................................$14,900 Glencoe Soil Saver .....................$7,950 Wil-Rich 957, 9 shank ..............$29,900 Wil-Rich 957, 7 shank ..............$20,600 Wil-Rich 957, 5 shank ..............$16,500 Wil-Rich 513, 9-24....................$39,600 Wil-Rich 29’ chisel plow, ‘07 ........$22,800 2) Wil-Rich 60’ w/basket cults .............Call Wil-Rich QX2, 60’, basket ............$52,900 Great Plains Turbo Chisel, 11 shk $22,800 Krause Dominator, 12 ft. (2) from $29,900 Krause Dominator, 12 ft., 2015.$40,900 Krause 18’ w/reel.............from $33,000

Spreaders

Knight 8032, slinger ..................$14,499 Knight 8114, (A088) ....................$8,949 Knight 8132, (B0077)................$19,899 Knight 8132 ..............................$17,899 Meyer 3954, (1250) ....................$4,949 H&S 430 w/end gate.................$19,300

Miscellaneous

Parker Grain Kart 838 .................$19,900 Brent 540 Box...............................$9,900 Loftness Chopper 20 ft...............$14,600 Valmetal 5600 RD bale chopper .$13,800 Used grain legs............................... Call Woods 3 pt. chopper, 20’ ...........$5,950 EZ Flow 300 bu. box ..................$1,950 Used Snowblowers ........................ Call Top Air 800 gal, 60’ boom ..........$6,950 Hardi 1,000 gal., 60’ boom .......$14,400 Demco 600 gal., 66’ bom .........$14,900 Century 750 gal., 60’ boom ........$6,950 Red Ball 670, 1200 gal., 66’ boom$13,800 Unverferth Cart 9200 1000 bu. $19,950 Fast Sprayer 1200 gal. 90 ft. boom$18,800 Red Ball 1200 gal, 90 ft. boom 570 $18,800 H&S 12 wheel Hi Cap rake .........$8,275 J&M 1151, scale & tarp ............$48,900 Rite-Way Roller, 60’ ..................$34,900 Vicon disc mower .......................$5,950

Check with us on grain bins, dryers, grain handling equipment & grain augers You’ll Ànd it at...

Industry news addressed with help from your neighbors

UFC

United Farmers Cooperative

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However, with proactive measures and keen observation, these cold days are manageable. “Dairymen are like craftsmen,” said University of Minnesota Extension Engineer Kevin Janni. “If they have proper and well maintained tools, they can do a better job.” A cool, but not cold barn In Janni’s opinion, a housing facility is an important tool in a producer’s toolbox; and understanding the mechanics of the barn will facilitate in proper winter ventilation. “With a building as a tool, if it’s built properly it makes the job of dairying easier,” Janni said. Whether the housing facility is naturally or mechanically ventilated, there are three key factors to consider – plenty of fresh air distributed evenly throughout the barn, a dry place for all animals to lie down, and fans and side curtains sealed to eliminate drafts. If too much moisture stays in the barn due to lack of air movement surfaces become wet, drippy and frosty, and cows can develop respiratory issues. “It’s important to remove moisture from the building when it gets clammy, wet and cold,” Janni said. “Inside the building, fog or condensation and frost on the roof and sides may indicate lack of airow.” However, maintaining the airow becomes difcult when producers do not add heat to a dairy barn. “It’s nearly impossible to remove enough moisture in very cold weather,” Janni said. However, inspecting a barn’s ventilating equipment prior to winter and maintaining fans and curtains helps producers aim for that balance, by providing at least 50 cubic feet per minute (cfm) per cow in cold weather. “Curtains tend to tear or break, so make sure those are xed before you need them and then make adjustments as needed,” Janni said. “In a mechanically-ventilated barn, you’ll use smaller fans, but make sure they are clean, the belts are tight and large fan louvers are closed up to prevent air from coming in the inlets.” Throughout the winter, Janni suggests monitoring facilities and note what components should be improved upon as the weather changes. “Make the barn survivable to get through the tough periods, and then start thinking how you can modify the facilities,” Janni said. Dry beds, dry teats for udder health Cows must also be carefully monitored. “Udder health is important any day of the year,” Dr. Pamela Ruegg said. “But during the winter, there are different risk factors.” Ruegg is an extension milk quality veterinarian for the University of Wisconsin. The greatest concern in the winter months is the environmental impact on the teat skin and sphincter, such as teat-end hyperkeratosis where the keratin build up from the teat dries out and may crack. Producers should also be aware of a potential spike in somatic cell count. “Key indicators to look at are new infection rate of subclinical mastitis and incidences of clinical mastitis as a percent of rst-time cases,” Ruegg said. To avoid udder health troubles, there are three areas to address – teat dip coverage after milking, frostbite susceptibility and stall moisture. Throughout the winter, as temperatures drop below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, wet teats should not be exposed. “After the teats are post-dipped, make sure cows aren’t leaving the milking area with wet teats,” Ruegg said. “This can cause chapping, or worse.” Ruegg suggests dipping the teats, waiting a few minutes and then dabbing off excess residue before leaving the milking facility. Additionally, if the herd is moved outside for DO YOU HAVE AN UPCOMING AUCTION? Advertise It In The

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heat detection or heifers are housed outdoors, the environment should be well maintained to avoid frostbite on the teats. “When animals are outside in a sunny spot, wet areas develop from ice or snow melting,” Ruegg said. “Cattle may lie down here and that could be a really terrible thing.” The same concern is found inside the barn when stalls are bedded with high-moisture bedding and become wet and frozen. Cattle then resort to lying in other areas, accumulating manure and exposing themselves to environmental pathogens. Routinely reviewing milking protocols with milking technicians and checking moisture levels in the bedding will aid in maintaining udder health. “Dry beds and dry teats – those are the two big things,” Ruegg said. Avoid cold stress with more energy Despite adequate airow and living conditions for udder health, cattle are still susceptible to winter problems if not fed a proper diet, which comes in the form of greater energy content. “Warm-blooded animals need almost 20 percent more energy to maintain their body temperatures when it’s cold out,” Hugo Ramírez-Ramírez said. Ramírez-Ramírez is an assistant professor at Iowa State University, specializing in dairy nutrition. While forages are the cheapest feedstuff to generate more energy in the diet, cattle may lack the capacity or desire to eat the feedstuff in the winter months under severe cold temperatures, said Ramírez-Ramírez. Instead, producers should supplement the diet with corn or rumen inert fat. “Energy must be gradually added to the diet, but it’s never too late to adjust for the cold and begin a step-up program,” Ramírez-Ramírez said. “If you decide to use rumen inert fat, make sure the ration is mixed well because the cattle don’t like the smell of it.” Without additional energy in the diet, some cows may experience cold stress with temperatures as warm as 30 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on windchill, humidity and coat condition. This causes the animals to crowd for body heat, lie down for longer periods of time and spend less time at the feed bunk. “Utilization of body reserves to maintain body temperature under severe cold conditions may resemble ketosis as cows naturally mobilize free fatty acids in the blood,” Ramírez-Ramírez said. “They will begin using more of their stored energy to maintain their body temperature and divert it away from milk production or reproduction.” Producers can ensure their animals are consuming the additional energy found in the diet by delivering fresh feed at least twice daily and regularly pushing up feed. “The area around the feed bunk should be clear of manure and we should avoid overcrowding the pens so that there is no competition to eat,” Ramírez-Ramírez said. Additionally, water troughs should be maintained with fresh, clean water to promote feed consumption. The dry matter content of forages should be tested weekly and after major precipitation events. “We should always be feeding a constant amount of dry matter no matter the season,” RamírezRamírez said. “That may mean feeding 100 pounds or 110 pounds so that dry matter is the same.” Understanding the tools of the farm will help producers maintain and improve herd health during these frigid days of winter. “Simple practices pay off,” Ramírez-Ramírez said. “We have to do what’s practical for the cows, not necessarily what’s practical for us.” Ruegg agreed. “It’s never too late to start doing things correctly,” she said. “These are things producers should do all year around, but are particularly critical during this time of year.”

Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017 • Page 11

A silage plastic solution Farmers have free option for recycling BY KRISTA KUZMA Staﬀ writer

DAKOTA, Minn. – David Vanderzee and his family nally have a solution for the silage plastic they use on their 80-cow dairy in Winona County near Dakota, Minn. They received a dumpster Dec. 19 from Revolution Plastics, a company based out of Madison, Wis., that offers free silage plastic recycling. Since rst reporting about the service in Dairy Star in late October, the number of farms enrolled in the program has increased from 1,600 to 2,400. “We continue to sign up new farms. I took a little break in the month of January due to weather and to catch up because we’ve been running wide open since June when we got this project off the ground,” said Price Murphy, director of operations for Revolution Plastics. If there is a large enough interest in the service in a specic area, Murphy will line it up with the farmers. “When we set up drop spots, most of the time it is based on radius,” Murphy said. Many of the dumpsters are located in Wisconsin, although they are also located on farms in Iowa and Illinois. Minnesota farmers have also started to take advantage of the free service. Winona County most recently reached out to start the service for area farmers. “When they reached out to me, they didn’t have many signups – maybe two or four signed up. But a local coordinator did the work to get over 100 signed up and we were able to hold an event there,” Murphy said. In December, the company distributed 134 dumpsters to farms in Winona County – a single-day record for the organization. “It really tells the tale of how far we’ve come,” Murphy said. “The plastic was a much bigger problem than most people realized and there was much more of it than people realized. That was a lesson learned on the part of myself and all involved.”

Vanderzee was one of the Winona County farmers who received a dumpster. All they had to do was pick up the dumpster on the designated day. “It was a very simple process – 15 minutes maybe,” he said. Before this program, the Vanderzees were throwing away plastic from the 18 silage bags that are 18- by 200feet long they have on their dairy. “All the garbage went to Xcel Energy, so it went through an incinerator. The plastic wouldn’t go through the incinerator so we had to be put on a special route,” he said. “In a month’s time our dumpster wasn’t big enough to hold hardly the ag plastic plus our trash, so the dumpster was always full.” Now the Vanderzees can keep up with their garbage and maybe downsize their regular garbage dumpster to save

“Instead of just throwing it in the corner or burning it, you’re reusing it.”

DAVID VANDERZEE, DAIRY PRODUCER

money. Plus, Vanderzee said he likes knowing the plastic will be recycled. “Instead of just throwing it in the corner or burning it, you’re reusing it,” he said. The company will start distributing dumpsters again starting in February and expects to distribute 400 or more a month through the end of the year. Dumpster drop locations will be based on interest. “We provide a free service to the farm so all the nancial burden is on me, so I go where the interest is,” Murphy said. Central and southern Minnesota are two target areas for the company if enough farms want the service. “Everything is going really well. The interest level has gone well. The farmer cooperative arrangement has gone really well. There’s really been no issues,” Murphy said. To sign up for the program, farmers need to visit RevolutionPlastics.com or call a representative toll free at (844) 490-7873.

YOUR Annual Dairy Checkoff Meeting is Coming Up!

Date

Time

Locations

District Director

1/16/17

Noon

American Legion, Montgomery

Barb Liebenstein

1/18/17 11:30 a.m.

Zumbrota VFW, Zumbrota

Keith Knutson

1/27/17 11:30 a.m.

Browerville Community Center, Browerville

Debi Clasemann

Extended Program Yes 1

1/28/17

Noon

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm

Paul Fritsche

2/3/17

11:30 a.m.

Pizza Ranch, Alexandria

Suzanne Vold

2/7/17

10:30 a.m.

The Cactus, Perham

Kristine Spadgenske & Ken Herbranson

Yes 2

2/9/17

10:30 a.m.

Crow River Winery, Hutchinson

Charles Krause & Kevin Buss

Yes 2

2/14/17 11:30 a.m.

The Oaks, Willmar

Tom Walsh

Yes 3

Armed Forces Reserve Community Center, Cambridge, MN

Kathy Skiba

Lewiston Silo School, Lewiston

Rita Young

2/15/17

Noon

2/24/17 11:30 a.m. 3/2/17

10:00 a.m.

Cabela’s, Owatonna

Karen Kasper

3/6/17

Noon

Stewartville Legion, Stewartville

Chris Sukalski

3/7/17

11:30 a.m.

McIntosh Community Center, McIntosh

Dan Grunhovd

3/9/17

11:00 a.m.

Pizza Ranch, Slayton

Dave Schwartz

3/11/17

Noon

Tobies Big Kettle Room, Hinckley

Peter Ripka

3/13/17

7:30 p.m.

American Legion, Millville

Jim Dose

4/1/17

7:30 p.m.

Good Times, Caledonia

Carolyn Freese

Yes 4 Yes 5

ADDITIONAL COUNTY ADA LOCAL MEETINGS 3/16/17

7:00 p.m.

Branding Iron, Preston

Carolyn Freese

Requirements for farms that are part of the program:

EXTENDED PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

• Dumpster should be placed on a gravel or paved location for easy access with a front load collection truck. • Farmers are to place plastic into the dumpster and pack it as tight as possible. Do not overow the dumpster. • Do not block access to the dumpster. • Do not place the dumpster behind fenced and gated areas. • Do not place the dumpster under powerlines or building overhangs. • Do not place the dumpster within 10 feet of a dwelling. • Do not place non-approved materials into the dumpster. (This includes twine and net wrap.) • Collection schedules are based on farm size and plastic use. If you feel as if the information you provided to Revolution Plastics is inaccurate, please call the customer service department to update your information to the most effective collection schedule. • Do not ll the dumpster with stockpiled plastic that has been on the farm for years before calling Revolution Plastics so they can work out a collection plan that meets your needs.

1. Reduced Lignin Alfalfa: A Potential Forage Quality Breakthrough, Dr. Scott Wells, University of Minnesota 2. 2017 Dairy Outlook: Marin Bozic, University of Minnesota Selective Dry Cow Therapy - We Can Do this! Dr. Erin Royster, UMN Vet Med. 3. Guest Speaker: Kindra Carlson, MMPA Director 4. Preparing for the next $12 milk, Gary Sipiorski, Vita Plus Utilitizing puts, calls, futures, and options; Jason Vavra, AMPI 5. Guest Speaker: Dr. Brad Heins, University of Minnesota

Producers may attend the meeting closest to them. At some locations, County ADA business may be conducted so please contact your county leadership to learn more.

MidwestDairy.com

Also, visit MidwestDairy.com or call 1-877-577-0741 for more meeting locations and dates!

Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017

Focused on family

Olsons receive 2016 Winona County award BY KRISTA KUZMA Staﬀ writer

LEWISTON, Minn. – For many dairy farmers, switching cows in and out of a tiestall barn for milking is not the most enjoyable chore on the farm; however, for Beth Olson, it quickly became her favorite part of each day. “I always loved when the kids were home after school. The beginning of night milking was always our family time while we were switching cows. We talked about the day or what was happening in their lives. It was our time to come together as a family,” she said. Although the kids are now grown, that chore is still a time for gathering for the Olson family, who received the 2016 Winona County Farm Family of the Year award. Jim and Beth Olson farm together with their daughter, Katie, on their 75-cow dairy near Lewiston, Minn. Although their son, Trent, and his wife, Kris-

tin, live in Wisconsin and work for dairy-related companies, they still own cows, rent land and help farm on the weekends whenever they are able. Family has always been an integral part of the Olsons’ dairy. Their current farm site is Jim’s family’s farm, while Beth grew up on a dairy seven miles away. After they were married in 1981, Beth and Jim formed a partnership with Jim’s parents, Jim and Ellen Olson. “We’re really grateful we had this opportunity,” Jim said. “And Beth’s mom and dad, Allen and Donna Aarsvold, have always helped us, too.” In 1992, the Olsons bought the farm and then took over the remaining part of the partnership in 1996. The couple gained inspiration to farm from each of their parents. “I never really thought about doing anything else. I had an opportunity to farm after I graduated from high school [in 1975]. It’s what I have done my whole life … and I still enjoy farming to this day,” Jim said. As a contestant for Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Beth remembers being asked during judging if she would ever marry a dairy farmer. “I said, ‘Yes, that’s what

KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR

Beth (leŌ), Jim and KaƟe Olson stand with one of the cows on their 75-cow dairy near Lewiston, Minn. The family was named the 2016 Winona County Farm Family of the Year. I want to do.’ So I kept my word,” said Beth, who served as the 24th Princess Kay, crowned in 1977. “I always admired my mom working alongside my dad on the farm. That’s what I wanted to do, too.” While Trent and Katie were growing up, each participated in 4-H and FFA, and occasionally bought their own animal to add to the herd. “That always kept them interested,” Beth said.

The Olsons keep their cows in a 45-stall tiestall barn with the rest of the milking herd being housed in 18 freestalls in an adjoining shed. “We’ve always switched cows. In the summer we can usually run more cows because they’re out in the pasture,” Beth said. The animals that ll the Olsons’ barn are registered. Although the Olsons started with black and white Holsteins, the

family has added some color to their herd in recent years because of Katie’s inuence. “I’ve always liked Jerseys and their personalities. It’s something a little different. Black and white can get a bit boring,” Katie said. Katie bought her rst Jersey in 2005, and also has a few Red and White Holsteins sprinkled among their black Turn to OLSONS | Page 13

BYRON SEEDS PRESENTS:

2017 WINTER SEMINARS SAVE THE DATES!

FEATURED SPEAKERS:

Tom Kilcer of Advanced Ag Systems, The Guru on Haylage in a Day along with Successfully growing Winter Forages. Jim Paulson, Digestibility and Feeding Ability of Grass in Dairy Diets. Mark Kirk, What Makes Masters Choice So Good? Burkholder Seeds

For more info or dealer Claremont, MN inquiries - please call: Dwight

Rick Tamm

NW Territory Manager

320-267-5021 Brad DeBauche

NC Territory Manager

920-660-7974 Larry Hawkins 608-516-0101

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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

Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017

Jan. 18, 2017

Goodhue Lions Community Center

Freeport Community Center

105 Broadway St. Goodhue, MN 55027

Schueler Farms

Luxemburg, MN (320) 252-1513

Friday,

Pizza Ranch

Crazy Bobs Banquet Hall

Jan. 19, 2017 Jan. 20, 2017 106 Jefferson St. S. Wadena MN

313 S Main St. Inwood, IA 51240

For more info, contact Rick Tamm, 320-267-5021 Greenwald Elevator

Jack Stamschror Kellogg, MN (507) 259-0269

Timberline Dairy Service Joe Graber Kalona, IA (319) 656-3527

307 7th Street SE Freeport, MN

Thursday,

All seminars start at 10:00 a.m. and end at 3:00 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

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 â€˘ Saturday, January 14, 2017 â€˘ Page 13

FEED BUNKS

ConĆ&#x;nued from OLSONS | Page 12

Super High Capacity Fence Line Bunk

â€˘ 38â€? wide, 34â€? high on back side â€˘ 24-1/2â€? high on front side â€˘ 20â€? deep feed trough â€˘ 6â€? feed saver lip

Pictured with optional guard rail post mounted on the inside of the bunk or can also be placed outside.

Fence Line Feed Bunk â€˘ Fence line feed bunk with slanted back â€˘ 15â€? feed trough depth â€˘ 24â€? high front side (Also available in 18-1/2â€? height for smaller cattle)

H- Feed Bunk PHOTO SUBMITTED

All members of the Olson family â€“ (from leĹŒ) KaĆ&#x;e, Jim, Beth, Trentâ€™s wife, KrisĆ&#x;n, and Trent â€“ have roles on the farm. and white counterparts. Although Beth grew up with registered animals, Jim did not. He was the ďƒžrst one to introduce them to his familyâ€™s farm. â€œWe wanted more information on the families and cows,â€? Jim said about why they worked to register their herd. â€œWe liked genetics and have enjoyed marketing animals through the years.â€? They have also enjoyed showing their registered animals, and Katie still tries to take a few to shows when possible. Along with keeping their own children interested in the dairy industry, the Olsons have given opportunities to other youth to make their own dairy path. For the past 24 years, the Olsons have hosted Winona County 4-H dairy judging practices on their farm and have leased their animals to youth who wouldnâ€™t have otherwise had the chance. â€œItâ€™s fun to see the kids graduate through the program â€“ see them change, mature and gain conďƒždence in themselves because of the dairy project,â€? Katie said.

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The Olsons know farming isnâ€™t always easy. Riding the ups and downs of milk prices is considered to be the biggest challenge theyâ€™ve overcome. â€œHang in there because it will always get better,â€? Beth said. But theyâ€™ve also had quite a few on-farm accomplishments. Changes on the farm include bigger and more comfortable stalls for the cows, making changes in the cow yard to consistently be in compliance with feed lot regulations, building a new milk house waste water system, switching to a total mixed ration and putting in a new heifer shed. But whether the Olsons are battling a challenge or smiling through an accomplishment, family is at the core of it all. â€œThereâ€™s no greater place to raise a family than on the farm working together,â€? Beth said. â€œItâ€™s more of the simple things â€“ stopping during the day to chat or tell a story or spend time together.â€? It makes switching cows that much more enjoyable.

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Page 14 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017 • Page 15

Veterinarians give advice to help manage animals in cold weather Dr. Roy H. Peters Freeman, S.D. Sioux Nation Ag Center 35 years of experience Tell us about your practice. We are a dairy and beef cow-calf practice with a small portion of small animal, sheep and goat clients. Most of my time is spent doing dairy practice. We do the reproduction work for three 1,600- to 2,300-cow dairies as well as several 450 cow dairies. We do DA surgeries, examine and treat sick cows, consult on milk quality, train farm workers how to treat various conditions, establish vaccination protocols and consult on calf health issues. What type of dairy related issues have you been experiencing lately? The hot weather took a toll on reproductive performance and good conception in some herds did not return until late fall. We have had producers with new calf barns experiencing pneumonia problems in their pre-weaned calves. Several farms have ongoing issues with milk quality, due to recycled bedding materials What advice do you provide your clients to help manage animals in cold weather? For baby calves, we recommend increased milk intake to provide extra energy to help keep calves warm and maintain growth. Underfeeding milk in cold weather is an issue that has required a lot of client education. We also recommend deep straw bedding and calf jackets. Preventing postweaning pneumonia is another challenge for calf raisers. Grouping and getting calves eating at least two to three pounds of dry matter before weaning is critical as well as vaccinations and antibiotic therapy when needed. In times of low milk prices, what are ways your clients are being more efcient in animal care? Feed cost is a very large portion of production cost so my clients are constantly scrutinizing the price of ingredients and making changes as prices uctuate. JPW Nutrition works with a number of my clients and have done an excellent job in this area. Harvesting forages at the proper time to maximize digestibility is also of increasing importance in keeping feed costs down. Shortcuts in critical areas such as reproduction programs, cow health and vaccinations are not recommended as they can cost more in the long run. How has the new VFD change affected your practice? We have spent considerable time preparing for the new law, and it has taken a good deal of staff time to set up our system. It has been a challenge to learn, and we have spent considerable time trying to understand the rules, as well. We are using Global Vet Link which allows us to streamline and be electronic and paperless. It has required more staff hours and will add some minimal cost for our producers for us to provide the VFD they need Tell us about your most unique experience while on a farm visit. I once treated a sick calf in the front living room of a hobby farm client’s home. When I was rst in practice, I was on a farm doing a C-section on a cow. The procedure looked so dramatic to the client that they wondered if we should abandon the project and do away with the patient. He was quite impressed when all turned out well. One day, I visited the same client during milking. I saw that the udder wash solution was literally boiling in the bucket. He had attached an automobile engine block heater to the pail. When I asked why, he replied that he had heard the product would work better if it was good and warm.

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Dr. John Rein Harmony, Minn. Harmony and Cresco Veterinary Clinics 16 years experience Tell us about your practice. We have two locations – Harmony, Minn., and Cresco, Iowa. I am one of three owners of the clinics and we have four associates. It’s a mixed practice with about 35 percent small animal and the rest large animal. Most of the large animal is split evenly between dairy and beef, but we do a little bit of equine and small ruminant. I do the majority of the dairy work in the practice. We have a haul-in facility where we can do surgeries, process cattle, C-sections and DA surgeries. That’s been a very good thing for our practice when people don’t have the facility to restrain their animals, especially for the beef cattle. We also have portable chutes so we can go out into the country and do chute work. We work with clients within a 40-mile radius of our clinics. What type of dairy related issues have you been experiencing lately? A big issue that’s come up for a lot of dairy producers is that the use of Posilac is being eliminated by the co-ops. That’s going to change dynamics for a lot of our dairies – their ability to get milk and be efcient with their production. To help the producers through this change, we’ll be focusing more on transition management, ne-tuning nutrition and looking more closely at reproduction in order to minimize the production they will lose. We want to get cows into peak milk after calving without any issues and be able to get them bred back in a timely manner. It’s all inter-related to the total management of the herd. What advice do you provide your clients to help manage animals in cold weather? For the youngstock, be liberal with bedding and shelters – for both dairy and beef. One of the most important things is for youngstock to get enough calories. Often times, people forget when cold weather hits that young calves can’t maintain their body temperature and require a lot more calories – sometimes upwards of 30 to 40 percent more. This can be done with three-time-a-day feeding or adding a little more to their milk replacer for more energy. For the milking herd, many producers switch to dry teat dips so they don’t have teat issues with the cold weather; but otherwise the adult animals don’t have a problem with the cold. In times of low milk prices, what are ways your clients are being more efcient in animal care? The biggest thing is producers should not quit the routine things – vaccinations, monitoring cows, products that work, quality nutrients going into the ration or regular reproduction aspects. Those are core aspects to keep a dairy going, so producers shouldn’t skimp on those. If they start to go by the wayside, it starts to affect production and the bottom line. Producers have to start getting really efcient by paying even closer attention to their cows in order to minimize culling and keep milk production up. How has the new VFD change affected your practice? It’s ultimately going to be a good thing. We’re looking at it from our practice as an opportunity, both to help our clients and to help our communication. It’s made us a lot more aware of what our clients are doing. It has started a lot more conversations with our clients about their disease prevention and vaccine strategies. It’s been a change for our paperwork, but I think, ultimately, it’s going to be a good thing. Even though I don’t agree with the original political premise of what started the VFD change, I think it will be a good thing for the long-term well being of our producers and their animals. It’s forcing us to address what they’ve done in the past and helping them change if need be. Tell us about your most unique experience while on a farm visit. During the early years in my practice I was at a dairy farm. We were going from one farm to another to work some calves with a chute. The farmer hooked the chute up to the back of a four-wheeler to move to the next farm and I followed behind him in my truck. As we went down a steep hill, he sped up

Dr. Kevin Nigon Plainview, Minn. Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center 35 years of experience Tell us about your practice. Our veterinary clinic consists of four practitioners. My colleagues include Dr. Jim Bennett (the writer of veterinary articles for Dairy Star), Dr. Lindsey Borst and Dr. Megan Thompson. Dr. Bennett and I have been partners since we graduated in 1981. Both Dr. Borst and Dr. Thompson graduated in 2015. All of us are University of Minnesota graduates. We focus on cows, with our practice being 95 percent dairy and 5 percent beef cows. We concentrate on providing accurate and current information to our clients, with an emphasis on preventative- and production-oriented data. We offer services in reproduction, milk quality, youngstock and record analysis, as well as surgery and treatment. What type of dairy related issues have you been experiencing lately? Milk quality and mastitis issues are always a concern. Striving to produce the best quality milk with the least amount of clinical mastitis is always a work in progress. Increasing reproductive performance, reducing the cost of heifer raising and overall better milk production are constant issues. This time of year, it seems that pneumonia issues in youngstock, and occasionally in adult cows have increased, so the importance of discussing vaccination and treatment protocols as well as pursuing clinical diagnoses takes extra time. Drug residue issues have become even more important. Working with clients on proper diagnoses and treatment protocols has become very important. What advice do you provide your clients to help manage animals in cold weather? Most of our clients are very adept at handling winter weather since they have faced this for years. The best advice includes keeping animals dry and well bedded as well as discussing increased nutritional needs. In times of low milk prices, what are ways your clients are being more efcient in animal care? Most of our clients realize that the same things they do when milk prices are high gives them the best chance for success when prices struggle. They may put off major purchases, but they are always striving to be as efcient as possible. They also realize good animal care is important no matter the price of milk. How has the new VFD change affected your practice? The VFD has been a good thing in opening up a dialogue with clients as to what they have been using and why. It also opens discussions on what is actually allowed as far as dose, time and product. We are still learning many of the rules ourselves as to what is allowed for dairy animals versus beef, etc. Overall we hope this will help to reduce the amount of antibiotics used and increase preventative practices our clients use such as vaccinations. It also opens up discussions on ventilation, barn design, pen moves and nutrition as cornerstones for healthy animals. Tell us about your most unique experience while on a farm visit. My most unique experience(s) involve obstetrics. We are often called for strange dystocias, whether it is breech calvings, uterine torsions or other issues. I have twice delivered conjoined twins (siamese) and once delivered a two-headed calf. Life as a veterinarian is always interesting. too fast and the brakes on the four-wheeler weren’t enough to slow him down. The chute started jackkning before the four-wheeler and chute ipped into the ditch. Everything rolled over him and down into a gully on the side of the road. I quickly checked to see if he was OK and pulled him out of the ditch. Then I called 911, and sat with him and stabilized him until the ambulance came. He ended up with a broken arm a broken leg and a few bruised ribs, but he was OK in the end. Turn to VETERINARIANS | Page 16

Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017

ConƟnued from VETERINARIANS | Page 15 Dr. Shayne Marker Waconia, Minn. Waconia Veterinary Clinic 19 years of experience Tell us about your practice. Waconia is a growing suburb of the Twin Cities. There has been tremendous residential growth the last 10 years and our practice has changed from a traditional large animal practice to a more mixed practice with tremendous growth in small animal veterinary care. The large animal clientele we serve are ones who have been with the clinic for several generations. We continue to serve them in a traditional capacity, but also try to educate and promote new ideas and trends. What type of dairy related issues have you been experiencing lately? There were a lot of health challenges last year, especially last fall. Respiratory disease was a common problem with some of our dairy operations due to warm humid conditions. Those same conditions created some mastitis and somatic cell issues for a few clients. What advice do you provide your clients to help manage animals in cold weather? With extremely cold weather, like we’re experiencing now, those rst 48 hours are extremely important to a calf. Finding those calves as soon as they are born and getting them dry is very important. Having a dry, well-bedded maternity pen for calves is important in case you aren’t present when they are born. Once they are found, get them warm and dry immediately. I see plenty of frostbitten calves this time of year. I tend to see more rotavirus this time of year, so make sure you are using colostrum from vaccinated cows. With older animals, especially the lactating ones, make sure the ration is adequate to supply enough energy to compensate for the cold weather. I have a dairy that experienced a severe drop in body condition last winter and it hurt the reproductive performance of the cows. In times of low milk prices, what are ways your clients are being more efcient in animal care? I noticed a bottle of Excenel I left for a client still on his desk the other day. I had left it for him about a month ago after I checked a cow for a fever, and not sure of the cause decided to do some blood diagnostics. The cow got better without treatment and the Excenel was never used. I commented to him on my herd visit how low his drug costs were. More of my clients are seeing the benets of well-managed herds requiring limited drug use. How has the new VFD change affected your practice? We started discussing VFDs in the beginning of 2016 and I made the decision to use the online service Feed Link, since we were already using Global Vet Link. It has really simplied things for us, although the process getting ready for the new regulations has been time consuming. There were some unknowns still at the rst of the year and several clients were frustrated, but we have been trying to manage their frustrations and work with them. We are learning as our clients are and we have been in communication with the ofcials that are in charge of the VFD program to try to get everything right. I feel bad for our clients who have to be burdened by more regulations, but we do get a chance to help them discuss drugs and prevention protocols.

Dr. Kelvin Rudolph Perham, Minn. Pine Shelter Vet Hospital 36 years of experience Tell us about your practice. I have a mixed practice. Dairy, some cow-calf, some small ruminant and small animal. I am in my 33rd year of practice here in Perham, Minn. What type of dairy related issues have you been experiencing lately? The biggest changes in the dairy industry from a veterinary profession has come from the change in housing. It’s been said that mastitis is a disease of man, but the clinical signs show up in the cow. Much the same can be said of barns. What we spent much of our time working on three or four decades ago, we can now categorize as “stall barn diseases.” The TMR has been a big help, also getting groups of dry cows segregated to feed and manage them separately has been a big asset. What advice do you provide your clients to help manage animals in cold weather? Technology can allow us to milk cows fast, to feed cows fast, to put up feed fast, and to get rid of the manure fast, too. Calves are born one at a time, cows are bred one at a time. Cattle get sick one at a time and they must be treated one at a time. Good management programs such as vaccinations, nutrition and parasite management help, but the producer who is set up to take care of the little details, will be the most protable in the end. In times of low milk prices, what are ways your clients are being more efcient in animal care? In times of low milk prices we have seen a change in culling practices. The rest of the management has mainly stayed on track. How has the new VFD change affected your practice? The rst few VFDs we lled out took quite a while, partly because the farmers didn’t realize they had some input responsibility, too. They are going a little better now, and we do charge for this service. Tell us about your most unique experience while on a farm visit. Some months ago a dairyman called to have a cow checked for calving. His son had tried to check the cow, but was not sure of what he was feeling. When I checked the cow, I soon found that she had already calved. I told the young man to go get a sleeve. I showed him that when a cow calves, the outside of the uterus gets hard and with corrugations on it, and feels like cardboard, especially on top. This can be felt rectally. The day before had been cold and nasty, they had just grabbed this cow and put her in the barn. Now they had the task of nding a calf they thought might be dead. As I left, Grandpa drove in to help with the tractor work. While they were searching for the calf, Grandpa came out and asked them why there was a calf in the machine shed standing by the tractor. Tell us about your most unique experience while on a farm visit. Being a veterinarian is unique. My days can be very busy and there are many times when I miss out on enjoying a good experience with my clients. Seeing my clients set and achieve their goals with their dairy operations can be very rewarding.

Dr. Maggie Wehseler Pierz, Minn. Litke’s Veterinary Service Two years of experience Tell us about your practice. We are a mixed animal clinic in rural, central Minnesota. Over 50 percent of our clientele is dairy. What type of dairy related issues have you been experiencing lately? We are seeing a fair amount of pneumonia, DAs, and mastitis (poor teat ends) in adult cows related to the cold weather. Baby calves also have more problems with scours and pneumonia. We have also been very busy with the new VFD requirements. What advice do you provide your clients to help manage animals in cold weather? Newborns need blankets and extra calories to burn to stay warm; and it’s important to continue to watch them for signs of illness. Often times we can miss signs of scours or poor body condition due to being in a hurry during feeding because it’s cold and because they are wearing blankets. We also see increased incidence of clostridial bloat in pre-weaned calves in the winter because it’s difcult to have water available to drink when it’s below freezing. It’s also important to not keep the barn too warm for adult dairy cows and adequate ventilation is still a must for all ages of dairy animals. In low milk prices, what are ways your clients are being more efcient in animal care? The earlier you can catch an illness, the sooner you can make an intervention and thereby increase treatment response, and reduce expense and milk loss in the long run. How has the new VFD affected your practice? There have been many questions and concerns about this new requirement from producers, and we’ve spent a lot of time talking to them about how it will affect their farm. This has led to discussions about management practices such as vaccinations, ventilation and appropriate consideration for injectable medications. We have also been busy with the paperwork of actually writing the VFDs for producers. Tell us about your most unique experience while on a farm visit. During a C-section I slipped on the placenta and fell face rst into it. It’s good to have humbling moments in this profession. I’ve learned to not let the placenta fall right where I stand during a c-section from now on. There was also a time that I climbed a 25-foot tree to save a client’s beloved barn cat that had been up there for three days.

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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017

Top Performers

Consistency keeps production up for Ahos’ herd Tim Aho Frazee, Minn. Becker County 150 cows What is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? Our current herd average is 26,396 pounds of milk with 1,091 pounds of butterfat and 822 pounds of protein. How many times a day do you milk? If you don’t milk 3x a day, have you tried it in the past? We milk twice a day. We milked three times a day in 2011 for nine months with a hired hand. It wasn’t a good t for our farm, but we can say we

tried it. Do you use BST? If so, what is your protocol? We do not use BST. Do you contract your milk? Has it been successful for you? We do insure some milk through the Livestock Gross Margin program. Describe your housing and milking facility. We house the cows in a freestall barn with stalls bedded with dried sawdust, and milk in a swing-10 parlor. What is the composition of

MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR

Tim Aho’s 150-cow herd averages 26,396 pounds of milk with 1,091 pounds of buƩerfat and 822 pounds of protein. Aho farms with his family near Frazee, Minn.

MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR

The Ahos’ freestall barn is tunnel venƟlated, which has improved cow comfort and milk producƟon.

your ration? What has been one of your most recent changes that has been successful for you? Our ration consists of 30 pounds of baleage, 40 pounds of corn silage, 8.5 pounds of a custom mix, 5.5 pounds of dried distillers grain, four pounds of canola meal, 37

pounds of wet potatoes and 2.5 pounds of dry beet pulp. We try not to change things because the cows love consistency. Through the years you’ve been farming, what change has created the biggest jump in your herd average? The

one change that did that for us was installing tunnel ventilation in the freestall barn. It allowed the cows to be more comfortable in the summer and helped with y control. Turn to AHO | Page 22

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017 • Page 19

“We are stuck on Udder Comfort.” — Callum McKinven

LOOKOUT HOLSTEINS AND JERSEYS, CANTON, DE HATLEY, QUEBEC 120 head, 34 milk cows, 13 EX, 21 VG Callum McKinven and Katherine Beerwort and daughters Tara (not pictured), Brooke and Alana (left) with Garay Awesome Beauty, her first place spring heifer calf at the 2016 World Dairy Expo

“For 6 years we have been using Udder Comfort™. We are stuck on it, seeing a difference within one hour of use. Over 90% of our fresh animals get it after each milking for the first week,” says Callum McKinven. He grew up with Jerseys, his wife Katherine Beerwort grew up with Holsteins. Dairy is in their blood. Together from scratch, they started their Lookout Holstein and Jersey Farm, Canton, De Hatley, Quebec. Today, with their 3 daughters involved, they continue to make their mark, breeding top animals in both breeds. Callum has judged over 800 shows worldwide, including 10 at World Dairy Expo. He says the key is to “look for the pattern, the kind you like and not worry about anything else.”

Callum uses Udder Comfort at shows and at home. “We put it on right up to the showring. It’s great for circulation. At home, any case of mastitis gets the Udder Comfort put to it. It works quickly to soften, while gentle to the skin.”

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Page 20 â€˘ Dairy Star â€˘ Saturday, January 14, 2017

ConĆ&#x;nued from AHO | Page 18 What is your herd health program? We vaccinate with Triangle 10 annually. A hoof trimmer comes every six weeks to trim 15 to 20 cows so we stay on top of that. What does your dry cow and transition program consist of? We use Tomorrow and Orbeseal at dry off and dry cows are housed in a freestall barn. They have to move to the bed-

ded calving barn when they are due to calve. What role does genetics play in your production level, and what is your breeding program? We recently started mating our cows with Select Sires. I put an emphasis on feet and legs, and udders with positive components when breeding the cows.

MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR

Tim Aho examines a sample of feed for his lactaĆ&#x;ng herd on Jan. 9. High quality forages have helped the Ahos achieve their herd average. What improvements would you like to make that would help increase your rolling herd average? I would like to build a new calf barn. We want our calves to be even healthier at the start so they can make better cows.

MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR

Aho checks his records to see which bull one of his cows is mated to.

What would you say are the three most important factors for you that helped you attain your current herd average? Installing the tunnel ventilation in the freestall barn, feeding high quality forages to

the cows and genetics we use in breeding the herd are what has helped us the most. Tell us about your farm. I farm with my wife, Sarah, and our children, Kent, 17, Jacob, 15, Gloria, 13, Brianna, 12, Lance, 9, Jacqueline, 7, Carter, 5, Kirk, 3, and Catherine, 1. Kent, Jacob, Gloria, Brianna and Lance do chores in the barn. Jacqueline and Carter make sure we have clean towels for milking and Kirk and Catherine are too young to help

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017 • Page 21

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5 11 1 5 8 6 12 11 8 10 11 8 10 6 11 9 10 1 10 7 2 4 10 4 4 9 9 10 2 8 7 5 8 2 10 10 4

ARTICULATED 4WD TRACTORS JD 9400, 1998, 425 hp., 8346 hrs., #134904 ......................................... $59,900 JD 9300, 1997, 360 hp., 4445 hrs., #132726 ......................................... $79,000 JD 9400, 1996, 425 hp., 6200 hrs., #134367 ......................................... $79,000 JD 9520, 2006, 450 hp., 5016 hrs., #110315 .......................................$141,500 JD 9620, 2006, 500 hp., 4700 hrs., #134870 .......................................$148,000 JD 9430, 2011, 425 hp., 2200 hrs., #134950 .......................................$189,500 JD 9630, 2011, 530 hp., 1925 hrs., #134865 .......................................$204,000 JD 9630, 2010, 530 hp., 1746 hrs., #123341 .......................................$209,000 JD 9560R, 2013, 560 hp., 2226 hrs., #127914 .......................................$235,000 JD 9560R, 2012, 560 hp., 1681 hrs., #133796 .......................................$249,000 JD 9460R, 2013, 460 hp., 550 hrs., #134628 .......................................$259,000 JD 9620R, 2015, 620 hp., 455 hrs., #125913 .......................................$399,000 FIELD CULTIVATORS JD 985, 1995, #130971 ............. $18,000 Case TIGER MATE II, #129749 ......................................... $25,000 JD 2210, 2006, #119500 ........... $37,900 JD 2210, 2007, #102810 ........... $37,900 JD 2210, 2005, #120515 ........... $39,500 JD 2210, 2009, #131140 ........... $44,900 JD 2210, 2011, #106313 ........... $52,900 CIH 200, 2011, #129150 ........... $55,000 MOWER CONDITIONERS JD 635, 2008, #126498 ............. $15,900 JD 946, 2005, #130363 ............. $17,500 JD 835, 2008, #131315 ............. $18,500 NH H7150, 2011, 122976 .......... $19,900 JD 635, 2013, #134300 ............. $21,900 JD 946, 2009, #132018 ............. $23,500 JD 835, 2012, #130580 ............. $24,000 NH H7150, 2012, #126620 ....... $24,500 JD 946, 2011, #126500 ............. $25,500 JD 830, 2015, #134944 ............. $25,900 JD 835, 2015, #133943 ............. $26,500 JD 956, 2011, #126054 ............. $27,900 JD 956, 2013, #121134 ............. $28,900 JD 946, 2014, #126629 ............. $30,900 JD 946, 2014, #126997 ............. $32,000 PLANTERS JD 1750, 2004, #127953 ........... $19,500 JD 1750, 2007, #134453 ........... $19,900 JD 1750, 1998, #123390 ........... $20,000 JD 1750, 2001, #127462 ........... $20,500 JD 1780, 1997, #127222 ........... $28,500 JD 1750, 2013, #131524 ........... $36,500 JD 1760, 2005, #134967 ........... $39,700 JD 1780, 2001, #134553 ........... $42,500 JD 1770, 2004, #120099 ........... $42,900 JD DB44, 2008, #131589 .......... $58,500 JD 1790 CCS, 2004, #124998 .. $61,900 JD 1770NT, 2008, #106973...... $65,900 JD 1790 CCS, 2004, #125700 .. $67,900 JD 1790 CCS, 2007, #118810 .. $67,900 JD 1770NT, 2010, #120512...... $71,500 JD 1770, 2011, #132629 ........... $72,500

124,900

2015 JD 6145R $ #120190

4 1 10 5 2 4 7 4 4 6 1 8 4 2 8 8 8 7 10 10 11 2 11 10 1 1 4 7 9 2 6 7 5 4 5 10 7 8 8 8 6 12 10 10 8 7 5 1 1 7

JD 1770NT, 2010, #131019...... $75,000 JD 1770NT, 2010, #123272...... $77,500 JD 1770NT, 2010, #134770...... $78,732 JD 1770NT, 2012, #117386...... $89,500 JD 1770NT, 2014, #120447...... $89,500 JD DB44, 2005, #134620 .......... $89,900 JD DB44, 2007, #127876 .......... $93,900 JD 1770NT CCS, 2013, #125129 .......................................$115,000 JD 1770NT, 2014, #134722....$127,330 JD DB66, 2009, #101972 ........$149,000 JD DB44, 2014, #114004 ........$169,000 JD DB44, 2015, #132329 ........$169,000 JD 7300, 1997, #126928 ........... $16,000 JD 1720, 2006, #120108 ........... $35,000 JD 24R22, #127252..................... $39,000 ROUND BALERS JD 457, 2006, #134509 ............. $15,900 JD 568, 2007, #131030 ............. $17,500 JD 457, 2005, #134613 ............. $17,900 JD 582 SILAGE SPECIAL, 2006, #132056 ......................................... $18,500 JD 458, 2009, #131244 ............. $18,900 JD 568, 2007, #131763 ............. $18,900 JD 458 SILAGE SPECIAL, 2010, #132415 ......................................... $19,500 NH BR7090, 2008, #123046..... $21,900 NH BR7090, 2012, #133944..... $22,900 CIH RB564, 2008, #129522 ...... $23,000 JD 568, 2007, #122377.............. $25,900 JD 468 SILAGE SPECIAL, 2012, #134462 ......................................... $26,000 JD 568, 2011, #132345.............. $29,900 JD 568, 2008, #119918.............. $30,000 JD 468 SILAGE SPECIAL, 2011, #126398 ......................................... $30,900 JD 469, 2013, #131787.............. $30,900 JD 469, 2014, #121911.............. $30,900 JD 468 SILAGE SPECIAL, 2012, #132115 ......................................... $31,900 JD 459 SILAGE SPECIAL, 2013, #134718 ......................................... $32,500 JD 568, 2011, #126221 ............. $32,900 JD 569, 2013, #126055 ............. $38,900 JD 569, 2014, #123810 ............. $38,900 JD 569, 2014, #124210 ............. $38,900 JD 569, 2015, #134021 ............. $40,500 JD 569, 2012, #134619 ............. $42,000 JD 569 SILAGE SPECIAL, 2015, #134962 ......................................... $44,500 SKID STEER LOADERS JD 320, 2005, 2931 hrs., #126912 ......................................... $15,900 JD 332, 2005, 6900 hrs., #131737 ......................................... $16,500 JD 250, 1999, 725 hrs., #129148 ......................................... $16,900 JD 260, 2002, 2279 hrs., #134262 ......................................... $20,500 Bobcat S185, 2008, 5666 hrs., #134431 ......................................... $20,900 Case SR175, 2013, 137 hrs., #134766 ......................................... $27,900 JD 315, 2014, 27 hrs., #113452 ......................................... $28,900 JD 315, 2014, 42 hrs., #113451 ......................................... $28,900 JD 318D, 2010, 317 hrs.,

86,900

2013 JD 6125M, $ 125 hp., 243 hrs., #123591

5 1 2 9 4 6 7 8 4 4 2 8 1 4 4 10 3 11 8 2 8 8 5 8 12 4 11 6 4 6 6 11 10

#126439 ......................................... $28,900 JD 320E, 2014, 1748 hrs., #125994 ......................................... $28,900 JD 318D, 2013, 245 hrs., #134270 ......................................... $29,900 JD 326E, 2014, 1951 hrs., #126744 ......................................... $29,900 JD 318D, 2011, 389 hrs., #134073 ......................................... $30,900 JD 320E, 2015, 142 hrs., #127651 ......................................... $30,900 JD 320E, 2015, 1591 hrs., #134169 ......................................... $30,900 JD 332D, 2011, 2749 hrs., #117927 ......................................... $30,900 JD 318E, 2014, 612 hrs., #125356 ......................................... $31,900 JD 320E, 2014, 601 hrs., #134794 ......................................... $34,900 JD 320E, 2014, 175 hrs., #118329 ......................................... $35,900 Bobcat S590, 2013, 757 hrs., #131472 ......................................... $35,900 JD 318E, 2015, 100 hrs., #134905 ......................................... $36,900 JD 320E, 2014, 429 hrs., #125588 ......................................... $36,900 JD 326E, 2014, 860 hrs., #127652 ......................................... $37,500 JD 318E, 2015, 45 hrs., #118133 ......................................... $37,900 JD 320E, 2015, 30 hrs., #126180 ......................................... $37,900 JD 326E, 2014, 430 hrs., #125552 ......................................... $37,900 JD 320E, 2014, 115 hrs., #121065 ......................................... $38,900 JD 320E, 2015, 115 hrs., #130568 ......................................... $39,900 JD 326E, 2015, 150 hrs., #128590 ......................................... $40,900 JD 326E, 2014, 490 hrs., #128883 ......................................... $41,500 JD 326E, 2015, 375 hrs., #134033 ......................................... $42,000 JD 326E, 2014, 210 hrs., #131457 ......................................... $42,900 JD 332E, 2014, 1345 hrs., #132664 ......................................... $42,900 JD 326E, 2015, 136 hrs., #118578 ......................................... $44,900 JD 332D, 2012, 612 hrs., #127231 ......................................... $46,000 JD 328E, 2014, 531 hrs., #127230 ......................................... $46,900 JD 332E, 2014, 748 hrs., #132327 ......................................... $47,500 JD 328E, 2016, 200 hrs., #131549 ......................................... $51,000 JD 332E, 2015, 274 hrs., #131496 ......................................... $51,900 UTILITY TRACTORS NH TL100A, 2004, 98 hp., 4335 hrs., #134908 ......................................... $17,900 JD 2155, 1989, 55 hp., 4024 hrs., #134898 ......................................... $18,590 JD 5065E, 2009, 65 hp., 738 hrs., #134699 ......................................... $26,900

JD 5085M, 2012, $ 85 hp., 1610 hrs., #125293

47,995

4 10 4 9 11 12 4 6 6 10 7 6 4 8 7 10 4 4 12 1 10 2 10 9 5 4 3 4 4 4 2 4 4

JD 6400, 1997, 85 hp., 12549 hrs., #134717 ......................................... $29,700 JD 6400, 1994, 85 hp., 7825 hrs., #129836 ......................................... $34,900 JD 5075M, 2013, 75 hp., 100 hrs., #125138 ......................................... $38,000 JD 5101E, 2010, 101 hp., 880 hrs., #132064 ......................................... $38,500 JD 6130D, 2011, 130 hp., 4100 hrs., #134834 ......................................... $44,900 JD 5085M, 2012, 85 hp., 1610 hrs., #125293 ......................................... $47,995 Kubota M100GX, 2014, 100 hp., 450 hrs., #131537 ........................ $49,000 JD 5085E, 2016, 85 hp., 241 hrs., #124729 ......................................... $51,900 JD 5100E, 2016, 100 hp., 99 hrs., #124826 ......................................... $54,900 JD 6140D, 2013, 140 hp., 378 hrs., #131138 ......................................... $62,500 JD 5100M, 2015, 100 hp., 295 hrs., #118463 ......................................... $62,900 JD 6105E, 2016, 105 hp., 292 hrs., #124868 ......................................... $63,900 JD 5115M, 2012, 115 hp., 611 hrs., #129621 ......................................... $66,500 JD 6120E, 2016, 120 hp., 267 hrs., #124871 ......................................... $67,900 JD 6140D, 2014, 140 hp., 15 hrs., #133561 ......................................... $68,900 JD 6130D, 2015, 130 hp., 223 hrs., #123740 ......................................... $69,500 JD 6105M, 2014, 105 hp., 320 hrs., #132099 ......................................... $71,000 JD 6135E, 2015, 135 hp., 298 hrs., #124885 ......................................... $71,900 JD 6120E, 2016, 120 hp., 125 hrs., #124883 ......................................... $73,900 JD 6105M, 2013, 105 hp., 285 hrs., #132146 ......................................... $75,900 JD 6135E, 2015, 135 hp., 1 hr., #124880 ......................................... $76,900 JD 6125M, 2013, 125 hp., 243 hrs., #123591 ......................................... $86,900 JD 6125M, 2013, 125 hp., 590 hrs., #120889 ......................................... $87,500 JD 6125M, 2014, 125 hp., 228 hrs., #107433 ......................................... $88,900 JD 6125M, 2013, 125 hp., 631 hrs., #126547 ......................................... $91,000 JD 6105R, 2014, 105 hp., 106 hrs., #127952 ......................................... $99,000 JD 6125R, 2014, 125 hp., 300 hrs., #128687 ......................................... $99,000 MF 6616, 2014, 150 hp., 898 hrs., #127776 ......................................... $99,500 JD 6125R, 2013, 125 hp., 500 hrs., #134131 .......................................$103,000 JD 6110R, 2015, 110 hp., 104 hrs., #119898 .......................................$105,900 JD 6125R, 2014, 125 hp., 225 hrs., #127948 .......................................$106,000 JD 6110R, 2016, 110 hp., 110 hrs., #133619 .......................................$112,000 JD 6120R, 2015, 120 hp., 132 hrs., #124875 .......................................$118,900

JD 6140D, 2013, $ 140 hp., 378 hrs., #131138

62,500

Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017

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For a long time I thought my goal as a dairy advocate was to teach others about agriculture. I thought my job was to educate people on what dairy farming was really like and how things are actually done. I thought I needed to show everyone how truly wrong some of their conceptions are. Then I realized one day, after trying to argue with someone about their misinformation, that I was going to live a very long, On the Road with miserable life if my goal Princess Kay was just to prove everyone wrong. The story of dairy farming is a very important story to tell, but if I can’t give the receiver information for them to use later, it will be useless. This past summer, I invited three people to my farm. It was my birthday and I wanted By Haley Hinrichs my close college friends 63rd Princess Kay of the Milky Way to celebrate with me. All three of them hadn’t really been on a farm very much in their life, so it was going to be an interesting experience for all of us. They were excited to celebrate my birthday, but I was probably even more excited to bring them to see the farm. I showed them the calves, taught them how to milk a cow, and we were even lucky enough to see a calf being born. I could give you a long list of what they didn’t know about farming, but I was impressed by their desire to learn. It really didn’t matter if they didn’t know much about the daily chores of a dairy farmer. What was important to me was that I could give them something they could use for the rest of their life. My college friend, who is going into engineering, appreciated the engineering behind our milking equipment, the tractors and feeding equipment. He

M college My ll ffriend, i d who h iis going i into engineering, appreciated the engineering behind our milking equipment ...

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learned that the agriculture eld has a place for engineers, and we talked quite a bit about the way technology impacts the dairy community. Another friend is a pre-vet major. While she is considering a career with small animals, she thought it was really interesting to see how we care for the animals to make sure they are happy and healthy. She was excited to witness the birth of a calf. She also asked about some of the biological processes, such as how milk is produced in the body. My dad, Tim, did a good job of answering that question. (I know this because when my friend and I took our animal science class together the following semester, everything Dad said matched with what the professor said. Way to go, Dad.) My third college friend is hoping to enter the medical eld. She took an interest in what we did to make sure our milk was safe for consumers. She and I also got into a lengthy conversation about the important nutritional value milk has for everyone. All three of my friends have no intention of becoming farmers and therefore didn’t need to know every detail of what goes on at our farm. However, there was still something for all three of them to learn. That something is the important link between farmers and consumers.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017 • Page 23

Improving trust, sales for dairy MDA shares how check-off dollars are being used BY MISSY MUSSMAN Staﬀ writer

LITTLE FALLS, Minn. – Improving sales and trust within the dairy industry has been the focus for Midwest Dairy Association this past year. The Midwest Dairy staff shared how they are accomplishing that by using farmers’ check-off dollars during their district meeting Jan. 4 at the Falls Ballroom in Little Falls, Minn. With Super Bowl LII, which will be held at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, almost a year away, Midwest Dairy is busy with its inMISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR volvement with the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee’s Legacy Jodi Jetson expalins the Dairy 3 for Me campaign during the Midwest Dairy AssociaƟon’s district meeƟng on Jan. 4 in LiƩle Falls, Minn. Fund. “It is focusing on healthy school to match other support toward the 52 grants. nutrition programs and healthy kids, which is relative to our work “That is going to help us get more dairy products in schools with the Fuel Up to Play 60 program in partnership with the NFL,” through school breakfast programs,” Jetson said. “That’s why the said Jodi Jetson, an industry relations manager for Midwest Dairy check-off dollars matter. It’s not always obvious on the fore front, Association. “They contacted us because of that, which makes it re- but they make a real difference by growing the student’s consumpally special.” tion of dairy.” Lucas Lentsch, the new CEO of Midwest Dairy Association, The Dairy 3 for Me campaign is another way Midwest Dairy is agreed. increasing sales. “That’s the power of the check-off dollars’ Fuel Up to Play 60 According to Jetson, the average person consumes 1.8 servings program that dairy farmer’s lead,” he said. “Having other people of dairy products each day instead of the three recommended in the come together to help what dairy farmers helped blaze the trail for 2015 dietary guidelines. This campaign is a pledge from people sayis amazing.” ing they will consume three servings of dairy everyday for good This fund will provide Super School Breakfast grants to 52 health. communities across the state as a 52-week countdown to next year’s super bowl in Minnesota beginning the day after Super Bowl LI. Turn to MDA | Page 25 Midwest Dairy Association’s contribution is providing $250,000

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For N.W. Iowa, Call/Text: Kenton Witt, P.A.S. 712-441-5470 kmwitt@orangecitycomm.net

For: N.E. Iowa, Call/Text: Lori Kintzle, B.S., P.A.S. 563-608-1552 loribockenstedt@gmail.com

For Barron and Polk Counties in WI Call/Text: Michael Turk 715-671-8875 michael.turk@agriking.com

For Houston, LeSueur, Rice and Dakota Counties in MN and Buffalo, Barron, Pepin, Pierce & Dunn Counties in Wisc. Call/Text: Kyle Bartsch, R.A.S. 507-450-1222 kyle.bartsch@agriking.com

For Winona & Wabasha Co, MN, Call/Text: Aaron Lee 507-450-4180 aaron.lee@agriking.com

For Houston in MN, Buffalo, Jackson & Trempealeau in WI. Call/Text: John Kiese, R.A.S. 507-313-1756 john.kiese@agriking.com

For Fillmore Co. in MN, & Howard, Winnshiek & Allamakee in Iowa, Call/Text: Mark Holthaus, R.A.S. 507-258-0772 mark.holthaus@agriking.com

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017 • Page 25

ConƟnued from MDA | Page 23 “Just imagine how much more product we could move if everyone took this pledge,” Jetson said. Although the campaign is less than one year old, there are already almost 10,000 pledges. “That means a lot for dairy sales,” Jetson said. Another way Midwest Dairy has been increasing dairy sales is through their continued partnerships with food brands like McDonalds, Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Through those partnerships, Midwest Dairy has on-site scientists to help create new products for the food brands and ensure the new products include dairy. “At KFC, they’re not serving just fried chicken. They’re serving chicken sandwiches that have a slice of cheese on them,” Lentsch said. “With China now building one new KFC every eight hours, that’s why the investment in these partnerships is a big deal.” At Taco Bell, 90 percent of the menu items contain dairy products, Jetson said. “It’s another way of getting our milk on the market,” Lentsch said. Midwest Dairy also puts the checkoff dollars to use, in conjunction with funds from co-ops, by helping fund product research to solve issues or create opportunities that will aid in increasing dairy sales through the Midwest Dairy Foods Research Center. Some of the current research projects are investigating ways to improve mouth feel in yogurt, developing methods to control spores that compromise quality across the processing chain and developing steps to reduce and eliminate mold and clumping in shredded

MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR

Midwest Dairy AssociaƟon CEO Lucas Lentsch visits with dairy producers during the district meeƟng on Jan. 4 in LiƩle Falls, Minn. cheese. Even with all of these partnerships and programs in place, Jetson said the staff is not able to achieve their goal of increasing sales and trust alone. “It takes all of us,” Jetson said. “Consumers want to hear from farmers.” Lentsch echoed those thoughts. “We want to lead the conversation about animal agriculture,” he said. “We can’t take the future for granted. We need to engage, inform and listen.”

One way farmers can help is through Farm to School opportunities, where farmers go to the schools to share what they do as a dairy farmer. “We offer training for farmers to learn how to answer difcult questions,” Jetson said. They can also host farm tours for the public. “We have farm brochures for those interested, too,” Jetson said. With social media being a large platform for youth, farmers can use

their own personal outlet or set one up to share their message with consumers. “We want to make it easy for farmers,” Jetson said. Lentsch said they are reviewing all the programs and looking ahead for 2020. “We want to know if certain programs are still the right thing for us to focus our efforts on to be good stewards to your investment,” Lentsch said. “We want to be on point for you to carry forward and make a difference.”

Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017

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Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds agricultural producers that FSA provides a receipt to customers who request or receive assistance or information on FSA programs. The 2014 Farm Bill requires a customer receipt to FSA News & Notes be issued for any agricultural program assistance requested from FSA, the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Rural Development (RD). Receipts include the date, summary of the visit and any agricultural information, program and/or loan assistance provided to an individual or entity. A service is any information, program or loan assistance provided whether through a visit, email, fax or letter. So, anytime you come into an FSA ofce you will be asked if you would like a receipt via email or a paper copy. By Ryan Brunn FSA farmers and ranchers can now receive notications from their county ofce through text messages on Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. 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 notications 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 (372-669) 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 ofce 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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Faith, family, farm

never forget Laura at age 11 as she insisted we go to look at the cows at the state fair. As the years went on, dairy shows and showmanship became highlights of the year. I always thought Laura’s animals did better than expected because of how talented she was at displaying them. In order to show at the Minnesota State Holstein Show, she would register our better cows, so we could compete – what a humbling experience. A trip to Europe was the reward for her 4-H judging team winning the state 4-H judging contest. This Gopher girl eventually attended the University of Minnesota in Saint Paul, where she enjoyed the Dairy Challenge competition. Following college, her next stop was Gar-Lin Dairy; Gar-Lin milks 2,000 cows and offered her the experience of a life-time in managing dairy cattle, practicing business management skills, and working with a diversity of employees and managers.

tel y ™

Entering the dairy industry in today’s world involves business and management skills, where she excels and I have room for improvement. I had my turn and would not change the methods and priorities I had. Now it is time to begin letting go and let Laura put her enthusiasm and goals to the test. We hope to share our story so the dairy way of life can continue on our family farm and on others. This will be a vital learning process for both of us in order to ensure that the farm thrives. With God’s help, we will transition peacefully and effectively, and for the good of all. What father would not want his operation to be continued by his Gopher daughter, and possibly, another Jackrabbit daughter down the road. Laura Rosenhammer farms with her father, John, on Roseview Dairy near Sleepy Eye, Minn. They milk 200 Holsteins and run 580 acres of cropland.

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Faith, family, farm. These are three words instilled in me that have been the driving force of my life since I was young. Early in life, I realized the value of working together. Working as a team offers opportunities to accomplish so much more. I also noticed that the majority of the dairy operations that I admired included the wife being very involved. If not outside, she was at least very supportive of her husband’s career; my story is no different. My father made a very wise choice when he married my mother. Mom did everything possible on the farm, especially at chore time. She did it with a smile and a positive attiBy John tude. Nothing bad ever happened Rosenhammer that tomorrow could not x. The Transition Pen My journey continued via annual trips to the state fair. That is where I met my wife, Patty, a Princess Kay candidate at the time, in front of the cattle building. Patty turned out to be my Princess Kay. Being from a dairy farm, she understood why we sometimes saw each other only monthly. Nonetheless, our goals were the same. I nally took her By Laura hints and asked her to marry me. Rosenhammer As our family was growing, we The Transition Pen did everything possible to involve the children in our way of life. The highs came with the birth of a new calf, a twin or even triplets; the lows included saying goodbye to a 4-H cow. A range of feelings were experienced together. Yes, the feeling of owning the grand champion cow at county fair was good, but seeing your children help with chores and harvest is more touching yet. I believe Patty’s positive inuence on the children while she helped Dad with chores made all the difference. The opportunity to dairy with my family paralleled well with what I loved about my career: smaller herds, knowing every sire and every dam of every cow, cow names not numbers, good bulls that lasted ve years or longer, trying to breed the next ninetypoint cow. These were all qualities of dairying that stimulated the passion I have for my job. Rarely could I ever tell you the exact milk price, because that was an aspect I could not control; money never ruled my life. Optimistic people choose to not let money, or the lack thereof, determine their attitude. My theory was that if you worked hard, smart and put forth your best efforts – in one way or another – money would nd its way. I believe that sacrice is a valuable lesson, as well as putting your trust in God. Financial management, nonetheless, should be a priority of any and every operation in the good times and the bad. Along comes my rst daddy’s girl, Laura. I will

Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017 • Page 27

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Betty Berning bberning@umn.edu 320-203-6104 Rafael Bisinotto rbisinot@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 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

Does early life calf nutrition affect milk production of cows? BY BRAD HEINS & HUGH CHESTER-JONES UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

milk production in 305 days would increase by only 648 pounds. The variation in milk production and average daily gain was high, and this suggests additional factors impact rst lactation performance (i.e. environment, feed quality, housing and animal health). Figure 1 shows the relationship between 8-week average daily gain and 305-milk production in rst lactation. There was great variation for calf growth and milk production. In Figure 1, we observe that calves that achieve a 2-pound average daily gain may have 15,000 or 30,000 pounds of milk in rst lactation. Intake of calf starter had an impact on rst-lactation production while milk intake, which varied less, had no effect. Each additional pound of calf starter DM intake at 8 weeks of age resulted in 18.1 pounds more milk in rst lactation. Therefore, calf starter intake may be a better indicator of future milk production than average daily gain alone. Furthermore, we found that calves born during the fall and winter had greater starter intake and average daily gain at 8 weeks. However, calves born during the summer produced more milk in 305 days during their rst lactation than those born during the fall and winter. From this study, it may be difcult to be condent in the prediction equations generated for calf growth versus rst lactation performance because of the high variation in calf growth and production. Therefore, excellent colostrum and disease management, hygiene, milk replacer quality and consumption, calf starter quality and consumption, water quality and access, and post-weaning nutrition are all necessary to achieve optimal heifer growth and future milk production.

During the past few years, higher levels of milk or milk replacer have been recommended to achieve greater pre-weaning growth of calves and to increase milk production of rst-lactation cows. Excellent rst-lactation production is a key component of dairy farm sustainability. Some studies have indicated that improvements in calf growth are associated with higher rst-lactation production, but others have disagreed. Recently, Penn State researchers (Gelsinger et al., 2016) indicated that although preweaning average daily gain is positively related to rst-lactation milk production, there are more important factors in determining rst-lactation performance than pre-weaning calf growth. We evaluated the relationships between early life growth and rst-lactation production of Holstein dairy cows from commercial dairy farms in Minnesota. These calves were enrolled in calf research trials at the University of Minnesota Southern Research and Outreach Center (SROC) in Waseca, Minn. Calves were contract raised for three commercial dairy farms which represent over 2,000 dairy cows. Heifer calves were picked up twice a week at 2 to 5 days of age and taken to the SROC. For our study, data was collected from 2004 to 2012 for 2,880 Holstein animals. The calves were enrolled in 37 different calf research trials at the SROC from 3 to 195 days of age. At the end of the trials, calves were group housed and returned to their respective farms or moved to heifer growers at 6 months of age. Milk replacer fed to calves included varying levels of protein and amounts fed, but in the majority of studies, calves were fed a milk replacer containing 20 percent fat and 20 percent protein at 1.25 pounds per calf daily. Most calves (93 percent) were weaned at 6 weeks of age. Average daily gain at 8 weeks for the 2,880 calves was 1.4 pounds per day. The results show that calf growth had a signicant positive effect on 305-day rst lactation milk, fat and protein production. For every 1 pound of average daily gain at 8 weeks of age, milk production increased by 1,276 pounds in rst lactation. To put this in perspective, if a farm increased their calf average daily gain from 1.5 to Figure 1. The relationship between 8-week average calf daily gain and 305-day milk produc2 pounds per day, rst lactation tion in rst lactation.

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Is my herd’s pregnancy rate keeping up? Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017 • Page 29

The beginning of a new year is a good time to reect on the past year’s performance and commit to doing better in the upcoming year. One area of management that has greatly improved over the past several years is pregnancy rate. A few years ago, a 20 percent pregnancy rate was something to be admired. I used DairyMetrics to generate an annual pregnancy rate graph of Minnesota DHI herds over the past ve years (Figure 1). DairyMetrics is a benchmarking system available through Dairy Records Management Systems (DRMS). This site allows benchmarking of herds and allows users to set parameters against which to benchmark. It shows the average pregnancy rate across Minnesota herds is 18.5 percent. This is up from under 15 percent just ve years ago. Table 1 looks closer at different parameters that could be affecting pregnancy rate. Not surprisingly, herds with higher By Jim Salfer pregnancy rates average lower days open. Even though the U of M Extension voluntary waiting period is similar for all groups at 60 days, herds above a 20 percent pregnancy rate inseminate cows an average of two weeks earlier than average herds. These higher pregnancy rate herds also have higher submission rates and conception rates. Economics of reproductive performance There are many ways improved reproductive performance improves protability including: • Decreased average days in milk for the lactating herd • Decreased culling of productive cows because of reproductive failure • More calves born to be sold or raised as replacements • Improved genetic gain • Less variability in lactation and dry period length Dr. Victor Cabrera (University of Wisconsin) developed a dairy reproductive economic analysis tool (www.dairymgt.info) to examine the economic impact of improved reproduction. Using average herd parameters, increasing the pregnancy rate from 16 to 22 percent results in an increased annual prot of $104 per cow. There is a diminishing return as pregnancy rates increase, so increasing the pregnancy rate from 22 to 26 percent results in $42 increased prot per cow annually. Even though this is lower, it is worth achieving higher pregnancy rates. How to achieve high pregnancy rates It is not easy achieving high pregnancy rates, but herds that achieve these high pregnancy rates also do not use magic. These herds make excellent reproduction a priority and develop a systematic plan to make it happen. Some keys to have consistently high pregnancy rates include: • Transition cow programs that minimize risk of disease after calving • Nutrition programs that minimize cow body condition losses; cows begin cycling shortly after calving • Systems that get cows inseminated rapidly after the end of the voluntary waiting period • Systems that allow rapid identication and re-insemination of open cows • A well-designed vaccination program There are many tools available to assist with these goals. Newer, well-designed synchronization programs can result in higher conception rates. Many farms have had success using activity monitoring systems to help identify cows in estrus. Other farms use low tech, but proven successful tools, like tail paint. Herds that are achieving the highest pregnancy rates are often using a combination of tools. The key is to work with your veterinarian and reproductive advisors to develop a system that works on your farm. Then use records and adjust your program accordingly.

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New Year’s memories Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017

My wife and I, like many other Midwesterners, evening was “Lilo And Stitch.” It’s a cute little Discelebrated this past New Year’s Eve in the typical wild ney animated feature that revolves around Stitch, a and crazy Midwestern fashion. That is, we watched a scruffy-yet-lovable gremlin who has a penchant for couple of movies while we ate supper and then fell destroying whatever he cannot eat and eating whatasleep on the couch. ever he cannot destroy. In I admit, this might not other words, Stitch is very seem wild or even the least A couple similar to an average little l off us kid kids were bit crazy. In fact, it sounds a boy, except for the fact that lot like an average Saturday digging through a dresser he hails from outer space. night at the Nelson house. “Lilo And Stitch” is drawer when we stumbled The wild and crazy part set in Hawaii. Viewing all comes from the fact that we across a curled old black and that paradisiacal tropical managed to stay awake until white snapshot. scenery reminded me of a p 11 p.m., and watch the ball long-ago winter’s night as drop in Times Square. After a boy when my siblings and that – and only after – did we fall asleep in front of the I made a discovery; a discovery that was every bit TV. as earth-shattering as receiving a visit from an outer Anyhow, one of the movies we watched that space alien.

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The revelation in question arrived in the form of a photograph. A couple of us kids were digging through a dresser drawer, looking for something or the other, when we stumbled across a curled old Dear County Agent Guy black-and-white snapshot. It was a photo of our youthful father in his Navy cap and uniform, embracing a young lady who, like Dad, was beaming back at the camera. And this smiling young woman was most denitely not our By Jerry Nelson mother. Columnist We did the very rst thing that popped into our little heads. We ran to Mom and showed her the photo. When we asked her about it, she curtly replied that we’d better go talk to our father. We were only too glad to do so. Dad, upon being shown the photo, blushed deeply and told us that the dame he was holding was simply our mother in her youth, before she’d given birth to us eight kids. We scrutinized the picture more closely. That young lady was not Mom. Not by any stretch of the imagination. The woman in the photo had long, owing black hair and was wearing a grass skirt and had a string of tropical owers around her neck. Her skin was tan and her cheekbones were high. It almost looked as if she were Polynesian. That was it. The young gal in Dad’s arms was Hawaiian. Another valuable hint was the cheesy palm trees on the painted cloth background that hung behind them. The picture had obviously been taken in a photo studio. When we pointed out these facts to Dad, he ‘fessed up – sort of. He admitted the part about the photo studio, but tried to convince us that the comely young maiden he was holding in his arms was a statue, a mere studio prop. This elicited yet another round of photographic scrutiny. No sale. That young lady was certainly statuesque, but she was denitely not a statue. We kids knew some of Dad’s story. We knew that in 1943, at age 17, he had joined the Navy and was assigned to the battleship USS Washington. We knew that Dad had spent the rest of the war on the Washington, cruising the South Pacic, eventually nding his way to such exotic locales as Iwo Jima and Okinawa. His rst interaction with a citizen of Japan had involved fending off a kamikaze attack with one of the ship’s 20 mm machine guns. We kids knew these basic facts. But Dad’s stories regarding his Navy days had contained precious few additional details. For instance, Dad once mentioned that they had stopped at Pearl Harbor. But how long had they stayed in port? Long enough to go ashore and meet and fall in love with an exotic young Hawaiian temptress? Or just long enough to grab a beer and get his picture taken at some touristy portrait gallery? These questions will never nd their answers; Dad took them with him to his grave. Even so, it was enough to prompt me, at the end of “Lilo And Stitch,” to turn to my wife and say, “You know, it’s entirely possible that I’m related to Lilo.” “Nope,” she replied without missing a beat, “You look a lot more like Stitch.” Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, S.D. He and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry currently works full time for the Dairy Star as a staff writer/ ad salesman. Feel free to E-mail him at jerry.n@dairystar.com.

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Starting a new chapter

During my 4-H career, I was blessed to have that one perfect show cow, Allison. She was a fall calf her rst year out. She had a mainly white coat and was the best show heifer we had ever had on the farm up to that point … that we know of. When I showed her at the Minnesota State Fair as a fall yearling, it was my last time in the show ring as a 4-Her. Of course, the rst few days of the fair leading up to the show felt as normal as any other year. But the day of the show in 2004, it hit me. I was done showing cattle in 4-H. Over the years, 4-H had given me so many opportunities. I was able to improve my speaking skills, grow my condence, learn more about dairy through quiz bowl and dairy judging, grow my passion for By Missy Mussman dairy through showing cattle, earn a few awards along Staff Writer the way and meet many new friends that had the same interest I had – dairy. As the show came to a close, I couldn’t have asked for a better ending. My favorite heifer, Allison, had won her class with a purple ribbon and was named Grand Champion Grade Holstein Heifer Net Merit. Of course, one of my friends in the ring came up to me as I walked out and said, ‘Missy’s ending it with a bang.’ Once the words registered in my head, my heart jumped in my throat and the tears began to fall. I was really done with an amazing part of my life and it was hard to say goodbye to it. But, I soon realized, it wasn’t goodbye. I was starting a new chapter in my life. I soon a coach for the dairy Once again, O i I am at a time i iin became bowl and quiz bowl teams, an emcee for the local 4-H show, my life where one chapter is an instructor for the state 4-H complete and another is dairy workshops during the state fair and the co-chair for beginning. the state 4-H dairy judging contest. Once again, I am at a time in my life where one chapter is complete and another is beginning. It seems like just yesterday I was starting as a staff writer with Dairy Star. I had moved three hours away from home to a place where I didn’t know many people, but right away I was welcomed in as a part of the Dairy Star family. Over the past four years, I have been blessed to not only become friends with and work with an amazingly talented staff at the ofce, but I’ve been able to visit with some of the most wonderful, hardworking, dedicated and amazing people I can think of – all of you dairy farmers. There are so many wonderful memories I have from visiting every one of you. You were all so kind to welcome me onto your farms and share your unique stories with me and on occasion even earn a cookie or treat for just being there. I shared in farmers’ joys, laughed with them, cried on the way home for the farmers who lost their livelihood in a disaster or decided to retire, or shared in their excitement. I was able to see parts of the state I had never ventured to and was fortunate to run into several of you more than once. These past four years have come to a close with a new chapter about to begin. To me, it’s like 4-H all over again with tears in my eyes and my heart in my throat. Although my time at Dairy Star has come to a close, as I will be starting another job near Owatonna, Minn., I will cherish the years I was able to spend here with all of you. Thank you again for the wonderful memories and reminding me everyday of why I love coming from a dairy farm. You have made these last four years remarkable for me. God Bless you all.

Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017 • Page 31

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Who is Tree Man? Page 32 â€˘ Dairy Star â€˘ Saturday, January 14, 2017

Scrolling through my iPhone the other day, I In the Bs there is Billy Bob and Big Jim, normal came across the entry, Tree Man, and I have no clue redneck names for good friends who donâ€™t need a who that is. Now, Tree Man is a mystery that I will last name because thatâ€™s just who they are. There solve before I write the last paragraph to this article. are also six Bradds or Brads, and they all need last At least itâ€™s a better name than two of our employ- names so I know who is who. I donâ€™t want to acees who have named each cidentally call Bradd the other in their phones, as milk hauler when I want The b best part about b cell ll they both call the other one Th Brad the mechanic. I also â€œdumb â€“ .â€? phones is the daily or weekly have ďƒžve Bruces and all As I start scrolling are close to my age and through my contacts, I can call history they give me. all do or did have associacall or text America. Sheâ€™s tions with the same dairy Bryanâ€™s wife, a native of El co-op. Salvador, well educated, bilingual, and a wonderful Corn Grinding, hmm, is Corn his ďƒžrst or last person to know when I need help explaining com- name? All I know is he sent us one large bottle of plicated issues like insurance to Hispanic employ- Crown Royal for Christmas. Maybe I should ask ees. Only in America can I call America. him his real name next year when he comes to grind

high moisture shelled corn, or just change his name in my phone to Crown Royal. Another contact in my phone is Dave Alfalfa; could be his last name but Iâ€™m not even sure who that is, either. I have a friend named Cal Graber from Making Cents of Dairy South Dakota that I usually call when Iâ€™m on a drive somewhere. To be safe I use Siri voice commands to make the call. If I tell Siri to call Cal Graber, she tells me that no contacts in my phone match. However, if I tell Siri to call Grabber Cal, I am soon talking to my friend. By Dave Vander Kooi There is also a JenniColumnist fer with a local number and no last name in my contacts. I think I should delete that one because I have no idea who that is. There are 11 Johns in my contacts, and one of them died in a motorcycle wreck last summer. I have a hard time deleting his name, along with three other deceased friends/contacts because then I tend to forget about them, and Iâ€™m not ready to do that. Cell phone contacts can be wonderful to have, like this morning, when at breakfast I glanced at my Facebook site and saw Merri Post was having a procedure done on her foot/ heel that sounds similar to a continuing problem I have. Merri is a fellow dairy farmer in our area, and I havenâ€™t talked to her on the phone in probably eight years, but I had her number saved in my contacts. So I called her to compare foot miseries and I got her voicemail, of course. Maybe she uses her phone to screen calls like all the rest of us do. The best part about cell phones is the daily or weekly call history they give me. We currently are very busy installing freestalls in a new barn addition where the cell reception is spotty at best, and I donâ€™t want to remove my gloves and dig through four layers of clothes only to miss a call. So, when I take a break in a warm truck, I can look at my texts or missed calls and see who I need to respond to. Such a far cry from 20 years ago when I would write notes on my hand of who I should call in the evening when I ďƒžnally got in the house. For two days since I started this article I have scratched my brain trying to remember who Tree Man is, but to no avail. Finally I swallowed my pride and pressed on the contact and called him. A sweet female voice on the other end answered, â€œGarvin Nursery how may I help you?â€? I told her why I was calling, and she seemed a bit amused and confused and I didnâ€™t blame her. Then she said her husband moved trees, and suddenly I remembered hiring him to move some 6-foot evergreens for our family a few years ago. Now it all makes sense. Vander Kooi operates a 1,200-cow, 3,000 acre farm with his son, Joe, and daughter-in-law, Rita, near Worthington, Minn. Send him feedback at davevkooi@ hotmail.com.

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Grandpa’s music

Our barn radio is possessed. The station selector is apparently shot because the radio station changes willy-nilly. Sometimes it switches stations every two minutes; sometimes we’ll get the same station for half a day, only to come in the next morning and nd the radio tuned to a new station. The malfunction started right around Halloween, so we’ve been joking that there’s a ghost inside the radio and we’re now subject to its listening preferences. But yesterday morning’s station selection was no laughing matter. After a half-hour of the country gospel program that was playing, I was in tears. It was impossible to listen to those songs by The Carter Family, Kitty Wells and Gene Autry and Dairy Good Life not think of Grandpa. Those original folk country artists were his music. They were the artists whose cassette tapes he played in his Jeep Eagle while driving from his house to our farm. They were the artists he listened to while relaxing in his easy chair at night. And they were the artists whose music he danced to – rst with my grandmother during their basement dance parties and later with his friend, Eileen, and his granddaughters during dances at Larson Barn. Eight years ago this week, Grandpa passed away and we laid him to rest. Every reminder of By Sadie Frericks Grandpa still makes me miss him: The smell of Columnist diesel fuel on greasy hands. The way my kids stick their tongue out a little when they’re concentrating, exactly the same way he did. The sound of his music. I didn’t know it was possible to miss someone so much. Grandpa’s inuence on my life can’t be summed up in words. He was the only grandparent I ever really got to know. My other three grandparents had all passed on by the time I was in middle school. Even thought we didn’t live on the home farm, Grandpa came to our farm almost every day to help, mostly with eldwork and machinery maintenance. Grandpa always had a pliers and a spark plug in his pocket, along with enough spare change to make the whole collection jingle a little when he walked. He taught us girls everything from how to turn a wrench to how to release the clutch on the tractor. Later, when Glen and I were farming there, Grandpa still came to the farm most days, but it was more for coffee and visiting. I still consider those 18 months of near-daily visits with Grandpa to be one of the greatest gifts of my life. I was able to come back after high school and after college, when I was nally starting to understand what life is really all about and hear Grandpa’s stories with fresh ears and a new perspective. That was truly a gift. After we moved to Melrose, I tried to make as many trips up north as I could. During one of those trips, while visiting with Grandpa, he mentioned a song. For the life of me, I can’t remember how the song came up in the conversation or why it was important to him. Nor can I remember if he specically asked me to nd it for him. Grandpa didn’t ask for much. Either way, I went home and found the song he mentioned: “I’ll Be All Smiles Tonight” by The Carter Family. Then I found the lyrics and the music and learned the song. That summer at my sister’s wedding dance, I sang that song for Grandpa. Grandpa, in his best suit, and my sister in her white dress, started waltzing across the dance oor. When the words started and Grandpa heard my voice, he stopped dancing for a second, turned, and said, “Why, that’s Sadie singing.” The smile on Grandpa’s face was unforgettable. I’ve never been so proud to give someone a gift so meaningful as I was in that moment. I sang that song twice more for Grandpa. With the help of the choir teacher here in Melrose, I made a recording of me singing the song, so Grandpa could listen to it while he relaxed in his easy chair. Then, two years later, I sang for him again at his funeral. “I’ll Be All Smiles Tonight” isn’t exactly a popular funeral song, but it was perfect for Grandpa’s funeral because it was his music. And, for some reason, that song meant something extra to him. It certainly means a lot to me now. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 75 cows near Melrose, Minn. They have three children – Dan, 10, Monika, 7, and Daphne, 4. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.

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Entropy

Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017

Entropy is a scientic term that measures disor- nearly everything. Over time entropy rules, and maxider. The second law of thermodynamics states that mum disorder, or in this case contamination, rules. everything in the universe eventually moves from orIn spite of some nifty technological achieveder to disorder, or maximum entropy. This profound ments, parlors do not really get cleaner over time idea is something we humans take for granted, even without human intervention. This means we have to though it greatly impacts our daily lives. A common be unrelenting in the battle to prevent, control and reexample of increasing entropy in the uniduce entropy. How did the walls of that verse is the breaking of an egg. We have Veterinary Wisdom parlor get so dirty, seemingly overnight? all seen an egg break. No one, however, Why is there a grimy feel to the claws has seen an egg un-break. and hoses that was not there last time you That new combine you purchased milked the cows? Why is the oor such a probably worked like a charm when you mess? brought it home. Over time though, bearFor most well managed farms, the ings wore out, belts and chains broke, and most important concept in mastitis conrust appeared. We consider this normal, trol is simple sanitation, not the latest but without the second law, you might be new teat dip, computerized gadget or able to just buy all the parts of a combine feed additive. Milking equipment needs and let it assemble itself. Or you could to be clean on the inside and outside. The buy a rusty broken down one at an aucmilking area, be it a parlor or barn, needs tion, put it in the shed in the spring and to be clean. Stalls, cows and udders need By Jim Bennett take out a clean, shiny working machine to be clean. Milkers’ hands and arms Columnist in the fall. That would be silly, and noneed to be clean. Dip cups and towels body would think such a notion is posneed to be clean. Not only is basic sanitasible because we all observe the second law in action tion the most important concept for mastitis control; every day. And, we accept it as fact. it is also most difcult to achieve, because the second For some reason, most of us also seem to go law makes sure you can never quit trying. through life expecting the second law of thermodyNeonatal calf health is often compromised on namics to not apply to certain things. We assume some dairy farms due to inadequate sanitation. The two mathings will never break, or we assume some things jor disease categories where this is important in baby will un-break if left alone. Also, we sometimes opti- calves are enteritis, or scours, and respiratory disease, mistically believe things will somehow clean them- which eventually results in pneumonia. For scours, selves, even though we really know they will not. On the breakdown in sanitation is almost always keeping the dairy farm, this assumption becomes a real prob- fecal material out of calves’ mouths. Most calf scours lem in a variety of places, but especially for mastitis are not caused by exotic pathogens, but run of the mill control and calf health. bugs that are on almost every dairy. Mastitis is inammation of the mammary gland, Cleanliness starts in the calving area, goes through and is typically caused by a bacterial infection. On the immediate management of the newborn calf and most well managed dairies, the primary source of the continues through feeding and housing older calves. bacteria is the environment. When one installs a new For respiratory disease, a breakdown in cleanliness milking parlor, the equipment is clean, and the levels most often means a decrease in air quality, speciof mastitis causing organisms on the surfaces of the cally increases in ammonia, moisture, dust and respiequipment are low. Within minutes that changes as ratory pathogens. Poor air quality leads to damage bacteria brought in by the cows nd their way onto to the integrity of the immune system of the calf and

higher levels of pathogenic organisms in respiratory tissues. None of this is magic; in fact, it is a simple concept. Too bad it is so hard to do. A sort of corollary to the second law of thermodynamics says that humans will not necessarily strive to reduce entropy on their own. This is why colleges and universities have schools of management. This explains why your employees may seem unable to see dirt and manure on that milking equipment, and why you have to constantly remind them that everything needs to be clean. They are not necessarily bad employees; it is just that the universe is working against you. If you accept this, then you accept that you need to develop procedures and systems to keep everything and everyone working the way they are supposed to be. This can be as simple as reminding someone, making a checklist, supervising, having clear job descriptions and training, or can be more complex like setting up systems of accountability and review. But, however simple or complex, it is necessary because stuff does not clean itself and expecting employees to take initiative to clean without your input is expecting too much. All of us want to hire superstars who will automatically do all of the things we want them to do. In reality, we almost always hire regular people, not superstars. On the dairy and in life, we need to ght the results of the second law of thermodynamics. Things break. Stuff gets dirty. Cleanliness is never an accident. Entropy happens everywhere. Not only do we need to accept this, we need to embrace it. Once we do so we can begin to develop systems that will prevent the slide to maximum disorder, keep everything clean and achieve success. 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.

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Nearing the end of an era

Rinkel serves over 30 years in dairy promotion BY MISSY MUSSMAN Staﬀ writer

HILLMAN, Minn. – When Ron Rinkel has a question, he does not wait for someone else to ask it. “I always ask a lot of questions because we need to get discussion on the table,” Rinkel said. That inquisitive nature lead Rinkel to serve over 30 years in dairy promotion. Rinkel serves on the Morrison County American Dairy Association board, the Minnesota Dairy Promotion Council, the Minnesota Division board of Midwest Dairy and the Midwest Dairy corporate board while milking 70 cows with his wife, Mary Ann, and their son, Ralph, near Hillman, Minn. Mary Ann and Ron have three other children, Gwen Lloyd, Janice Blazey and Mark, who were also active on the farm. “I always wanted to know where my money was going and what was being done with it,” Rinkel said about why he started becoming involved with dairy promotion. “I also wanted a way to give back to the community I live in.” Rinkel’s 30 years of service began in the early 1980s when he was elected to the Morrison County board. “Those were some tough times in farming,” Rinkel said. “But, we had 1,200 dairy farmers in the county, and 400 farmers came to the Falls Ballroom in Little Falls, Minn., for our meeting. Now, we have 200 dairy farmers in the county, but we’re producing more milk than we did then.” Since his election, Rinkel served as the president for many years and is now a director. A few years after joining the local board, Rinkel became an elected member of the American Dairy Association (ADA) of Minnesota board representing his region, which held staff and program responsibility, in 1983. “Half of the members were appointed by their cooperatives and the other half were elected by the farmers,” Rinkel said. During his service on the state board, Rinkel saw changes in the structure of the program and board he served on. The ADA of Minnesota board became the American Dairy Association/Dairy Council (ADA/DC) of the Upper Midwest, which included South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota. This changes the make up of the board so that the person elected to the Minnesota Dairy Promotion Council automatically became a board member for the ADA/DC. There was no longer a separate ADA board for the state. At that time, Rinkel ran for election to the MDPC and won. Similarly, when the ADA/DC became Midwest Dairy Association, the members of the MDPC automatically became members of the Minnesota Division board of Midwest Dairy, and the Midwest Dairy corporate board. “It went very smoothly,” Rinkel said. Even though there were many changes to the structure of the state board, his role as state treasurer remained consistent. “I’ve held that position for many years,” Rinkel said. Rinkel was active on the corporate board for the past 20 years, which now consists of members from Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri and part of Oklahoma. “Our board developed close relationships with Dairy Management Inc., and National Milk Council to get our input

Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017 • Page 35

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Ron Rinkel, pictured with his wife, Mary Ann, has served over 30 years in dairy promoƟon. Rinkel milks 70 cows with his family near Hillman, Minn. in,” he said. “We’re in a world-wide market.” Being an elected member on both the state and corporate boards allowed Rinkel to see what was being done with the check-off dollars he was contributing and the changes in how it was used. One of those changes was the transfer of ownership of the Real Seal. “It was very controversial at the time because it was very popular with dairy farmers. People could recognize what was a real dairy product,” Rinkel said. Another change Rinkel saw over the last 30 years was the increased involvement of the public in agriculture through on-farm events. “That’s been very effective,” Rinkel said. He also saw the switch from using slogans and commercials to forming partnerships with places like McDonalds, Taco Bell and Dominos. “It’s been very helpful,” Rinkel said. “At McDonalds, we have two to three nutritionists in their research center to create different products and they make sure dairy is incorporated in those new products. We’re getting ourselves in the kitchen.” Because of his involvement on the boards, Rinkel has traveled to other areas of the state and country for meetings. “I have a very understanding wife and a son helping me out at home,” he said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do this without them, but thankfully, I’m not gone often or for long periods of time.” His time away has not hindered his participation in local promotions like the annual event at Coborn’s. “I always nd time to be there for the local events,” Rinkel said. Rinkel’s favorite event during the past 30-plus years was the Princess Kay program’s 50th anniversary in 2003. “All the past Princess Kays that were able to attend and Governor Tim Pawlenty was there, too,” Rinkel said. Besides the different events and places he has traveled, Rinkel visited with many dairy farmers from across the state and country. “It’s been very educational,” Rinkel said. “When you stick close to home, it’s easy to think it’s the whole world. But it was fun to discuss and hear what was going on in the rest of the world.” Acting as a voice and being a face for dairy farmers provided him the opportunity to meet with consumers, too. “I loved hearing good things from the farmers and the public, but I liked hearing their concerns, too, so I could explain and usually solve the problem.” Even though Rinkel’s terms on the state and corporate boards are coming to an end in March and his term on the county board will be complete next year, Rinkel said the people are what he will remember and treasure about this experience. “I’m proud of the people I’ve met and worked with,” he said. “It’s been fun, and I’m so grateful to the farmers that elected me to represent them all these years.”

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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017

Women In Jeans Kristi Tveten Rushford, Minn. Winona County 40 cows

Family: My husband, Dave, and I have three children who are all married and have families of their own: Mike and his wife, Becca, and their children, Alyvia, Myia and Ava; our son, Paul and his wife, Raeanna, and their children, Kalli, Lyza and Troy; and our daughter, Jacki, and her husband, Rob Ebner, and their son, Jorli. Tell us about your farm and your role. Dave and I started farming July 4, 1977, and then were married in October. This is Dave’s family’s farm. His dad milked cows here before us, but had to get out because of health issues. The barn sat empty before we started. We only have 40 acres, which we use for corn silage. We buy all our hay and dry corn. Dave and I share most of the duties on the farm. I mostly take care of the calves, although Dave does them every once in awhile. The only responsibility I have that Dave doesn’t do is bookkeeping, and the only chore Dave does that I don’t is hauling manure. What’s the busiest time of day for you? Mornings. It’s when we do the bulk of the chores. When we’re faced with any trouble, it comes at this time of day. We also watch one of our grandchildren a few times a week, which also makes mornings busy, but fun. When you get a spare moment what do you do? Our true love is our grandkids. There’s nothing like spending time with them. They bring us such joy. I also like to bake, garden, process and can what we garden and read. During the summer, I help with vacation bible school at church. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. The rst night we milked in the barn. We had no idea where it was going to take us, and we were very excited. It was a relatively new concept at the time to have a herd of cows, but not have the acres to support them. We have always bought most of our feed. It was a new adventure. It’s had challenges, but the good far outweighs the bad. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I love working with Dave every day and having our family with us. The farm has been a great way to raise a family and has taught our kids valuable lessons. It has given all of us an appreciation for animals and teaches

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about loving something and then having to let it go. It’s all part of the cycle of life. Even though our children don’t farm with us, they are here often. The grandkids love the farm. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? We attend workshops, go to the county fair and visit World Dairy Expo. There are several people – salespeople, nutritionist or vet – who stop here throughout the week, so we interact with those people as well. In your opinion, what’s the importance of women in today’s dairy industry and how have you seen that change over the years? Forty years ago, most women took care of calves. Many still do today and it’s still a very important job. But, I see more women taking a greater role in the management side of dairies. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? I don’t have anyone specic I would like to come, but I love to open our barn doors to anyone interested in learning more about dairy. A lot of people are so removed from where their food comes from. I like to help teach people more about it. What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? Vacations aren’t easy to come by and usually consist of an afternoon away or sometimes an overnight; however, about 10 years ago I was able to take a trip to Montana and Wyoming with my mom, dad, sister and daughter. We drove through the Black Hills and went to Yellowstone National Park. We were gone for ve days. Shortly after, my dad passed away, so I’m thankful I was able to spend that time with him. What are some words you like to live by? I have always loved the bible verse, Philippians 4:6. To summarize, it says don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. I always think we can’t add days to our life by worrying. One thing about farming is you can never truly plan a day, but thank goodness God has them planned for us.

tfn

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Dairy Star â€˘ Saturday, January 14, 2017 â€˘ Page 37

A barn run by bachelors Stang brothers create partnership, dairy 26 years BY JENNIFER COYNE StaďŹ€ writer

LAKE HENRY, Minn. â€“ For three bachelors in central Minnesota, dairy farming is their livelihood. The Stang brothers at Triple S Farms â€“ Chuck, 64, Roger, 61, and Paul, 57 â€“ formed a partnership in 1991 after purchasing their fatherâ€™s dairy near Lake Henry, Minn. For 26 years, they have approached the responsibility with humility and compassion. â€œJust like other farm families, weâ€™ve dedicated our whole lives to dairying,â€? Paul said. â€œDad milked almost 30 years before we started to take over for him.â€? Each day begins at 5 a.m. for the three brothers. While Chuck and Paul begin milking their 120 registered cows in a tiestall barn, Roger feeds the calves. â€œThe milkhouse is a long ways away when I forget something,â€? said Paul, chuckling about the 300-foot long barn. When milking is complete, the brothers all help to feed the cows a TMR mix and bed the youngstock. â€œFrom there, itâ€™s all hands on deck,â€? Roger said. The cows are bedded new straw, the barn is cleaned and the 600 acres of land is tended to before evening chores begin again. With help from a high school student, Matt Fuchs, the Stangs remain busy throughout the day. â€œWe seldom miss a milking,â€? Paul said. â€œMaybe once for a doctorâ€™s appointment, but thatâ€™s no fun.â€? Roger agreed. â€œWe work and go to church,â€? he said. Dedication to the farm began at a young age for the Stang brothers. â€œWe were knee-high when we started helping,â€? Roger said. â€œWe never had any other job. Milking the cows and farming were our jobs.â€? When the partnership was formed, each brother was given vacation days that they were supposed to use within a year. However, because of their com-

â€œJust like other farm families, weâ€™ve dedicated our whole lives to dairying.â€? PAUL STANG, DAIRY PRODUCER

mitment to the dairy, those days have slipped by. â€œWe never did use that vacation and have gone all these years without taking a break,â€? Paul said. â€œIt seems like growing up we never did take vacations, so we never started.â€? Roger agreed. â€œWhen we were farming with Dad, we didnâ€™t have time for ourselves,â€? he said. â€œMaybe if we made more time for ourselves things would be different, but weâ€™re happy.â€? Rather than stepping away from the farm, the Stangs looked for ways to improve their dairy herd. The brothers never had to add on to the facilities, as their dad built an addition to the original tiestall barn and grew the herd as the brothers graduated high school. However, over the years,

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

Roger (leĹŒ) and Paul Stang milk 120 cows near Lake Henry, Minn. When school is not in session, the Stangs receive help from a neighbor, MaĆŠ Fuchs (back). Not pictured is Chuck Stang. the Stangs continued making genetic advancements within their herd and also added newer equipment to the farm as needed. â€œYou have to have good feet and legs and udders because without those two, you donâ€™t have a cow,â€? said Paul about characteristics he looks for when choosing sires. Roger agreed. â€œI would like us to get into genomic testing with our registered herd,â€? he said. In recent years, the family has experimented with Red and White Holsteins and polled cattle. â€œIâ€™ve always liked the cows â€“ working with them and taking care of them,â€? Roger said. â€œItâ€™s fun too see the cows go through pregnancy, have a heifer calf and then you raise her up to see what kind of cow sheâ€™ll become.â€? Paul agreed. â€œWhen I was younger, I could name every pedigree in the barn,â€? he said. â€œNow, I could do most of them, but my memory slips.â€? They also sell their bull calves and use the additional income to invest in farm equipment. Recently, the brothers installed a continuous ďƒ&#x;ow drying system and purchased a quad tractor. â€œWe buy things when we need it,â€? Roger said. â€œThereâ€™s never much discussion, our minds are just made up.â€? By remaining a progressive herd throughout the years, the Stangs have encountered few challenges as dairy producers. â€œWe try and stay ahead of everything,â€? Paul said. However, with new federal regulations, such as the veterinary feed directive, the Stangs are anticipating some challenges arising and causing them to re-evaluate their herd health protocols. â€œItâ€™s too early to tell how this will affect the farm,â€? Roger said in reference to no longer using medicated milk replacer. â€œWeâ€™ll just have to see how it works.â€? Despite setbacks out of their control, the Stangs are hopeful in maintaining their rolling herd average of 26,500 pounds for many more years. â€œWeâ€™ve had that a long time,â€? Roger said. â€œBut you canâ€™t just get there with genetics.â€?

The Stangs follow a strict schedule for their milking herd each day, also incorporating new feedstuffs into the ration, such as baleage. â€œGenetics, good feed and consistency with feeding, milking and breeding are all keys to that herd average,â€? Paul said. Likewise, getting along with each other helps â€“ which was a trait developed in the many years working together.

â€œWe donâ€™t yell at each other, thereâ€™s too much to get done,â€? Roger said. â€œAnd too much ďƒžghting doesnâ€™t get us anywhere.â€? For these three bachelor brothers, dairy farming is their way of life â€“ a life they have embraced and will continue embracing together. â€œDairy farming has been good to us,â€? Paul said.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 14, 2017 • Page 39