Attending the Central Plains Dairy Expo?
DAIRY ST R Visit us in booth C2!
Volume 19, No. 2
“All dairy, all the time”™
March 11, 2017
A fuller Reaching the golden standard load
Proposed bill alleviates milk truck weight restrictions By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
Milk truck drivers across the state of Minnesota are looking for relief from current weight hauling restrictions. A coalition of cooperatives and Minnesota Milk are pushing for two separate pieces of legislation that would provide relief for milk trucks. Due to how they are regulated, one addresses trucks on interstates while the other addresses single unit trucks. For the larger trucks, Minnesota’s interstates have been limited to 80,000 pounds for decades. The issues rose to the surface in 2016, with inconsistencies between states for multi-state cooperatives that saw different rules between states. Then, haulers were issued overweight tickets after hauling milk the same way for decades. The federal government decided to standardize interstate weight limits in 1974. But the federal FAST Act, which was signed into law by President Obama in December 2015, characterized milk as a non-divisible load, which allows states to distribute permits that excludes milk trucks from federal weight limits. “Like a big piece of construction equipment, you have to haul milk all at once,” Josh Finnesgard said. Finnesgard is the co-owner of Finnesgard Trucking out of Goodhue, Minn. Unlike regulations in Wisconsin and Iowa, which alleviate the federal 80,000-pound weight limit for milk trucks, Minnesotans must continue to abide by that law or be issued a hefty ne for not doing so. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) included the change to its Department of Transportation bill, which will next be heard in committee as of this writing on Turn to LOADS | Page 13
Calvert averages 38,000 SCC in third year dairying By Cassie Olson
cassie.o@dairystar.com
MINERAL POINT, Wis. – When Kyle Calvert decided to purchase a dairy herd and resume milking cows on his home farm near Mineral Point, Wis., he did so without expectations. Just three years into his dairying career, Calvert has found his rhythm, milking 70 cows twice per day. At the age of 27 and with an average somatic cell count of 38,000, he was the youngest producer to recently receive a Gold National Dairy Quality Award. If there is a secret to his success, Calvert said he has not discovered it yet. “Honestly, I don’t know that I’m doing anything special,” Calvert said. “I just take my time and careful care while milking the cows.” Calvert began his solo dairying adventure in 2014. His parents, Dave and Cathy Calvert, had milked cows on his home farm until 1996 when they made the decision to sell the herd. For 18 CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR years, the freestall barn and parlor sat vacant, but Calvert never lost his love for the business as he Kyle Calvert milks 70 cows on his farm near Mineral Point, Wis. Calvert recently became the youngest person to receive a Gold NaƟonal Dairy Quality Award Turn to CALVERT | Page 7 with an average somaƟc cell count of 38,000.
A band of brothers
MIKE KOSIK/DAIRY STAR
The O’Reilly family – (front, from leŌ) Ethan, Maddox, Kaleb, Baxter; (back, from leŌ) Kelby, Bailee, Dorothy and Zach – cheered on Kelby and Bailee at the state wrestling tournament March 3-5 in St. Paul, Minn. Five O’Reilly brothers parƟcipate on the Goodhue varsity wrestling team.
O’Reilly family shares time on farm, mat By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
GOODHUE, Minn. – As the Minnesota state high school wrestling tournament came to an end March 4, the bands of brothers dispersed for another year, but for the O’Reilly brothers, that band reaches far beyond the wres-
tling mat. Five brothers, Bailee, 17, Kelby, 16, Kaleb, 16, Baxter, 14, and Maddox, 13, O’Reilly – ranging from a senior in high school to a seventh grader –, are all on the Goodhue Wildcats varsity wrestling team, and also reliable farm help on their family’s 280-cow dairy near Goodhue, Minn. “Dairying and wrestling are actually very similar,” said the brothers’ dad, Zach. “Whether it’s farming or the sport, you have to be committed, consistent and keep things simTurn to O’REILLYS | Page 5
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC
General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (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 - Managing Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Krista Kuzma - Assistant Editor (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Ron Johnson (608) 874-4243 ron.j@dairystar.com Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048 cowlady@centurylink.net Jennifer Coyne (320) 352-6303 jenn@dairystar.com Cassie Olson (715) 245-6848 cassie.o@dairystar.com Brittany Olson (320) 352-6303 brittany.o@dairystar.com
Advertising Sales Main 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
In the spring, it’s always fun to have the Minnesota DHIA reports printed in the paper. For this issue, we looked for farms that had signiďƒžcantly raised production compared to three years ago. Six dairy farm families – Sobecks, Kerns, Grueneses, Tumbergs, Kurths and Bachmanns – answered questions about how they have made those increases possible. Read about what they did to boost production on pages 10, 11 and 12 in ďƒžrst section. Another interesting read this issue is about a By Mark Klaphake new calf barn at Global Dairy in Estelline, S.D. The Editor owners of this farm decided to try raising youngstock a little differently, taking inspiration for their new facility from a modern pig nursery. Read on pages 4 and 5 in section second section about how calves are raised in a different type of facility. The past year was an exciting one for the Schefers family of Paynesville, Minn., as they were awarded the Stearns County Farm Family of the Year on behalf of the University of Minnesota Extension. In addition to exceptional herd health on their 80-cow Holstein farm, the Schefers family also follows conservation practices that draw the attention of many. Read about this farm family on pages 35 and 37 in ďƒžrst section. For this issue’s “From our side of the fenceâ€? feature, we talked about another animal other than cows – farm dogs. Farmers told us why having a farm dog is important to them and a few of their dog’s unique characteristics. Meet these farmers and their special canine companions on pages 15 and 16 in ďƒžrst section. And don’t forget about one of our newest features in the paper – Family Ties. Read how brother and sister – Dean Frisle and Dawn Schauer maintain a farming connection despite living in different states. The two relate to each in a way that allows them support each other in their own dairy businesses.
Favorite quotes from this issue:
“A CDL is required ... if you are hauling someone else’s animals – even when you are going somewhere like the state fair.� - Kory Stalsberg
(Third Section, Pages 8-9)
“Anyone can buy cows, but breeding them is another step.� - Henk Van Dyk
(Third Section, Pages 2-3)
By the Numbers
40 MILLION:
Worldwide views of The Peterson Farm Brothers Youtube channel. (Third Section, Pages 4, 6)
25 MILLION:
Pounds of butter consumption added each year if the 14,000 McDonalds in the nation increased butter use by 5 pounds each day. (Second Section, Pages 28, 30)
MINIMIZE INPUT COSTS MAXIMIZE YIELD POTENTIAL
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Northland Farm Systems Owatonna, MN
Lake Henry Implement Paynesville, MN
Lindell Sales & Service
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Dairyland Supply
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Pfeifer Implement Sioux Falls, SD
Mark's Machinery Yankton, SD
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Page 3
It’s all inside...
FIRST SECTION
Fosston
First Section: Page 36
Pages 4, 6 Peterson details internet fame, key to social media advocacy Pages 8 - 9 Stalsberg prepares farmers for safe, legal hauling Pages 10 - 11
or n
Kingsbury
Miner
Charles Mix
n nso
on vis Da
Douglas
Brookings
Lake
Moody
McCook Minnehaha
Hutchinson
Kid’s Corner: The Day Family Pages 18 - 19 Some Udder Stuff Classieds
Carver Scott
Sibley Lyon
Redwood
Nicollet Brown
Murray
Rock
Nobles
Kanabec sey
Hennepin McLeod
Renville
Yellow Medicine
Winona
Grouping cows leads to better management, higher production for Johnsons First Section: Pages 18, 20
Dakota
Rice
Goodhue Wabasha
Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted Jackson
Martin
Faribault
Freeborn
Mower
Winona
Fillimore
Houston
Eyota
Lincoln Clay
Union
Lyon
Osceola Dickinson Emmet
Sioux
O’Brien
All-Breeds Convention
Pages 23 - 30
Meeker
First Section: Pages 1, 5
Washinton
Chippewa
Wright
Turner
Bon Yankton Homme
Pages 16 - 17
Pages 20 - 21 Dairy Calendar
Kandiyohi
r
Deuel
Lincoln
Hamlin
Isanti
Anoka
Swift Lac Qui Parle
Codington
Benton
Stearns
Pope
Sherburne
Grant Clark
Wadena
Wilkin rse Big Sto Stone
Morrison
Douglas
Stevens
Mille Lacs
go
Willows Edge complete dispersal on March 18
Roberts
Day
THIRD SECTION Pages 2 - 3
Tra ve
Second Section: Pages 4 - 5
O’Reilly family shares time on farm, mat
Pine
Todd Grant
Goodhue
Carlton
Crow Wing
isa
Pages 38 - 39 Dairy Recipes
Ottertail
Aitkin
Ch
Uekert family farm thrives for 160 years Pages 18 - 19 Samuel milking cows for 45 years Page 22 November mailbox prices higher in most reporting areas Page 25 Mid-American Hay Auction Results Pages 26 - 27 Halopka presents on dangers of manure gases Page 37 Opportunities
New facility provides a warm, healthful environment for youngstock Marshall
Cass
Ha
Page 17
Becker
Clay
Esteline
en
nom
Mah
Itasca
Hubbard
Norman
Clearwater
Polk
Third Section: Pages 12 - 13
Sa nb
Pages 14 - 15 Dairying Across America
Koochiching St. Louis
Red Lake
SECOND SECTION
Pages 3, 6 Buhr Farms rely on robotic milkers Pages 10 - 11 The “Mielke” Market Weekly Page 12 Dairy markets Page 13 Area hay auction results
Beltrami
Pennington
Breeders review past, consider future
Second Section: Page 28
Lake of the Woods
Marshall
Morton
Plourd presents optimistic opportunity for agriculture
Second Section: Pages 20 - 21
First Section: Pages 23, 25
Roseau
Norwood Young America
Family Ties: Schauers & Frisles
Ra m
Kittson
Glencoe
Leys named Stearns County Outstanding Conservationists
eu
First Section: Pages 35, 37
Richmond
Women in Jeans: Debbie Fjerstad
Su
Schefers Brothers named Stearns County Farm Family of the Year
Le
Paynesville
Pipestone
Pages 1, 13 Proposed bill alleviates milk truck weight restrictions Pages 1, 7 Calvert averages 38,000 SCC in third year dairying Pages 8 - 9 Ag Insider Pages 10 - 12 Producers share insight on signicant production increase Page 22 On the Road with Princess Kay Page 26 FSA News & Notes Page 27 The Transition Pen Page 28 Cover crop and manure Page 29 FINBIN database: Creating an informational advantage Page 30 Dear County Agent Guy Page 31 On the Mark Page 32 Making Cents of Dairy Page 33 Dairy Good Life Page 34 Veterinary Wisdom
Clay
Palo Alto
Kossuth
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:
Dairy’s Star Youth: Anna Sachs Third Section: Page 15
Why is having a farm dog important to you? Pages 15-16
Plymouth
Cosmos, Minn.
Zone 1
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
Dairy Prole: Mark Adams Page 39
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Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017
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© 2017 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. “New Holland” is a trademark registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or afÀliates. “Equipped For A New World” is a trademark in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or afÀliates.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Page 5
ConƟnued from O’REILLYS | Page 1
Is your cow a Drinker? Make her first drink count! Famo Dairy Drink is a drinkable, nutritional supplement given immediately after calving. Famo Dairy Drink’s calling card is its superior palatability... she will drink it!
So what else does this unique formula provide? MIKE KOSIK/DAIRY STAR
Bailee O’Reilly (right) wrestles an opponent during his 160-pound matchup at the Minnesota State High School Wrestling Tournament March 3-5 in St. Paul, Minn. ple, and if you do it right you make cism and character for his younger siblings. The high school senior ended your own luck.” Zach manages the dairy, Sham- his high school career in grand fashrock Farms, with his brother, Ben, and ion with a state championship in the 160-pound class, after being named father, Steven. In addition to milking cows and the 152-pound class A state champion feeding youngstock, Zach and his last year and having the second-most wife, Dorothy, and the O’Reilly sib- all-time wins for Goodhue. He is now lings, including the youngest two the rst Goodhue wrestler to win two – Ethan and Greta – spent the rst state championship titles. weekend in March cheering on their “Setting a good example is always Wildcats, Bailee and Kelby, as they something I take pride in and the succompeted for state titles at the Excel cess on the mat is the reward,” Bailee Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. said. “I want them to treat everyone As the oldest brother, Bailee has with respect, work hard in the classset quite the precedence in athleti- room, and just do all the little things Turn to O’REILLYS | Page 6
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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017
ConƟnued from O’REILLYS | Page 5
MIKE KOSIK/DAIRY STAR
Bailee O’Reilly composes himself aŌer a match at the state wrestling meet. Bailee was named the 160-pound Class A State Champion.
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The Dairy Star is sent only to DAIRY FARMERS!
If you would like to advertise in the DAIRY STAR, call 320-352-6303 for more information.
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right.” For Kelby, it was his rst year wrestling in the state competition. At 152 pounds, the high school sophomore claimed the section title and capped off the season with more than 35 wins, including a third-place nish at state. “It’s great knowing I came out of one of the best sections in the state, and was able to represent section 1, my family and, most importantly, my school,” Kelby said. Watching his sons grow in the sport has been a remarkable journey for Zach, who also wrestled as a youth. “I wasn’t as good as the kids are now,” Zach said. “I’ve learned as soon as they hit 10th or 11th grade, I know better than to grab hold of them.” The O’Reilly brothers rst began wrestling in kindergarten when they participated in folkstyle wrestling. Throughout the years, they developed the needed skills of a wrestler and became well versed in the traditional freestyle method and Greco. When the brothers are not practicing at school, their garage is home for them to practice their moves and techniques. “Even in the winter, we park our vehicles outside so that the mat is set up in the garage,” Zach said. Growing up on their family’s dairy farm has also aided in the brothers’ success, which is evident at every meet. When able, the O’Reilly brothers help with milking and hay making – baling round bales, picking them up in the elds and storing them. “They’re always hauling manure or plowing or doing tractor work in the spring and fall,” Zach said. “They do scrape and lime stalls, but I try not to give them too many chores when it’s time to cut weight.” However, there is one exception. When Sundays arrive, regardless if it is the heart of wrestling season or not, the O’Reilly brothers are in the barn before daybreak. Together, with one hired-hand, Codey Lexvold, they complete the chores while the farm’s other employees have the day off. “Dairy farming has taught me that hard work and dedication is the best path to success,” said sophomore Kaleb, who wrestled the season at 145 pounds with 35 wins. “And I’ve also
learned that it is the most rewarding in the end.” Zach agreed, attesting to how working on the dairy has encouraged his sons to have the right mindset when approaching a wrestling meet and being pleased with the results knowing they did their best. Maddox said having older brothers to wrestle against and to mentor him has been advantageous. “My brothers push me to do my best and nothing less than that,” he said. “They have made me way better by doing extra wrestling and sometimes in the early mornings before school.” At 106 pounds and in seventh grade, Maddox completed his rst varsity season with 20 wins. Baxter said he tries to emulate his older brothers in many different ways. “My brothers are great wrestlers and people,” Baxter said. “I try to copy [Bailee’s] work ethic, whether that is in school, on the mat or at home.” Baxter is an eighth grader, who nished the wrestling season with 16 wins in the 126-pound weight class after coming off a wrist injury from football. When Baxter fully recovered, it was a memorable day for the O’Reilly family as all ve brothers competed and won in the varsity competition – a double dual meet against WatervilleElysian-Morristown and JanesvilleWaldorf-Pemberton (WEM/JWP) and St. Peter. “I was really hoping all my sons would make the team. When they nally did, that was a big deal,” Zach said. As a proud parent and dairy producer, balancing chores and cheering on the kids can be difcult, but Zach has not missed a single match. On competition days, Zach will help get the evening chores started and then leave the farm in enough time to watch his sons wrestle. “I had no idea what it was like for my dad to watch me until I had my own kids,” Zach said. “It’s a lot of fun for me to watch my kids be successful.” The fun does not seem to be running out anytime soon. Next year, Ethan will be in seventh grade and eligible for the high school wrestling team, where the O’Reilly band will continue.
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Page 7
ConƟnued from CALVERT | Page 1 worked on numerous dairies throughout high school. “It is all I’ve ever known,” Calvert said. Following his high school graduation, Calvert attended University of Wisconsin-Platteville where he studied agriculture business for two and a half years while working for another producer, Rodney Weigel. There was no question; Calvert wanted to milk a herd of his own, and in 2014, he began doing just that. “I had everything available to get started back home,” Calvert said. “I decided to take the gamble and it was one that proved to be worthwhile.” Having been utilized for raising heifers, the facilities on Calvert’s farm were still in-tact despite an 18-year absence of a milking herd. As he searched
year,” Calvert said. “But I quickly learned to be patient.” That patience paid off as Calvert now averages 76 pounds per cow, with a 4.1 percent butterfat and 3.1 percent protein while milking twice a day. Combined with his attention to detail, Calvert’s patience also led him to receive a Gold National Dairy Quality Award from the National Mastitis Council. It was his rst year receiving a milk quality award from his processor, as well as his rst year competing in the national milk quality contest. Calvert applied for the award at the suggestion of his Swiss Valley Farms representative, Ken Ley. CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR “My eld rep suggested I Cows are bedded on sand in a naturally-venƟlated freestall barn with fans over the stalls and apply, and I lled out the appli- feed bunk. cation in November,” Calvert said. “[Ken] helped me ll out milkings, they recognize prob- days, depending on severity. them, he said he could not have lems quickly and easily. Keeping the cows com- reached this achievement. “It’s just me and Dad here; fortable and clean are also key. “It is a nice pat on the sometimes my brother will Sand bedding is replaced ev- back,” Calvert said. “I’m come in for a milking if neither ery 10 days, pens are scraped young and small; most people of us will be around, but it’s once per day and waterers are don’t know this farm even exjust family,” Calvert said. “We cleaned twice per week. To ists, so this was a huge honor.” know the cows and can tell keep the SCC from rising in the Calvert has plans to build KYLE CALVERT, DAIRY PRODUCER right away when something hot summer months, Calvert a dry cow barn in the coming for a herd of cattle, he made the application.” isn’t right.” said he tries to keep the barn as year and to buy the farm from the necessary updates to get In an interview with Swiss Visual detection during comfortable as possible. his parents in the long-run. For the farm in order. After buying Valley Farms, Ley said he milking and careful monitoring “When it warms up, bacte- now, Calvert is relishing in his a new bulk tank, equipment for made the suggestion due to in the freestall barn has helped ria just grow faster. I have fans recent accomplishment as a the parlor and vacuum pumps Calvert’s consistency. Calvert keep his SCC consis- over the stalls and feed bunk, as symbol of the last three years. for the units, he purchased his “If his SCC ever gets up tently low. Identifying cows well as curtains on the walls,” “In these rst three years, herd from a farm in Shawano, to 90,000, Kyle thinks, ‘Oops. with hard quarters or seeing Calvert said. “Even in the sum- I saw all the bad; a lot of times Wis. Somebody’s got something,’” their interactions change be- mer months, I keep somatic I wanted to give up, but it was Calvert admitted that start- Ley said. tween milkings are ways Cal- cell counts under 100,000.” all worth it,” Calvert said. “It ing out was anything but easy. Calvert said he is able to vert said he has been able to do Calvert said he owes a big really is an indescribable feel“It was denitely hard at keep his SCC low because of so. Cows identied with masti- thank you to his parents for ing.” rst. The cows were milking his attention in the parlor. As tis are treated with Spectramast their support in his rst three 60 pounds at best for the rst he and his dad complete all the once per day for three to ve years of farming. Without
“I’m young and small; most people don’t know this farm even exists, so this was a huge honor.”
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Getting a team in place Russell Group President Randy Russell, a veteran of several farm bills, thinks Sonny Perdue could be on board as agriculture secretary by the end of the month. Russell also believes it’ll take much longer than that to get the entire USDA team in place. “We’re very hopeful we’ll see Governor Perdue get a hearing in front of the Senate Ag Committee maybe as early as the second week of March. Hopefully, he’ll be conrmed by the end of the month. It may take the rest of the calendar year to get the rest of the team in place, which is unfortunate, but a Ag Insider fact of life.” Russell thinks the leaders of both agriculture committees will have a document to put before their committees to start markup of the farm bill very early next year. In Russell’s view, this will not be a revolutionary farm bill; it will be more evolutionary. One of the areas that will need to be addressed is dairy policy. “They’ll have to x the Margin Protection Program.”
Conaway’s farm bill feedback In 2018, House Ag Committee Chairman Mike Conaway thinks we’ll have a better backdrop to support a safety net and keep producers in business. “I am asking folks if they have requests for more money, who will we By Don Wick take it away from? The budget is at. That will require swapping around from where it is currently at. I anticiColumnist pate there will be hard decisions to make. I raised my hand and lobbied to get this job and I want to be the guy that helps make decisions.” Conaway said it’s important to get a Farm Bill done on-time. “The docket is probably pretty full moving forward, so I don’t anticipate being able to get at the Farm Bill until late fourth quarter into 2018. There’s no reason we can’t get it done.” First farm bill eld hearing The Senate Agriculture Committee held their rst 2018 Farm Bill eld hearing in Manhattan, Kansas. In his opening statement, Chairman Pat Roberts said all of agriculture is struggling right now, not just one or two crops. Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow agreed. “Low prices have pinched margins and made it tough for many producers to make ends meet. It’s a tough time. Producers want us to take a look at cotton and dairy issues. I think our Senate Ag Committee members agree we need to focus on the needs of farmers and rural communities in the next Farm Bill and not arbitrary cuts. We created savings in the last Farm Bill. Now, I think it’s important to address agriculture’s needs.” POTUS deals with WOTUS The controversial Waters of the United States is on the way out. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a formal review of the WOTUS rule. This begins the process of repealing the WOTUS regulation. In a statement, the National Milk Producers Federation said the Trump decision is a welcome development for dairy farmers. The action indicates the Administration recognizes we need to go back and rethink the entire process that led us to this point. Farm economy adjusts lower Farm income has declined for four straight years. Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City assistant vice president and regional economist Nate Kauffman says agriculture is facing signicant economic challenges. “Farm income from its peak in 2013 has projected to decline by 50 percent. You’re going from 2013 historic highs to where we are in 2017 and there is mounting nancial pressure.” To provide some perspective, Kauffman said the current farm economy is similar to what was seen in 2002. “In a historical context, it’s not at a level that would be so low that it would be compared to the depths seen in the 1980s.” Alfalfa’s new checkoff program The National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance visited Capitol Hill, meeting with lawmakers about research and the safety net. NAFA President Beth Nelson says alfalfa
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Page 9
growers are making an investment in research with its new checkoff program. “Because alfalfa isn’t sold at a common sale point or taken to the elevator, it’s been a hurdle to gure out the checkoff system. Seed marketers on a voluntary basis will be collecting $1 per bag sold from the farmers. That funding will go 100 percent into public research.” Record year for Land O’Lakes Land O’Lakes is reporting record earnings for 2016. At $320 million, the net earnings are $16 million higher than the previous year. The Dairy Foods business segment had 2016 net sales of $3.8 billion, down from $4 billion. Record volumes were seen in branded butter and food service sales. In its rst full year with the combined Wineld and the United Suppliers crop protection business, sales totaled $5.5 billion. That’s up from $4.8 billion in 2015. Wineld and United will be fully unied on October 1 of this year. The Animal Nutrition business segment had net 2016 sales of $3.8 billion. That compares to $4.2 billion in the previous year. Land O’Lakes had record volume and earnings in its milk replacer business. SE MN dairy herd to be honored The University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine will present its 2017 Dairy Appreciation Award to Gar-Lin Dairy Farms of Eyota. This dairy herd has collaborated with the veterinary school for 14 years, including nine years of crossbreeding research. The award will be presented at the Minnesota Dairy Health Conference in early April. Sviggum returns to UM Board of Regents The Legislature has lled four vacancies on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. One of those spots went to former House Speaker Steve Sviggum. Sviggum is a farmer at Kenyon, in southeastern Minnesota. Sviggum was a regent in 2011 and 2012, but resigned over a perceived conict of interest. MN Milk hires Davis Jenna Davis is the new program manager for the Minnesota Milk Producers Association. Most recently, Davis worked in dairy product sales for JBS United. Jenna’s husband, Brad, is part of a family dairy operation at Cokato.
Trivia challenge The average American consumes 23 pounds of cheese per year. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, we’re focused on ice cream. Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry are the three most popular ice cream avors. What kind of ice cream is ranked fourth? 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.
“This keeps all the details in one place.” Why do you test with DHIA? We test with DHIA for multiple reasons. We like having all the information at our Àngertips. It’s very convenient to have software that will keep you in the loop, and my DHIA testing enhances my daily milk weights and activity already on the farm. With SCC, component testing and milk pregnancy testing, DHIA makes my life easier. I now keep track of lameness events, regular hoof trimming, and all mastitis and health events. What beneÀts do you see to using protocols? I like being able to see at a glance which cows are still hot and can’t be sold or antibiotic tested yet.
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How long have you been using it? We set up hoof trimming protocols a couple years ago and I threw away my spreadsheets I had kept for years on each individual cow. This keeps all the details in one place. In the past year, I’ve added my protocols for health events as well. I’ve always been extremely cautious when it comes to using drugs and obeying withdrawl periods. This just makes that so much easier. What is the best feature? If I have to pick one, it’s the lameness manager. Hoof trimming lists are done very quickly and I can see at a glance what’s happening over the lactation with her hooves. How has this changed how you do things on your farm? It has certainly decreased my time needed in the ofÀce which is a huge plus without hired help!
Holly Thompson • Little Valley Dairy Plainview, MN • 188 cows Minnesota Dairy Herd Improvement Association 307 Brighton Avenue South Buffalo, MN 55313 1.800.827.3442 www.mndhia.org
Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017
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Producers share insight on signiďƒžcant production increase The Dairy Star staff visited with six dairy farms that test with DHIA in Minnesota. These producers had substantial herd average increases from 2013 to 2016. What was your herd average three years ago, what is it now?
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Bachmann: It was 16,211 and it is now 23,565. Gruenes: The averages listed are for our Holstein cows. In 2013, for 1,192 cows, we had 27,030 RHA; 1116 fat; 871 protein. In 2016, for 1,720 cows, we had 35,366 RHA; 1336 fat; 1112 protein. Kern: Three years ago our rolling herd average was 24,235 pounds of milk, and now it is 30,570 pounds of milk. Tumberg: We went from 18,000 to 25,000. Kurth: Our RHA three years ago was 18,098. Our current RHA is 23,367. Sobeck: Three years ago, our rolling herd average was 22,177 and now it is 28,175.
Jason and Nancy Bachmann, daughters, Ashley and BriĆŠany, 60 cows Frazee, Minn.; Becker County
How many times a day do you milk?
Bachmann: We milk two times a day. We use our 32-cow tiestall barn as a ďƒ&#x;at barn parlor. We call it a 32-cow, carry-6 parlor. That usually gets a good laugh. Gruenes: We milk three times a day. Our parlor is a double-24 parallel rapid exit. Kern: We milk three times a day in a double-6 rapid exit pit parlor with automatic take-offs. We have a double-6 rapid exit pit parlor with automatic take offs and a 55-cow holding pen. We prep six cows at a time. The ďƒžrst pass we strip, check for signs of mastitis and dip with a hydrogen peroxide dip. On the second pass, we wipe with microďƒžber towels. The milking unit is attached on the third pass. We use a combination of iodine and chlorhexidine with 10 percent emollients for a post dip. Tumberg: We milk three times a day in a tiestall barn. Kurth: We milk twice a day in a 26-stall tiestall barn. The remaining cows are switched in and out. We milk with ďƒžve automatic take-offs. One person milks while the other person switches cows in and out. Sobeck: An average of 2.7 times a day with robotic milkers. We built a new robotic facility, which we started using in June 2015. When a cow enters a robot, brushes apply a peroxide-based disinfectant to the teats. The brushes then wash off the disinfectant and dry the teats before the milking unit is attached. The total preparation time is two minutes. When the cow is done milking, teats are sprayed with an iodine solution.
Twin Spruce Farms, Inc., 1,575 cows Kris and Arnie Gruenes Richmond, Minn.; Stearns County
Kerncrest LLC, 98 cows Ken and Lisa Kern, and Andrew (pictured) and Allana Kern Owatonna, Minn.; Steele County
What type of facility do you have for your cows? What kind of bedding do you use?
Bachmann: Our cows are housed outside on a bedded pack in a two-sided loaďƒžng shed with pasture access at all times. We use rotary combined wheat straw, 3-by 4- by-8-foot squares at an average of one bale per day. Gruenes: Our barns are either power ventilated or cross ventilated freestall barns. We have sand bedding. Turn to PRODUCERS | Page 11
ScoĆŠ and Jolene Tumberg, 80 cows Pictured front, from leĹŒ: Amy, Ricky and Quinny; (back row) Amanda, Anna, ScoĆŠ and Jolene. New York Mills, Minn.; OĆŠer Tail County
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KurthKine Farms and 3 Sisters Dairy, 55 cows Bill and Leah Kurth Cosmos, Minn.; Renville County
Sobeck Farms, 230 cows Alex Kjos and Chris Sobeck (pictured), Gary Sobeck and Jim Sobeck Winona, Minn.; Winona County
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Page 11
ConƟnued from PRODUCERS | Page 10
Kern: We have a cross-ventilated freestall barn with sand bedding. We also have two bedded pack pens. One is used as a hospital pen and one is for calving. We moved into this facility in 2014. Before that, we milked our cows in a tiestall barn. Tumberg: We have a 67-cow tiestall barn with extra cows on a bedded pack in a hoop barn. Both barns are bedded with wheat straw. Kurth: The barn stays full, while the remaining switch cows are housed in a cornstalk-bedded loang shed. The barn is bedded with wheat straw. Sobeck: Our new barn has sand bedded freestalls, which have sand saver mats with sand added every ve days. Before this, we had a 63-stall stanchion barn with the herd housed in a freestall barn. This old facility is now used for our dry cows. In the new barn, we have alley scrapers that run every three hours. We also clean the back of the stalls by hand three times a day. The herd is split into two pens, each with two robots. One group is rst and second lactation cows with the rest of the milking herd in the other group.
What have been the three most important factors in obtaining a better herd average?
Bachmann: It has been a long process, coming to a head the past 18 months. Starting with faith, without the Lord and Savior above, nothing is possible. From there it has been anywhere from a good relationship with our lender, United Community Bank, to friends and neighbors who helped us when we purchased our rst irrigator in 2009. Also, friends and dairy farmers Aho Brothers Dairy helped us get our reproduction issues in order and improved our genetics. Cliff and Dave from Dairyland Vet Service not only work with us on routine monthly herd health checks, but also took the time to give us advice when we expanded in 2010 and went to outside housing, which
was a huge step for us. Eddy, our agronomist at Professional Agronomy Services, works with us to get the best use from our land, but also works with our nutritionist to see that we are getting as many micronutrients through our forage as possible. We made a nal change in 2015 when our herd average was still at 16,000. We began with nutritionist Jim, at Lakes Area Co-op for all dairy feed needs. The feed department staff at LAC sees to it that they sell good, consistent quality feed ingredients. Gruenes: Genetics, feed quality, cow comfort and paying attention to the little things. Kern: The rst is to keep the cows comfortable. We’ve done this with sand bedding, appropriatesized stalls and proper ventilation. Feed is the second most important factor. We make daily adjustments to the ration and use high quality feed. The third is our teamwork and milking three times a day. Tumberg: We put up a hoop barn in the summer of 2014, which enabled us to house the switch cows more comfortably. It also allowed us to properly care for our dry cows. At the end of February 2015, we started milking three times per day. After reevaluating our calf raising program, we started exclusively feeding AmpliCalf starter and grower pellets. The calves are also fed whole milk three times a day. The heifers are calving younger, fully grown and ready to milk. We stopped using middle-of-the-road sires. We focus on top bulls for production and health traits. We switched to BMR corn silage. We try to put up high quality forages and chop everything. Kurth: Since we started switching cows, we have seen an increase in cow comfort. With some of our herd out of the barn getting exercise, we are able to see stronger heat cycles which has helped decrease DIM along with healthier cows in general. By breeding specically for type, we have produced higher quality heifers which are able to contribute to a higher RHA. Additional fan installations in the barn as well as the loang shed have allowed us to control ventilation, thus keeping the cows
comfortable. Sobeck: The rst is the new facility. With the robots, we have increased the number of milking times per day to almost three. We used to only milk twice a day. The cows are more comfortable in the new freestall barn. Now that we’ve reached our herd size goal, we can be more selective on the cows we keep. We’ve found that milking speed is one of the most important factors while milking. With the new facility we’ve also decreased somatic cell count to 120,000. The second factor is all the information we get from the robots. It helps us better manage our herd, which in turn helps the cows produce more. We like looking at conductivity, rumination, activity and milk temperature. From this information we can quickly tell if a cow is sick. We have recently begun culturing, too. The third factor is the individual feeding plan. If we have a high producing cow, we can give her the energy she needs to sustain that production. On the other end, we won’t be feeding a late lactation cow lots of energy if she doesn’t need it. It helps keep things cost-efcient.
What is your ration, and have you made any recent changes that have increased production?
Bachmann: We feed 50 percent haylage, 50 percent corn silage, a complete dairy grain mix and a protein top dress. We currently do not use a mixer. When we switched to Jim, he lowered our urea and corn to meet rumen needs and added true protein and energy from fat to meet milk production which also raised forage levels for a healthier rumen. Gruenes: Our ration consists of corn silage, haylage, snaplage, ne ground dry corn and a variety of commodities and mineral mix. Kern: Our ration per cow consists of 52 pounds of corn silage, 7 pounds of 200 RFQ hay, 7 pounds of 155 RFQ hay, 14 pounds of corn gluten pellets, 13 pounds of corn, 3 pounds of soybean meal, 3.3 pounds of base mix, 0.75 pounds of protected fat and Turn to PRODUCERS | Page 12
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017
ConƟnued from PRODUCERS | Page 11
10 pounds of added water. Our most recent changes have been adding water and fat. The fat helps keep the components up and helps high producing cows retain body fat. The water makes the ration more palatable. Tumberg: Our ration includes haylage, BMR corn silage, ne ground dry corn, protein, mineral mix, and QLF liquid. The changes we have implemented are BMR corn silage and ration consistency. Our nutritionist, Jos Melse, does an excellent job and is always willing to help. Kurth: In the last ve years, we have put up baleage. Three and a half years ago, we switched from a horizontal reel mixer to a vertical mixer. Our cow ration consists of 16 pounds of dry matter corn silage, 15.5 pounds baleage, 10.5 pounds ground corn, 4 pounds cottonseed and 7 pounds protein mix. In 2015, we switched our nutritionist and feed company. This change has allowed us to use more diverse ingredients which are included in our protein mix and TMR. Sobeck: The cows started getting a ration based on their individual needs with the robots. They now get two types of pellets in addition to the partial mixed ration (PMR). This helps us maximize each cow’s potential. For example, higher producing cows get more of the pellets that are high in fat. The PMR includes 47 pounds of haylage, 43 pounds of corn silage, two pounds of baleage along with a base protein, roasted soybeans and high moisture corn.
What advice do you have for any producer trying to increase his or her herd average?
Bachmann: Surround yourself with successful people. Four key people are your vet, nutritionist, agronomist and lender. Don’t be too proud to ask for advice. There are people out there who have ideas and want to help you improve. You have to decide what you are willing to do and what will and will not work for your operation.
Gruenes: Be particular about your quality of feed you put up. Watching weather and getting haylage up is important. You only have one opportunity to put up great forages. Also, be sure to face your bunker to keep your spoilage of product to a minimum and watch your cow comfort; stall maintenance, fresh feed and fans. Happy cows produce more milk. Kern: Never stop learning. Search out new ideas and be willing to try them. Tumberg: Our best advice would be to not cut corners in any area. Don’t overcrowd the animals. When you get a chance, attend farm shows and seminars. You always learn something that can be implemented on your dairy. There is no substitute for quality forages. Get cows bred back on time. A day open is expensive. Kurth: Focus on breeding quality animals that t into your facilities. This will ensure cows stay healthy, while also increasing your cow numbers and your RHA. Having a consistent and quality heifer program is vital for a successful transition into the milking herd and contributing towards your RHA. Sobeck: Make sure the cows are happy, which will help them stay comfortable and in return make milk. Also, make sure to have a good nutritionist. We work with Chad Kieffer.
Tell us about your farm and your goals for your dairy this year. Bachmann: Our primary goal is to strengthen our balance sheet, and next year, add new heifer raising facilities. We have had a number of businesses, including our lender, which have been patient and worked well with us. We want to take care of those who have worked with us and continue a good working relationship. Gruenes: Our goals for the next year are to continue with our intense ushing program. With our new IVF facility on-site, we are increasing our genetics as rapidly as possible. Our goals of
achieving higher milk production, high protein, positive DPR and calving ease are the main things we feel are going to help our dairy excel in the future. Kern: As the next generation, Andrew and Allana made the commitment to farm in 2013, and we started rebuilding our current milking site the next year. We focus solely on dairying and buy all our feed. We have only the necessary machinery it takes to do the day-to-day chores. We also raise all our replacement heifers. Our goals for this year are to purchase high quality feeds, keep pushing for more production while maintaining a low somatic cell count and to work on improving our herd’s reproduction. Tumberg: Our biggest goals in 2017 are to pay down our debt and have replacements to sell. We would also like to nd time to get away more with the family. Kurth: Our goals for 2017 are to keep growing from within while implementing quality genetics and continuing to increase our RHA. We also hope to see a production increase from our rst lactation heifers, who should benet from our recently constructed heifer facility. Sobeck: A portion of our land has been in our family for four generations. The farm site with the new facility is a second-generation farm. Jim and Gary are brothers who are bringing in the next generation – Gary’s son, Chris, and Jim’s soon-tobe son-in-law, Alex Kjos. We raise our heifers and our bulls for steers, which are all raised on different farm sites. Gary is the mechanic and in charge of crops, Jim does a little of everything, and Chris takes care of the steers and feeding while Alex cares for the calves and heifers. With the new facility, we are able to have one person take the weekend off. One goal we have for the herd is to drop our SCC below 100,000 and increase production to 100 pounds per cow per day. We didn’t think it was a feasible goal, but now with the robots, it is.
Want to write a more effective 590 Nutrient Management Plan? Incorporate European-Genetic Cool Season Grasses into your alfalfa • The extensive root systems of these grasses (Compared to alfalfa’s tap root) are the most effective plants to stem soil loss from either wind or water erosion • The yield-increasing addition of grass will sequester more phosphorous and lower your P Index • There is no plant we know of that will sequester more fertility—nitrogen, potassium & phosphorous – saving it for your dairy cows or for incorporating for your next corn crop • Trials at UW-Arlington showed that corn after grass was at least as good as corn after alfalfa – why not corn after alfalfa/grass? • These grasses will also add both tons/acre & quality to your haylage
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Mervin Beachy St. Ansgar, IA (641) 381-0054
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Page 13
ConĆ&#x;nued from LOADS | Page 1 March 9. With MnDOT’s endorsement, that means the change will likely occur and semi-trailer milk truck drivers will be able to get a permit to go over the current 80,000-pound limit. A separate matter is the overweight limits for single unit, or straight, milk trucks. While they can usually make regulations by axle, due to their short length they have trouble complying with the bridge law. Through several rounds of negotiations with MnDOT and the Department of Public Safety, milk haulers, Minnesota Milk and Representative Steve Drazkowski (R – Mazeppa) made no progress in changing this restriction. However, there is some wiggle room, as the current law shows the 10 percent increase is already being allowed. In Minnesota, if scale tickets are pulled at the milk plants, trucks are given a 10 percent variance to their legal weight limit. But trucks must remain under the legal weight limit if caught over the road, or be subject to a criminal penalty. When Finnesgard was issued a $2,300-ďƒžne for weighing 87,000 pounds while on the road, he approached Drazkowksi and Minnesota Milk for direction. Hopefully, a bill authored by Drazkowski and Sen. Michael Goggin (R – Red Wing) may eliminate this discrepancy. “Because of current weight limits, many milk trucks can only operate at 60 to 70 percent capacity, and only pickup at one farm at a time, to stay within the law’s guidelines,â€? Drazkowksi said. “It’s a waste of our economy of scale and opportunities, and a safety concern for our drivers.â€? Drazkowski and Goggin composed a bill that would allow a 10 percent allowance on weight restrictions for straight-unit milk trucks after their constituents expressed grave concerns on the limitations of the current law. “It’s very unconstitutional that the Department of Transportation can look back at 14-days worth of scale records, for any product, of any private business without a search warrant,â€? Drazkowski said. “It’s an illegal search and seizure.â€? Minnesota is one of just a few states that has any such law. “I was a little ďƒ&#x;abbergasted,â€? Finnesgard said. “If
I make it to the plant I’m good with 88,000 pounds, but if I get caught going to the plant, I get ticketed. I just wanted some kind of law that’s the same so we know what we’re doing.â€? Drazkowski said that former exceptions to the law worked well for milk haulers. “There was a previous exemption to milk haulers that worked really well in the past,â€? Drazkowski said. “But that exemption expired in 2014, and we’re trying to create opportunities for truck drivers and dairy farms for the delivery of the milk, efďƒžciently and safely.â€? Dennis Gavin will haul 2.3 million pounds of milk in 45 loads, on any given day, and relies on those exempt permits to legalJosh Finnesgard ly distribute his product. Gavin is the president of Finnesgard Trucking Caledonia Haulers, of Caledonia, Minn., and travels across state borders picking up and delivering ďƒ&#x;uid milk in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. “The challenge is that in Iowa, in each county I visit, I need a permit in addition to the state permit,â€? Gavin said. “I have one truck that hits four counties. We were all busy last year and forgot to purchase the permits.â€? Because of that untimely mishap, Gavin’s business accrued thousands of dollars in overweight ďƒžnes last year; a total of $20,000 between Iowa and Minnesota. However, with farms growing in size and the continually increasing volume of production, without a new law, Gavin does not see a solution that would meet the dairy industry’s needs other than to pay the ďƒžnes. “Now, the problem is that we’re too big to be legal on the roads. In Minnesota, for the weight limit to increase to more than 80,000 pounds our trailers have to be longer, and that’s not possible here with the driveways and windy roads,â€? Gavin said. “We want it to become legal, but the big question is how?â€? Finnesgard agreed. “The dairies are getting so much bigger now that we need to be able to carry a little more to be able to do this efďƒžciently,â€? he said.
Drazkowski and Goggin are hoping they have the solutions for milk truck haulers with their proposed laws, which were sent through the House and Senate Transportation Policy and Finance Committees during the week of March 6. If the bill were not to pass, milk haulers would still remain subject to a ďƒžne, up to $10,000 for being over the gross weight limit. As fewer milk plants remain, milk can travel over 100 miles for delivery, and current equipment and drivers do not have the time to legally haul more in order to accommodate weight restrictions. “In a time where equipment costs are constantly rising and qualiďƒžed drivers are increasingly difďƒžcult to ďƒžnd, it is very difďƒžcult to add more,â€? Gavin said. “Some days it feels as though the ďƒžnes are unavoidable in our operation.â€? While Gavin is fortunate to operate despite these challenges, for smaller-scale operators, such as Finnesgard, the current law could be detrimental to their business. “I would have to add one more truck and another driver, and that’s just to haul the same amount of milk,â€? he said. “It’s not feasible.â€? Opponents of the straight truck bill include MnDOT, the Association of Minnesota Counties and the Minnesota Association of Townships because of the insufďƒžcient funds for additional maintenance needed by the heavier weights. But for Minnesota Milk, milk haulers and cooperatives, they contend that changing this law would not change how milk is hauled today. “Milk haulers do what they need to do to get loads to market efďƒžciently today,â€? explained Minnesota Milk Executive Director Lucas Sjostrom. “But they do not want to feel like criminals while on the road.â€? For Drazkowski, he sees and understands the importance of this bill for the vitality of the dairy industry. “This bill would allow the industry to continue forward and develop in a positive way without any hiccups or inhibition,â€? Drazkowski said. “If our laws don’t change, this could stop the growth of the industry.â€? Dairy Star writer Krista Kuzma contributed to this article.
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Page 14 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017
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From Our Side Of The Fence
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Page 15
Why is having a farm dog important to you?
Bill and Jody Brockberg, with Max Jasper, Minn. Pipestone County 50 cows What is the name, age and breed of your dog? Our dog, Max, is 7 years old. He is a purebred German Shepherd. Why is having a farm dog important to you? Max gives us companionship and is a great helper around the farm. He is always on vermin patrol and guards against raccoons and possums. He will corner them and bark until we can come and take care of the situation. What is one unique trait about your dog? His loyalty to us. He will never leave the yard by himself, but loves to sit beside Bill in the pickup and ride to town. You can leave Max in the pickup cab by himself with the window rolled down and he will never leave. Max also has to be involved with everything we do around the farm. What is one thing your dog does that you don’t like? There are times when he can be a little overly aggressive with the cows. What’s your favorite activity to do with your dog? Taking him for a ride in the truck or simply doing chores with him. When we do chores, Max will nd a stick, a corn stalk or an old ination and get us to play fetch with him. He also likes to climb up on the bale pile so he can keep tabs on what’s happening on the farmstead. What is the most memorable experience with your dog or a dog you’ve had in the past? We had just gotten Max when a skunk walked onto the yard in the middle of the day. We killed the skunk, had it tested and it turned up positive for rabies. We didn’t know whether or not Max had contact with the skunk. He was only 8 weeks old and too young to be vaccinated, so the vet recommended we euthanize him. We didn’t want to do that. It was then recommended we isolate him in a kennel for six months. That would ruin him as a farm dog, so we instead took him in for a rabies vaccination once a week for the next month and watched him for signs of the disease. Max turned out just ne. Tell us about your favorite dog you’ve ever had. Our previous dog, Champ, was a special dog. She was one of the rst dogs I ever raised from a pup. Champ was a mixed breed that I got for free. She was extremely loyal, never too aggressive and would sit and listen to all of my problems. She gave me a great sense of companionship and security. Tell us about your farm. We work together every day and do all of the eld work and farm work ourselves. The famous Holstein cow Minnie Moo was born on this farm in 1986. Minnie had a nearly perfect Mickey Mouse silhouette on her side. She was purchased by the Disney Company in 1990 and was taken to Disneyworld where she became a popular attraction at Grandma Duck’s Petting Farm. Minnie Moo was featured in Newsweek and even made an appearance on the Regis and Kathie Lee television show. Minnie was very pampered and led a life of luxury until she passed away in 2001.
Justin and Lisa Reeck, with Boo and Calvin Paynesville, Minn. Stearns County 680 cows
Becky Friese, with Tickle Wanamingo, Minn. Goodhue County 80 Holsteins
What is the name, age and breed of your dog? Calvin, a medium-sized brown mixed breed, is 7 years old.
What is the name, age and breed of your dog? Tickle is a 4-year-old Dalmatian. We also have Tuffy, our 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier, Jangus, a 1-yearold Jack Russell terrier and beagle mix, and Sampson, a 12-year-old redbone coonhound.
Why is having a farm dog important to you? Calvin alerts us when vehicles are coming and going, and he greets everyone. He is a good companion for calf chores, and even though he isn’t really a herding dog, he chases cattle the right direction. As our baby son gets older, I think a farm dog will also be a great friend and protector for him.
Why is having a farm dog important to you? They’re good at keeping pests – rats, mice, opossums and raccoons – out of the barn and away from the farm. It’s also nice to have a friend to keep me company during calf chores. Tickle follows me everywhere.
What is one unique trait about your dog? He can catch mice and birds. He is also good at staying clean even in wet, muddy weather.
What is one unique trait about your dog? Tickle poses for photos. She’s also very soft. None of our other Dalmatians have been as soft as she is.
What is one thing your dog does that you don’t like? He always barks like crazy when he sees a cattle trailer moving. He rarely chases a vehicle or machinery, but he will chase after the trailer. I imagine he feels like we are taking his cattle somewhere, and he doesn’t like it.
What is one thing your dog does that you don’t like? There are two things Tickle does – she poops in the manger and hits you with her paw when she wants attention.
What’s your favorite activity to do with your dog? We enjoy spending typical days with him and always having him around the farm. His favorite game is playing tug-o-war. What is the most memorable experience with your dog or a dog you’ve had in the past? Calvin came to us by chance. He wandered into the yard at my parent’s farm six years ago. They spent a few days trying to nd out if he belonged to anybody, and before bringing him to a shelter they asked if we might want him. I convinced Justin we should go and look at him, and of course we came home with a new dog. I’m so glad we did. Tell us about your favorite dog you’ve ever had. Our rst dog was an American Bulldog named Wellington. We got him as a puppy, and it was fun to train and teach him as he grew. He was an excellent companion for daily farm life. We also have another American Bulldog named Boo. She doesn’t roam the farm as much and is sometimes afraid of the unknown but is good natured and full of personality. I don’t think I can pick a favorite, but I’ve loved all of our dogs because they are loyal animals and friends. Tell us about your farm. We milk a herd of Holstein and crossbred cows in Stearns County. We are located north of Paynesville, near Lake Henry. On our land, we grow feed for our cattle including corn and corn silage, alfalfa and grass meadow. We farm with Justin’s parents and have a 1-year-old son named Grifn.
What’s your favorite activity to do with your dog? We like to pamper her when she has her puppies every spring. This will be her fourth batch, due on March 24. We sell the puppies to people in the Midwest. She also likes to cuddle, hang out, have her stomach rubbed, and lie in the sun on the porch during the summer. She doesn’t do much around the farm. She’s truly around just for companionship. What is the most memorable experience with your dog or a dog you’ve had in the past? Tuffy is our No. 1 mouser on the farm. One time when my husband, David, was lifting a square bale of hay in the hayshed, Tuffy was patiently waiting to pounce. She darted underneath as he lifted up the bale and caught eight mice. Then she backed up and spit all eight of them out of her mouth at once. Tell us about your favorite dog you’ve ever had. Sambo was the best hound dog we’ve ever had. My husband, David, agrees. We had him on the farm in the 1980s, and he was the best hunter. We raised pups out of him, and he lived to be 9 years old. Tell us about your farm. I farm together with my husband, David, on our dairy, Rodash-View. We milk 80 registered Holsteins with our sons, Josh and Marshall, and raise all own replacements. Josh helps with the milking and Marshall mixes the feed. They both help with eldwork and farm maintenance. We grow corn, soybeans and alfalfa on 500 acres of land. We also have 30 beef cows, one horse, goats, chickens and lots of cats.
Turn to FARM DOGS | Page 16
Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017
ConƟnued from FARM DOGS | Page 15
Jack Miller, with Opie Oakland, Minn. Freeborn County 125 cows
Joel Hendrickson, with Taz Menahga, Minn. Ottertail County 130 cows
Corey Janke, with Chief Hixton, Wis. Jackson County 150 cows
What is the name, age and breed of your dog? My dog’s name is Opie. His is a 1.5-year-old black Lab mix. We’re not sure what is mixed with the black Lab. We got him as an 8-week-old puppy from a shelter in Clear Lake, Iowa.
What is the name, age and breed of your dog? Taz is an 8-year-old border collie.
What is the name, age and breed of your dog? Chief, a black Lab, is 6 years old.
Why is having a farm dog important to you? He makes my job much easier. It seems like the cows get out at the most inopportune time and he puts them in for me. I leave the gates open when I feed, and if the cows get out he puts them back in a hurry. If I want to get the cows off the pasture, he gets them. I bought him when he was trained and he knows left and right.
Why is having a farm dog important to you? Chief is a good companion. He goes everywhere with us on the farm. He is friendly and strives for attention, and is just an overall good companion to have on the farm.
Why is having a farm dog important to you? It’s not a real farm without a dog. Opie alerts us about things on the farm – if the calves are out, if someone drives in the driveway, or if a squirrel enters the yard. He loves to greet everyone because he loves people. He’s also good at keeping pests on the farm at a minimum.
What is one unique trait about your dog? He fetches and plays ball.
What is one unique trait about your dog? He can sense when someone is coming up the driveway before anyone else. He also knows all the schedules around here. He knows when it is time for milking or when milking is done.
What is one unique trait about your dog? He is pretty acrobatic. He likes to do obstacle courses around the farm. Sometimes we set out large square bales in front of our calf barn where he will jump from one bale to the next and circle around to do it again. He’s also good at catching food in his mouth from long distances.
What is one thing your dog does that you don’t like? He herds the younger calves when he’s not supposed to, so we keep him in the ofce or tied up when I’m not here.
What is one thing your dog does that you don’t like? When you leave him home alone, he always gets into something like food or garbage. It’s his way of rebelling when you go away without him.
What’s your favorite activity to do with your dog? Move cattle.
What is one thing your dog does that you don’t like? The main one is jumping on people when they come to the farm. It’s something we need to work on. He also steals shoes and cat dishes, but never chews on them. What he does is nothing bad enough to not keep him around.
What is the most memorable experience with your dog or a dog you’ve had in the past? When I got a bull from the Aho Brothers and he was with the milk cows he went to round up the cows and the bull wouldn’t move. He ended getting him in. If I go in with my cows I don’t have to worry about the bull. He’s excellent with my kids as well.
What’s your favorite activity to do with your dog? When I wake up in the morning, he is right there. From the start of the day to the end of the day, he is by my side. He sleeps on the couch at my house and when my alarm clock rings, he comes right in beside me. He is always up for a ride in the truck, tractor, combine – you name it. I just like having him by my side throughout the day.
What’s your favorite activity to do with your dog? Just farming. He does everything with me. He likes feeding calves and riding in the combine and in the tractors with me. What is the most memorable experience with your dog or a dog you’ve had in the past? The day I brought him home. I showed him around the farm and to the cows. The cats were bigger than he was, and he was scared of everything. Now he runs the place. He also was supposed to be strictly an outside dog, but he still sleeps inside. During the day, he’s out on the farm or in our shop, but at night he sleeps on his bed on the oor next to my side of the bed. I bought him a Serta mattress for Christmas. Tell us about your favorite dog you’ve ever had. I’ve had two dogs in my life. We had our rst dog, Duke, for as long as I can remember. He lived to be 18 years old. He and Opie are two completely different dogs, but I love them both.
Tell us about your favorite dog you’ve ever had. I never had a dog this good. I bought him when he was 3 years old. Tell us about your farm. My wife, Amanda, and I have nine children. We own 15 acres and rent 135 acres. I plant corn on all my land. I milk in a swing-13 parlor and we have purebred Brown Swiss and Brown Swiss-Holstein crosses. Tell us about your farm. I am the third generation on my family’s farm. I farm in partnership with my dad, John, and my uncle, Dick. Along with our herd of 125 cows, we raise all our heifers, feed out our steers and raise our forages for the animals, along with corn and soybeans for cash crops. I joined the farm in 2014 after I graduated from the University of WisconsinRiver Falls. My wife, Katelyn, and I were married in August.
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What is the most memorable experience with your dog or a dog you’ve had in the past? There was a cow ready to calve, and my dad was checking on her throughout the night. I had gone home, and the cow calved in the middle of the night, but she had milk fever. My dad tried calling me, but my phone was on vibrate and I didn’t hear him. Chief could hear him when he showed up at my house and was barking to get me out of bed. He knew something was wrong before I even did. Tell us about your favorite dog you’ve ever had. Chief is the only dog I’ve had. He has a lovable personality. He goes with the ow and is happy to be with me. Tell us about your farm. We have a 150-cow dairy and all our work is done by family with the exception of one hired employee. We raise all our youngstock and do the majority of the crop work ourselves. We are running 750 acres. Providing quality building materials and friendly service since 1971
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Page 17
Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017
Top Performers
Grouping cows leads to better management, higher production for Johnsons The Johnson Family Darren and Lynn Johnson Winona, Minn. Winona County 225 cows
How many times a day do you milk? If you don’t milk 3X a day, have you tried it in the past? We milk twice a day. We have never tried three times a day.
What is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? Our herd average is 29,327 pounds of milk with 1,078 pounds of butterfat and 892 pounds of protein.
Do you use BST? If so, what is your protocol? No, we have never used BST. Do you contract your milk? Has it been successful for you? No, we have never contracted milk.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
The Johnsons - (from leŌ) Shawn, Lynn and Darren – milk 225 cows that have a rolling herd average of 29,327 pounds of milk with 1,078 pounds of buƩerfat and 892 pounds of protein. They farm together with Darren’s parents, Dennis and BeƩy, Darren’s brother, Kevin, and Darren and Lynn’s other son, Kyle, near Winona, Minn.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
A double-10 rapid exit parallel parlor the Johnsons built in 2014 is used to milk their herd of 225 cows twice a day.
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866-467-4717
Describe your housing and milking facility. In 2014 we put up a new 209-stall freestall barn that is divided into four groups – post-fresh, 2-yearold, mature cows and dry cows. All stalls are bedded with sand. Cows are
milked in a double-10 rapid exit parlor, which was also built in 2014. What is the composition of your ration? What has been one of your most recent changes that has been sucTurn to JOHNSONS | Page 20
Winter Specials TRACTORS AGCO DT225 FWA, 18.4R46 duals, 16.9R30 front, 3500 hrs ......................................................................... Coming in Allis Chalmers 190, gas, cab, 2WD w/loader & bucket ............... Call Case IH 695 2WD, platform, 2878 hrs w/TA26 ldr & bucket $13,200 Ford 9N .................................................................................. $1,500 MF 2680HD, cab, FWA w/ldr., grapple bucket, 1310 hrs ............. Call COMBINES & HEADS Gleaner S77 combine, 2013, duals, 850 eng, 553 sep ........$220,000 Gleaner R75 Combine, 2008, duals 2276 eng, 1656 sep ....$119,000 Gleaner R75 Combine, 2003, duals, 1438 sep,1976 E ..........$90,000 Gleaner 8000 Flex Head 30’ ..................................................$14,500 Cressoni 6R30 Cutter Corn Head, JD Mounts .......................$17,500 Harvestec 4308C Cutter Corn Head 8R30” Gl mounts, nice ..$36,000 Harvestec 4308C Cutter Corn Head 8 Row 30”, JD mount....$28,000 Harvestec 4308C Cutter Corn Head 8 Row 30”, NH/Case IH mount, ‘08 ...................................................... $36,000 Harvestec 6312C Cutter Corn Head, 12 Row 30”, GL Mounts, 2013 ................................................................$54,000
TILLAGE/FIELD CULTIVATORS CIH 4800 Field Cultivator, 24.5,’ w/3 row coil tine .................$6,800 JD 235 Duracushion 22’ Disc w/Remlinger 3-Row Coil Tine...$4,200 Great Plains 30’ Turbo Till Rolling Basket and Reel, 2010 .....$32,000 Wilrich 657 11 Shank Chisel/ Ripper Combo, 2014 ..............$27,800 Wilrich 657 11 Shank Chisel/ Ripper Combo, 2013, used 1 season .....................................................................$25,000 Wilrich 657 11 Shank Chisel/ Ripper Combo, 2012, 2 Bar Coil & Basket .............................................................$30,700 ROW CROP, DRILLS & SPRAYERS Brillion 12’ Packer 12P-10 ..................................................... $5,700 Hardi TR 1000 60’ Boom Flush And Rinse, triplet nozzle bodys .............................................................. $7,500 Hardi Navigator 4000 2013 90’ Boom,120” axle,ISO ........... $40,000 Hardi Navigator 4000 80’ Boom 120” Axle, ‘09, 1200 gal, foam................................................................................... $27,000 White 8202 12 Row 30” Wing Fold Planter, 2001, with 4,900 acres ................................................................ $32,000
GRAIN CARTS & WAGONS Unverferth 5000 Grain Cart w/24.5-32 tires & lights, green ..$12,800 EZ-Trail 220 Seed Wagon w/ 10 ton gear, tarp and auger .......$3,700 SKID STEERS Demco 750 Gravity Box, W455R22.5 tires, 2012..................$15,000 Mustang 1900R, 2014, 2435 hrs, cab, heat, rear weight ......$24,000 H&S 18’ 7+4 Front And Rear Unload Box, 4 wheel gear, NH L225 Skid Steer, 2755 hrs, cab, heat/AC, 2 speed...........$25,000 no roof ..................................................................................$9,900 HAY & FORAGE, STALK CHOPPERS Case IH RB455, 806 bales, 2016, silage baler with cutter .... $33,000 NH Roll-Belt 460 Silage Round Baler w/cutter, 1,500 bales . $33,000 Hesston 8200 SP Swather 12’ Header, no cab, 1860 hrs ........$6,200 Hesston 8200 SP Swather 12’ Header 1932 Hrs .................. $14,900 MF Hesston 2150 Baler, 3X3, tandem, app., scale, roller chute, 2012............................................................... $74,000 Hesston 4790 Baler, 3X4, 24,300 Bales .............................. $41,000 Hesston 1150 12’ Pull Type Haybine ...................................... $2,200 Hesston 4600 Small Square Baler............................................... Call H&S X10/13 15 wheel rake .......................................................... Call IH 600 Blower, nice shape...................................................... $2,700 Krone Swadro 881 Rake 2-point Hitch 540 Pto.................... $14,000 Ag Way BF 5000 3Pt Hitch Bale Feeder Like New................... $6,600 MC 180 15’ Shredder/Stalk Chopper, 2015, in good shape ...$12,000
MANURE SPREADERS H&S 550 Hydra-Push manure spreader, ‘16, like new ..........$32,500 Meyers M390 box spreader, single beater, hyd drive ..............$8,500 GRAIN EQUIPMENT Good selection of used augers ..................................................... Call MISCELLANEOUS Bush Hog SQ84T 7’ Rotary Twin Gear Mower, offset ..............$2,500 Bush Hog SQ84T 7’ Rotary Mower .........................................$1,600 Bush Hog HMG8 8’ 3 pt disc mower, Sold New In 2014, Consigned .............................................................................$5,200 1,000 Gal Fuel Tank & Trailer w/gas engine fuel pump ............$2,800 JD 60” Mower Deck for 4200 JD tractor .................................$1,350 EZ-Trail 12’ Fert Auger ............................................................... $750 3-Point Snowblower 7’ w/hydraulic chute, manual deflector . $1,100
103 3rd & Broadway Goodhue, MN 55027
(651) 923-4441
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Page 19
“We love the stuff... especially for fresh cows.” — Robert and Jeannette Sheehan
SHEEKNOLL FARMS, ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA The Sheehan Family with WDE Grand Champion Holstein ‘Thomas’ (Sheeknoll Durham Arrow EX96 97MS) 300 cows RHA 26,000 SCC 150,000
“If we take care of the cows, they will take care of us,” is the mantra of the Sheehan family at Sheeknoll Farms, Rochester, Minnesota. That was the case with Sheeknoll Durham Arrow (aka ‘Thomas’) in her grand journey with Jeannette Sheehan at the halter, picking up champion banners all summer on her way to first place aged cow, production, best udder, best bred-and-owned, senior and grand champion of the 2016 International Holstein Show at the 50th World Dairy Expo, where she was also reserve supreme. “It’s still surreal,” said Jeannette after leading the EX96 97MS 6-year-old to her storybook finish. “She had her share of Udder Comfort™. We love the stuff,” said Jeannette. Husband Robert explains: “We use the lotion before shows and really put it on thick after showing.
“We also use it at home in the parlor and stall barn operations,” adds Robert, partnering with his wife and children and brothers Jim and Jerome and their families in the 300-cow dairy. “We use it a lot, especially for fresh cows: 2x/day for 5 days after calving. For 8 years, we have been using Udder Comfort because it’s very effective in doing what we want it to do: reduce swelling and regain udder texture and quality.”
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Keep the milk in the system 1.888.773.7153 1.613.652.9086 uddercomfort.com Call to locate a distributor near you. For external application to the udder only after milking, as an essential component of udder management. Always wash and dry teats thoroughly before milking.
Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017
ConƟnued from JOHNSONS | Page 18
cessful for you? Composition amounts vary per group, but the mix consists of haylage, corn silage, high moisture shell corn and earlage. We started using a master mix for the dry feed stuffs one year ago. The mix consists of dry hay, cottonseed, soybean meal and a custom protein mix. We mix a batch every three days and then store it in our commodity shed. This has helped speed up mixing time and decreases the chance of mixing errors. We really like this change. The composition of the dry cow ration includes corn silage, wheat straw and a custom dry cow mix. We work closely with our nutritionist, Chad Kieffer. Through the years you’ve been farming what change has created the biggest jump in your herd average? Prior to 2004, the cows were housed in a tiestall barn. In 2004, the barn was converted to a atbarn, and we built a freestall barn. The cows were then introduced to sand bedding. This increased the herd average and lowered the somatic cell count because of increased cow comfort. More recently, with the addition of the new facility in 2014, we have been able to decrease our SCC due to being able to better manage the herd. Our computer system allows us to have daily milk weights, conductivity reports, activity monitoring and feeding time.
What is your herd health program? Our milking herd gets vaccinated with J-5, Virashield, SRP, Ultrabac 7 and Multi-Min. This past September we started using Imrester. All cows have their hooves trimmed twice per year. We work closely with our veterinarian, who does herd checks every two weeks. What does your dry cow and transition program consist of? We have all the dry cows in one group. Cows are dried off between 45-60 days. We move the cows into a bedded pack pen about four to ve days prior to their due date. Once they calf, they move into the postfresh group for approximately 45 days. What role do genetics play in your production level and what is your breeding program? Genetics are important. You have to have good cows to make milk. When breeding cows, we focus on net merit, combined fat and protein, productive life, daughter pregnancy rate and functional type – strength, udders, and feet and legs. We have an activity system that does day-to-day monitoring for heats. Generally, rst service is between 60 and 75 days, depending upon production. Our current average days open is 95 days. If no heat is shown on their own, we run the ovsynch program. The 2-yearolds are mated.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
The Johnsons built their barn in 2014. The barn is bedded with sand, includes 209 stalls, and is divided into four groups along with a maternity pen. What type of improvements would you like to make that would increase your rolling herd average even higher? The only thing we could do at this point is to go to milking three times per day. What would you say are the three most important factors for you that helped you attain your current herd average? The rst is cow comfort. We have a one-to-one cow to stall ratio, so they are not overcrowded and there is more
bunk space. We don’t have as many fresh cow problems as we used to. The second factor is putting up quality feed combined with good nutrition. It’s important to get the crop harvested at the right time and feed the best ration. Working with a good nutritionist helps with this aspect. Having more groups in the barn also allows us to tailor each ration better rather than feeding one ration to the entire herd. The third factor is genetics.
Tell us about your farm. We are the third generation to own the farm, with the fourth generation working into the operation. Our son, Shawn, returned to the farm full time in April 2016 and our other son, Kyle, who is still in high school helps with chores when he is able. We currently own and rent a total of 600 acres. We raise our replacement heifers and feed out the steers. Darren’s parents, Dennis and Betty, are still involved by helping feed calves and doing eld work. Darren’s brother, Kevin, works for us full time.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Page 21
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10 JD 7520, 2007, 13300 hrs., #134769 ...................................... $34,900 8 JD 7630, 2007, 3782 hrs., #131106 ....................................$105,000 4 JD 7830, 2008, 3289 hrs., #135361 ....................................$114,500 11 JD 7920, 2003, 4910 hrs., #134912 ...................................... $94,900 6 JD 8100, 1994, 3510 hrs., #134258 ...................................... $81,900 4 JD 8220, 2004, 1640 hrs., #132349 ....................................$122,000 8 JD 8220, 2002, 5469 hrs., #127863 ....................................$108,500 11 JD 8330, 2006, 4009 hrs., #121999 ....................................$124,900 6 CIH 145 PUMA, 2013, 755 hrs., #134447 ...................................... $84,500 10 JD 5075M, 2009, 385 hrs., #135624 ...................................... $39,500 4 JD 5075M, 2013, 100 hrs., #125138 ...................................... $38,000 6 JD 5085E, 2016, 241 hrs., #124729 ...................................... $51,900 12 JD 5085M, 2012, 1610 hrs., #125293 ...................................... $45,900 6 JD 5100E, 2016, 99 hrs., #124826 ...................................... $54,900 7 JD 5100M, 2015, 295 hrs., #118463 ...................................... $62,900 4 JD 5115M, 2012, 611 hrs., #129621 ...................................... $66,500 6 JD 6105E, 2016, 292 hrs., #124868 ...................................... $63,900 4 JD 6105M, 2014, 320 hrs., #132099 ...................................... $71,000 4 JD 6105R, 2014, 106 hrs., #127952 ...................................... $99,000 2 JD 6105R, 2013, 414 hrs., #135169 ...................................... $91,500 4 JD 6110R, 2015, 104 hrs., #119898 ....................................$105,900 12 JD 6120E, 2016, 125 hrs., #124883 ...................................... $73,900 8 JD 6120E, 2016, 267 hrs., #124871 ...................................... $67,900 4 JD 6120R, 2015, 132 hrs., #124875 ....................................$118,900 5 JD 6125M, 2013, 657 hrs., #126547 ...................................... $91,000 11 JD 6125M, 2013, 359 hrs., #123591 ...................................... $86,900 4 JD 6125R, 2013, 500 hrs., #134131 ....................................$103,000 7 JD 6125R, 2014, 505 hrs., #135212 ...................................... $99,500 3 JD 6125R, 2014, 479 hrs., #128687 ...................................... $99,000 10 JD 6130D, 2015, 223 hrs., #123740 ...................................... $69,500 11 JD 6130D, 2011, 4100 hrs., #134834 ...................................... $44,900
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10 JD 6135E, 2015, 1 hr., #124880 ...................................... $76,900 4 JD 6135E, 2015, 298 hrs., #124885 ...................................... $71,900 7 JD 6140D, 2014, 15 hrs., #133561 ...................................... $68,900 10 JD 6140D, 2013, 378 hrs., #131138 ...................................... $62,500 9 JD 6145R, 2015, 268 hrs., #120191 ....................................$122,900 9 JD 6150R, 2013, 698 hrs., #127915 ....................................$119,000 2 JD 6155R, 2015, 170 hrs., #134317 ....................................$129,900 1 JD 6155R, 2015, 179 hrs., #124983 ....................................$129,500 8 JD 6175R, 2015, 650 hrs., #135147 ....................................$148,000 1 JD 7200R, 2012, 729 hrs., #135070 ....................................$129,900 1 JD 7215R, 2013, 447 hrs., #117213 ....................................$149,500 4 JD 7215R, 2013, 1150 hrs., #133909 ....................................$142,000 2 JD 7215R, 2012, 2848 hrs., #135525 ....................................$123,100 1 JD 7230R, 2014, 447 hrs., #126805 ....................................$193,000 2 JD 7230R, 2015, 88 hrs., #134308 ....................................$187,500 1 JD 7230R, 2015, 446 hrs., #126922 ....................................$171,500 3 JD 8235R, 2013, 1636 hrs., #127894 ....................................$159,000 8 JD 8245R, 2015, 767 hrs., #134375 ....................................$192,900 4 JD 8245R, 2015, 494 hrs., #135325 ....................................$185,500 3 JD 8245R, 2014, 429 hrs., #107406 ....................................$172,900 5 JD 8260R, 2013, 1527 hrs., #125130 ....................................$179,000 6 JD 8270R, 2015, 223 hrs., #117210 ....................................$247,000 2 JD 8270R, 2015, 100 hrs., #134459 ....................................$239,000 2 JD 8285R, 2011, 1345 hrs., #118552 ....................................$226,900 8 JD 8295R, 2015, 911 hrs., #134373 ....................................$224,900 7 JD 8320R, 2014, 2084 hrs., #127013 ....................................$227,500 1 JD 8320R, 2010, 2557 hrs., #117098 ....................................$185,000 3 JD 8335R, 2013, 2029 hrs., #127896 ....................................$219,000 4 Kubota M100GX, 2014, 450 hrs., #131537 ...................................... $49,000 6 CIH MAGNUM 180, 2010, 1227 hrs., #131001 ....................................$103,500 2 CIH PUMA 230 CVT, 2012, 760 hrs., #121468 ...................................$159,000
JD 6140D, 2013, $ 140 hp., 378 hrs., #131138
62,500
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017
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The dairy princess journey: It’s going to be a great ride
I was scrolling through Facebook and came across a memory from over a year ago. On that day, I became friends with my county dairy princess coordinator. This brought back memories of the journey that brought me to becoming Princess Kay. My journey began when I was in third grade. I went to the state fair for the ďƒžrst time with my dad to watch my older brother show cattle. Dad is smart. He took me into the dairy building to grab an ice On the Road with cream cone and to look Princess Kay at the Princess Kay butter sculptures. As I was eating my exceptionally tasty cone, Dad looked at me and said I could get my likeness carved from butter one day. I was a bit surprised by what he said, but that conversation was always tucked away in the back of my mind for years to come. For the next decade, By Haley Hinrichs I didn’t give the idea 63rd Princess Kay of the of being a dairy prinMilky Way cess another thought. I had friends, who I really looked up to, who were dairy princesses, but I never pictured myself in the role. That all changed, however, when my best friend entered the dairy princess program the summer after our senior year of high school. She was a county dairy princess and also went on to become a Princess Kay ďƒžnalist. She told me about all the great things she had been doing that summer, from working with elementary students in a classroom to spending days at the Minnesota State Fair sharing her dairy story. She simply loved what she was doing, and it made me happy to see her enthusiastic and excited. At this point, I still hadn’t thought about actually becoming a dairy princess, but my friend convinced me to give it a try. She was the one who told my county coordinator I would participate. She did my hair for every banquet I needed to attend and read over my speeches before judging. She was with me every step of the way. At every point in the journey to becoming Princess Kay, I would stop and ask myself if everything I had done thus far was worth it. I answered “yesâ€? every time, and I believe most girls who have gone through this program would also answer an enthusiastic “yes.â€? It didn’t matter if I were a county dairy princess or con-
If you li live on a d dairy i ffarm, work on a dairy farm, or your parents own or work on a dairy farm – the dairy princess program is for you. tinuing my journey to become Princess Kay, the entire program shaped me into the person I am today. I met and continue to meet amazing friends, I am still learning a lot of new aspects of the industry, and I am able to grow tremendously throughout this experience. Perhaps you have been dreaming about being a dairy princess since you were a little girl, or maybe you didn’t even know the program existed until you read this article. Regardless, this is an experience well worth your time. If you live on a dairy farm, work on a dairy farm, or your parents own or work on a dairy farm – the dairy princess program is for you. If you want something that can help you meet new people, gives you the opportunity to share the good news about the dairy industry and develop your leadership skills, then this program is for you. If you have a passion for the industry, I encourage you to apply to be a dairy princess. More information can be found on the Midwest Dairy website or you are more than welcome to message me on Facebook, @PrincessKayoftheMilkyWay, to chat about this opportunity. To those of you who have already made the decision to take this dairy princess journey, and to those of you considering taking the ďƒžrst step, I wish you well. Soak up every adventure. It’s going to be a great ride.
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Page 23
A sustainable farming tradition Leys named Stearns County Outstanding Conservationists By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
RICHMOND, Minn. – For Dan and Crystal Ley, dairy farming with a keen focus on a sustainable future is a longstanding tradition for the family. The Leys were recognized as the 2016 Stearns County Outstanding Conservationists at the annual Pheasants Forever banquet March 4 in Sauk Centre, Minn. The award was presented on behalf of the Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). “We’re not really all about being in the spotlight,� Dan said. “This isn’t a big deal, it’s just what we do.� The Leys milk 50 cows and raise a small herd of beef cattle with their children – Ashley, 16, Derek, 15, and Alyssa, 6 – near Richmond, Minn. Since the late ‘90s, Dan and Crystal have farmed more than 300 acres of land. In 2006, the Leys purchased Dan’s family’s dairy operation and maintained the farm’s conservation practices. Currently, the Leys manage 321 acres of land – crop farming 280 acres and preserving the remaining 41. Additionally, the Leys manage six waterways, buffers along the ditches, and rotationally graze their beef cows, dry cows and
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Dan and Crystal Ley are the 2016 Stearns County Outstanding ConservaĆ&#x;onists. The Leys milk 50 cows and manage 321 acres on their farm near Richmond, Minn. youngstock. Growing up, Dan would watch his dad implement sustainable practices on their farm, such as waterways and buffer strips to prevent soil erosion and runoff. “We’re doing everything Dad did, and I think that’s pretty great,â€? Dan said. However, the Leys conservation ef-
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forts did not stop with the practices Dan’s family began. In 2007, Dan and Crystal began a notill practice on their tillable acres. “Honestly, I was tired of eating dust,� said Dan, explaining his reason for no till. “When I was a kid, my dad plowed, but it didn’t work. Then we tried chisel
plowing, and this was the next step.â€? Dan and Crystal ďƒžrst experimented with no-till in 1996 after a few dry years; however, it did not work as planned. Although uneasy at the second try, considering the light and clay soils that Turn to LEYS | Page 25
Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017
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ConƟnued from LEYS | Page 23 surround the Leys’ farmstead, the Ley family has seen many benets of no-till, most notably the fewer inputs, less soil erosion and greater yields. “The rst year was rough and yields were down, but came back the second year and have trended up since,” Dan said. “I can chop silage or spread manure, and you can’t even tell where I drove the tractor. Even during a hard rain, we’ve cut back on erosion.” Crystal agreed. “This saves us so much time sitting in the tractor and using fuel,” she said. Shortly after the no-till practice was proven successful, Dan and Crystal looked for further conservation options. They received an Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) grant through the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to pursue cover cropping.
“We looked into cover crops for the same reason as no-till, and we wanted to recycle our nutrients,” Dan said. For the past eight years, the Leys have incorporated cover cropping into their farming protocol – typically planting ryegrass and hairy vetch, and sometimes turnips and rapeseed. “I always shoot for three different species in the cover crop,” Dan said. With EQIP dollars, the Leys purchased a no-till drill, which they use for planting most of the cover crops. They also plant some aerially. “We signed up for three years (in EQIP) and it’s evolved since then,” Dan said. “We host eld days and have been given grants to further develop our practices.” Currently, the Leys are working with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and their Sustainable Agriculture
PHOTO SUBMITTED
A eld of corn is harvested with a fall cover crop underneath that will outlast the winter to protect the top soil.
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Dan Ley observes a eld of ryegrass that was planted earlier this fall as a cover crop. Demonstration Grant to research late-fall forage crops that will be harvested in the spring as baleage. This summer, the family will host a eld day to share their ndings. To further maximize the land’s potential, the Leys apply manure as natural fertilizer, and let their cattle reap the benets through grazing and providing a higher quality feedstuff. Since establishing no-till and incorporating cover crops, the Leys have become more efcient. Although, it was an efciency that took time to adjust to.
“Change is hard, but now we’d never go back,” Crystal said. “After we put the cover crops on the eld, we’re done for fall.” While the Leys are proponents of these farming methods, there were many challenges in establishing the methods on the Leys’ dairy. Together, with the SWCD, the Leys have created a viable approach to farming with no-till and cover crops. “It’s become a point where we help them (SWCD) and they help us,” Dan said. “Whether we’ve made mistakes or not, and mistakes are going to hap-
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This fall, many producers utilized our marketing assistance loan program and took a loan on their 2016 corn, soybeans or small grain. Since it has been a few months, I wanted to remind these producers of their responsibility to maintain their grain and the proper way to dispose of any grain being used as collateral. Bins are ideally designed to hold a level volume of grain. When bins are overlled and grain is heaped, air- FSA News & Notes ow is hindered and the chance of spoilage increases. Producers who take out marketing assistance loans and use the farm-stored grain as collateral should remember they are responsible for maintaining the quality of the grain through the term of the loan. This includes preventing any insect infestations that could lead to unmarketable grain. If loan grain has been disposed of through feeding, selling or any other form of disposal without prior written authorization from the county ofce, it is considered unauthorized disposition. The nancial penalties for By Ryan Brunn unauthorized dispositions are severe and a producer’s name will be placed on a loan violation list for a two- Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. year period. Always call before you haul any grain under loan. If you are planning on feeding the grain, you must buy back the bushels before you feed.
Breaking new ground Agricultural producers are reminded to consult with FSA and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) before breaking new ground for production purposes, as doing so without prior authorization may put a producer’s federal farm program benets in jeopardy. This is especially true for land that must meet Highly Erodible Land (HEL) and Wetland Conservation (WC) provisions. Producers with HEL determined soils are required to apply tillage, crop residue and rotational requirements as specied in their conservation plan. Producers should notify FSA as a rst point of contact prior to conducting land clearing or drainage type projects to ensure the proposed actions meet compliance criteria such as clearing any trees to create new cropland. Then, these areas will need to be reviewed to ensure such work will not risk your eligibility for benets. Landowners and operators must complete the form AD-1026, Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certication, to identify the proposed action and allow FSA to determine whether a referral to (NRCS) for further review is necessary. 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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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Page 27
her story. In 2013, she lost her daughter to an unex- in the heifer lot, there are probably a few of her pected Epileptic seizure. Nine months later, she lost daughters there. When our parish needed a cow for the sausage a son in a tragic car accident along with three of his friends. The town of Sleepy Eye was instantly trau- dinner, I nally gave in to the Gopher’s request (my matized. Rather than becoming a victim, she chose daughter Laura) that it was time for her to go. I had run out of excuses. She to become a victor. She behad given us three daughcame a source of support When things hi h happen with i h the h ters, four lactations with and energy for the other Wh families involved. She, a cows that we prefer would not, we no mastitis and was a ne animal to work with. As lifetime 4-H county extension agent, now speaks should try to find the silver lining. we sat down to enjoy the dinner at our parish, the publicly on making good sausage tasted great. I felt choices. Her motto is, “Be like the victor, not the victim. kind, give more, stay humble.” Laura Rosenhammer farms with her father, When things happen with the cows that we prefer would not, we should try to nd the silver lin- John, and uncle, Greg, on Roseview Dairy near ing. Sure, maybe the cow I wanted to get pregnant Sleepy Eye, Minn. They milk 200 Holsteins and run so badly must go on the truck. However, if I look 580 acres of cropland.
This issue written by John Rosenhammer. Think of all the tools dairy farmers have available to help them do their job. Today, we have monitoring systems to analyze individual cow activity and cud-chewing times; cameras are now placed in the maternity areas to keep us updated on close-up and birthing cows. Milk time temperatures detect early fevers and udder infections. The use of ultrasounds to check for pregnancy has replaced manual palpation, and is now being replaced by blood and milk samples. Genomics has replaced three to four years of progeny testing with the instant results of a hair sample. Silage inoculants are no longer applied as pounds per ton, but rather as ounces. Cows no longer must be open to be ushed, as IVF has made it possible to recover embryos from pregnant animals. And the list goes on. So why with all these tools do cows still slip, die, get mastitis, fail to become or maintain pregnant and eventually end up on the cull list? We invest money in the hope we can make tomorrow better than today. I have concluded that after witnessing my generation, the one before me, and the one after me, that dairy farming provides life lessons. Some you can control, others you cannot. In the end, we must accept the fact that, “Thy will be done.” Many things can be controlled, however, tragedy, weather and the price of milk cannot. The key is to, “Not be dened by what has happened to you, but by what you have chosen to become.” This Lenten season, Patty, I and my youngest son had the privilege to listen to a local woman give
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| ©2017, Dairy Nutrition Plus
Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017
Betty Berning bberning@umn.edu 320-203-6104 Rafael Bisinotto rbisinot@umn.edu 612-625-3130 Hugh Chester-Jones chest001@umn.edu (507) 835-3622 Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu (612) 624-5391 Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu (320) 589-1711 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu (612) 625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu (320) 732-4435 Kota Minegishi kota@umn.edu 612-624-7455 Randy Pepin pepin019@umn.edu (320) 333-1369 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu (320) 203-6093 M. Scott Wells mswells@umn.edu 612-625-3747 Emily Wilmes krek0033@umn.edu (320) 255-6169
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Cover crop considerations This past year, I gave presentations throughout Minnesota about integrating cover crops and a livestock system with manure. Following are some of the questions asked about incorporating cover crops into a livestock farm’s system: Which cover crop species should I plant? When do I plant cover crops? What is the most cost-effective and efďƒžcient method to plant cover crops? What effect do cover crops have on next crop’s yield? Do I need additional or less nitrogen for the next crop? What is the forage quality of cover crops? What is the herbicide to cover crop interaction? What is the ďƒžnancial return of planting cover crops? These are all good questions; research is ongoing in many of these areas. Like many other issues in agriculture, the By Randy Pepin answer to many of these questions is: It deU of M Extension pends. These questions are not about the reasons to plant cover crops, which include wind and water erosion control, nitrogen sequestration (holding nitrogen for later release), increasing organic matter, weed control and improving soil health. So, does this mean everyone already understands the beneďƒžts of cover crops and they just need to ďƒžgure out how to manage them? It does seem that most farmers know cover crops can minimize soil and wind erosion. What species we plant depends on the time of year, issues we are attempting to correct, the next crop we will plant, and if we want to use it as forage or pasture. Many people do not consider the nitrogen sequestration value of some cover crops. Everyone knows how difďƒžcult nitrogen is to manage for corn production; nitrate leaching from spring rains is one of the challenges. It would be a big deal if a cover crop could lessen nitrate leaching issues. If you are considering planting a cover crop after soybean or corn silage harvest, your choices are limited. Warm season species may germinate, but they will not do much in the cool fall weather. Turnips and radishes are cool season species; they will germinate and grow in late fall, but they will not have enough time to produce the large tubers you expect from them. For cover crops planted after corn silage or soybeans, you are mostly limited to cereal grains. Annual cereals, like oats, barley and spring wheat, will germinate and grow until frost kills them. A beneďƒžt of annual cereals is that they will be terminated by the frost; the negative of annual cereals is that they will be terminated by the frost. What this says is that it depends on your needs of the cover crop. Annual cereals will have excellent erosion control in the fall and fair-to-little erosion control in the spring, but you usually
do not have to terminate them with herbicides. If nitrogen sequestration and spring erosion control is high on your list, then a winter cereal would be a good choice. Winter cereal rye is suggested if you have little experience with winter cereals or are planning on terminating the cover crop in the spring. Winter rye is cheaper and hardier than winter wheat or winter triticale. Since most dairy farmers inject liquid manure in the fall, we set up a trial where we injected liquid manure late fall (ideally after soil temperatures are below 50° F) into winter cereal rye that had been planted after corn silage or soybean harvest. In our 2016 trial, we measured 24-inch soil nitrate levels when the rye was terminated in the spring, during the last two weeks of April. The strips under the winter cereal rye had lower levels of soil nitrate than the bare ground strips by an average of over 60 pounds per acre. What happened to the nitrogen? It showed up in the winter cereal rye above ground biomass. Nitrates in the soil are subject to leaching from spring rains. If this nitrogen can be held by the rye in the spring, preventing its leaching, and then is made available to the If you are considering id i planting l i corn later in the summer, a cover crop after soybean it would be or corn silage harvest, your a win. Can this be acchoices are limited. complished? In the 2016 trials, we averaged the same corn yield with and without the rye. Some yield was lost when the rye was over 10 inches tall at termination; therefore, there was a small, but statistically insigniďƒžcant yield gain when the rye was less than 10 inches at termination. So, can we plant cereal winter rye after corn silage or soybean harvest and inject liquid manure into it later in the fall? Yes, as long as the injector system is not too aggressive, covering up the rye. Sequestering manure nitrogen could be one of the greatest beneďƒžts of cover crops on a dairy farm.
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FINBIN database: Creating an informational advantage
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Page 29
FINBIN is a great resource for dairy farmers in the Upper Midwest. It lets the user explore the detailed statistics of rough- Table 1. Average net income per hundredweight among top 20% farms in ly 400 dairy enterprises from 2008 to 2015. Consistent, reli- protability sorted by herd size group able and comparable information on farm nances are scarce because it requires farmers’ trust and integrity for handling sensitive data, as well Year Up to 50 50 to 100 100 to 200 200 to 500 Over 500 All Farms as sustained collaboration networks. The 4.04 (37) 4.35 (27) 3.66 (11) 3.16 (7) 3.61 (91) Center for Farm Financial Management 2015 4.24 (9) (CFFM) at the University of Minnesota 2014 7.65 (37) 7.13 (32) 6.37 (16) 7.43 (12) 7.17 (101) has long been a leading provider of farm 2013 4.32 (5) 3.17 (30) 3.16 (32) 3.39 (22) 2.59 (11) 2.96 (100) enterprise statistics service, thanks to its 3.34 (37) 3.58 (36) 3.06 (14) 2.75 (5) 3.15 (106) alliances with farmers and farm manage- 2012 2.91 (14) ment instructors in Minnesota and neigh- 2011 5.77 (18) 4.80 (44) 3.96 (23) 5.39 (17) 5.29 (13) 5.07 (115) boring states. By Kota Minegishi 3.50 (49) 3.68 (32) 4.09 (10) 6.10 (7) 4.52 (119) The FINBIN data can shed light on 2010 3.18 (21) U of M Extension the opportunities overlooked by the main- 2009 2.26 (29) 1.88 (49) 2.40 (26) 3.88 (110) stream experts and academics. The annual 4.54 (47) 4.73 (25) 4.66 (8) 4.88 (109) dairy operation data collected by FINBIN is very detailed. This 2008 5.51 (26) network of intensive data collection has the potential to cre- Source: FINBIN 2008-2015. Calculated year by year. Number of farms in parenthesis. ate informational advantages to dairy farms. Studying data on farmers’ choices and their economic well-being helps create A minimum of ve farms required per column for the statistic to be shown. knowledge for others. This data also provides essential insights for research and extension. How can we utilize the FINBIN data to learn about successful dair- Table 2. Protability of above-average farms for selected dairy groups – year 2015 ies? First, one can nd farms that 50 to 200 Cows 200 to 500 Cows Over 500 Specialized have competitive incomes in the entire range of operational scales. Table Tie-stall Freestall NonBST BST non-3X 3X milking Robot Organic 1 shows the average net income per (13#) (17#) (36*) (12*) (13*) (5*) (6*) (13*) hundredweight of milk among the top 72 117 283 348 1031 977 127 105 20 percent of farms in protability by Number of milking cows herd size groups from 2008 to 2015. 23,016 23,599 24,736 26,429 25,702 26,581 25,610 15,557 While the prot margin varied with Milk produced per cow (lb) 7.72 8.61 8.67 8.48 8.24 8.44 7.91 13.33 uctuating milk prices and feed costs Feed cost per cwt of milk ($) across years, every year in every herd Labor cost per cwt of milk ($) 2.42 1.96 2.40 2.30 2.93 3.02 1.25 3.36 size category these farms managed to 1.76 1.91 1.43 0.26 1.93 1.79 0.81 9.79 keep the margins well above zero. The Net income per cwt of milk ($) regional competitiveness of the Upper Number of operators 1.5 1.3 1.9 1.8 2.1 1.2 Midwest partly rests on how well we Average age of operators 48.1 44.2 47.4 50.1 49.8 41.8 learn from these leaders and replicate Net income per operator ($) 42,844 54,612 65,805 91,057 203,230 - 153,555 their success. Second, one can nd successful dairies across various systems. Table Farm asset ($1,000) 1,969 2,116 3,788 3,705 8,240 1,808 2 shows the farm characteristics and 2015 protability measures of selected Return on asset (%) 0.7% 2.3% 3.5% 4.4% 6.9% 7.8% dairy systems among the top 40 percent or top 60 percent of farms in each 33% 38% 43% 37% 35% 40% group, depending on the availability Debt to asset ratio (%) of data. These producers did well in Source: FINBIN data for 2015, excluding organic, organic transition, robotic milking, and rotational grazing unless stated otherwise. 2015 in spite of being a difcult year. Calculated column by column. Number of farms in parenthesis I selected comparisons between ties- # Sample includes the top 40% producers in the group tall and freestall dairies for the 50 to * Sample includes the top 60% producers in the group 200 head category, non-BST and BST dairies for the 200 to 500 category, and non-3X and 3X milking dairies for the over 500 category, as well as highly spe- to 26,500 pounds per cow) and prot margin ($1.80 to $1.90 per hundredweight). cialized systems like robotic milking systems and organic dairies. Across systems, Successful robotic dairies show relatively high production (25,500 pounds per successful farms all have a competitive feed cost of around $8.20 ± $0.50 per hun- cow). Successful organic farms excel at managing feed and labor costs and maindredweight of milk production (with an exception of $13.33 for organic dairies). taining a relatively high production level (15,500 pounds per cow), compared to The labor cost, which includes the hired labor expense and FINBIN’s estimate of their less successful counterparts. The total farm assets vary with the scale of opthe value of management labor, tends to vary with the labor and milking inten- eration, while debt-to-asset ratio is on average maintained at around 35 to 45 persity of the system. For example, tiestall farms are more labor intensive and less cent, showing the importance of taking appropriate nancial risks. The business intelligence provided by the CFFM creates a strategic advantage capital intensive than freestall farms. Nonetheless, well-managed tiestall dairies achieve similar levels of milk production (about 23,000 pounds per cow) and farm for upper-Midwestern dairy farmers. If you nd the FINBIN data to be useful, income ($43,000 per operator) as their freestall counterparts. The medium-scale invite your fellow farmers to join this strategic network. Contributing your data to dairies using BST tend to be larger and produce more milk per cow than their the FINBIN database helps develop regional advantages through access to precise non-BST counterparts (350 vs. 280 cows; 26,500 vs. 24,500 pounds per cow), statistics for research, customized benchmarks for your business and opportunities albeit the protability per hundredweight seems to vary substantially from farm to gain new insights from successful peers. The more dairies that decide to particito farm among these mid-scale farms. Successful large-scale dairies, regardless of pate in the network of data collection, the more powerful the database becomes. In whether practicing 3X milking or not, appear similar in their production (25,500 the age of computers and ever larger datasets, there is strength in numbers.
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A dog named Sam Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017
A horde of growling bulldozers have carved milking facilities. But perhaps my fondest memories streets into the farm that was once known as the Old are those of Sam. Revell Place. Shortly after I moved onto the Old Revell Place What’s my interest in this inexorable urbaniza- and acquired dairy cows, I discovered one of the tion? None, really, except that was the farmstead farm’s largest faults – fences. The combination of where, many years ago, I long-necked Holsteins and launched my farming cabarbed wire that belonged reer. I quickly i kl ffound d that h owning i a bl blue in a museum was a constant I wondered if I should headache. So, I hired Sam tell the developer how the heeler was like having another as my rst blue heeler dog. soil next to the draw con- person with you at all times. He was nothing but a pudgy sists of a foot of black dirt, ball of grayish fur when he beneath which is a layer of came to live with me, and sugar sand that can swallow a tractor in a single gulp. we soon became inseparable. I wondered if I should tell them how that land down It wasn’t long before Sam began to help with east oods after heavy rains. milking. He would carefully watch the cows as they The Old Revell Place holds memories for me. The exited the milking parlor, sneaking up on them and rickety house never could seem to keep out the chill nipping their heels just as they rounded the corner. winter winds. The old barn with its cobbled-together I quickly found that owning a blue heeler was like
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having another person with you at all times. Sam was always hanging around, watching me, seemingly worried that he might miss out on something. Sam was wickedly smart. For instance, I might be wrestling with a reluctant disk bearing when I would glance up and see Sam watching me. “What Dear County Agent Guy do you think, Sam?” I might ask – and Sam would run off and chase a rabbit. There could be no doubt he was acting out a metaphor for my futile struggles with farming. Sam became a supreme cattle dog. I had a big (2,200-pound), mean Holstein bull who had learned how By Jerry Nelson to ddle with the gate Columnist until it opened. He would then lead his harem on a foray across the farmstead, usually homing in on the garden so they could trample our tender vegetable plants. Those who think cows can’t think should watch a bunch of Holsteins who are bent on maximizing their owner’s irritation. If I saw the bull working on the gate, I would call for Sam, kneel by his side, and whisper, “See that bull, Sam? Get ‘im!” Sam loved this. He would creep down to the barn, sneak around the corner and nip the bull’s nose. The bull would turn tail and run; Sam would give chase, bloodying the bull’s heels. Both Sam and I enjoyed this immensely. When our rst son was born, we worried how Sam might react. We needn’t have; Sam claimed the baby as if he were one of the pack. When my wife went to get the mail, she would often take along the baby in the stroller and Sam would walk alongside like the ofcial guardian. Aside from his rabbit chasing, these were the only occasions when Sam left my side. One fateful day, I discovered that my feeder calves had escaped from their pen. I called for Sam and commanded him to “Sic ‘em!” I left the dog to attend to the calf-chasing and fetched my fence-repair tools. When I got back, the calves were strolling about nonchalantly instead of galloping for the safety of their pen. Where was the 50-pound canine demon that should have been nipping at their heels? Strange. I called for Sam. Nothing. I walked down the fence line, and there he was. Sam was stretched out on the sod, motionless, looking as if he had been frozen in mid-stride. An unlucky kick from one of the calves must have snapped his neck. My wife and I buried him on the spot just as one might bury a fallen soldier on the eld of battle. Our son couldn’t understand why we were doing this to his dog. My wife cried. I tried not to. Tidy rows of houses have sprouted where I once grew rows of corn. Someday, a bulldozer will wipe away the remaining traces of those old fences that I struggled so mightily to maintain. Perhaps the dozer operator will spot a small smattering of bones and wonder what died there. Perhaps, decades hence, some suburbanite will till his garden and uncover a strange calcium deposit. I wondered if I should tell the developers about these things. But then I thought: Nah. They can nd out for themselves. 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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Waves of change
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Page 31
The rapid change of technology on dairies has been immense the past 30 years. Five-gallon pails, wheelbarrows and a recording notebook with a pencil were once common; however, TMR mixers, smartphones and computers have more often taken over in barns and ofces. Similarly, the newspaper industry has ourished and changed. When we printed the rst Dairy Star in February 1999, our staff had to work differently. Photos were developed from lm, and if a reporter didn’t work in the Sauk Centre, Minn., ofce, they had to On the Mark mail their pictures. Fax machines were our avenue for getting a story quickly. If a farmer had a letter to the editor or column they wanted to submit in quick fashion, it was done by fax. Our design was done on one of the rst Macintosh computers available. Then, we would paste the story on a page with the photo and our printer would take a picture and use the negative to publish the paper. There were no digital cameras, emails or the luxury of using websites to validate information. Oh have things changes. Nowadays, we lay the By Mark Klaphake paper out on our large monitors and pages only need to be downloaded to the press for printing. We have Editor digital cameras with memory cards that can store over 2,000 photos and a reporter can cover an event and have a story with photos to us in seconds. While on the topic of change, I wanted to let you know about two new columnists we are privileged to have join our staff, along with a new feature we hope you enjoy. We’ve had many talented columnists come and go, such as nutritionist, A.J. Kunkel, veterinarian, Florian Ledermann, or dairy farmer, Kerry Hoffman. Recently our nutritionist, Jim Linn, put the pen away. A couple new additions to the columnist group includes John Rosenhammer and his daughter, Laura, who have a column titled Transition Pen. They started writing this column in late December with a focus on farm transition. This can be a touchy subject, that if not done right can lead to disasters for families. John and Laura are in the initial stages of their farm transition and have been open to sharing their experience with our readers. Laura graduated from the University of Minnesota with the goal of someday taking over the farm from her dad and her uncle, Greg, on their 200-cow dairy near Sleepy Eye, Minn. Another new face to join our team is nutritionist Barry Visser and his column is titled Something to Ruminate About. He replaces Jim Linn who stepped aside late last year. Visser has an impressive track record working with farmers and fellow nutritionists. His column can be seen the second issue iis very grateful f l ffor of every month. We also introduced a new the time you take to share feature called Family Ties in your story with our readers. our Feb. 25 issue of Dairy Star. The goal with this feature is to highlight family members who dairy, but not together. The questions deal with anything from how often the family members talk farming to what technology they wish they would have had when they were kids, along with what the industry means to them. If you know of a unique situation where this is happening in your area, please contact our staff for possible inclusion down the road. As always, the staff at Dairy Star is very grateful for the time you take to share your story with our readers. Countless times farmers tell us their favorite things to read are the farmer interviews. Well, we don’t have those unless you share your story with us. Thank you. Hopefully sometime this year we will be visiting with you about your operation. Keep us in the loop if there is a great story in your area. Dairy Star is mailed free to dairy farmers in our circulation area. That’s the way it was when we started, and the way we want to do it in the future. But we need your help in our plan to keep it that way. In an effort to keep our postage rate down, we send out reader requester cards. If a certain percentage of our farmers send back their cards, we can mail out the paper at a much more reasonable price, which helps us keep your copy free. If you have not sent back your reader requester card or misplaced it, please call Dairy Star at 320-352-6303. Thank you and God Bless.
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The cows are eating the new posts Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017
A few months ago, I alluded to the fact that we The addition is 112 feet longer than the original were putting a freestall addition on our dairy site. barn so we could eliminate the old end walls and Joe started the planning for this addition more than garage doors, and put one large hydraulic door on two years ago, with the dirt work starting in the fall each end. This will allow us to access all three feed of 2015. I sat in the hot seat before the county plan- alleys with adequate turning room. The remodel inning and zoning board in June 2015. cludes tunnel ventilation of the old and new with Before this last addibeltless fans and computer tion, our dairy consisted controlled inlets. Some of a four-row, 440-stall We have triple checked the bad posts in the old part naturally-vented barn, were xed, and all the old built in 2000, on one side ration and even put out free headlocks were replaced. of the parlor and an 8-row, choice TM salt and bi-carb, but This is the second barn 1,000-stall cross-vent barn we have done where we g so. built in stages on the other they are still doing are the general contracside. The double-24 paraltor. The rst was 43 years lel parlor in the middle has ago when I hired two carbeen expanded several times. The new addition is penters to help me remodel a chicken barn into an a 6-row, 700-stall lean-to on the south side of the 80-cow tiestall barn. In between then and now, we original 4-row 16-year-old barn. This is not your have always bought a turkey barn or addition, prograndpa’s lean-to that he slapped up on the side of viding minimal labor other than site clean-up. a corn crib so he could park two are boxes inside. Joe has put time and effort into being the genThis is a factory engineered wood frame building eral contractor for this addition. We hired the buildmeasuring 160- by 584-feet. ing and concrete construction and used a reputable
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wood framed building and construction company. We are installing the freestalls, headlocks, ume plumbing, waterers, fans, gating and lights with our own crew. In addition, our crew is replacing most of the above equipment in the original barn. We Making Cents of Dairy hired a local electrician to bring in a new service, wire the fans and lights, and we bought a bigger generator. Some of our help call the project Joe’s Sweat Shop, but in December, it was so dark and frigid working in there that it felt like we By Dave Vander Kooi were bolting freestalls Columnist together in the Artic Circle. For help, we took two of our longterm employees, Robert and Ever, out of the milking parlor and hired two neighboring crop farmers for the winter. After this winter, Tom may never want to see another green freestall pipe, or Corey another French headlock. Joe bought a hydraulic wood splitter which Ryen used all winter to squeeze pipe ends for butt welding pen dividers. We have burned up battery tools, bought a pallet of welding rods, and are lucky if one out of three hammer drills are available or working. The gas powered cut off saw is the most sought after tool, and if you set it down it will end up 300 feet away in 30 seconds. We put cows in two new pens two weeks ago, but didn’t gain any space yet because we emptied two older pens so we could retrot them. This week we will have two more pens nished, and hopefully the weather stays cool because the electrician is slightly behind getting the fans wired. One problem we have noticed is the cows are chewing and licking on the new wood posts. We have triple checked the ration and even put out free choice TM salt and bi-carb, but they are still doing so. The theory now is the wood sat outside too long and got a softer and sweeter tasting. We ordered galvanized angle iron to screw onto the post corners and hopefully that will stop it. Just adding those angle irons to the posts in a large barn can accelerate the cost overruns on a project. Stay tuned for next month’s article when I will break down the complete costs and cost-perstall of the lean-to. Vander Kooi operates a 1,200-cow, 3,000 acre farm with his son, Joe, and daughter-in-law, Rita, near Worthington, Minn. Send him feedback at davevkooi@ hotmail.com.
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Crossbreeding, in retrospect
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Page 33
Hands down, one of my favorite parts of writing this column is hearing from you. I am humbled when someone makes time in their day to share their thoughts or ask a question about something I wrote. Several of you sent comments and questions Dairy Good Life regarding crossbreeding after my column about our blue roan heifer calf. Allow me to use this space, in a “reply all” of sorts, to explain more about our experience with crossbreeding and why we discontinued the practice. Crossbreeding can be a lot of fun. I grew up with crossbred cows (and single-breed cows). Certain cow families were bred to maintain their Holstein bloodlines. Some crossbred cow families were bred back to one breed. Other crossbred cow families were crossed back and forth. It was always fun to see what the crossbred calves looked like when By Sadie Frericks they were born. Columnist I still nd excitement and joy in the variety of markings and colors. On the other hand, I’m equally thrilled when a Holstein with classic markings or a Jersey with dark eyes or a red roan Milking Shorthorn is born. But there are no lines for adorable spots and interesting colors on our balance sheet and nancial analysis. In other words, our cows need to perform regardless of their breed. We carefully evaluate each cow’s performance against several measures. Cows that perform stay; cows that don’t are sold. Through those cow-by-cow decisions, most of our crossbreds sorted themselves out of the herd. They simply didn’t perform as well as their single-breed herd mates by any measure – health, reproduction, temperament, milk quality, milk components or milk volume. Our decision to discontinue crossbreeding wasn’t made in an instant. It’s more like we looked around one day and realized we no longer had many crossbreds. I will say, though, that many of those 50:50 crossbred cows, who were bred back to one of the original breeds, have daughters and granddaughters that continue to perform very well. There wasn’t one certain reason why the crossbreds left the herd – some of them had fertility issues, some had milk quality issues. We tend to be pretty lenient regarding milk production as long as a cow has decent components and good milk quality. We did nd that our Brown Swiss crosses were the rst to sort themselves out of the herd – mostly due to fertility issues. We no longer have any cows or heifers with Brown Swiss in their pedigree. We still have a number of Jersey-cross descendants, but most of them are fullblooded Jersey now. The Jerseys have contributed well to our goal of selling higher component milk. Their smaller size also means we can t two Jerseys in one Holstein stall. Just kidding. The Jerseys’ smaller size is a benet for handling, especially as our kids become more involved with milking and moving cows. Some argue Jerseys have better feed efciency than Holsteins, but I’ve seen Jerseys and Jersey-crosses clean up just as much feed as larger breeds. We also have a number of cows descended from Holstein-Milking Shorthorn crosses bred back to Holstein. If I had to pick one breed for crossbreeding, it would be Milking Shorthorns. I know I’m partial to them, but these cows tend to have exceptional health, reproduction and mobility with decent production. Part of the evolution of our herd’s genetic makeup is also due to improved performance of our single-breed cow families. The top cows in our herd for component-corrected milk continue to be Holsteins who breed back on the rst service and only see the veterinarian or hoof trimmer for preventative care. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: Focusing on genetics pays off. By carefully mating our cows to bulls which meet our requirements, we have improved performance across the board. Genomic testing has made it even easier to identify bulls with the production and health traits that will best meet our herd’s needs. In the end, though, our decision to stop crossbreeding might not be nal. We won’t be doing any widespread crossbreeding, but we’re already tossing around the idea of trying for a few more blue roans. Crossbreeding might not make sense from a herd performance point of view, but it’s still fun. And a few blue roans aren’t going to negatively impact our balance sheet. We need to nd ways to make dairy farming fun – and protable – wherever we can. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 75 cows near Melrose, Minn. They have three children – Dan, 10, Monika, 7, and Daphne, 4. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.
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“Nature is cruel; We don’t have to be.” Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017
The statement above is a quote from Temple This probably all sounds reasonable, but most the opposite horn, or by drawing a line between the Grandin, PhD, an expert in large animal handling dairy farmers have experienced one or more situ- base of the ears at the level of the external meatus and welfare. No true dairy farmer wants to be cruel ations where the outcome was quite uncertain, and (ear canal) on the midline. The angle of trajectory to his cows. However, every farmer thus the decision to euthanize or not is should be perpendicular or slightly downward, but knows that bad things sometimes hap- Veterinary Wisdom difcult. Many have seen a down cow no more than 45 degrees. Use of a captive bolt stunner is an approved pen to cows: cows go down, cows are get up after many days of being nonseverely injured and cows get sick beambulatory. However, we all know this method. However, use of a captive bolt may not reyond the point of recovery. Farmers, is not typical. Most down cows suf- sult in sudden death of the animal. To cause death, farmers’ employees and veterinarians fer some degree of pain or severe dis- stunning can be followed by exsanguination, inmake decisions about what to do when comfort, so euthanasia should be done jection of a paralytic substance such as potassium an animal is injured or ill. If an animal promptly once it becomes clear recov- chloride or pithing of the brain. The obvious advanis in reasonable shape and can be sold ery is unlikely. Part of training is under- tage of a captive bolt over a rearm is safety. The to slaughter, doing so can be the apstanding how to make this determina- captive bolt has a retractable bolt which penetrates the skull and brain, but then returns to the champropriate choice. There are other times, tion. however, when animals should be euThere are three methods of eutha- ber of the device, making it a relatively safe tool thanized on the farm by trained personnasia approved by the American Vet- to use. Captive bolt guns are not inexpensive, but By Jim Bennett nel. One requirement of FARM 3.0 is erinary Medical Association. The rst may still be an affordable method for many farms. Columnist that every farm have a written protocol is intravenous injection of pentobarbi- In our practice, all of our bovine veterinarians carry and training for non-ambulatory animal tal. Pentobarbital is a barbiturate drug captive bolt guns, because we want to be able to management. Another requirement is that every which stops the heart. Pentobarbital is a Drug En- provide instant relief to suffering animals in a cost farm has a written protocol and training for eutha- forcement Administration Controlled Drug. This effective and safe way. Cost should not have to be a nasia. The herd veterinarian could be designated as means the drug can only be purchased and used by reason for an animal to die a slow, painful death. the individual responsible for euthanasia. a veterinarian, and it requires very specic recordDairy farmers take excellent care of their aniWhen should euthanasia be considered? Some- ing of use and storage. Disadvantages are the cost mals. We should all strive to continue this excellent times the choice is clear, such as a broken leg, for and risk to other animals if the carcass is ingested. care right up to the point of death, if possible. Someexample. Any down cow with a condition that will Dogs, cats or wildlife can become ill, or even die, if times this means we need to properly and safely eunot respond to treatment needs to be euthanized. enough is consumed. thanize animals sooner rather than later. For more Other times, the choice is less clear, but in general, Gunshot is another information about methods we should euthanize down animals which are not approved method. Some and other considerations We should h ld all ll strive i to responding, and are not likely to respond to treat- people nd the use of gun- W regarding euthanasia see: ment. A veterinarian may need to be consulted to shot to be distasteful or continue this excellent care https://vetmed.iastate.edu/ give a prognosis in certain cases. One should also uncomfortable, but it is a vdpam/about/productioneuthanize cows that may be ambulatory, but are humane way to euthanize right up to the point of death, animal-medicine/dairy/ not responding to treatment and are not t to eat. animals if done correctly. if possible. dairy-extension/humaneA simple rule of thumb is if you would not eat the The correct method is not euthanasia meat from the animal yourself, the animal should to shoot between the eyes. Jim Bennett is a be euthanized. Also, any animal which will have The brain is located higher on the skull than the dairy veterinarian at Northern Valley Dairy Prodifculty with a long truck ride should be consid- eyes, and shooting in that area will not result in a duction Medicine Center in Plainview, Minn. He ered for euthanasia. Animals suffering signicant quick death for the animal. The correct site is de- and his wife, Pam, have four children. Jim can be pain should also be euthanized if relief is not likely termined by drawing two lines, in an “X” fashion, reached at bennettnvac@gmail.com with comments to be achieved in a reasonable amount of time. between the outside corner of the eye to the base of or questions.
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Schefers Brothers named Stearns County Farm Family of the Year
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Page 35
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Schefers Brothers – (from leŌ) Ken, Julie, Jason and Ralph – are the 2016 Stearns County Farm Family of the Year. The Schefers family milks 80 registered Holsteins near Paynesville, Minn. By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
PAYNESVILLE, Minn. – Through land conservation practices, idealistic animal welfare conditions, and an open barn door for farm tours, it comes as no surprise that Schefers Brothers Registered Holsteins were named the 2016 Stearns County Farm Family of the Year. However, brothers Ken and Ralph Schefers, were surprised to receive the honor at FarmFest Aug. 3 in Redwood Falls, Minn. “I’m really grateful for the agricultural community,” Ralph said. “It’s really important and we could no way do things the way we do them without that community.” Ken agreed. “It’s an incredible honor,” he said. Together with Ken’s wife, Julie, and their son, Jason, the Schefers family milks 80 registered Holsteins near Paynesville, Minn. Each family member plays a vital role on the dairy, with Ken overseeing dairy records and performing herd health work, Ralph serving as the lead herdsman, while Jason manages feeding, milking and maintenance, and Julie maintains farm records and helps feed calves. “Everyone does chores, here. No one gets out of that,” Julie said.
Jason joined the family partnership in 2013, after a career in sewer and water construction. “Construction is hard on the body in a way that’s different from dairying,” Jason said. “I missed the farm and was ready to come back.” For Ralph, Ken and Julie, having Jason return to the family business was a blessing. “At the time, we were thinking of change and where we were going to go with the farm,” Julie said. “The timing [for Jason to come home] was perfect.” The Schefers family also hires adolescents for part-time work and has one full-time employee, Jesse Berg. “Whether it’s evening or summer work, we try to give [kids] the opportunity to try working on a farm,” Ralph said. “We want to be a mentor for them.” Not only has the Schefers family served as role models for young students, but also area livestock and crop producers, as Ken and Ralph farm with conservation in mind. When Ken and Ralph’s parents, Leander and Rosa, began farming in the early 1940s, they intentionally farmed with practices that would preserve their 200 acres of land. In 1979, the brothers purchased their family’s homestead and continued
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017
Women In Jeans Debbie Fjerstad Fosston, Minn. Polk County 25 cows
Family: I have two sons, Kolton, 25, and Keyston, 21. Kolton helps on the farm, doing all tractor driving and eldwork, and Keyston helps when he can. Tell us about your farm. I have a closed herd. I use a breeding bull and raise all of my own calves. I sell my milk to Land O’Lakes in Thief River Falls for bottling. I own 160 acres and rent another 100 acres for hay. Because my herd is small, I don’t have much equipment and buy all of my own feed. What’s the busiest time of the day for you? That really depends on the year. Winters are nonstop. Morning, noon and night I’m in the barn doing chores. I wake up at 3:30 a.m. and begin chores, and then go back out again around 1 p.m. for afternoon chores and get it done early. I’ve often wondered how many miles I’ve put on that cement aisle. When you get a spare moment what do you do? Photography. Since I was 17 years old, I’ve loved pictures and my clients are my cows. I also like working in the woods, too. I’m a very active person. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. I had a cow calving against the barn wall, and there wasn’t room for the calf to come out. I called my minister to come help me, and began praying. I got behind the cow with just enough room to pull the calf out; 20 minutes later, the minister arrived.
How do you stay connected with others in the industry? Dairy farmers are far and few between around here. When I rst started in 1982, I made phone calls, took a farm business management course and asked a lot of questions. I still keep in touch with my eldman and can carry on all day with anyone I meet who milks cows.
What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? Dairy farming has allowed me to be independent and my own boss. The cows are like family and each have a name and know their stalls.
In your opinion, what’s the importance of women in today’s dairy industry and how have you seen that change over the years? Back in the day, you didn’t see women driving pickups, now they’re everywhere. Women are making a big difference on the farm today. They are more than a right-hand, they can manage a farm, physically and mentally. My farm is so small that I make all the decisions and I personally have no one to replace me when milking time comes. It’s a 24-7 job for me. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be and why? Hillary Clinton. I would like to see her dress in farm clothes and get dirty, just for one day, to see what we farmers do every day. Maybe then, they could come up with some good plans for dairy farmers to keep milk prices up to where we need them to make a living.
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What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? The only vacation, if you will, was when I gave birth to my two sons. But, I got home from the hospital and took the newborn babies right out to the barn and in the elds with me. I cleaned the gutter with a pitchfork right up to the delivery and was right back at it when I got home from the hospital.
Catch the Dairy Star’s Mark Klaphake with Joe Gill at 6:45 a.m. the 2nd & 4th Fridays of the month on KASM!
What are some words you like to live by? Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
FARM INFORMATION STATION Joe Gill • Farm Director
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Page 37
ConĆ&#x;nued from SCHEFERS | Page 35 with their parents’ management philosophy. Today, of the 500 acres Ken and Ralph own, 15 are wetlands and others are in the Conservation Reserve Program through the Farm Service Agency. Of the land farmed for corn, soybean, wheat and alfalfa production, the Schefers family practice minimum till, take routine soil samples before fertilizing, and have established grass buffers along the waterways. They also do not apply manure in the winter. “We’ve evaluated our farm and made changes as needed,â€? said Ken in regards to the various management techniques. Ralph agreed. “It’s our passion and honor to farm, and farm environmentally,â€? he said. “This is just the
right thing to do.â€? Schefers Brothers Farm is certiďƒžed with the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certiďƒžcation Program. They also work with the Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) and Natural Resources and Conservation Services (NRCS). Through these different organizations, the Schefers family hosts ďƒželd days and annual meetings on their dairy. “Others have hosted meetings and workshops, and that gives you the opportunity to learn from them,â€? Julie said. “When given the opportunity, it’s right to give back.â€? Aside from showcasing their farm to their peers, the Schefers family also invites 4-H and FFA members to the
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Schefers family dairy farms on Ken and Ralph’s parents’ farmstead. In addiĆ&#x;on to milking cows, the family runs 500 acres.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Schefers family – (front, from leĹŒ) Jason’s daughter, Ava, Jeremy’s sons, Grant and Ben, Julie and Ken; (back, from leĹŒ) Chris Hesch, Joe, Jon, Janelle Hesch and Jason – accept the Stearns County Farm Family of the Year Award at FarmFest in Redwood Falls, Minn. Not pictured are Jeremy and Ralph Schefers. barn for dairy judging practices, and Ken and Julie’s son, Dr. Jeremy Schefers, gives a tour of his family farm each year to University of Minnesota veterinary medical students. With a rolling herd average of 28,000 and somatic cell count consistently less than 100,000, the Schefers family works together to continually improve and carry on their farming tradition. “The farm has been a dairy since Dad moved onto it and milked six cows by hand,â€? Ralph said. Ken agreed. “We’ve changed our
[breeding] focus a few times, but components have always been important.� Over the years, Ken and Ralph added on to the original tiestall barn, which was built in the early 1900s. They also incorporated a sick cow facility that allows animals to recover to their full potential. With these changes, Jason sees the progression his family has made and the possibilities that lie ahead. “I take pride in providing a nutritional food source for my community,� Jason said. “There’s always this goal that we can do better.�
Through the ups and downs of dairy farming, this Stearns County farm family is grateful for the recognition they have received for a job they view as a lifestyle; and for all a part of Schefers Brothers, they hope the farm family award offers a little recognition for all who provide for their communities and raise families in rural America. “When we accepted this award at the Stearns County Fair, we didn’t accept it for ourselves,� Julie said. “We accepted it for all the hard-working farmers and everyone who is making it work on the farm.�
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Sil-AllŽ forage inoculants feature bacteria that: • Enhance the ensiling fermentation process • Maximize nutrient retention and dry matter recovery from preserved feeds You’ve got a lot of ground to cover – get total bunker control with Sil-AllŽ.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SIL-ALL FORAGE INOCULANTS, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL LALLEMAND ANIMAL NUTRITION REPRESENTATIVE ÂŽ
LALLEMAND ANIMAL NUTRITION Tel: 414 464 6440 Email: LAN_NA@lallemand.com
www.lallemandanimalnutrition.com
Š2016. SIL-ALL IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF LALLEMAND ANIMAL NUTRITION. Not all products are available in all markets nor are all claims allowed in all regions.
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Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017
DRY COW, PRE-FRESH PROGRAM
PRODUCES RESULTS!
PCI
PRE-FRESH COW INDEX NUTRITION IS THE KEY... with a complete balanced nutrition program that meets the needs of the animal during this transition period, many of these metabolic problems can be reduced or avoided.
• The Dry Period is the Start of the Next Lactation. • Cows need to be Set-Up Properly During the Dry Period to Get Them Off to a Fast, Healthy Start, Into Their Next Lactation.
The balancing of rations for pre-fresh dairy cows using Agri-King’s Pre-Fresh Cow Index (PCI) has produced outstanding results!
800-435-9560
www.agriking.com CAPTURING THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE IN FEEDS IS THE KEY TO PROFIT.”
Central MN Regional Mgr, Call/Text: Rich Lauer, P.A.S. 320-250-2645 rich.lauer@agriking.com
S.E. MN Regional Mgr Call/Text: Jason Pursell, P.A.S. 608-633-5514 jason.pursell@agriking.com
For South/SW, West Central, and North/ NW Minnesota Call/Text: Dale Ommodt, CCA, R.A.S. 320-212-3190 daleo@frontiernet.net
For N.E. Neb, N.D. & S.D. Call/Text: Roger Frieler, R.A.S. 605-760-0514 whitetails@valyousat.net
For N.W. Iowa, Call/Text: Kenton Witt, P.A.S. 712-441-5470 kmwitt@orangecitycomm.net
For: N.E. Iowa, Call/Text: Lori Kintzle, B.S., P.A.S. 563-608-1552 loribockenstedt@gmail.com
For Houston, LeSueur, Rice and Dakota Counties in MN and Buffalo, Barron, Pepin, Pierce & Dunn Counties in Wisc. Call/Text: Kyle Bartsch, R.A.S. 507-450-1222 kyle.bartsch@agriking.com
For Winona & Wabasha Co, MN, Call/Text: Aaron Lee 507-450-4180 aaron.lee@agriking.com
For Houston in MN, Buffalo, Jackson & Trempealeau in WI. Call/Text: John Kiese, R.A.S. 507-313-1756 john.kiese@agriking.com
For Fillmore Co. in MN, & Howard, Winnshiek & Allamakee in Iowa, Call/Text: Mark Holthaus, R.A.S. 507-258-0772 mark.holthaus@agriking.com
Come See Us at the Central Plains Dairy Expo March 29-30th in Sioux Falls, at Convention Center Booth #50
For Monroe, Vernon, and La Crosse Counties in WI Call/Text: Steven Sendele 715-533-3687 steven.sendele@agriking.com
Dairy prole
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Page 39
sponsored by
Mark Adams Cosmos, Minn. Meeker County 22 cows How did you get into farming? I was in a few partnerships before I went out on my own in 2002. My folks had 13,000 chickens when I was a kid, but I always liked cows from when I was little on up. When I was a teenager, I worked on a 50-cow dairy. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? I’m hoping the milk price will stay stable or go up a little more. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? I like the cows and the calves. I breed cows for fat and protein. My cows aren’t the tallest, but most of my Red and White carry a 3.6-3.9 butterfat and a 3.2 protein. One of my Red and White cows has a 4.7 fat and 3.4 protein. What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Breed your cows for more butterfat and protein. That’s what the creameries are wanting. You don’t need cows that milk 100 pounds a day if they are high component cows. What has been the best purchase you’ve ever made on your farm? I would have to go back to one of my grade cows. I bought her reasonable and she had a heifer calf. Then a tornado came through in 2005, and the calf hutch was crushed by a tree with a diameter of 12 to 14 inches. I assumed the calf was dead, but luckily the calf was OK in the crushed hut. I named the calf lucky and she became the matriarch of the farm. She was the watch cow of the herd. What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? How did you achieve this? Getting to meet other great dairy farmers across Minnesota through showing and other activities.
What are your plans for your dairy in the next ve years? I am planning to sell out in the next year. I’ve had a couple accidents in the last couple years and being single and dairying is tough.
What is your favorite thing to do love fresh milk. I believe it’s so on the farm? I like milking cows much better for you. and being with the cows every What is your favorite tool? The morning and night. skidloader; how did anybody What is your favorite dairy prod- farm without a skidsteer. uct? Fresh milk and ice cream. I How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? I like going to conventions, cooking and canning during the summer. What is your favorite technology? The computer. You can go online and nd all sorts of things like bulls from across the pond. It’s a great tool to nd stuff. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. I work good with my cows and animals. If you could have a celebrity help you with chores for a day who would it be? Emeril Green. He is a good cook and we could talk recipes and cooking. I was going to be a chef not a dairy farmer. But it’s hard to take the farm out of a person.
Star Blends is a full service feed manufacturing facility. We provide custom complete feeds, supplements and minerals. We utilize modern technology to produce your needed products on demand with the highest quality feeds at the best cost. We also offer a wide selection of commodities, ingredients and additives. We are focused on dairy, efficiently delivering to farms in Western Wisconsin. Give us a call, we’d be happy to discuss our commodities or custom products and services with you and your nutritionist.
1919 Riley Road Sparta, WI 54656 | 800.462.4125
Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 11, 2017
Trade-Out & Trade-Up!
BIG
Save on new GEA milking equipment Trade-out your old milking units and liners and immediately benefit by trading-up to a better milking performance, at substantial savings. Choose from the GEA IQ Milking Unit or Classic 300E Milking Unit - both available with the ClassicPro GQ silicone liner package. Ask your local GEA milking equipment dealer for the configuration that best fits your farm and take advantage of this special offer today!
Your Local GEA Milking Equipment Dealers
Call us for more information: Advanced Dairy Solutions Richland Center, WI 608-647-4488 • 800-772-4770 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 www.fullersmilkercenter.com Hobert Sales Inc. Cokato, MN • 320-286-6284 Leedstone Melrose, MN 320-256-3303 • 800-996-3303 Glencoe, MN 320-864-5575 • 877-864-5575 www.leedstone.com
Midwest Livestock Systems Menomonie, WI • 715-235-5144 Owen, WI 715-229-4740 Pine Island, MN • 800-233-8937 Sioux Falls, SD • 800-705-1447 Beatrice, NE • 800-742-5748 Monroe Westfalia Surge Monroe, Wisconsin 608-325-2772 jcraigo@tds.net
Preston Dairy Equipment, Inc. Sparta, Wisconsin 608-269-3830 • 888-863-0227 www.prestonde.com Sioux Dairy Equipment, Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-5608 • 800-962-4346 Colton, SD Service 800-944-1217 Edgerton, MN Chemical Sales 507-920-8626