Last Chance e a ls
D
See page 7 in the second section for end of the year specials!
DAIRY ST R
Volume 18, No. 20
Ready or not, change is here FARM 3.0 begins rst of year By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – In a few short weeks, most dairy producers across the country will see a requested change to their on-farm management practices as noted in the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program’s latest version (3.0), which becomes effective Jan. 1, 2017. On Nov. 30, Ryan Bennett, senior director of industry and environmental affairs with the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), explained FARM 3.0’s revisions during the 2016 Minnesota Milk Conference and Expo in St. Cloud, Minn. “We were worried about [the dairy industry’s] image in 2009, that’s why the program started,” Bennett said about FARM. “We continue improving the program because we’re still worried.” At the beginning of the new year, dairy producers enrolled in FARM – who account for 98 percent of the nation’s total milk production – will have to abide by new rules that further promote the well being and safety of animals and employees on Ryan Bennett the farm. NMPF “Every three years, FARM is re-evaluated and revised,” Bennett said. “We need to defend the defensible. If the science is not there, what needs to change so that we’re a viable business and industry?” FARM 3.0’s notable improvements are categorized into two priority areas – phase one and phase two. “The big points we’re trying to hit are pain management and employee training,” Bennett said. Phase one is a short list of three matters that require mandatory correction – veterinarian-client-patientrelationship (VCPR); dairy cattle ethics and training agreement; and no tail docking after Jan. 1, 2017. “The rst two are forms that document a working relationship with your Turn to FARM | Page 5
“All dairy, all the time”™
December 10, 2016
A gift from Dad
Twin Weber sisters enjoy custom tractors By Cassie Olson
cassie.o@dairystar.com
DORCHESTER, Wis. – Dan Weber is a man of many hats. By trade, he is known as a dairy farmer of 50 cows on his farm near Dorchester, Wis. He is also a farm toy collector and an enthusiast of all things John Deere. Dan shares his love of John Deere equipment and merchandise with his wife, Tammy, and twin daughters, Tara and Tia, who he surprised with customized tractors for their 16th birthdays May 1. Dan’s love of collecting John Deere items began in 1985 when one particular toy caught his attention. “I had bought a John Deere A tractor with rubber wheels,” Dan said. “Soon after I heard that Ertl had a John Deere A with steel wheels, and I thought that was pretty neat. I drove over to Merril so I could get one; I wanted that toy so bad, and it all snowballed from there.” Over the years, Dan and his family have continued to grow their collection Turn to WEBER | Page 6
CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR
The Webers – (from leŌ) Tara, Dan and Tia – milk 50 cows on their farm near Dorchester, Wis. As a family of avid John Deere collectors, Dan presented the twins with restored customized tractors as a giŌ for their 16th birthdays.
Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board names chief executive ofcer By Cassie Olson
cassie.o@dairystar.com
MADISON, Wis. – After an extensive national search, the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB) has named its new chief executive ofcer (CEO). Chad Vincent, a native of East Lansing, Mich., began his tenure Dec. 1 with WMMB, a nonprot organization of dairy producers that promotes the consumption of milk, cheese and other dairy products made in Wisconsin. Vincent said being selected for the position is a great distinction. “It is amazing and such an honor. I really cannot wait to get in, learn about all of the programs and get things going,” Vincent said. Vincent joins the WMMB team with a long history of executive experience. He received an undergraduate degree in nance and a Master of Business Administration in marketing and nance, both at Michigan State University. During his career, Vincent
has been successful in handling brand marketing, general management and international marketing of startups, turnarounds, family-owned brands and fortune 50 divisions. Most recently, Vincent served as the chief marketing ofcer and senior vice president of strategic development at Sartori Cheese in Plymouth, Wis. He believes his former position has wellChad Vincent prepared him well WMMB CEO for his role with WMMB. “In the last seven years, I worked with the Sartori family in building the brand, bringing them to retail and helping them to build their marketing skillset,” Vincent said. “We had a very small retail business that we have since grown to a very strong retail presence nationwide and in over 40 countries.”
In his former role, Vincent said he established a relationship with the team at WMMB and was impressed by their work for Wisconsin’s dairy farmers. “I am looking forward to working with the staff we have here and the board of directors. With my experience [with them], I realized they are all very motivated and passionate individuals,” Vincent said. Having started his role, Vincent said his rst objective is to familiarize himself with the entire scope of WMMB’s programs and activities. He said from there, he intends to recognize opportunities for growth and do his part to see that growth occur. “Once I fully understand the programs and the people, I will be able to identify what is working and what areas we can do better at,” Vincent said. From that point, Vincent plans to develop a strategic plan that is transparent with WMMB staff and Turn to WMMB | Page 7
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016
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 - Managing Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Krista Kuzma - Assistant Editor (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Missy Mussman (320) 429-1084 missy@dairystar.com Ron Johnson (608) 874-4243 ron.j@dairystar.com Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048 cowlady@centurylink.net Jennifer Coyne (320) 352-6303 jenn@dairystar.com Cassie Olson (715) 245-6848 cassie.o@dairystar.com Brittany Olson (320) 352-6303 brittany.o@dairystar.com Advertising Sales Main 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. 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.
North America dealers. A glance at what’s inside
Dairy Prole brought to you by your
As Jan. 1 approaches so does the change in veterinary feed directives. Starting the rst of the year, dairy producers and other livestock raisers must have written consent from a certied veterinarian to administer feed-grade antibiotics to animals in their herd. Read on pages 12-13 in rst section about how dairy farmer, Brian Kollman, has prepared for the change for his 200-cow herd near Brooten, Minn. In this issue’s “From our side of the fence,” By Mark Klaphake dairy producers who have started in the industry within the past ve years talk about how they’ve Editor made it through the dip in the milk price. Read more about how they’ve handled the hurdle on pages 15-16 in rst section. Joe Rostvold always knew he wanted to farm, even though his family had to sell the cows when he was young. Despite now having a farm of his own, he worked on other dairies and had a goal to make his family’s farm into a dairy again. He has nally achieved his goal. He and his wife, Billie Jo, along with their two children have started their own 40-cow herd on the family farm near Melrose, Wis. Read about their story on pages 10-11 in rst section. At this time last year, the Kelm family was gearing up to start using their robotic milkers and new freestall barn. Now with a year under their belt, the Kelms are still learning the ropes of the new system, but have been enjoying the benets so far. Read about their new setup on pages 3, 6 in second section. Andrew Primus of Meire Grove, Minn., is an extremely busy man. Every day he has three jobs that keep his days full. First, he milks cows at his parents farm, and then works full days doing mechanical work at the Greenwald Farm Center before stopping at a neighboring dairy farm to feed their animals. Although he is busy, he’s happy with how his days play out, including Dec. 5, which is featured in our “Day in the life.” Read about Primus on pages 16, 18 and 19 in second section.
Favorite quotes from this issue:
“You see it all over our great state, when somebody is down, you see the neighbors coming to help. None of us ever know when tragedy is going to hit.” - Jim Beatty, (Pages 3-4, Third Section)
“It’s like dairy farming. You learn more from others in the industry than from a book even though we all do it a little differently.” - Laurie Fortuna, (Pages 35, 37,
First Section)
By the Numbers
of preweaning mortalities 56: Percent in calves caused by scours, cryptosporidium and coccidiosis (Pages 8, 11 Second Section)
of solar panels on four 564: Number rooftops at Crystal Ball Farms Organic Dairy. (Page 25, Second Section)
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016 • Page 3
It’s all inside...
Pages 16, 18-19 A day in the life of Andrew Primus
Pages 15 - 16
Calmar
Children Museum of Eau Claire hosts June Dairy Brett Getschel Month activities Second Section
Pages 20 - 21 Dairy Calendar Page 22 August mailbox prices higher in all reporting areas
Pages 24 - 30 Classieds
Second Section: Pages 21 - 22
Bayeld
Withee
Women in Jeans: Dawn Windle First Section: Page 36
Iron
hb
ur
n
Ashland Sawyer
W as
Burnett Trevor Green
Neillsville, Wis.
Polk
Greenwood
Price
Kids Corner: The Turnquists Third Section: Pages 16 - 17
Rusk
Barron
Taylor St. Croix
Chippewa
Dunn
Pierce
Christopher Baird
Eau Claire
Pepin
Ferryville, Wis.
Buffalo
Osceola, Wis.
Page 25 DeRosiers add solar panels to 100-cow dairy Page 26 Krawczel digs deep into stocking density research Page 27 People in the Dairy Community Page 29 New Year treats Pages 30 - 31 Dairy Recipes
Pages 18 - 19 Some Udder Stuff
Hoffelts’ home, dairy barn remnants of logging town
First Section: Pages 35, 37
Douglas
Osceola,Pages Wis.14 - 15
Bruce
Fortunas open shrimp enterprise on dairy
Third Section: Page 9
Eau Claire
Page 20 Mid-American Hay Auction Results
THIRD SECTION Page 9 Good facilities help get calves off to strong start Pages 11 - 12 Capra Nera crafting artisan goat cheese Page 13 Drug-resistant salmonella found in dairy bull calves Page 15 Dairy’s Star Youth: Amanda McNally
Weyerhauser
Good facilities help get calves off to strong start
Dairy Prole: Doug and Holly Getschel
Trempealeau
Pages 14-15 Dairying Across America
What advice did you receive to survive your rst downturn?
Page 39
Dorchester
Twin Weber sisters enjoy custom tractors
Clark
First Section: Pages 1, 6 - 7
Jackson Melrose
Rostvolds revive family dairy farm
La Crosse Monroe
First Section: Pages 10 - 11
Vernon
Winnebago
Worth
Mitchell
Cerro Hancock Gordo
Floyd
Howard
a
ick
Ch
w sa
Bremer
Zone 2
Black Hawk
Bu
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
rd rawfo
C
Dane
Iowa Grant
Fayette
Clayton
n
are
na
a ch
Richland
Allamakee
SECOND SECTION Pages 3, 6 Kelms build 10-row freestall barn with robots Page 8 Protable cows start as healthy calves Page 10 The “Mielke” Market Weekly Page 12 Dairy Markets Page 13 Area hay auction results
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:
Winneshiek
FIRST SECTION Pages 1, 5 FARM 3.0 to take effect Jan. 1 Pages 1, 7 Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board names chief executive ofcer Pages 8-9 Ag Insider Pages 12 - 13 VFD implementation on the horizon Pages 18, 20 Brosig considers nutrition most important factor to achieve high production Pages 22 - 23 Bewley shares strategies for survival on small farms Page 26 FSA News & Notes Page 27 False marketing battle eld Page 28 Who gets to bake the cake? Page 29 Thankful for agriculture Page 30 Ramblings from the Ridge Page 31 A Christmas cookie baking tradition Page 32 Call before you dig Page 33 Dairy Good Life Page 34 Veterinary Wisdom
w ela
D
Linn
Lafayette Dubuque
Jones
Jackson
Green Independence
Buchanan County farmers step up to help their own Third Section: Pages 3 - 4
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Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016 • Page 5
ConƟnued from FARM | Page 1 veterinarian and the proper training employees receive to work with animals humanely,” Bennett said. While the VCPR will be renewed at the discretion of the veterinarian, all employees with animal care responsibilities must sign the training agreement annually. “This agreement indicates that the employees recognize the mishandling of animals and will report any wrongdoing,” Bennett said. “Proper training for the agreement may include workshops, shadowing and even educating themselves through reading materials and online videos.” Since the announcement of these approved changes last spring, the elimination of tail docking has been the most concerning for dairy producers.
“We’ll defend the defensible, but not the indefensible, to continue to have credibility.” RYAN BENNETT, NMPF
“The American Association of Bovine Practitioners called out the practice [of tail docking] and we were threatened by customers that other animal care programs would be created if we did not act,” Bennett said. A second list of continuous improvement management practices are noted in phase two, which is expressed in two subcategories – herd health plan and animal observations. The herd health plan component includes the need for visible protocols regarding newborn and milk-fed dairy calves, pain management, non-ambulatory management and euthanasia. “Chances are you have a protocol for all of these things, but now they have to be written down and visible,” Bennett said. Examples of protocols and other resources will be available online (www. nationaldairyfarm.com) for dairy producers to use for their own farm. Additionally, phase two includes animal observations, such as lameness, body condition and hock/knee scoring. “Frankly, our numbers on animal observations are really good in the program as a whole,” Bennett said.
Changes to FARM 3.0 were rst discussed in 2015 as the technical writing group evaluated FARM 2.0 and suggested improvements. The nal version of FARM 3.0 includes all changes that were approved by the NMPF FARM board of directors. These improvements to the FARM program are in an effort to relate with the inuential consumers, Bennett said. “We call them the ‘moveable middle.’ We’re not going to change the minds of the PETAs and HSUSes of the world, but we can inuence the average grocery store consumer,” he said. Throughout the year, producers will be requested to participate in an on-farm second-party evaluation to ensure phase one and phase two components are being met to comply with FARM 3.0. Bennett urged producers to not accept any on-farm evaluations that are not pre-scheduled. “It hasn’t happened often, but there are always people looking for ways to make undercover videos,” he said. “Do not agree to an on-farm evaluation without being notied rst. A trained evaluator will contact you and schedule a farm visit that works with your schedule.” After the initial evaluation, if a dairy does not meet phase two priorities, a continuous improvement plan will be established and revisited in three years. However, if phase one priorities are not met, a mandatory corrective action plan will be set in place. “If one of these priorities is not being addressed on the farm, the dairy is then placed on probation from FARM,” Bennett said. “If changes still don’t happen, dairies are suspended from the program.” The evaluation process could take 14 months pending additional visits to the farm. Lastly, a third-party verication group will sample a random number of farms that accurately represent those across the nation and determine the success of FARM 3.0. Through this updated program, Bennett is condent consumers will nd greater trust in the dairy industry now and for years to come. “With these, we can promote that we’re doing well to our customers,” Bennett said. “We’ll defend the defensible, but not the indefensible, to continue to have credibility.”
Wishing You a Beautiful Seaon May you and yours be graced with all the special blessings this season of joy holds. We wish you every happiness as you celebrate Christmas and ring in the New Year among cherished family and friends.
We thank you for your loyal patronage.
Happy Holidays!
320-836-2145 or 800-450-2145
Check out our newly redesigned website to ½nd a Famo Feeds dealer near you!
www.famofeeds.com
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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016
ConƟnued from WEBERS | Page 1
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of farm toys and antiques to produce an impressive display that has been taken to shows. Growing up, Tia and Tara got involved with the shows, as well. Together, the Weber family created Weber’s World of Deere and Dairy, LLC. “I love going to shows and sharing our display with people,” Tara said. “Over the years, we have come to be noted as the John Deere people in the community.” With their 16th birthdays approaching this past May, Dan wanted to give them something special to commemorate the day. For years, he had two tractors in the shed he had purchased for the girls: a John Deere ‘28 GP and a John Deere ‘29 GP. When he purchased the tractors, however, Dan did not realize their hidden signicance. “Tia was born at 8:28 and Tara was born at 8:29,” Dan said. “I didn’t realize it until I was going to x them up, but it made them just that more special to give them the ‘28 and ‘29 respectively.” The girls had known of the tractors for years, and often discussed restoring them with their father. Tara recalled talking about restoring the tractors a year prior. “We always would ask him when we could start working on them,” Tara said. Dan would answer them. “I kept telling them someday we would eventually work on them together,” he said. But Dan had plans of his own. Starting in September 2015, Dan took the tractors to his cousin’s nearby farm. Once in the shop, they disassembled the tractors to begin xing them to get into working order. The tractors were taken to a motor shop and body shop
CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR
where they were worked on and painted purple and pink, Tia and Tara’s favorite colors, respectively. Dan is thankful for the help he received while restoring the tractors. “There were a lot of hands working on them,” Dan said. “This wouldn’t have gotten done had it not been for all the help.” Work continued on the tractors until three days before the girls’ birthday. Dan and Tammy had organized a surprise party, inviting many family and friends from the Dorchester community. When the girls arrived at the Stetsonville Community Center, Tia said she couldn’t believe it. “I was speechless,” Tia said. “I thought our brother was dropping something off; we had no idea and there were over 100 people there.” Waiting outside were the tractors. Having kept the whole event a surprise, Dan said he felt relieved. “I couldn’t believe we had kept it a secret; I’ve never been good at keeping secrets,” Dan said. “Once word got out what we were doing, everyone showed up. It was quite the party with two shocked girls.” Tara could not believe her dad had worked on the tractors for so long without her knowing. “We noticed they weren’t around, but when we asked about them he just said they were in the other shed,” Tara said. “Well, we never went in there, so we had no idea.” The twins agreed that collecting antiques and farm toys is something they both would like to continue doing in the future. While Tia hopes to continue Turn to WEBERS | Page 7
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016 • Page 7
ConƟnued from WEBER | Page 6
ConƟnued from WMMB | Page 1
CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Tia and Tara look over one of the custom tractors. Each tractor was painted their favorite color and restored to working condiƟon. growing her family’s farm toy display and taking it to area shows, Tara has developed a collection of her own. “I would like to own a bakery someday,” Tara said. “My dad and I like to collect antiques, so I like to look for things that I could t into a bakery.” Dan said searching for a coveted item, whether it is the perfect toy tractor or a rare antique, is thrilling. “I love the adventure of nding them,” Dan said.
“On top of that, it’s going to shows and being able to show a younger generation what things were like years ago.” The twins intend on taking their tractors to be displayed next June at the Wisconsin State FFA Convention in Madison, Wis. While they are thankful to each have beautifully restored tractors to call their own, they are even more thankful to have a hobby their whole family can enjoy.
aligns with the farmers he represents. “I want to ensure our strategic plan is clearly known internally and is in sync with exactly what the board of directors want,” Vincent said. “We want a strategic plan that everyone works for and ensures everyone is going in the same direction.” With extensive experience and expertise in brand marketing and development, Vincent is excited to grow WMMB’s presence and activity on digital platforms. “[In previous roles], I built websites and the online presence of companies. I’m looking forward to what we will be doing at Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board to enhance our social media and digital communication efforts,” Vincent said. Prior to working with Sartori, Vincent held executive roles with companies such as H.J. Heinz, Fiskars Brands, Gerber and Miller Brewing Company. Working with these companies has developed Vincent’s skillset, which he is excited to bring to the WMMB team. “I spent a lot of time on farms while working for Sartori and my dad grew up on a farm. I recognize how hard farmers work,” Vincent said. “This is the chance to step in and help over 9,000 farm families in the state that make up half of the agriculture economy here in Wisconsin. I am excited to have the opportunity to help them increase the demand and marketing for their product and to increase communication between the milk marketing board and farmers.” Vincent has been married to his wife, Wendy, for 27 years. They have four children – Pat, Sara, Maddi and Jack – and reside in Waunakee, Wis. As he enters his new role with WMMB, Vincent is excited for the opportunities ahead. “This is such a wonderful opportunity to work with a wonderful organization in a big role to really make a difference,” Vincent said. “Success comes through people; I am excited to begin meeting, working and developing the teams here at the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.”
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MPP modications discussed on Capitol Hill Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016
House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson has met with members of the National Milk Producers Federation to discuss possible changes to the Margin Protection Program. According to USDA, only 19 percent of the 25,000plus dairy farmers enrolled in MPP received payments this past year. Peterson said it will cost the government more if changes are made to MPP, but he is optimistic. All transitions are chaotic, says Conner National Council of Farmer Cooperatives President and CEO Chuck Conner is a member of the agricultural advisory committee helping Presidentelect Donald Trump’s transition. “All transitions are rather chaotic. There are a number of political appointees that will be served by the government.
Anytime you pull lots of people to replace folks, literally overnight, it’s a challenging transition.” There is speculation that Conner is being considered for the top job at USDA. Conner wouldn’t comment on that possibility, but did say senior administration ofcials will likely be named before Christmas.
A balancing act With transition to the new Trump administration, the favorite guessing game is who will ll the cabinet. American Farm Bureau Federation Senior Director of Congressional Relations Mary Kay Thatcher expects the agriculture secretary will likely be one of the last cabinet positions named. At that point, Thatcher believes those last cabinet decisions will be a balancing act for President-elect
Trump. “Do I have geographical representation, men and women, blacks and whites? When you’re the last person on the totem pole, that too will add to the decisions.”
Trump priority list President-elect DonAg Insider ald Trump has released a video that highlights his priorities. A list of executive actions has been identied that could be implemented immediately. Trade policy is at the top of that list. “On trade, I’m going to issue a notication of intent to withdraw from the Trans-Pacic PartnerBy Don Wick ship, a potential disaster Columnist for our country. Instead, we’ll negotiate fair, bilateral trade deals that bring jobs and trade industry back onto American shores.” Johnson remains committed to trade The new Trump administration is opposed to the Trans-Pacic Partnership and the trade deal has been put on hold. Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson said TPP may be history, but trade remains critically important for the United States. Johnson said he will advise the new administration to stay involved in global trade. “Let’s get to the negotiating table and let’s x any of the problems you saw in TPP. Let’s make sure we have fair trade, but we do need to engage in those overseas markets.”
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A long time coming Alltech research project manager Amanda Gehman said farmers and ranchers need to be ready to comply with the Veterinary Feed Directive at the end of the year. “It’s been a long time coming. I think it’s something we have the capacity to do and it will be good for the farmers.” What’s next in the VFD discussion? “They may expand the drugs that are controlled under the VFD or they may make other alterations so everyone can comply with the VFD.” Speed limiters proposed for heavy trucks The Department of Transportation is proposing the use of speed limiting devices on large commercial vehicles. Any vehicle with a weight rating of more than 26,000 pounds would need to be equipped with a device that limits speed to a specied level. The American Farm Bureau Federation said the proposed rule would add signicant costs to farmers and ranchers who only use heavy trucks during certain times of the year. DNR to realign stafng The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has announced the implementation process for its strategic plan. There will be signicant changes in stafng with 5 percent of the DNR’s 2,549 fulltime employees impacted. DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp said this effort began in July of 2015 and will help the department work more efciently. Land O’Lakes to acquire feed business Land O’Lakes is in the process of purchasing the Southern States Cooperative feed business. A letter of intent has been signed. With this move, Land O’Lakes will be able to expand its footprint in the eastern United States. Landmark announces new hire Landmark Services Cooperative has a new manager for its animal nutrition division. Aric Dieter most recently was a global technical specialist at Feed Management Services, which is a division of Cargill. DBMMC creates new membership manager job The Dairy Business Milk Marketing Cooperative has created a new member services manager Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016 • Page 9
ConĆ&#x;nued from AG INSIDER | Page 8
position. The job went to Sarah Adams, who has been a herdswoman on a large dairy goat farm. Adams will work on membership issues and support the new Dairy Strong Sustainability Alliance. Leopold Award goes to Waupaca family Brooks Farms at Waupaca has received the Wisconsin Leopold Conservation Award. The award recognizes achievement in voluntary conservation. The family received a crystal of Aldo Leopold and $10,000. Seed industry leader passes Dairyland Seeds General Manager Tom Strachota has passed away due to a massive heart attack. Strachota, 63, was involved in many leadership roles within the seed in-
dustry and the American Seed Trade Association. Dairyland Seeds is based in West Bend, Wis. Trivia challenge There are approximately 47,000 dairy farms in the United States. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, what is the size of the average U.S. dairy herd? We’ll have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is a partner and broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ďƒžve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.
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“Our success rate of conception has been increasing since using the Porta BHB test.� When did you start using the Porta BHB ketosis test? How many years have you been testing with DHIA? Our Dad, Leonard Hoen Sr., started testing in the early 1950s and Roger and I have been testing with DHIA ever since. When did you start using the Porta BHB test? This March. What is your process of using the test? We check the cows that are fresh 4-7 days and/or cows that are not eating very well. What advantages are there to using the Porta BHB test? We can check the cows earlier and the test is very accurate and reasonably priced. Why is this test important to your dairy? It has helped our peak production get higher and our success rate of conception has been increasing since using the Porta BHB test.
Hollandale Farms Richard and Roger Hoen Cologne, MN • 95 milk cows
How as testing with DHIA beneÀted your dairy? We are able to check which cows are more proÀtable. We are able to check the somatic cell count for the individual cows. We also can check their production and reproduction history. Minnesota Dairy Herd Improvement Association 307 Brighton Avenue South Buffalo, MN 55313 1.800.827.3442 www.mndhia.org
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CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR
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MELROSE, Wis. – Even from a young age, Joe Rostvold knew he was meant to farm. After his family’s dairy was sold in the early 1990s, the barn located near Melrose, Wis., sat empty for nearly 20 years. With the hard work of both Joe and his wife, Billie Jo, the Rostvolds renovated and resumed milking with 40 cows on Joe’s family farmstead in August 2014. Cows rst graced the farm’s 43-stall barn in 1987, when Joe’s father and grandfather began farming together. In the late 1980s, the passing of Joe’s grandfather brought the farm’s production to a halt. Of the farm’s 120 acres, 80 were sold along with the cows and the barn was rented out in the early 1990s before the barn sat totally idle. Despite these challenges, Joe said he never doubted he would one day farm in the same barn his grandfather had. “I always wanted to begin here,” Joe said. “Even
as young as 2 or 3 years old, I knew I wanted to farm like my dad and grandpa had.” Joe spent years working on different farms, ultimately leading him to a herdsperson position working for Byron Kruger near North Bend, Wis. It was a position, which taught him a lot, but his dreams of owning his own herd never wavered. “At Byron’s, I was working with 400 cows and learning so much during that time,” Joe said. “But I was determined to farm on my own.” Three years ago, in August 2013, Joe and Billie Jo moved to the farm in Melrose. Joe quit his job in North Bend and soon began milking cows for his neighbor, Roger Kaufman, while working to renovate the barn. Billie Jo, who grew up on a 50-cow dairy in Manorville, Minn., said the work that needed to be put into the barn was considerable. “The rst time I saw the barn, I never thought we would be milking cows in it,” Billie Jo said. Turn to ROSTVOLDS | Page 11
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The Rostvolds milk in a 7-stall at barn. Before purchasing the farm, Joe and Billie Jo poured cement, added a new bulk tank, installed a new roof, repainted and installed a pipeline to get the barn ready for operaƟon.
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016 • Page 11
ConƟnued from ROSTVOLD | Page 10
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Joe opens a gate before leƫng dry cows out to pasture. She added, however, that the following year was rewarding albeit stressful. “We moved in August, were married in September and spent three months to get the farm up to pass inspection,” Billie Jo said. “I was working two jobs; Joe was working one. It was a very busy time in our lives.” The Rostvolds got hard at work, putting in a pipeline, lling in the barn’s gutters, cementing the milkhouse oor, installing a new bulk tank, painting and adding a new roof. After a year of hard work and buying used equipment, the barn was ready and passed inspection, allowing the Rostvolds to begin their herd. The rst milking cows entered the parlor Aug. 11, 2014. The farm’s rst 10 cows were purchased from farms
“We got in when the market was high; you can never know when it will be a good time to start, though.” JOE ROTSVOLD, DAIRY PRODUCER
near Melrose and the following weeks were lled with attending cattle sales as the couple continued to raise their herd numbers. “Nearly every weekend we were going to a sale. We bought everything when the market was high, so we bought a lot of cows that others might have culled at the time,” Joe said. Despite a challenging market, Joe said there is not an ideal time to start farming. “We got in when the market was high; you can never know when it will be a good time to start, though,” Joe
CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR
said. There are ways to make it easier, however. Joe said cutting out non essential spending and saving money where it was possible is what ultimately made it possible for the couple to farm. “My advice [for young farmers] is to do all the work yourself; we have never taken a day off or hired a milking,” Joe said. “We aren’t paying for that burden and that will help us out in the long run.” Billie Jo agreed, adding that simplicity is best. “We kept things simple and cost effective,” Billie Jo said. “Since I work as a medical assistant, I would also say having an off-farm income while you are getting started is important, too.” The Rostvolds said there are a lot of people who helped them get to where they are today. “Having good relationships with neighbors and older farmers is important,” Billie Jo said. “They are the ones you can depend on when you have questions or need help.” Joe also said the couple’s past experiences gave them the foundation to succeed on their own. “One of the reason’s we’ve been able to make it is because we both have previous experience,” Joe said. “With Billie Jo growing up on an active dairy farm and me working for farmers in the area, we both had strong mentors over the years that we were able to learn a lot of different things from.” Despite the hard work and challenges the couple had to overcome to get here, the Rostvolds said they are proud of where they are today and said raising their two daughters – Lyric, 1, and Ella, 3 months – on a farm is a privilege they are most proud of. Billie Jo said, “It’s been quite the ride and we wouldn’t change that.”
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016
A closer look by Jennifer Coyne
Industry news addressed with help from your neighbors
VFD implementation on the horizon
FDA’s directive begins Jan. 1 BROOTEN, Minn. – Just shy of a month before the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) veterinary feed directive (VFD) takes effect, livestock producers, veterinarians and feed suppliers are asking questions to prepare for the uncertainties. “When this happens, I want to be able to deal with it and manage my herd without any problems,” said Brian Kollman, who milks 200 cows with his wife, Mary, and six children – Brett, Kim, Austin, Sam, Thomas and Kristy – near Brooten, Minn. To plan for how the VFD will impact Kollman’s calf, heifer and steer management practices, the dairyman maintains a working relationship with his veterinarian, Dr. Brett Boyum. “We’ve been working to understand the needs of our producers so that there is a seamless transition at the start of the new year,” said Boyum, who is an associate veterinarian at the Alexandria Veterinary Clinic in Alexandria, Minn.
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Dr. BreƩ Boyum speaks with his client, Brian Kollman, about the veterinary feed direcƟve (VFD), which will begin Jan. 1. Kollman and his family milk 200 cows near Brooten, Minn. Beginning Jan. 1, 2017, dairy producers, among other livestock raisers, must have written consent from a licensed veterinarian to administer feedgrade antibiotics to animals in their herd. For dairy producers, the most-concerning feed-grade antibiotics that will now re-
quire a VFD include milk replacer containing neomycin; oxytetracycline and cholortetracycline (CTC) crumbles for heifers; and cattle feed containing tylosin. “Previously, dairy producers only needed to have a VFD for tilmicosin,” said Dr. Lee Michels, of Freeport Vet-
erinary Services in Freeport, Minn. “Now, almost all medicated feeds require a VFD.” However, the list of VFDapproved antibiotics will not include ionophores, such as monensin and lasalocid. “They’re feed additives that pose no threat to human health,” Michels said.
Boyum agreed. “There is a concern about antimicrobial resistance in humans becoming more prevalent, although the science shows that feed-grade antibiotics don’t directly lead to antimicrobial resistance,” Boyum said. The purpose of the VFD is to help regulate antimicrobial use – and the hope is that producers are judiciously using medically important antibiotics. “Everyone’s wondering where this came from,” Michels said. “It’s the best system to ensure we’re following labels and recording how drugs are used.” Regardless of the impact it may have on an individual operation, those in the livestock industry must be prepared for this directive. “Many believed this wouldn’t affect them and thought it would go away,” Michels said. “You’re not going to be effected like a feedlot in Kansas, but your farm will still be impacted.” For Boyum and Kollman, who have an established veterinary-client-patient-relaTurn to VFD | Page 13
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016 • Page 13
ConƟnued from VFD | Page 12 tionship (VCPR), they have addressed the directive as a way to further develop their working relationship to attain the family’s goals, including the implementation of disease prevention and treatment protocols for the herd. With the VFD nearing, this working relationship will not waiver, but become greater, to continue meeting the Kollmans’ farm objectives. “To ensure the Kollmans were ready, it was important to understand what they were currently using for feed-grade
heifers to use over a certain period of time. “I was worried about nding a sick heifer on Friday and not being able to get an approval from Brett until Monday when he visits,” Kollman said. “Because of the VCPR, it can be continuous communication between me, my vet and feed supplier.” Working through what-if scenarios has helped Kollman plan for the VFD and all the obstacles he may encounter. “We wanted to ensure we have all the logistics managed
“I’ve done what I had to and what I needed to do. I’m as prepared for Jan. 1 as I can be .” BRIAN KOLLMAN, DAIRY PRODUCER
antibiotics and how they were being fed,” Boyum said. “We discussed using antibiotics for control of respiratory diseases around times of stress for their youngstock.” During routine herd checks, Kollman asked Boyum questions regarding the VFD and how the mandate will impact his herd – illustrating different scenarios in which a VFD may be required on the farm. For example, because of the up-to-date VCPR, Boyum is able to approve an allotted amount of feed-grade antibiotics for Kollman’s growing
appropriately,” Boyum said. “Once we understood where the needs were, we wanted to make sure we had a system in place so that feed delivery is not interrupted and we can maintain animal health.” Michels agreed. “The last thing we want to do is not get the animal the proper treatment because of regulations,” he said. “We’re reaching out and planning with dairy farmers, with the animals’ and producers’ best interests in mind.” Once a VFD is requested, veterinarians have the exibility in deciding how it is
administered – electronically or through paperwork – to the producer and feed supplier. “We don’t know quite how it’s going to take place, but we are prepared to write a VFD honestly and legally,” Michels said. Although there are foreseeable challenges, Kollman envisions the directive as a way to improve his dairy. “I’ve done what I had to do and what I needed to do. I’m as prepared for Jan. 1 as I can be,” Kollman said. “This is forcing me to look at individual animals’ health, as well as the group as a whole, and it’s forcing me to look at my housing facilities and nd other ways to prevent illness on the farm.” Boyum agreed. “While there has been angst about this, there is also opportunity for further conversation about best management practices and treatment decisions,” he said. With a few short weeks before the VFD becomes effective, Boyum and Michels are urging dairy producers to create a VCPR with their veterinarians, re-evaluate their herd management practices and converse with their feed supplier. “We need to have these feeds in our toolbox, but we have to look at our herds from a preventative standpoint,” Michels said. “The FDA could’ve gotten rid of our tools, instead they’re monitoring them.”
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Dr. Lee Michels reviews informaƟonal materials for the upcoming VFD beginning Jan. 1. Michels and his colleagues have prepared for the change by speaking with their clients and hosƟng educaƟonal meeƟngs.
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Page 14 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016 • Page 15
What advice did you receive to survive your first downturn?
Mitch, Emma and Amy Kruger Em-mi K Holsteins New Richland, Minn. Waseca County 70 cows Tell us about your farm. Our farm includes our 70-cow dairy with registered Holsteins and Red and White Holsteins along with an 1,100-acre cropping enterprise consisting of corn, soybeans, alfalfa and peas. We are also involved with my parents’ hog nurseries. When did you start farming and how did you get started? We started farming part-time in 1997 with 260 rented acres and later in 1999 started milking cows for the rst time, purchasing a local herd. We eventually exited the dairy business to concentrate on family and crop farming, but restarted the dairy in 2014. What have you learned through this period of low milk prices? The most important thing we have learned as milk prices have fallen is the value of the support around you. Support includes skilled and understanding lenders, honest and experienced nancial advisors, hard working and dedicated employees and most importantly family. What cost-saving measures did you implement on your dairy? To cut feed costs dramatically. We shopped and compared, ultimately changing our nutritionist and feed company. We also increased our forage production, chiey alfalfa for dry hay and balage, eliminating the need for purchased hay. We also looked at every other service, supplier and product to try to uncover saving opportunities – from seed corn and chemical programs to sanitation companies and vet services. We also reduced labor from employees outside the family. What was the best advice you received to survive your rst downturn? The best advice we received came from a former business contact who helped facilitate the move to our current feed company and nutritionist. Who is a part of your support system and how do they support you? Family. We are lucky to have each other, our parents and other close relatives who are also farming or part of the dairy industry. It seems like everyone has jumped in to help with chores, eld work, ideas or resources. We also lean on our nancial advisor, Mark Wehe, from South Central Technical College. What do you hope to accomplish in the next ve years? We are planning on nancial stability and opportunity. Our rst step is to solidify the quality of the animals in the herd, focusing on production and genetics. Accomplishing that, we hope to be able to market surplus heifers and eventually embryos. We will also continue to work on improving our facilities, concentrating on animal comfort and labor efciency at the same time.
Brett Getschel Osceola, Wis. Polk County 60 cows Tell us about your farm. I farm with my parents, Doug and Holly. I am the fth generation – the farm started in 1889. I feel very blessed as each day my dad’s parents, John and Sandy, come to help with chores and eldwork, so three generations are working together. We milk 60 cows twice a day in a tiestall barn and raise our own youngstock. We also crop 440 acres with 220 acres going to corn, 120 acres in soybeans and 100 acres of alfalfa. My brother, Cody, and sisters, Mykayla and Kristi, also help on the farm when they are not at work or school. When did you start farming and how did you get started? I started farming full-time following graduation from University of Wisconsin-River Falls in May 2015. Growing up on the farm and working alongside my family gave me my love for farming, and I am thankful to my parents for giving me the opportunity to make farming my career. What have you learned through this period of low milk prices? The milk market is a cycle with price highs and lows, and neither one lasts forever. I’ve learned when prices are high it is important not to get comfortable with them being there because at some point we will see this part of the cycle again. What cost-saving measures did you implement on your dairy? We have made equipment repairs rather than replacements, and do as much of the work ourselves as we can. What was the best advice you received to survive your rst downturn? We are in the planning stages of building new housing and milking facilities for our herd, and the best advice I have received is to not let the low milk price discourage you. Take it as a lesson in managing during downturns, and budget accordingly, but don’t let it scare you from investing in your future. Who is a part of your support system and how do they support you? My parents and grandparents are at the top of the list because I work with them everyday, and have been able to learn from their experiences. My parents have given me the opportunity to make decisions and take a leadership role in the farm while offering guidance, and that to me is the best form of support I could receive. What do you hope to accomplish in the next ve years? We hope to build new facilities for our herd while at the same time expanding from 60 to 120150 cows. Improving production on the dairy as well as the crop side is a goal we have every year. My brother, Cody, is interested in returning to the farm in the future. Things we can do to work toward that goal are also on the list.
Alex Ode Brandon, S.D. Minnehaha County 340 cows Tell us about your farm. Royalwood Farms is a conventional family dairy. It is an LLC that started with my grandfather, Robert Ode. My dad, Gregg, and my uncle, Doug, took it over from him. I am the fth generation. Our Holstein herd consists of 340 head that are milked in a double-8 parallel parlor three times a day with a RHA of 30,426 milk, 3.7 percent butterfat and 3.1 percent protein. The cows are housed in a 6-row, sand-bedded barn. We raise all our own replacement heifers as well as steers up to 500 pounds. The farm runs 800 acres of owned and rented farmland. We use custom planters and harvesters. When did you start farming and how did you get started? I was pretty much born into the lifestyle. My dad and mom, Gregg and Jane, never pressured me with anything and always wanted me to make my own life decisions. I respected them for that and as I grew up, I knew that it was the way of life I wanted to live and raise my own family. I work at Bel Brands in Brookings, as well. I attended South Dakota State University with a double major in dairy manufacturing and dairy production with a business specialization and never looked back. What have you learned through this period of low milk prices? This period of low milk prices has a much different feel than other downturns, especially those of 2009 and 2012. In 2009, you lost money no matter what you did or how hard you tried to cut costs. In 2012, prices were better but our area was hit with a severe drought that forced us to buy more feedstuffs than usual. The current low prices have really made us keep up on cost saving opportunities, but we haven’t made any big changes. Feedstuffs are much cheaper this year. What cost-saving measures did you implement on your dairy? We kept an eye on some of the major expenses and looked at where we were investing our money. There are always ways to improve, even when times are tight. You have to look at every dollar you spend and ask if there’s a better way to spend it that will give you a better return. We are always looking for ways to get more marginal milk out of the cows, which helps cover costs when margins are tight. What was the best advice you received to survive your rst downturn? Don’t panic. Take it one day at a time. Who is a part of your support system and how do they support you? Our nutritionist helps us keep a good balanced TMR, yet watches expenses to keep income over feed costs as high as
Brad and Jeremy Putz Petersburg, Iowa Delaware County 100 Jersey cows Tell us about your farm. We farm alongside our parents, who have 140 Holsteins milked with two Lely robotic milkers. Our parents own 180 acres, rent 33 acres, and they purchase dry hay and shelled corn. We buy all of our feed from our parents at so much per head per day. My brother and I milk 100 Jerseys in a step-up parlor twice a day. We raise all of our heifers and sell steers at 450 pounds. When did you start farming and how did you get started? In March of 2013 we purchased a herd of 36 Jerseys which were advertised online. All we did to start was purchase the cows and install a 1,000-gallon bulk tank in our old barn because everything else was still there. We also bought youngstock from the couple we bought the cows from. What have you learned through this period of low milk prices? The market uctuates quite a bit, considering when we started, the milk price is where it is now. Then we saw the highest it ever was, while also experiencing the downfall afterwards. What cost-saving measures did you implement on your dairy? We kept our somatic cell count below 100 which saved us money on treating cows and paid higher premiums on our milk check. What was the best advice you received to survive your rst downturn? You can’t jump in and out of this industry. Who is a part of your support system and how do they support you? Our parents support us by giving us nancial advice and a place to start out and buy into. We all work together with both herds. What do you hope to accomplish in the next ve years? We would like to put two more robots in for our herd.
possible without sacricing milk, components, health or reproduction. Our agronomist helps us get the right nutrients to the right locations and helps us select the correct hybrid for each location. He also helps us with our custom planter’s variable rate fertilizer and seed for cost savings. What do you hope to accomplish in the next ve years? I hope to continue to keep the family farm alive. Our location will keep us from expanding, but there are always ways to improve and make tasks easier and less stressful on the mind and body.
From Our Side Of The Fence
Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016
What advice did you receive to survive your first downturn?
Tom Heiar Spragueville, Iowa Jackson County 40 cows Tell us about your farm. The home farm has been in the family since 1880. I milk in a tiestall barn that has 45 stalls. We raise all our youngstock. Dad has stock cows and hogs. With two farms there is a total of 357 acres where we grow corn, oats and hay. When did you start farming and how did you get started? I was born and raised on the farm. I graduated from high school in May of 2010, and that June, I went into partnership with Dad milking cows. In January 2016, I bought all the cows. What have you learned through this period of low milk prices? Learn to save money when milk price is good and use it when it is low. What cost-saving measures did you implement on your dairy? Focus on the things that you need more than the things you want. Try to do as much work as you can yourself. What was the best advice you received to survive your rst downturn? Always stay positive. Who is a part of your support system and how do they support you? My parents, especially my dad. I wouldn’t be this far if it wasn’t for him. What do you hope to accomplish in the next ve years? To keep improving on milk quality.
Alex Zilka Pierz, Minn. Morrison County 62 cows Tell us about your farm. I milk 62 cows in a tiestall and raise all replacements in a rented facility from the Tax family. When did you start farming and how did you get started? I started farming two years ago, I purchased 51 cows, replacements and some basic milking equipment through contract for deed from the Taxes. What have you learned through this period of low milk prices? Not to be afraid to try new and different things. What cost-saving measures did you implement on your dairy? Three times a day milking, quality feed and monthly breakevens. What was the best advice you received to survive your rst downturn? You have to be able to separate your nancial situation from your emotions. Who is a part of your support system and how do they support you? Friends and neighbors give me advice on what’s working for them on their farms. What do you hope to accomplish in the next ve years? In the next ve years, I hope to pay off the cows and purchase a farm in central Minnesota.
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Trevor Green Neillsville, Wis. Clark County 18 cows Tell us about your farm. My wife, Jessica, and I are currently milking 18 cows with another 15 that are dry. We recently purchased and moved onto our new farm in the last month after renting another farm in Black River Falls for the last three years. We are on the grass milk program through Organic Valley and are certied organic. When did you start farming and how did you get started? We started farming in 2013. We had always wanted to farm, so we started off renting a farm from Don Liss until we could purchase our own farm in the last few months. What have you learned through this period of low milk prices? Being that we are organic, low milk prices didn’t affect us as much as it did for others. However, transitioning between the two farms has been a challenge because of the number of dry cows we have. We were starting to see production start to increase, but moving has caused them to drop a little. What cost-saving measures did you implement on your dairy? We try to spend as little as possible to get a higher return. Switching to grass fed has helped so we don’t have to feed corn and deal with feed prices. It also gives us an additional $4 premium on our milk. We also have bought everything used and not spent our money on big, costly items. What was the best advice you received to survive your rst downturn? I used to get stressed out a lot, but I came to nd out from others that whatever is going to happen will happen. It is best to accept the situation once it has happened and do what you can to x it. If something breaks, it’s already done so rather than stress, focus on getting going again. Keep moving forward. Who is a part of your support system and how do they support you? John Bahnub, Rod Gearing and Don Gearing. They are people I used to work for and I learned what I know from them. I picked up a lot of my knowledge from them, and they are the ones who taught me not to get worked up. What do you hope to accomplish in the next ve years? We would like to ll the 38-stall tiestall barn. We don’t want to get any bigger than that, however. We want to focus and strive towards better breedings with the Fleckvieh breed in our herd. As our breeder said last week: you have to build the cow and then the milk will come. We are also focusing on getting good feed up and getting the heifers we’ve raised up and going in the milking herd. We hope to get settled in here and improve our production.
Christopher Baird Ferryville, Wis. Crawford County 37 cows Tell us about your farm. I have 80 acres, with 55 or so open, in pasture. I till under eight or nine acres of my worst pasture every year and put it into silage corn. I use managed grazing, milk Jerseys and calve seasonally. When did you start farming and how did you get started? My parents bought the farm in 1997. I took it over and started running it in early 2013, and bought it November of 2014. What have you learned through this period of low milk prices? It sure helps to milk Jerseys, because of the components. The low milk price is mostly low solids and protein. The butterfat price is OK. So, I don’t think I got hit quite as hard on the per-hundredweight price as other farmers. I think I had one month last summer – maybe two – when I was under $18. My last milk check was on the order of $25 (per hundredweight), or just under $25. DHIA says the rolling herd average is at 4.75 percent fat and 3.8 protein for the year. At the end of November, I was running 5.78 fat and 4.36 protein. What cost-saving measures did you implement on your dairy? I didn’t buy good hay this fall. It’s hurting me in the bulk tank now. But hopefully, I’ll be able to make it up next year. What was the best advice you received to survive your rst downturn? There’s probably advice I haven’t taken. I know Donny Boland (a nearby dairyman) has said the most expensive seed is the stuff with the cheapest price tag. I try not to change anything. I’ll catch up in the future. I don’t spend money that I don’t have. Who is a part of your support system and how do they support you? The people in the Great Rivers Graziers and the people who participate in their pasture walks always have good advice. There are a lot of other people, too. Bill Turner, a neighbor, has always been a great help. He’s loaned me equipment. My tractor broke down this spring when I was trying to get my silage corn in. He actually did a lot of the plowing himself with his tractor. What do you hope to accomplish in the next ve years? I’d like to get up to the low 50s for cow numbers, and I’d like to get my herd average from 9,200 pounds to 14,000.
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016 • Page 17
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Models are available in 6 working widths from 54 to 108 inches with a 2-stage design that gives you more throwing force with less hp.
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EQUIPMENT ON HAND
TRACTORS ‘06 MF 8460,MFWD, CVT, 2025 Hrs .................... $97,900 ‘95 White 6144. MFWD, 4015 Hrs ....................... $36,500 ‘94 White 6175 2WD, 5300 Hrs ........................... $39,750 ‘12 Challenger MT545B, MFWD, CVT, duals, 4350 hrs ............................................................ $62,500 ‘63 IH 460 2WD ..................................................... $2,950 ‘53 Farmall M ........................................................ $2,165 ‘80 Massey Ferguson 2745, 2WD, 4563 Hrs........ $11,500 ‘56 Ferguson TO35, loader, rear blade ................... $5,665 Allis Chalmers C tractor Sinlge front wheel ............ $1,000 Allis Chalmers C w/ belly mower ............................ $2,000 SKID STEERS ‘95 Mustang 2060, dsl, B, 5770 hrs. ................... $11,665 ‘09 Mustang 2044, dsl., 4400 hrs. ....................... $15,575 ‘12 Mustang 2044, dsl, T-bar, B, 2175 hrs ........... $17,775
‘13 Mustang 2054, Dsl, 3200 hrs......................... $19,450 ‘13 Gehl V400, Cab & heat, 2375 hrs ................... $29,500 ‘12 NH 215, Cab & Heat, 1550 hrs, bkt ................ $17,500 Case IH 84” material bucket, Euro mount ................. $665 66” Midsota Bucket, Mustang single pin................... $390 MISC EQUIPMENT Allied YC962 8’ snow blower ................................. $2,995 Allied YC1080C 9’ snow blower, 1000 RPM ........... $3,890 Farm King Y740 74” snow blower.......................... $1,950 Loftness 961 8’ snow blower ................................. $1,750 Allied YC962 8’ snow blower ................................. $2,995 Rhino FM72 6’ finishing mower ............................. $1,670 Knight 3300 Reel Auggie TMR, 3 auger discharge . $9,500 2014 Harvest International H1072 grain auger ...... $7,950 Duall 125 loader, (IH 560) ...................................... $2,780
Sectional Flighting in individually formed segments. Wide range of standard sizes in stock and immediately available. Custom forming to purchaser’s specifications. Standard Pitch, Long Pitch, Short Pitch, No loss of thickness at outer edge for high wear applications. Precise dimensional accuracy. Diameters 4” - 60” (100mm-1524mm). Materials - Mild Carbon Steel and Stainless Steel 304 and 316, Abrasion Resistance AR400 and AR235.
Heavy Duty Helicoid edge-formed from bar stock or coil in thicknesses up to 0.75” (19mm). Raw material widths 0.5” - 5.0” (12mm - 127mm). Flighting diameters 1.5” - 20” (37mm - 508mm). Materials - Mild Carbon Steel and Stainless Steel 304 and 316. Precise dimensional accuracy. Standard Pitch, Long Pitch, Short Pitch, Minimal loss of thickness at outer edge of flighting for optimum wear resistance.
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016
Top Performers
Brosig considers nutrition most important factor to achieve high production Mark Brosig Altura, Minn. Winona County 230 cows What is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? The herd’s current production is 29,550 pounds of milk with 1,070 pounds of fat and 904 pounds of protein. How many times a day do you milk? If you don’t milk 3x a day, have you tried it in the past? We milk three times a day. We have been doing this for about 10 years. Do you use BST? If so, what is your protocol? Just under 50 percent of the herd is given rBST, which is administered on a 14-day schedule. I do not use rBST on rst-calf heifers because I try to sell approximately 50 rst-calf heifers every year to offset my heifer raising costs. Heifers are raised by someone else off-site.
Do you contract your milk? Has it been successful for you? I don’t contract milk. I’ve tried it in the past a few times and broke even. I’ve always had the attitude that if I make money, I’ll spend it and if I don’t then I won’t. Describe your housing and milking facility. I have a sand bedded freestall barn with a double-8 parabone milking parlor. The freestall barn was built in the early ‘90s and has 167 stalls. Stalls are bedded with a layer of sand and topped with lime, which helps change the pH and keep somatic cell count low. The parlor was built in 1972 as a double-4 swing parlor and remodeled in 1993 into what is it now. The parlor is showing its age, but nothing will change until I get a commitment from the next generation if they would like to return to the farm.
What is the composition of your ration? What has been one of your most recent changes that has been successful for you? The ration consists of 60 pounds of haylage (with 23 percent protein and 160 relative feed quality) 25 pounds of corn silage, 19 pounds of high moisture corn, 10 pounds of liquid whey (Delac), 1.5 pounds of canola meal, and 6.5 pounds of a protein and mineral mix. I am feeding a new crop of corn silage. After Jan. 1, we will increase corn silage to 40 pounds since it will be more thoroughly fermented. Through the years you’ve been farming, what change has created the biggest jump in your herd average? The biggest jump came from switching to milking three times a day. When milking two times a day, the herd hovered around 22,000 pounds of milk. After adding a milking, the
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Mark Brosig’s 230-cow herd averages 29,550 pounds of milk with 1,070 pounds of fat and 904 pounds of protein. Brosig and his family, along with a few employees, milk the cows three Ɵmes a day on his farm near Altura, Minn. herd went up to 27,500 pounds. I also believe nutrition played an important role in this jump. When we switched our milking schedule, we also changed nutritionists.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
The Brosigs’ dry cow raƟon consists of corn silage, wheat straw and canola meal.
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What is your herd health program? We do ultrasounding every other week. At that time, we determine what to do with open cows – either give a shot of estromate, start them
on an ovsynch program with GnRH or designate as do not breed. We also have a thorough vaccine protocol that includes Scourguard 4KC, J5, Bovishield Gold FP 5 LP, Alpha 7 and Type A for clostridium. We have also been putting a probiotic in the TMR, which has helped keep the cows healthy. Turn to BROSIG | Page 20
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016 • Page 19
“We love the stuff... especially for fresh cows.” — Robert and Jeannette Sheehan
SHEEKNOLL FARMS, ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA The Sheehan Family with WDE Grand Champion Holstein ‘Thomas’ (Sheeknoll Durham Arrow EX94 96MS) 300 cows RHA 26,000 SCC 150,000
“If we take care of the cows, they will take care of us,” is the mantra of the Sheehan family at Sheeknoll Farms, Rochester, Minnesota. That was the case with Sheeknoll Durham Arrow (aka ‘Thomas’) in her grand journey with Jeannette Sheehan at the halter, picking up champion banners all summer on her way to first place aged cow, production, best udder, best bred-and-owned, senior and grand champion of the 2016 International Holstein Show at the 50th World Dairy Expo, where she was also reserve supreme. “It’s still surreal,” said Jeannette after leading the EX94 96MS 6-year-old to her storybook finish. “She had her share of Udder Comfort™. We love the stuff,” said Jeannette. Husband Robert explains: “We use the lotion before shows and really put it on thick after showing.
“We also use it at home in the parlor and stall barn operations,” adds Robert, partnering with his wife and children and brothers Jim and Jerome and their families in the 300-cow dairy. “We use it a lot, especially for fresh cows: 2x/day for 5 days after calving. For 8 years, we have been using Udder Comfort because it’s very effective in doing what we want it to do: reduce swelling and regain udder texture and quality.”
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Keep the milk in the system 1.888.773.7153 1.613.652.9086 uddercomfort.com Call to locate a distributor near you. For external application to the udder only after milking, as an essential component of udder management. Always wash and dry teats thoroughly before milking.
Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016
ConƟnued from BROSIG | Page 18
What does your dry cow and transition program consist of? Cows are dried off between 45 to 60 days prior to calving. Dry cows are fed a corn silage, wheat straw and canola meal ration up to calving. At calving they are moved directly to the heifer group of the milking herd. We do not have any facilities for transitioning fresh cows. What role does genetics play in your production level, and what is your breeding program? I have never se-
lected bulls for production when choosing bull studs. I have always focused on feet and legs, udders and components – in that order. I also take into account productive life. I like using older proven bulls with lots of daughters on the ground. About one year ago we installed an activity monitoring system. We watch and document heats and breed after 50 days. If there is no activity by then, we will start the cow with one shot of lutalyse with ovsynch to follow.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
The raƟon of Brosig’s milking herd includes 10 pounds of liquid whey, which is stored in this tank on Brosig’s farm.
What improvements would you like to make that would help increase your rolling herd average? There is improvement to be made in the herd’s pregnancy rate. Currently, it is at 19 percent, which is quite low for me. That number is a little altered because I don’t calve for about 50 days in the winter. A humid summer, overcrowding and some lower quality feed directly affected the pregnancy rate going into fall. The activity system should help us improve heat detection. Pregnancy checks have been better. What would you say are the three most important factors for you that helped you attain your current herd average? I believe nutrition is the most important factor in achieving high production. For the past 10 years, I have worked with nutritionist Chad Kieffer at Benson Farm Service in Lewiston, Minn. He keeps me up to date in the latest trends in nutrition as well as balancing my ration. If a good quality ration is kept in front of the cows at all times, they will respond. We have a Juno feed
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
This heifer is an example of the type of animal for which Brosig breeds for in his herd. Traits he focuses on include feet and legs, udders and components, in that order.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
A feed pusher keeps feed in front of cows at all Ɵmes, pushing up feed every hour. pusher to help with this. It runs every hour. The second most important factor to production is having good hired help. All dairy farmers must treat their employees with respect and reward them nancially when they are doing a good job. I always do my share of the unpleasant tasks, and I think my employees respect me for that. Cows like consistency, so good hired help is great for milking cows and is a lot less stressful for their owner. I have four full-time employees, one that has been with me for 10 years. The third most important factor is making sure all aspects of the dairy farm are in synch. If one part of the operation is out of whack, it will affect the nal result. One example is our hoop building we now use for sand and lime to bed the cows. We used to get a load of sand twice a week. Now that we
have storage for it, we can add the needed amount when it’s needed rather then when it arrives at the farm. It helps make the rest of the farm tasks run more smoothly and helps with cow comfort. Tell us about your farm. This is a fourth-generation dairy farm; I am farming the land my great grandfather homesteaded in 1869. My wife, Kathy, and I have ve children – Hannah, Haly, Maggie, Leah and Greg. Three of them are still at home. All our children have milked cows and fed calves on the farm. We have 300 acres of cropland that are rented and owned. Along with high production, we strive for a low somatic cell count, which we usually keep under 100,000. My years of dairy farming are now in the 30s.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016 • Page 21
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ARTICULATED 4WD TRACTORS JD 8450, 1984, 225 hp, 12344 hrs., #125922 ................................................. $22,900 4 JD 8560, 1989, 235 hp, 9900 hrs., #127263 ................................................. $26,500 5 JD 9300, 1997, 360 hp, 4445 hrs., #132726 ................................................ $79,000 8 JD 9400, 1996, 425 hp, 6200 hrs., #134367 ................................................ $85,000 2 JD 9520, 2006, 450 hp, 5016 hrs., #110315 ..............................................$141,500 6 JD 9630, 2010, 530 hp, 1746 hrs., #123341 ..............................................$209,000 1 JD 9560R, 2013, 560 hp, 2226 hrs., #127914 ...............................................$235,000 7 JD 9460R, 2014, 460 hp, 617 hrs., #125963 ...............................................$249,000 6 JD 9560R, 2012, 560 hp, 1661 hrs., #133796 ...............................................$269,000 3 JD 9560R, 2013, 560 hp, 912 hrs., #127237 ...............................................$275,000 1 JD 9560R, 2013, 560 hp, 153 hrs., #123386 ...............................................$279,000 11 JD 9520R, 2015, 520 hp, 211hrs., #124593 ..............................................$329,000 2 JD 9620R, 2015, 620 hp, 148 hrs., #133711 ...............................................$395,000 2 JD 9620R, 2015, 620 hp, 455 hrs., #125913 ...............................................$399,000 COMBINE PLATFORMS 9 JD 630F, 2004, #134110 ................... $16,500 11 JD 630F, 2006, #133946 ................... $18,000 5 JD 635F, 2009, #131606 ................... $24,500 4 JD 635F, 2008, #132156 ................... $25,000 5 JD 635F, 2011, #125837 ................... $25,000 4 JD 630F, 2011, #113753 ................... $25,900 6 JD 630F, 2011, #133185 ................... $25,900 1 JD 635F, 2010, #134267 ................... $25,900 2 JD 615P, 2016, #133554 ................... $26,000 2 JD 615P, 2016, #133555 ................... $26,000 7 JD 630F, 2012, #126623 ................... $27,900 4 JD 635F, 2012, #118150 ................... $33,900 8 JD 635F, 2013, #133692 ................... $37,500 2 JD 630F, 2016, #134347 ................... $38,900 3 JD 640FD, 2013, #127499 ................ $64,000 1 JD 640FD, 2013, #125673 ................ $75,000 COMBINES 4 JD 9500, 1989, 4400 hrs., 3300 sep., #132034 ................................................. $32,500 9 JD 9500, 1990, 4636 hrs., 3005 sep., #126219 ................................................. $32,900 3 JD 9500, 1995, 4340 hrs., 3091 sep., #134360 ................................................. $39,500 2 JD 9600, 1995, 5000 hrs., 190 sep., #133728 ................................................. $39,500 2 Case 2388, 1999, 4446 hrs., 3233 sep., #133693 ................................................. $49,500 3 JD 9650 STS, 2000, 3293 hrs., 2189 sep., #126187 ................................................. $58,500 2 JD 9610, 1998, 3600 hrs., 2400 sep., #133475 ................................................. $60,000 1 JD 9550, 2003, 3115 hrs., 2153 sep., #132427 ................................................. $69,000 5 JD 9660 STS, 2004, 2242 hrs., 1525 sep., #132570 ................................................. $89,000 6 JD 9760 STS, 2004, 2642 hrs., 1763 sep., #107702 ................................................. $98,900 2 JD 9560 STS, 2005, 2645 hrs., 1771 sep., #132194 ...............................................$105,000 4
10 Case IH 8010, 2006, 2117 hrs., 1506 sep., #132086 ...............................................$109,900 3 JD 9560 STS, 2005, 1481 hrs., 907 sep., #130053 ...............................................$125,000 6 JD 9770 STS, 2009, 2597 hrs., 1919 sep., #124372 ...............................................$130,000 9 JD 9570 STS, 2008, 1563 hrs., 1084 sep., #115868 ........................................ $145,000 11 JD 9870 STS, 2009, 1722 hrs., 1293 sep., #106732 ........................................ $152,900 1 JD S670, 2012, 2360 hrs., 1711 sep., #128689 ........................................ $165,000 4 JD 9770 STS, 2009, 1861 hrs., 1289 sep., #117362 ........................................ $165,000 8 JD S660, 2012, 1765 hrs., 1385 sep., #133738 ........................................ $175,000 7 JD 9570 STS, 2010, 908 hrs., 682 sep., #122037 ........................................ $179,000 2 JD 9770 STS, 2010, 1466 hrs., 1080 sep., #118492 ........................................ $180,000 9 JD S680, 2012, 1910 hrs., 1275 sep., #134377 ........................................ $224,000 6 JD S660, 2012, 421 hrs., 221 sep., #96947 .......................................... $229,000 1 JD S670, 2013, 1230 hrs., 904 sep., #134165 ........................................ $229,000 9 JD S660, 2014, 339 hrs., 450 sep., #132631 ........................................ $260,000 9 JD S660, 2014, 396 hrs., 89 sep., #116531 ........................................ $265,000 7 JD S690, 2013, 1211 hrs., 831 sep., #119306 ........................................ $265,000 11 JD S660, 2015, 578 hrs., 196 sep., #117457 ........................................ $269,000 5 JD S670, 2014, 662 hrs., 488 sep., #133494 ........................................ $285,000 2 JD S660, 2015, 386 hrs., 245 sep., #125946 ........................................ $295,000 8 JD S670, 2015, 383 hrs., 290 sep., #124831 ........................................ $305,000 5 JD S680, 2014, 715 hrs., 485 sep., #134397 ........................................ $309,000 8 JD S670, 2015, 280 hrs., 140 sep., #125750 ........................................ $325,000 2 JD S660, 2016, 245 hrs., #134019 ........................................ $340,000 2 JD S670, 2016, 185 hrs., 150 sep., #133717 ........................................ $369,000 CORN AND ROW CROP HEADERS 11 JD 693, 1996, #131820 .................. $15,900 10 Drago N8TR, 2003, #132087 .......... $18,400 1 JD 693, 2005, #134028 .................. $18,900 4 JD 893, 1996, #126995 .................. $18,900 6 JD 1293, 2007, #132423 ................ $18,900 1 Geringhoff RD830B, 2004, #132061 .......................................... $18,900 4 JD 893, 1996, #134171 .................. $19,000 9 JD 893, 2001, #127232 .................. $19,500 6 JD 893, 1998, #133187 .................. $20,000 5 JD 893, 2004, #134018 .................. $20,900 6 JD 1293, 2005, #116503 ................ $21,900 1 Harvestec 4308C, 2006, #133685... $22,500 10 Geringhoff ROTA-DISC 1200B, #127038 .......................................... $23,000 2 Drago N6TR, 2010, #133807 .......... $23,000 6 JD 893, 1993, #133956 .................. $23,500 4 JD 893, 2003, #131470 .................. $25,000 7 Fantini 6R30, 2010, #133739 ......... $25,900
6 8 7 5 6 4 6 4 8 2 8 7 7 6 1 9 10 7 1 2 3 5 8 3 2 5 8 2 2 5 2 1 5 11 1 5 8 1 6 11 4 6 4 4 4 5 9 9 7 8 7 5 8 2 10 2 10 4 4 1 5 2 3 7
Geringhoff ROTA-DISC 830B, 2006, #107701 .......................................... $27,500 Harvestec 4112C, 2009, #127253... $35,000 Geringhoff 1622, 2007, #132675 ... $47,900 Geringhoff ROTA-DISC 1222, 2007, #118082 .......................................... $48,900 JD 612C, 2008, #127007 ................ $49,500 JD 612C, 2009, #126839 ................ $52,900 JD 606C, 2013, #115136 ................ $53,900 JD 606C, 2013, #116470 ................ $53,900 JD 606C, 2013, #132413 ................ $53,900 JD 606C, 2013, #132993 ................ $53,900 JD 608C, 2012, #118668 ................ $54,900 JD 612C, 2009, #133911 ................ $57,500 JD 612C, 2009, #103694 ................ $58,000 JD 612C, 2013, #122102 ................ $59,500 JD 608C, 2013, #126457 ................ $59,900 JD 608C, 2013, #132632 ................ $59,900 JD 608C, 2013, #125707 ................ $60,900 JD 612C, 2012, #106737 ................ $74,900 JD 612C, 2013, #125221 ................ $79,900 JD 612C, 2014, #134078 ................ $85,000 JD 612C, 2014, #125736 ................ $92,900 JD 612C, 2014, #125927 ................ $92,900 JD 612C, 2014, #126047 ................ $95,900 JD 612C, 2014, #126845 ................ $98,900 JD 612C, 2016, #134111 .............. $109,000 JD 618C, 2013, #107764 .............. $119,000 FIELD CULTIVATORS JD 980, 1998, #117816 .................. $16,900 JD 985, 1995, #130971 .................. $18,000 Case TIGER MATE II, #129749 ........ $25,000 JD 2210, 2005, #119916 ................ $32,900 JD 2210, 2005, #106361 ................ $33,900 Case IH 200, 2011, #129145 .......... $35,000 JD 2210, 2006, #119500 ................ $37,900 JD 2210, 2007, #102810 ................ $37,900 JD 2210, 2005, #120515 ................ $39,500 JD 2210, 2009, #131140 ................ $44,900 JD 2210, 2011, #106313 ................ $52,900 JD 2210, 2010, #102073 ................ $54,900 Case IH 200, 2011, #129150 .......... $55,000 MULCH FINISHERS JD 2310, 2011, #108698 ................ $46,900 JD 2310, 2013, #124495 ................ $48,900 JD 2310, 2008, #124769 ................ $50,000 PLANTERS: DRAWN JD 1750 2004, #127953 ................. $19,500 JD 1750, 1998, #123390 ................ $20,000 JD 1750, 2001, #127462 ................ $20,500 JD 1780, 1998, #125519 ................ $27,500 JD 1780, 1997, #127222 ................ $28,500 JD 1750, 2013, #131524 ................ $36,500 JD 1770NT, 2004, #131585 ............ $38,000 JD 1770, 2004, #120099 ................ $42,900 JD DB44, 2008, #131589 ................ $58,500 JD 1790 CCS, 2004, #124998 ......... $61,900 JD 1770NT, 2008, #106973 ............ $65,900 JD 1790 CCS, 2004, #125700 ......... $67,900 JD 1790 CCS, 2007, #118810 ......... $67,900 JD 1760, 2014, #114182 ................ $69,500 JD 1770NT, 2010, #120512 ............ $71,500 JD 1770, 2011, #132629 ................ $72,500 JD 1770NT, 2010, #131019 ............ $75,000 JD 1770NT, 2010, #123272 ............ $77,500 JD 1770NT, 2012, #117386 ............ $89,500 JD 1770NT, 2014, #120447 ............ $89,500 JD DB58, 2008, #131528 ................ $92,500 JD DB44, 2007, #127876 ................ $93,900
5 4 11 7 6 1 5 8 4 2 8 11 10 12 11 8 10 13 1 1 1 2 9 7 5 6 8 6 2 4 2 8 3 4 4 4 11 4 1 1 10 8 5 12 8 8 8 12 6 2 12 1 4 4 4 6 4 6
JD 1790, 2013, #131596 .............. $109,000 JD 1770NT CCS, 2013, #125129 ... $115,000 JD 1775NT, 2016, #123174 .......... $129,000 JD DB44, 2013, #131588 .............. $145,000 JD DB66, 2009, #101972 .............. $149,000 JD DB44, 2014, #114004 .............. $169,000 JD DB44, 2014, #114081 .............. $169,000 JD DB44, 2014, #132329 .............. $169,000 PLANTERS: INTEGRAL JD 7300, 1997, #126928 ................ $16,000 JD 1720, 2006, #120108 ................ $35,000 JD 24R22, #127252 ........................ $39,000 SKID STEER LOADERS JD 250-II, 2003, 1761 hrs., #134362$15,000 JD 332, 2005, 6900 hrs., #131737 . $16,500 JD 320, 2005, 2931 hrs., #126912 . $18,900 JD 320D, 2012, 5072 hrs., #126926 $18,900 JD 260, 2002, 2279 hrs., #134262 . $20,500 JD 320, 2008, 1088 hrs., #134034 . $21,900 JD 320, 2007, 580 hrs., #126492.... $24,900 JD 315, 2014, 27 hrs., #113452...... $28,900 JD 315, 2014, 42 hrs., #113451...... $28,900 JD 318D, 2013, 245 hrs., #134270 . $29,900 JD 326D, 2011, 2209 hrs., #132158 .......................................... $30,500 JD 318D, 2011, 389 hrs., #134073 . $30,900 JD 332D, 2011, 2749 hrs., #117927 .......................................... $30,900 JD 320E, 2014, 1748 hrs., #125994 .......................................... $32,000 JD 318D, 2010, 317 hrs., #126439 .......................................... $32,900 JD 320D, 2013, 681hrs., #133492 .......................................... $32,900 JD 320E, 2015, 1551 hrs., #134169 .......................................... $32,900 JD 326E, 2014, 1951 hrs.,#126744. $33,500 JD 320E, 2015, 142 hrs., #127651.. $33,900 Bobcat S590, 2013, 757 hrs., #131472 .......................................... $35,900 JD 318E, 2014, 612 hrs., #125356.. $36,900 JD 320D, 2013, 210 hrs., #126841 . $37,000 JD 326E, 2014, 860 hrs., #127652.. $37,500 JD 320E, 2015, 160 hrs., #115882.. $38,465 JD 320E, 2014, 175 hrs., #118329.. $38,500 JD 320E, 2014, 115 hrs., #121065.. $40,900 JD 318E, 2015, 45 hrs., #118133 .... $41,500 JD 326E, 2014, 430 hrs., #125552.. $41,500 JD 320E, 2014, 429 hrs., #125588.. $41,900 JD 320E, 2015, 30 hrs., #126180 .... $41,900 JD 326E, 2015, 375 hrs., #134033.. $42,000 JD 326E, 2014, 210 hrs., #131457.. $42,900 JD 326E, 2015, 230 hrs., #118077.. $42,900 JD 332E, 2014, 1345 hrs., #132664 .......................................... $42,900 JD 326E, 2014, 490 hrs., #128883.. $43,500 JD 320E, 2015, 115 hrs., #130568.. $43,900 JD 326E, 2013, 170 hrs., #104177.. $43,900 JD 328E, 2014, 830 hrs., #125591.. $43,900 JD 326E, 2015, 150 hrs., #128590.. $44,000 JD 326E, 2015, 136 hrs., #118578.. $44,900 JD 326E, 2015, 200 hrs., #127008.. $46,000 JD 332D, 2012, 612 hrs., #127231 . $46,000 JD 328E, 2014, 561 hrs., #124407.. $46,900 JD 328E, 2014, 531 hrs., #127230.. $49,500 JD 332E, 2014, 748 hrs., #132327.. $49,900 JD 328E, 2016, 200 hrs., #131549.. $51,000 JD 332E, 2015, 274 hrs., #131496.. $51,900
Price Reduced CIH 8010, 2006, 2117 hrs., 1506 sep., #132086 $
109,900
‘12 JD S660 , 421 hrs., 221 sep., #96947 $
229,000
JD S670, 2015, 230 hrs., 140 sep., #125750 $
325,000
‘09 JD 9870 STS, 1722 hrs., 1293 sep., $ #106732
152,900
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016
700-1100 Head Springing, Bred, Open Heifers On Hand At All Times. Excellen type Excellent LINUS KUENNEN LI
30842 P Avenue Fort Atkinson, IA 52144 For
Lindell Sales & Service 37236 County 56 Blvd., Cannon Falls, MN
651-258-4311 • Mark’s Cell 651-764-4084
We carry... HOULE
Phone 563-534-7754 Ph Mobile 507-261-1703 Mo
Bewley shares strategies for survival on small farms
F 563-534-3042 Fax www.kuennendairycattle.com www.
By Missy Mussman
The next issue of the Dairy Star is published December 24th.
missy@dairystar.com
Put the PLUS+ in your farm ™
™
Milk Quality
Productivity
Herd Health
www.delaval-us.com
Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: IOWA Kramer Bros. Monticello, IA 319-465-5931 Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290 United-Suckow Dairy Supply West Union, IA 563-422-5355 Postville, IA 563-864-7417
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
Bigger isn’t neccesary
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 Genex 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
is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB. © 2016 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – When considering economies of scale, large herds have an advantage with large costs being divided among a greater number of animals. “Smaller herds are at a natural competitive disadvantage,” said Jeff Bewley with the University of Kentucky. But they are not limited because of that. Bewley shared strategies for smaller farmers to be successful Nov. 30 during the Minnesota Milk Dairy Conference and Expo in St. Cloud, Minn. “There are economic factors being small we can’t change, but there are opportunities to be successful,” he said. “We just have to look for them.” Seeing what other small businesses in the world are doing to be successful is a good place to start. “Many small businesses are successful despite the fact the world said they can’t be,” he said. “Most farmers read dairy related publications. They’re great, but by looking at other publications like the Harvard Business Review, farmers can learn what other small companies are doing right and apply those concepts.” To be successful, farms should have a leader or owner who knows who they are, what they want out of their business and why. “Owners need to have that CEO/CFO mentality,” Bewley said. The connection to the community in which the company does business is equally important. “Being involved in communities is something dairy farmers are already really good at because we do a lot of it,” Bewley said. But one challenge is labor force. “Employees come rst in successful small businesses,” Bewley said. “Farmers need to view their employees as an asset, not a liability.” In some cases, employees are family, but in others, farmers have to hire outside people. “The key is to hire character and train skills,” Bewley said. “A lot of the things we do on dairy farms, we can train people to do. It’s frustrating when employees don’t understand the ight zone of a cow on the rst day, but we can train them to understand. We can’t train work ethic. It’s something to keep in mind when hiring employees.” Motivating those employees and engaging them in the operation is the next step. “The hardest job is to work with the people who work for us, but it’s important to manage employees well to be successful in the operation,” Bewley said. “If you treat them as a liability, you’ll struggle, but if you treat them as an asset, you’ll do well.” Having a strong relationship with customers and suppliers is another strategy for success. “There are suppliers interested in helping farmers be successful and bring more to the table than their product,” Bewley said. “Maintain those relationships and build trust and loyalty to maximize what you can get out of them.” Farmers can build those relationships while still remaining privately owned. “They still have the exibility to experiment and grow a workplace environment and management structure that suits them,” Bewley said. A big component is a farmer’s love for their farm and what they do. “When farmers have a passion for what they do, they understand the purpose and goals for the farm and strive for them,” Bewley said. To set successful goals, farmers should determine how they are going to be great. “It’s quite clear that we can no longer be average if we’re small,” Bewley said. “Small farmers have to be great at something, but there’s no cookie cutter answer. There are a lot of ways to be great.” Bewley said farmers could focus on emphasizing production for milk, fat or protein, doing on-farm Turn to BEWLEY | Page 23
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016 • Page 23
Con�nued from BEWLEY | Page 22 processing, being organic, grazing or low input farming and agritourism. “These are all great options, but they’re not for everyone,” Bewley said. Marketing genetics is another option for small herds. “There’s a lot of value there,” Bewley said. “And small farms have good potential to ll that value.” Another way is going in partnership with other farmers to do things like purchasing items together to take advantage of discounts or contract heifer raising, either for themselves or for someone else. “It can be hard because farmers would have to let go of a certain way of doing things in some cases,” Bewley said. “They’d still have the opportunity to be their own bosses, but would work with other people.” Farmers can also contract their feed and make strategic investments. “Making strategic investments is very important to the success of small farms,” Bewley said. “They’re already starting at a competitive disadvantage. They don’t want to do things that would shoot themselves in the foot to make it harder.” For example, Bewley said many farmers over invest in labor turnovers, hospital cows, toys, parlors and land. “Land is a great asset to have, but you can only have so much and you have to be able to make the payments,” Bewley said. “Having too many assets can make it difcult to maintain a profit.” But farmers underinvest in things that can improve production like cow comfort, forage storage, transition cow facilities, human resources and preventative cow health procedures.
“When making investments, farmers have to base it off of more than just a gut feeling,” Bewley said. “On some of those big decision investments, farmers should do a investment analysis to understand the return they would receive over time. I’ve seen farmers build a brand new, bigger parlor to spend less time milking. They don’t utilize it as much as they should causing cost of production to be substantially higher. I’ve seen farmers go under for things like that.” That is why it is important to understand the nancial side of their farm. “The margin of error isn’t very large,” Bewley said. “We have to be careful where we make our errors.” For many farmers, nances are not the focus. “Financial records are just as important as production records,” Bewley said. “We can’t have that mentality of I’m not that type of farmer. Not many farmers like working with the nances, but they can’t ignore it.” Finances can be overwhelming and complicated, so Bewley suggested farmers rst understand the cost of production. “It’s more relatable, especially looking at the economics of mastitis and reproduction,” Bewley said. “That opens the door to asking more questions and understanding more complicated nancial aspects.” It can also help farmers through times of low milk prices. “Farmers should always look for ways of saving money, but not at the expense of cutting revenue,” Bewley said. “Sometimes we have to spend money to make money because we can gain more by increasing revenue than
MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR
Jeff Bewley discusses strategies for smaller dairy farms to stay compete�ve during his “Small Giants” presenta�on on Nov. 30 at the Minnesota Milk Dairy Conference and Expo in St. Cloud, Minn. cutting costs.” Overall, Bewley said small farms can be successful by controlling machinery costs, being entrepreneurial, employing modern techniques and labor efciency, shopping for lower cost inputs, using commercial lenders,
keeping records, changing to improve, maintaining family support and most of all, enjoying the farm. “It’s not easy being small,” Bewley said. “But there’s opportunity for smaller farms to be successful and continue as a small giant.”
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For more info or dealer Claremont, MN inquiries - please call: Dwight
Rick Tamm
NW Territory Manager
320-267-5021 Brad DeBauche
NC Territory Manager
920-660-7974 Larry Hawkins 608-516-0101
507-279-0292 Justin 507-456-0006
Gerard Becker
Long Prairie, MN (320) 290-9261
Hy View Feeds 507-493-5564 Mabel, MN
Valley View Ag Russ Funke Dyersville, IA (563) 590-6939
Schueler Farms
Greenwald Elevator
Sherman Schueler 330-987-3159 Willmar, MN John Dockendorf (320) 894-4808 Greenwald, MN (320) 290-1240
Jack Stamschror
Altura, MN
Crop & Livestock Nutrition Atwater, MN (320) 212-3190
Cleeson Mill
(507) 458-5907 Luxemburg Feed Service
Luxemburg, MN (320) 252-1513
Winscher Seeds Mike Winscher 320-282-6748 Shawn Winscher Royalton, MN (320) 420-4516
Timberline Dairy Service Joe Graber Kalona, IA (319) 656-3527
Kellogg, MN (507) 259-0269
Dale Ommodt, CCA
Jason Mickelson Frazee, MN 218-849-3137
Lee Kurtenbach
Mechanicksville, IA (319) 241-5105
Peak Forage Products LLC
Benjamin Arlt
Natures Best
Tim Huffman 608-574-7918 Nelson Horst Adam Decker 608-988-6855 Canton S.D. Kevin Zimmerman (605) 359-0765 608-574-7918
Natures Best
Mervin Beachy St. Ansgar, IA (641) 381-0054
Big Stone City S.D. (651) 331-8865
DJ Cattle Co.
Daryn Yoder Leon, IA (641) 344-6002
Chad Tesch Canton S.D. (605) 759-5622 Dan (Boone) Uphoff, Sioux Falls S.D. (605) 321-1862
Natures Best Roger TeSlaa
Inwood, IA
(605) 370-2249
Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016
The Dairy Star presents
The Great Christmas Heifer
G I V E A W A Y THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS Grand Prize Drawing Will Be Held Thursday, December 15, 2016 Drawings every business day December 1 until December 15, 2016 for other prizes. THE WINNERS WILL BE POSTED ON WWW.DAIRYSTAR.COM AND ON FACEBOOK.
Grand Prize Heifer: SHEEKNOLL KINDBOY 2615 (AKA HENNY) (HOLSTEIN) Born: Dec. 15, 2015
Sheeknoll 2615 com Kindboy the Sheeh es from a Rochester,n family Minn.
Sire: 7HO12198 Morningview MCC Kinboy-ET Dam: D Sheeknoll Man-O-Man Dora Dam’s Sire: 14HO06429 Long-Langs Oman Oman 2-ETN D Grand Dam: Sheeknoll Alexander April G Granddam’s Sire: 7HO8221 Golden-Oaks St Alexander-ET G
The Sheehans – (from left) Steve, Ben, Jerome, Andrew, Jeannette and Robert – are providing the heifer for the Great Christmas Heifer Giveaway. The family milks 300 registered Holsteins near Rochester, Minn.
Grand Prize Heifer Calf: EACHIBON JESSA R JAMAICA (BROWN SWISS) Born: August 31, 2016
Sire: Jo Dee Nemo Richard Dam: Eachibon Jessalyn Double Dare Jessa Dam’s sire: 54BS92 Fjel-Mar Joel DOUBLE DARE-ET Granddam: Eachibon Jessica Dally Jessalyn Granddam’s sire: Kulp Gen Pronto Dally-ET
Eachibon Jes R Jamaica sa comes F Jason Weihrom r Melrose, Wouch is. Jason Weihrouch is pictured with the prize heiferr calf, Eachibon Jessa R Jamaica. Weihrouch milks 35 registered Brown Swiss cows on his farm near Melrose, Wis.
PLUS
11 DAILY ADULT PRIZES LEADING UP TO GRAND PRIZE HEIFER
2ND PLACE TOY PEDAL TRACTOR YOUTH PRIZE & 10 DAILY YOUTH PRIZES LEADING UP TO GRAND PRIZE Register free at one of the participating businesses for your chance to win!
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016 • Page 25
REGISTER AT THESE PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES:
IOWA ALLAMAKEE COUNTY • Bodensteiner Implement Waukon • 563-568-3463 • Equity Livestock Waukon • 563-568-4501 • Innovative Ag Services Waukon • 563-568-3455 • Waukon Veterinary Services Waukon • 563-568-2487
BREMER COUNTY
• ViaÀeld Sumner • 563-578-3214
BUCHANAN COUNTY • Bodensteiner Implement Rowley, IA • 319-938-2222 • ViaÀeld Winthrop • 319-935-3336
CHICKASAW COUNTY
• Ag-Land Equipment New Hampton • 641-394-4226 • Bodensteiner Implement New Hampton • 641-394-3061
CLAYTON COUNTY • Bodensteiner Implement Elkader • 563-245-2470 • Innovative Ag Services Elkader • 563-245-1230 Monona • 563-539-2001
DELAWARE COUNTY
• Edgewood Feed Mill Edgewood • 563-928-6405 • Manchester Livestock Auction Manchester • 563-927-2540 • Simon’s Grain & Feed, Inc. Manchester • 563-927-6050
DUBUQUE COUNTY
• Animal Health International Dyersville • 563-875-7555 • Bodensteiner Implement Dyersville • 563-875-2724 • Cascade Livestock Auction, LLC Cascade • 563-852-3533 • Eastern Iowa Dairy Systems Inc. Epworth • 563-876-3087 • Helle Farm Equipment Dyersville • 563-875-7154 • Innovative Ag Services Cascade • 563-852-7245 Farley • 563-744-3337 • New Vienna Ag New Vienna • 563-921-2896 • Ungs Shopping Center Luxemburg • 563-853-2455
FAYETTE COUNTY
• Associated Milk Producers Inc. Arlington • 563-933-4521 • Bodensteiner Implement Clermont • 563-423-5206 Oelwein • 319-283-4371 • Unionland Feed and Supply West Union • 563-422-5022 • ViaÀeld Arlington • 563-633-3415 Clermont • 563-423-5293 Elgin • 563-426-5566 Maynard • 563-637-2285
HOWARD COUNTY
• Clet Koshatka Farm Equipment Protivin • 563-569-8636 • Bodensteiner Implement Cresco • 563-547-2152
JACKSON COUNTY • Innovative Ag Services Andrew • 563-672-3228
JONES COUNTY
• Bodensteiner Implement Monticello • 319-465-3515
WINNESHIEK COUNTY • Bodensteiner Implement Decorah • 563-382-2961
• Brynsaas Sales & Service Decorah • 563-382-4484 • Franzen Sales & Service Fort Atkinson • 563-534-2724
PEPIN COUNTY
BARRON COUNTY
PIERCE COUNTY
BUFFALO COUNTY
RICHLAND COUNTY
WISCONSIN
• Equity Livestock Barron • 715-537-5618 • Highway 48 Farm Serice, Inc. Rice Lake • 715-234-6788
• Anibas Silo & Equipment Durand • 715-285-5317 • Jerry Baier & Sons Durand • 715-672-4363 • Western Wisconsin Farm Store Ellsworth • 715-273-5066 • Ag Partners Grange Hall • 715-647-5002
CHIPPEWA COUNTY
• Advanced Dairy Solutions Richland Center • 608-647-4488 • Equity Livestock Richland Center • 608-647-6151 • Premier Cooperative Richland Center • 608-647-6173 • St. Joseph Equipment Richland Center • 608-647-8804
CLARK COUNTY
SAUK COUNTY
• Badgerland Financial Mondovi • 715-926-5055
• Associated Milk Producers Inc. Jim Falls • 715-382-4113 • Chippewa Valley Dairy Supply Stanley • 715-644-2350 • Cloverdale Equipment Curtiss • 715-223-3361 • Federation Cooperative Humbird Feed Mill • 715-964-2411
DANE COUNTY
• Argall Dairy Systems, Inc Belleville • 608-424-6110 • Badgerland Financial Sun Prairie • 608-825-2400 • Field Silo & Equipment Mt Horeb • 608437-5561 • YES JCB Madison • 888-276-4365
EAU CLAIRE COUNTY • Equity Livestock Altoona • 715-835-3104
GRANT COUNTY
• Argall Dairy Systems, West Platteville • 608-348-3385 • Badgerland Financial Lancaster • 608-723-4115 • Bloomington Livestock Exchange Bloomington • 608-994-2020 • Fuller’s Milker Center, Inc. Lancaster • 608-723-4634 • Innovative Ag Services Cuba City • 608-744-2287 • Scott Implement Platteville • 608-348-6565
GREEN COUNTY
• Badgerland Financial Monroe • 608-328-2282 • Equity Livestock Monroe • 608-328-8344 • Monroe WestfaliaSurge Monroe • 608-325-2772 • Tri-County Dairy Supply Inc. Janesville • 800-822-7662
• McFarlanes’ Sauk City • 800-627-8569
ST. CROIX COUNTY
• Dairyland Farm System Woodville • 866-467-4717
TREMPEALEAU COUNTY • Badgerland Financial Arcadia • 608-323-3325 • Centerville Cooperative Trempealeau • 608-536-3311 • Hegg Mill Ettrick • 608-525-4545
VERNON COUNTY
• Badgerland Financial Viroqua • 608-637-2188 • Premier Cooperative Cashton • 608-654-5416 • Koon Kreek Feeds Coon Valley • 608-452-3838
MINNESOTA DAKOTA COUNTY
• Werner Implement Vermillion • 651-437-4435
FILLMORE COUNTY • Farmer’s Co-op Elevator Rushford • 507-864-7733
GOODHUE COUNTY
• Badgerland Financial Dodgeville • 608-935-3396 • Premier Cooperative Mineral Point • 608-987-3100
• Ag Partners Bellchester • 651-923-4453 Goodhue • 800-732-1439 Wanamingo-Agronomy Location 507-824-2215 • Ag Partners Farm Store Cannon Falls • 507-263-4651 Pine Island • 507-356-8313 Wanamingo 507-824-2231 • GB Feed and Supply Bellechester • 651-923-4425 • Midwest Livestock Systems Pine Island • 507-356-8349
JACKSON COUNTY
HOUSTON COUNTY
LA CROSSE COUNTY
WABASHA COUNTY
IOWA COUNTY
• Federation Cooperative Black River Country Store • 715-284-5354 • Federation Cooperative Hixton Country Store • 715-963-2041 • St. Joseph Equipment LaCrosse • 608-788-1775
LAFAYETTE COUNTY
• Center Hill Veterinary Clinic Darlington • 608-776-4083
MONROE COUNTY
• Badgerland Financial Sparta • 608-269-3148 • Equity Livestock Sparta • 608-269-3104 • Preston Dairy Equipment Sparta • 608-269-3830 • St. Joseph Equipment Norwalk • 608-823-7434
• Farmer’s Co-op Elevator Caledonia • 507-725-3306 Houston • 507-896-3147 Spring Grove • 507-498-5321 • Ag Partners Farm Store Lake City • 651-345-3328 Plainview • 507-534-2531 • Beck Implement Elgin • 507-876-2122 • Dairyland Equipment Service Plainview • 507-534-3161 • Wingert Sales & Service Plainview • 507-534-2285
WINONA COUNTY
• Benson Farm Service Lewiston • 507-523-2188 • S&S Dairy Systems St. Charles • 507-932-4288
To view a complete list of participating businesses, log on to www.dairystar.com
*Enter as often as you like. One entry per store visit, please. Winners must be 18 years or older and a Grade A or B dairy farmer for heifer, or 17 years or younger and a son or daughter of a Grade A or B dairy farmer for heifer calf. Winners must also live in the Dairy Star circulation area to be eligible and are responsible for transport of animal.
Final reminder for MPP-Dairy signup
Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016
SEE HOW MUCH BETTER A LOADER CAN BE. New Holland skid steer and compact track loaders provide you with excellent visibility – an important advantage that allows you to work more confidently and quickly to improve your overall efficiency. • A lower door threshold allows for better sightlines to the bucket cutting edge and to the trench. • The see-through area on the cab roof provides a clear view to the bucket at full height. • Rear visibility is among the best in the industry due to a large window, low engine hood and no rear frame towers.
EQUIPPED FOR A NEW WORLD™
• Side screens located on both sides of the cab provide better visibility to your surroundings.
STOP BY TODAY.
©2016 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. “New Holland” is a trademark registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or afÄliates. “Equipped For A New World” is a trademark in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or afÄliates.
PROVING YET AGAIN MAN’S ABILITY TO
ADAPT TO ANY ENVIRONMENT.
This is your nal reminder that all MPP-Dairy producers must sign the 2017 election form and pay at least the $100 administrative fee by Friday, Dec. 16. This will ensure coverage for the 2017 year and you will receive the bump in coverage. Please contact your FSA ofce to ensure you are registered for the 2017 year. It’s that time of year at the ofce. We are cleaning FSA News & Notes up our folders and ling away previous year’s paperwork. It’s also the time we prepare for 2017 and try to get all of our records in order. We are asking that you please inform our ofce of any changes to your farming operation as soon as you can. This can be a change of address, business name and type (corporation, LLC, partnership, etc.), or adding land to your operation whether by lease or purchase. For the ofce to make a land change, we require the producer provide a signed lease agreement or a recorded deed to show purchase. Please bring this into the ofce so the correct changes By Ryan Brunn can be made. Some of these changes may require a new Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. CCC-902 Farm Operating Plan that we can take care of this winter. Land changes can also result in farm or tract reconstitutions. When changes in farm ownership or operation take place, a farm reconstitution is necessary. The reconstitution – or recon – is the process of combining or dividing farms or tracts of land based on the farming operation. The following are the different methods in allocating base acres when doing a farm recon: • Estate method: the division of bases, allotments and quotas for a parent farm among heirs in settling an estate; • Designation of landowner method: may be used when part of a farm is sold or ownership is transferred; an entire farm is sold to two or more persons; farm ownership is transferred to two or more persons; part of a tract is sold or ownership is transferred; a tract is sold to two or more persons; or tract ownership is transferred to two or more persons. In order to use this method, the land sold must have been owned for at least three years, or a waiver granted, and the buyer and seller must sign a memorandum of understanding; • DCP cropland method: the division of bases in the same proportion that the DCP cropland for each resulting tract relates to the DCP cropland on the parent tract; • Default method: the division of bases for a parent farm with each tract maintaining the base acres attributed to the tract level when the reconstitution is initiated in the system. Producers who wish to transfer their farm records to a different administrative county for 2017 must le a request with the ofce that must be signed by all landowners. Restrictions apply when transferring to an ofce other than the county in which the land is physically located. Farm Service Agency is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Visit the Farm Service Agency Web site at: www.fsa.usda.gov/ for necessary application forms and updates on USDA programs.
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EQUIPPED FOR A NEW WORLD™
e store is op That’s right! Our onlin at your convenience and 7 days a week. Shop s, Gallagher electric in ta un fo on es ic pr r compare ou ore. fence products, and m
©2016 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. “New Holland” is a trademark registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or afÄliates. “Equipped For A New World” is a trademark in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or afÄliates.
Stop By One Of These New Holland Dealers For Details...
ADKINS EQUIPMENT INC. DETROIT LAKES, MN
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SCHLAUDERAFF IMPLEMENT
TRUEMAN-WELTERS INC.
WERNER IMPLEMENT
320-693-7277
763-682-2200
651-437-4435
LITCHFIELD, MN
BUFFALO, MN
VERMILLION, MN
SHIP IT CARDS AND CAN ! WE ACCEPT CRED OR DO T TO YOUR YOUR ORDER RIGH
CO., INC. RURAL MFy.G81., PO Box Q 820 N US Hw Freeman, SD 57029 7135 Toll Free 1-800-477925-4174 560 x Fa Ph. 605-925-7135 •
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False marketing battle eld
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016 • Page 27
tel y ™
p le
ic k ly
and C
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om
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A health snap shot of your cows on time, anytime.
Much more than activity, BouMatic RealTime + Health Monitoring Solution allows you to know your cows’ activity, feeding, walking and laying down behaviors. There is no need for the animal to walk through a parlor ID portal making it ideal for heifers and dry cows. Combined with SmartDairy® milk weight data “RealTime” provides the ultimate in herd health and heat detection. NEW BouMatic HerdMetrix™ Phone App Makes Data Accessible Anywhere, Anytime! U. S
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See pages 24 & 25 in the first section for details.
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ly,
The Great Christmas Heifer
chemicals and fuel without cultivating and wasting against each other. We, the farmers, are less than 2 water, and our yield was 233 bushels. We have grown percent of the population and are all working daily to GMO corn since 1998. insure the health and well-being of our animals and GMOs have had over 1,800 peer review studies. crops. Now is the time we must defend ourselves and This is more than any food. our livelihoods. We can’t do it This is the safest food on the alone; we must work together Our iimage as ffarmers iis planet, and we as farmers in O through the organizations we the United States of America, work with and have a united are in business to produce an being challenged every front to educate the consumabundance of crops. We not time someone steps in the ers that are shopping among a only grow food, but feed, fuel false marketing battle eld. and ber for our nation and grocery store. Tina Hinchley, her husband, the world. Duane, and their daughters, Our image as farmers is Anna and Catherine, milk being challenged every time someone steps in the 120 registered Holsteins and farm 2,500 acres of grocery store. I am stunned at what marketing com- crops near Cambridge, Wis. They have been hostpanies will go through to convince a consumer to ing farm tours for over 18 years. buy their product, and at the cost of putting farmers
G e nt
When I was little, we could buy candy cigarettes and gum cigars. What were my parents thinking on buying them for me? Joe Camel always looked cool smoking Camel cigarettes. Marlboro cigarettes had a cowboy that looked rugged and handsome. What was that ad saying to consumers? If you smoke these cigarettes, you can be cool and handsome. Just the other day, as I drove into Madison, I noticed billboards for beer and liquor every few miles. The marketing for alcohol companies sell a good time with images of shing, parties, laughing people and glasses of liquor. By Tina Hinchley A marketer’s job is to sell an image. Take the ani- Farmer & Columnist mal activist billboards trying to sell the “go vegan” message through aggressive advertising. As farmers, we know there is no pretty way to move a down cow, but to consumers, that image can be the tipping point for them to try a Meatless Monday, or worse, stop eating meat all together. Antibiotic claims on meat and dairy products get me worked up. I am continually telling people on my tours and at the grocery store that everything at the grocery store is antibiotic free. As farmers, we are responsible for the products we grow. The milk from our cows is sampled for antibiotics every pick up by the milk company. The meat from our animals is inspected at the processing plant, and the guidelines we follow for food safety and medication withdrawal dates are strictly enforced. Our crops sold must also meet guidelines for quality and food safety. The label on the side of my Rice Chex cereal box tells a story about General Mills being committed to sustainably source 100 percent of their cereal boxes by 2020. What does that mean? On the bottom of the box it says 100 percent recycled paperboard. Now I am confused. What is sustainable? Maybe it is having a few cows on a green pasture, a little red barn with the mountains and blue skies off in the distance. That image is what many families pay extra for. The shopper bought the product and even paid more for it. The image of the farm with the little red barn is very nice and a positive. I have a red barn, but I also have a freestall barn that I think is a nice image, too. I have a pasture, but with all the rain we have had, it is no longer green grass; it is mud. In the best of summer days, our cows and heifers don’t want to be in the pasture in the hot sun, they would rather be in the freestall barn. Cows and heifers are going to grow better and live longer when they are comfortable. For cows, sustainability means a long productive life enhanced through their improved genetics and breeding programs. Housing dairy cattle in an environment with fresh air, a clean, safe, place to lie down, healthy feed and clean water will help them produce their potential milk volume. This can take place in a pasture or a freestall barn. For crops, sustainability means using less resources, chemicals, and fuel while focusing on soil conservation. When my father-in-law farmed, in a good year of growing corn after spraying for silk beetle insects and cultivating twice (that allows the moisture to leave the soil), the yield was 150 bushels to the acre. Today, with the use of GMOs, we use less
. Co m p a
Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016
Betty Berning bberning@umn.edu 320-203-6104 Rafael Bisinotto rbisinot@umn.edu 612-625-3130 Hugh Chester-Jones chest001@umn.edu (507) 835-3622 Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu (612) 624-5391 Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu (320) 589-1711 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu (612) 625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu (320) 732-4435 Kota Minegishi kota@umn.edu 612-624-7455 Randy Pepin pepin019@umn.edu (320) 333-1369 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu (320) 203-6093 M. Scott Wells mswells@umn.edu 612-625-3747 Emily Wilmes krek0033@umn.edu (320) 255-6169
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Who gets to bake the cake?
With holiday season approaching, allow me to share a dessert recipe: a cheesecake from a Japanese user-contributed recipe website (http://cookpad.com/recipe/358818). Many users of this website nd ways to take recipes and simplify them. Here are the three steps: 1. Make a crust at the bottom of a baking pan by breaking graham crackers (90 g) mixed with melted unsalted butter (40 g). 2. Mix two eggs, sugar (80 g), our (3 tbsp.), lemon juice (2 tbsp.) in a blender or using a whisk, and additionally, blend in By Kota Minegishi heavy cream (200 ml) and cream cheese (250 g; softened in microwave). U of M Extension 3. Pour the mix on top of the crust and bake for 45 minutes at 340 degrees F. “This will make your cheeks fall off (from smiling so wide),” as the Japanese say to describe the jolt of joy and happiness of great food. And as a dairy enthusiast, you would be particularly delighted at the transformation of these simple ingredients – the magic of lemon juice, our and cream yielding an exceptionally smooth and rich desert sandwiched between a toasty cracker-bottom and golden upper-crust. That cooking website (and accompanying app) is one of the most successful examples of crowdsourcing to-date (along the lines of Wikipedia for encyclopedia, TripAdvisor for travel, and Yelp for restaurants). Crowdsourcing allows information and fresh ideas to be published quickly and reviewed by fellow users over time. Designs embedded in those websites promote collaboration and friendly competition among users via rating, voting and commenting on the existing content and creating new content. In the case of the Japanese cooking site, users report their cooking experiences with the recipe by posting their photos and short messages, and those interactions motivate the creator to revise the recipe, create more recipes and develop his or her online prole. Many users network with each other to nd similar styles of cooking, discover new recipes and improve their cooking skills. I bring this up because one of my extension projects is the development of a crowdsourcing site for dairy farmers to network and exchange ideas. Our pilot is being developed for the community of robotic milking users who face new challenges in efciently adopting the technology. I am advocating for in-
tensive producer networking because it can be a novel way to strengthen the dairy industry at a grassroots level, which I believe is important for dairy communities to be viable leaders of rural America for decades to come. Consider a thought experiment of how to make a combined group of 40 200-head dairies as protable as a modern 8,000head dairy. The collection of the smaller farms is up against an array of comparative advantages of large-scale operations, including scale economies; a technical team of in-house nutritionists, veterinarians, and mechanics; and a professional advisory board consisting of strategic consultants and high-stake stakeholders. From a resource perspective, the collection of the 40 dairies, when combined, would nd themselves having too many cooks in the kitchen (decision-makers) and too much redundant cookware (equipment), compared to the single, large-scale counterpart. This means that even if the group becomes as competitive in day-to-day operations as the large farm, there would not be much economic rent left for their cooks. Another way to look at this is that the large-scale operation needs only a small margin to pay for its owner and stay in business, and in a long run such operations will increase in number and drive the milk price down to the level of their production cost. For such a collection of dairies to be economically sustainable, they will need to stay more efcient than their large-scale counterpart, which means innovating faster and adopting new technologies resourcefully. How would that be possible? The answer, I believe, could be in turning the countless cooks into strength. New ways of dairying need to be continuously assessed and tested from various viewpoints, and the knowledge base should be shared for its fast and robust expansion. Innovation in isolation will be too slow and haphazard to be sustainable in this increasingly consolidated landscape of dairy production. It is time to share ideas and collaborate with others for the sake of your enterprise. Lend your skills to those experiencing similar challenges because they are best positioned to return the favor. We need to continue hacking the recipe of Mother Nature and modern technology, not just in multimillion-dollar research and development projects at multinational agribusinesses, but together in a resource pool at the farm and community enterprise level. The more the merrier to share the recipe and taste of success.
WHICH BARN IS BEST FOR YOUR HERD? Hydro Engineering H1605 Manure Injection System - Call
Patz 1100 vertical TMR mixer - $19,500
Patz 620 vertical TMR mixer - Call
Houle 42’ lagoon pump $21,800
Custom Made 6 Manure Injection System - $19,000
Roto-Mix 620-16 horizontal TMR mixer - Call
LOTS OF USED MANURE TANKS AND MIXERS COMING IN
USED MIXERS:
• Used 510 truck mount • Patz 615
MANURE PUMPS:
• 2) 42’ 6” Houle Lagoon pumps • 52’ 8” Lagoon pump
TANKS:
• 2) ‘06 7300 • 3) ‘08 Houle 7300 ‘10 GEA 7300
See us for your FarmStar drag hose equipment needs! 1660 Jordan West Rd., Decorah, IA
www.brynsaas.com
563-382-4484
Birds just love this barn. The webs in these trusses are easy nest areas for birds. They also restrict air flow which leads to poor ventilation and moisture buildup in the building.
Starwood Rafters Uses Pole Sheds • Free Stalls Riding Arenas Pavilion Shelters Machinery Storage
The arched rafters create a more open barn allowing better ventilation. Also since there are no open webs in the trusses, there are no places for birds to nest.
• Spans up to 72 ft. • Up to 12’ spacing depending on the load you desire • Bird nesting control • Better ventilation & visability • No feed alley post obstruction • Additional ceiling height
Starwood Rafters Lam-Ply Truss
ANOTHER QUALITY PRODUCT FROM STARWOOD RAFTERS
STARWOOD RAFTERS, INC. 715-985-3117
W24141 Starwood Ln. • Independence, WI 54747 Website: www.starwoodrafters.com
888-525-5878
Thankful for agriculture
Although my Alice travels keep me on my toes and take me all over the state, I was able to celebrate the recent holiday with my family. As we all sat around the table, ready to dive into the delicious meal, we took a moment to think about what we were thankful for. I thought about how thankful I am for all the farmers in Wisconsin and everyone involved in agriculture. Each day that I visit a new place as Alice in Dairyland, I am constantly met with an enthusiasm for agriculture that never wavers. This enthusiasm is a true testament of how dedicated each individual in the industry is and why agriculture is so strong in our state. When we nally dove into our meal, I had one more thing to be thankful for … all the delicious food that comes from Wisconsin farms every day. Of course, one of the foods I am thankful for is cheese. Wisconsin’s cheese production topped out at over three-billion pounds last year. Our state has a long-standing tradition of making cheese and has quite a few claims to fame within the cheese makBy Ann O’Leary 69th Alice in Dairyland ing industry. We invented Colby cheese back in 1885, consistently produce more cheese than any other state and are the only state to produce Limburger. Today, Wisconsin is also home to the only cheese maker in the nation that still uses a brick to press the whey from the curds when making Brick cheese. Widmer’s Cheese Cellars located in Theresa, Wis., is home to this cheesemaker and has been making cheese the traditional way since 1922. They specialize in three main varieties – Brick, Colby and Cheddar and ship their cheese to cheese lovers near and far. Crave Brothers Farm has started a new tradition on their rst-generation dairy farm in Waterloo, Wis. They are producing Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese with renewable energy from the bio digester on their family’s 1,500 cow dairy. Located right across the street, their cheese plant receives power and fresh milk O Our state h has a from the farm every morning. The Crave Brothers specialize long-standing tradition in Italian style cheeses and offer of making cheese and has Mascarpone, farmer’s rope and quite a few claims to fame fresh Mozzarella balls. Another uniquely Wiscon- within the cheese making sin dairy product that is turning heads comes from CTL Foods, industry. LLC of Colfax. They have innovated a one-of-a-kind malted milk powder that can be used in ice cream treats, cakes and wafes. For their creativity, Soda Fountain Malted Milk Powder was awarded rst place at the World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product contest. All three of these companies are part of the program Something Special from Wisconsin which highlights locally produced goods or services. There are nearly 500 companies that are a part of this program and all offer Uniquely Wisconsin goods. Started in 1983, Something Special from Wisconsin helps consumers easily and reliably identify Wisconsin made products and encourages them to buy local to support our Wisconsin farmers, communities and economy. This holiday season, I have a lot to be thankful for and I hope you do, too. I encourage you to join me and give thanks by purchasing products from the Something Special from Wisconsin program. Whether it’s hand-crafted cheese or malted milk powder, giving a Uniquely Wisconsin gift is a wonderful way to say thanks. Find the perfect product at www.somethingspecialwi.com.
‘12 Case IH 315, 203 hrs, Autoguide $173,000 (OC)
FALL TILLAGE
CIH 4300 field Cult, 3 bar ....................................................................... $16,000 ’06 NH ST250, 33.5’, 4 ba ...................................................................... $20,500 ’98 DMI 730B, 10” pts, 6 shank .....................................................$12,700 (OC) ’10 CIH 870-18’, 7” pts, 9 shank ............................................................ $53,500 ’12 JM TF212-34’, torsion flex, low usage, dbl. basket .............................$9,975 Sun 1434-21 disk, 21’ cush gang .......................................................... $25,500 CIH 3950-29 disk, 29’ 3”, 3 bar, shedded .............................................. $15,700 ‘08 CIH RMX 340 disk, 25’ 9”, 3 bar ...................................................... $25,900 ’04 CIH RMX370, 34’9”.......................................................................... $32,400
TRACTORS
‘12 CIH 600 QT Stieger, 1350 hrs., luxury cab, guidance, 6 remotes ...$276,500 ‘12 CIH 315, 181 hrs., auto guide, wgts.....................................$173,000 (OC) ‘06 CIH 305 Magnum, 3350 hrs., leather interior, remote mirrors...... $102,900 ‘10 CIH 260 Magnum, 1375 hrs., deluxe cab, 4 rmts, guidance ready $141,600 ‘08 CIH 215 Magnum,3412 hrs., MFD, 3 remotes ....................$87,500 (OC) ‘05 CIH MXU135, 6,630 hrs, 115 PTO ................................................... $53,800 ‘00 CIH MX200 Magnum, 7,060 hrs, MFD, 4 hyd. remotes ................... $52,500 ‘06 CIH MX305, 2704 hrs., luxury interior, susp. frt. axle, 4 remotes .... $96,500 ‘87 CIH 585, 540 PTO, 2 remotes, 8F-4R trans .........................................$8,900 ‘77 IH 1086, 8,195 hrs, 540/1000 PTO .....................................................$9,400 ‘11 NH T7.210, 2,000 hrs., loader, elec. J/S, nice ................................$102,000 ‘14 Kubota MX5100, 1360 hrs., 3 spd., hydro, ROPS, MFD ............... $17,500 ‘13 Kubota L4240, 1050 hrs., cab, hydro, loader ......................... $28,500 (OC)
Town & Country IMPLEMENT
‘14 NH L225, 360 hrs, Dlx cab w/heat & AC $33,900
Kubota L3540, 965 hrs., open station, loader ........................................ $19,800
SKIDLOADERS
‘15 NH C232, 630 hrs, C/H/AC ............................................................... $45,800 ‘13 NH L230, 1705 hrs., C&H, AC, HMP, 2 spd., air seat, perf. pkg. ...... $34,900 ‘11 NH L230, 1825 hrs., C&H, AC, HMP, 2 spd., perf. pkg ..................... $31,500 ‘15 NH L228, 287 hrs, cab w/ heat......................................................... $35,400 ‘15 NH L228, 275 hrs, C/H/AC ............................................................... $37,650 ‘15 NH L228, 285 hrs, C/H/AC ............................................................... $36,250 ‘15 NH L228, 290 hrs, C/H/AC ............................................................... $37,650 ‘12 NH L225, 880 hrs, C/H/AC ............................................................... $32,400 ‘14 NH L225, 315 hrs., C&H, AC, HMP, 2 spd., turn signals ............... $36,300 ‘14 NH L225, 280 hrs., C&H, AC, HMP, 2 spd ........................................ $36,700 ‘12 NH L225, 615 hrs., C&H, AC, HMP, 2 spd ........................................ $34,400 ‘‘12 NH L225, 1125 hrs., C&H, AC, 2 spd., HMP, air seat, radio, debris kit ... $31,900 ‘10 JD 323D, 1,390 hrs, C/H/AC............................................................. $32,900 ‘01 Case 1840, 3,495 hrs, Open ROPS, Quick Tach ..................................$9,800 ‘12 Case SV250, 1047 hrs., C&H, HMP, 2 spd., air susp. seat ..... $30,500 (OC) ‘12 Case SV250, 1039 hrs., C&H, AC, 2 spd., HMP, air seat, radio ........ $31,900
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016 • Page 29
ANDERSON HYBRID
Round and square bale wrapper
$16,900
CALL US AT
(715) 223-3361 OR VISIT US ON-LINE AT
N13835 County Rd. E - Curtiss, WI 54422
www.cloverdaleequip.com
THEY ALWAYS WORK WITHIN OUR BUSY SCHEDULE
Roger Roerick (far right) and his sons Craig and Stephen Installed Mueller tank and robotic interface
“We have been working with Jon and Centre Dairy for about Àve years now. Jon and his crew are very knowledgeable and their service is great. We have around 180 milk cows and have faith that our barns and robotic equipment are performing the way they should. They always work within our busy schedule and we hope to continue to grow our operation with them.” HiPerForm® III with Robotic Interface Control The all-new Mueller HiPerForm III coupled with the Robotic Interface Control is designed to retro Àt almost any refrigeration and cleaning control on the market while allowing the user to communicate with a robot. With crosscompatibility, the HiPerForm III is able to pair with both Mueller and non-Mueller branded coolers. HiPerForm III interlaces with robotic milking machines for remote start of cooling and wash functions with the Robotic Interface Control.
UTVS
‘13 Kubota 1100, 300 hrs., cab w/heat & AC, hydrostat, nice ..............$16,995 ‘11 Kubota 1100, 1398 hrs., cab w/heat, AC, alloy wheels, nice ............ $13,900 ‘14 JD 855D recreational vehicle...............................................................$8,950
Rock Valley, IA (712) 476-2731 • Orange City, IA (712)737-4874 www.townandcountryimpl.com
Jon Stein 320-352-5762 • 1-800-342-2697 Henning Area 218-849-0211
DAIRY EQUIPMENT CENTRE AND SUPPLY INC.
40625 State Hwy. 28 • Just West of Hwy. 71 • Sauk Centre, MN
A simple word with heavy weight Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016
Our: The three letters in this simple word contain Keith that, well, I’m pretty sure it’s his, too. The boys such heavy weight; it is incredible. When you are rst don’t feel ownership towards this unseen creature dating, you wait to hear your new friend use this word until they can hold it in their arms. Then it’s more in conversation, knowing it means that the relationship real to them, and they feel they can attach a different is moving along in the desired direction. When you pronoun. They also act differently when it becomes are married, many things someone they feel they have a deep connection to. I think become our – our house, our The use off the h word d our and d now, despite their watchnances, our wedding gifts Th (though in truth I remem- the feelings and attitudes that ing my stomach bounce and feeling kicks, they don’t ber Keith being sure all the come with it is something have the same attachment I wedding gifts were really for me, all except the shop that has to come from within. do. We are hoping that Henry especially will use the vacuum and the grill; those words “my” or “our” sooner were his). Often times these than later – that he will adore the baby enough not to “ours” turn into having our baby. In our house, it is usually referred to as my baby throw it across the room. It’s a valid concern with our – as in mine – the person carrying this child. I think temperamental 3-year-old. So, I’m working to remind it’s always been that way; I have to stop and remind him that the baby will be his, ours, not just mine.
USED EQUIPMENT ON HAND
NHTG285 4WD, Suspended Axle, Good Tires - $38,500
Case IH MX285 7,780 Hrs, 3 Hyd Remotes, 1000 PTO, Front & Rear Duals - $65,000
CIH 8950, 4 Wheel Drive, 4 Remotes, Rear Tires 50%, Fronts 95% - $58,000
New Holland T4040, 70 HP 540X1000 PTO, Shuttle, Only 2377 Hours, 4WD w/Ldr - $38,500
Bobcat S530, 2 Speed, Mechanical Hand & Foot, Cab With Heat, New Tires - $20,500
Case 420 CT Track Loader, Hand Controls, With Bucket $18,500
Claas 280 Roto-Cut, Net & Twine, 4X6 Bale, 82” Pick-Up - $12,500
John Deere 566, 4X6 Bale, Twine & Net, 540 PTO - $8,995
Case IH WDX 2302 S/P, Cab & Axle Suspension, 18 Ft. Cut, Steel Rolls - $64,000
CaSe IH 8312, 12 Ft Hydro Swing Discbine, Rubber On Steel Rolls - $7,995
NH FP230 Chopper, Metal Alert III, NH Processor, Tandem Axle - $18,000
NH FP240, 2013, Metal, Processor, 29P Hay Head, Excellent Condition! $53,995
GeHl 20 Ft, Front & Rear Unload, On Gehl 410 Wagon, Truck Tires - $10,500
Meyer 4516, Front Unload, Variable Speed, On Meyer 1200 Tandem Gear, 12.5X15 tires - $10,500
Calumet 3750 Vacuum Tank, PTO Pump, Rear Discharge $21,500
Calumet 3250 Manure Tank, New Steel Painted Tank, 540 PTO - $12,995
JD 235, 25’ Rock-Flex Disk, Tandem Axle, Scrapers $8,995
Dunham 15 Ft. CultImulcher, Crowfoot- Front, Notched Rear, C Shank Teeth - $7,000
Derco 220 Power Box with 24” ext. on H&S 412 gear, 320 bushel - $4,995
J&M 1000-Bushel Grain Cart with tarp, PTO drive, w/scale $25,500
“Models * Years and Hours Shown on All Equipment are Estimated”
This is just a small portion of our used inventory. Visit our website
www.swiderskiequipment.com/thorp to view the complete list.
715.669.5255 • THORP, WI
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Box 530 • 201 S Financial St., Thorp, WI 54771 • Doosan • Kioti • New Holland • H&S • Meyer • Meyer’s • Kelly Ryan • Agco (Hwy. 29, North on 73 5 Blocks to Cty X, East 1/2 Mile) • Hesston • Haybuster • Brillion • Agco Massey • Sunflower • Leon • Loyal • Woods
On our farm, I notice how people talk about the farm constantly. If it is just a job, something they come and do daily for a paycheck, the word our Ramblings from the Ridge is never uttered. Whether this is a conscious thing or something they really don’t feel, it seems to make a difference. The level of commitment is entirely different. You can see it in their actions; the way they go about their daily routine, the speed at which they punch out. However, at the same By Jacqui Davison time, I notice how the Columnist use of the word our transforms employees. They seem to have a wholehearted interest in the farm. Not merely its daily goings on, but truly its future and their future with it. I remember noticing how the word our had entered Melanie’s vocabulary after she started back on the farm after college. Just by her using that word, I knew she would work harder, learn more and have a better input on problem-solving. She would talk about how our cows would look great if we … or, our calves need to be fed good colostrum, don’t they understand? I knew she always had the animals’ interest at heart when considering options, over and above a paycheck. Sometimes she ends up lling in in the parlor for a no-show employee, and although not her favorite thing, she understands the bigger picture. She will go through the extra effort to IV a down cow, or give uids to a calf that doesn’t look quite right. Melanie takes interest in the breeding program, and always has ideas of what we can do to make our farm produce even more amazing cows. Just like trying to teach people to take initiative on projects, you can’t force the word our down their throat and expect them to regurgitate it. I believe it’s something they have to feel. They have to feel like their thoughts, ideas and work is respected, valued and above all – appreciated. Often times, despite trying to do this with your employees, some don’t see their input being correlated to the output on the farm. It’s hard to teach them that if they do a good job with the cows, the cows will be healthier, produce more, and everyone is happier. Even more difcult than that is trying to nd employees who are willing to treat your animals with the quality of care you expect and go the extra mile (or hour) to take care of them when duty calls. I offer no silver-bullet approach to nding great employees; it is a constant struggle on our farm, and that of most farms I know. I know Peter does his very best to make sure all feel very valued, and that their thoughts and ideas are all of importance. Sometimes this doesn’t matter in the end. The use of the word our and the feelings and attitudes that come with it is something that has to come from within. I know it is far easier discussing future farm plans with the people that see their future directly tied into the farm. Jacqui, her dad, sister, and brothers milk 550 cows and run 1,000 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wis. Her children – Ira (10), Dane (7) and Henry (3) – farm with her while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. She loves to cook, quilt and garden and wishes there were more hours in the day to get it all in. Farming and teaching others about farming are her passions.
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A Christmas cookie baking tradition
Amid the preparations of corn casserole, stufng, squash and turkey for Thanksgiving, I was able to spend time helping Dad in the barn over my extended stay at home. While feeding calves the morning of Nov. 23, I couldn’t help but hear the song “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” playing on the radio. As soon as I heard it, I knew the Christmas season was in full swing. Although most of our family’s Christmas traditions revolve around getting a real Christmas tree together, spending a day turning our house into a Christmas wonderland, exchanging Christmas lists to buy just the right gift for everyone, attending the candlelight service on Christmas Eve and waiting until morning chores are done to open Christmas gifts, we have several others which revolve around food. We give cheese and butter as gifts for my aunts and uncles and eat our traditional shrimp dinner on Christmas Eve and apple cranberry dumplings on Christmas By Missy Mussman Staff Writer Day. But one of my favorite traditions is spending time each year getting together as family to bake our favorite Christmas cookies. Being the dairy farmers we are, Mom would always call our milk truck driver to place a special order of butter before cookie baking day so we would have enough on hand; unless it was a year Kristy, Kelsey or I had scraps from our butterheads. When we were younger, my aunts and grandmothers would come to our house. We would start baking cookies at 9:30 in the morning and not nish until the evening hours with Dad and Grandpa Mussman popping in throughout the day to be our ofcial taste testers for all the cookies. By the end of the day, we’d have so many cookies, consisting of snowballs, turtles, fudge, molasses, chocolate crinkle, Christmas wreaths, Reeses Peanut Butter Cup, Oreo trufe, almond bark covered pretzels and our family’s favorites: peanut butter blossoms, cut out butter cookies and raspberry almond thumbprints, that each family would have at least three containers full of cookies to take home. Although we ate the majority of our cookies from the bake day, we put a plate together to give to our milk truck driver on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, depending on when he was due to stop. Even though we still get together as family to bake our traditional Christmas cookies, our group of bakers has gotten smaller than it once was. Now, it’s just my sisters, my mom and I. Last year, we spent the day as we always did with our smaller baking group and my little nephew, James, who was 1 year and 3 months old at the time. We made turtles per Kelsey’s request and our traditional peanut butter blossoms, cut out butter cookies and raspberry almond thumbprints with Dad fullling his taste testing duty. Kelsey took charge of the turtle cookies and Kristy and Mom tackled the peanut butter blossoms while I made the raspberry almond thumbprints. Things were moving along smoothly and it was time to dig into the cut out cookies. When it comes to the cut outs, I try to make sure certain cookie cutters are used and I am usually put in charge of decorating the cookies. However, Kelsey and Kristy claimed the job last year as I was helping Mom nish the peanut butter blossom cookies. It was a hard job to let go of because I try to make the cookies look as pretty as I can and get very detailed in my frosting to give it a real-like quality. My sister, Kristy tried to accomplish that, but Kelsey did her own thing. I tried to hide the wince when I looked at the cookies that didn’t look as detailed as mine would’ve been. But Kelsey knew what I was thinking. So, she started making the Santa cookies look grumpy, and used colors that didn’t t what the cookie was supposed to be. As luck would have it, Mom laughingly told Kelsey she had to take home all of her uniquely decorated cookies. Even James tried his hand at baking some cookies at his young age, which mainly included dipping his hand in the warm chocolate of the peanut butter blossoms and getting it all over his face and clothes. Although the group isn’t as big anymore and the number of cookies we make isn’t as many, the memories we made those days of baking, spending time and laughing with family on the farm were the memories that made and continue to make Christmas not only a time of year with delicious foods and treats, but also one of the most magical times of year.
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Call before you dig Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016
We have all heard the ads on the radio in Minnesota to call Gopher State One Call before doing any kind of excavation work, especially in road right of ways or around buildings. I have even heard their ad telling homeowners to call before planting owers. I’m not sure what it’s called in other states, like Hawkeye 1 or Corn Husker 1, but I’m sure there are similar rules. We are in the process of expanding our dairy by adding a large lean-to on the south side of our original barn. The old and new parts will both be tunnel ventilated and the process requires a new main electrical service. We also replaced our generator set with a bigger unit and put a new larger transformer closer to the road to help eliminate stray voltage. To do all this required underground wire installation in a busy area close to our existing utility room. What could possibly go wrong? Of course Gopher State One Call was
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phase, four wire conduit dead center, broke the plastic conduit, and wrapped the inch diameter wires around itself pulling the wires out of the main panel 100 feet away. Fortunately for the auger operator, the three largest fuses at the whole dairy blew in- Making Cents of Dairy stantly and no one was hurt. It was a warm harvest day when this happened, and not the call I wanted, getting me off a nice combine to face a completely shut down dairy and 1,000 cows in a cross-ventilated barn with no fans running. The electrician, his assistant, Corey, and I By Dave Vander Kooi gured out what to do. Columnist By replacing the fuses, and isolating off the north barn, we could resume milking within a short time. We also opened all the feed alley doors manually to provide air movement. Then we pulled new wires into the panel, splicing them to where they broke underground. Three hours later, we had everything together and running. The barn stayed quite comfortable thanks to it being a windy day. The next project on the list was getting underground wire from the new transformer to the new service next to the generator pad. Joe, the electrician, and I agreed to hire a boring machine so we could go deep and not hit anything. We now knew exactly where the existing underground wiring was in the area, and all that was left was the 4-inch main water line coming from my well to the dairy. This water line was installed 16 years ago. So, simple math says a normal water line buried at 6 feet plus a generous allowance for ll of 3 feet places the water line at 8 to 9 feet deep. Now if we tell the boring machine people to go 12 feet deep we are safe, right? Wrong. Again came the dreaded cell phone call of high pressure water spraying out of the boring head. This emergency called for all hands on deck. The boring company had a backhoe on sight, so we started digging at the spot of carnage. We soon realized we needed to bring in a bigger track hoe to safely excavate 13 feet and step down the hole so it wouldn’t cave in. The contractor who brought the track hoe does a lot of city water main repairs, so he knew where to source some repair ttings for us. I had to shut the well down immediately, so the only water available for the cows was a small rural water line we have for backup. The only reasonable explanation we could come up with why the main water line was so deep is the original barn plumber told the water line installer to go deeper in that area so the smaller water lines installed later would not damage the main line. After the break, the boring guy said he should have shoved a tracer wire into the water line to nd the depth; now he tells us. We would have been better off trenching in the electrical at 2 feet, and we wouldn’t have hit anything. Fortunately, we got everything patched up by the afternoon, and the cows were only out of water for an hour. The contractors helping us were very good, and we appreciated that. Maybe in badger land things like this don’t happen because they almost always are better than the gophers. Vander Kooi operates a 1,200-cow, 3,000 acre farm with his son, Joe, and daughter-in-law, Rita, near Worthington, Minn. Send him feedback at davevkooi@ icloud.com.
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Focus on genetics pays off Let me tell you about Spring. (I know we’d all like to think about Spring, the season, but I’m talking about Spring, the cow.) Spring is one of our young Holstein cows. If you walked through our herd, you might not notice her at rst. She has classic black-and-white Holstein markings. She’s moderately sized – maybe a little on the short side. She has very correct conformation and a great udder. Spring doesn’t stand out in our herd health records either – and that’s a good thing. She’s a trouble-free cow that breeds back right away and hasn’t had any health issues. Where Spring really shines, though, is in our Dairy Good Life production records. On our last DHIA test, with the cows still on pasture, Spring led our herd in components with 6.2 percent butterfat and 3.9 percent protein. Spring’s numbers were even better than our Jerseys’ numbers. Why am I telling you about Spring? Because she’s the perfect example of what happens when dairy farmers focus on genetics. For the past 10 years, Glen has very diligently researched and selected the sires we use on our farm. He also very carefully matches them with our cows to produce the best possible offspring. By Sadie Frericks He does so with a specic goal in mind: Increasing our herd’s production and components through Columnist strong, balanced cows. If you ask Glen, he will tell you that mating dairy cattle is as much an art as it is a science. But he has some stringent criteria that he doesn’t waver from. He only uses bulls that have positive percentages for components and will increase milk production. He only selects bulls that have two points on udder composite and two points on foot and leg composite. He ignores all of the highly-publicized, formula-based indexes. We use young sires almost exclusively, so there is some trial and error involved. Mostly, though, we’ve had success because part of Glen’s research involves looking back through each bull’s pedigree and evalWe b W breed d our cows ffor h health l h uating cow families, so there are no surprises in offspring. and production, not for the This pedigree research also show ring. helps us avoid inbreeding. The other thing I should mention is our cows are all grade. I know from past comments that a lot of people assume our cows are registered because they all have names and our kids show them. We breed our cows for health and production, not for the show ring. Thankfully, though, when you breed for correct conformation, you end up with heifers and cows pretty enough to do all right in the show ring. But looking good in the show ring doesn’t contribute to our farm’s success, so those pretty cows also need to produce high-value milk. Why wouldn’t you notice Spring if you walked through our herd? Because the majority of our cows have the same correct conformation, great udders and moderate size. And the majority of them are milking just as well. In the past 10 years, we have improved our butterfat and protein production by 1 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively, even with summer grazing. Our dairy’s rolling herd average has increased 10,000 pounds (although part of that can be attributed to advances in nutrition, fresh cow transition and management changes). These kinds of improvements contribute greatly to our farm’s success. Regardless of whether you milk registered cattle or grade cattle, focusing on your herd’s genetics can pay off. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 75 cows near Melrose, Minn. They have three children – Dan, 9, Monika, 6, and Daphne, 3. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at gsfrericks@meltel.net.
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If it’s broken, x it Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016
One can learn a lot of things from dairy farmers. of animals within. It had two rows of stanchions with One thing: if it’s broken, x it. Some of you may re- cows facing inward, head to head. The alley behind member the Hoard’s Dairyman columnist, Dr. John the small gutter at the back of the cows was only a McCormack, who wrote about veterinary practice in couple feet wide, so one had to slink along the back Georgia in the 1960s and ‘70s. He wrote a wall if there was an ornery cow or one column about a fellow with a rickety barn Veterinary Wisdom with a lthy tail. A collection of newwho called for Dr. McCormick to examine borns, weaned calves and some yearlings and treat a cow for ketosis. When he arwere tied along the back wall and center rived, there was only one cow in the barn, alley with twine strings, which made it and the farmer was not around. She was even more difcult to navigate through loose in a pen, so he put a halter on her the facility. They all had horns, too, makand tied her to the only thing that looked ing it even more interesting, but that is the secure, which was a post in the corner. subject of another story. In short, it was She did not appreciate being tied up, and wall to wall cattle. There were quite a few made the doctor’s job more difcult by holes and cracks in the walls, which was her antics. Nevertheless, he did manage good because the air quality was atroto get her treated. In her continued thrashcious. I used to nd a lot of reasons to go ing, though, she managed to pull the post out to the truck to get something imporBy Jim Bennett from its moorings. When Dr. McCormick tant, when in reality, I just needed oxyColumnist heard some cracking noises, worried for gen. Amazingly the beasts inside were his safety, he ran for the door. With loud always pretty healthy. I also made a point bangs, crashes and a lot of dust, the barn came tum- to never park too close to the barn just in case it was bling down around the cow. She seemed stunned, but to fall over in the direction of my vehicle. I remember otherwise unhurt. A few days later, the farmer told him joking with the farmer that his barn was just like the the cow was doing ne, but there must have been a (now demolished) Metrodome in Minneapolis in that storm that day because his barn had collapsed. it was held up by air, except the air came from expirOur practice had a client with a similarly rickety ing and burping bovines instead of big fans, and that barn. The most amazing thing about it was the density if he ever let them all outside at once, the barn would
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fall down just like the dome when it ran out of air. Sure enough, a few years later he built a new, small tiestall barn and one day, a few weeks later, the old barn fell down. Most clients are much better about xing things. One said he xes things out of respect for his employees. People need to feel valued and to be part of the team. Another client told me he does not expect employees to work with broken stuff because they most likely will not get the job done the way he expects otherwise. On my veterinary calls, I have often seen farm employees struggle to get their jobs done when things are not repaired: broken lock ups, gates, lights, chains, freestalls, doors and even milking equipment. Remarkably, the employees seem to be able to get things done, but I am pretty sure the farmer is right; things do not get done the way you expect. What I notice is things get done, but they take a whole lot longer and often with considerably more stress for the people and animals involved. Another farmer told me his secret is to ask employees about what needs xing on a regular basis, and not to scream at anyone when they report damage. He also said one needs to walk around the farm looking for things needing repair, because many employees will still choose not to report damage. A client with no employees told me if everything is not working properly on his farm he cannot get his work done. He has a calving pen with a homemade lock up and an attached rope that made it easy for him to lock up a calving cow. If he had the choice of chasing a calving cow around the pen with a rope or doing nothing, he would most often choose to leave her alone, and once in a while would miss a severe case of dystocia as a result. Years ago, a professor told me if it has been on the farm for 20 years or more, it is probably worn out. While this is perhaps often true, dairy farmers have shown me that most things will last a long time if maintained and repaired on a regular basis and doing so makes their farms more productive. Jim Bennett is a dairy veterinarian at Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center in Plainview, Minn. He and his wife, Pam, have four children. Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@gmail.com with comments or questions.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016 • Page 35
Cows and crustaceans Larry said, even though shrimp are a niche product, people aren’t rushing to get into the industry. “It’s too new right now,” he said. “The shrimp industry is so new that there isn’t any ofcial By Brittany Olson organic certication either, and brittany.o@dairystar.com we raise our shrimp without antibiotics or hormones.” WEYERHAEUSER, Wis. Adding to the appeal of the – One of the most challenging aquatic organisms was the fact aspects of dairying is a lack of that 85 percent of shrimp eaten control over day-to-day circum- in the United States are importstances. ed from other countries, mostly That, and the idea of raising in southeast Asia. something different, drove dairy “Most imported shrimp are farmers Larry and Laurie Fortu- raised in cesspools, and they na of Weyerhaeuser, Wis., to try aren’t regulated as well,” Laurie adding another kind of creature said. on their 225-cow dairy – shrimp. After reading an article “We got our rst batch of about raising shrimp, and decidshrimp in March,” Larry said. ing whether or not to go ahead Laurie spoke of how ap- with their venture, Larry and pealing it was to have some- Laurie began networking with thing different, especially with other shrimp growers across the being able to control their new Upper Midwest. “We agreed to pay a grower a oneyear consultancy fee so they could answer any questions we have during our rst year,” Larry said. “Then, maybe next year when LAURIE FORTUNA, DAIRY PRODUCER someone new gets into shrimp, we can get that fee back as they turn to animals’ environment, and the versatility of shrimp in many us.” Laurie said learning from styles of cooking. Then, she said, “Everybody others was invaluable. “It’s like dairy farming. You loves shrimp.” learn more from others in the
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“It’s like dairy farming. You learn more from others in the industry than from a book ... ”
BRITTANY OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Laurie and Larry Fortuna started raising shrimp in March. They milk 225 cows near Weyerhaeuser, Wis. industry than from a book even though we all do it a little differently,” she said. The location of their new business loomed large, as well. “We went back and forth on where to house the shrimp because a lot of people build pools in old barns. However, we wanted to maintain a consistent environment for the shrimp because the water has to be 82 degrees or higher at all times, so we built a
Since the rst group of postnew shed on our farm,” Laurie said. larvae shrimp arrived in March, It took some convincing at the Fortunas have since raised the bank because their lender three batches, each containing hadn’t received such a request 30,000 shrimp. before, and then in order to cash “We order from a hatchery ow, the Fortunas had to go big- in Florida, and they are shipped ger than originally planned. Af- overnight in a Styrofoam conter the papers were signed for tainer,” Laurie said. “When we the loan, North Country Shrimp get them, they’re about the size was spawned, 20 pools were in- of eyelashes.” stalled and a Facebook page was Turn to FORTUNAS | Page 37 built.
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016
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Dawn Windle Withee, Wis. Taylor County 47 cows Family: Husband, Dave; children Kyle Windle, Craig Windle and Jessica Davis. Tell us about your farm. We moved here in 1991 from Pennsylvania with 20 cows and 20 heifers. We built ourselves up from that. We love it here; it’s quieter and land is less expensive. We looked at farms in New York and central Penn., before we found out about this farm in the paper. This farm, with the house, buildings and 393 acres and another 160 in Clark County was the perfect place for us to call home. What’s the busiest time of day for you? I could easily say all day because there never seems to be enough hours in the day. But, honestly, mornings are the busiest. I’m a morning person, so that is the time I am able to do morning chores while also catching up on the things left over from the day before. When you get a spare moment what do you do? I am a quilter. I love to make quilts. It takes a lot of time to complete, but when I get the time, I love to work on them. ©2016 Badgerland Financial, ACA. NMLS ID 458065.
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Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. Being able to watch my grandchildren help. My rst grandchild comes out and feeds calves, carries buckets and rides along in the eld. It’s neat to watch. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I love my Red and White Holsteins. I love showing them. We usually go to three or four different shows a year, depending on what our schedules are like, and I really enjoy ufng them up and hoping they will do well. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? I have a good friend that I talk to often. Otherwise, I have a Facebook prole so staying active in groups such as Dairy Girl Network and The Milkhouse help to keep us all connected. 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 think it is important for women to carry on the tradition of dairying and to hopefully teach their children about the dairy industry. I’ve seen this change quite a bit over the years, as now there are women who run farms while their husbands work off the farm, while also raising children. To the women who not only do what I do, but do it on their own: kudos to you. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? Rather than a celebrity or one person in particular, I would want to give a tour to Facebook activists. I would want to share with them that animals are well kept and taken care of. They don’t want to hear what I have to say in response over Facebook, so I would love to show them my farm and help change their perceptions. What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? After 33 years of marriage, Dave and I nally took a trip to Alaska. We went on the bus tour with Bob Bosold from the radio station WAXX 104.5. There were so many beautiful places we got to see, but my favorite was the Denali National Forest. It was incredible. What are some words you like to live by? “You get farther in life with sugar than you do with vinegar.” Being sweeter will get you farther in life than you would with a bitter or sour attitude.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016 • Page 37
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BRITTANY OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Larry Fortuna holds a shrimp in the palm of his hand to check the size of the shrimp in that pool. Post-larvae, or PLs as they’re referred to at North Country Shrimp, must be acclimated to their new environment much like goldsh. “We set them in the pool while they’re still in the bag they came in, then slowly add a little water from the pool every 10 to 15 minutes,” Larry said. The baby shrimp live in nursery tanks for the rst 5 or 6 weeks of life before moving to grower tanks, where they’ll stay until being harvested at about 4 to 5 months old. The Fortunas didn’t have any shrimp ready to sell until Labor Day weekend – and after that, they almost sold out. The differences between their shrimp and their cows have made for an intriguing learning experience for Larry and Laurie. “Shrimp are very efcient compared to other food animals,” Larry said. “It takes 1.3 pounds of feed to make one pound of shrimp.” While the shrimp do receive feed three times a day, they are bottom feeders in the wild. Through a process called heterotrophic biooc, good bacteria are built up in each individual pool. The biooc feeds on waste excreted by the shrimp, as well as any shells that have been shed, and the shrimp feed on the biooc in return. “While we do feed our shrimp, we’re feeding the water even more,” Larry said. At the beginning, the survival rate is low as growers try to cultivate the right balance of bacteria, pH and nutrients within the water. As time goes on and the water contents reach their proper levels, less shrimp die. “We test water once a day. If our pH is low, we add bicarbonate to the water to raise the alkalinity, and if our nitrites
are high it means we fed too much, so we have to cut back on our feed,” Larry said. “Shrimp are different than cattle. If you have 10 heifers and sell two, but still feed like you have 10 heifers, then that feed will go uneaten. With water, that excess feed will oat around, raise nitrite levels and depress oxygen levels.” Other than feeding three times a day, and milking three times a day, the shrimp schedule and the cows’ time demands haven’t clashed much – except for one day. “It was my nephew’s graduation day, and we missed one feeding,” Laurie said. A unique characteristic of shrimp is when they are startled, or very hungry, they jump. They can reach heights of six to eight feet. “The next morning … there were dead shrimp all over the oor. Our shed uses geothermal heating, so the oors dried them out faster when they hit the ground,” Laurie said. Because shrimp jump when startled, a backup generator is needed to keep the lights on at all times. A generator is also necessary to maintain oxygen levels within the water and keep the geothermal pumps circulating for heat. “If the lights so much as icker, there will be shrimp on the oor,” Larry said. If all goes well, the Fortunas hope their shrimp business grows to the point that they can slowly phase out of dairy farming. “At least that’s the ve-year plan,” Larry said. Until that decision is made, these two lifelong dairy farmers are having fun with their new creatures. “It’s been a learning experience,” Laurie said. “That’s for sure.”
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BRITTANY OLSON/DAIRY STAR
The Fortunas raise shrimp in 20 pools inside a geothermally heated shed on their dairy farm near Weyerhaeuser, Wis.
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Doug and Holly Getschel Brett, 24, Cody, 22, Mykayla, 21, Kristi, 16 Osceola, Wis. Polk County 60 cows
What is your favorite thing to do on the farm? Doug likes everything, but especially putting up and feeding high quality forages and grains. Holly likes all the animals. Brett enjoys the machinery and eldwork, whereas Cody is into the cows and genetics. Mykayla likes to operate equipment when she is home from college and Kristi likes her horses.
How did you get into farming? We are the fourth generation to farm and are starting to plan for transition to the next generation. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? Like all farmers, we are concerned with low milk prices. However, the regulations being imposed on dairy farmers are our major concern. Changes in tail docking, manure storage and application, and the advent of the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) will cause alterations in management, coming at a cost to the farmer. Unlike some other businesses, it is difcult for dairy farmers to pass on these extra expenses. This may further reduce already tight margins. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? We enjoy working closely with our children and the opportunity it presents to instill solid values in them. They have learned the value of hard work, that life isn’t always fair, and that your word and a handshake are as good as a signature. As the kids have grown, we’ve had the chance to meet many others in the industry with similar thoughts and values. What advice would you give to other farmers? Our advice would be to surround yourself with a knowledgeable team including your veterinarian,
What is your favorite dairy product? We all enjoy ice cream while Ellsworth cheese curds are a close second. What is your favorite tool? Our favorite tools are the cordless ones. We can easily take them anywhere they need to go to get the job done.
agronomist and nutritionist. Utilize the expertise of your friends and neighbors because there is no such thing as too much good information.
What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? Raising a family and passing on the values we believe in. We have watched the kids grow and become ne What has been the best pur- young adults. We are very chase you’ve ever made on proud of them. your farm? The Polaris Ranger has been most useful for the What are your plans for your whole family. It has helped dairy in the next ve years? with everything from picking In the future, we would like to rocks to moving equipment to expand and bring both boys teaching the kids to drive. back to the farm. Brett is al-
If you could add one thing to your farm regardless of price, what would it be? We would build a new facility with a robotic milking system. We need to make a change to our current system to improve cow comfort. This would allow us to expand and specialize to use our labor more efciently. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? We very much enjoy sitting around the table eating and talking over a home cooked meal. In the wintertime, we enjoy watching shows on Netix at night after milking.
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 10, 2016
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Fuller's Milker Center, Inc. Lancaster, WI • 800-887-4634 www.fullersmilkercenter.com Hobert Sales Inc. Cokato, MN • 320-286-6284 Leedstone Melrose, MN 320-256-3303 • 800-996-3303 Glencoe, MN 320-864-5575 • 877-864-5575 www.leedstone.com
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Preston Dairy Equipment, Inc. Sparta, Wisconsin 608-269-3830 • 888-863-0227 www.prestonde.com Sioux Dairy Equipment, Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-5608 • 800-962-4346 Colton, SD Service 800-944-1217 Edgerton, MN Chemical Sales 507-920-8626