THE GREAT
See pages 24 and 25 of this section for details!
November 9, 2024
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 26, No. 18
Cows are his service animal
Infantry veteran nds solace in farming By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ill. — After 17 years of service in the U.S. Army, including four tours to Iraq and Afghanistan, Corey Trobaugh enjoys being with his cows. Trobaugh’s military career took him to the front lines of combat where he met the enemy face to face. The scars of war continued to haunt him long after returning home, but his cows have helped him through dark times. “If I hadn’t started milking cows, I probably wouldn’t be here,” Trobaugh said. “The cows saved me.” Trobaugh milks 55 cows and farms 200 acres near Milledgeville. He rents the same farm where he got his rst job when he was 15 years
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Corey Trobaugh pets one of his favorite cows Oct. 29 on the farm he rents near Milledgeville, Illinois. Trobaugh milks 55 cows and farms 200 acres aŌer serving 17 years in the U.S. Army, which included four tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. old milking cows for Art Wolf in an 18-stall stanchion barn. Trobaugh grew up on a
farm with stock cows and bucket calves. In addition to working for Wolf, he also
worked for other dairy farmers in the area. Trobaugh joined the Na-
tional Guard when he was 17. In January 1999, he went on active duty. His rst duty station was in Alaska, his location when 9/11 occurred. “I re-enlisted and went to airborne school at Fort Benning, Georgia,” Trobaugh said. “I was an 82nd Airborne (Division) infantryman stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It was 2002, and I had just gotten married. My daughter was 13 days old when my department was sent to Afghanistan in June.” Trobaugh served a ninemonth rotation in Afghanistan. He was back home for about six months when he was deployed to Iraq in the summer of 2003. During this tour, he fought in Fallujah. “I got wounded really bad and was sent home,” Trobaugh said. “When I left Iraq on a stretcher for Germany, they told me there was a 50/50 chance I would live.” Turn to TROBAUGH | Page 2
Fine-tuning the bedding process Thompson transitions from sand to pressed manure solids
out sand and your manure tank is full of sand,” Thompson said. amy.k@star-pub.com Thompson Dairy, located near Lewiston, milks 680 cows LEWISTON, Minn. — at two locations. Thompson When drought in the summer farms alongside his dad, Cliff, of 2023 revealed an almost 30- and 18 full-time employees as year build-up of sand well as his wife, Hilain Mitch Thompson’s ry, who helps with the elds, he decided to bookwork, and his change the bedding three children aged protocol at Thompson 14, 11 and 8. Dairy. All the free stalls “Trying to better at Thompson’s main everything, that’s why milking farm are we were like, ‘OK, this deep bedded with is a decision we need green manure solto look at further,’” ids. Thompson uses Mitch Thompson the manure solids Thompson said. In April, Thomp- Dairy farmer mixed with sawdust son Dairy started using for the compost pack a manure press system to bed for some of his heifers as well. with manure solids rather than sand. Turn to THOMPSON “I was so tired of seeing | Page 8 sand in the eld and just hauling
By Amy Kyllo
AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR
The manure press pushes out solids Oct. 30 at Thompson Dairy near Lewiston, Minnesota. Mitch Thompson said adjustments to the press must be made slowly because it takes a while for changes to show.