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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 19, No. 24
February 10, 2018
“Every year, we set a goal, and this is where we wanted to be at this time – we reached it.” – Bill Kurth
Kurths purchase neighboring farm, expand herd
Working smarter
By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
COSMOS, Minn. – Dairy farming is different for the Kurths these days, and in a good way. After spending the better half of their 10-year career milking cows in a tiestall barn, the couple now uses a parlor. “When we started farming, we made goals for the farm. The entire purpose of this purchase is to work smarter, not harder,” Bill Kurth said. Bill and his wife, Leah, purchased a farm site located a few miles south of their home near Cosmos, Minn. on Sept. 29, 2017. The site includes a 180-stall freestall barn and a double-8 herringbone parlor, built in 2000.
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Bill and Leah Kurth recently purchased a farm site located near their home in Cosmos, Minn. The site includes a freestall barn and parlor for their herd of 105 milking cows.
A short ve weeks later, the Kurths relocated their 105cow milking herd to the farm site. With the purchase of newer facilities, the Kurths then transformed their 26-stall tiestall barn into a calf barn for youngstock, pre- and postweaned. “This is a better change for our herd and us. It’s been a win-win … but it’s different,” Bill said. As Leah milks the herd twice daily, Bill scrapes the pens and brings cows into the holding area. In two hours’ time, the couple is completed with milking, and they have time to complete other on-farm responsibilities and spend time with their children – Larkun, 11, Livia, 7, and Briecyn, 4. Larkun also helps Leah milk in the evenings when he returns from school. Turn to KURTHS | Page 5
Football, farmers and a fun time
LOL Farm Bowl highlights opportunities in agriculture By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs walked away from this year’s football season with a trophy, although it may not have been the one he had in mind. Diggs and California dairyman J.J. Nunes were deemed the 2018 Land O’Lakes Farm Bowl champions, after competing in a series of events that tested their athletic ability and knowledge of farming, at 3M Arena at Mariucci at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis Feb. 1. The duo, coined Team Brooders, received the coveted Farm Bowl Trophy and bragging rights for the year. “That was a lot harder than I thought and a good off-season workout for me. I couldn’t have done it without [Nunes],” Diggs
said. The event coincided with the 52nd Super Bowl game, and was designed to educate the public on the importance of farming in a community, as well as inspire youth to consider a career in modern agriculture. Six teams paired up against each other in a friendly competition to complete various tasks that loosely resembled responsibilities often found on today’s farms. The teams included the Huskers of Wisconsin dairy farmer Amber Horn-Leiterman and former NFL wide receiver Greg Jennings; the Mustangs of Maryland dairy farmer Katie Dotterer-Pyle and former NFL running back Jerome Bettis; the Stallions of California dairy farmer Dave Ribeiro and former NFL center
JEFF WEYER/DAIRY STAR
Dairy farmer Craig Roerick (leŌ), of Swanville, Minn., and NFL linebacker Luke Kuechly reach for the buzzer to end their Land O’Lakes Farm Bowl challenge. The Farm Bowl took place Feb. 1 at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
and current farmer Jason Brown; the Holsteins of Minnesota grain farmer Darin Johnson and NFL tight end Kyle Rudolph; the Brooders of Nunes and Diggs; and the Shredders of Minnesota dairy farmer Craig Roerick and NFL linebacker Luke Kuechly. “With this event, it’s all about the camaraderie and relationships we’re able to build,” said Ribeiro of pairing farmers and football players. “Jason and I were just in the back talking about kids, farming and faith – and that’s great. It builds teams.” Ribeiro milks 1,500 cows with his two sons near Tulare, Calif. As the teams made it through the series of timed events – changing a tractor tire, prepping a milk pipeline, navigating a drone over a corn eld, and loading straw bales on to a wagon and proceeding to back it up and park – the crowd roared in support. The audience included Turn to FARM BOWL | Page 6
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofďƒžce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Amanda Thooft 320-352-6303 amanda.t@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Andrea Borgerding - Associate Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Krista Kuzma - Assistant Editor (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Ron Johnson (608) 874-4243 ron.j@dairystar.com Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048 cowlady@centurylink.net Brittany Olson (320) 352-6303 brittany.o@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman (715) 245-6848 danielle.n@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Advertising Sales Main Ofďƒžce: 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 (ofďƒžce) 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 ďƒžnal 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 ofďƒžces. 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 Proďƒžle brought to you by your
Love is in the air this month and can be seen throughout our ďƒžrst February issue – love for farming, spouses and promoting the industry. Anthony and Tiffany Betcher are a young couple with two young children who took over their dairy two years ago. Anthony’s love for dairy couldn’t keep him away from the farm. Read about their journey on pages 10-11 in ďƒžrst section. In this issue’s “From our side of the fenceâ€? feature on pages 15 and 16 in ďƒžrst section, dairy farmers talk about Valentine’s Day – what about their spouse makes them smile, the type of day trip they would take for Valentine’s Day, and what special meals they like to eat in celebration for the holiday of love. The Johnson family showed love for their cousin and star quarterback of The New England Patriots, Tom Brady, during the Super Bowl. Although Brady is now famous across the country for his football athleticism, the Johnsons still know him as a cousin they shared memories with every summer on the farm. Read about the memories on pages 34-35 in ďƒžrst section. Several dairy farmers were able to spread their love for the industry by promoting dairy during events leading up to the Super Bowl. Chris Sukalski and her daughter, Stephanie, along with Charlie and Jessica Yost, worked in the Midwest Dairy booth at The Super Bowl Experience at the Minneapolis Convention Center. On game day, the Metz family served their cheese curds during a tailgating event. Read about their experiences on pages 4 and 6 in third section. Love brought Zeb Johnson and Danielle Belden together, and dairy is a part of that story, including their engagement. The couple, who dairies near Brook Park, Minn., became engaged after Johnson showed Belden a calf with an ear tag that said “Will you marry me?â€? Read about the details of the engagement on pages 3 and 7 in second section. A spark for taking care of goats ignited in McKinsey Gotham’s heart as a young girl, and now it has become reality. The woman began milking goats last summer near New Auburn, Wis. Her story is told on pages 2-3 in third section. – The Dairy Star Editorial Team
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Columnists Ag Insider
Pages 8-9 First Section
Kittson First Section: Pages 34 - 35 Roseau
Marshall
Beltrami
nb or
n nso
McCook Minnehaha
Carver Scott
Lyon
Redwood
Nicollet Brown
Murray
Rock
Nobles
Dakota
r
Sibley
Zumbrota
Betchers experience ups, downs going into third year of full ownership
Rice
Goodhue
First Section: Pages 10 - 11
Wabasha
Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted Jackson
Martin
Faribault
Freeborn
Winona
Fillimore
Mower
Houston
Hutchinson
Turner
Bon Yankton Homme
Lincoln Clay
Union
Lyon
Osceola Dickinson Emmet
Sioux
O’Brien
Clay
Palo Alto
Kossuth
Winnebago
Worth
Mitchell
Cerro Hancock Gordo
Floyd
a
ick
Ch
w sa
Bremer
Plymouth
Zone 1
Howard
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:
Black Hawk
Allamakee
Charles Mix
Moody
Hennepin McLeod
Renville
Yellow Medicine
Wright
Winneshiek
Douglas
Lake
Meeker
Second Section: Pages 8 - 9
Ha
Da
vis
on
Sa
Miner
Kandiyohi
sey
Tra ve
Brookings
n
Kingsbury
Deuel
Isanti
Anoka
Chippewa
Lac Qui Parle
Red Wing
Producers share youngstock-raising management strategies during pane
Washington
Sherburne
Lincoln
Hamlin
Benton
Stearns
Pope
Swift
Codington
Mille Lacs
Morrison
Douglas
Stevens
Grant Clark
First Section: Pages 10 - 11
Pine
go
Roberts
Day
Pages 10 - 11 Second Section
Page 29 Second Section
Big Sto Stone
Second Section: Pages 4 - 5
The “Mielke” Market Weekly
Country Cooking
rse
Posts have seen many changes Marshall during their lifetimes of dairy farming
Carlton
Crow Wing
Todd Grant
Betchers experience ups, downs going into third year of full ownership
Aitkin
isa
Page 33 First Section
Murray
Goodhue
Cass
Ch
The Next Generation
Otter Tail
Wilkin
Veterinary Wisdom
Page 31 First Section
Becker
Clay
Page 30 First Section
First Section: Pages 1, 6 -7
Kanabec
First Section: Page 1, 5
en
om
n Mah
Ra m
Norman
Minneapolis
LOL Farm Bowl highlights opportunities in agriculture
Itasca
Hubbard
Kurths purchase neighboring farm, expand herd
Pipestone
Dear County Agent Guy
Polk
Cosmos
Second Section: Pages 3, 7
St. Louis
Red Lake
Page 27 First Section
Third Section: Pages 12 - 13
Johnson proposes to Belden on Christmas Day with newborn calf
Koochiching
Pennington
eu
Page 26 First Section
Brook Park
Lake of the Woods
Su
Third Section: Page 10
Fairfax
Kids Corner: The Nachreiners
First Section: Page 37
Humble upbringing leads Brady to historical career
FSA News & Notes
The Transition Pen
Selling the cows
Wadena
Page 25
Albany
Browerville
Clearwater
On the Road with Princess Kay
Open burns pose risks to humans, environment
Le
Sauk Centre
Fayette
What is one thing about your spouse that makes you smile?
Women in Jeans: Gabrielle Woodard First Section: Page 36
Clayton
n
na
ha
c Bu
Ridgeway
are
law
De
Linn
Dubuque
Jones
Jackson
Pages 15-16
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Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Page 5
ConƟnued from KURTHS | Page 1 Calves and young heifers are raised at the home farm. When heifers reach breeding age, they are transported to the freestall barn where all cows are housed and monitored using activity trackers. “The cows are doing really well and nally reaching their full potential,” said Bill of the herd that began using the parlor Nov. 3. The move has also been good for the Kurths, who immediately noticed the positive health effects of milking in a parlor rather than a tiestall barn. “We only had 10 years in the tiestall, but I couldn’t imagine another 30,” Leah said. Bill agreed. “I was taking Tylenol daily and going to the chiropractor twice a week,” he said. “Now, I’ve only gone to the chiropractor once in a month. This is a lot easier on the bodies.” Previously, Bill spent his days on the farm, while Leah helped JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR him in the mornings and The Kurths’ herd is milked twice daily in a double-8 evenings, but also held a herringbone parlor. The facility was built in 2000. job in town. As Bill milked the 60-cow herd, Leah would feed calves and then help him what we bought it for,” Bill said. switch out the barn twice during one In addition to updating the facilimilking shift. ties, the Kurths also expanded their With a growing herd and limited herd by purchasing 40 cows and springspace, the Kurths struggled with an ing heifers from one of Bill’s cousins. overcrowded bedded pack, which re“He milked the cows until we were sulted in cases of environmental masti- ready to take them, and now he takes all tis. of our bull calves,” Bill said. “We just didn’t have the space,” Leah agreed. Leah said. “We couldn’t calve in the “It’s funny – when we rst started winter because of that, and our heifer in 2007, we purchased some of his fafacility was getting too small. The ther’s herd. Now, for the second time in calves were suffering.” 10 years, we bought that herd again,” To accommodate their growing she said. herd, the Kurths built an 80- by 32-foot As the cows moved to the freestall monoslope heifer shed. barn, the Kurths tore out the stalls in the “That helped with the youngstock old barn and put up 19 individual 4- by side of things,” Bill said. “Then, [the 6-foot stalls, each facing the walkway. freestall barn and parlor] came up for This allows Leah to easily walk down sale.” the aisle and feed the calves with a milk The facility became vacant in Sep- pasteurizer and dispenser. tember 2016, and after working through A maternity pen was also transinancial logistics, the Kurths purchased tioned into a group pen for weaned the property a year later. calves, before they move outside to the “We knew the previous owner, but heifer shed. always had intentions of doing some“Everything is easy to manage and thing here at home,” Bill said. it’s done efciently,” Bill said. Leah agreed. In making the updates themselves “When we rst started dairying, and growing their herd with incoming I couldn’t imagine not having cows calvings, the Kurths have been nanhere,” she said. cially responsible as they improve their Before purchasing the site, the dairy farming business. Kurths met with their farm business “It’s been a good investment and management instructor, as well as those I’m glad we did it,” Bill said. “We involved in their Minnesota Dairy Ini- looked at what we could spend and how tiative team and others who play vital we could spend it wisely to benet the roles in the farm’s success. cows, because in the end, that benets “At rst, we were declined for an us.” FSA loan, so we sat down with our As the milking herd continues setbanker and looked to see what we could tling in to the new facilities, the Kurths do,” Leah said. “It made sense to buy are satised in seeing a 24,000-pound it rather than build because we’d be rolling herd average, strong compospending $0.25 on the $1 for the pur- nents and a somatic cell count hovering chase and small upgrades.” near 100,000. After the Kurths purchased the faIn the coming year, both Bill and cilities, they made adjustments to the Leah hope to improve those values, as freestall barn before moving the cows well as create new, attainable goals for in. their herd. The barn required new side curtains “Things went just as well as we exand overhead doors, as well as replac- pected,” Bill said. “Every year, we set a ing half of the headlocks and stalls. goal, and this is where we wanted to be “Now, we have more into it than at this time – we reached it.”
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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018
ConƟnued from FARM BOWL | Page 1
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JEFF WEYER/DAIRY STAR
Wisconsin dairy farmer Amber Horn-Leiterman and her teammate, former NFL wide receiver Greg Jennings, talk about their experience parƟcipaƟng in the Farm Bowl course Feb. 1. fellow cooperative members, students from the U of M College of Food and Natural Resource Sciences, sports fanatics and GENYOUth participants. “The goal here is to connect consumers with where their food comes from, and that’s super exciting. I think we’re doing that today,” said DottererPyle, who milks 350 cows with her family near Union Bridge, Md. Roerick, who milks 220 cows near Swanville, Minn., agreed. “It’s really exciting to see what the event is really doing – bringing agriculture down to the [Twin] Cities and people of the Super Bowl,” he said.
Both farmers and athletes, alike, were surprised with the course and the talent needed to complete each task. While some teams excelled in changing a tire, others found success navigating the drone; yet everyone took a little extra time backing up the wagon full of straw bales. Most NFL stars felt more condent in their counterpart to take charge of steering the ATV, but Jennings was adamant on completing the driving portion of that task. The result was a penalty for a tipped cone, which ultimately cost the Huskers a
Turn to FARM BOWL | Page 7
“Labor management
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JEFF WEYER/DAIRY STAR
Farm Bowl parƟcipants – (from leŌ) Jerome Beƫs, Kyle Rudolph, Darin Johnson, KaƟe DoƩerer-Pyle, Luke Kuechly, Craig Roerick, Jason Brown, Dave Ribeiro, Stefon Diggs, Greg Jennings and Amber Horn-Leiterman – speak with host Jordan Sparks aŌer each team completed the main course.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Page 7
ConƟnued from FARM BOWL | Page 6
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Craig Roerick primes a milk pipeline as part of the Land O’Lakes Farm Bowl Feb. 1 in Minneapolis. make of it – make it fun.” As the day came to an end, the Brooders and Stallions were the fastest teams throughout the course, and competed in a special event to name the Land O’Lakes Farm Bowl champions. Each team had eight 50-pound bags of feed they had to unload into a wheelbarrow and navigate around cones to an unloading station. With Ribeiro and Brown’s combined experience in farming, it was not enough to compete against the team of Diggs and Nunes. “I thought [Brown] was a double threat, being a pro athlete and farmer,” Ribeiro said. “I’m the oldest out here, so I really needed to bump up my game. I had to remind myself what it’s like to run.” Regardless of who took away the title of Farm Bowl Champions, the day was full of excitement and inspiration for the next generation of agriculturalists. “We have to remember what today is about, and it’s about those kids,” said Brown, referring to the section of GENYOUth participants. “Everyone can join in and get excited about agriculture.”
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Too much technology?
Technology has allowed one person to take care of more cows, which in turn produces more milk. According to an article I read, we are producing 5 million pounds of milk per day more than we need or can use. How can we expect to get a higher (fair) price for our milk if we keep producing more and more. We have learned how to feed and care for cows better than ever before. The technology that has allowed us to do this includes parlors, auto scrapers, robots, sexed semen, BST and more. One of the biggest problems are the banks who are so free with money to expand. There is nothing you can do with the expansions that already exist. But you can stop the new ones. If you have the money to expand, I guess you can. If you have to borrow the money, the banks need to say no. I think you will see $10 milk before you see $16 per cwt. When the banks allow you to just pay the interest, that’s not progress, that’s going backward. It seems to be the mindset we are in; just pay the interest and keep getting bigger to try to increase your income to counteract low prices. The strong will survive and the weak will go out of business. My solution is for everyone to be forced to produce 10 percent less milk in 2018 than they did in 2017. It would make less work and at the end of the year more money (as milk prices rise because of less product available). The oil companies experienced the same thing, and they got it together causing the price of a barrel of oil to double in eight months. Maybe the NFO wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Steve Janke Humbird, Wis.
GET MORE.
chance at the Farm Bowl trophy. “As many times as I’ve backed up with trailers, I at out panicked this time,” Jennings said. “I didn’t even remember what gear I was on.” Jennings participated in the promotional video event hosted at Ron Miller’s farm near Little Falls, Minn., this past summer. Despite the setback, Jennings and Horn-Leiterman were pleased with their performance and the underlying message of the public event. “Today, a lot of people don’t know where their food comes from. With this modernization, it allows us to produce more with less, but that also means less people,” Horn-Leiterman said. “This really sheds a light on that and puts a face with that. [People] can look at me and know I’m a dairy farmer from Wisconsin.” Jennings agreed. “Today, this experience with the kids, this is what I’ve enjoyed the most,” he said. “The biggest takeaway is that farming is fun. It’s all about how you approach it, your mentality and what you
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Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018
NAFTA negotiations move to Mexico in February Progress is being made in the renegotiations of to mark up the legislation in March. Ranking Member the North American Free Trade Agreement, but it is a Collin Peterson told the group he has three mustlong, drawn-out affair. “This round was a step forward, haves in the farm bill; improvements in the cotton but we’re progressing slowly,” said U.S. Trade and dairy programs and an expanded Conservation Ambassador Robert Lighthizer who encouraged Reserve Program. Minnesota Senator Tina Smith an accelerated pace going into the next was in agreement with Peterson on those Ag Insider round of trade talks, which are scheduled priorities. However, Smith did conrm for late February in Mexico. Canadian that the Senate’s nal version of the Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said bill is at least two months out. “I know agriculture got attention in the Montreal Chairman (Pat) Roberts intention is for trade talks. “We made good progress in the Senate Agriculture Committee to start the talks on sanitary and phytosanitary working on these issues in the coming measures, customs and trade facilitation weeks,” Smith said. “There are regional and technical barriers to trade,” she said. differences with the dairy program, so Efforts are still underway to complete the it’ll be important Minnesota’s interests NAFTA negotiations by late March. If are brought to the oor. We need to secure the trade talks extend beyond that time, a strong safety net, as well as do more in action will be impacted by the Mexican the Conservation Reserve Program.” By Don Wick elections on July 1. This is also an Columnist Solutions to Section 199a challenge election year for the U.S., which further Lawmakers are meeting with complicates the process. stakeholders to talk about an update to the Section 199a provision included in the new tax law. There Perdue releases farm bill principles The USDA has unveiled its Farm Bill and is concern the Section 199a provision makes it more Legislative Principles. Agriculture Secretary Sonny benecial for farmers to sell to farm cooperatives Perdue wants Congress to use this as a road map compared to private companies. Select Milk Producers as it debates the farm bill. In the document, Perdue CEO Michael McCloskey and other dairy farmers said the Administration supports a farm safety net don’t want Section 199a to be eliminated. “I truly that helps American farmers deal with economic understand we need a x,” he said. “I just feel the stress without distorting markets. The USDA approach so far hasn’t been one that really represents supports conservation, market competitiveness for all farmers. We want a x for all farmers. We want to U.S. agriculture in international trade, a focus on keep Section 199a. Maybe we make an adjustment on marketing and regulatory programs, food safety, the deduction. Right now, there’s a deduction of 20 research, rural development and natural resources. percent on gross sales. Maybe we have to drop that to Perdue said SNAP will be available for “those who 10 percent to keep it budget neutral to what we have are truly in need.” In addition, Perdue promised this today. Allow then, all farmers to participate in that will be a scally responsible farm bill. way.” Questions surrounding the farm bill What will be in the farm bill? When will it be done? That’s just two questions asked during a recent farm bill discussion in Ada, Minn. The House is expected
USDA proposal would allow more milk options in school The USDA is proposing a change in the school lunch program, allowing low-fat avored milk as an
option in school meals. In 2012, low-fat chocolate milk and similar products were removed from school lunchrooms and cafeterias. The National Milk Producers Federation and International Dairy Foods Association said milk consumption declined signicantly since that time. The dairy groups praised the proposal, saying it will have a benecial nutritional impact on children.
Keeping America strong Infrastructure was the highlight of a conference on rural prosperity in Washington D.C. Minnesota State Representative Dan Fabian, who chairs the Environment and Natural Resources Policy Committee, attended the conference. Fabian told Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue Rural American can have strong rural broadband, but it won’t matter if farmers aren’t protable. “The extent to which the federal government can impact commodity prices so that family farms can make a living and we can reduce some of the stress being felt in the ag community right now. For me, personally, I said that’s the single most important thing. He recognized that and he understands that. That’s part of the reason why they’re talking about fair, open trade. There’s some concerns expressed about NAFTA and potential changes. Secretary Perdue was very rm in his commitment noting “They aren’t going to impact negatively farm exports,” he said. Fabian is based at Roseau. Perspective necessary with farm nances For many farmers, this is the fourth year of tight margins. There are farmers grinding out a modest prot and others who are in tough nancial shape. Costs have to be reduced or income needs to increase, two things that can be difcult to control. AgCentric Director Keith Olander said it is important for farmers to know how their operation stacks up against others. “With the FINPACK software we use, there is RankEm. It does a nice job, taking all
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Page 9
ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8
of the input costs that you’ve laid out and provide some context. You can look at that at a county, regional or state perspective and see where you’re at for feed, chemical, fertilizer costs or even insurance and how does it compare to others,” he said. There is no silver bullet, but small things can be done to improve efciency on the farm. The farm business management program can provide assistance to farmers. “This is a cycle and we have to manage from that standpoint,” he said.
Facial recognition Cargill has invested in an Irish company that specializes in facialrecognition software. Cainthus uses this technology to recognize individual cows and other animals. The software can also track feed and water consumption, detect heat and monitor other behavioral conditions. The plan is to work with dairy cattle rst and eventually move into other species. Cargill has a minority interest in Cainthus. Minnesota livestock market wins national award The Best of Beef awards were presented at the Cattle Industry Convention in Phoenix, Ariz. Central Livestock, headquartered in South St. Paul, Minn., was selected as the National Marketer Beef Quality Assurance award winner. Chief Operating Ofcer Jeff Reed said
buyers do care if producers and sellers are BQA certied. “We want to do our part to maintain a high-quality product within the beef value chain. It’s only a matter of time before most packers will require certication or they won’t be interested in purchasing livestock,” he said. Brooks named Pet Food Institute president/CEO In late February, Dana Brooks will take over as president and CEO of the Pet Food Institute. Brooks has been the senior director of government affairs for Land O’Lakes. Previously, Brooks had similar roles with Elanco and the National Milk Producers Federation. Trivia challenge It takes 21.2 pounds of milk to produce one pound of butter. That answers our last trivia question. For this week, where is the Brown Swiss Breeders Association of the USA based? We’ll have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.
“I know we are catching ketosis cases earlier.” When did you start using the Porta BHB ketosis test? How many years have you been testing with DHIA? My dad enrolled our herd around 1968 and we’ve been on DHIA since then. How has testing with DHIA beneÀted your dairy? My favorite parts are somatic cell testing along with butterfat and protein. We always are on the lookout for inverted fat and protein on individual cows. SCC helps us to make treating and culling decisions. Action lists are probably the part that gets used the most because the day to day herd management such as cows eligible to breed, cows to dry, cows to calve are all organized for you and in an easy to use format. When did you start using the Porta BHB ketosis test? I was made aware of the test by our DHIA supervisor Kylene Lehman this spring and thought it might help us to catch ketosis cows a little sooner. What is the process of using the test? The test is very easy to run. Just dip the strip and wait a minute and then compare it to the color chart on the bottle. What do you like about the test? It is quick and easy to test and I don’t have to try to sniff my way through the parlor and holding pen to Ànd the cow with ketosis. How has this test beneÀted your herd? We have had some fresh cow challenges this spring and have been able to determine if the cow has ketosis or we need to look for other problems. I know we are catching ketosis cases earlier and are able to Àgure out when we can stop treatment. Ray
Seibert • Sebeka, MN
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Cleaning Drain Tiles, Manure Systems, Sewers, Frozen Lines • Reasonably Priced • 24 hour Service CALL FOR PRICING
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KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Anthony Betcher (right) bought the farm and herd from Dave Betcher, who s�ll helps milk during the winter.
Betchers experience ups, downs going into third year of full ownership By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
GOODHUE, Minn. – Although Anthony Betcher’s parents sold their herd when he was 15 years old, Anthony couldn’t let the idea of dairying go. “I went with the cows,” he said about his job during high school, working for the Huneke family where his family’s cows were sold. That decision to stay in dairy led him to where he is today – milking 100 cows on a dairy he took over from his dad’s cousins, Dave and Kay Betcher, near Goodhue, Minn. He and his wife, Tiffany, who works full-time off the farm, have two children, Aaron, 6, and Alexis, 1. The young Betchers have been full owners of the dairy since Jan. 1, 2016. “We were excited to be starting something here on our own,” Anthony said about taking over. “We were nervous at the same time. We took on a lot of debt.” But, Anthony thinks they have gotten off to a good start. “I’ve been trying to put in more modern technologies,” Anthony said. “Before I came back, Dave and Kay didn’t want to invest in much more equipment because they didn’t know if anyone would use it. It’s completely understandable.” One update that has made a difference has been the pedometer collars that keep track of activity and feeding time. Because of it, reproduction has improved in the last two years. “We were doing a good job before, but I couldn’t physically catch them all in heat myself,” Anthony said about their natural heat detection. “That drove me to put the pedometers in. We are still using natural heats, but the computer is catching the ones I don’t.” Production has also increased. In fact, after their rst year of ownership, the Betchers were named one of the most improved production herds by the Wabasha County DHIA. Anthony attributes that to nutrition. “Anthony and his dad are the only two allowed to mix the feed. You can count on one hand the number of times he has missed a feeding in the last year,”
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Anthony and Tiffany Betcher along with their two kids, Aaron and Alexis, milk 100 cows on their dairy near Goodhue, Minn. The Betchers took over as full owners of the dairy from Anthony’s dad’s cousins, Dave and Kay Betcher, on Jan. 1, 2016. Tiffany said. Anthony has also been testing forages on a more frequent basis to keep the ration consistent and has added gluten pellets to the mix. “I’ve tried taking it (gluten pellets) out, but every time I do it, I lose ve pounds [of milk per cow per day]. Then I go back on and gain ve pounds,” he said. While pounds of production are important to Anthony, he has a higher focus on components. For his all-Holstein herd, each cow averages 81 pounds of milk per day with a herd fat average of 4.5 percent and protein at 3.5 percent. “We’re striving for high components. It’s what these cows were bred for, for many years, and we’re just trying to add on to that,” Anthony said. This has been an enjoyable part of dairy farming for Anthony. “I like to see the fruits of my labor. I like to sit and watch the milk meters,” he said. Turn to BETCHER | Page 11
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Page 11
Con�nued from BETCHER | Page 10
“Only treating one cow for mastitis.” Dan Ziegler
Ziegler Dairy Farm MIDDLETON, WI
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Calves are a part of the herd that Anthony and Tiffany Betcher took over two years ago near Goodhue, Minn. He also likes the challenge of dairy farming and doing what he can for his growing herd. However, there are other challenges that aren’t so enjoyable. Like many dairy farmers, labor can be an issue. The days are long. Right now, Anthony feels fortunate for the two part-time high school employees he has along with Dave who milks during the winter and his parents who pitch in with milking and calf chores when needed. The long hours of dairy farming can also be a strain on a young family. Many days, Anthony is outside before the kids wake up and back in the house after they are already asleep. “Even though we were partners [in the operation] for three years, I didn’t understand the commitment we were getting ourselves into,” Tiffany said. “It feels like I’m in single parent mode.” Prior to full ownership, Anthony and Tiffany were part owners with Dave and Kay for three years. During that time, they retrotted a new double-8 parallel parlor into the existing tiestall barn. “It was taking this farm from the previous generation to this generation,” Anthony said about the change. Anthony started working for Dave and Kay before graduating from high school in 2003. He continued working there when he could throughout college, graduating in 2007 from the University
of Minnesota-Crookston with a degree in natural resources with an emphasis in wild life management. “I always thought I would come back to farming. Dave and Kay have no children and there was an opportunity for me here, especially with Dad living across the road,” Anthony said. But he wanted to get a four-year degree in case his path didn’t go as planned. “I wanted a plan B,” Anthony said. He worked for the older Betchers, earning a wage at rst before forming a partnership that slowly gave the younger couple more ownership of the farm. Now after two years of full ownership, Anthony is happy with the progress made, despite the dairy markets. Plus, he’s already thinking of the future with looking into a new transition for the cow barn. “That’s our weak link right now. Currently, the cows are in a pole barn with a bedded pack. It’s crowded, cramped and not the best,” he said. He also foresees a new manure pit being built along with a new bunker sometime in the future. “I don’t mind silos, but this time of year it gets old. I’m up the silo a lot right now,” Anthony said. Regardless of the challenges, Anthony strives to keep going with dairy, just like he wanted when he was 15 years old.
“Since installing FutureCow, we’ve been able to add 200 cows to our herd and finish milking in the same amount of time. Our employees enjoy using the TeatScrubber because they are getting done faster. On average we are milking 220 cows per hour. We milk 1,000 cows and are currently only treating one for mastitis, and that’s bedding with sawdust.”
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018
Is another farm crisis looming? Trends suggest 1980s will remain a part of history By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
The time is 1978. Farmers across the nation are capitalizing on an uptick in commodity prices, and lenders are encouraging further business expansions. But as quickly as the golden era of farming arrived, it soon began to dissipate. The United States enacted a shortlived grain embargo against the Soviet Union; the Federal Reserve abruptly raised interest rates to curb ination; and farmers watched their net worth plummet. The agricultural industry entered the 1980s Farm Crisis. Fast forward nearly 40 years, and the agricultural industry is once again met with difcult times. Although farmers are now faced with a similar nancial pinch, there are vast differences between the two eras. “I’d rather have it this way than in the 1980s,” Lester Banse said. Banse milks 200 cows with his wife, Donna, near Caledonia, Minn. The differences between the 1980s Farm Crisis and today lie within the years preceding each market swing, as well as how industry alliances prepared and handled the situations. “We’re in a time of a downturn,
but not a crisis,” Wendong Zhang said. “Today, it takes effort to manage costs and maintain working capital, but it is not impossible.” Zhang is an applied economist and extension farm management specialist at Iowa State University. In the early 2000s, the industry saw historically low interest rates and a growing demand for exports from China. These factors, among others, led to a net farm income increase of roughly 8 percent every Lester Banse year, while the Dairy producer years leading to the 1980s saw a -3.2 percent decline in net farm income. “For the past four years, we’ve seen difcult conditions, but the 10 years prior were very favorable,” Zhang said. However, the years that followed both time periods were drastically different. In the 1980s, farmers saw an increase in net farm income, while today, the average net farm income has declined almost 10 percent year over year. In 2016, farmers recorded an average net farm income of $60 billion compared to $120 billion in 2013, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). “In the ‘80s we were dealing with an equity crisis. Now, this is a cash ow crisis,” Robert Nigh said. Robert and his brother, Randy, milk 130 cows with their nephew, Ryan, near
Viroqua, Wis. The Nighs took over their father’s dairy in the mid-60s, and have continued diversifying the farm with dairy cattle genetics, a cow-calf operation and cash crops to weather the industry trends. While income is sparse across all sectors of agriculture, the cost of farming continues to rise. “That’s the biggest thing … rising input costs are the biggest percentage of the milk check,” Banse said. “Everyone wanted a piece of the pie in 2014, and now they don’t want to lower their costs.” Dale Nordquist, associate director with the University of Minnesota Center for Farm Financial Management, agreed. “Farms are really struggling right now with ag margins. It all depends on your cost structure and life cycle of the business,” he said, noting the greater volatility in milk prices today. “Back then, it only helped to have livestock as the [milk] price rarely wandered more than a couple dollars.” Fortunately, nancial assistance is favorable this time around. After the 1980s, the federal government established programs and restructured loan regulations to improve lending options for farmers that accurately reected a cash ow repayment opportunity rather than inated market values. In the mid-1980s, loans were largely distributed through the Farm Credit System and individual lenders, whereas today, a majority of loans are setup through the Farm Credit System and commercial banks, as noted by the
USDA. “We haven’t seen interest rates like the ‘80s, and land values are not crashing,” said Tom Deming with Foresight Bank. “Land prices are relatively stable and farmers have the ability to restructure their nancing while interest rates remain low.” When the Banses began farming in October 1976, the farm site had not seen cows in ve years. They worked with the bank to fund small improvements, such as within the Wendong Zhang milkhouse and Iowa State University putting up silos, as they built their herd from 18 to 50 cows. “I’ll never forget when I was paying back loans on 19 percent interest,” Banse said. “The bank worked with me as we started out, but wanted one-third of the milk check. It took all but that one-third to pay for that interest and then the other bills.” Robert agreed. “It was tough,” he said. “You’d watch families lose their farms – and they were great people. When you lost a farm, you lost a part of your community.” In time, more than half of farmers are now established and not currently carrying a large debt load, Zhang said. In turn, this may be advantageous for beginning farmers. Turn to CRISIS | Page 13
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Page 13
FEED BUNKS
ConĆ&#x;nued from CRISIS | Page 12 “There’s access to land,â€? he said. “In times of change lies opportunity.â€? Historical trends suggest downturns last roughly six years, and Zhang encourages farmers to look at their current operation and how they compare to the national average as the markets begin rebounding. “On average, agriculture tends to be a breakeven business. Don’t be average, but be at the top 30 percent of the curve,â€? Zhang said. “Be careful with your management and cost of production, and take advantage of ag marketing and prices when they become available.â€? For the Nighs and Banse, they have been through downturns and crises, and are continually learning how to improve their farm and weather the market storm. When Banse ďƒžrst started farming, he worked tirelessly and found ways to minimize costs on the farm without sacriďƒžcing the health and production of his growing herd. “We didn’t spend much, and we never did anything fancy. You have to be careful about what you spend,â€? Banse said.
The Nighs learned a lot about themselves as dairy farm managers when they worked through the 1980s and continue today. “These two times are detrimental to prepare for the future, as they’re major ďƒžnancial downers,â€? Randy said. “But, they undoubtedly prepare you because tough times make for better managers.â€? Robert agreed. “We’re making decisions now that we should have made years ago,â€? he said. “Maybe we didn’t learn as well as we could have the ďƒžrst time through because we’re in a reactive position now.â€? Regardless of the farm structure and management style that differ from dairy to dairy, the Nighs and Banse stress the importance of communication with fellow dairy farmers, as well as family and friends and key stakeholders of the farm, to help make it through this downturn. “Take care of the cows and they’ll take care of you,â€? Banse said. “Times never stay bad and they never stay good. Remain optimistic and know things will get better.â€?
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Page 15
What is one thing about your spouse that makes you smile?
Nick and Annie Stalboerger Lake Henry, Minn. Stearns County 55 cows
Annelies and John Seffrood Summit, S.D. Grant County 1,200 cows
Abbey and Kenny Moenkedick Perham, Minn. Ottertail County 50 cows
How long have you been married? We will be married seven years this June.
How long have you been married? It will be 25 years this April.
Dan and Jenelle Thorman Winona, Minn. Winona County 140 cows
How long have you been married? Six years.
How did you and your spouse meet? The ďƒžrst time I met Nick, I saw him at my place of employment. I thought he was the best-looking guy I had ever seen. One night a few weeks later, I was out with my girlfriends, and he was out with his friends in Lake Henry. We ended up talking and he asked for my number.
How did you and your spouse meet? We met in September 1988, during our ďƒžrst year at Saint Olaf College in Northďƒželd, Minn.
How long have you been married? We will be married eight years in May.
How did you and your spouse meet? We both attended North Dakota State University.
How did you and your spouse meet? We met in an agriculture class at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. What is the best thing about farm life? We enjoy being outside, working with family and getting to see our kids also enjoy the farm.
What is the best thing about farm life? Nick loves being able to work with his family and being his own boss. I love raising our kids on a farm. It’s so different than I grew up, but I would never trade it for anything. Our kids absolutely love being able to work alongside their dad.
What is one thing about your spouse that makes you smile? John’s dry sense of humor, which most people don’t understand, makes Annelies laugh. The sound of the coffee grinder while he’s still in bed makes John smile.
What is the best thing about farm life? Family time, whether it’s January and you’re all together in the barn or harvest season and everyone is in the ďƒželd. Your family always has the option of being together no matter where the work is.
How do you ďƒžnd time for each other while farming? With having two young children, Nick being busy on the farm and me working all day in town, any time we have together we treasure. If you and your spouse were able to take a day trip for Valentine’s Day, where would you go? Nick: Sturgis. It seems like a fun time. Annie: Duluth. I would love to get away, enjoy the scenery and spend time together. What’s a special meal you make at home for Valentine’s Day? Chicken lasagna. Tell us about your farm. We milk 55 cows on our fourth-generation family farm. We raise our own replacement heifers. We farm 300 acres of alfalfa, oats, corn and soybeans.
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If you and your spouse were able to take a day trip for Valentine’s Day, where would you go? We would take a delayed Valentine’s Day trip to Phoenix, Ariz. to watch the Cubs’ spring training games. Our second choice would be skiing with our kids. What’s a special meal you make at home for Valentine’s Day? Our family can agree to pasta with Italian sausage, edamame (soybeans) and Parmesan cheese. Tell us about your farm. We started NorSwiss Dairy in 1998. We milk 1,000 Holsteins with some crossbred Brown Swiss thrown in for fun. We also farm 1,500 acres to grow all of our forages. We have three children: Sophia, 18, Samuel, 16, and Elsie, 13.
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How do you ďƒžnd time for each other while farming? Sundays are usually reserved for family time. If you and your spouse were able to take a day trip for Valentine’s Day, where would you go? Red Lobster in Fargo, N.D. Abbey loves seafood and a happy wife means a happy life. What’s a special meal you make at home for Valentine’s Day? Homemade pizza.
If you and your spouse were able to take a day trip for Valentine’s Day, where would you go? We both agreed we would go somewhere in Wisconsin Dells or up to the Mall of America for the day.
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What’s a special meal you make at home for Valentine’s Day? We don’t really do anything special for Valentine’s Day. Dan has always made it pretty clear he’s not a fan of this particular holiday.
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How do you ďƒžnd time for each other while farming? It is deďƒžnitely hard, especially since we do not live on the farm yet. Jenelle is not at the farm full time and works part time in town. It is actually a treat when we get to milk cows together for a little while some nights.
Tell us about your farm. We milk 50 cows near Dent, Minn. We raise our own feed and also grow corn, soybeans and edible beans.
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What is one thing about your spouse that makes you smile? Jenelle: Dan has a tremendous sense of humor and can make up the craziest remarks, no matter the situation. Dan: Jenelle has “the look� when she is not pleased with something. There are three stages, and you do not want to get to stage three. This means someone is in major trouble. However, the whole concept is something we joke about often.
Tell us about your farm. We farm with Jenelle’s parents, Carol and Richard Laska, on her home farm in southeast Winona County. We have about 140 cows, which are a combination of Guernsey, Jersey, Ayrshire and Holstein. We also run 325 acres.
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How do you ďƒžnd time for each other while farming? Time together is not a problem. We spend most days together at the dairy, and we are busy with our kids’ activities. We occasionally look for chances to spend time apart.
What is one thing about your spouse that makes you smile? The way she cares for our boys.
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What is one thing about your spouse that makes you smile? Nick: I like when Annie goes out of her way to do something special for me. It makes me smile. Annie: I love watching our kids interact with Nick. He is such a good dad to them.
What is the best thing about farm life? No two days are ever the same. Farming has allowed us to start our own family business together.
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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018
ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15
Kim and Andy Olson Lewiston, Minn. Winona County 150 cows
Jill and Brandon Marshik Rice, Minn. Benton County 72 cows
Sheila and Jim Tews Litcheld, Minn. Meeker County 24 cows
Sam Thorson and Zach Tietz Frederic, Wis. Polk County 130 cows
How long have you been married? We have been married 13 years.
How long have you been married? Six years.
How long have you been married? We have been married for 29 years.
How did you and your spouse meet? We had lockers next to each other in high school. Our last names were Olson and Pangrac.
How did you and your spouse meet? In high school.
How did you and your spouse meet? We met on a blind date with Sheila’s brother.
How long have you been married? We’re getting married on Oct. 6, and will have been together for six years this April.
What is the best thing about farm life? Kim: I like that I can rearrange my schedule for family time. Our robotic milkers especially help with this. Andy: I like having a exible schedule and being able to have our kids with us when we are working. What is one thing about your spouse that makes you smile? Kim: I like Andy’s sense of humor. Andy: Kim is a wonderful mother. How do you nd time for each other while farming? We work together a lot and when we’re not working together, we are texting a lot. While the kids are at school, we will occasionally take the time to go out for lunch. If you and your spouse were able to take a day trip for Valentine’s Day, where would you go? Kim: I would go to the Cities for dinner. Then I would go shopping while Andy would go look at motorcycles. Andy: I would nd a nice place for dinner in the Twin Cities and then go to a live comedy show together. What’s a special meal you make at home for Valentine’s Day? Kim: I try not to cook on Valentine’s Day, so we would probably go out to eat. Andy: I would make something with easy clean up like shrimp cocktail and a bunch of other types of appetizers. Tell us about your farm. We farm together with Kim’s parents, Dale and Carmene Pangrac. We rotationally graze our herd and have 750 acres of land. Our farm and dairy herd is certied organic. We put in robots in 2013. We have three kids: Mallory, 11, Gavin, 8, and Amelia, 6.
What is the best thing about farm life? We are our own boss and have the option to do stuff when we can. We can more time with our kids. What is one thing about your spouse that makes you smile? Brandon: When I walk around the corner and Jill is smiling. Jill: When we are in the barn milking and Brandon is singing.
What is one thing about your spouse that makes you smile? Jim: When she tells me about her day. Sheila: When I drive by him after work, and he is on one of his tractors in the eld.
How do you nd time for each other while farming? We both stay home and farm so we are together, but we still make time to get off the farm and go out to eat and go to the gym.
How do you nd time for each other while farming? Sheila: It is hard, but we try to go to high school wrestling meets and spend time at night eating supper and talking over the day. In the summer, we take the pontoon on the lake.
If you and your spouse were able to take a day trip for Valentine’s Day, where would you go? We would go out to eat and just hang out and relax. It is nice to take a break and do nothing for a while. What’s a special meal you make at home for Valentine’s Day? We don’t make anything special, just normal food. Tell us about your farm. We started milking cows in 2014 with 23 cows. Now we are up to 72 cows and farm 300 acres with Jill’s parents. We plant corn, alfalfa and soybeans. We are feeding almost all our crops to the cows. We raise the bull calves to 500 pounds. All heifers stay on the farm. We poured a big heifer/dry cow lot, nished the freestall barn and put a year’s supply manure pit in. We are expanding to 80 cows, being that is what our farm is sized for now.
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What is the best thing about farm life? Jim: I get to think I’m in charge. Sheila: My husband is living the dream.
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If you and your spouse were able to take a day trip for Valentine’s Day, where would you go? Jim: We’d meet up with our daughter and son-in-law who live out of state for lunch. Sheila: We’d go to Texas Roadhouse in St. Cloud. What’s a special meal you make at home for Valentine’s Day? Homemade turkey pot pie. Tell us about your farm. We milk 24 cows and grow corn, soybeans and alfalfa. We both work off the farm.
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How did you and your spouse meet? Sam: We got set up on a blind date our freshman year of college at the hockey rink at University of Wisconsin-River Falls. I spent most of the time skating around the rink alone. Zach: Neither of us were very happy to be there. What is the best thing about farm life? Zach: The challenges that come with it and the change of pace. Sam: Always having something to do. What is one thing about your spouse that makes you smile? Sam: Zach is always joking around and trying to be funny. How do you nd time for each other while farming? Between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. We spend most of our time together working on the farm. If you and your spouse were able to take a day trip for Valentine’s Day, where would you go? Zach: I’m not going anywhere unless she tells me where we’re going. We could go back to River Falls for the day and meet up with old friends. Sam: We don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day that much. What’s a special meal you make at home for Valentine’s Day? Pot roast (Zach’s favorite) and strawberry cheesecake. Tell us about your farm. We crop about 600 acres in addition to milking cows with Zach’s brothers, Sawyer, Heath and Ted, and his parents, Joe and Donna. We switch groups of cows in and out of the tiestall barn.
“I didn’t even think we had stray voltage!” Roger Lange milks 100 head on his family dairy at Crofton, Nebraska. Until recently he was often forced to sell his fresh heifers because they wouldn t let down their milk. “We called Stray Voltage Consulting, and Jerry found the problem within half an hour.” Roger said. “I was very impressed with Jerry. He’s a former REA guy, so he understands both the farmer and the electric company. Being able to work with both sides is a key component to his success.” “I haven’t had a single problem with our fresh heifers since Jerry corrected our stray voltage problem. I would highly recommend Stray Voltage Consulting to anyone who thinks they might have stray voltage!”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Page 17
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018
Top Performers
Feed quality, 3X milking drives production at New Day Dairy Robert and Kena Strack Athens, Wis. Marathon County 107 cows What is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? The herd is averaging 34,330 pounds of milk with 1,157 pounds of fat and 1,053 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 started 3X milking in December of 2016. Do you contract your milk? Has it been successful for you? We do not contract our milk. The plant we ship to does not offer that option. In the past, however, we were in a position to forward contract. It was overall successful but contracting can be tricky and usually needs to be a consistent long-term program to make it so. Describe your housing and milking facility. Our milking herd is housed and milked in tie stalls. Dry cows and most all of the heifers are in free
stalls along with a pack barn used mostly in winter for bred heifers. What is your herd health program? Herd health for us is very basic but proving to be very successful. We do all of our pregnancy checks via milk samples with Northstar, our milk testing co-op. The heifers are all done with a blood test via DG29 testing. Both came with a learning curve but now it is dialed in well and the accuracy is awesome. We do not preform a routine vet palpation. Much of our herd health is proactive care starting at dry off so as to minimalize complications post freshening. What does your dry cow and transition program consist of? At dry off, all cows are dry cow treated and vaccinated. Our mature cows stand dry for six weeks, while rst lactation or less-then-optimum BCS (body condition score) mature cows stand dry eight weeks. They are moved onto a ration of corn silage and free choice dry baled hay. The transition period begins at three weeks pre-calving where they begin
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
The Strack family – (from leŌ) Kena, Robert, Evan and Emanuel – owns and operates New Day Dairy near Athens, Wis., in Marathon County. Their current rolling herd average is 34,330 pounds with 1,157 pounds of fat and 1,053 pounds of protein. with Rally Transition Cow mineral, free choice dry hay and limited corn silage.
What is the composition of your ration? What has been one of your most recent changes that has been successful for you? Our milk
cow ration is high forage. The goal is 70 percent forage, making harvesting of crops a Turn to STRACKS | Page 20
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Page 19
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SPRINGHILL FARM BIG PRAIRIE, OHIO Tom, Karen, Chris and Kendra Lang 230 Holsteins and Guernseys RHA 25,000M 4.2F 3.2P SCC consistently below 100,000 “We have been using Udder Comfort™ ever since it first came out. We use it on fresh cows, mastitis, and at shows for comfort, quality and results. It’s as simple as that,” says Chris Lang of Springhill Farm, Big Prairie, Ohio, where 230 Holsteins and Guernseys are milked and the low SCC and high components net premiums. Their homebred EX94 96MS Springhill Mentor Jazzy-ET was the Grand Champion Guernsey, Type-Production winner and Best Udder at the 2017 World Dairy Expo. Her brother Springhill J Lonestar-ET was heifer show premier sire. These honors come 10 years after the Lang family brought Guernseys back to their bicentennial farm. “Udder Comfort has worked well for us. We like the convenience of the spray and the texture and quality this product brings to the udder, especially after calving.”
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018
ConƟnued from STRACKS | Page 18 crucial time. We are feeding 47 percent of the diet as corn silage and 32 percent haylage. Our goal in our forages is digestibility. For our protein source, we use strictly canola. One change we implemented is a two group ration. A mix of a base ration is made and fed to our lower production and recently fresh cows, then a few ingredients are added to the remaining mix to make it a high cow mix. While this is obviously not a new concept, it took some guring to get it to work in a stall barn. By doing this, I was able to virtually eliminate the need for topdressing. Through the years you’ve been farming what change has created the biggest jump
in your herd average? Going to 3X milking. What role does genetics play in your production level and what is your breeding program? Genetics is an enormous player in production, but I think feed quality is still No. 1. We use 99 percent genomic bulls, being careful to select for high milk, only positive components and strict criteria for type traits. We time breed all cows between 70 and 77 days using double ovsynch. Using genomic bulls is exciting and challenging because of the speed at which it moves. Cow families are important to us in our bull selection decisions. What type of improvements would you like to make that DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
The Stracks credit their herd producƟon to strong geneƟcs. They have a milking daughter out of Apoll P. would increase your rolling herd average even higher? We would like to transition into a freestall barn. List three management strategies that have kept you protable. Getting cows bred back on time, reducing the number of cows leaving the herd and ne-tuning the ration. DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Type traits, including well aƩached udders, are important in the Stracks’ herd.
What would you say are the three most important factors for you that helped you attain your current herd average?
Feed quality rst and foremost, moving to 3X milking and developing a more productive cow through our breeding program. Tell us about your farm. Our farm is a family owned and operated tiestall operation. Myself, my wife and two boys are the main labor with some part-time high school helpers. We are situated on only 15 acres. Our corn silage is grown by a neighbor who also handles our manure. He
SHARED ADVANTAGES:
allows us to pick varieties and target harvest dates. The alfalfa is rented ground from another neighbor and then harvest is custom done. We have a registered herd of Holsteins with a few 4-H Jerseys mixed in. Our vision is to breed long-lived, highly productive animals while achieving high genomic indexes. We feel that while this is not something you can do overnight, the road to getting there is every bit as important.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Page 21
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BOX DRILLS JD 455, 1992, 25’ 6”sp, #143815 .................. $18,900 JD 455, 1996, 30’ 10”sp, #132155 ............... $19,500 JD 455, 2004, 25’ 10”sp, #141660 ............... $20,700 JD 455, 2017, 25’ 6”sp, #139188 .................. $55,900 JD 455, 2016, 30’ 7.5”sp, #131015 .............. $62,900 JD 1590, 2007, 15’ 7.5”sp, #143037 ............ $31,900 FIELD CULTIVATORS CIH 110, 2013, 50’, #49666 ............................ $21,500 CIH 200, 2009, 60’, #144441 ......................... $43,900 CIH 200, 2012, 60’, #135767 ......................... $52,000 CIH 200, 2012, 60’, #135951 ......................... $53,000 CIH 200, 2011, 60’, #129150 ......................... $55,000 JD 980, 1998, 44.5’, #143425 ........................ $14,900 JD 980, 1996, 38’, #144447 ........................... $15,500 JD 980, 2001, 45’, #144448 ........................... $15,900 JD 985, 1993, 48’, #138938 ........................... $15,000 JD 985, 1998, 54’, #138937 ........................... $15,000 JD 985, 1995, 55’, #130971 ........................... $18,000 JD 985, 1998, 59’, #135905 ........................... $21,500 JD 985, 1998, 49’, #143979 ........................... $22,000 JD 2200, 2002, 41’, #144449 ......................... $25,000 JD 2200, 2003, 46’, #142441 ......................... $26,000 JD 2210, 2008, 31’, #144457 ......................... $24,500 JD 2210, 2013, 27’, #143876 ......................... $28,500 JD 2210, 2013, 26’, #143846 ......................... $28,900 JD 2210, 2013, 33’, #143827 ......................... $29,000 JD 2210, 2005, 46’, #120515 ......................... $39,500 JD 2210, 2005, 60’, #144458 ......................... $42,900 JD 2210, 2011, 56’, #144450 ......................... $43,900 JD 2210, 2008, 65’, #144459 ......................... $44,500 JD 2210, 2010, 46’, #144460 ......................... $44,500 JD 2210, 2011, 60’, #144451 ......................... $45,500 JD 2210, 2010, 65’, #144461 ......................... $53,900 JD 2210, 2014, 56’, #755529 ......................... $56,000 JD 2210, 2013, 51’, #144454 ......................... $57,500 JD 2210, 2014, 56’, #144456 ......................... $58,000 JD 2210, 2012, 46’, #144452 ......................... $59,500 JD 2210, 2013, 56’, #140858 ......................... $59,500 JD 2210, 2012, 48’, #144453 ......................... $61,000 JD 2210, 2012, 48’, #144455 ......................... $61,000 Wil-Rich QUAD 5, 50’, #144479 .................... $14,900 Wil-Rich QUAD X, 2005, 55’, #138553 ....... $20,900 Wil-Rich QUAD X2, 2011, 55’, #138552 ..... $38,695 Case TIGER MATE II, 50’, #143937 ............... $21,450 CIH TIGERMATE 200, 2010, 50’, #140723 .. $45,000 PLANTERS JD 1750, 1998, 8R30, #143368 ..................... $17,600 JD 1750, 2001, 6R30, #127462 ..................... $20,500 JD 1750, 2014, 6R30, #141859 ..................... $32,000 JD 1750, 2013, 8R30, #131524 ..................... $33,000 JD 1760, 1997, 12R30, #144407 .................. $23,500 JD 1760, 1998, 12R30, #144406 .................. $24,500 JD 1760, 1996, 12R30, #140452 .................. $27,500 JD 1760, 2004, 12R30, #144405 .................. $27,500 JD 1760, 1997, 12R30, #137790 .................. $28,050 JD 1760, 1998, 12R30, #144408 .................. $29,500 JD 1765, 2015, 12R30, #140333 .................. $72,900 JD 1765, 2015, 12R30, #138495 .................. $79,900 JD 1770, 2011, 12R30, #132629 .................. $72,500 JD 1790, 2013, 16/31, #140721 ................$104,900 JD 7200, 1986, 12R30, #136880 .................. $14,985 White 8186, 2005, 16R30, #139731 ............. $34,000 White 8200, 2013, 12R30, #137538 ............. $49,900 White 8524, 2013, 24R30, #140624 ............. $79,500
NH TJ280, 2007, $ 2766 hrs., #145092
16 8 17 16 15 1 9 15 8 5 16 16 5 3 8 3 16 14 14 7 8 12 13 1 10 3 10 8 4 9 6 10 11 8 8 11 16 10 7 5 5 4 8 4 6 4 15 11 3 7 6 1 12 4 12 4 1 5 10 7 11 6 8
JD 1770NT, 2008, 24R30, #144417.............. $62,000 JD 1770NT, 2006, 16R30, #135018.............. $64,000 JD 1770NT, 2008, 16R30, #144416.............. $67,000 JD 1770NT, 2009, 16R30, #144418.............. $69,500 JD 1770NT, 2014, 16R30, #144409.............. $85,000 JD 1770NT, 2014, 16R30, #140214............$109,000 JD 1770NT CCS, 2013, 16R30, #142692...$103,000 JD 1775NT, 2015, 24R30, #144419............$209,500 Wil-Rich 24-22, 2009, 24R22, #139224 ...... $53,900 JD 24R22, 2005, 24R22, #143814 ................ $39,000 JD DB44, 2008, 24R22, #144423 .................. $98,500 JD DB44, 2017, 24R22, #144422 ................$207,500 JD DB44, 2017, 24R22, #141612 ................$255,000 JD DB60, 2010, 24R30, #140814 ................$135,000 JD DB60, 2016, 24R30, #138733 ................$269,000 JD DB66, 2005, 36R22, #141473 ................$125,000 JD DB66, 2009, 36R22, #144428 ................$128,500 JD DB66, 2013, 36R22, #144426 ................$175,000 JD DB66, 2014, 36R22, #144427 ................$209,500 JD DB66, 2016, 36R22, #140442 ................$239,500 JD DR24, 2017, 24R22, #138592 ................$189,500 SKID STEER LOADERS JD 240, 2000, 1383 hrs., #138075 ................ $14,900 JD 325, 2008, 3177 hrs., #138043 ................ $19,900 Bobcat, 2001, #145088 .................................... $19,900 JD 260-II, 2003, 1355 hrs., #144042 ............ $20,900 Caterpillar 272D, 2015, 1475 hrs., #145200................................................................ $34,500 JD 318D, 2011, 5895 hrs., #143844 ............. $16,500 JD 318D, 2013, 2447 hrs., #143873 ............. $19,250 JD 318D, 2012, 2346 hrs., #143720 ............. $23,500 JD 318D, 2013, 925 hrs., #135024 ................ $29,500 JD 318E, 2015, 2811 hrs., #140525 .............. $25,900 JD 318E, 2015, 2336 hrs., #135979 .............. $26,500 JD 318E, 2014, 762 hrs., #135937 ................ $33,500 JD 318E, 2015, 478 hrs., #136780 ................ $33,500 JD 318E, 2015, 335 hrs., #142491 ................ $34,000 JD 320D, 2013, 1023 hrs., #133492 ............. $28,900 JD 320E, 2013, 4235 hrs., #144215 .............. $19,500 JD 320E, 2016, 2489 hrs., #143842 .............. $27,500 JD 320E, 2015, 1734 hrs., #134169 .............. $30,900 JD 320E, 2014, 1101 hrs., #135139 .............. $34,900 JD 320E, 2014, 470 hrs., #142118 ................ $35,900 JD 320E, 2014, 475 hrs., #135901 ................ $35,900 JD 320E, 2015, 645 hrs., #138375 ................ $37,600 JD 320E, 2015, 145 hrs., #142683 ................ $38,500 JD 320E, 2016, 79 hrs., #140280 ................... $39,900 JD 320E, 2015, 260 hrs., #143386 ................ $42,900 JD 320E, 2017, 64 hrs., #144216 ................... $43,900 JD 324E, 2016, 104 hrs., #137786 ................ $45,000 JD 326D, 2012, 318 hrs., #135015 ................ $38,500 JD 326D, 2012, 210 hrs., #135673 ................ $40,500 JD 326E, 2016, 1105 hrs., #141601 .............. $38,900 JD 326E, 2015, 537 hrs., #134033 ................ $39,500 JD 326E, 2015, 387 hrs., #118578 ................ $40,900 JD 326E, 2016, 347 hrs., #138363 ................ $42,000 JD 326E, 2016, 65 hrs., #126370 ................... $45,900 JD 326E, 2016, 150 hrs., #142477 ................ $46,000 JD 328D, 2010, 410 hrs., #141011 ................ $38,900 JD 330G, 2016, 600 hrs., #140027................ $53,000 JD 332D, 2012, 812 hrs., #127231 ................ $41,900 JD 332E, 2014, 1408 hrs., #132664 .............. $38,900 JD 332E, 2015, 168 hrs., #135560 ................ $49,500 JD 332E, 2015, 511 hrs., #138924 ................ $51,900 JD 332E, 2016, 390 hrs., #139118 ................ $54,500
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NH L230, 2011, 3300 hrs., #139121 ............. $27,300 Bobcat S185, 2003, 1550 hrs., #141064 ...... $18,900 Bobcat S650, 2013, 859 hrs., #140188 ........ $37,500 Bobcat S850, 2013, 550 hrs., #140039 ........ $48,900 TRACK TRACTORS JD 8295RT, 2010, 295 hp., 2900 hrs., #145188..............................................................$139,000 JD 8310RT, 2014, 310 hp., 941 hrs., #144546..............................................................$219,500 JD 8335RT, 2012, 335 hp., 3200 hrs., #143521..............................................................$169,000 JD 8335RT, 2013, 335 hp., 2110 hrs., #144548..............................................................$189,500 JD 8345RT, 2014, 345 hp., 1786 hrs., #144550..............................................................$219,500 JD 8345RT, 2015, 345 hp., 948 hrs., #144551..............................................................$269,500 JD 8370RT, 2017, 370 hp., 408 hrs., #143196..............................................................$315,000 JD 9460RT, 2014, 460 hp., 920 hrs., #144557..............................................................$257,000 JD 9460RT, 2013, 460 hp., 577 hrs., #144555..............................................................$275,000 JD 9460RT, 2014, 460 hp., 525 hrs., #144556..............................................................$279,500 JD 9470RT, 2015, 470 hp., 959 hrs., #144558..............................................................$279,500 JD 9510RT, 2013, 510 hp., 1490 hrs., #141091..............................................................$249,500 JD 9510RT, 2014, 510 hp., 1429 hrs., #142684..............................................................$262,500 JD 9520RX, 2016, 520 hp., 946 hrs., #143518..............................................................$369,000 JD 9560RT, 2012, 560 hp., 2000 hrs., #144563..............................................................$229,000 JD 9560RT, 2012, 560 hp., 2093 hrs., #140934..............................................................$229,500 JD 9560RT, 2013, 560 hp., 1266 hrs., #144564..............................................................$255,000 JD 9560RT, 2013, 560 hp., 1316 hrs., #144562..............................................................$255,000 JD 9560RT, 2014, 560 hp., 1892 hrs., #144565..............................................................$264,000 JD 9560RT, 2014, 560 hp., 890 hrs., #144561..............................................................$299,500 JD 9560RT, 2014, 560 hp., 648 hrs., #144566..............................................................$309,500 JD 9560RT, 2014, 560 hp., 1005 hrs., #144560..............................................................$309,500 JD 9570RT, 2015, 570 hp., 741 hrs., #144568..............................................................$361,500 JD 9570RT, 2015, 570 hp., 657 hrs., #144567..............................................................$365,500 JD 9620RX, 2016, 620 hp., 350 hrs., #142273..............................................................$459,000 JD 9620RX, 2017, 620 hp., 262 hrs., #135324..............................................................$459,000 JD 9620T, 2005, 500 hp., 4267 hrs., #144569..............................................................$108,500 Caterpillar MT765C, 2012, 320 hp., 1820 hrs., #136810..............................................................$163,000 Challenger MT865, 2003, 510 hp., 5791 hrs., #138939..............................................................$109,000
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Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018
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Producers take part in MARL Class IX Hoffman, Wright scheduled to visit Croatia next week
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Class member Paul Wright gives a presentaƟon on the county and state tax system at a MARL session. Wright has a dairy near Hutchinson, Minn. By Ruth Klossner Staff Writer
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As members of MARL Class IX, dairy farmers Steve Hoffman and Paul Wright are about to embark on an exciting international experience. In less than two weeks, they’ll travel to Croatia. MARL (Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership) is a two-year educational experience featuring eight threeday in-state seminars, a six-day national study seminar, and a 10- to 14-day international study seminar. The seminar calendar accommodates the busy schedules of participants, with most of the activities happening during the winter months. For MARL Class IX, the program began in November 2016 and will end in early April. The program is coordinated by the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Community Vitality and Southwest Minnesota State University. Eriks Dunens, U of M, is the program leader and Olga Reuvekamp, Southwest Minnesota State University, is the executive director. Each class includes up to 30 participants. A majority are agricultural producers and others are professionals involved in agribusiness or rural leadership positions. The program develops the skills of rural leaders so they can maximize their impact and effectiveness in local, state, national and international arenas. That is exactly what attracted Hoffman and Wright to the program. “I love rural communities,” Hoffman said. “I think they have great importance in our state and our country. I want to do the most I possibly can to make rural America a great place to be.” Both Hoffman and Wright looked to the program to develop communication skills for their work with local and state organizations. “I wanted to become a more effective leader for my community and organizations,” Hoffman said. “I didn’t really know what I was getting into, but I’m glad I did it. A few times it was hard to get away from the farm, but I don’t regret one moment of it. It’s a very worthwhile program. I learned communication skills, emotional intelligence, and how I relate to other people. It all comes back to being more effective and getting stuff done.” As a McLeod County Commissioner, Wright said skills gained through the program will help him work with people in a more effective manner. “We did a lot of different testing and assessments that helped us to learn about our own skills and strengths, and to use them in the best way,” he said. “We all have certain skills. We need to make the best use of them. The MARL sessions allowed us to network with class members and with alumni. We can contact them and ask questions on issues.” The in-state seminars started at noon on Wednesdays and wrapped up at noon Fridays. Those sessions traveled the state, meeting in Willmar, St. Paul, Crookston, Duluth, Turn to MARL | Page 23
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Page 23
Con�nued from MARL | Page 22 Itasca, Austin, Wadena/Perham and Bloomington. Each session featured a mix of leadership study, personal skillbuilding and tours of industry and educational organizations. “We really learned about the communities and how they’re all knitted together. How changing one thing can affect many others,” Hoffman said. “We learned how several people in a community could have a big effect.” The February 2018 session will be 12 days in Croatia. The group will stay in the capital, Zagreb, for two days, visit the university and U.S. embassy, and visit a variety of farms. Graduation for Class IX will be Friday, March 23 at the Hilton-Mall of American in Bloomington. Class members came from all parts of the state, with about two-thirds being farmers and the others involved in the ag industry in some way. Ages varied from about 25 to 50-plus.
MARL experiences have strengthened Wright’s knowledge of agriculture. “It’s important that city people recognize the important role that ag has in the economic development of billions of dollars produced right in their back yards. It’s important for producers, no matter what commodity they produce, to be better promoters. We need to promote ourselves and we have to get consumers on our side. Programs like MARL can help to get us there.” Wright is in the middle of his third four-year term as a county commissioner and sees himself as continuing to have some role in decision-making and politics. He and his family milk 55 cows and operate 550 acres in McLeod County, near Hutchinson. In addition to corn, soybeans and alfalfa, the Wrights raise 10 acres of Aronia Berries and work with Agricultural Utilization Research Institute to develop and market the product.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Steve Hoffman (right) takes part in a group presenta�on with fellow MARL classmates – (from le�) Heidi Peterson, of Minneapolis, Sierra Kanten, of Milnor, Minn., and Brad Neuman, of Wabasso, Minn. Wright depends on family members for help when he’s away from home for MARL events. His wife, Heather, also works at Ridgewater College. They have four children: Cody, Breanna, Allison and McKenna.
Class IX gathers for its rst session in November 2016 in Willmar, Minn.
Hoffman and his wife, Kerry, milk 140 cows and raise 1,180 acres of corn, soybeans, alfalfa and sweet corn. They also operate a sawdust/wood shavings business. They have two sons, Joe and Russ, who both help on
PHOTO SUBMITTED
the farm as time allows. They also have a full-time herdsman, Zach Novey, who has been with the farm for more than six years. In addition, they have ve parttime employees. “I’m very fortunate to have the employees I do,” Hoffman said. Of his MARL experience, Hoffmann said, “I absolutely recommend that others look into MARL. Anyone who is interested is welcome to contact me and I’ll share my experiences.” Steve can be contacted at sdhoffman@newulmtel.net. Information about the next MARL class is available at http://www.marlprogram.org/ application/. Class X sessions will start in November of this year. Applications will be accepted until April 12.
Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018
26TH ANNUAL
Carver County
DAIRY EXPO
Location: CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL 531 Morse Street, Norwood Young America
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Online information available at z.umn.edu/2018CCDairyExpo and Facebook: @CarverScottExtension
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
9:00 am Registration - Trade Show Open 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. 10:15 am Early Bird Drawing - Chanhassen Dinner Theatre Tickets 10:30 am
Building a Strong Partnership with Your Financial Lender & Advisors
Changing Yield Measure: Harvest Digestible Tons per Acre, not just Tons
Paul Peterson, FSA; Bruce Mathwig, KleinBank; Pam Uhlenkamp, South Central College; Megan Roberts, UMN Extension
Dr. John Goeser Animal Nutrition and R&I Director Rock River Laboratory, Inc.
PANEL DISCUSSION
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12:30 pm 2:15 pm
Door Prize Drawing for
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Science of Mastitis Presented in Spanish by Jorge Delgado Bilingual Trainer-Dairy Specialist Elanco Animal Health
Keynote Address: Feeding Dairy Cows with Today’s Low Milk Prices
Dairy Labor Engagement: Attracting, Managing, Retaining Good Employees
Mike Hutjens Professor Emeritus University of Illinois Held in the Auditorium
Moderated in Spanish by Jorge Delgado Bilingual Trainer-Dairy Specialist, Elanco Animal Health
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Alfalfa Research Update: Reduced Lignin, Winter Injury, and Cutting Management for Modern Cultivars
Feeding to Achieve High Milk Components
Dr. Scotty Wells Extension Agronomist, U of Minnesota
Mike Hutjens Professor Emeritus University of Illinois
How Our Decisions During Calving Define the Future of the Cow & Calf Presented in Spanish by Mario Flores Technical Services Specialist Form-A-Feed Inc.
3:15 pm Door Prize; Grand Prize & Evaluation Drawing In case of inclement weather, please call the Farm Information Line (800) 232-9077. For other Dairy Expo information, please call Carver County Extension (952) 466-5300.
School is in session for Princess Kay South Dakota
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Page 25
I started January with several classroom visits. While each visit was different, all of the kids were excited to listen to what I had to say. The energy and enthusiasm kids have always amazes me. My rst visit was to preschoolers in St. Peter, Minn. Here, On the Road with the preschoolers enjoyed Princess Kay seeing pictures from my farm, listening to cow stories and enjoying cheese sticks. Next, I visited Mount Olive Lutheran School in Mankato, Minn. I had a chance to talk to kids ranging in age from kindergarten to fourth grade. Before my visit, each of the kids had voted on By Emily Annexstad their favorite dairy food. 64th Princess Kay of the They even had a map Milky Way at the school featuring where each of the dairy processing plants were located. This was a great tie in to talk about how milk and other dairy foods are local. This group also enjoyed a virtual tour of my farm that focused on how we care for our cows. The following week, I visited the elementary school in Orono, Minn. Earlier in the school year, the students had participated in a challenge to see which grade could drink more milk with their lunches. In order to help celebrate this, I visited students during their lunch time. It was fun to mingle with the kids, answer their questions about dairy and hand out dairy-themed stickers and other prizes. I had some great conversations and watched many kids nish their cartons of milk. My last classroom visit was to Immanuel Lutheran School in Courtland, Minn. Here, I tested the
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fth through sixth graders’ dairy knowledge with a dairy jeopardy game. I also had the chance to visit the preschool through fourth grade classrooms. No matter the age range of the students, they had great questions for me. Classroom visits are a wonderful opportunity to interact with the next generation of dairy supporters. Later in the month, I attended the Nicollet and Brown County ADA meeting and dairy princess banquet. I enjoyed hearing about the work the Nicollet and Brown County ADAs put into promoting dairy throughout the year. For instance, they both helped fund a realistic dairy exhibit at the Children’s Museum in Mankato. I attended the grand opening of this exhibit in October. I also took this chance to share what I have been up to over the past several months, and thank the Nicollet and Brown county dairy farmers for their support. As I nish up January and start off February, I attended two Fuel Up to Play 60 events that took place because of the Super Bowl. In addition to this, my family and I worked in the Midwest Dairy Super Bowl Experience booth. Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Emily Annexstad, serves as the Minnesota dairy community’s goodwill ambassador. Throughout the year, Princess Kay helps people understand the dedication of dairy farmers to wholesome and nutritious food, and the way milk is produced. Princess Kay does many school presentations, represents dairy farmers at the Fuel Up To Play 60 events that are held in conjunction with the Minnesota Vikings, and is very active during June Dairy Month sharing the importance of dairy farming and dairy foods. Emily and her family own and operate a dairy farm in St. Peter, Minnesota. She is a sophomore at the University of Minnesota studying animal science and agricultural communications and marketing. She enjoys reading, playing and watching sports, and showing cattle.
Dairy Princess candidates sought
The Midwest Dairy Association South Dakota Division is seeking candidates to participate in the State Dairy Princess contest scheduled Mar. 27, 2018, at the Sioux Falls Convention Center in Sioux Falls. The event is held in conjunction with the Central Plains Dairy Expo and Convention. The South Dakota Dairy Princess reigns for one year as the ofcial goodwill ambassador for the state’s dairy industry, making a variety of public appearances to help consumers understand dairy products and the responsible practices used by dairy producers. The new princess will be South Dakota’s 63rd State Dairy Princess. The entry deadline is March 1, 2018. Candidates must be 17 to 24 years old, a graduating high school senior this year, unmarried and have parents or guardians who are actively engaged in the production of milk for sale to a licensed plant. A candidate also qualies if she, her parents or guardian is employed on a dairy farm or a young lady sincerely interested and passionate about the dairy community. Candidates are judged on their communication skills, personality, general knowledge of the dairy industry and enthusiasm for dairy promotion. The 2018 South Dakota Dairy Princess will receive a $1,000 scholarship from Midwest Dairy Association. A $500 scholarship from the Central Plains Dairy Expo will be awarded to the rst runner-up. All candidates competing in the 2018 South Dakota Dairy Princess contest will receive a $250 scholarship. For complete rules and an application form, visit midwestdairy.com or contact Char Hovland, Midwest Dairy Association – Dairy Princess Consultant, 5313 Pop Fly Place, Sioux Falls, SD 57110 or 605.695.3131, or email char.hovland@gmail.com.
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Producers urged to consider risk protection coverage The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds producers to review available USDA crop risk protection options, including federal crop insurance and Noninsured FSA News & Notes Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage, before the crop deadline of March 15, 2018. Federal crop insurance covers crop losses from natural adversities such as drought, hail and excessive moisture. NAP covers losses from natuBy Ryan Brunn ral disasters on crops for Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. which no permanent federal crop insurance program is available, including perennial grass forage and grazing crops, fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, oriculture, ornamental nursery, aquaculture, turf grass, ginseng, honey, syrup, bioenergy and industrial crops. The following crops have a NAP application deadline of March 15: spring-seeded annual crops such as vegetables, grain crops such as sorghum and perennial forage pasture. Producers can determine if crops are eligible for federal crop insurance or NAP by visiting https:// webapp.rma.usda.gov/apps/actuarialinformationbrowser2018/CropCriteria.aspx. NAP basic coverage is available at 55 percent of the average market price for crop losses that exceed 50 percent of expected production, with higher levels of coverage, up to 65 percent of their expected production at 100 percent of the average market price, including coverage for organics and crops marketed directly to consumers. Federal crop insurance coverage is sold and delivered solely through private insurance agents. Agent lists are available at all USDA Service Centers or at USDA’s online agent locator: http://prodwebnlb.rma.usda.gov/apps/AgentLocator/#. Producers can use the USDA cost estimator, https:// ewebapp.rma.usda.gov/apps/costestimator/Default.aspx, to predict insurance premium costs. For more information on NAP, service fees, premiums and sales deadlines, contact your FSA ofce or visit www.fsa.usda.gov/nap. 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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I sat in church for a Saturday evening eight o’ clock mass. Having just rushed through chores to arrive on time took its toll. I was tired because it was the rst time I had been able to sit down in nearly six hours. The temperature outside was unforgivingly cold. The sun set hours ago so darkness surrounded me with no relief except for a few Christmas lights in the distance. My body was shutting down and yet I knew somehow I had to stay awake for the next hour. The pain from the cracks in my ngers, which I have been nurturing for three weeks now, should have kept me alert. If that fails, I could depend on a nudge from Patty J. Remember, this is the day before the Vikings played the Eagles. Despite the bitter cold spell, our Vikings playing into the third week of January somehow shortened winter. The second reading was being read and I heard the words, “I tell you brothers and sisters, time is running out for the world in its present form is passing away.” We are taught to apply scripture to our personal life. After Mass, I asked Father Andy if Saint Pauls’ scripture was talking about our Vikings. He said he was not sure, but that by Sunday night I would receive the answer. Sunday night came and after the rst quarter the Vikings football season had pretty much ended. I am always amazed how God’s word in the Bible applies to me from week to week, nearly 2,000 years later and in such a timely fashion. Yes, time is running out. Laura and I went to a Dairy Initiatives meeting that focused on succession planning. The speaker stressed that everyone involved was to express their personal goals and their fears for the next 5-10 years. Everyone must be heard, respected and appreciated for this to move forward. Fear motivates people, and last-minute decisions tend to not necessarily be the best. Have meetings where everyone feels free to offer ideas. In fact, have many of them and document suggestions that come up so that everyone has time to think about them between meetings. The goal in the end is to come to a conclusion that everyone can be happy with. Only then is it time for a lawyer, and it is his job to make legal what you want to happen. In the end, he should be your best friend by making your wishes come true. “The world in its present form is passing away.” With two daughters wanting to return and get involved with the dairy, now is not a good time for the
tel y ™
By John & Laura Rosenhammer Father/Daughter Farming Duo
importance of holding back when you want something. Doing this often creates patience and discipline, and leaves more money in your account. Very hard words for our youth to accept, but time-tested wisdom. The important thing in these hard times is to not give up. Keep on going to events that try to help you improve your dairy. My experience has been that you may learn something from the speaker, but almost always more from others who are present. Occasionally, after listening to all the problems of someone else, one goes home feeling fortunate and lucky. So as the world in its present form is passing away, be mindful that days are getting longer, the bitter temperatures are ending soon, and daylight savings time is nearing. John Rosenhammer farms with his daughter, Laura Schotz, and brother, Greg, on Roseview Dairy near Sleepy Eye, Minn. They milk 200 Holsteins and run 580 acres of cropland.
p le
milk price to be falling so quickly. I see the passion and dedication in their eyes, and yet I do not have the resources to compensate them justly. Without much notice they are willing to drop or change their plans to help if I or Greg get in a bind. Both Laura and Mary are willing to feed that new born calf colostrum, help catch an animal for breeding, or drench that one cow that needs a little extra attention. They see the bigger picture. It’s a way of life; family is more important than cows; and working together as family accomplishes most in an efcient and effective manner. I am always impressed by the enthusiasm Laura brings home whether attending a David Kohls succession planning seminar or an AMPI young leaders meeting. Both her and I enjoy motivational speakers who challenge us to become the best versions of ourselves. “Happiness is not a result of what you think you need; but appreciating what you have.” Very true words to live by. Another speaker stressed the
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Betty Berning bberning@umn.edu 320-203-6104 Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130 Hugh Chester-Jones chest001@umn.edu (507) 835-3622 Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu (612) 624-5391 Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu (320) 589-1711 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu (612) 625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Claire LaCanne Extension Educator 507-332-6109 lacanne@umn.edu Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu (320) 732-4435 Kota Minegishi kota@umn.edu 612-624-7455 Randy Pepin pepin019@umn.edu (320) 333-1369 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu (320) 203-6093 M. Scott Wells mswells@umn.edu 612-625-3747 Emily Wilmes krek0033@umn.edu (320) 255-6169
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Lameness treatment and prevention: No pain, no lame
Lameness is a painful, costly disease that affects productivity of cows through its effect on milk production, culling and reproductive performance. In addition, lameness is also a major animal welfare concern, as it is highly prevalent and easily recognizable by consumers. Types of lameness due to foot lesions can be broadly categorized into infectious (digital dermatitis or DD, heel horn erosion and foot rot) and hoof horn (ulcers, white line disease and hemorrhage). Although infectious lesions are the most common type of lesions in most herds, hoof horn lesions are far costlier. Typical production losses for cows with hoof horn lesions range from 400 to 1,100 pounds of milk per lactation; in addition, these cows are also at increased risk of culling. By Gerard Cramer It is surprising how much our current U of M Extension lameness prevalence is inuenced by chronic cases. Recent data from a multiyear study in the United Kingdom suggests that up to 83 percent of lameness cases are due to cows having at least one lameness case in their history. In our research group we are observing similar trends in locomotion scoring data from over 1,200 cows, where 64 percent of lame cows prior to their dry-off hoof trim became lame in their next lactation. Conversely, only 30 percent of cows not lame prior to their dry off hoof trim became lame in their next lactation. Similarly, lesion data from the same cows would indicate that only 16 percent of cows develop lesions in the rst 150 days of their lactation if they did not have a lesion at their dry-off trim. Traditionally, nutritional factors and nutritionists have received a lot of the blame for lameness problems in herds due to sole ulcers and white line disease. Surprisingly, the evidence in the literature for a causal relationship between subclinical acidosis and lameness is weak. Based on our current understanding of the digital cushion, suspensory apparatus and the effect that mediators and enzymes have on the tissues and structures inside the claw, the diet the cow eats is less important than how she eats it. This appears to be especially important in the transition period. Body condition score (BCS) and the thickness of the digital cushion have been identied as risk factors for lameness. Studies conducted in the UK have shown that a decrease in BCS, or a low BCS, increases the risk of lameness. Ensuring cows enter the transition period with properly trimmed feet and experience a stress-free transition that minimizes involuntary standing time is likely going to make a difference in lameness incidence and, in turn, prevalence.
Hoof trimming has long been advocated as a key component of a lameness prevention program. There is limited research on hoof trimming and there are several knowledge gaps that exist, such as what is the most appropriate technique and when should hoof trimming occur? Our research group has evaluated an adaptation to the functional trimming method described by Dr. Toussaint Raven on approximately 1,200 cows in three herds at the time of their dry-off trim. Results from this study show that this extensive modelling resulted in 5 percent less hoof horn lesions in cows that were trimmed with this method at the end of their rst lactation. Trimming cows in their second and greater lactation with extensive modelling did not appear to reduce the number of lesions. Commonly, dry-off and mid-lactation are recommended as the ideal times for hoof trimming. Based on the importance of the transition period, it makes sense from a biological perspective to trim cows prior to dry-off to create a scenario whereby the previously described effects of the transition period are minimized. To minimize the impact of a new case of a hoof horn related lameness on the cow’s future risk for lameness, it is necessary to ensure treatments encourage fast healing and minimize inammation. Current data from the UK suggests that using non-steroidal anti-inammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to treat early cases of lameness improves cures. Similar use in cows that have a more chronic case of lameness did not improve outcomes. There is a lack of data about the use of blocks and how they affect cows. We know that blocks applied to healthy cows do not negatively affect cow behavior or milk production. Blocks improve healing by removing the pressure from the affected hoof. Proper sizing of blocks is important as in most cases there is more potential for harm by applying a block that is too short rather than too long. Correct position of the block involves ensuring the block is applied at a 90-degree angle to the bones in the leg. This ensures that weight bearing is appropriately reduced on the affected hoof and not transferred to the outside wall of the diseased hoof. In summary, it is becoming clear that addressing lameness requires a focus on preventing chronic lame cows. This requires an integrated approach that focuses on prevention and early, effective treatment. Prevention starts with ensuring appropriate lying time, minimizing inammatory and metabolic incidents around the transition period and ensuring all cows receive an appropriate hoof trimming around dry-off. If a cow does become lame, applying prompt, effective treatment is essential.
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Managing stress
How do you know when you are stressed? For some, a quickened heart rate or a slight feeling of queasiness is enough signal they are getting anxious or overwhelmed. When we are stressed, hormones like cortisol ood our systems, producing the ght or ight response. When that happens, our heart rate goes up, we breathe more heavily (which requires more oxygen) and our blood vessels constrict. Stress can contribute to chronic conditions like hypertension and headaches, as well as mental health concerns like depression and anxiety disorders. In addition, stress can actually make other conditions worse such as asthma, irritable bowel syndrome and insomnia. However, just as we have a stress response, we also By Brenda Miller have a relaxation response, during which breathing slows, blood pressure decreases and you even use less oxygen. U of M Extension We do not really have a choice when it comes to getting stressed so we may as well work to undo its effects. With that in mind, here are a few ways to help you de-stress. Everyone has a hobby of some sort. Maybe you like to sew, read, woodwork, collect things, cook, bake, landscape, garden, hunt, play music, nap, volunteer, etc. Maybe you like to do yoga or are on a volleyball or bowling league. Whatever your hobby is, invest time into it or an extracurricular activity every day, even if it is just for a few minutes. This break in your everyday farming schedule will do wonders. Take yourself away from the farm for a while. It can be for a couple of hours or a few days. Go on a four-wheeling day trip, go to Farm Fest for the day, take your family to a waterpark/hotel for a night, or spend a week somewhere warm in the wintertime. Granted, this will require some logistics to make sure chores get done. But planning multiple vacation events throughout the year gives you something to look forward to. Write down, on a little piece of paper, good things that happen as they happen during the year and put them in a mason jar. At the end of the year take the little papers out and read them. Even in tough years there are still good things that happen and it is good to be reminded of those. This can be a family activity. Journaling is an excellent form of therapy. Sometimes a person just needs to get something off their chest but may not want to speak it out loud or maybe there isn’t anyone around that can be a trusted listening block. Writing it down in a journal at the end of the day can help take weight off of one’s shoulders. Sometimes a simple walk can help clear your mind and boost endorphins, which in turn can reduce stress hormones and improve sleep. Breathe deeply and take in the surroundings. Be sure to wear brightly colored or reective clothing when walking on a road and walk against trafc. Be mindful of vehicles as drivers may not always be paying attention. Put your phone on silent or airplane mode for a couple of hours. Inadvertently, our society puts pressure on being available at all times, which increases stress levels. Sometimes being electronically unavailable for a few minutes or hours each day can make the time you are on your phone or computer more productive. In addition, keep safety in mind. If you are working on a piece of equipment or milking cows and your phone suddenly rings loudly, a cow might get jumpy or kick you. Or, the noise may scare yourself and cause you to drop a heavy wrench on your foot. Also, take yourself away from the screen at least an hour before bedtime to allow your eyes and mind to relax. Ultimately, stress is inevitable for everyone. But, it can be managed if you take a few minutes each day to be mindful and do something for yourself. However, please do not hesitate to seek professional counseling or talk to your health care provider for additional ideas.
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Page 29
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Staying married Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018
done much of the heavy lifting when it comes to keeping the aura of mystery alive. She seems to believe It boggles my brain to think this, but my wife and that a marriage can’t simply coast along on inertia. I will soon be celebrating our 37th wedding anniverFor instance, just the other day my wife asked, sary. I have no idea where the time has gone. “How many husbands does it take to replace a roll of Durable marriages seem toilet paper?” to be the exception nowaI allowed that I hadn’t the days. It doesn’t help that the A meeting foggiest notion. i off the h minds i d also l very language of matrimony “That’s OK,” she said. is negative. What bachelor seems to be a key factor for a “Nobody knows because isn’t aware that marriage marriage. it’s never happened.” can be rearranged to spell “a See what I mean? grim era”? Or that motherShe’s forever spouting crypin-law is an anagram for both “alter him now” and tic sayings such as those. The hidden meaning behind “am rhino welt”? these riddles continues to keep me guessing. I haven’t learned much about the care and mainteA meeting of the minds also seems to be a key nance of a marriage. What I do know is that my wife factor for a marriage that lasts longer than the toaster deserves much of the credit, mainly because she has oven you received as a wedding gift. My wife and I ing.
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have been together for so long that not only do we nish each other’s sentences, it has gotten to the point where she can also start my sentences for me and furnish most of their middle parts. For example, we might be watching TV Dear County Agent Guy when a scantily clad young female might parade across the screen. Without warning – without my uttering so much as a single syllable – my wife will up and whack me a good one. “Ouch,” I’ll exclaim, “What was that for?” She will then proceed to explain how she By Jerry Nelson was about to say this, Columnist to which I would have replied with that, and by golly, anyone who would say such a thing deserves a whack upside the head. The scariest part is that her thought-reading accuracy rate often exceeds 90 percent. Another important ingredient for a long and happy marriage is romance. In other words, you can’t be like the crusty old farmer whose wife once asked him, “How come you never say that you love me?” “I already said it once on the day we got married,” said the gruff old coot. “If I’d changed my mind, I would have told you.” Romance, according to my wife, can best be found in places that are tropical and exotic and have well-appointed beachside hotels. “I wish we could go to Hawaii,” she will often opine. “Or, the Bahamas or Jamaica. Places like that are so romantic.” I couldn’t help but notice that all of those places are also so distant. I can’t imagine what a non-eabag hotel room at such a place might cost. And, the airlines keep nding creative new ways to tack on surcharges. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they began to charge passengers for their carryon pocket lint. Compromise is important in these situations. To celebrate one of our recent anniversaries, my wife booked a room at a bed and breakfast called the Steever House. It’s located about 70 miles south of our farm, so I think this could technically qualify as a visit to the tropics. Our stay at Steever House Bed and Breakfast was entirely pleasant. My wife and I agreed that the breakfast part was one of the highlights. As we tucked into apjacks that were the size of Frisbees, I made a point of mentioning that banana pancakes are both exotic and tropical. After breakfast we sat by the table and basked in the exquisite agony of overfull tummies. I eventually noticed that my wife had a twinkle in her eye and was looking at me in a way that seemed to be sending a particular message. “Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?” I whispered. “You know it,” she murmured with a sly grin. She then turned to our hostess, Sara, and asked for her banana pancake recipe. I don’t know how she does it. But as I said, my wife’s thought-reading accuracy rate is better than 90 percent. Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, S.D. He and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry currently works full time for the Dairy Star as a staff writer/ ad salesman. Feel free to E-mail him at: jerry.n@dairystar.com.
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Tenacity
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Page 31
Some synonyms for tenacity are: perseverance, diligence, stubbornness, spunk, grit, guts, courage, moxie, doggedness and resolve. Any of these are good descriptors of dairy farmers, in my opinion. Some antonyms are: idleness, Veterinary Wisdom cowardice, weakness, slackness, indifference and fear. These words do not sound like dairy farmers at all. Tenacity comes from the Latin “tenacitas” or “the act of holding fast.” I can think of no better description of what dairy farmers are doing right now, as we head into another year of By Jim Bennett low milk prices, which Columnist would be the fourth full year since the last year of really high prices. This is, of course, part of farming, and is not unique to the dairy sector. Still, after over 35 years of veterinary practice I am more in awe of the ability of dairy farmers to hold fast than ever. As enterprises grow, so do the losses or gains. It also seems like the length of the price cycle is getting longer, too. This means periods of losses that are longer and deeper. Who in heck wants to do this? Diana Fischer in her blog, http://theaccidentalfarmwife.blogspot.com/, talks about why farmers choose this profession. “Working a eld in the sweltering, blistering heat of summer. Plowing a path to the barn in the lifesucking, aching cold wind of a winter blizzard. Well, at this point, he’s committed. He has lives depending on him gaining access to the barn no matter how much snow has fallen.” Who knows why anyone really chooses an occupation, but we should all be able to recognize when someone chooses a noble profession that requires so much tenacity. We should be proud and thankful for someone whose main job is providing
food for all the rest of us in the face of pretty stiff farmers do and what challenges they face. It is truly a odds. Most of us are just not willing to take the risks special profession. So, here is a big thank you, from at least one old crusty cow vet. Know that we notice. to be farmers. Not enough moxie. Recently, it has been pretty cold. Weathermen You are fantastic. You have tenacity and dedication, and newscasters remind us not to go outside, or if we endurance, stamina, steadfastness, backbone, drive, immovability, pluck, do, to be sure to cover our purposefulness and mouths and noses, and to not hi k I get why h ffarmers want resolution. And, thank God exert ourselves out there. I I think suspect almost every one of to be farmers. that you do, or the rest these folks have never been of us would be in a real on a dairy farm, because it pickle. Because of you, the would be hard to farm with rest of us can have apathy, these restrictions. What I see is farmers working more cowardice, indifference, irresolution, weakness, and working harder. Waterers need thawing, tractors idleness, indolence, laziness or lethargy, and still get and slid loaders need starting or jumping, doors need a hot meal at the end of a cold day and not go outside, to be thawed, frozen manure needs to be somehow too. pried off the alleys, employees need rides to work Jim Bennett is a dairy veterinarian at Northern because cars do not start, and cows need to be moved Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center in extra-cautiously on frozen surfaces. I see down cows Plainview, Minn. He and his wife, Pam, have four in cold barns that require lots of care and attention on children. Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@gmail. days when farmers just do not have the time. Calves com with comments or questions. get frostbitten feet and ears that need to be cared for. Snow needs to be moved so the milk truck can get in the yard. In fact, almost everything on a dairy farm is harder and slower on cold days. Not go outside? Are you kidding? Cows do not listen to weathermen or newscasters. Since 1997 I feel sorry for myself when I have my semiTrimming frozen arm up some cow’s rear, and I have to pull it commercial and out and wait for another cow, or when my feet start to tingle or ngers go numb. But then I get into my show cattle warm car and drive off somewhere else, perhaps back We use a hydraulic to a warm ofce, while the farmer is still out there upright chute for less stress. with the cows in below zero temps. He or she will be “Our two man crew allows us to complete the out there tonight, too, when I am on a warm couch job in a timely manner watching a show on Netix. with less disruption of your I think I get why farmers want to be farmers. I do herd’s daily routine.” not think it is because they like long periods of low milk prices. I wish we could all prevent times like this Call Dan at from happening, but of course we cannot. What we 507-272-3447 can do is to appreciate what our farmers do, and to thank them for it. We can also tell others about what
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Keeping the house stocked with dairy Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018
This has denitely been a hot chocolate winter toast, of course. Hot vegetables are always drowning in our house. The cold weather, along with head and in butter; it even makes broccoli bearable. chest colds, have us on a microwave record of heating Ice cream at our house is hit and miss. Sometimes milk. We have a simple recipe: one cup of whole milk one of us craves it and buys a certain avor, and at from the dairy heated in the microwave for 1.25 min- times we eat very little other than at Sunday dinner. utes, 3 teaspoons of Nesquik Sunday dinner involves and a dollop of Reddi-Wip anywhere from 10-15 Production P d i off d dairy i products d topping. grandkids present dependProduction of dairy is important to me, but ing on the day, along with products is important to me, the eight parents. We conbut consumption of dairy consumption of dairy sistently use two small tubs products is more enjoyable. products is more enjoyable. of ice cream. I do the ice My wife and I would both cream scooping and most of be dead if butterfat was truthose eight boys come back ly bad for us. deb puts butter for seconds. Dairy Queen in hot dish and on pizza, along with using it on all the ice cream cakes are also a big hit on Aaron’s birthday. usual things. My favorite is spreading butter on buns Aaron is a son-in-law, who happens to share a birthbefore putting on a hot dog, barbecue or burger. I also day with my wife and my now deceased mother-infry an egg in butter every morning on top of buttered law. That birthday is June 1, the kickoff to June Dairy
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Month, so what better way to celebrate than a DQ ice cream cake? I am constantly ordering cases of cheese sticks from the AMPl cheese store for our big family. The moms tell me a cheese stick is a perfect snack Making Cents of Dairy for any kid as it’s healthy, quick, the right serving size, and above all, not messy. I think cheese sticks are OK, but a little salty. Just give me a thick slice of Colby Jack. deb likes Pepper Jack so much that I’ve even seen her melt Pepper Jack on a fried egg. Lately, she By Dave Vander Kooi started making grilled Columnist cheese sandwiches using a slice of American with Monterey Jack melted together, which makes a great grilled cheese. deb is now into drinking a little ker, but I think it tastes weird. The label on it says it supports the immune system and balances digestive health. What do those statements really mean? Maybe it counteracts all the butter we eat; I don’t know. Pizza is supposed to be the food of choice during the Super Bowl, but I came home from a small party at Tae’s house, and we didn’t have pizza. That’s ne. I have pizza at least once a week somewhere. I like how pizza makers are blending more and more kinds of cheese on their pizzas. There can never be too much tomato sauce or cheese on a pizza. Now that the Super Bowl is over, it’s still plenty cold out to have hot chocolate tonight, but I can’t wait for summer, baseball and a cold glass of milk. Vander Kooi operates a 1,800-cow, 4,500 acre farm with his son, Joe, and daughter-in-law, Rita, near Worthington, Minn. Send him feedback at davevkooi@ icloud.com. Follow him on Instagram, @davevanderkooi.
Holstein Association USA recognizes Top BAA Herds
Holstein Association USA has released the lists of the top Holstein Breed Age Average (BAA%) herds for 2017 classications. The BAA value provides a way to compare the score of a herd average to the average of the breed, taking into account age of the animal and stage of lactation. Herds participating in the Classic or Standard options of the Holstein Classication program receive an overall BAA for the herd. Several lists have been created to recognize members of all herd sizes and all areas of the country. Find the 2017 Overall Top 200 BAA Herds, Top 25 BAA Herds by Region, Top 25 BAA Herds by Herd Size, and Top 10 BAA Herds for Colleges & Universities on www. holsteinusa.com. To appear on these lists, a herd must have at least 10 cows included in the BAA calculation. If a herd classied more than once during the year, only the most recent BAA was considered for inclusion. All eligible herds are automatically evaluated. The average BAA for all herds in 2017 was 106.5. Six herds had a BAA of over 114.0, and Matthew T. Mitchell of Tenn. earns the recognition of having the highest BAA in the U.S. last year at 116.5 on 10 cows. Rounding out the top ve include Milk Source LLC, Wis.; Eaton Holsteins, N.Y.; Michael J. Garrow, N.Y.; Michael & Julie Duckett, Wis.; and Timothy M. & Sharyn W. Abbott, Vt. To view the complete list of 2017 Top BAA Herds under the Popular Lists section on the Holstein Association USA homepage, go directly to www.holsteinusa.com/ programs_services/baa_lists_2017.html.
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Minnesota just wrapped up a monumental week. By all accounts, we successfully re-branded Minnesota as the Bold North by, as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell claimed, taking the Super Bowl to a whole new level. Between the Super Bowl Experience, all of the other events in town and the game itself, there were a number of innovative ways to participate and celebrate the big game. There was also one good lesson about the power of pairing up. You might have noticed it during the Super Bowl Dairy Good Life commercials. I’ve always felt that Super Bowl commercials are there for those of us who can’t imagine cheering for either of the teams playing. Most years, I skip watching the game itself – we don’t have a television in the barn – and just watch the commercials after. One of the best commercials this year, according to multiple rankings, was the commercial featuring Doritos and Mountain Dew. While I’m personally troubled that a joint commercial for junk foods claimed one of the top spots, I did nd the commercial entertaining, mostly because Peter Dinklage and Morgan Freeman are incredible actors. And By Sadie Frericks the strategy of pairing two major brands for one comColumnist mercial makes sense. Pairing up allowed PepsiCo, the parent company of both Doritos and Mountain Dew, to split the cost of the commercial between two of its brands. With a reported price tag of $10 million for each 60-second spot, sharing the cost makes even more sense. Pairing up for the commercial also allowed the two brands to reach a greater audience. I suspect Doritos and Mountain Dew already share a similar audience, but each brand likely has its own fan base and both of those groups were pulled into one commercial. Pairing up for the Super Bowl was a strategy used by agriculture and the dairy community as well. Land O’Lakes paired NFL players with the cooperative’s own farmers for the inaugural Land O’Lakes Farm Bowl. On the Thursday before the Super Bowl, Land O’Lakes transformed 3M Arena at Mariucci on the University of Minnesota campus into a farming obstacle course. Six teams of two – made up of one current or retired NFL player and one Land O’Lakes farmer – competed in the series of farming challenges. The top two teams faced off for the title of Farm Bowl Champions, which ended up being Minnesota Vikings wide receiver, Stefon Diggs, and Land O’Lakes dairy farmer, JJ Nunes. We took the kids out of school that day so we could all go watch the Land O’Lakes Farm Bowl. I wanted them to see farming in the spotlight, to see the excitement generated by the event. Dan, Monika and Daphne just wanted to see Stefon Diggs and Kyle Rudolph stack hay bales. How cool is it for farm kids to see professional football players doing a chore they do every day? Land O’Lakes said the Farm Bowl was created to be “a fun and unique way to highlight the signicant role of farmers and to help inspire the next generation to consider a career in modern agriculture.” The event was certainly a lot of fun and generated a lot of positive press about farming. By pairing farmers with NFL players, Land O’Lakes was able to highlight the hard work and dedication that both farmers and football players bring to their professions. Plus, pairing up allowed Land O’Lakes to tap into the NFL’s broader audience base, which helped the Farm Bowl’s message reach far more consumers than it would have with just farmers competing. Pairing up with the NFL has been part of the dairy community’s strategy with Fuel Up to Play 60 for almost 10 years now. Hosting the Super Bowl in Minneapolis gave Minnesota dairy farmers an opportunity to highlight the Fuel Up to Play 60 program as part of the Super Bowl Experience at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Dozens of dairy farmers, with help from a dozen or so NFL football players, interacted with hundreds of students in the #FuelUpExperience. The #FuelUpExperience was the capstone of an entire year of increased publicity for Fuel Up to Play 60. During each of the 52 weeks leading up to Super Bowl LII, one school in Minnesota was provided with a Fuel Up to Play 60 Breakfast-in-the-Classroom grant. These Super School Breakfast grants were given by the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee (MNSBHC) Legacy Fund. There’s denitely power in pairing up, especially for the dairy community. It helps us reach a larger audience with positive stories about dairy farming and dairy foods. I hope the Land O’Lakes Farm Bowl and Fuel Up to Play 60 will become part of a long list of pairings that benet dairy farmers by bringing agricultural awareness and appetite for dairy to a whole new level. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minn. They have three children – Dan, 11, Monika, 8, and Daphne, 5. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Page 33
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018
Humble upbringing leads Brady to historical career
Minnesota family recalls growing up with legendary quarterback By Jennifer Coyne & Mark Klaphake Staff Writers
BROWERVILLE, Minn. – As New England Patriots’ Tom Brady proclaimed his excitement for participating in his eighth Super Bowl game following the AFC
Championship Jan. 21, the rural town of Browerville, Minn., quickly became more than a farming community. Browerville is the California-native’s home
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Paul Johnson has a collecƟon of Tom Brady memorabilia in his shed near Browerville, Minn. Johnson is Brady’s cousin and spent summers with the pro athlete milking cows on their grandparents’ dairy.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
One of Paul Johnson’s fondest photos is one of his son, Benton (leŌ) and daughter Kenley with Brady earlier in his NFL career.
away from home. The place he would spend summers shing with family, playing whife ball with cousins, and milking cows with Grandpa. “We were just little tykes helping Grandpa,” said Paul Johnson, Brady’s older cousin.
“Here were these kids coming from California and seeing a big creature like [a cow], and being able to grab it by its udder was unreal.” Paul lives only a short distance from the family’s farmstead.
While the dairy is no longer operational, Paul’s father, Gary, is the third generation of Johnsons to own the farm site, and Paul’s uncle, Allen, currently lives on the property. Turn to BRADY | Page 35
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Page 35
ConƟnued from BRADY | Page 34 “It’s a time gone by, but you could make a living with that many cows,” said Paul, referring to his grandpa’s 24cow dairy. Although the barn now sits empty, the memories made on the farm remain vibrant. Each summer, Paul looked forward to a visit from the Bradys. “The whole family would come every year, and make a point to visit and stay at the farm,” Gary said. Aside from shing and playing games of smear, the cousins were often found in the dairy barn or adventuring through the nearby Eagle Creek. “I can remember Tom being in the barn squirting milk at his sisters, and getting away from Grandpa,” Gary said. Paul agreed. “We all thought we were big helpers,” he said. “We might’ve been spreading out a little hay for each cow. Or, there was a cement oor with gutters and we’d shovel it out at the end of the day and take all of the waste out.” As Brady grew up, it became evident his upbringing was launching him towards a career that takes talent, perseverance and dedication. He was often found throwing things – once breaking a farmhouse window. “As a kid, you never think of those things,” Paul said. “There’s a lot of athleticism in the family, and we always joke [Brady’s] comes from the Johnson side.” Since Brady’s football career began, his Browerville family has remained his biggest supporters on and off the eld. “We grew up with [the Bradys]. We’ve been close with them our entire childhood, and that’s what we love about it,” Paul said. “Even after Tommy got famous, the relationship between
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The late Gordon Johnson (leŌ), Tom Brady’s grandpa, is pictured with New England Patriot owner Bob KraŌ earlier in Brady’s playing career. Johnson milked 24 cows near Browerville, Minn. him and us, and his entire family, has not changed. They weren’t born and raised celebrities, they were simple people just like the rest of us.” For the rst four years of Brady’s contract with the New England Patriots, his family would gather at the farm and watch every game. “For the past 14 years, we’ve been watching the game here. We used to pick Grandpa up from the farm and have potluck meals and watch the
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game,” said Paul, showing football memorabilia dispersed throughout his heated shop. As Brady’s career has developed, the Johnsons have had the opportunity to watch him in person. Last year, they attended the Super Bowl held in Houston, Texas. However, this year was different. Not only did the Johnsons have a chance to reconnect with their California relatives, they did so in the
state that has given them so many fond memories. Although another trip to the Super Bowl certainly boosted Brady’s following across the nation, nothing will compare to his fan-base in west central Minnesota. “A little town of 790 people will always be a fan of Tom Brady,” Paul said.
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018
Women In Dairy Gabrielle Woodard Ridgeway, Minn. Winona County 175 cows
Family: I am married to Dusty. We have a son, Hickory, 15 months, and another child due in June. Tell us about your farm and your role. My husband and I farm with his parents, John and Judy Woodard, and brother, Jesse. Two-thirds of our herd is Holstein, while the rest is Jersey. We raise all our own youngstock, including steers. My role is the “Jackie of all trades.” I milk cows, feed calves, run the Bobcat, drive tractors, haul loads, cut hay and mix feed. Our family all works together really well. What’s the busiest time of day for you? That short period of time between sunrise and sunset. In addition to my role on the farm, I teach kindergarten at Madison Elementary School in Winona, Minn. After school, I have a little time with my son before I go out to do evening chores. My mother-inlaw cares for our son while I’m at school and Dusty is farming during the day, and also when we are doing chores at night. We are usually home by 8:30 p.m. when we eat supper and get ready for bed. When school is not in session, I devote more time to the farm. There is always something to do. When you get a spare moment what do you do? I like to spend time with my family. Hickory loves reading books, playing with his tractors and going sledding. He also loves the farm. It’s fun to watch him grow. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. Each year, we look forward to the rst weekend of November – deer hunting season. We all work extra hard to get done with chores early to hit the woods. Even though I have yet to get a trophy buck, it is a nice time to be with family and enjoy the natural aspect of the farm. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I enjoy milking cows. In 1997, my parents, Tom and Marie Tibor, put a milking parlor in their stanchion barn. With the safety of the parlor, I did the evening milking through middle and high school. I attended college at St. Mary’s University in Winona and although I lived in the dorm, I would go home every evening to milk cows. I continued milking cows once I became a full-time teacher after college. Since milking is so routine, it is my physical and calming part of my day. We just put in a new parlor in December, so I’m back to milking in a parlor. Before this, we had a step-up parlor. I have also used my tie to dairy to help teach my students in the classroom. Although all classes have a farming unit, I am able to take it above and beyond because of my personal experience. The class incubates chicks, my husband brings in a Holstein and a Jersey calf along with other fun lessons. The children gain an appreciation for what farmers do on a regular basis and where their food comes from. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? My side of the family is all involved with the dairy industry and quite a bit of my husband’s family is too. Therefore, all our family functions focus on farm gossip.
In your opinion, what’s the importance of women in today’s dairy industry and how have you seen that change over the years? Even though it is a male-dominated profession, women are equally important. From my own experience, the farms would not run as smoothly without females. Women need to be supportive, helpful and exible. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? I am not a political person, but I would choose First Lady Melania Trump. Hopefully she could relay the message about the difculties farmers face today. Farmers work hard to provide high quality dairy products, treat animals with great respect, care for the land and still try to make a living. Farmers are talented, dedicated and hardworking people who boost the economy. However, where is the future generation? It is so hard to get into farming with the ups and downs of prices. It is becoming a less attractive profession. We will lose more farmers if something isn’t done to help. Small communities rely on small farms, so those communities might need to change and adapt, as well. What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? Our honeymoon. We went to Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park and the Badlands in 10 days. We camped in my husband’s truck with a topper on it. We had no timeline and no agenda. Each morning we came up with a plan and changed it as the day went on. Maybe we can repeat the trip for our 50th anniversary. What are some words you like to live by? What is meant to be will always nd a way.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Page 37
Selling the cows
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ANDREA BORGERDING/DAIRY STAR
Rural Mental Health Specialist Ted MaĆŠhews (center) describes the emoĆ&#x;onal element of making a decision during a workshop Jan. 17 in Albany, Minn. Dale AusĆ&#x;ng (leĹŒ) and Jim Salfer, were part of a panel of speakers during the workshop.
Matthews gives insight on the emotions behind the decision process By Andrea Borgerding andrea.b@dairystar.com
ALBANY – One year ago, the thought of selling his herd of 120 dairy cows did not even cross Dale Austing’s mind. But after a few meetings with an accountant and their Farm Business Management instructor, Austing, along with wife, Lisa, decided it was time. “We started asking if it pays to invest more money at our age along with knowing our kids probably wouldn’t want the farm,â€? Austing said. “That’s when we started talking about selling the cows.â€? Austing was part of a panel of speakers talking about their experiences while exiting the dairy business during a University of Minnesota Extension workshop, “Farming in Tough Times,â€? on Jan. 17 in Albany. The Austings had been milking cows for 30 years before selling their herd and all their equipment in November 2017. The farm is now for sale. “At age 55, there will be more opportunity for employment other than in 10 years,â€? Austing said. “My wife has always worked off the farm which probably made it an easier decision. But it is still tough going forward.â€? Making that ďƒžnal decision and overcoming the emotional toll it can take on farmers is something Rural Mental Health Specialist, Ted Matthews, said can be a challenge and can be similar to a grieving process. “When we make decisions in life, most of us like to make the decisions on do I want to do this or do I want to do that?â€? Mathews said. Matthews said the most important decisions people make are when they are faced with a 60 percent for and 40 percent against situation. Despite it being an easy math question – 60 is better than 40 – Matthews suggests looking at it in a physical sense, similar to pain. Sixty percent will be worse off and 40 percent better off; that’s a lot
in a physical sense. Sixty is better than 40 but that doesn’t make a person feel good and that leads to people feeling they are not making the right decision. “How can we feel this bad and still be making the right decision, and it’s because it’s simply the best we can do,â€? Matthews said. “And, if we do the best we can do, we will survive better than any other way and that’s the way to look at it. It isn’t easy.â€? When it comes to the grieving process, Matthews said time is key. The tough part of losing something is the unknown. The process can be slow and it can seem every day is bad but knowing that every day is a touch better can make a difference. “We go through the process of readjusting our life and ďƒžnding a way to move on. If we look at how our life is going to be based on the ďƒžrst two months, it’s going to look horrible,â€? Matthews said. “But it always gets better and the idea that it will get better is great.â€? The Austings did a lot of thinking to come to their ďƒžnal decision of selling the cows. The economy, their age, labor issues on the dairy and whether to invest further into the farm were all factors but it still did not make the decision easy. “I told the accountant that I can’t sell my retirement now,â€? Austing said. “He asked me if I was really selling my retirement. There are a lot of assets with the farm and that’s why we are selling it, to make some of those assets work for us. We don’t want the farm to sit empty if someone can use it.â€? Austing said they are giving up a lot by selling the farm – the only place he’s ever lived – but he feels it was the best decision for them. “It’s the best decision he could’ve made,â€? Matthews said. “It took a lot of courage to do it and now he is moving on because his other option was to wait until it was too late and have nothing.â€? Matthews said you don’t understand how tough it can be to make a decision like that until you are in the situation. “You need to understand that the best you can do is the best you can do and pat yourself on the back on making the best decision you can make even though it’s a 60/40 decision,â€? Mathews said.
8600, 2016, 785 Hrs, RWA, Warranty .. Coming In! 8600, 2016, 148 Hrs, RWA, Warranty ......$409,500 8600, 2015, 436 Hrs, RWA, Warranty ......$349,000 8500, 2016, 248 Hrs, RWA, Warranty ......$335,000 8100, 2016, 250 Hrs, RWA, Warranty ......$259,000 7780, 2014, 1301 Hrs, RWA .....................$239,000 7580, 2013, 610 Hrs, RWA .......................$274,900 7950, 2012, 694 Hrs, RWA .......................$274,900 7850, 2008, 1600 Hrs, RWA .....................$179,500 7550, 2012, 1825 Hrs, RWA .....................$205,000 7550, 2010, 1344 Hrs, RWA .....................$209,500 7550, 2008, 1359 Hrs, RWA .....................$189,500 7450, 2009, 1550 Hrs, RWA .....................$189,500 7450, 2010, 2985 Hrs, RWA .....................$139,000 7350, 2008, 2950 Hrs, RWA .....................$149,000 7800, 2007, 1885 Hrs, RWA .....................$159,500 7700, 2007, 1570 Hrs, RWA .....................$169,500 7500, 2005, 2423 Hrs, RWA .....................$135,000 7500, 2003, 3100 Hrs, RWA .....................$128,000 7400, 2004, 2918 Hrs, RWA .....................$124,900 7300, 2003,3637 Hrs, RWA ........................$79,000 6850, 1999, 3120 Hrs, RWA .......................$79,500 6850, 1998, 3100 Hrs, 2WD .......................$74,500
6710, 1995, 2908 Hrs, RWA .......................$68,500 6710, 1993, 2116 Hrs, 2WD ................. Coming In! 5830, 1991, 3700 Hrs, RWA .......................$39,900 5730, 1986, 4980 Hrs, RWA .......................$35,900 Claas 970, 2011, 1050 Hrs, RWA.............$169,500 Claas 970, 2008, 3000 Hrs, RWA ............$175,000 Claas 900, 2005, 2848 Hrs ...................... $115,000 Claas 890, 2002, 2290 Hrs, RWA ............$129,000 All hours listed are “cutter hours�.
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Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018 • Page 39
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Margaret Hazeltine, pictured with her son, Rob Janesville, Wis. Rock County 120 cows
Those cows have taught myself, my children and my grandchildren the lessons of life and death and about responsibility. It’s very hard to slow down in this world, but in the quiet early morning with coffee it’s easy to feel so grateful to still be able to live the dream.
How did you get into farming? I grew up farming. My husband and I took over my dad’s farm. When my husband died in a farm accident, I continued to run the farm until my son, Rob, was ready to take over. Now we run the farm in partnership. We milk 120 cows, about a 50-50 mix of registered Ayrshires and grade Holsteins and have another 150 youngstock. We own 160 acres and rent an additional 200 acres. We grow corn, soybeans, alfalfa and winter rye, which we feed a lot of. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? The downtrend in milk prices and in crop prices are not good. However, in this industry we know that you must ride out the bad times, whether it’s high interest rates, droughts or low prices. You need to be prepared to capitalize in the good times and weather the storm in the bad times. We all came into this industry knowing that nothing is easy. But, we also came into this industry for all of the little things we enjoy: managing our own time, having our children learn and work with us, or a million others. You can’t have all that good and not have to deal with some bad. I’m not intimidated by the large dairies. You read how the big dairies are taking over and driving the little guys out. I think there will always be a place for small dairies. It might not be the same as 20 years ago, but change isn’t always a bad thing either. What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? We’ve started using double-ovsynch, which has increased our pregnancy rate to 40 percent, and we ultrasound for pregnancies. That allows for faster conrmation and catching open cows sooner. What is a management practice you changed in the past year
What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Do not cut corners on your cows’ feed or on your breeding program. Doing that will haunt you for years to come. What has been the best purchase you’ve ever made on your farm? The building we put up for our heifers. We are able to get them bred timely, and they are fed better. What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? Learning that there was life after my husband’s death. When so many said I would not be able to continue to farm, and here we are, still farming 20 years later. that has beneted you? We have gone to the Priority One program for better cow health and have seen signicant results. We have also been selecting bulls based on genomics and are selecting for higher fat and protein. We are maintaining a 4.1 percent fat and 3.2 percent protein average. What cost-saving steps have you implemented during the low milk price? We cut some costs on the last downturn, so we are not nding anywhere to cut further. We are not willing to forgo registering our Ayrshires to save money.
people can. It has been a long time since we’ve had a cow with ketosis. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? What’s not to love? The freedom to choose my own hours in a day. The varied chores that takes the monotony out of the day. The peaceful silence late at night. The birth of a newborn calf trying to stand for the rst time.
What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? To transfer farm operation to the next generation. In the good times, we plan to add a parlor and some more cows. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? I enjoy going to cow shows, and cooking and baking.
How do you retain a good working relationship with your employee(s)? We have a couple of part-time milkers that work along with our family. We don’t ask any more of them than what we haven’t already done ourselves, and we treat them as we would want to be treated. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. I’m pretty good with a Bobcat, and I can also smell ketosis in the milk of a cow. I guess not that many
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 10, 2018
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063XC llats 001
063XC llats 001
063XC llats 001
063XC llats 001
063XC llats 001
063XC llats 001
“The GQ liner decreased our unit on time, improved teat-end health and has helped speed up our milking process.“
Matt Redman, Berlyn Acres — Fowler, Michigan
3.5
MINUTES UNIT ON TIME
95lbs
OF MILK PER COW
Superior milking performance with a superior liner life The innovatIve design of the GEA GQ liner brings the best features of a round and square shaped liner into one barrel. Cows and dairy producers benefit from an optimal teat fit for a low slip rate, a fast milk-out while being gentle on teat-ends, and an exceptionally long service life between change intervals. Contact your local GEA liner specialist today to learn more about how the GEA GQ liners can
Up to 6,000 milkings
maximize your milking performance.
Your Local GEA Milking Equipment Dealers Centre Dairy Equipment Sauk Centre, MN 320-352-5762 • 800-342-2697 Eastern Iowa Dairy Systems Epworth, IA • 563-876-3087 Fitzgerald, Inc. Elkader, IA • 563-245-2560 Fuller’s Milker Center, Inc. Lancaster, WI • 800-887-4634 Hobert Sales, Inc. Cokato, MN • 320-286-6284
J. Gile Dairy Eqpt, Inc Cuba City, WI • 608.744.2661
Monroe WestfaliaSurge Monroe, WI • 608-325-2772
Leedstone, Inc. Melrose, MN 320-256-3303 • 800-996-3303 Glencoe, MN 320-864-5575 • 877-864-5575
Preston Dairy Equipment, Inc. Sparta, WI • 608-269-3830 • 888-863-0227
Midwest Livestock Systems Menomonie, WI • 715-235-5144 Owen, WI • 715-229-4740 Pine Island, MN • 800-233-8937 Sioux Falls, MN • 800-705-1447 Beatrice, NE • 800-742-5748
Sioux Dairy Equipment, Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-5608 • 800-962-4346 Colton, SD Service 800-944-1217 Edgerton, MN Chemical Sales 507-920-8626 Tri County Dairy Janesville, WI • 608 757.2697