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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 19, No. 23
Tax code may benet farmers but revisions necessary By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
RINGLE, Wis. – When President Trump signed the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) into law Dec. 22, 2017, it became the most comprehensive overhaul to the United State’s tax code in more than 30 years. With that, businesses large and small sought how their tax portfolio would change – and the dairy industry was no exception. “It’s hard to speculate right now how this could all work; each farm will be affected differently,” James Juedes said. Juedes and his wife, Joanne, milk 60 cows 10 miles east of Wausau, Wis., in Marathon County. The farm is operated as a sole proprietorship. As the law is further developed and understood, Juedes has worked with his accountant to envision how the changes will reect in his dairy business. Of the individual and business changes noted in the tax reform, the most notable for the dairy sector include: Personal property is no longer eligible in a Section 1031 exchange; Section 179 increased to $1 million and a $2.5 million threshold for purchases; Accelerated depreciation increased to 100 percent on new and used property; a seven-year class life on new farming assets was shortened to ve years; Corporation rate is set at 21 percent; and DPAD was repealed and replaced with a 20 percent deduction on Qualied Business Income. “The tax package will ultimately result in lower taxes for farmers,” said Amber Hanson-Glaeser of Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation. “There’s a lot of good things Turn to TAX | Page 5
January 27, 2018
“It was a bad situation made bearable by all the people who showed up to help.” – Tim Dettmann
Dettmanns suffer parlor re
Over 500 cows relocated to two area farms By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
JOHNSON CREEK, Wis. – As the clock struck 3 a.m. on Jan. 13, the morning shift workers at Dettmann Dairy Farm discovered the beginnings of a re on the familyo w n e d d a i r y farm near Johnson Creek, Wis. T i m Tim Dettmann and Amy Dettmann Dairy Dettmann own and operate the Jefferson County farm with Tim’s son, Mike, and his wife, Sue, in
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
De�man Dairy Farm is recovering a�er a re Jan. 13 near Johnson Creek, Wis. The re began in a dryer, located in what was a kitchen and office area next to the parlor on the 520-cow farm. two LLC’s; one for the dairy operation and a second for the farmland. Amy’s son, Brett, also works on the farm. The re, which had started
in the dryer used to dry milking towels, had spread to an ofce and kitchen area located off the side of the parlor where the Dettmanns milk their
520 cows. Fortunately, the re began before cows were moved into the holding area Turn to DETTMANN | Page 6
Dairying dream brings Briggs family from Massachusetts to Wisconsin
Grazing, lasting cows and self-processing are future goals By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
STRATFORD, Wis. – Growing up on a registered Jersey dairy farm in Medway, Mass., Jim Briggs always knew he wanted to be a dairy farmer. He also knew that it probably was not going to happen on his family’s farm that was located a mere 25 miles southwest of Boston. Briggs’ journey eventually led him to Stratford, Wis., in 2014, where he now milks 45 cows with his wife, Jenny, and son, Justin, 14. The herd is primarily Jerseys, with the exception of Justin’s Holstein show cow and her new daughter. “Today, all the dairies in eastern Massachusetts are basically gone,” said Briggs of his hometown. “We processed and bottled our own milk, and it was a Turn to BRIGGS | Page 10
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Jim Briggs enjoys working with Jerseys and found them to be the best t for the dairy herd he and his family have established in central Wisconsin. The Briggs family milks 45 cows near Stra�ord, Wis.
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Amanda Thooft 320-352-6303 amanda.t@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Andrea Borgerding - Associate Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Krista Kuzma - Assistant Editor (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Ron Johnson (608) 874-4243 ron.j@dairystar.com Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048 cowlady@centurylink.net Brittany Olson (320) 352-6303 brittany.o@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman (715) 245-6848 danielle.n@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Advertising Sales Main Ofce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Jeff Weyer (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-8505 (cell) jeff.w@dairystar.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 fax: 507-634-4413 laura.s@dairystar.com Jerry Nelson (SW MN, NW Iowa, South Dakota) 605-690-6260 jerry.n@dairystar.com Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Lori Menke (Eastern Iowa, Southern WI) 563-608-6477 • lori.m@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 megan.s@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute nal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters.
North America dealers. A glance at what’s inside
Dairy Prole brought to you by your
The end of January signals more than the approaching warmth of spring. The Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4 will be held at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. For this issue’s “From our side of the fence,” we caught up with producers to hear about their Super Bowl traditions. Along with their traditions, they talked about who they would invite to a dairy-themed party, what food would they serve and how they would promote dairy. Read about their answers on pages 15-16 in rst section. At Irish Grove Farm in Castalia, Iowa, John and Peggy Sparrgrove are the third generation to be carrying on their family’s dairying tradition by milking 165 Holsteins, Red and Whites, Jerseys and Guernseys. They have welcomed the fourth generation, their son, Ryan, and his wife, Brianne, while the fth generation could be coming on board with Ryan and Brianne’s trio of children. Catch up with their family on pages 25 in second section. We visited Andrew Odeen of Black River Falls, Wis., who brought a milking herd back to his family’s Jackson County farm in 2002 for the rst time since his grandfather milked cows in the late 1960s. On pages 34-35 in rst section, read about his 40-cow herd, 65 acres and crossbreeding of Holstein, Milking Shorthorn, Brown Swiss and Ayrshire that averages between 50 and 55 pounds per day with a 4 percent butterfat test and a cell count that runs under 100,000. Dave and Ann Buck of Goodhue, Minn are fortunate to be farming with family and reected on that blessing when we caught up with them. On pages 4-5 in second section, read about their 2017 Goodhue County Farm Family of the Year award, and how they’ve transitioned their dairy to allow for two of their six children to continue dairying alongside them. Organic production was the topic of the Minnesota Organic Conference, Jan. 11-12, in St. Cloud, Minn. We sat in on the session to hear about the mechanical techniques of raising organic row crops and controlling weeds. Read what we learned on pages 6-8 in second section. On pages 14-15 in second section, travel across the globe to Brockton Farm located on the island of Tasmania, Australia. For this issue’s “Dairying Around the World” feature, learn how Nigel Brock and his family pasture their 830 cows year-round and milk in a 50-unit DeLaval rotary parlor with the help of ve full-time staff members. The farm is situated at the base of the Great Western Tiers, an extensive mountain range, and receives 47 inches of rainfall each year, commonly leaving their pastures ooded. – The Dairy Star Editorial Team
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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 ofces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
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It’s all inside... Columnists Ag Insider
Pages 8-9 First Section
The Transition Pen Page 27 First Section
Clear Lake
Couple operates grass-based farmstead creamery, CSA Third Section: Pages 2 - 3
Cumberland
Black River Falls
Hecht earns third National Dairy Quality Award
Withee
Crossbred herd allows Odeen to achieve both
Understanding reproductive cycle paramount to increased fertility
Second Section: Pages 34 - 35
First Section: Pages 23, 25
Third Section: Pages 8-9
Rural Roots
Stratford
Dairying dream lands Briggs family in central Wisconsin First Section: Pages 1, 10
Page 28 First Section
What have you been up to?
First Section: Page 36
n
Ashland Burnett
Sawyer
Price
Page 30 First Section
Polk
Something to Ruminate On
St. Croix
Pepin
Dairy’s Star Youth: Claire Raethke
Pierce
Dunn
Pepin Buffalo
Third Section: Page 11
The Next Generation Page 33 First Section
The “Mielke” Market Weekly
Pages 10 - 11 Second Section
Rusk
Barron
Pages 14 - 15 Second Section
Chippewa
Marathon
Madison
Clark
Eau Claire Trempealeau
Page 32 First Section
Australia
Dairying Around the World
Taylor
Page 31 First Section
Just Thinking Out Loud
Third Section: Pages 12 - 13
ur
Women in Jeans: Paula Green
Kids Corner: The Offer Family
Iron
Hager City
hb
Ramblings from the Ridge
Douglas
W as
Page 29 First Section
Auburndale
Bayeld
Making the truth about food relatable
Wood
Second Section: Page 22
Jackson Adams
La Crosse Monroe
Juneau Vernon
Prairie du Chien
Put operating agreements, business plans in writing
ford
First Section: Page 37
Richland
Sauk
Craw
Iowa
Fond Du Lac Columbia
Dane J
Zone 2
Green
on
rs
e eff
Grant Lafayette
Dodge
Rock
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE: How do you typically take in the Super Bowl? Pages 15-16
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
Johnson Creek
Dairy community support unparalleled following parlor re First Section: Pages 1, 6-7
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Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018
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ConƟnued from TAX | Page 1 in here for farm management – increased expensing, cash accounting, the deduction for interest and estate tax exemption. Hopefully, these are good changes that will benet farmers’ bottom line.” Juedes agreed. “If you could make a substantial amount of money, then maybe you would hang on to more without spending as much as in the past,” he said. Arguably the biggest change in the tax code is farmers’ inability to use personal property as a Section 1031 line of exchange. Previously, farmers could trade a tractor for a different piece of equipment and defer the gain. “This puts an end to using equipment and livestock as part of 1031,” Hanson-Glaeser said. The increase to Section 179 from $500,000 to $1 million allows farmers to write off more. While Juedes views most of the changes as a positive benet to the dairy industry, he has reservations about Section 179. “That takes a lot of purchases to write off that much, especially if the farm is established,” Juedes said. “You’re not going to replace a whole eet of trucks or buy new combines just to reach that.” Dairy farmer Michael Leahy is pleased with the revisions of Section 179 as it will facilitate potential expansion for his family’s business and that of the industry. Leahy, along with his parents and brother, milk 130 cows near Alto, Wis., in Fond Du Lac County. “As a whole, I see the tax reform as a positive measure. The expansion of Section 179 deductions in total dollars will be helpful to promote growth,” Leahy said. Coupled with Section 179 is another opportunity for farmers to save with accelerated depreciation. This revision allows businesses to deduct 100 percent of new and used properties until 2022. After 2022, the deduction will be phased out until it is fully eliminated in 2027. “The increase in bonus depreciation will denitely be a tax tool used this year,” said Leahy of his farm’s tax planning. “The most overlooked aspect is the expansion of qualied property, including used. Especially during these nancially stressful times, that ability to include used property will serve as a tax benet.” However, professionals are cautioning farmers about this particular change in the tax code. “This particular change was retroactive to Sept. 27, 2017,” said Jan Schaffner of Compeer Financial. “I’m
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cautioning farmers with this change. Bonus depreciation is great, but it’s on all assets in a single class life. You can’t pick and choose which to include.” Another benecial revision is new farming assets depreciating in ve years, rather than seven. Leahy and his family have accelerated some of the farm’s deductions to gain the most from this change. “This whole tax bill is good, but it also comes with negatives,” Schaffner said. Dairy farms categorized as a C-Corporation are now administered a at rate of 21 percent. While not many farms are categorized as such, the rate change will have an impact. “I’m all in favor of a at rate. It promotes growth, but dissuades farmers from capturing any income as savings for a rainy day fund,” said Leahy, whose farm is setup as a C-corp. “When we’re looking at protable years, we could have a 6 percent increase in taxes. Hopefully, with the deductions, we can mitigate that increase.” The most notable, potentially consequential change is the repeal of Domestic Production Activities Deduction (DPAD). “Section 199 was the big one that was eliminated and a ‘x’ was put in place, where a 20 percent deduction on payments can be given through cooperatives,” said Hanson-Glaeser. “It was a good idea at the time to preserve the benets, but now there are unforeseen marketing decisions with unintended consequences because of it.” “Not everyone is agreeing with how one calculates the 20 percent deduction on qualied business income. It’ll come down to the IRS to gure out,” Schaffner said. For Juedes, he is concerned with how the new deduction will affect his farm’s earning potential. “Each farm is being affected differently [with TCJA], but it’s also affecting the dairy plants,” he said. “What happens to them has a big effect on my bottom line.” As Juedes and other farmers prepare for the implications TCJA will bring, they are encouraged to speak with their tax consultant and develop a plan best t for the farming business. “In this day and age, it’s imperative that farms of all sizes have top-notch accountants and tax professionals,” Juedes said. “Without a shadow of a doubt, investing in an accountant is the best money spent.” Revisions to the new tax code are expected to develop within the next several weeks.
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For more information please contact: MARY ROSEN at 320-493-8668 or rosendairy@albanytel.com The Princess Banquet will be March 10, 2018 at the Freeport Community Center, with dinner at 7:30 pm and coronation program at 8:30 pm.
Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018
ConƟnued from DETTMANN | Page 1
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The re was discovered at approximately 3 a.m. Jan. 13 by the DeƩmanns’ morning shiŌ workers. for morning milking. “Mike called me about 3:15 a.m.,” said Tim of his son and partner in the dairy. “I was up here about eight minutes later and the re trucks followed me in. They (Mike and the morning crew) were working at it with re extinguishers. We all thought it wasn’t that bad, and we would be able to contain it to the ofce and kitchen, that it would just be a hiccup and wouldn’t affect us being able to milk the cows.” Then the re reached high enough to spread into the attic area, and it spread further and faster. “After about a half hour, we realized things were not going so well,” Tim said. A total of 14 different re departments responded to the re, most supplying tanker trucks with water needed to ght the re in frigid temperatures. As soon as the re moved into the roof of the parlor structure, Mike and
Tim turned their attention to guring out how they were going to care for their cows, with the most vital part of the farm burning before their eyes. “Mike got on the phone and began to call friends to start locating temporary homes for cows,” Tim said. “His rst call was to Jordan Matthews, one of the partners at Rosy-Lane Holsteins. While Jordan said they were over-full themselves, he started calling people to nd places for our cows to go.” Tim was concerned about what would become of their herd. “I thought to myself, ‘This is going to be a nightmare,’” Tim said. “I was afraid these cows would be spread from Eau Claire to Green Bay and all points in between. I worried we’d lose track of them.” Providence stepped in and came to the Dettmann’s rescue. Two nearby farmers had recently Turn to DETTMANN | Page 7
MEETINGS
for Prairie State/Select Sires Prairie State/Select Sires would like to invite all Northeast Iowa dairymen to our upcoming customer appreciation meetings the first week of February. Our program will feature Joel Mergler, Select Sires Global Sales Training Manager. Joel will share an update from Select Sires and feature his international travels to dairies throughout the world. Come join us for dinner and take part in special promotional opportunities. We look forward to seeing you there!
February 6 7:00 p.m.
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February 7 11:45 a.m. Elma Memorial Hall Elma, Iowa February 7 7:30 p.m.
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DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
While the building structure of the milking parlor was damaged beyond repair, the parlor itself, and a great deal of the equipment, were not damaged.
Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018 • Page 7
Con�nued from DETTMANN | Page 6
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De�mann family members (from le�) – Bre� Staude, Tim and Amy De�mann, Alex, Drew, Cole, Sue and Mike De�mann – work on the farm. De�mann Dairy Farm, located near Johnson Creek, Wis., in Jefferson County, is a family partnership between Tim and Amy De�mann and Tim’s son, Mike, and his wife, Sue, and their three boys. nished expansion projects but had yet to ll those stalls. All of the Dettmanns’ cows would be able to be relocated to only two locations, all within a half hour of the Dettmann’s farm. The majority of the herd went to Kevin Griswold’s Tag Lane Dairy near Ixonia,Wis. The fresh cow group was relocated to McFarlandale Dairy near Watertown, Wis. Mike and Sue’s son’s show cow was relocated to nearby Mesa Dairy. “It was like winning the lottery,” Tim said. “If there is a silver lining in all of this, having all the cows so close while we work to get back to normal is it.” As if nding homes for over 500 cows was not daunting enough, those unmilked and unfed cows that were in the throes of a major disruption to their routines needed to be transported to their new homes. As the morning progressed, the community continued to rally around the Dettmanns, ocking to their farm to lend a hand with the cows. “By 7 or 8 o’clock, people were showing up with trucks and trailers and were coming to help us move cows,” Tim said, taking a breath to keep his composure, thinking about the support of their friends and neighbors. “Rosy Lane had just had a group of heifers trucked back from their heifer grower in Nebraska. That trucked stayed and came over to haul a load with his semi. That was huge in moving all the cows. Between that semi and the trucks and trailers, we moved all 525 or so cows in about six hours.” Neighbors brought food to feed the volunteers who were loading cows in the frigid temperatures. “We had enough food here to feed all of Johnson Creek,” Tim said. “Amazing is the only word I can nd to describe it. These were all busy people, who put their own work on hold to come and help us.” The re ultimately destroyed the ofce and kitchen areas, and the building structure of the parlor and holding area. Fortunately for the Dettmanns, the utility room and much of the equipment in the parlor were not destroyed. “The pump, the tank and the parlor itself were all OK,” Tim said. “We don’t know how much damage there was to the electrical components yet.” The support system that showed up for the Dettmanns did not end as the
last cow was loaded on the trailer. “We’ve had great cooperation from the insurance company and the local excavators to be able to move the process of rebuilding forward,” Tim said. “Our local excavators have told us that they are at our beck and call whenever we are ready to start demolition and rebuilding.” Demolition of the areas damaged by the re took place on Jan. 17, and the Dettmanns have already started working with potential contractors to determine estimates for rebuilding. Tim hopes to have the new parlor and holding area up and running within the next couple of months. “The builder said they could have a crew here Monday (Jan. 22) if we were ready to start,” Tim said. “We appreciate that readiness, even if we won’t be quite ready to start then.” Tim also credits his insurance agent for giving them advice a couple of years ago that without, the nancial future of Dettmann Dairy would be in a more perilous situation. “Our agent advised us to add business interruption coverage to our insurance policy a couple of years ago,” Tim said. “It protects us against any event that interrupts our ability to conduct our business. Without that coverage, we’d be out of business. It will allow us to keep our help.” The coverage will replace lost income from the time of the re, moving forward until the cows are home and will continue to be prorated until production levels stabilize as the cows transition. “I was talking to a friend on the phone and telling him about this coverage,” Tim said. “My friend milks 1,500 cows and was unfamiliar with the coverage option. He was going to check into getting it the very next morning. I’d encourage all farmers to look into that coverage.” While things might have looked a little bleak for the Dettmann family in the early morning hours of Jan. 13, by the time the sun rose over the horizon, they were basking in the warmth that comes from a strong sense of community and from being surrounded by people who are willing to go out of their way to help. “It was a bad situation made bearable by all the people who showed up to help,” Tim said. “What should have been a disaster wasn’t.”
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President Trump promotes rural agenda Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018
A receptive audience greeted Presi- president and vice president, respecdent Donald Trump as he spoke at tively. the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention. Trump offered a plug for Perdue calms NAFTA withdrawal the recently-passed tax law. Regula- fears tory reform was also addressed. “My Threats to withdraw from the North administration is in the American Free Trade Ag Insider process of rolling back a Agreement has left many rule that hit our farmers in agriculture nervous. and ranchers very, very During his stop at the Farm hard; the terrible Waters Bureau convention, Agriof the United States rule. culture Secretary Sonny It sounds so innocent and Perdue tried to calm those it was a disaster.” AFBF fears. “We know that trade was one of the agriculture is key to rural farm prosgroups that went to court perity. Canada and Mexico to shut down the WOTUS continue to be major marrule. Farm Bureau also inikets for U.S. exports. So tiated a campaign called successful completion and ‘Ditch the Rule.’ Agriculimprovement of NAFTA By Don Wick ture Secretary Sonny Pernegotiations remains a top Columnist due referenced that campriority. But to get a deal, paign. “Sometimes a mud we need all sides to seripuddle is just a puddle and we don’t ously roll up their sleeves and get to need the federal government coming in work.” Perdue said NAFTA needs to be and regulating everything to death.” modernized, especially when it comes to dairy trade, and it’s time for Canada AFBF ‘18 agenda ratied and Mexico to get engaged in this proThe American Farm Bureau Fed- cess. “I have great faith in President eration has nalized its policy agenda Trump’s negotiation skills. I’m quite for the year ahead. Delegates support condent that he will strike the best improvements to the Agriculture Risk deal possible and we will have a fair Coverage program to limit differences NAFTA agreement that works well for in neighboring counties. Changes in our economy, including the agricultural the farm bill to support dairy and cot- sector.” ton farmers are also recommended. The Farm Bureau continues to support Canadian ag leader defends supply conservation compliance for federal management crop insurance benets, but left options According to Canadian Agriculture open to change that position if chal- Minister Lawrence MacAulay, Canalenges remain with the way conserva- da, the U.S. and Mexico are strong parttion programs are implemented. Geor- ners in the North American Free Trade gia farmer Zippy Duvall and South Agreement. At the American Farm BuDakota farmer Scott VanderWal were reau Federation Convention, MacAure-elected to another two-year term as ley was asked if Canada has any ‘must
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haves’ in the trade talks. “We are not going to lay down any markers that if we don’t get this, we won’t do that. The fact is, we are fully aware of the asset NAFTA has been. What we’re doing is making sure our input does something to increase trade.” The U.S. and Canada are at odds over dairy policy. MacAuley defends the Canadian system. “We have indicated, quite publicly, as a government, but we are fully supporting the supply management system. All countries in agriculture have certain things they’re careful about and protect; we have supply management.”
HSUS sues USDA The Humane Society of the United States is suing USDA for withdrawing a controversial organic rule. This rule, which was nalized in the nal days of the Obama Administration, included standards for housing and animal wellbeing for organic milk, meat and eggs. HSUS claims the loss of this rule will weaken the integrity of the organic label. The Trump Administration withdrew the rule as part of its regulatory reform process. Increasing broadband access USDA Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett said Jan. 8 was a big day for rural America. That’s when President Donald Trump signed an executive order increasing access to broadband. Hazlett served on the USDA Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Development, in which one key areas identied was e-connectivity. “Right now, nearly 40 percent of rural Americans lack access to sufcient broadband. We need to connect our farms, rural homes and businesses and schools,” said Hazlett. “To increase access, we need private capital investments and the use of private public partnerships. We also must make high-speed internet infrastructure more attractive by streamlining the review, approval and permitting processes.” With Congress preparing to write a farm bill, Hazlett hopes the task force report will serve as a resource to policymakers. USFRA searching for CEO The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance did not renew the contract of CEO Randy Krotz. Krotz has been with USFRA since the organization was
formed in 2014. The USFRA executive committee placed Krotz on administrative leave Jan. 5 and the full board voted to not renew his contract on Jan. 8.
North to serve another year as president The Dairy Business Association has re-elected Mike North of Platteville as its president. Vice President Tom Crave and Treasurer Lloyd Holterman were also re-elected. Amy Penterman is the new DBA secretary. Edge co-op re-elects ofcer team John Pagel, of Kewaunee, Brody Stapel, of Baldwin, Jim Winn, of Wiota, and Mitch Davis, of Belle Plaine, Minn., were elected to the Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative board. Pagel was re-elected as president. Stapel will serve as vice president, Winn will serve as secretary, and Davis is the secretary. In November, the Dairy Business Milk Marketing Cooperative changed its name to Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative. That decision was reafrmed at the annual meeting. WFU exec to retire Wisconsin Farmers Union Executive Director Tom Quinn will retire in March. Quinn has been in this role for the past seven years. A search is underway for a new WFU executive director. Youth holstein honors During the Wisconsin Junior Holstein Association state convention, Joseph Opsal and Carley Krull were named the Outstanding Holstein Boy and Girl. Opsal is from Dane County and Krull is from Jefferson County. Trivia challenge It takes 10 pounds of milk to produce one pound of cheese. That answers our last trivia question. For this week, how many pounds of milk are needed to produce one pound of butter? We’ll have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star.
Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.
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Walker announces plan for Rural Economic Development Fund, additional support Governor Scott Walker announced Wednesday new initiatives to bolster Wisconsin’s rural communities and farming families as part of his Ambitious Agenda for Wisconsin in 2018. The plan centers around creating a Rural Economic Development Fund, a long-term investment in economic development projects in rural counties across the state to support workforce development and encourage innovation. The plan also repurposes the Dairy 30x20 program into the Governor’s Family Farm Fund, increases support for protecting and conserving soil and water quality, and includes investments to help dairy farmers increase protability in local, regional, and international markets. “We’re investing in our Wisconsin’s rural communities to help them overcome the unique set of economic challenges they face and meet their true potential as engines of economic growth and prosperity,” said Governor Walker. “By providing resources for worker training, promoting business development, and incentivizing private investment, we’ll invigorate rural communities throughout the state.” The proposed Rural Economic Development Fund is a $50 million a year investment in economic development projects in rural counties across Wisconsin. The funds would primarily be used to stimulate private investment, improve productivity, and to ll open jobs in rural communities. The program would be operated by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). Funds could be distributed through existing programs offered by WEDC and through others created by WEDC with legislative approval. Projects would be eligible for grants in counties with a population density less than 155 persons per square mile. This would include 56 out of 72 Wisconsin counties. Grant recipients would be subject to repayment parameters, including being required to repay the grant if the recipient provides false information to WEDC or if the business fails to meet agreed upon employment or investment levels. “Wisconsin agriculture is a pillar of our state, helping feed and employ thousands with an annual economic impact of $88.3 billion,” Governor Walker continued. “With our Ambitious Agenda, we
are creating a Family Farm Fund to keep more of our family farms in Wisconsin, we are providing additional resources to improve water and soil quality, and we are striving to improve product development for Wisconsin farmers through research and development. We are helping make sure that today’s farmers will be here tomorrow and long into the future. Wisconsin is and always will be America’s Dairyland.” Following discussions with Wisconsin dairy industry leaders, Governor Walker directed DATCP to fund a scholarship program through the newly-created Governor’s Family Farm Fund. This additional $200,000 is being repurposed from the Dairy 30x20 program which was created in efforts to produce 30 billion pounds of milk by 2020 and achieved its goal four years ahead of schedule. These scholarships encourage students to take advantage of agriculture-related courses of study at a Wisconsin technical college or UW-College of Agriculture that would help someone begin a rewarding career in agriculture. This will help advance the state’s agriculture industry for years to come. Governor Walker will sign an executive order during the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation’s Ag Day at the Capitol directing the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) to utilize existing loan program revenues to encourage research and new dairy product development to increase domestic and international markets for Wisconsin. The order also directs DATCP to work with agricultural stakeholders to support farmers and agribusinesses as they work to grow markets locally, regionally, and internationally. A copy of the executive order is attached. Additionally, to secure and improve Wisconsin’s agricultural industry, Governor Walker called for further funding to increase awareness of and participation in farmer-led soil and water conservation projects. The Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grant program has received a recent increase in demand for funding, and the grants have proved an effective tool in addressing the unique soil and water quality challenges of local landscapes throughout Wisconsin. We are adding an additional $500,000 each scal year over the biennium.
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ConƟnued from BRIGGS | Page 1 great market for that at the time. But Medway was a bedroom community and it grew up around us. The regulations with processing were changing and it wasn’t feasible to change the dairy to meet them. The cows were sold, but my dad still owns the farm and runs a small hay business from there.” Until 2004, the Briggs family processed their milk using vat pasteurization at a lower temperature and bottled it in glass bottles. They delivered DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR their milk to restaurants, stores and nursing homes Jim and Jenny Briggs milk 45 head of Jerseys on their farm near Straƞord, Wis. in the Boston area and also in Marathon County. The couple is entering their fourth year on the farm. operated an on-farm store. “The farm was open to the public all the time with the store being right such as DPR and SCC in his sire selections. He also there,” Briggs said. “There was a window for people looks for bulls that sire good feet and legs and bulls to watch the milk being processed, and we had glass that are polled. pipelines so people could see the milk owing from “I want to breed good, solid cows that are going the cow to the tank.” to easily last 10 to 15 years,” Briggs said. That connection with the consumer was something Looking outside the box, Briggs used a bull from Briggs valued and enjoyed, years before connecting a top production herd in New Zealand in his breeding with consumers became a dairy industry buzzword. program. The rst calves from that semen are now on Briggs would have been the third generation of the ground, and Briggs is excited by what he sees in his family to run that farm outside of Boston. Instead, them. He looks to maintain purebred Jersey status and he left the area to pursue his dreams of dairying. doesn’t care to use bulls that are Jersey-cross bulls. The rst stop in his journey led him and his wife to The Briggs family’s herd is grazed as much as Montrose, Iowa, an area not heavily populated with possible during warmer months, and Briggs would dairy cattle. There, Briggs worked for one of the few like to continue to improve and grow his grazing dairy farmers. program. As time continued, Briggs still had dreams of “I wish I could graze year-round,” Briggs said. having his own dairy farm, and Wisconsin was where “I’m very interested by dairying in New Zealand from he wanted to farm. He had rst traveled through a grazing aspect. Social media can be a great thing, it Wisconsin on a high school trip. exposes you to things you’d never see or know about “I liked the area, and always thought if I couldn’t otherwise ... If there was any other place in the world farm at home in Massachusetts, this was where I I’d want to farm, that’s where it would be.” wanted to be,” Briggs said. Briggs ships his milk to Mullins Cheese, but is The Briggs family began searching for dairy still drawn to the idea of processing and marketing his farms in Wisconsin that would suit their dreams. own milk. Jenny was offered a job as a registered nurse at a “I miss having conversations with the public,” clinic in Wausau, Wis. Briggs said. “There is so much misinformation out “We started looking for farms in the Wausau area there. I’d like to get that connection back.” and eventually found this one,” Briggs said of their A desire to connect with the public goes hand-infarm. “It was a little farther than Jenny wanted to hand with Briggs’ concerns for the dairy industry. drive, but it was the place we liked the best, and it was “I’d like to see more people self-processing in use when we bought it, so the buildings weren’t and more small cooperatives,” Briggs said. “Plants sitting empty.” and creameries seem to only want semi-loads of The farm was purchased in November 2014 and milk today. That scares me, and it’s not good for the the rst mortgage payment was due in January, so industry.” Briggs set about building a herd. With cow longevity, grazing practices, and the “This is something I couldn’t have started, or potential of on-farm processing, Briggs is nding a continue doing, without the help of my wife and my niche for his skills and interest, and ultimately his son,” Briggs said. farm. Holsteins and Jerseys were purchased at local “There are so many different theories to farming,” sales barns, but Briggs soon discovered that Jerseys Briggs said. “And none of them are necessarily wrong. were a better t for the dairy herd his family was The size of the farm doesn’t determine if you are a building. good farmer or not. It should be your dedication that Briggs has worked to breed better cows with each determines your success.” generation and puts emphasis on positive health traits
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Urban growth in the Boston, Mass., area required Briggs to search for a new locaƟon to pursue his dream of dairy farming. The farmsite pictured is of his dairy in Wisconsin.
Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018 • Page 11
Cows, kids, contentment
Kalthoffs embrace new lifestyle as dairy farmers By Jennifer Coyne & Mark Klaphake Staff Writers
ALBANY, Minn. – Farmers are naturally busy folk, but the Kalthoffs have redened what busy looks like. This past summer, Ben and Kate Kalthoff sold their home, purchased a dairy farm, bought a herd of cows and moved them, and welcomed their third child into the family – all within a month’s time. “Our lifestyle is crazy and full, but what farmer’s isn’t like this?” Kate said. “It’s exciting. There’s always something happening, whether it’s good or bad.” Kate and her husband, Ben, are milking 75 cows in a 67-stall tiestall barn and run 170 acres near Albany, Minn., in Stearns County with their children – Kiley, 5, Avery, 3, and Bennett, 6 months. The couple began their dairying venture on July 4, 2017. Throughout the past several months, the Kalthoffs have acclimated to being dairy farmers, while also juggling positions unrelated to the farm. Ben works as a full-time diesel mechanic at the local implement dealership and Kate stays at home with their two youngest children. By 5 a.m. every day, Ben is in the barn feeding the animals and milking.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Ben and Kate Kalthoff and their children (from le�) – Benne�, Kiley and Avery – milk 75 cows near Albany, Minn. The couple purchased the farm this past July. At the same time, Kate nishes calf chores. “We milk cows, get Kiley to school, and then go to work,” Ben said. “That’s
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going on during the day,” said Kate, who also runs errands and takes care of the farm’s nances in the afternoons. Once Kate picks up Kiley from Turn to KALTHOFFS | Page 12
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our day.” Kate agreed. “We do all our chores in the morning, so we don’t have too much
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018
Con�nued from KALTHOFFS | Page 11 school, she begins evening chores and milking. “By the time Ben is home and has mixed feed, it’s time to switch cows and nish milking,” Kate said. The Kalthoffs have always had the will to operate their own dairy farm. When the couple wed in 2012, they established a list of goals they wanted to complete within
a ve-year timespan – dairy farming being a high priority on the list. “This has always been in our mind that this is what we were going to do,” Ben said. “We didn’t know how it would ever be possible, but it was always our goal to have our own farm.” After several years of Kate working with her parents
on their dairy farm, last year, the couple sought their own farming opportunities. “I was helping my dad, but not farming full time. It was time for us to start looking at a couple different places,” said Kate, who received 10 percent of her parents’ milk check and returned the prots to the farm and the cows she owned. They paid down debts and began investing in more cattle and equipment. Fortunately, the Kalthoffs received word of an upcoming farm sale – but they had to act quickly. “It came up that weekend,” said Ben, recalling it was the day after Easter they heard of the sale. “We either jumped on it or someone else was going to buy it.” With one showing of the property, the Kalthoffs knew it was the farm where they wanted to develop their dairy. “Ben walked in the barn and saw the big alleyway and huge walkway,” Kate said. “All I could think about was the kids running through (the walkway). I wanted them in there with us.” The Kalthoffs closed on the property – which included all necessary facilities and 80 acres – July 27, 2017, but were able to begin preparing the farm for their herd earlier in the month.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Kiley (le�) and Avery Kalthoff color while their parents milk cows on the evening of Jan. 19.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
All members of the Kalthoff family are in the barn during evening chores.
Turn to KALTHOFFS | Page 13
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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018 • Page 13
Conďż˝nued from KALTHOFFS | Page 12 The couple purchased all available feed from the farm, as well as rented hay ground, which contributed to 50 acres of hay made. “We bought silage and then made all of the hay. From the feed that was here and the feed we made, we’ve been able to make it,â€? said Ben, who rents an additional 90 acres of tillable land. Cattle came from a 50-cow herd purchased near Long Prairie, Minn., as well as the small herd Kate owned within her parents’ herd and a few cows from the previous farm owner. As Kate’s cattle are dried off at her parents’, they are moved to the current farm site before calving. “By the time [the previous renter] had his cows out, our cows got here, and the barn was ready, it was the 30th of June,â€? Kate said. “We started milking cows on the Fourth of July.â€? Soon after, on July 18, Bennett was born, and on Aug. 1 the Kalthoffs sold their home in town and moved onto the farm. “Those days were crazy,â€? said Kate, laughing. In the months that have followed, the Kalthoffs have received endless support from their families as they develop their dairying career. “Family has been more than accommodating,â€? Ben said. “Kate’s father has been here a lot, and makes up for anything I can’t get done in the day.â€? Together, the family has made improvements to the dairy and further pursued the Kalthoffs’ goals, such as cementing the calf barn, reaching a full barn, and putting up more gates. “We’ve met so many goals before we thought we’d meet them,â€? Kate said. Looking ahead, the couple has plans to improve their milk quality as the cows adjust to their new environment, install drive-by feeding for the heifers, as well as handle all of the breeding themselves, among others. However, the highest priority is creating a family environment their children ďƒžnd value in. “We’ll enjoy farming, but seeing [the kids] enjoy it, and hopefully one day see that dairy farming made an impact in their lives,â€? Kate said. “They don’t
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Ben Kaltho preps a cow during evening milking Jan. 19. Kaltho and his family recently started dairying, while he also remains a full-ďż˝me mechanic. have to milk cows, but maybe it’s the work ethic ‌ something they learned on the farm.â€? With six months under their belt, the Kalthoffs are reveling in their newfound duties. “It doesn’t feel like we just bought a farm and are milking 70 cows, and weren’t doing this a year ago,â€? Ben said. “We catch ourselves in the living room, just staring at the barn – how much is there, how nice it is. It’s all ours.â€?
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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018 • Page 15
How would you promote dairy at a Super Bowl party?
Barb Grimm Waconia, Minn. Carver County 44 cows
Ryan Weigel Platteville, Wis. Lafayette County 110 cows
Keith Knutson Pine Island, Minn. Goodhue County 60 cows
If you were going to host a Super Bowl party that combined dairy promotion and watching the big game, who would be on your guest list? In addition to my family and neighbors, I would invite the news anchors from KARE 11 (Minneapolis). They could see how a family farm lovingly cares for all the cattle by having fresh feed, water and clean bedding constantly accessible; how we carefully harvest the milk to ensure purity and wholesomeness so that everyone can enjoy its deliciousness, just like we do.
If you were going to host a Super Bowl Party that combined dairy promotion and watching the big game, who would be on your guest list? Seeing that the Green Bay Packers aren’t playing, I’d try to get some of them and we’d talk about Fuel Up To Play 60. Since I have young children, I’d like to get them involved. During halftime, maybe I could get some of those Packers players to have a little game of ag football with the kids. We’d come back in and drink milk and eat cheese.
How would you promote dairy and what would be your biggest message during your party? I would serve a variety of cheeses, cold cuts and crackers, salsa con queso on chips, bite-sized cut fruit with a vanilla Greek yogurt dip, a veggie tray with ranch avored Greek yogurt dip, hot chocolate and mocha coffee. I like to show people some of the versatile ways that they can enjoy healthy, great-tasting food by incorporating some of the many different types of dairy foods that are available to them.
How would you promote dairy and what would be your main message during your party? I’d like to promote the fact that milk and cheese are out there for everyone to enjoy. They’re healthy alternatives to many of the other snacks. If my party revolves around these young children, I’d like to impress on them the importance of drinking enough milk each and every day, and how important that is for them to grow healthy, strong bones and be healthy kids.
If you were going to host a Super Bowl Party that combined dairy promotion and watching the big game, who would be on your guest list? I would invite our U.S. senators, Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith; our U.S. representative, Jason Lewis, and any other others that want to come; Sonny Perdue, the U.S. secretary of agriculture; and President Trump. With the upcoming discussion and debate on the farm bill, it is of paramount importance that our elected ofcials understand the importance of domestically produced dairy products and their importance to providing the nine essential nutrients.
If you could make a commercial about dairy products for the Super Bowl, describe how it would play out. My commercial would feature cheese sticks. They are great for all ages, are easy to hold and eat even if someone is jumping around. Teams would score a cheese stick for each player for every point they put on the board. At the end, both teams have cheese. In addition, the winning team’s players would each be rewarded with a large serving of chocolate milk. What is your favorite dairy-friendly Super Bowl dish? Cheese cubes, nachos, or fruit with Greek yogurt to dip in. How do you typically take in the Super Bowl? We listen to the game on the radio while milking. We try to nish chores in time to watch the last quarter on TV. Tell us about your farm. Our farm has been in the family since 1917 and has always had dairy cows. My husband, Joel, and I farm 400 acres of corn, beans, alfalfa, grass hay and oats, with seasonal help from Joel’s two brothers, a nephew, and our son and daughter.
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If you could make a commercial about dairy products for the Super Bowl, describe how it would play out. I certainly love the dairy industry and the show aspect of our registered Holsteins. I would promote those cows. I’d show that our cows are happy here in Wisconsin. I would certainly try to include some of them in my commercial and the products they produce: milk, cheese, ice cream and those healthy snacks for kids. What is your favorite dairy-friendly Super Bowl dish? Any kind of cheese. I’m also a big fan of nacho cheese, so we’d do some tortilla chips and nachos, loaded with cheese. How do you typically take in the Super Bowl? It depends on the day and whether I’m scheduled to milk. Sometimes, we miss a little bit of the beginning as we’re getting the cows milked. But after chores are done, we like to sit down as a family and enjoy it, and watch as much as we can until the kids need to go to bed. If the game involves teams I’m interested in, I’ll certainly follow it to the end.
How would you promote dairy and what would be your main message during your party? We would have several avors of sliced cheese, cheese fondue for dipping, avored milks and milk shakes. Our message would be, no matter which team wins or loses, your body is the ultimate winner with dairy being a part of your diet. If you could make a commercial about dairy products for the Super Bowl, describe how it would play out. It would picture two teams on the football eld – American cheeses on one side and European cheeses on the other. I would have various “blocks” line up and run plays with the ultimate losing team going into the shredder. What is your favorite dairy-friendly Super Bowl dish? Nacho cheese sauce. How do you typically take in the Super Bowl? I watch with family and friends. We eat during the game and are sure to be back by the TV during the commercials.
Tell us about your farm. I am the fourth generation on our farm. My wife, Kristine, works off the farm, and we have two adult sons, Andrew and Zachary. I installed robots on our farm in 2008. In June 2016, we hosted Rochesterfest Country Breakfast on the Farm, where over 1,600 people were able to see the workings of a modern dairy farm. We have also hosted several exchange students over the past few years, Tell us about your farm. Our farm is my parents’ some of whom did not have any dairy or agricultural and my brother’s – Rodney and Troy Weigel. We background. milk 110 to 120 registered Holsteins and raise all our steers. We run about 350 to 400 acres and sell registered cattle from time to time at different sales. I have marketed embryos from certain cow families, as well. the farm, the kids are active in the Wisconsin Junior My wife, Traci, is a teacher in the Platteville School Holstein Association. They show cattle throughout District. Our children are Kaelyn, 14, Kenadee, 12, the summer and into the fall, and spend as much time and Keegan, 7. Even though we don’t live right on on the farm as they can.
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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018
ConƟnued from FENCE | Page 15
Amy Gerhardt Neillsville, Wis. Clark County 200 cows
Jessalynn Gagas Milladore, Wis. Wood County 90 cows
If you were going to host a Super Bowl Party that combined dairy promotion and watching the big game, who would be on your guest list? I would invite my family and all the people that make our farm happen. Our employees and their families deserve a night together to enjoy each other’s company, the game and great food. Plus, Adam Levine from Maroon 5 for entertainment.
If you were going to host a Super Bowl Party that combined dairy promotion and watching the big game, who would be on your guest list? Since we’re talking dairy and football, I’d go with Brett Favre. Being from Wisconsin, you have to have some amount of respect for Favre. I can still remember being in elementary school and seeing his “Got Milk” posters on the wall. He would be able to drive the topic home about the importance of dairy in your everyday diet.
How would you promote dairy and what would How would you promote dairy and what be your main message during your party? I would would be your main message during your party? The message would be to start by serving a snack menu complete with dairy inuenced products. I’d provide milk eat as much as your stomach can hold, laugh until the cows come home, and and shakes as beverages alternatives. It wouldn’t hurt to add one of Favre’s old “Got thank you for being part of the team that makes V-Valley Farm successful. Milk” posters along with any other informative material I could nd. The main message is that dairy is all around us and not just in the food we eat. If you could make a commercial about dairy products for the Super Bowl, describe how it would play out. My ideal commercial would educate the gen- If you could make a commercial about dairy products for the Super Bowl, describe eral public that dairy farmers are stewards of the land and their animals. I want how it would play out. I would go along the same lines as Dodge’s “So God made a the world to see that they are hard working families that produce a product that farmer” ad. That commercial sent a powerful message, and I really don’t know how you is wholesome, nutritious and delicious. Don’t believe everything you see on can top it. You could focus on a dairy farmer and show how the milk goes from a cow into the internet about dairy farmers, rather come to us for honest answers about a pipeline to the bulk tank. Then the milk is picked up by the truck driver who delivers the milk to the cheese factory, which is then turned into the product sitting in front of you. our chosen profession.
What is your favorite dairy-friendly Super Bowl dish? Anything with choc- What is your favorite dairy-friendly Super Bowl dish? Cheese plain and simple. You olate and cream cheese. My all-time favorite is chocolate trie. Plus, cheese can’t beat a good cheese tray with all your favorites to choose from. and crackers for my health-conscious friends and family. How do you typically take in the Super Bowl? Nothing special. We usually watch at How do you typically take in the Super Bowl? Honestly, I usually DVR it to home with family. watch the commercials and skip the game, unless the Green Bay Packers are Tell us about your farm. My boyfriend and I run and operate our own 60-cow milking playing. herd on our 10-acre farm. We started farming eight years ago with ve cows. We have a mixed breed herd that we are transitioning through the grade up program into an all regTell us about your farm. Our farm is owned by my parents, Richard and Deb- istered Holstein with Brown Swiss herd. bie Vine. My brother, husband and I are actively involved in the farm, too. We are blessed to have ve amazing full-time and several part-time employees that Zeb Johnson keep our family farm operating. We milk 200 cows with a 38,300-pound herd Mora, Minn. average. We farm 400 acres. Pine County 52 cows
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If you were going to host a Super Bowl Party that combined dairy promotion and watching the big game, who would be on your guest list? My guest list would include everyone on the national school lunch program committee. It would be nice to show them why all kids need more dairy products in their school lunches, especially whole and 2 percent milk. How would you promote dairy and what would be your main message during your party? I would promote it by having a variety of cheeses available for everyone to try and having different foods that contain dairy products. My main message would be, “Consume dairy to help dairy.” If you could make a commercial about dairy products for the Super Bowl, describe how it would play out. I would want a commercial similar to the Budweiser horse commercials but with cows in the process of being milked. I would have a Jersey, a Holstein and a Red and White milking. What is your favorite dairy-friendly Super Bowl dish? Beer cheese dip. How do you typically take in the Super Bowl? If chores go well, I can usually catch the later part of the game. Tell us about your farm. My ancé, Danielle, and I own and operate Jer-Anna Registered Holsteins. We milk 52 cows and run 120 acres of corn and alfalfa. We raise all of our youngstock and are excited to see where our future brings us.
Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018 • Page 17
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018
Repro Leaders
Employees, repro focus group raises Plymouth Dairy Farms’ preg rate Kurt Wierda, general manager at Plymouth Dairy Farms Le Mars, Iowa Plymouth County 3,150 cows What was your average pregnancy rate last year? We had a 36 percent, 21-day pregnancy rate. What is your voluntary waiting period for cows? For heifers? We have a 60-day voluntary waiting period for cows. We breed our heifers starting at 388 days of age.
What is your rst service conception rate? Our rst service conception rate is 52 percent. What is your reproduction program? Do you use a synchronization program? We use a modied 11-day pre-synch/72-hour co-synch protocol. We do weekly pregnancy checks on animals that have 29 to 36 days since their last service. If an animal is open with a CL, we put her into our co-synch program. If she is open with no CL, we will put her into our co-synch protocol with a CIDR.
JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR
Kurt Wierda, general manager at Plymouth Dairy Farms, helped manage the crew to achieve the herd’s pregnancy rate of 36 percent last year. Plymouth Dairy Farms milks 3,150 cows near Le Mars, Iowa. JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR
The tail head of every cow at Plymouth Dairy Farms is painted to assist with heat detec�on, including the tail heads of cows that are conrmed pregnant. A system of colors is used to differen�ate the status of individual animals.
How do you observe for heat? We watch for standing heats and paint the tail heads of all open animals. We also paint the tail heads of cows that are conrmed pregnant. We have a system
of colors that we use for different animals. How do you conrm pregnant or open cows? Our vets do ultrasound Turn to PLYMOUTH | Page 20
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“I didn’t even think we had stray voltage!” Roger Lange milks 100 head on his family dairy at Crofton, Nebraska. Until recently he was often forced to sell his fresh heifers because they wouldn t let down their milk. “We called Stray Voltage Consulting, and Jerry found the problem within half an hour.” Roger said. “I was very impressed with Jerry. He’s a former REA guy, so he understands both the farmer and the electric company. Being able to work with both sides is a key component to his success.” “I haven’t had a single problem with our fresh heifers since Jerry corrected our stray voltage problem. I would highly recommend Stray Voltage Consulting to anyone who thinks they might have stray voltage!”
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COST FARMS, The Costello Family, LONG GROVE, IOWA 120 registered Holsteins and Ayrshires Robotic milking: 22,000M, SCC 200,000 Collin Costello’s Spring Yearling Ayrshire was 1st in WDE Jr. competition, 8th overall “Nothing works like Udder Comfort.™ For fresh cows and the robot list, we love it! We use the robot’s daily conductivity list to find cows with subclinical issues, applying the Udder Comfort to bring down swelling and SCC,” explain Martin and Maddy Costello at the World Dairy Expo booth. Martin and Jennifer and their children Zachary, 19, Collin, 17, and Maddy, 14, operate Cost Farms, milking 120 registered Holsteins and Ayrshires near Long Grove, Iowa. “We check the robot list for cows with high conductivity and find them to fetch or apply the Udder Comfort in the barn, following through for a few days. “We also use Udder Comfort on all fresh and prefresh, starting a couple days ahead of calving and for 4 to 5 days after, depending on the level of edema. This really brings quality to the udders. We also make sure it’s in our show box!”
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018
ConƟnued from PLYMOUTH | Page 18
pregnancy Tuesday.
checks
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What is your breeding philosophy? How do you select bulls? What traits do you focus on? Does fertility play a role in bull selection? When I select bulls, I look at a number of things. Chief among them are milk components, followed by productivity and fertility. I don’t look at type. We use the Genex ICC$ Index to help us sort through the bulls. We aren’t using genomic testing on our herd at this time, but might try it in the future. How are cows and heifers bred? Do you have a different philosophy for breeding both? We breed
our rst lactation cows with sexed semen once, then go to traditional semen. We will service our heifers twice with sexed semen before going to traditional semen. Our heifers are the genetic future of our herd, so we are willing to invest more in their breeding. What do you do to settle hard breeders? At rst, we try Ovsynch and timed breeding. If that doesn’t work, we will have the vet check the cow to see what’s going on. If everything seems OK, we might use a CIDR to get her back on cycle. Our focus is on transition management and preventing injuries. We want to make sure that every cow is given the best chance to thrive.
JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR
Animals that are bred 29-36 days are checked for pregnancy every Tuesday at Plymouth Dairy Farms. Headlocks throughout their faciliƟes help make this job easier. How many times do you try to breed a cow before you sell her? It depends on a cow’s milk production. Some cows are given as many as eight chances. Our heifers are given four chances.
JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR
Every cow at Plymouth Dairy Farms has a set of ear tags that contain RFID chips. During their weekly preg checks, an RFID wand is used to conrm the idenƟty of the animal and record her status on a computer.
Is there anything you have done or changed that brought about a signicant improvement in your reproductive program? It’s a combination of paying attention to the details and keeping it
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Dairyland Services, LLC Woodville, WI
866-467-4717
simple. Our employees are the most important part of the equation. We reward them for their hard work and for doing everything they can to follow our protocols. We have a reproductive group that meets quarterly. This group includes key players such as our vet, our nutritionist and our Genex rep. We will kick around different ideas that are developing and decide if we want to try some new things.
Tell us about your farm. This dairy is owned by the Feuerhelm family, who have been farming in this area since the early 1900s. Plymouth Dairy Farms was founded in 1999 and milked its rst cows in August of 2000. We started out with 1,800 head and have slowly expanded to about 3,600 head. We have 34 employees, each of whom is critical for our success. Every new day brings a new challenge. It keeps things interesting.
Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018 • Page 21
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7 6 6 3 7 3 6 3 8 7 5 3 5 7 2 2 7 2 11 11 8 2 13 8 4 7 2 1 13 12 7 13 13 9 13 8 5 7 6 2 2 2 8 3 6 7 9 5 9 7 5 7 7 8 8 4 11 4 12 4 9 3 7 8
ARTICULATED 4WD TRACTORS JD 8640, 1987, 275 hp,10435 hrs., #137151 .... $20,350 JD 8650, 1985, 290 hp, 8250 hrs., #143923...... $19,500 JD 9400, 1996, 425 hp, 6332 hrs., #134367...... $69,500 JD 9400, 1997, 425 hp, 6450 hrs., #143813...... $73,000 JD 9620, 2006, 500 hp, 6120 hrs., #138706...... $99,500 JD 9410R, 2014, 410 hp, 1525 hrs., #143772 .$230,000 JD 9460R, 2014, 460 hp, 2656 hrs., #141947 .$201,400 JD 9470R, 2015, 470 hp, 693 hrs., #143840 ...$259,500 JD 9520R, 2017, 520 hp, 350 hrs., #142212 ...$329,500 JD 9560R, 2012, 560 hp, 1135 hrs., #143874 .$249,900 JD 9620R, 2015, 620 hp, 561 hrs., #137678 ...$365,000 JD 9620R, 2015, 620 hp, 693 hrs., #125913 ...$365,000 Caterpillar MT945C, 2009, 440 hp, 2805 hrs., #143742 .....................................................................$159,000 NH T9020, 2009 2905 hrs., #142873.................$129,000 BOX DRILLS JD 450, 1991, #140270 ..............................................$6,600 JD 455, 1992, #137165 ........................................... $14,500 JD 455, 1992, #143815 ........................................... $18,900 JD 455, 1996, #132155 ........................................... $19,500 JD 455, 2004, #141660 ........................................... $20,700 JD 455, 2016, #131015 ........................................... $62,900 JD 455, 2017, #139188 ........................................... $55,900 JD 1590, 2007, #143037......................................... $31,900 COMPACT TRACK LOADERS JD 323E, 2016, 152 hrs., #137785 ........................ $54,900 JD 323E, 2017, 317 hrs., #140018 ........................ $56,500 JD 329E, 2014, 363 hrs., #131459 ........................ $56,900 JD 333E, 2014, 894 hrs., #133945 ........................ $54,900 JD 333E, 2014, 1130 hrs., #135021 ..................... $59,900 JD 333E, 2015, 305 hrs., #143895 ........................ $66,000 JD 333E, 2015, 352 hrs., #134320 ........................ $68,900 JD 333E, 2015, 1256 hrs., #142114 ..................... $54,900 JD 333E, 2016, 541 hrs., #134167 ........................ $68,900 JD 333G, 2016, 398 hrs., #143346 ....................... $71,900 JD 333G, 2016, 463 hrs., #142414 ....................... $71,900 JD 333G, 2017, 322 hrs., #142768 ....................... $71,900 JD 333G, 2017, 326 hrs., #142769 ....................... $71,900 NH C227, 2011, 1000 hrs., #140112.................... $27,500 FIELD CULTIVATORS Case IH 200, 2012, #135767 ................................. $52,000 Case IH 200, 2012, #135951 ................................. $53,000 Case IH 200, 2011, #129150 ................................. $55,000 JD 985, 1993, #138938 ........................................... $15,000 JD 985, 1998, #138937 ........................................... $15,000 JD 985, 1995, #130971 ........................................... $18,000 JD 985, 1998, #135905 ........................................... $21,500 JD 985, 1998, #143979 ........................................... $22,000 JD 2200, 2003, #142441......................................... $26,000 JD 2210, 2013, #143876......................................... $28,500 JD 2210, 2013, #143846......................................... $28,900 JD 2210, 2013, #143827......................................... $29,000 JD 2210, 2005, #120515......................................... $39,500 JD 2210, 2013, #140858......................................... $59,500 Wil-Rich QUAD X, 2005, #138553 ....................... $20,900 Wil-Rich QUAD X2, 2011, #138552 ..................... $38,695 Case TIGER MATE II, #143937 ............................... $21,450 Case IH TIGERMATE 200, 2010, #140723 .......... $45,000 MULCH FINISHERS JD 200, #136844 ..........................................................$9,200 JD 726, 1995, #135555 ........................................... $22,900 JD 2310, 2008, #124769......................................... $41,900 PLANTERS JD 1750, 1998, 8 Row 30”, #143368 ................... $17,600 JD 1750, 2001, 6 row 30”, #127462 .................... $20,500 JD 1750, 2014, 6 row 30”, #141859................... $32,000 JD 1750, 2013, 8 Row 30”, #131524 ................... $33,000 JD 1760, 1996, 12 row 30”, #140452 ................ $27,500 JD 1760, 1997, 12 row 30”, #137790 ................. $28,050 JD 1765, 2015, 12 row 30”, #140333 ................. $72,900
4 4 7 9 8 11 8 1 9 8 5 5 3 8 3 7 8 3 13 10 8 4 9 6 10 11 8 8 11 10 7 5 5 4 8 4 6 4 11 3 7 6 1 12 4 12 4 1 5 10 7 11 6 8 11 7 11 4 3 2 8 3 10 5 3 4
JD 1765, 2015, 12 row 30”, #138495 ................. $79,900 JD 1770, 2011, 12 row 30”, #132629 ................. $72,500 JD 1790, 2013, 16/31 Splt, #140721................$104,900 White 8186, 2005, 16 row 30”, #139731............ $34,000 White 8200, 2013, 12 row 30”, #137538............ $49,900 White 8524, 2013, 24 row 30”, #140624............ $79,500 JD 1770NT, 2006, 16 row 30”, #135018 ............ $64,000 JD 1770NT, 2014, 16 row 30”, #140214 ..........$109,000 JD 1770NT CCS, 2013, 16 row 30”, #142692 .....................................................................$103,000 Wil-Rich 24-22, 2009, 24 row 22”, #139224 ....................................................................... $53,900 JD 24R22, 2005, 24 row 22”, #143814 ............... $39,000 JD DB44, 2017, 24 row 22”, #141612 ...............$255,000 JD DB60, 2010, 24 row 30” #140814...............$135,000 JD DB60, 2016, 24 row 30” #138733...............$269,000 JD DB66, 2005, 36 row 22” #141473...............$125,000 JD DB66, 2016, 36 row 22” #140442...............$239,500 JD DR24, 2017, 24 row 30” #138592 ..............$189,500 SEEDBED FINISHER JD 200, 2009, #141274 ..............................................$9,500 SKID STEER LOADERS JD 325, 2008, 3177 hrs., #138043 ....................... $19,900 JD 318D, 2011, 5895 hrs., #143844 ..................... $16,500 JD 318D, 2013, 2447 hrs., #143873 ..................... $19,250 JD 318D, 2012, 2346 hrs., #143720 ..................... $23,500 JD 318D, 2013, 925 hrs., #135024 ....................... $29,500 JD 318E, 2015, 2811 hrs., #140525 ..................... $25,900 JD 318E, 2015, 2297 hrs., #135979 ..................... $26,500 JD 318E, 2014, 762 hrs., #135937 ........................ $33,500 JD 318E, 2015, 478 hrs., #136780 ........................ $33,500 JD 318E, 2015, 335 hrs., #142491 ........................ $34,000 JD 320D, 2013, 1023 hrs., #133492 ..................... $28,900 JD 320E, 2016, 2489 hrs., #143842 ..................... $27,500 JD 320E, 2015, 1734 hrs., #134169 ..................... $30,900 JD 320E, 2014, 1101 hrs., #135139 ..................... $34,900 JD 320E, 2014, 470 hrs., #142118 ........................ $35,900 JD 320E, 2014, 475 hrs., #135901 ........................ $35,900 JD 320E, 2015, 645 hrs., #138375 ........................ $37,600 JD 320E, 2015, 145 hrs., #142683 ........................ $38,500 JD 320E, 2016, 79 hrs., #140280 .......................... $39,900 JD 320E, 2015, 260 hrs., #143386 ........................ $42,900 JD 324E, 2016, 104 hrs., #137786 ........................ $45,000 JD 326D, 2012, 318 hrs., #135015 ....................... $38,500 JD 326D, 2012, 210 hrs., #135673 ....................... $40,500 JD 326E, 2016, 1105 hrs., #141601 ..................... $38,900 JD 326E, 2015, 537 hrs., #134033 ........................ $39,500 JD 326E, 2015, 387 hrs., #118578 ........................ $40,900 JD 326E, 2016, 347 hrs., #138363 ........................ $42,000 JD 326E, 2016, 65 hrs., #126370 .......................... $45,900 JD 326E, 2016, 150 hrs., #142477 ........................ $46,000 JD 328D, 2010, 410 hrs., #141011 ....................... $38,900 JD 330G, 2016, 600 hrs., #140027 ....................... $53,000 JD 332D, 2012, 812 hrs., #127231 ....................... $41,900 JD 332E, 2014, 1408 hrs., #132664 ..................... $38,900 JD 332E, 2015, 168 hrs., #135560 ........................ $49,500 JD 332E, 2015, 511 hrs., #138924 ........................ $51,900 JD 332E, 2016, 390 hrs., #139118 ........................ $54,500 NH L230, 2011, 3300 hrs., #139121 .................... $27,300 Bobcat S185, 2003, 1550 hrs., #141064 ............. $18,900 Bobcat S650, 2013, 859 hrs., #140188 ................ $37,500 Bobcat S850, 2013, 550 hrs., #140039 ................ $48,900 SPRAYERS Redball 580, 2006, #136873.................................. $17,500 JD 4720, 2006, 1673 hrs., #130054 ...................$129,500 JD 4730, 2008, 1058 hrs., #128705 ...................$160,000 JD 4830, 2013, 450 hrs., #141508 .....................$240,000 Fast 7400, #130185 .................................................. $21,500 Hardi COMMANDER 4400, 2011, #135264....... $37,900 Hardi COMMANDER 6600, 2012, #143849....... $50,000 Hardi NAV 1100, #137542 ..................................... $17,000
4 5 8 8 8 8 2 10 10 5 4 4 4 12 6 10 10 10 4 2 9 10 10 10 6 4 4 8 10 11 4 8 4 4 6 10 6 5 6 6 6
Hardi NAV 1100, #137543 ..................................... $17,000 Hardi NAVIGATOR 4000, 2012, #138223 .......... $30,900 JD R4038, 2016, 340 hrs., #132431 ...................$309,900 JD R4038, 2017, 169 hrs., #141223 ...................$329,500 JD R4038, 2017, 396 hrs., #143961 ...................$346,500 Case IH SPX3320, 2008, 4833 hrs., #143628 ....................................................................... $57,500 UTILITY TRACTORS Case IH 95, 2010, 95 hp., 972 hrs., #143823 ....................................................................... $37,900 JD 5400, 1995, 3700 hrs., #143991 ..................... $18,500 JD 6200, 1997, 89 hp, 9911 hrs., #141979 ........ $28,600 JD 6420, 2002 7725 hrs., #143373 ...................... $37,900 Case IH 115C, 2014, 115 hp., 425 hrs., #142395 ....................................................................... $63,800 JD 5045E, 2015, 45 hp., 150 hrs., #143514 ....... $21,900 JD 5075M, 2015, 75 hp., 175 hrs., #143519 ....................................................................... $37,500 JD 5095M, 2010, 95 hp., 1735 hrs., #144023 ....................................................................... $54,900 JD 5100E, 2016, 100 hp., 542 hrs., #124826 ....................................................................... $54,900 JD 6105E, 2015, 105 hp., 185 hrs., #124312 ....................................................................... $65,900 JD 6105E, 2016, 105 hp., 285 hrs., #124882 ....................................................................... $65,900 JD 6105E, 2016, 105 hp., 313 hrs., #124869 ....................................................................... $65,900 JD 6105M, 2014, 105 hp., 396 hrs., #132099 ....................................................................... $66,900 JD 6105R, 2013, 105 hp., 454 hrs., #135169 ....................................................................... $91,500 JD 6110R, 2015, 110 hp., 176 hrs., #119898 ....................................................................... $94,900 JD 6110R, 2017, 110 hp., 294 hrs., #132075 ....................................................................... $98,900 JD 6110R, 2017, 110 hp., 198 hrs., #132073 ....................................................................... $99,500 JD 6110R, 2017, 110 hp., 198 hrs., #132074 ....................................................................... $99,500 JD 6110R, 2016, 110 hp., 193 hrs., #133619 .....................................................................$112,000 JD 6110R, 2017 140 hrs., #142813 ....................$116,000 JD 6120R, 2015, 120 hp., 280 hrs., #124875 .....................................................................$106,900 JD 6125M, 2014, 125 hp., 1006 hrs., #143939 ....................................................................... $79,000 JD 6125R, 2013, 125 hp., 1500 hrs., #143649 ....................................................................... $92,500 JD 6125R, 2014, 125 hp., 1527 hrs., #142739 ....................................................................... $94,500 JD 6125R, 2013, 125 hp., 600 hrs., #134131 .....................................................................$103,000 JD 6130M, 2016, 130 hp., 217 hrs., #127623 ....................................................................... $94,900 JD 6130R, 2016, 130 hp., 170 hrs., #138428 .....................................................................$110,000 JD 6135E, 2017, 135 hp., 92 hrs., #134655 ....................................................................... $84,900 JD 6430 PREMIUM, 2007, 120 hp., 3725 hrs., #143744 ....................................................................... $68,000 Case IH MAXXUM 140, 2014, 140 hp., 914 hrs., #140549 ....................................................................... $78,500 WINDROWERS JD W235, 2014 26 hrs., #140754 ........................$129,500 JD W235, 2014 584 hrs., #134973 .....................$134,900 JD W235, 2014 641 hrs., #135622 .....................$142,500 JD W260, 2015 443 hrs., #132464 .....................$162,000 JD W260, 2016 570 hrs., #140978 .....................$166,000
rge
c
Exa
JD 455, 2017, #139188
55,900
$
e tEm
255,000
JD DB44, $ 2017, #141612
109,000
JD 1770NT, $ 2014, #140214
104,900
JD 1790, $ 2013, #140721
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018
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Robots might milk nearly half of U.S. herds by 2025
Lower labor cost one primary attraction By Ron Johnson ron.j@dairystar.com
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WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bob’s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201 Ederer Dairy Supply Plain, WI 608-546-3713 Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Waunakee, WI 608-849-5043
Mondovi Dairy Systems Inc. Mondovi, WI 715-926-5777 West Salem, WI 608-769-2113 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470 MINNESOTA & SOUTH DAKOTA D&D Ag Supply Pennock, MN 320-599-4466
East Central Dairy Supply Mora, MN 320-679-1029 Farm Systems Melrose, MN 320-256-3276 Watertown, MN 605-886-7401 Sioux Falls, SD 800-284-0015 S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Professional Dairy Systems Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
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MADISON, Wis. – Robots will milk more and more of the United States’ cows as time passes, according to Matt Daley, who is the senior vice president of sales, milking and dairy farming for North America at GEA Farm Technologies, a supplier of agricultural technology. Dale spoke Jan. 17 at the Dairy Strong Conference in Madison, Wis., organized by Dairy Business Association (DBA). Daley spoke on the practicality of robots for large herds. Beginning his presentation, he said relatively few herds are now milked by robots. But if the industry trend continues, that amount could greatly increase during the next several years. “It’s estimated that 2 percent of dairy herds in the U.S. are currently being milked by robots, and that number could rise to 40 or 50 percent over the next ve to seven years,” Daley said. Daley mentioned three aspects of robotic milking that dairy producers nd attractive. One is that it’s better for the animal, since each milking is the same, with no variation. The second selling point for robotic milkers is that they allow for better management capabilities, Daley said. They allow dairy producers to focus on other aspects of cow management, rather than on the actual milking. And third, robotic milking systems solve many labor issues, Daley said. With robots, labor needs are reduced, meaning fewer employees are needed. That cuts the amount of government paperwork and regulation a dairy farm encounters. But the main part of solving labor issues, Daley said, is that robots lock in labor costs. He offered a case study involving a Wisconsin farm. Daley said Hoffman Happy Holsteins in Peshtigo, Wis., milks 2,250 cows three times a day with a robotic rotary parlor. The parlor has been in use since November 2017 and was the rst one of its brand put into use in the United States. The 40-unit rotary parlor on the Marinette County farm milks for 6.7 hours a day, Daley said. The rotary parlor has trimmed the farm’s yearly labor cost from $594,000, when a conventional parlor was used, to $168,000 now. Happy Valley Holsteins now spends slightly more than $73 on labor per cow annually, Daley said. That’s down from approximately $259 per cow, per year in a conventional milking parlor. What’s more, Happy Valley’s labor cost per 220 pounds of milk produced has fallen. With a conventional parlor, that cost stood at $1.99. Now, with the robotic rotary parlor, it’s at 56 cents. Daley said the labor cost to milk would amount to $1.9 million over 10 years. But with a conventional parlor the gure would rise to $6.8 million. That means the robotic rotary parlor can cut that farm’s labor cost by $4.8 million over the course of a decade, Daley said. “Farmers already deal with unpredictable weather,” Daley said. “They don’t want to deal with unpredictable labor costs.” Two of these rotary parlors have been used in Canada since early 2016. One of those is at Gracemar Farms, Chilliwack, British Columbia. There, the 60-stall robotic rotary milks 1,250 cows. It milks 350 cows per hour with just one person operating it, Daley said. The cow platform makes a revolution in eight to 12 minutes, and the Gracemar herd is averaging 81 pounds of milk per cow, per day. Daley also touched on robotic monobox milkers that accommodate one cow at a time. Those, Daley said, can milk as many as 65 cows per box. Robotic milkers, according to Daley, can be attractive because of the lifestyle changes that can result. “No xed milking times means more exibility in your daily schedule, and the physically demanding milking process is no longer a task,” he said.
Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018 • Page 23
Quality above all else
Hecht earns third National Dairy Quality Award By Brittany Olson
brittany.o@dairystar.com
CUMBERLAND, Wis. – When Andy Hecht built his dairy, his goal was to have the lowest somatic cell count that he possibly could. Hecht milks 165 cows with his wife, Laura, near Cumberland, Wis., and his unrelenting focus on shipping quality milk from healthy cows has netted him not one, but three National Dairy Quality Awards from the National Mastitis Council. His cell count is currently running at 60,000. “I got the gold award in 2013 and 2015, and this year I got silver,” Hecht said. Farmers are nominated for the award based on criteria ranging from measures of quality and udder health to milking routines and protocols for treating clinical and subclinical mastitis, as well as overall herd health and animal welfare. Hecht was nominated by his cooperative’s eld technician, Jim Kauffman. Hecht has observed a correlation between not only cell count and healthy cows, but a link to sound reproduction as well. All of his cattle are bred on natural standing heats and average 1.5 services per conception. “Repro and cell count go hand in hand,” Hecht said. Keeping everything spic and span
in the freestall barn and milking parlor is also a priority for Hecht, who likens dairy farming to being a mechanic. “Milking cows is like mechanics. Everything has to be clean, clean, clean,” Hecht said. Stalls are bedded with sand once a week and scraped every single milking for manure and urine. During the summer months, Hecht puts the cows out to pasture each night. “I don’t have a groomer to clean stalls,” Hecht said. “I prefer my cows to lay at an uphill angle with more sand toward the front of the stall so everything goes right into Andy Hecht the alley. They’ll Dairy Farmer stay in the barn during the day all summer long, but as soon as night milking is over they’re headed right outside to go have some fun.” Cows are prepped for milking with each teat being dipped, then wiped down with a single paper towel. After they’ve had a minute or so to let their milk down, Hecht attaches the milker and uses the same dip for a postdip as he does when prepping cows. “That 60 to 90 seconds for milk letdown is critical,” Hecht said. “I don’t forestrip unless the lter sock tells me I need to, and I want the sock to be absolutely spotless.” When a cow does are up with mastitis, Hecht goes by the severity of that individual cow’s symptoms
BRITTANY OLSON/DAIRY STAR
A cow stands in a sand bedded stall at Andy and Laura Hecht’s 165-cow dairy near Cumberland, Wis. The Hechts bed the cows so they lie at an uphill angle in their stalls. by using the California Mastitis Test (CMT) to evaluate her somatic cell count. “I use [cephapirin sodium] to treat 80 to 90 percent of cases. The drug has been around since 1970 and it still works,” Hecht said. “If that doesn’t take care of it, then I treat her with a ceftiofur-based antibiotic.” Fresh cows are checked with the CMT at their third milking after calving and treated accordingly, as well. In addition, Hecht looks through his DHIA sheets each month to check for cows that are running a high somatic cell count.
“We test monthly and if she’s over 500,000 for cell count, we treat accordingly,” Hecht said. While some farmers breed for low somatic cell counts when mating their cows and heifers, that is not a focus for Hecht when choosing genetics. “I just try to use sound genetics,” Hecht said. “I’ve never sat down and focused on [cell count]. I’m sure there’s some link to it, though.” Another thing that Hecht keeps a close eye on to maintain milk quality is the amount of stray voltage that might come through at any time. In fact, he Turn to HECHT | Page 25
Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018
R E T BET ITY L A QU Y CUT EVER
Chris Britton DuPont Pioneer Account Manager
Stephen Hawk Grower
Pioneer® brand alfalfa varieties with HarvXtra® technology deliver higher-quality hay and forage, no matter when you cut.
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HarvXtra® is a registered trademark of Forage Genetics International, LLC. HarvXtra® alfalfa with Roundup Ready® technology is enabled with technology from The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. Roundup Ready ® is a registered trademark used under license from Monsanto Company. Do not export Pioneer ® brand alfalfa seed or crops containing Genuity® Roundup Ready® technology, including hay or hay products, to China pending import approval. In addition, due to the unique cropping practices, do not plant this product in Imperial County, California. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Alfalfa with the Genuity® Roundup Ready® technology provides crop safety for over-the-top applications of labeled glyphosate herbicides when applied according to label directions. Glyphosate agricultural herbicides will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. ACCIDENTAL APPLICATION OF INCOMPATIBLE HERBICIDES TO THIS VARIETY COULD RESULT IN TOTAL CROP LOSS. Pioneer ® brand products are provided subject to the terms and conditions of purchase which are part of the labeling and purchase documents. ®, TM, SM Trademarks and service marks of DuPont, Pioneer or their respective owners. © 2018 PHII. DUPPFO17044_VA_012018_DS
Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018 • Page 25
National Dairy Shrine award applications due March 15
ConƟnued from HECHT | Page 23
BRITTANY OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Cows at Andy Hecht’s farm are milked in a double-6 herringbone parlor. Hecht meƟculously cleans milking equipment to reduce the risk of masƟƟs. has his own milliamp tester to check for errant electricity. “My farm is isolated from the power company’s transformers, so if something happens around here my cows will tell me,” Hecht said. “For example, one of the heating elements in the heifers’ water tank went out in November and the cows told me about it. They’re very hesitant to come into the parlor when they feel even the slightest level of milliamps.” Hecht’s advice for dairy farmers looking to improve their somatic cell count, or maintain low somatic cell counts, includes using the data they
have on hand to decide their next course of action. “Start with using CMT on fresh animals. If you test your milk, use your DHIA information to focus on problem cows and then CMT them to identify the problem quarter on that individual cow,” Hecht said. All awards aside, Hecht loves his cows and prides himself and his farm on producing high-quality milk and keeping cows healthy. “I love milking cows,” Hecht said. “I like to put out a good image of farmers producing high quality food.”
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National Dairy Shrine is again seeking nominations for its most prestigious awards: Guest of Honor, Pioneer, Distinguished Dairy Cattle Breeder, Progressive Commercial Dairy Manager, and Graduate Production Award. The Guest of Honor is given to a contemporary dairy leader for outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the dairy industry. It has been awarded every year since 1949 when Dean H. Kildee was named the rst Guest of Honor. Also each year, three to four living or deceased Pioneers of the dairy industry are honored by National Dairy Shrine for their service and leadership in the dairy industry. Meanwhile, the Distinguished Dairy Cattle Breeder is an award which recognizes active, progressive dairy producers who, through their expertise in managing a dairy breeding herd based upon sound genetics and business principles, serve as a model of success for fellow breeders throughout the country. All these award winners’ accomplishments are on permanent display in the National Dairy Hall of Fame at the National Dairy Shrine Museum in Fort Atkinson, Wis. One of National Dairy Shrine’s newer awards, the Progressive Commercial Dairy Manager recognition, is given to producers ages 21 to 50 who have introduced and applied effective management and business practices that help achieve more protable dairy businesses, as well as contributing leadership to dairy organizations. The Graduate Dairy Production Award recognizes and assists qualied two-year and four-year agricultural college graduates efforts to pursue a career in commercial dairy farming and to gain ownership of dairy cattle with the intent of growing their dairy herd. The applicant must be employed in a herd management role on a commercial dairy when completing the award application. The winner will receive a $2,500 award from National Dairy Shrine. Nominations or applications must be submitted on ofcial forms by March 15. If you know someone who should be nominated for these awards, please visit the NDS website at www.dairyshrine.org and click on “Adult Awards” to view a complete listing of each award form. Then you can download the application for the respective award desired. The annual National Dairy Shrine awards banquet will be held on October 4 in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information please contact the National Dairy Shrine Ofce at info@dairyshrine.org. National Dairy Shrine membership information is also available online at www.dairyshrine.org. Dairy enthusiasts are encouraged to become a part of this important dairy organization to help honor our dairy heritage, inspire future leaders and promote the dairy industry.
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Now might be a good time to assess your farm storage needs. If you found yourself not being able to store your own grain because you added acres or yields were good, you might be interested in lowinterest loans that are offered by FSA. It’s no FSA News & Notes longer only grain bins and dryers, so keep on reading. FSA’s Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program provides lowinterest nancing to producers to build or upgrade storage facilities and to purchase portable (new or used) structures, equipment and storage and By Ryan Brunn handling trucks. The low-interest funds Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. can be used to build or upgrade permanent facilities to store commodities. Eligible commodities include corn, grain sorghum, rice, soybeans, oats, peanuts, wheat, barley, minor oilseeds harvested as whole grain, pulse crops (lentils, chickpeas and dry peas), hay, honey, renewable biomass, fruits, nuts and vegetables for cold storage facilities, oriculture, hops, maple sap, rye, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, meat and poultry (unprocessed), eggs, and aquaculture (excluding systems that maintain live animals through uptake and discharge of water). Qualied facilities include grain bins, hay barns and cold storage facilities for eligible commodities. Loans up to $50,000 can be secured by a promissory note/security agreement and loans between $50,000 and $100,000 may require additional security. Loans exceeding $100,000 require additional security. Producers do not need to demonstrate the lack of commercial credit availability to apply. The loans are designed to assist a diverse range of farming operations, including small and mid-sized businesses, new farmers, operations supplying local food and farmers markets, non-traditional farm products and underserved producers. To learn more about the FSA FSFL, visit www. fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport or contact your FSA county ofce. To nd your FSA ofce, visit http://ofces. usda.gov.
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Overcoming the ve dysfunctions of a team
Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018 • Page 27
The Transition Pen
By John & Laura Rosenhammer Father/Daughter Farming Duo With the freezing winds and frigid temps lasting from Christmas until well into the new year, this winter is certainly one I won’t soon forget. While the chilling wind slams my face as I sort heifers, I am thankful for the luxuries we have, such as keeping our young calves inside a barn, rather than walking outside from hutch to hutch and the door on our skidloader to keep the heat in as we drive across the yard. Now that the cold spell has passed, it is time to focus on setting goals for the coming year. My top goal for 2018 is to build my team. Currently, my team involves myself, my dad and uncle. My sister, mom and several others are involved in the farm as well, but we are the three decision makers at our farm. Together, we have a beautiful resume. My dad has years of experience, is passionate about our herd’s genetics, is handy and innovative and has the drive to keep getting up each morning with a positive attitude. My uncle takes time to research and choose the right seed varieties to plant, takes care of coordinating spring and fall eld work, takes care of getting manure hauled, feeds the cows each day and is always curious about the next big thing. I am young, full of passion to make our herd more protable, knowledgeable about our nancials, the go-to for technology questions, and am constantly seeking out workshops and seminars to learn more. Individually, we each do well in our areas, but as a team, we hold each other back. We each want the farm to be successful, but have different measurements on our progress. We each express our feeling of disagreement with each other differently; one raises his voice and another goes silent. Our expectations of each other differ. We assume the other person should understand how to do their job without asking if they need assistance or have concerns. My top priority is to bring us together and nd ways to express these concerns to one another in a respectful manner. I nished reading a book about a team that had the same issues and once paired with a determined, persistent leader, they learned how to respect, trust and communicate with each other. I want to be a leader for my team. “If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time,” said Patrick Lencioni. To clarify, I’m not out to dominate the dairy
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industry, but rather to get the three of us rowing in the same direction. According to the book, the ve dysfunctions of a team include absence of trust, fear of conict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability and inattention to results. In reading the book, I realized how important trust between team members is. For instance, while I’m gone on my honeymoon, I need to trust my dad to feed calves and trust my uncle to understand that our end of the year review meeting won’t take place until February. If I come home to a sick calf, I can simply treat her myself and not talk to my dad about it, or I can ask him for details, knowing it may involve some conict. I need to show my commitment to our farm by scheduling and preparing for our end of the year meeting. At our meeting, we will review the nancial, dairy and crop numbers and hold each team member accountable for events throughout the year. Finally, we need to review
last year’s goals and see if our strategy led to the results we aimed for. I realize asking a 56- and a 42-year-old to trust a 26-year-old’s guidance is a stretch. However, we have potential to become a better team and work together in harmony. I’m striving to hold meetings where each of us can share our opinion of different ideas, engage in ideological conict, agree on decisions, commit to a strategy, hold ourselves and each other accountable, and determine how we will measure our results. Most of all, I want to build trust and respect between each of us. As Patrick Lencioni states, “When there is trust, conict becomes nothing but the pursuit of truth, an attempt to nd the best possible answer.” Laura Scholtz farms with her father, John Rosenhammer, and uncle, Greg, on Roseview Dairy near Sleepy Eye, Minn. They milk 200 Holsteins and run 580 acres of cropland.
Counting down days ‘til spring Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018
We all have survival strategies, whether we recognize them or not. One of mine deals with something quite basic and primal: Getting through each winter. My survival plan is simple. I forget, from one year to the next, how awful, good, terrible or mild the previous winter was. Only when I look back and read my calendar notes does that winter come roaring back. This strategy might be something I was born with, Rural Roots hardwired into my DNA and soul by my Scandinavian, English, French and North American ancestors. I know they all had a much tougher time making it through the fourth season than I do. But that is cold, cold solace. Or, maybe my winter survival strategy is something I subconsciously developed over time. Maybe it took root on those arctic walks to and from the one-room country school near Richland Center, Wis. The morning and afternoon trudges to Elm Grove School, close by Ash Creek, were a mere mile or less each way. But, oh, they seemed to sometimes take By Ron Johnson forever. Staff Writer Maybe I dallied along the way. Maybe I pressed out too many snowballs to lob at the threatening telephone and electric poles that loomed overhead. Maybe I explored too many steep snowbanks that the snowplows heaved up. Whatever the reason, I often arrived at school with cold ngers and toes. No, they were not just cold, but a fraction of a degree from frozen. Many a time I spent in the boys’ room in the basement, damp mittens off, cold water cascading o’er my frigid digits. Of course, there was pain. I learned at the age of 8 about the icy sting that cold can bring. But winter was fun, too. Tobogganing and sledding down the big hill, as we called it, was a boyhood thrill. More mundane, but still enjoyable was lowering myself into the metal saucer I received for Christmas one year. Slippery Sid, as its advertised name, carried me countless times down the small but steep hills behind the barn. Sid was a good friend. Sometimes I wonder what ever happened to him. This winter of 2017-18 took its sweet time waltzing in. And, that’s just ne and dandy with me. The winter of 2017-18 nally got here on Jan. 14 and 15. Here in southwest Wisconsin we got walloped with about 5 inches of uffy, dry snow. Now, as I look out my upstairs ofce window on Jan. 16, I view a world that is a study in white. I can’t say I’ve ever been much of a fan of white when it comes
to things like clothes and houses and cars. But, for the life of me, I can’t imagine snow being a different color. Maybe a blue snow, as in the Paul Bunyan tales, would be interesting. As the story goes, Babe the Blue Ox turned that color due to being out in the snow for too long. It would be fascinating to see, touch and frolic in a popcorn snow, too. That mythical popcorn snow is also from the tales about the mighty lumberjack who helped tame the forests of Wisconsin and Minnesota. This was quite a late date for our rst real snow. My records tell me that last winter my neighbor crept down the driveway with his tractor and rear-mounted blade on Dec. 5 for our rst driveway plowing of the season. By contrast, this winter he plowed us out on Jan. 15. We have a way to go to catch up to last winter’s snow plowings. Our good beef farmer-neighbor removed snow for us eight times last winter. The last time was March 3. In between, he spread gravel on our hilly escape route to civilization three times, starting in January and ending in late February. The gravel gives Van Johnson and the Minnesota Moose added traction so they have at least half a chance of ascending the driveway. By the way, it really is uphill both ways. Jessica has learned how to adapt to winter and our ski slope driveway. As soon as the rst downy ake drifted down late Sunday afternoon, she was out the door and into Van Johnson as if her hair was are. She has learned that even with frontwheel drive and snow tires all around, Van Johnson sometimes makes climbing the snowy driveway hill an adventure almost on a par with conquering Everest. So, Van Johnson spends part of each winter parked by our mailbox along the county road. Up there, atop the hill, the little van has come to symbolize our yearly battle with Old Man Winter. There’s a second part to my winter survival strategy. This one I deliberately developed many moons ago. Since the ofcial start of spring is usually on March 21, I make a point of knowing how many days of winter snarl between me and that most-wonderful date. But this year, spring starts on March 20. So, as of Jan. 16, we have a paltry 62 days standing between us and the start of a fairer season. This year’s Spring Equinox takes place at 6:29 a.m. on Tuesday, March 20. Here’s another bit of cheery information: Each succeeding day brings us more daylight. For example, Jan. 17 had one minute, forty-ve seconds more daylight than Jan. 16. By the time March 20 rolls around, we will have just about equal amounts of darkness and daylight. And before we know it, we will see and hear our rst robin of the spring. Just in case you’re curious, for me, that happened on March 3 last year. Hmm. March 3 is only about six weeks away.
Holstein America: All-new television series broadcasts Feb. 8 It’s a convenience far too easy to take for granted. A quick run to the grocery store for a gallon of milk, package of cheese or quart of ice cream. Always available, always fresh. An entire industry makes that purchase possible — hundreds of thousands of dairy cattle and their caretakers who provide quality products for consumers worldwide. Holstein Association USA pays tribute to dairy farmers from coast to coast during the premiere episode of Holstein America, 9 p.m. CST, Thursday, Feb. 8 on RFD-TV. Mark the calendar or set your DVR to record this anticipated television broadcast. “The Holstein breed’s story is among the most successful in
U.S. agriculture — and it’s written by generations of passionate dairy producers,” says John Meyer, CEO of Holstein Association USA. “We’re honored to introduce these individuals and families in the Holstein America series.” The hour-long program, sponsored by Merck Animal Health, shines a spotlight on the nation’s Holstein producers — from California’s lush central valley to the fall treetops of Vermont. Meet those who have dedicated their lives to U.S. Registered Holsteins®; each cow an improvement on the past. “No other breed can do the things that the Holstein breed can do,” Meyer says. “That’s why it’s the world’s
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perfect cow.” The iconic, black-and-white Holstein cow provides the world with high-quality, nutritious dairy products that are the cornerstone to most modern diets. Today, the breed accounts for more than 90 percent of milk production in the United States. Levels made possible thanks to continuous improvements in efciency and productivity. Like each distinctive animal, each Registered Holstein operation is unique. Each family motivated by their own goals and aspirations. In Holstein America, learn about modern-day dairy production and hear from those with a passion for the Holstein breed of cattle. A few featured in the upcoming show are:
Crave Brothers Farm near Waterloo, Wis., a family operation that’s a key cheese supplier for Whole Foods Market; Maple Grove Farm in Derby, Vt., where a young couple labors long hours together raising Registered Holsteins®; Maddox Dairy near Riverdale, Calif., a large-scale operation at the heart of California’s central valley; Pappy’s Farm, Farr West, Utah, home to a family of Greek immigrants who are living out their American dream; and many more. Again, join us for Holstein America at 9 p.m. CST, Thursday, Feb. 8. After the show, visit www. holsteinusa.com to nd a complete collection of the videos online.
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ping all the snaps and venture out into the wind and cold to see the older calves that have moved to a different area where they are learning to be social and good friends with each other. They all run up to the kids, but don’t want to be out in the wind for long. After a few pets and ear scratches, they venture back to the straw pack. The wind and chilling temperatures are left outside when the group enters the freestall barn to look at the cows and close up heifers. The cows have frost covered whiskers and their poop steams. How exciting is that. There are frozen icebergs by the waterers from the cows that like to splash it before they take their drink. And, look at all that frozen poop. Amazing! The conversations are the same throughout the tours year around. I speak about all the feed and digestion, milking, cow comfort and that reproduction is important. As I am speaking, the kids chime in telling their friends and families about many of the lessons they learned from their last visit. “Poop is manure, and that is good for the crops.” The retention these children have always makes me feel proud. Poop is a topic they really like to talk about. They listened and understand the information that was presented to them months ago, and they can almost give the tour themselves. The nal part of the tour is back to warm-up by the cats, and a warm, soapy, wash up in a bucket of water. After a bit of playing in the bubbles, the little pink ngers start to look normal again. We wipe off as much of the cow spit and cat hair from the jackets, hats and snow pants before they head back into their cars. Off they go to share all their experiences with others, and I am sure they tell of all the lessons learned. It always makes me feel warmer when I think that I have spent a cold winter’s day doing something that will be remembered. Tina Hinchley, her husband, Duane, and their daughters, Anna and Catherine, milk 135 registered Holsteins and farm 2,500 acres of crops near Cambridge, Wis. They have been hosting farm tours for over 20 years.
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I am back. I have been absent from the Dairy Star for a few months, and boy did I have people notice that I wasn’t writing. What is going on? Are you all right? Did you have a falling out with the editor? Do you plan on writing again? I have been emailed, asked and even had a conversation over dinner at a conference. I really didn’t think I had a following. I took time off because we had a crazy fall farm tour season, and this year in particular, we were short of help with milking and truck driving during corn harvest. I am healthy as a horse and feeling great, but tired at the end of the day. And, I wasn’t planning on taking off writing for so long, but the corn harvest season seemed to last until Christmas. So where has the time gone? The farm tours usually start getting busy in late September, and go until Halloween. But this year with the warmer weather, I had calls in early November through Thanksgiving, and even into December. I even had several tours over the By Tina Hinchley Christmas holiday. Families and children that have visFarmer & Columnist ited our farm want to share their experience with their families and friends. What happens on an off-season farm tour? Not as much, but it tends to take two hours just as the normal tours do. At the end of October, we usually sell our pigs, lambs, goats and turkeys to visitors that have seen them and would like to have them processed for their families to enjoy. Since the buyers know how happy these animals were greeting their children; baaing, gobbling and oinking to beg for hand shucked corn treats, of course their children would want to eat them. Wrong. The kids most often don’t put two and two together to realize their turkey dinner was Mr. Gobbles from the farm. But, the parents do. So, without Mr. Gobbles and the other animals, the tour consists of cows, calves, cats, chickens, more cows, cats, more cows and more cats. The families come into the barn all bundled up with winter coats, hats, mittens and boots full of snow. They are greeted by cows that want attention. If the kids get too close, the cows lick off their hats and slobber all over their jackets, leaving slimy cow food for them to wear home. Giggles and laughter ring throughout as the cows try to lick Grandpa when he milks our special tour cow. The kittens that were untouchable during the tour season are now cats that twirl around legs and beg to be held. All of the little ones with snow pants on go home with a cat hair accessory. Calves in the nursery that have been born recently have been living without the daily dose of petting and ngers to suck. They don’t run to the front of the pen and are a little scared when the kids come in talking loud looking for the name of the calf they saw months before. How fast these calves grow. Well, the kids grow just as fast, too. Of course, they want to see the calves from the last tour to see how big they are now. We all put on our hats, gloves and mittens, zipping up every zipper and snap-
Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018 • Page 29
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Knowing when Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018
Everyone has had the coughs and snifďƒ&#x;es around here lately. This miserable cold hangs on for days on end, and has made its way through the entire farm and my household. As a result, there have been some short tempered little boys. I keep ďƒžnding myself making excuses to the big boys for their behavior because they feel so crummy and at 4 years old, they don’t really possess the vocabulary to explain themselves accurately. I point out to the big boys that their eyes look all glazed over, and they cry whenever someone looks at them cross-eyed. The tricky part comes when they don’t look so rough. Are they still feeling sick? The thing with little ones is generally if you ask them if their head hurts or if they have a stomach ache, they suddenly do. Are they faking it or do they really feel miserable? It’s all about knowing when to give them a free behavior pass on account of their health, or knowing that they’re just being plain naughty.
When we get a new mastitis cow from the main parlor, the ďƒžrst couple things we check are what the milk looks like, her temperature and the texture of the infected quarter (hard or soft). The feel of her quarter can seem really hard to one person, yet soft enough to the next. Carmen and I are big fans of running an IV of Hypertonic Saline solution, Banamine and a couple cc of Oxytocin. Maybe I should say Carmen is a fan of running the IV. I usually balk at having to take the time to do it, but he’s proven to me time and time again that it is worth it. If we have a cow that’s on the edge of rubbing the infected quarter with liniment or giving an IV, opting for the latter (and rubbing it) will almost inevitably result in a soft quarter by the evening milking. They also seem to get back to their normal production much faster. This is for the average hard quarter cow with a bit of mastitis, not those probably-going-to-drop-dead-no-matter-what-you-
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Total Propionibact Propionibacteria (minimum) ...........................................................................16 billion cfu/pound (35 million cfu/gram) (Propionibacterium freudenreichii) freud
Total Yeast Y (minim (minimum) ..........................................................................................300 billion cfu/pound (661 million cfu/gram) (Active Dry Yeast Y Saccharomyces Sacch cerevisiae)
Enzyme Activ Activity (minimum)
Bacterial Amylase y (Bacillus ( subtilis)................................................................................................................. 118,000 BAU*/lb. *Bacterial amylase BAU = one on bacterial amylase unit (BAU) is the quantity of enzyme that will dextrinize starch at the rate of 1 mg/min at pH 6.6 and 30°C.
Fungal g Amylase y ((A (Aspergillus oryzae)................................................................................................................. 95,250 SKB*/lb. 0 *Fungal amylase SKB = number num of grams of soluble starch dextrinized, in the presence of excess Ă&#x;-amylase, per hour at pH 5.0 and 40 C.
Fungal g Protease ((A (Aspergillus oryzae) ................................................................................................................ 68,000 HUT*/lb. *Fungal protease HUT = the amount of enzyme that produces, in 1 minute at pH 4.7 and 400C, a hydrolysate whose absorbance at 275 nm is the same as that of a solution containing 1.10 Č?J perr ml ml off ttyrosine yrosine in 00.006N hydrochloric acid.
beta-Glucanase (Trichoderma ((Tr longibrachiatum) .....................................................................................................900 BGU*/lb. *Beta Glucanase BGU = the amount of enzyme which, liberates glucose to 1 —mol glucose per minute at pH 6.5 and 40°C.
Hemicellulase (Asp (Aspergillus p niger) ............................................................................................................................225 HCU*/lb. *Hemicellulase HCU = one hemicellulase hem unit (HCU) is defined as that activity that will produce a relative fluidity change of 1 over a period of 5 min in a locust bean gum substrate at pH 4.5 and 40°C
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Branded Strains of Smart bacteria: A4000h™ ......................Pediococcus pentosaceus A2020™ ..................................... Lactococcus lactis 2E-1™ ..................................Enterococcus faecium EF141™ ...............................Enterococcus faecium LC222™ .................................... Lactobacillus casei LBR1000™ .............................. Lactobacillus brevis LP100™ ............................ Lactobacillus plantarum Found Only in Priority IAC Products
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try toxic mastitis cows. Our concoction of antibiotics can sometimes get to the problem, but sometimes not. It’s all about knowing when to bring out the big guns in our medicine cabinet. The recent cold weather has been tough Ramblings from the Ridge on a couple of our high producing fresh cows. They can’t seem to get their feet under them (literally) and eat enough to make the amount of milk they strive to. One such cow went down two Saturdays ago in our post fresh pen at one week fresh. I popped her a Bovikalc (giant By Jacqui Davison calcium bolus, one of Columnist my favorite inventions in the past few years in the barn) while she was still down and gave her an ultimatum: you get up or your large physique has to get crammed into the skid steer bucket and hauled to the pen. She listened and got her wobbly legs under her. She was rewarded with vacation on the bedded pack. The unfortunate part on our farm is that our bedded pack is also our calving pen. This is not a convenient space sharing situation, as a sick cow sheds all sorts of things and makes for some unhealthy newborn calves. The other side of this is that the cow needed to be on straw for a few days as she regained her strength, and there was no other place for this to happen. I milked her, fed her, and bedded and rebedded the pen for four days. After deciding there was no medicine that would do anything for her, I loaded her up with vitamin shots, held my breath and graduated her to being back in a sand stall. She was getting stronger daily, and her legs didn’t buckle when she got up anymore, so I took a chance on her. Thankfully, she hasn’t gotten stuck or anything. Now I have to get up the courage to send her back to a pen of 130 cows versus her hanging out with a dozen of her closest friends. Knowing when to step in and assist with a cow or a ďƒžrst-calf heifer giving birth is truly a matter of life or death. Wait too long and you may have a dead calf, pull too soon and you risk tearing apart the animal because she isn’t dilated enough to handle the passing of a calf. Most cows (second calf and beyond) can do the job themselves if it is a normal delivery. There are times, though, that you wait, expecting the old beast to lie down and get to work. After nothing happens an hour later, a quick examination tells you the calf is backwards and the cow is in need of assistance. Pulling a calf from a heifer that isn’t ready for the action results in a very torn up animal that needs healing assistance in the form of extra milkings with me and a shot of Excede. More often than not, we make the right decision and the end result is a healthy calf and a happy cow. Knowing when to step in and help the cow, knowing when to scold the children, knowing when to IV a cow or knowing when to kick a cow out of the calving pen are all part of my daily life. Sometimes I’m right and sometimes, unfortunately, I’m wrong. Life is all about learning though, and I’d like to think I learn from each mistake. Jacqui and her family milk 800 cows and run 1,200 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wis. Her children, Ira (11), Dane (9), Henry (4) and Cora (adventurous crawler), help her on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones, or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos – and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.
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Evaluate nutrition strategies to maximize cash ow
Feed expenditures are the single largest operating expense in your dairy business. Given our current economic times, it is critical to evaluate on-farm nutritional strategies to determine if any potential changes can improve the dairy’s cash ow. Milk production is the income generator for Something to Ruminate On your dairy business, so saving 10 cents in feed cost but losing 20 cents in productivity is not a good economic decision. Consider several key nutritional and management strategies to help maximize income over feed costs. High-quality By Barry Visser forage reduces Nutritionist supplemental feed costs. Current forage inventory is established, but the value of harvesting high-quality forages this next season may be greater than ever. Harvesting forages at the correct moisture and maturity is a critical component. Hybrid selection can be part of the solution to improved forage quality, but needs to be balanced against input costs. With current prices, going from 15 to 5 percent feed shrink accounts for feed savings of greater than 50 cents per head daily. Feed shrink can be dened as any ingredient that enters the dairy but is not consumed by the cow. Some shrink to forages is inevitable, but with proper packing and storage practices, these losses can be minimized. Evaluate ingredient handling and storage, as well. Byproducts can be a great buy, but may lend themselves to double-digit shrink values under certain conditions. Maximize dry matter (DM) intake to maximize milk production. One pound of additional DM can lead to two pounds increase in milk production. In some cases, there may be an opportunity to reduce percentage leftovers below 5 percent. Feed distribution, push-up frequency and overall bunk management needs to be excellent to make this happen. Feed efciency is an important economic measure used to evaluate the amount of milk produced per unit of feed. Utilizing energy corrected milk will give credit to the milk component contribution. Several factors will impact feed efciency: • Multiple groups of milk cows versus one group to allow better targeting of nutrients and additives designed to improve feed efciency • Overcrowding to the point where performance is negatively affected • Cow comfort and heat abatement for milk cows and dry cows • Culling strategies to remove low-end producers • Aggressive reproduction strategies to have more cows in peak lactation • Proper particle size and moisture in the TMR • Adequate water access Two common non-productive assets related to nutrition expenditures are forage inventory and heifer replacements. If a farm is sitting on eight to 12 months of carryover on a given forage, managers may consider harvesting fewer acres to remove some crop input expenses. With heifer replacements, take a hard look at the number needed versus inventory. In addition, recognize the feed costs associated with calving heifers less than 24 months of age on most farms. Work with your nutrition consultant to review and ne-tune your feeding program. Any feeding changes that potentially jeopardize milk production or future cow health need to be carefully evaluated; do not sacrice long-term gains for short-term savings. Develop your list of potential changes, evaluate the positives and negatives of each potential change, and prioritize which nutrition changes will have the largest effects on your cash ow. In some cases, no changes will be made. In other cases, signicant changes can be made, resulting in greater income over feed costs. Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.
Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018 • Page 31
A special Christmas surprise Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018
The last present opened on Christmas may have Mark’s name on the tag, but it is truly a family gift to each other. This annual “Family Year” frame started with a simple comment by Mark. “We Just Thinking Out Loud didn’t do anything this year.” The challenge was thrown down, and I was set to prove him wrong. I searched through stacks of pictures I had taken of our everyday life and made a collage of the special moments. Katie singing “Some Where Over the Rainbow” dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard By Natalie Schmitt of Oz at the state fair talent Columnist show. Jonathon holding the spikes of his rst deer. Michael lifting a gopher trap in triumph over the pesky critter. Austin helping Mark to paint the outside frame of the pole shed from inside the tractor bucket. The Virginia and Minnesota Schmitt cousins standing in a row from tallest to shortest next to the dairy barn. This all started in 2005. As people replace the calendar on the wall at the end of the year, so, too, do we replace the old picture frame with the new one. The current pictures hang in the entry way of our house while the old frame is moved down to the “Hallway of Memories.” Smiling faces of special moments and accomplishments line both walls down the long narrow hallway serving as a reminder of where we’ve been and where we’re heading in life. Families and friends share their adventures through annual Christmas letters. I see pictures of happy families standing together with a breath-taking view of the Grand Canyon as a backdrop. I start to feel like we may have cheated our kids out of their childhood. We never made it camping in the mountains let alone a state park. We never went white water rafting down the Colorado River (which is something I still want to do). We never went to Disneyland let
alone Valley Fair Theme Park in the Twin Cities. this fall and didn’t want to break in a new dog over When the kids were little, we didn’t have the the cold winter months. We also decided we didn’t nances. We were starting out farming in the late ‘80s. want a puppy because we weren’t excited about going Everything we earned was being plowed back into the through the puppy stages of chewing, dragging and farm and cattle to build a future for our family. As digging. they grew older and we had a better nancial footing, I got a text from Matt that he was going to stop we felt we couldn’t go because they were a major in and visit us before Christmas. He needed to come part of the work force around the farm. We learned to down from Greenbush to get some supplies for their squeeze family fun trips in a day or two at the most dairy farm. Matt showed up. Katie was late. Sara between eld work and school. We appreciated these had to run errands. In other words, Sara had to take quick breaks away together as a family, but mostly care of our present without us suspecting anything. we created our own memories at home. The kids built She couldn’t be left alone. Katie was buying needed blanket forts on the clothes line to camp outside under supplies. Matt was keeping me occupied until milking the stars. They raced down the eld road on their was done and the guys came in the house. bikes through the sprays of water from the irrigation Once everyone was in for the night, out came guns with squeals of laughter as the water landed on the surprise. A dark, fuzzy bundle of puppy energy. their heads. She was so cute and cuddly. Everyone was thrilled, Now, as the kids have started careers off the except me. I saw the bigger picture of what was going farm, they are discovering a whole new world of to happen once everyone went back to their homes opportunities. There are summer volleyball and after the holidays. I wouldn’t give her a name because softball league games to play, biking trails to explore she was going back up north. She was a hit over the and road trips to take because they have a long holiday holidays, but then everyone left and the temperatures weekend. Michael’s car trunk is packed with camping plummeted. Our outside farm dog suddenly became gear and shing poles the laundry room puppy. because he never knows I’ve warmed up to her, and when he might nd the right Th she has warmed up to Mark. The llast present opened d on spot for an adventure. The We’ve created a new routine pictures in our Christmas Christmas may have Mark’s with the puppy on the farm. frame are starting to expand name on the tag but it is truly Bailey loves to help me beyond the adventures push up feed and shake out of our home and farm. a family gift to each other. hay. Her favorite chew thing There are pictures of trips is anything, especially corn to Brazil, grad school in stalks. She is learning how Florida, a yacht cruise on Lake Michigan and a to switch cows and has a natural knack for herding rst new house. I look at these new adventures and cattle. Cats on the other hand are giving her problems. realize how much our kids appreciate these chances to They just don’t understand her barks. She is learning explore as young adults. We may not have given them to avoid their paw swipes. It has been entertaining, and the big vacations, but we instilled an appreciation of I guess it is our new subject for the family Christmas celebrating the moment. picture frame. The Christmas frame also serves as a reminder of Natalie, Mark and his brother, Al, Schmitt farm together changes our family has gone through over the years. near Rice, Minn. They milk 100 registered Holsteins under We’ve been without a farm dog for almost six years. the RALMA prex. For questions or comments please e-mail Mark and I have been talking about getting a new Natalie at mnschmitt@jetup.net. dog this spring from the shelter. We were too busy
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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018 • Page 33
T HE MO S T S TA BL E SK ID S T EER ON E A R T H I S
In several ways, this past weekend was wonderful. We nally celebrated Christmas with my family. Our kids had lots of time to play with their cousins, go ice skating, and build snow forts – there’s actually some snow up north. At the same time, it wasn’t a good weekend at all. Daphne came down with inuenza. The last thing we needed was another health issue in our family. Our legislators failed to reach agreement on funding (and a number of other issues that were injected into the funding bill) and the government shut down, albeit briey. The government shutdown and the Dairy Good Life partisan politics it illustrates were disappointing more than anything else. And then the Vikings lost to the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. The loss itself was depressing, but then the news was lled with reports about the disgusting behavior of the Eagles’ fans at the game. These last two events – the government shutdown and Philadelphia’s terrible fans – have me thinking that our country is in desperate need of a healthy dose of rural values. Kids who grow up on farms, or grow up By Sadie Frericks working on their neighbors’ farms, learn early on Columnist the value of working hard and working until all the chores are done. I had surgery a month ago and have been on strict light duty since then. Dan and Monika have been helping Glen with barn chores as much as they can. Their extra time in the barn has provided them with some important learning opportunities. One day, Dan and Monika decided they would switch chores with each other. But they didn’t check with Glen to make sure that was OK. We had a good discussion about that decision later. I asked them to fast-forward 20 years and pretend they were working for a boss who’s not their dad. That boss, I explained, would need to approve a job switch in advance; bosses assign jobs to the employees they feel are best suited to complete the task. We also had a discussion about what to do if you nish your chores early. Don’t just come back to the house, I told them. Check with the boss to see if there are any other jobs you can help with before your shift is done. Farm kids also learn how to work together with people they don’t always get along with: their siblings. We all learned that sibling squabbles were no excuse for failing to nish our chores. Our elected leaders could learn a thing or two from farm kids about setting differences aside to work together and working hard until the work is done. Likewise, the Philadelphia Eagles’ horrible fans could stand to spend some time with rural kids and learn a few things about respect and gratitude. I’m not sure why rural kids seem more respectful Our elected O l d lleaders d could ld and grateful. Maybe it’s prayers we say at night. learn a thing or two from farm the Maybe it’s the behavior kids ... expectations we hold them to. Maybe it’s the small, close-knit communities in which they’re raised, where every parent is as likely to correct poor behavior as a child’s own parents. Whatever the reason, Philadelphia’s fans clearly need more of it. Instead of showing gratitude for their team’s successful season and respectfully welcoming visitors to their town, their behavior was exactly the opposite. I believe strongly in understanding current events, but reading the news these days is disheartening, especially when the news is lled with humanity’s worst behavior. Perhaps someday we’ll nd a way to infuse our rural values into the rest of the country. Until then, I’ll just keep doing my best to make sure my own children understand the value of work ethic, respect and gratitude.
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018
Cow comfort, milk quality top priorities Crossbred herd allows Odeen to achieve both By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
BLACK RIVER FALLS, Wis. – A self-described addiction to dairy farming led Andrew Odeen to bring a milking herd back to his family’s Jackson County farm in 2002, for the rst time since his grandfather milked cows in the late 1960s. Odeen began his Weird Cow Dairy with 25 cows, mostly Holsteins, after milking cows at a neighboring farm for over 8 years. From there, the Black River Falls, Wis., dairy has grown to his recent expansion, bringing his herd to 40 head. Odeen houses his cows in a pack barn, which he constructed when he decided to begin his dairy operation. “It was apparent that there just wasn’t enough room in the bedding pack, they just weren’t staying as clean,” Odeen said, explaining at that time the herd was at about 30 head. “In order to justify expanding the barn, I decided to expand it enough to increase to 40 head to help pay for it. That’s about as big as I want to get, doing everything on my own.” Cow comfort is the primary reason Odeen chose to house his cows on a bedding pack. The pack is bedded daily with corn stalks. Odeen cleans it frequently, largely by hand. “I have zero trouble with cows banging themselves up, and I just don’t ever see any hock lesions,” Odeen said. “The cows get out to exercise and move a lot. I have quite a few older cows and
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Andrew Odeen stands in front of the 9-stall step-up parlor he designed and built to make milking easier for his 6-foot-8 frame. Odeen milks 25 cows near Black River Falls, Wis. they have no troubles.” There are very few instances of any foot problems in Odeen’s herd. He estimates he might treat two or three a year. Odeen sees few cases of mastitis or other udder health problems.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018 • Page 35
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DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
The Weird Cow Dairy herd lives in a pack-barn that was recently expanded to accommodate more cows. raises 12 acres of silage corn each year and the remainder of the land is pastured. He bales the pasture when it gets ahead of the cows, to use for heifer hay in the winter. The remainder of his feed is purchased. “I’m a cow guy,” Odeen said. “I prefer working with the cows to riding around on a tractor, doing eldwork.” For the past 10 or 12 years, Odeen has been utilizing crossbreeding. “Milking Shorthorn, Brown Swiss and Ayrshire crosses have worked well for me,” Odeen said. “I tried using some Jersey in the mix, but they just didn’t work out well here. It seemed like I’d get cows with Holstein udders on Jersey frames.” Odeen puts a great deal of thought into his matings. He uses A.I. and plans not to have cows calving from mid-December through mid-February. In making mating decisions, he pays attention to certain characteristics of each breed. Non-traditional dairy breeds like Fleckvieh and Normande were experimented with by Odeen, but he found he lost too much production. The herd averages between 50 and 55 pounds per day with a 4 percent butterfat test and a cell count that runs under 100,000. “Producing good quality milk is important to me,” Odeen said. “I’m willing to work with a cow a lot to x any problems that come up.” The cows are milked with ve units in a 9-stall step-up parlor that Odeen designed and built himself, using mostly scrap tube steel to help make milking easier for the farmer. The cows step up 14 inches into the stalls and exit
through the front of the stalls out into the lot where they are fed. “I milked for 8.5 years in a 65-cow tiestall barn, working for my neighbor,” Odeen said. “He was a good farmer and had good cattle, but I just didn’t care to do that forever. I’d milked for a friend in a step-up parlor a few times, and it seemed like a good idea.” Heifers are bred to calve between 24 and 26 months of age. He raises his calves in hutches and typically has about four calves on milk at any given time. All bull calves are sold to an Amish neighbor. Calves are fed milk three times daily for the rst two weeks, working them up to receive two quarts at each feeding. After two weeks, he switches the calves to two, 3-quart feedings each day. Once the weather gets warmer than 60 degrees, he adds electrolytes at the middle feeding. “I’ve fed my calves like this for a long time, at least 10 years,” Odeen said. “It involves more labor, but I nd the calves do really well on this program. My calf death rate is very close to zero. I think individual hutches, calf jackets and copious bedding go a long way, and there is no substitute for high quality colostrum.” With management efforts focused on cow comfort and milk quality, Odeen has plans to continue with his selfdescribed addiction to dairy farming. “I intend to either milk cows until I die or turn 70, whichever comes rst,” Odeen said of his chosen profession. “This is something I enjoy, caring for the cows. It’s hard work, but it’s worthwhile, and denitely an addiction.”
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Andrew Odeen considers himself to be a “cow guy” and prefers caring for dairy cows to doing eld work.
Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018
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Family: My husband, Pat, and I have been married for 34 years. We have two sons, Nate and Tim, a daughter, Laura, and their families. Tell us about your farm. Our farm has been in the family since 1928. Pat’s dad, Jim, took it over in 1954 and a corporation was formed in 1980 with Pat’s dad and brother Mike, who have since passed away. Pat and I have managed the farm together since 1983. What’s the busiest time of day for you? Mornings. When you get a spare moment what do you do? I bake cakes and cupcakes for special occasions. I also watch our grandchildren when needed.
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Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. Working side by side every day with Pat. Some of my friends say that’s something they couldn’t do. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I enjoy having the chance to drive tractors, operating the combine during corn harvest, taking care of the calves, operating the self-propelled haybine and putting up a Christmas holiday display. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? Gathering with friends in the same industry. In your opinion, what’s the importance of women in today’s dairy industry and how have you seen that change over the years? I believe women have a positive impact in the dairy industry. Women are operating machinery more now than when I rst started on the farm. What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? Many women can probably relate to this. A weekend up north is just as good to me as a few days in the Caribbean. Any time away on the dairy farm is a vacation. What are some words you like to live by? My dad passed away in a tragic farm accident when I was 26 years old, so these are my words I live by: Never forget yesterday, but always live for today because you never know what tomorrow can bring or what it can take away.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018 • Page 37
Put operating agreements, business plans in writing By Ron Johnson
ron.j@dairystar.com
PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wis. – Put it in writing. That was the main point of the meeting, “Cultivating Your Farm Business’ Future,â€? Jan. 10 at Prairie du Chien, Wis. The meeting was sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Extension and the University of Wisconsin Center for Dairy Proďƒžtability. “Whether you’re farming with your son or daughter, brother or sister, or with someone who is not a relative, having written plans for operations and management provides a strong base for a sustainable business,â€? said Melissa O’Rourke. She is a farm and agricultural b u s i n e s s management Melissa O’Rourke specialist with Iowa ISU Extension State University Extension, and also a lawyer. One document that is often overlooked when people start farming together is an operating agreement. “Following a written agreement helps when things are going well and when things get difďƒžcult,â€? O’Rourke said. A farm business operating agreement is used when all the people involved contribute labor and management, invest capital and share any income that the business generates. “Often, the older party furnishes all the land, although the parties may rent additional land,â€? O’Rourke said. “Many variations of ownership of machinery, feed and livestock are used. The accounting requirements are simplest if the parties involved have equal ownership of much of the personal property.â€? As might logically be expected, each person bound by an operating agreement gets a share of the income based on his or her contributions. Whoever supplies most of the resources receives most of the income. Those involved should divide the income based on the value of their yearly contributions. “The costs and expenditures associated with owning individual assets are paid by the owner of the assets,â€? O’Rourke said. “For example, if the older party owns the land, and provides the use of the land, and receives a payment in return, he or she is responsible for paying the property taxes, debt payments and other costs associated with owning the land.â€? O’Rourke offered the example of a dairy farm that milks 45 cows and has 240 acres of cropland. The younger party supplies 12 months of labor and pays half the livestock expenses. In addition, this younger person also owns half the cattle and a tractor valued at $25,000. On the other side of the equation, the older person or couple also supplies 12 months of labor and pays the other half of the livestock expenses. This older party owns half the cattle plus all the remaining machinery and equipment. And, the older party owns the real estate. Adding up the value of what the younger party provides yields a yearly total of $56,300, O’Rourke said. Meanwhile, the older party provides resources valued at $196,400.
To calculate how much of the yearly income each party is entitled to, simply add the values of each of their contributions. Adding $56,300 and $196,400 yields a total value of $252,700. When percentages are calculated, it’s found that the younger party has contributed 22 percent of the resources. By contrast, the older party has contributed 78 percent. Turning to the distribution of income, it only makes sense that each party should receive it in proportion to what was contributed. In her example, O’Rourke assumed that cash income for the year amounted to $250,000. That means the older party should get 78 percent of that, or $195,000. Likewise, the younger party should receive 22 percent of the cash income, or $55,000. “Each party’s income is used to pay the debt and expenses associated with individually owned resources that are contributed to the business,â€? said O’Rourke. “Additional income can be used for family living expenses and taxes, or additional investment in the business.â€? O’Rourke also noted that some people use two more kinds of agreements: enterprise operating agreements and wage-and-incentive agreements. Just as its name implies, an enterprise operating agreement applies only to one speciďƒžc aspect of a farm. O’Rourke used the example of a farm that raises hogs, along with crops and other livestock. In this example, the enterprise agreement applies only to the hog aspect. This type of agreement is set up much the same as an operating agreement, with each party paying certain expenses and receiving a percentage of the income. Her example had the older party getting 75 percent of the income, and the younger party getting 25 percent. The third kind of agreement that O’Rourke discussed is a wage-andincentive agreement. Said O’Rourke, “It can be used during the ‘testing’ stage, when the younger party ďƒžrst comes into the business. The testing stage is part of the farm business transfer process that’s used to determine if the younger party really wants to farm and if all parties can get along.â€? With a wage-and-incentive agreement, the younger person usually does not have any money invested in the business. But he or she is paid a wage and might also receive free housing or other beneďƒžts, such as free meat or free milk. In addition, the younger party gets compensation through an incentive plan if the business does well. O’Rourke laid out ďƒžve key considerations to keep in mind when developing an incentive program: • The incentive plan is not a substitute for wages. Rather, it’s an addition to a fair and equitable wage. • The incentive should be large enough to motivate the younger person. “As a rule,â€? said O’Rourke, “it should average 15 to 20 percent of the base wage.â€? • Base the incentive on performance levels that are observable, measurable and controllable by the employee. • To make sure that the incentive really does motivate the employee, pay it promptly and regularly. • Review an incentive plan regularly. Change it as the employee gains skills or takes on new duties and responsibilities.
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Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018
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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018 • Page 39
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Craig Duden Red Wing, Minn. Goodhue County 80 cows How did you get into farming? I took over the herd from my parents. I was the youngest of my siblings and the only one interested in dairy farming. I graduated with a degree in animal science from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 1993, and came home after that. My wife, Connie, and I bought the farm and took over the herd in 1998. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? Milk price is an obvious one. It doesn’t look good for the immediate future. For the long term, I am concerned about regulations that might be implemented by people who don’t know why certain farm management practices are used. What are some cost-saving measures you have or plan to implement in the next year? I will only be making essential purchases and will not be upgrading anything. I don’t have a lot of expense on labor or feed (because I grow my own) so I can’t really reduce those areas. I’m lucky because I think I probably have a lower cost of production than other farms. What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? I’m not really technology-based on our farm. I don’t use silage – just baleage with a grain mix. It works for us. But the smartphone has been a great piece of technology that has helped me. I can look up DHI reports, check the markets, follow the weather and respond to emails. What is a management practice you changed in the past year that has beneted you? Somatic cell count has been under 100,000 for a number of years. That’s partly because of consistency while milking, but most recently I have also been able to cull heavier because replacement heifers are relatively cheap. I have a lot of extra heifers calving in, which allows me to cull out any cows that have a SCC that is too high. How do you retain a good working relationship with your employee or employees? I have one full-time employee who has been with me for seven years. With employees, I think it’s important to pay them what
they’re worth and verbally tell them you appreciate their hard work. Also, I don’t have him do what I wouldn’t do myself. I work right alongside him. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. I have patience. There are certain things you can’t control in farming so you just have to go with the ow and deal with it. Plus, it takes awhile to see the outcome of your decisions – whether through a bull mating or the harvest of a crop in the fall. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? I like working with animals. There’s something neat about a calf being born. I’ve seen it and assisted it 100 times, but it’s still neat each time. What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Don’t get too set in your ways. Be exible about trying different things. In college, one of my favorite classes was one that included visiting different sized farms and learning how they manage. Even if my farm is a lot different than ones I visit, I can still learn something. What has been the best purchase you’ve ever made on your farm? Investment in facilities. The biggest two have been a heated shop and a new calf barn. While building them,
it seemed like too much money, but after I started using them I would often think how did I survive without them. I think investment in facilities pays off more than investment in machinery. I have neighbors who custom plant and harvest my crops along with custom wrapping my hay so I have low machinery costs. What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? Having a healthy and productive herd. I
may not be the top producing herd in the county, but it’s protable and healthy. What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? I just plan to hold on. Without another generation coming in to take over, I don’t plan to make big upgrades or investments. I plan to keep things up to date and maintained, but no big building projects. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? Our son plays baseball, both for his college and on a summer team, so we go to his games. Otherwise, we like to hang out with our two kids when they are home from college and maybe go out to eat. Tell us about your farm. The dairy is called Duden Dairy. I am the third generation on this farm. My wife, Connie, and I have two kids. Our son, Jacob, is a junior at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minn., and our daughter, Emily, is a freshman at Winona State University in Winona, Minn. I own 380 acres with 220 tillable, where I raise corn, soybeans and alfalfa. I sell the bulls as calves and raise all the replacement heifers. My parents, Duane and Jackie, still live on the farmstead next door. My 81-year-old dad still comes out to the farm every day to help with chores or eldwork.
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 27, 2018
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