Visit us at CENTRAL PLAINS DAIRY EXPO
DAIRY ST R March 29-30, Convention Center, Booth #C2
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 19, No. 3
“I can’t explain it, but all I could think about was getting our boys out.” - Josh Altendahl
Awakened by smoke alarms
March 25, 2017
A flush of potential
Altendahl rescues children from burning home By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
FREEPORT, Minn. – While feeding TMR to his milking herd, Josh Altendahl’s charred house stands in the background – a daunting reminder of the fire that displaced his family earlier this month. In the late hours of March 3, Josh awoke to the sound of a smoke alarm, and within minutes, his home was engulfed in flames. “I remember running downstairs, opening the doorway and seeing smoke. I peered down the hallway and there was an orange glow,” Josh said. Josh and his three sons – Mathias, 6, Liam, 4, and Emmett, 2 – had gone to bed a short time before on their 70-cow dairy near Freeport, Minn. That weekend, Josh’s wife, Kate, was at a work function 1.5 hours away. Seeing the flames grow before him, Josh rushed upstairs to the bedrooms, where Mathias lied awake, terrified of the noise and the chaos that was happening below. After grabbing his eldest son, Josh made his way back downstairs toward a window near ground level. Turn to ALTENDAHL | Page 7
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
The Altendahls – (from le�) Kate, Mathias, Emme�, Josh and Liam – are in the planning stages of rebuilding their home a�er a house fire March 3. The family milks 70 cows near Freeport, Minn.
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Kris and Arnie Gruenes manage an on-farm IVF facility at their 1,575-cow dairy near Richmond, Minn. The facility is located in a freestall barn, and includes group pens for the donors and an enclosed room for the IVF work.
On-farm IVF facility advances Twin Spruce Farms By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
RICHMOND, Minn. – March 15 was an important day for Arnie and Kris Gruenes. While the cows were milked and calves were fed at the Grueneses main farm site, across the road Dr. Brett Kroeze prepared his workstation to flush 17 donor heifers. The Gruenes family milks 1,575 cows at Twin Spruce Farms near Richmond, Minn., and operates an on-farm in vitro fertilization (IVF) facility, which they built last March. Every Wednesday, donor cattle are gathered, and Kroeze collects oocytes for maturation and fertilization. “It’s not that we need to do this to be a productive dairy – this has been a passion of ours,” Arnie Gruenes said. In partitioned pens, 40 donors are housed behind the IVF room, with those scheduled for flushing in a group of their own. “We have a few milking cows for IVF, but most of our donors are in this barn,” Gruenes said. Kroeze agreed.
“You can flush an animal at essentially any time – from as young as 7 months old and then up to 100 days pregnant, depending on the cow,” he said.
On the day of, Kroeze arrives at 8 a.m. to prepare the facility for several hours of work ahead – making sure all Turn to IVF | Page 5
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Dr. Bre� Kroeze and his assistant, Crystal Demuth, aspirate the oocytes from a cow March 15 using an ultrasound probe and needle.
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 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 (office) 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 Office: 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 (office) 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 final 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 offices. 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 Profile brought to you by your
Biosecurity in the agricultural industry is becoming evermore important. Dr. Paul McGraw with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and dairy producer Doug Heintz shared their tips to protecting your dairy farm and animals, as well as other farms and animals, from deadly disease outbreaks. Read about the suggested biosecurity measures on pages 12-13 in first section. Many dairy farmers address ventilation concerns in their barns, but when it comes to the holding area, that area might be overlooked. Ken Nordlund, a clinical professor emeritus at the By Mark Klaphake University of Wisconsin-Madison presented about reducing heat stress in holding areas during the Professional Dairy Producers of Editor Wisconsin annual business conference. Nordlund said bringing in fresh air into a holding area rather than recirculating air can help reduce heat stress on cows when the temperatures rise in the summer. Read about his suggestions on how to help this issue on page 12 in third section. On March 17, fifth grade students toured Patnode Dairy near Corcoran, Minn., as part of a school course called Grass to Glass. Throughout the quarter, students learned about the dairy industry and how their milk goes from cows to a gallon container in their kitchen. Read about the kids’ eye-opening experience on pages 3-4 in second section. Outwintering cows has grown in popularity and can be a resourceful way to house animals, as long as it is executed properly. To help dairy farmers learn more about the management style, Brad Heins at the University of Minnesota’s West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) and Bonnie Haugen with the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship made a presentation on March 9 at the WCROC in Morris, Minn. Attendees were able to learn about different scenarios and see them in action on the dairy farm at WCROC. Read about suggestions on how to outwinter cattle on pages 31-32 in second section. Are you looking to construct a new building on your farm this summer? Make sure to check out this issue’s “From our side of the fence� feature on pages 15 and 16 in first section. Dairy farmers from our coverage area talk about their experience building on their dairy farm, their favorite feature of their building, what they would do differently and tips for other dairy farmers looking to expand or upgrade their farms. Samantha Rohl has turned her love for dairy cows into an art. Rohl, who grew up on a 100-cow dairy near Ellsworth, Wis., paints and draws cows as a hobby and as a part of her art major at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where she also works on the university’s dairy farm. Read about how she’s using her dairy art to promote the industry and teach others about her family’s lifestyle on pages 7-9 in third section.
Favorite quotes from this issue:
“Most of all, cows don’t know what milk prices are whether it’s $24 milk or $14 milk, so keep treating them like the queens they are.� - Tim Swenson, pages 16, 18 Second Section
“These are young women taking their knowledge out into the world, giving their all and promoting the dairy industry, not just for us as parents, but all farmers.� - Bernie Holdvogt, page 8 Second Section
4:
By the Numbers Percent of all food sales is organic. (Page 5, Second Section)
of all New Zealand’s 90: Percent milk supply is processed through Fronterra. (Pages 14-15, Second Section)
FAST. CONSISTENT. VERSATILE. VISIT US AT THE CENTRAL PLAINS DAIRY EXPO MARCH 28 - 30 • SIOUX FALLS, SD
Visit your local dealer or our website for details!
UP TO $2,500 OFF SELECT NEW SPREADERS Offer Ends: May 1, 2017
SL 100 SERIES PROTWINÂŽ SLINGERÂŽ SIDE-DISCHARGE SPREADER • All-new discharge provides more consistent, even spreading • Exclusive twin-auger design eliminates material bridging Ĺ? ([WHQGHG DQG VLPSOLÄ&#x;HG VHUYLFH LQWHUYDOV VDYH WLPH DQG PRQH\ • Versatility to handle the widest variety of materials 1000, 1400, 1800 and 2400 gallon capacities • trailer models
INVEST IN QUALITY ÂŽ
KuhnNorthAmerica.com
Lindell Sales & Service
Schlauderaff Implement
Dairyland Supply
Scott Supply
Hammell Equipment
Fluegge’s Ag
Werner Implement
Pfeifer Implement
Northland Farm Systems
UFC Farm Supply
Mark's Machinery
Lake Henry Implement
Schuneman Equipment Co.
Cannon Falls, MN &KDWĹľHOG 01 (LW]HQ 01
Adkins Equipment 'HWURLW /DNHV 01
Isaacson Sales & Service /DID\HWWH 01
Blue Hilltop
/DNH :LOVRQ 01
/LWFKĹľHOG 01 0RUD 01
Owatonna, MN
3D\QHVYLOOH 01
Minnesota Ag Group 3ODLQYLHZ 01
6DXN &HQWUH 01 9HUPLOOLRQ 01 :DFRQLD 01
%URRNLQJV 6' 0LOEDQN 6' :DWHUWRZQ 6'
0LWFKHOO 6'
Sioux Falls, SD :DJQHU 6' <DQNWRQ 6'
Visit your local Kuhn Knight dealer today!
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 3
It’s all inside...
FIRST SECTION
Roseau
Beltrami
Koochiching
Pennington
nb or
Douglas Charles Mix
n
Lake
Moody
McCook Minnehaha
Scott
Nicollet Brown
Murray
Rock
Nobles
Third Section: Pages 16 - 17
sey
Dakota
r
Redwood
Washinton
Carver
Altura
Kid’s Corner: The Speltz Family
Rice
Goodhue Wabasha
Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted Jackson
Martin
Faribault
Freeborn
Mower
Winona
Fillimore
Houston
Ha
nso
on
Sa
Miner
Hennepin
Sibley Lyon
Isanti
Wright
McLeod
Renville
Yellow Medicine Lincoln
Brookings
n
Kingsbury
Deuel
Meeker
Solberg presents at MDI Winter Dairy Series workshop
Second Section: Pages 7 - 8
Anoka Kandiyohi
Chippewa
Pipestone
Hamlin
Stearns
Pope
Swift Lac Qui Parle
Codington
Benton Sherburne
Grant Clark
Mille Lacs
Morrison
Douglas
Stevens
New Prague
Pine
eu
Roberts
Day
Big Sto Stone
Carlton
Crow Wing
Todd Grant
Second Section: Pages 20 - 21
Aitkin
Su
Marshall
Cass
Le
Tra ve
rse
First Section: Page 36
Family Ties: Leidings and Daningers
Kanabec
Ottertail
Wilkin
Women in Jeans: Mary Hettinga
Forest Lake
Wadena
Becker
Clay
Orange City
en
nom
Mah
Ra m
Norman
Itasca
Hubbard
Polk
Second Section: Pages 31 - 32
Clearwater
St. Louis
Red Lake
An alternative to indoor housing
Second Section: Pages 3 - 4
Lake of the Woods
Marshall
Morris
First Section: Pages 1, 5-6
Patnodes partner with school for educational farm tour
go
Pages 3 - 4 Cashton dairy farmer enters maple syrup enterprise Page 10 Iowa State Sale Pages 12 - 13 WAWS panel discusses management tips, resources for difcult times Pages 14 - 15 Some Udder Stuff Pages 17 Dairy’s Star Youth: Blake Courtney Pages 18 - 19 Some Udder Stuff Pages 21 - 23 Dairy Calendar Pages 24 - 34 Classieds
Second Section: Page 8
Corcoran
isa
THIRD SECTION
First Section: Pages 35, 37
Richmond
On-farm IVF facility advances Twin Spruce Farms
Holdvogt is sixth sister crowned dairy princess
Ch
Pages 10 - 11 The “Mielke” Market Weekly Page 12 Dairy markets Page 13 Area hay auction results Pages 14 - 15 Dairying Around the World Pages 16, 18 Swenson offers guidance on cutting expenses, improving liquidity Page 19 Dairy Calf and Heifer Association annual conference in Madison April 11-13 Page 25 Mid-American Hay Auction Results Pages 26 - 28 2016 Annual Rolling Herd Averages Report Above DHIA Average Pages 33 - 34 Dairy farmers travel to Mexico to visit families of hired help Pages 38 - 39 Dairy Recipes
New Munich
Kittson
vis
SECOND SECTION
Belgrade
Schoenberg returns to his roots on dairy
Da
Pages 1, 7 Altendahl rescues children from burning home Page 9 Ag Insider Pages 10 - 11 Three generations active at Spring Valley Holsteins, Inc. Pages 18, 20 Darlington Ridge Farms boasts a 32 percent repro rate Page 22 Letter to the Editor Page 23 Palmer being treated for rare, aggressive form of cancer Page 25 Making a “Super” connection for dairy Page 26 FSA News & Notes Page 27 The Transition Pen Page 28 Take aways from Carver County Dairy Expo Page 29 Planning early-season alfalfa harvests using environmental information Page 30 Dear County Agent Guy Page 31 Time for a Milk Break Page 32 Just Thinking Out Loud Page 33 Dairy Good Life Page 34 Something to Ruminate On
Hutchinson
Turner
Bon Yankton Homme
Lincoln Clay
Union
Lyon
Osceola Dickinson Emmet
Sioux
O’Brien
Clay
Palo Alto
Kossuth
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:
Caledonia
Biosecurity plays important role in vitality of industry
First Section: Pages 12-13
What typed of building did you construct? Pages 15-16
Plymouth
Glenwood, Minn.
Zone 1
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
Dairy Prole: Donald and Barney Swenson Page 39
Give milk production a push GEA’s FRone works around the clock to keep feed at the bunk, maximizing your cows’ production. Could your bunk management routine use a little extra push? GEA’s FRone automated feed pusher provides consistent, high-quality feed available day and night to boost production results from your whole herd. It’s easy to use, charges fast and contains twin batteries for maximum run time. With the help of GEA’s FRone, you can push the limits on your feeding program.
Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017
NEW EQUIPMENT SAUK CENTRE TRACTORS NH TS6.130, Cab, FWA, Pwr. Shuttle ......... In Stock! NH T4.100 & 110 Utility, Cab & Loader4 to choose from! NH T6.165 Plus, Suspended Cab, Super Steer, LED Lights ........................................ Two In Stock! SKID LOADERS NH L218, L220 ........................................... In Stock! HAY TOOLS NH SpeedRower 220 & 260 ....................... In Stock! NH Procart 819, 1022, 1225 Rakes............. In Stock! NH Dura-Vee 1020, 1225, 1428 Rakes ....... In Stock! Kemco Inline Bale Wrappers ....................... In Stock! NH H7230 & DB313R Discbines ................. In Stock! NH H6740, 7’ 10” Disc Mower, 3 Point ....... In Stock! NH ProRotor 3114 & 3223 Rakes ......In Stock! NH ProTed 3417 .......................................... In Stock! BALERS NH RB450, RB460 and RB560.................... In Stock! TILLAGE Salford 8208 Plow, 8 Bottom ...................... In Stock! Salford I-2218, 18’ Vertical Tillage............... In Stock! Salford 9809, HD Ripper, 9 Shank............... In Stock! Salford I-4124, HD Vert. Tillage, 24’ ............ In Stock! FORAGE Miller Pro 5300 18’ Forage Box, 14T........... In Stock! NH FP240 & FR500 Forage Harvesters....... In Stock! MISCELLANEOUS Messer Attachments and Rock Wagons ..... In Stock!
PIERZ TRACTORS NH TS6.120, Cab, FWA, 3 Rmt’s ................ In Stock! NH T7.230 Classic, Power Shift, Super SteerIn Stock! NH T4.90, T4.100 & T4.110 Utility’s ............ In Stock! NH T6.180 Plus & T6.165 Plus .................... In Stock! NH Boomer 37 & 47 with Loader ................ In Stock! NH Workmaster 33, Loader, HST ................ In Stock! SKID LOADERS NH L218, L220, L228 and L234 .................. In Stock! HAY TOOLS NH SpeedRower 220 & 260 ........................ In Stock! NH H7220 & H7330 Discbines .................... In Stock! NH H7230, DB313R & DB316R Discbines .. In Stock! NH ProCart 819, 1022 & 1225 Rakes .......... In Stock! NH Dura-Vee 1225 & 1428 Rakes ............... In Stock! Kemco Inline Bale Wrappers ....................... In Stock! NH ProRotor 3114, 3223 & 3226 Rakes...... In Stock! NH ProTed 3417 .......................................... In Stock! BALERS NH RB450, RB460, RB560.......................... In Stock! NH BC5070 Small Sq, 72 Thrower .............. In Stock! FORAGE NH FP240, Crop Proc., Tandems ................ In Stock! MANURE SPREADERS NH DT2600, M2080, 185, 195’s .................. In Stock! BBI Endurance Litter Spreader,18’, Tandems, HD Apron ................................................. In Stock! MISCELLANEOUS Messer Attachments and Rock Wagons ..... In Stock!
BE IN G EQ U IP P E D F O R
TOMORROW S TA R T S TODAY.
Spring into action and get equipped for the season! Take advantage of some serious savings on select* New Holland equipment from March 1, 2017 until April 30, 2017. Offer includes: • TS6 Tractors – up to $14,000 OFF* • Roll-Belt™ Round Balers – up to $6,000 OFF* • Speedrower® Self-Propelled Windrowers – up to $22,000 OFF* Learn more and visit newholland.com/offers for more details. Hurry! Offer ends April 30, 2017!
USED EQUIPMENT SAUK CENTRE TRACTORS NH 8770, 2WD, 20.8x42 Duals.......................$49,000 NH T7000 Front PTO/3 Point Kit .....................$6,500 JD 3400 Telehandler ........................................ Just In! SKID LOADERS NH L230, Cab Heat, A/C, Air Seat .................$36,900 NH L218, Cab, Heat .......................................$24,900 HAY TOOLS NH 1475, 14’ Haybine ....................................$13,500 BALERS NH BR7070, Crop Cutter................................$28,900 NH BR7090, Net Only, Wide P/U ...................$27,900 NH BR780A, Twine/Net, Wide P/U .................$11,500 JD 568, Net/Twine, Wide P/U .........................$19,000 NH BR7070 Roto-Cut...................................... Just In! TILLAGE Salford 8214 Plow, 14 Bottom .......................$55,500 JD 3710, 10 Bottom Plow...............................$42,500 FORAGE Krone EC7500 ................................................$29,500 NH 365W Hay Head, 15’, Off FX25. .................$5,900 NH 919A4 CH, 4R-36”, Fits 1915.....................$1,750 NH FX25, 4WD, AutoLube, 360N6 CH, 365W HH, Consigned .................................... $52,500 MISCELLANEOUS Berti TA-220 Offset Flail Mower. .......................$4,500 PIERZ TRACTORS JD 4055, 2WD, 1650 Hrs., Sharp ...................$36,900 NH TS135A, Cab, FWA, Bar Axle, Super Steer ....................................................$53,500 SKID LOADERS NH LS170, Cab, Heat, Hyd. Q-Tach...............$19,700
NH 218, Cab, Heat, A/C, 2 Speed..................$28,800 NH L220, Cab, Heat, A/C, 2 Speed................$32,700 HAY TOOLS NH 166 Inverter, Hyd Drive, RH Table Ext ........$5,700 NH 1411, 10’ 4” Discbine ...............................$13,500 (2) NH 499, 12’ Haybines, 540 PTO Starting at $5,500 (2) NH 1475, 14’ Haybines.............. Starting at $3,500 NH 492 Haybine, Nice ......................................$5,800 NH H7230, 10’ 4” Discbine, Std Tongue ........$17,800 BALERS NH BR780, Net/Twine, Bale Command .........$17,500 NH BR740a, Auto-Wrap, Wide P/U, Monitor .$15,400 NH BR740, Bale Slice, Net/Twine...................$17,500 NH BR7060, Roto Cut, Twine/Net, New Belts..$22,500 NH BR7070, Net-Twine, XtraSweep ...............$23,500 JD 469 Premium, Net, Mega Wide P/U ..........$34,500 JD 547, Twine, Bale Ramps, 540 PTO .............$8,200 TILLAGE Krause 8200, 25’ Disc, Cush. Gang ...............$35,500 JD Plow, 5 Bottom, Hyd Reset ............................$750 GRAIN HANDLING Sudenga 8”x61’, 540 PTO Drive ......................$2,900 FORAGE NH FP230, 27P HH, 3PN CH, KP...................$39,500 Miller Pro 5200, 16’ Rear, 12T Tandem ............$6,250 NH 790, 12 Knives, 824 CH ...........................$11,500 NH 3PN Corn Head ..........................................$9,800 MANURE SPREADERS NH 155, Splash Guard, New Tire .....................$6,900 MISCELLANEOUS Hiniker 5610, RH Discharge Stalk Chopper .....$7,900 NH 918 Flail Mower ..........................................$2,600 Grouser Skid loader tracks...................................Call!
EQUIPPED FOR A NEW WORLD™
SAUK CENTRE, MN
320-352-6543 • Hwy. 71 South
PIERZ, MN
320-468-2161 • Hwy. 27 West
9^hXdjci l^aa kVgn WVhZY dc i]Z Zfj^ebZci ejgX]VhZY Wji bVn WZ je id '% d[[ d[ i]Z CZl =daaVcY gZiV^a a^hi eg^XZ# D[[Zg kVa^Y dc fjVa^[n^c\ Zfj^ebZci " hZaZXi Zfj^ebZci Vi eVgi^X^eVi^c\ YZVaZgh i]Vi ]Vh WZZc ^ckd^XZY id YZVaZg [gdb ?VcjVgn &! '%&) id 6j\jhi (&! '%&*# HZZ ndjg eVgi^X^eVi^c\ CZl =daaVcY YZVaZg [dg i]Z heZX^ÒX Y^hXdjci# D[[Zg ^h a^b^iZY id YZVaZgh ^c i]Z Jc^iZY HiViZh VcY ^h kVa^Y [gdb BVgX] &! '%&, i]gdj\] 6eg^a (%! '%&,# D[[Zg l^aa cdi Veean id \dkZgcbZci W^Y! ÓZZi dg gZciVa VcY ^h hjW_ZXi id X]Vc\Z dg XVcXZaaVi^dc l^i]dji cdi^XZ# '%&, 8C= >cYjhig^Va 8Ve^iVa 6bZg^XV AA8# 6aa g^\]ih gZhZgkZY# CZl =daaVcY 6\g^XjaijgZ ^h V igVYZbVg` gZ\^hiZgZY ^c i]Z Jc^iZY HiViZh VcY bVcn di]Zg Xdjcig^Zh! dlcZY Wn dg a^XZchZY id 8C= >cYjhig^Va C#K#! ^ih hjWh^Y^Vg^Zh dg V[Òa^ViZh# 8C= >cYjhig^Va 8Ve^iVa ^h V igVYZbVg` ^c i]Z Jc^iZY HiViZh VcY bVcn di]Zg Xdjcig^Zh! dlcZY Wn dg a^XZchZY id 8C= >cYjhig^Va C#K#! ^ih hjWh^Y^Vg^Zh dg V[Òa^ViZh
Superior seedbed Preparation
CALL FOR A DEMO! SAUK CENTRE, MN
320-352-6543 • Hwy. 71 South
PIERZ, MN
320-468-2161 • Hwy. 27 West
Call Or Visit Us On The Web At
www.modernfarmequipment.com To Learn More About Salford’s Line Of Superior Tillage Tools
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 5
Con�nued from IVF | Page 1 the equipment in the room is sanitized and at 80 degrees Fahrenheit, because oocytes leave the ovaries at 100 degrees Fahrenheit. “When the oocytes travel through the tubing is when they can undergo cold shock,” Kroeze said. “As long as we stay consistent with temperature, we do pretty well.” Kroeze is a veterinarian at Pipestone Veterinary Services and has been practicing IVF since September 2014, working with the Gruenes family for the past 18 months. “Today, we’re flushing one of our first IVF calves that was created,” Kroeze said. Cattle enter the room and are secured in a stationary chute. With assistance, Kroeze aspirates the oocytes from the follicles using an ultrasound probe and needle. Aspirating a cow may take as long as 20 minutes, depending on the quantity of follicles present. From there, the oocytes are washed in a solution and placed in a petri dish, where a lab assistant then collects the oocytes. The procedure must be quick and thorough, as the team only has a small window of time to aspirate the oocytes and wash them for maturation. “I shoot to find 90 percent of the oocytes that they recorded during aspiration,” said Alisha Ekkle, Kroeze’s assistant. In flushing the first heifer on March 15, Kroeze and his other assistant, Crystal Demuth, recorded 17 oocytes. As Ekkle retrieved the oocytes, she found an additional one. At the end of the day, the packaged
oocytes are shipped directly to Boviteq in Madison, Wis. By the next day, the cells are fertilized in a petri dish. “They grow them and then FedEx the fertilized eggs back to St. Cloud about seven days later; we pick them up on Thursdays,” Gruenes said. “Eventually, I’d like to set up a direct carrier to pick up and drop off everything at the farm.” Twin Spruce Farms has worked with IVF for more than five years, first traveling to Iowa with their donor cattle. The decision to build an on-farm facility came for many reasons, but no longer losing a day of work for travel became an important factor. “We looked at other alternatives, but this seemed to be the best fit for what we wanted to do,” Gruenes said. As the facility was being built, Gruenes and Kroeze worked out of a makeshift setup – plastic draped on the freestall barn walls to create a heated compartment for the work to be done. Without other on-farm facilities to look toward for guidance, the Gruenes family came up with a structure based on what they would like in an IVF facility. “I kind of knew what I needed,” Gruenes said. “When we were building, we added a few more things. Anytime you’re building, the ‘might as wells’ and ‘while we’re at it’s’ come out,” Gruenes said. By last spring, another freestall barn was completed which included the donor pens and IVF room, with the re-
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? • Vitamins and other compounds needed by the liver • An instant energy boost to get her on her feet • Highly available calcium
The goal is bridging the metabolic gap at freshening.
The secret is drinkability!
320-836-2145 or 800-450-2145
Check out our newly redesigned website to �nd a Famo Feeds dealer near you!
www.famofeeds.com
Turn to IVF | Page 6
s y a D n o i t a i c e r p p A r Custome NOMONIE & OWEN, WI
COME MEET OUR TEAM Serving Refreshments both days!
CALL US TO LEARN MORE!
ME
FRone
Automated Feed Pusher
Wed. & Thurs., April 5 & 6 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
COWSCOUT
with Rumination, Heat Detection & Health Managment
On Display Wed. in Menomonie & Thurs. in Owen!
10% DISCOUNT ON EVERYTHING 2 days ONLY!
Tags for as little as $76!
KattleGuard Foot Sprayer
Menomonie & Owen locations only (Cash only)
CALL US FOR ALL YOUR SERVICE NEEDS MENOMONIE, WI • 715-235-5144 OWEN, WI • 715-229-4740 PINE ISLAND, MN • 800-233-8937 BEATRICE, NE • 800-342-5657 SIOUX FALLS, SD • 800-705-1447
On Display Wed. in Menomonie & Thurs. in Owen!
Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017
Con�nued from IVF | Page 5
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Alisha Ekkle collects oocytes from a petri dish to prepare them for matura�on and then fer�liza�on.
Target Your Customers!
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.
Superior Feed Value Through Sealed Silos SEALED SILO SERVICES • CONSTRUCTION • MAINTENANCE • PRESSURE CHECKING • RESEALING • REPLACEMENT ROOFS
BOTTOM UNLOADERS
• GREENLINE UNLOADERS D-SERIES (FORAGE) B-SERIES (SNAPLAGE & GRAIN) • USED UNLOADERS • UNLOADER PARTS • FULLY EQUIPPED SERVICE CREW
715-267-1416
sales@greenwoodsilo.com • www.greenwoodsilo.com
maining space used as a calving facility. In time, the Gruenes family hopes for the entire barn to be dedicated to IVF. Because of the unique setup, the Gruenes family has allowed other producers to bring their cattle to the farm for IVF work; even housing beef cattle. “This is the result of a lot of passion for the industry,” Gruenes said. “We have the desire to grow and I like the challenge.” For some time, the Gruenes family has followed a strict breeding program which incorporates top-end bulls, as well as early-release semen from A.I. companies to produce high genomic bulls. “Every other Tuesday when the numbers come out, we like to say it’s either going to be Christmas or Halloween – good numbers or not so good,” Gruenes said. “I like the excitement; raising a bull for studs or having a heifer we can work with in the future.” Last year, the family sent nine bulls to stud. As the technologies for reproduc-
tion and genetic potential progress, Gruenes wants to be at the forefront of these advancements. “I’ve always had a desire to get involved and to increase the genetic value of our herd,” Gruenes said. “And, if you want to grow your business and the industry, you think of things you can do to make the farm more profitable and how to do that.” With the IVF facility, Gruenes has found just that. “IVF has given us the opportunity to grow the genetics in our herd at a rapid rate versus a much slower rate of traditional breeding,” Gruenes said. “This setup isn’t for everyone, but I see there being a greater demand for it in the future, and I wanted to be on the front side of that.” As Wednesday’s flushes were completed and the oocytes en route for fertilization, last week’s oocytes arrived on Thursday as fertilized eggs for recipients – a continual cycle for the Gruenes family as they optimize the genetic potential of Twin Spruce Farms.
We are not affiliated with A.O. Smith Harvestore®, E.S.P.C. or C.S.T.
LIQUID & SOLID MANURE
PUSHING & PACKING
Drag hose application, direct injection, unlimited distance, GPS
Haylage, corn silage, earlage, commodities
FREE ESTIMATES - Trucking & snow removal also available Log on to our website for detailed information www.dhfieldservices.com
Field Services, Inc H & D . Call Darrin Herickhoff ((c)) 320 320-760-0848 760 0848 • ((w)) 320 320-352-6746 352 6746
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
An on-farm IVF facility allows the Gruenes family and Dr. Kroeze to work with donors and recipients without disturbing the work flow of the dairy.
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 7
Con�nued from ALTENDAHL | Page 1 “Mathias was as straight as a log as I carried him through the house,” Josh said. “I didn’t know where the fire was coming from, so I stopped at a window at the bottom of the staircase and punched out the screen. Mathias clung to me as I tried peeling him off and setting him in the bushes.” With two more children left inside, Josh told Mathias to run to the milkhouse or machine shop for safety. “That was always the plan we talked about with the kids if something like this were to happen,” Josh said. Returning upstairs, Josh quickly woke Liam and Emmett and carried them, one in each arm, out of the bedrooms and down the stairs. “I’m not sure if we lost power at that point or if the smoke was just so thick … that was the blackest black I’ve ever seen,” said Josh, as he recalled stumbling down the staircase. Perhaps by intuition, Josh did not stop at the broken window, but rather dashed through the kitchen toward the front door of the home, running into walls, counters and other items along the way. “At the time, it was scary, but I wasn’t at all worried where the fire was coming from or that there was a fire. That didn’t sink in until later,” Josh said. “I can’t explain it, but all I could think about was getting our boys out.” Arriving at the front door, Josh had to let go of Liam’s head – which he had tucked into his shoulder to prevent Liam from inhaling smoke – to unlatch the lock on the door. “Liam was already fighting me, kicking and screaming, scared of what I was doing,” Josh said. “Then I heard Mathias … ” Rather than running to the milkhouse or machine shop, Mathias tried re-entering the house through the front door.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Josh and Kate Altendahl’s home is deemed a loss a�er a fire March 3. Josh broke open the bo�om middle window to get his oldest son out of the burning house. “If the door hadn’t been locked, I don’t know if I would’ve been able to find him,” Josh said. In a matter of minutes, the family was safely located in the machine shop. At 11:22 p.m., Josh made the call to 911 and then called his wife to share the news. “Josh told me the boys and him were all OK,” Kate said. “I remembering saying, ‘Thank God. That’s all that matters,’ and I was on my way home.” Fire departments from the communities of Freeport, Albany and Avon, Minn., arrived and tended to the fire. Josh then called Kate’s parents, who live nearby in Melrose, Minn., and took the children to their house for the evening. “I gave Josh the biggest hug when I got home and thanked him for what he did,” Kate said. By 2:30 a.m. the following morning, the fire departments had left the
property and Kate and Josh lied awake in their pickup truck – it was only a short time before chores were to begin. However, Josh began suffering from symptoms of smoke inhalation and Kate brought him to the emergency room. “My lungs and throat were burning, and I was coughing everything up,” said Josh, who was able to return to the farm by daybreak. On the following Monday afternoon, the Altendahls’ fire inspection was complete and they began collecting inventory of items lost. The fire marshal confirmed that a tree with lights in the living room sparked the flames; the house was a total loss with nearly every item damaged by smoke, fire or water. “Days afterwards we cried because of the loss, but were more relieved at what we saved. I got the kids out,” Josh said. “It could’ve been worse, and I try
to feel lucky.” Now, the Altendahls are looking forward as they balance living at Kate’s parents’ home, putting the kids through daycare and traveling to the farm every day. “Emmett wakes up every morning telling us that our house is broken and asking when it will be fixed,” Josh said. When the weather warms, the Altendahls will move a camper to the property, which will allow the family to create a new, temporary normal. In time, they will rebuild. Throughout this journey, the Altendahls have received nothing short of unwavering support from family, friends and the community. “We were crazy busy when we bought this farm in 2008 and were building a heifer facility, but this puts everything into perspective,” Josh said. “Life has been hectic. We’ve had tremendous help from everyone who has donated their time, food and clothes. A lot of prayers have been said for our family.” While the Altendahl family continues sorting through personal belongings and making plans for a new home, one thing is certain – the course of events that happened March 3 was due in part to properly working smoke alarms, for which the family is grateful. “I’m not sure what would’ve happened if the alarms didn’t go off,” Josh said. “I didn’t smell anything when I first heard the alarms and there wasn’t any extra time once I realized what was happening. Those smoke detectors saved a life, or all of ours. I thank God for them.” Kate agreed. “Honestly, I feel like I won the lottery,” she said. “I have my family and they are the most important thing that was in the house. Everything else can be replaced in time.”
Congratulations to the
Paul Stemp�e family, Maynard, Iowa
Double 16 champion parallel parlor and herd management system
Contact Dave 563-380-1746 or Jay 563-380-4672 to talk about your barn upgrades.
United-Suckow Dairy Supply 563-422-5355 West Union, IA
563-864-7417 Postville, IA
Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017
1-800-887-4634 (608) 723-4634 423 U.S. Hwy 61 North • Lancaster, WI
Panel Fans:
OA140-08K
www.jdmfg.com • 1-800-998-2398 Eau Claire • Wisconsin • U.S.A.
www.jdmfg.com • 1-800-998-2398 Eau Claire • Wisconsin • U.S.A.
w. j d m f g . c
800
OA140-08K
www.jdmfg.com • 1-800-998-2398 Eau Claire • Wisconsin • U.S.A.
o
One of the highest performing, lowest maintenance, greatest valued fans on the market!
m
ww
1-
OA140-08K
www.jdmfg.com • 1-800-998-2398 Eau Claire • Wisconsin • U.S.A.
-99 8
8 - 23 9
Panel Fans 24”, 36”, 50” & 55”
Ventilation Expertise
72” Mega Storm & 55” Storm
Recirculation Fans When the temperaturea humidity index (THI) is above 72°, livestock will experience heat stress.
Fiberglass Exhaust Fans
ExhaustFans Fans Exhaust Create the right airflow and exchange rate to keep your herd at the optimum temperature for maximum production.
Soaking System High Pressure Fog & Cooling
www.fullersmilkercenter.com
MPP is not working, more funding is needed Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 9
Dairy farmers are seeking changes in the Margin Protection Program. National Council of Farmer Cooperatives President and CEO Chuck Conner said funding changes will be needed in the next Farm Bill. “The policy isn’t really the question. The bigger question is guring out how to fund that. I’m not talking about increases in funding for dairy by a historical standard. The problem has been in the last few years, because it has been a program that’s not working; there’s been no money paid out at all. The historical baseline these economists look at is for all practical purposes almost zero. You can’t x a program with a Ag Insider zero baseline very well.” Conner was featured at the National Farmers Union Convention in San Diego.
By Don Wick Columnist
Changes to MPP The National Milk Producers Federation has approved a series of recommended changes to the Margin Protection Program that restores several elements that were rst proposed in the 2014 Farm Bill. NMPF said the recommendations range from changing the way feed costs are calculated to providing farmers greater exibility in signing up for coverage and using other risk management tools. “Re-establishing a realistic, effective safety net is a key focus for our membership in 2017,” said NMPF Chairman Randy Mooney. The four-point plan was developed by NMPF’s Economic Policy Committee and reects feedback from dairy farmers, economists and members of Congress.
Educating consumers about the Farm Bill House Agriculture Committee Chair Mike Conaway said the nation’s agriculture sector needs to educate consumers on why this country needs a farm safety net. “I’m not worried about the top 50 percent of people, but the bottom half is different. Telling folks from non-ag backgrounds why this Farm Bill and this safety net is important; it’s their pocket book.” Conaway also said there are those who want the nutrition title of the Farm Bill included in any welfare reform package. “I’m not going to allow that to stop us from getting it done on time. Paul Ryan’s boat is loaded right now. The welfare thing is a vision for 2018. We are going to move this thing forward.” NFU adopts dairy policy At its annual convention, the National Farmers Union has adopted its new policy book and special orders of business. Regarding the drop in farm income, the NFU is urging Congress and the administration to take action to support farmers and ranchers. In the 2018 farm bill, Farmers Union delegates want an income safety net that is based on the cost of production, an increase in reference prices for all commodities and a strong competition title to allow U.S. farmers to compete on a global scale. For dairy policy, NFU delegates support programs that account for actual costs of production; an incentives-based inventory management program, ad hoc disaster assistance and trade policies that won’t put dairy farmers at a disadvantage. Petition led with EPA to revamp CAFO rules A coalition of 35 activist groups, including Food and Water Watch, Dakota Rural Action and the Land Stewardship Project, have led a formal request with the Environmental Protection Agency. These groups want EPA to revamp its rules for how concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, are regulated under the Clean Water Act. With this legal petition, these groups are demanding more oversight and stronger permitting standards for large scale livestock farms. White House asked to oppose geo-based name policies The Consortium for Common Food Names is urging the Trump Administration to aggressively oppose geographic-based policies designed to help European farmers. The European Union wants to restrict the United States’ use of food names like parmesan and brie. The United States claims those are considered as generic names worldwide and EU restrictions would impact trade and food labeling. Milk truck weight variance advances A bill is on the way to the Minnesota House oor that would provide some peace of mind for those hauling milk from the farm to the processor. Minnesota Milk Producers Association executive director Lucas Sjostrom said this legislation would provide a 10 percent weight variance for milk trucks. “They currently have that variance if they make it to the milk plant, but, if they would be pulled over on the road, they wouldn’t have that variance so it is just an inconsistent law. This was also found in a permit form from 2010 to 2014, but that law automatically sunset in 2014. This bill codies in law what we already had just a few years ago.” In the agriculture committees, legislation is moving forward that would streamline rules for the dairy industry. Sjostrom said that is a procedural move and will not impact fees or inspection schedules.
The
I.R.S. is at
KLC
Ideal Roasted Soybean! A great value for the money!
The Ideal Roasted Soybean has what you need for your dairy ration: Energy Protein Amino Acids Bypass Protein Put the “I.R.S.” to work for you!
KLC Farms Roasting, Inc. 1-877-738-2326 877 738 232 Visit www.roastedbeans.com
Quality
Consistency
Farm Credit merger goes to a vote Three major farm credit organizations have received preliminary approval for their merger from the Farm Credit Administration. This merger will include AgStar Financial Services, which is now based in Mankato; 1st Farm Credit Services, with headquarters in Normal, Ill. and Badgerland Financial, based in Prairie du Sac, Wis. The three lenders will now hold a stockholder vote. If approved, the merger will take effect July 1. The headquarters for the new entity will be in Sun Prairie, Wis. Rod Hebrink, who now leads AgStar Financial Services, will be president/ CEO for the new organization. Another merger has been proposed involving AgCountry Farm Credit Services and United FCS. This merger, which is also expected to take effect this summer, is still awaiting approval from the Farm Credit Administration.
DNR updates buffer maps The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has updated its buffer maps. These maps are designed to help landowners determine where buffers or alternative water quality practices are needed and the width requirements for those buffers. The buffer maps are a byproduct of Governor Mark Dayton’s 2015 buffer initiative. Wastweet named Midwest Dairy COO The Midwest Dairy Association has named a new chief operating ofcer. Trudy Wastweet will begin duties with the dairy checkoff group on March 27. Wastweet is now the director of congressional relations for the American Farm Bureau Federation. Previously, Wastweet was the deputy secretary of the South Dakota Department of Agriculture, served as a national policy advisor for Iowa Farm Bureau and was the assistant executive director for the Minnesota Pork Producers Association. FFA Foundation Board of Trustees leadership team announced The Minnesota FFA Foundation Board of Trustees has elected leadership for 2017. Donna Moenning of Hayeld is the chair. The chair-elect is Kyle Petersen of Murdock. The secretary is Veronica Bruckhoff of Minnesota Lake and the treasurer is Pat Dingels of Redwood Falls. Kevin Paap of Garden City is chairman of the executive sponsors board. Bongards’ Creameries announces 2016 earnings Bongards’ Creameries has announced 2016 earnings of $22.4 million. That compares to 2015 earnings of $12.4 million. The Minnesota-based cooperative had over $500 million in sales last year. Member/owners will receive a dividend payment of 50 cents per hundredweight on allocated earnings for 2016 production. Current and past member/owners will receive a payout on 2008 equity of $2.6 million in July. Bongards has plants in Perham and Bongards, Minnesota and Humboldt, Tennessee. Trivia challenge Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry are the three most popular ice cream avors. Butter Pecan is ranked fourth. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, we’re focused on cheese. What is the most popular cheese worldwide? 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. 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 25, 2017
United as a farm family
Three generations active at Spring Valley Holsteins, Inc. By Cassie Olson
cassie.o@dairystar.com
NORWALK, Wis. – Having the conversation of transition planning on a dairy farm is not always an easy subject. However, as farmers approach the age of retirement, beginning the conversation sooner rather than later is necessary. When Don Haldeman saw the opportunity to grow his herd while simultaneously planning for its future, he took advantage of it. Today, Don continues to farm with his son-in-law, Alan Ferries, and grandsons, Matthew and Jordan Ferries, as they milk 450 cows near Norwalk, Wis. Don lives on the original farmstead, which was purchased in the early 1940s by his parents. After his father passed away in 1965, Don continued to farm on his own while growing internally. It was in 1998 that Don re-
alized something would need to change down the road. His daughter, Deborah, and her husband, Alan, were farming near the town of Ontario, and their herd had reached a size that exceeded their facilities. When Don approached the couple with the opportunity to merge their herds together, Alan said they agreed it was a good idea. “I was milking 51 cows at the time and he was up to 110,” Alan said. “We had crowded facilities from growing our herd, and if we wanted to continue to grow, this was the avenue to do so.” That year, the family incorporated their business, creating Spring Valley Holsteins, Inc. Alan’s cows joined Don’s on the original farmstead. The freestall barn had 140 stalls, which was still not ideal for a
CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Don Haldeman (le�) and Jordan, Ma� and Alan Ferries stand in their freestall barn, which they began using in February 2006. The barn has over 400 stalls. herd now totaling 161 cows. As Don and Alan continued to farm with what they had, plans began to develop for a new fa-
CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Ma� (le�), Alan and Jordan Ferries and Don Haldeman are the three genera�ons behind Spring Valley Holsteins, Inc., where they milk 450 cows near Norwalk, Wis.
cility. “We looked at what we had over there; there is a swamp and creek with not much room to grow,” Don said. “We owned the field that our facilities now are built on, and spent two years planning out what we would do.” After researching barns in the area, planning it out and building, the cows moved in February 2006. The naturallyventilated freestall barn has 386 stalls, with an additional 34 stalls for dry cows and four maternity pens. The cows are bedded on sawdust over waterbed mattresses and are milked in a double-12 herringbone parlor. They purchased cows to fill the barn, just as the third generation made its way into the farm’s management. After graduating from Northeast Iowa Community College, Matt returned to the farm full-time in 2005. He laughed as he said he felt as
though he never truly left. “I was always home on the weekend,” Matt said. “There was never any doubt that I wanted to farm, too.” Jordan said he was the same way. Having graduated from Western Technical College in 2013, he first took an off-farm job for one year prior to returning to the farm fulltime in 2014. “I never really left the farm,” Jordan said. “Even when I was working, I would do chores and feed calves in the mornings before I had to leave.” Don said he was excited to have his grandsons join him and Alan on the farm. He said they always showed great potential and have proven themselves since starting full-time. “For being young, they always have been capable. Matt is very mechanical; Jordan is good with livestock,” Don said. “They fit well together.”
Turn to SPRING VALLEY| Page 11
‘14 Bobcat S590, 1020 hrs., cab, heat, A/C, ACS Ctls, PBT, air ride seat, radio, bucket, $32,900
USED SKID STEERS
‘13 CASE TR 320, 2116 hrs., cab, heat, A/C, joysticks, PBT, BH, air seat, ride ctl, 2-spd, $36,900
‘14 Bobcat S650, 3110 hrs., cab, heat, H51, 2-spd................................................$28,900 ‘11 Bobcat S750, 2055 hrs., A71 package, 2-spd................................................$33,900 ‘12 Bobcat S750, 3010 hrs., A71 package, 2-spd................................................$31,900 ‘13 Bobcat T750, 3135 hrs., A71 package, SJC ctls, roller susp. ........................$36,900 ‘14 Bobcat T750, 530 hrs., H51 package, SJC ctls, roller susp. ........................$38,900
‘13 Kubota SVL90-2, 1518 hrs., cab, heat, A/C, 2-spd, PBT tracks OK, roll-up door, $41,900
‘92 New Holland L555 DLX, 2210 hrs., OS, bucket, grapple, aux hyd, diesel, H&F ctls ......$10,900 ‘05 Cat 3 277B, 4300 hrs., cab, heat, AC, power tach, tracks OK, door glass broken.......$17,900 ‘05 Cat 2 277B, 4303 hrs., cab, heat, AC, power tach, tracks poor ...................................$16,500 ‘13 Kubota SVL90-2, 1518 hrs., cab, heat, AC, 2-spd, PBT, tracks OK, roll up door .................$41,900 ‘13 Bobcat S570, 600 hrs., 61 HP, cab, heat, air, 2-spd ....................................................... Coming in
Alex Power Equipment 111 50th Ave. West • Alexandria, MN 56308
(320) 763-4994 • www.alexpowerequipment.com
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 11
Con�nued from SPRING VALLEY| Page 10
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Three genera�ons are a part of Spring Valley Holsteins, Inc. – (from le�) Jordan Ferries, his fiancee, Brooke Shatek, Alan Ferries, Deborah Ferries, Ma� Ferries, Bev Haldeman and Don Haldeman. Each has his own respective area for which he is responsible for on the farm. Don oversees the farm as a whole. Alan is the herdsman, focusing on the animal health within the herd. Jordan is the calf manager and has taken over all nutrition work on the farm. Matt handles the planting of crops, mechanical maintenance and repair. In addition to the four on the farm, Deborah handles
tremendous blessing. “I was at the age where it wasn’t in my cards to grow like this; now they know what needs to be done oftentimes better than I do,” Don said. “It has been so much fun watching all three of them, as well as my daughter, take a hold of it and really go.” While it sometimes may be difficult, Don said watching the others take control is where he has seen the farm grow the most. “When transitioning, some days you have to get out of the way and let them make their own mistakes, even when it can be tough to do so,” Don said. “If you aren’t making mistakes, you aren’t making progress, and that I will guarantee you.” Alan recognizes their situation is one that many others do not get to experience. “Not every father gets the opportunity to work alongside their kids; I have two involved right here. Working not only with Don, but also with them is unique for all of us,” Alan said. Although divided by generations, Don, Alan, Matt and Jordan are united as a farm family. As they continuously seek profitable opportunities for the farm, they are enjoying the chance to learn from one another. Working sideby-side, the four have found a rhythm that they hope will continue for generations to come.
“When transitioning, some days you have to get out of the way and let them make their own mistakes...” DON HALDEMAN, DAIRY PRODUCER
the farm’s bookkeeping in addition to her off-farm position as a business education teacher. While every family can have its squabbles, Alan said they generally all work well together. “We are your typical family; there are times we disagree and have our moments, but we always make it through,” Alan said. “We all get along and work well as a group.” Don said seeing the farm grow to where it has and to have two promising generations working alongside him is a
“OUR SOMATIC CELL COUNT DROPPED WITHIN TWO WEEKS. OUR STALLS ARE CLEANER AND THE MACHINE SAVES US TIME.” - ADAM McCARTHY STONEY SPRINGS FARM APPLETON, WI
• Saves both time and labor • Cleans stalls more thoroughly than doing it by hand • Can clean stalls, add new bedding and apply lime all in one pass!
of M
t
G
ay & Dairy Equi pm r’s Cl e t en or innesota, Inc.
(507) 825-3271
P.O. Box 786, E. Hwy. 30, Pipestone, MN 56164 Fax (507) 825-4052 • E-mail: gorters@iw.net
www.gortersclayanddairy.com
MILKING EQUIPMENT • MANURE EQUIPMENT FEEDING EQUIPMENT • HOUSING • ROUTE SUPPLIES
Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017
A closer look by Jennifer Coyne
Biosecurity plays important role in vitality of industry CALEDONIA, Minn. – Four years ago, the swine industry succumbed to the deadly porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) with more than 5 million piglets in 38 states dying as a result. Two years ago, more than 200 premises and 50 million birds were infected with avian influenza – a deadly disease which has now returned to the United States. With the changing seasons, there is greater risk for disease outbreaks. Will the dairy industry be next? “An outbreak begs the question of how a disease entered the farm. That’s what’s going on with the avian flu, and it could be the same case with dairy,” Dr. Paul McGraw said. “We have to be prepared.” McGraw works with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) as the state veterinarian. While dairy cattle have not recently been impacted by a large outbreak like swine and poultry have been, there is potential for costly epidemics to spread throughout the industry. However, with proper on-farm biosecurity measures,
Industry news addressed with help from your neighbors
A measure of safety the probability of a disease outbreak can be reduced. Biosecurity is a preventative approach to minimize the introduction or spread of disease-causing organisms, according to the Minnesota Board of Animal Health. For as long as Doug Heintz can remember, he and his family have always followed strict protocols to reduce the risk of spreading unwanted bacteria throughout their dairy farm. “We’re not sitting on an island, Doug Heintz but diseases aren’t Dairy producer spreading as easily because we’re careful,” Heintz said. Heintz and his wife, Julie, and son, Dayne, milk 172 cows near Caledonia, Minn. In 2008, the family installed three robotic milking systems and built a freestall barn. With their newer facility, the Heintzes have more traffic on their farm from dairy producers, veterinarians, inspectors and other professionals in the industry. The increasing number of individuals entering and leaving the farm on a regular basis encouraged the Heintzes to improve their biosecurity measures. Throughout the dairy, signs direct
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Signs are placed on Doug Heintz’s farm before entering the feed center and milking area. Heintz is an advocate for biosecurity to protect his farm from disease outbreaks, but to also prevent his herd from contamina�ng other herds. individuals where they should and should not go, and a sanitizing solution and brushes are located by the access door to the barn for visitors to clean their clothes and boots before entering the facility. Additionally, there is a secluded pick-up location away from the housing facility for the rendering truck, and all trucks coming to and from the feed bins never travel along a pathway near cattle.
“We never go back and forth between using a skidloader bucket for feed and manure,” Heintz said. “Twenty years ago, we were using the same bucket for both, and it could’ve been a source of the Salmonella outbreak we had.” There are two purposes for biosecurity – to prevent the spread of diseases from within the farm and to inhibit diseases from entering the dairy from an outside source. Turn to BIOSECURITY | Page 13
Introducing the
McLanahan Bedding Dryer. The McLanahan Bedding Dryer uses high temperatures and rotary action and removes up to 98% moisture from your recycled bedding*. It dramatically reduces mastitis-causing pathogens in sand or manure solids for healthier cows and higher milk quality.
98% DRY *
Contact your McLanahan representative today or call (814) 695-9807.
mclanahan.com sales@mclanahan.com
*Based on 2% moisture content in dried sand bedding. Processes up to 90 TPH for sand and 18 TPH for manure, depending on configuration. ©2017 MCLANAHAN
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 13
Con�nued from BIOSECURITY | Page 12 Within a dairy farm, youngstock are the most vulnerable to disease. “Even having a handful of people working with the calves puts them at greater risk,” McGraw said. “Have one person take care of the calves, and make sure they are wearing clean coveralls and boots.” To stop diseases from coming on to the farm, McGraw suggests maintaining a quarantine area that allows new animals to be tested for dangerous diseases before becoming a part of the herd. “We want to prevent diseases that may have been introduced at an auction, through people or other animals,” McGraw said.
“We learn from outbreaks, and realize what we’re doing is not enough. There’s a concern out there with TB, especially if heifer calves are raised elsewhere.” DR. PAUL MCGRAW, DATCP, STATE VETERINARIAN
Heintz has eliminated this particular risk by being a closed herd. In the ‘80s, the family purchased cattle to expand, but have since only grown from within. “Even when I’m hauling cattle on my trailer, it’s only ever my cattle,” Heintz said. The Caledonia producer also requires that service technicians and his hoof trimmer arrive with sanitized equipment, and leave the same way. Because of this practice, Heintz’s herd has remained Johne’s free and has effectively eliminated digital dermatitis, or hairy heel warts. “It’s been a requirement for us to have these protocols in place, but it works two ways,” Heintz said. “We don’t want anything we might have here to transfer to another farm.” Biosecurity measures became more common-
place in the dairy industry in 2001, after the United Kingdom experienced a bout of deadly foot-andmouth disease (FMD) – killing over 10 million livestock, resulting in the agricultural industry’s worst crisis in decades. “FMD spread throughout the region and was devastating,” McGraw said. “I think what happened in England really drove home the importance of biosecurity and people became more interested.” Within the last month, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has identified bovine tuberculosis (TB) in beef cattle during slaughter inspections; the cattle were sourced from South Dakota. Testing has concluded that the TB strain is very similar to a strain found in dairy cattle in Mexico, according to a report by the South Dakota Animal Industry Board. While TB has yet to impact Minnesota herds, it has done so in the past, as well as herds in Texas and New Mexico. “We learn by outbreaks, and realize what we’re doing is not enough,” McGraw said. “There’s a concern out there with TB, especially if heifer calves are raised elsewhere.” As the risk for biosecurity breaches becomes more realistic for the dairy industry, having thorough safety protocols in place becomes even more important. In speaking with other dairy producers, Heintz has found that some are now securing their farms, specifically the milkhouse, to prevent tampering and contamination. “We just don’t know what could happen, and I think very few have moved forward in the right direction,” Heintz said. To improve safety on the dairy, biosecurity begins with the producer, said McGraw. “Train your employees and have a plan when people come on the farm,” he said. More information on proper biosecurity measures can be accessed through state boards of animal health, the USDA and industry organizations, such as National Milk Producers Association.
BERGMAN
Automatic Wagon Hitch NOW EVEN STRONGER!
Hardened die-cast wears even better!
Available for pick-ups, choppers, tractors, wagons, etc.
Simple drawbar mount Easy to operate day or night PTO compatible Fast, reliable, safe Increases ef�ciency, only need 1 person Easily pulls more than the D.O.T. allows on the highway NOW AVAILABLE AT:
Gilman Co-op Creamery
FEED & FARM SUPPLY STORE Gilman, MN • 320-387-2770 Open M-F 7:30-5, Sat. 7:30-Noon
All things plumbing…All things hot water
Grozio Blevins PM062576
2C06257
320.424.0834
boilerhq@gmail.com
Master Plumber Boiler Engineer
229 4th Ave SE Glenwood, MN 56334
Page 14 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017
Put Some Real Muscle Into Your Spreading Manufactured in Redwood Falls, MN
With
PUSHING UP FEED
Sizes Range From 285-550 Bu.
easily aƩaches to any universal skid steer back plate mount
SB Series
The Woodchuck® is a side discharge bucket designed to apply bedding material with ease. It’s what you need to keep your cowss clean and comfortable and to lower SCC byy bedding more often, using less material at a time.
Minnesota’s
La rg
ding and Man e e ur tF s e e
ing Dealer
If y
SLC 141 Protwin® Side-Discharge Spreader
HYDRA-SPREAD
nd l Ha
Designed for ef�cient one-man operation eration and for use with most 3 pt. or quick k attach equipment, the Woodchuck® can be easily maneuvered in tight barn aisles.
Available with scale systems.
All Forward Products’ Feed Alley Scrapers have: • Replaceable rubber boƩom • Main Frame tube Steel construcƟon • Foot Grip on Frame • Steep angel to roll feed to bunk. • Choice of Heavy Duty Vertical We have three styles of Feed Scrapers. or Horizontal Beaters Single- Rugged and economical one way • Dual Endgate Cylinders feed pushing. Rigid V- Pushes feed in either direcƟon • Replaceable Bang Boards FloaƟng V- This scraper has a spring and • Poly Floor/Sides Won’t Rot or Rust pin shock absorbing design to avoid • In�nite Speed Adjustment excessive down pressure and wear. • Heaviest Frame In The Business • Two Bolts Remove Beater Assembly • Replaceable 3/8” Beater Paddles • High Ground Clearance • Simple Hydraulics • High Lift Endgate • Slurry Pan
ou
h
ion .
BEDDING SPREADER
• Pl Plas Plastic astitic ic �oo oorr • IInsett guillotine door ill ti gate t with ith lift-up lif d • 5/8” thick �ighting on vertical beater • Horizontal or vertical beaters • 3/8” thick tube construction on reach • Remote grease banks • Underslung spring suspension • Inset and angled vertical beater with bottom pan
Forward Products’ Feed Alley Scrapers: • Keep feed Fresh • Prevent sorƟng • Encourage feed consumpƟon
l
ut
Spreads your shavings, sand and more in a matter of minutes!
Forward Products Feed Scraper
so wwave a w.da barn, we have y.com airylandsuppl
Side Slinger® Side Shooter
The redesigned Kuhn Knight SLC 100 Series ProTwin Bucket Slinger Commercial manure SideShooters are spreaders set the standard designed to spread sand or for fast, efficient sawdust into free spreading to give you stall barns, back �ll, and can be used in many maximum return for other applications. The bucket contains a positive drive conveyor that your equipment dispenses material from either side. From silage to stone the Mensch Side-Shooter shoots it all. dollars.
Trailer Side-Shooters are used to spread p sand or sawdust in many ma any applications applilica c tions including incl clud u ing free stall barns. barn The trailer sideshooter sh hoo o ter uses usses e a main conveyor conv co n eyor to transfer transfe the material to a cross cr conveyor that dispenses the material 3-25 ft. • Up to 8 1/2 yd struck 10 heaped capacity • Unloads in 2 1/2 minutes • Dispenses contents from either side
A whole new way to spread.
AUTOMATIC FEED PUSHER The unique concept of the auger is to push the silage or hay back to the animals in a �uffy way, silag thereby there increasing odor and palatability. It is well known kno that the silages and forages served like this increase the dry matter consumption and consequently consequeently the production producction of milk. milk.
PS 150 and 160 ProSpread® Box Spreaders s The variable-speed hydraulic apron ron drive minimizes moving parts andd allowss independent operation of beaterss and apron for even, controlled spreading dingg of many different types of solid material. teeririal. VertiSpread ead vertical beaters beateerss provide a consistent, 25-30 25 read patternn and and foot spread superiorr material breakup br when spreading even the toughest materials.
Electric loading station is a simple 1/8 “(3mm) plate that is very resistant even to the load of a tractor. Simple, effortless and intuitive installation.
Spread Smart 500 and d 0 6 0 heape . ft . cu capacities
Reduce fertilizer costs with our vertical beater models
From Our Side Of The Fence
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 15
What are your favorite features of your newly constructed facility?
Chad Lubben Edgerton, Minn. Rock County 310 cows What type of building did you construct? A few years back, we built a sand bedded freestall pole barn. Last fall, we added on a 180- by 210-foot transition area. The new part has 88 additional free stalls and a bedding pack area for fresh cows.
Sheri and Charles Nienaber Freeport, Minn. Stearns County 90 cows
Brent Stelling Millville, Minn. Wabasha County 300 cows What type of building did you construct? We built a heifer shed to house heifers that are 500 pounds up to 60 days pregnant. It is 90 feet wide by 180 feet long by 14 feet tall (sidewalls). Our facility has curtain sidewalls, a bedded pack with drive through feeding and headlocks. There are six group pens in the bedded pack. We constructed this new facility because our old facility, gates, bunk feeders, shed and silos were deteriorating. In our old space, the heifers were in two big groups with no headlocks, which made it difficult to catch the heifers individually to administer shots, breed and ultrasound.
It also has room for up to 100 baby calves. Take us through the timeline of your construction project. Our first step was to gather ideas. We spent six months visiting dairies and asking dairymen what they liked about their transition facilities and what they would change. It took one year to go from permitting to completion. It didn’t help that at the last minute we had to scramble to find a different concrete contractor. We completed our new transition facility last November and began to use it immediately. What are some of your favorite/unique features? The special room we built for our newborn calves. We keep the room at 70 degrees. This enables our newborn calves to get up to speed right away. What are some things you would have done differently? I wish that we could have installed tunnel ventilation. This might be something we will add in the future. I also wish we had put slam locks on all the gates. Slam locks cost more, but they save time when you are changing gates. How much work did you do yourself? How much did you save that way? We set all of the poles ourselves. We also built the gates in our farm shop. I would estimate we saved $8,000 to $10,000 on this project. What are tips you would give to someone who is thinking about new construction? Take your time. Looking around at other operations is the best thing you can do. Gather ideas from others and change them to suit your needs. Tell us about your farm. I farm with my twin brother, Cody, and our father, Cal. Cody does all of the feeding and is a mechanic at the John Deere dealer in Edgerton, Minn. My fiancé, Morgan Uphoff, works for Minnesota DHIA and also helps on the farm. She and I will be getting married on March 25. We farm 1,200 acres and raise 3,000 head of hogs. We do genomic testing on every heifer calf soon after she’s born and keep only the best to raise as replacements. In the fall, Cody and I custom round bale corn stalks. Last fall, we put up more than 10,000 bales. What type of building did you construct? We built a 60- by 192-foot post frame, 80-stall, two-row freestall barn and a swing-12 parabone parlor with milkhouse and utility room, 44- by 80-feet. This replaced our wornout 35-stall tiestall barn. Take us through the timeline of your construction project. We started looking at other facilities five years before construction. We started moving dirt in May 2013. The first milking in the new parlor was Oct. 24, and we finished construction in November. The permitting process took three months. What are some of your favorite/unique features? The deep bedded straw stalls; the only concrete in the stall is an 18-inch ribbon in the center that supports the pipe that holds the stall loops. What are some things you would have done differently? We would make the stalls shorter or add brisket boards. They are head to head stalls; 17 feet from the back of the curbs. The cows move too far forward, and we end up with manure in the stalls. How much work did you do yourself? How much did you save that way? We hung the freestalls and headlocks ourselves which saved a week of labor. What are tips you would give to someone who is thinking about new construction? Spend as much time as you can researching and visiting different facilities. This allows you to talk to different farmers and find out what they would have done differently. Tell us about your farm. We own 160 acres and rent 130 with a total of 220 tillable acres. We raise corn and alfalfa, all of which feeds our cows and youngstock. We have a daughter, Cassidy, and son, Joe, who also help on the farm.
Take us through the timeline of your construction project. After we built our new freestall barn and parlor, and expanded our herd, I started looking at facilities on area farms and in magazines trying to get as much information as possible. When we were financially able to go ahead with the heifer shed project, I had found one heifer barn that was close to what I wanted. The process took about one year. I started getting building plans and permits in January 2010. We finished the plans and permits in July 2010. We started tearing down the old facilities and excavation on Aug. 1 and finished Sept. 1. Construction of the heifer shed started Sept. 15 and was completed Dec. 18. What are some of your favorite/unique features? Our heifer shed accommodates six group pens. We are able to group more of the same sized heifers together so we don’t have large heifers with small heifers, which could set the smaller ones back. The headlocks make breeding, ET and ultrasound work much easier. We also enjoy that everything is under cover so we do not have to fight the cold Minnesota winter weather, and it also saves on feed costs. What are some things you would have done differently? Underneath the bedded pack we have lime. When we clean out the shed, we have to replenish the lime. It would be faster to clean if we would have put cement in. How much work did you do yourself? How much did you save that way? Due to time constraints on our end, we were not able to help with a lot of the construction of the shed. We did however help our excavator with tearing down our old facilities and with the excavation of the new facility. What are tips you would give to someone who is thinking about new construction? Start planning as early as you can with permits and building plans. Visit and tour as many facilities as possible, visit with farmers and find something that fits your needs both financially and in size. Tell us about your farm. My cousin, Jake, and I farm together on our dairy farm, Stelling Farms, Inc. My dad, Henry, also owns cows and land, and farms with us. We have four full-time employees who are hard working and reliable along with many family members and friends who add to the help we need to make our farm successful. We milk 300 cows, raise all of our own heifers and steers, and we have 770 acres of corn and alfalfa.
Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017
Con�nued from FENCE | Page 15
LeRoy Mickelson Cyrus, Minn. Pope County 60 cows What type of building did you construct and why? We built a tiestall barn where the old barn was. We were used to a tiestall barn and the rest of the buildings were set up for a tiestall barn. We have a pack barn we built in 2003 in back of the old barn. We let the cows rest in there while we do chores. Our barn is 136- by 42 feet, the milk house is 20- by 24-feet and the utility room is 20- by 24-feet. The old barn wasn’t handy. We had three rows of cows and only two had gutters, so we pitched 12 stalls into the other gutter. We are pleased with where we are at. It’s been a dream for a lot of years. We milked 33 years in the old barn, and when we built new, we wanted to get at least 20 years out of it.
Tracy and Jesse Schumacher, children Taylor and Braxton Eyota, Minn Olmsted County 190 cows What type of building did you construct? We built a 32- by 38-foot double-10 parallel parlor. Before we built, we were milking 100 cows in a tiestall barn. We built it because we wanted to increase our herd size. At the time, my brother, Dillan, was finishing college at Northeast Iowa Community College in dairy science with the intention of coming home. We needed more cows to accommodate for three families. I had already returned home after also graduating from NICC in dairy science. Take us through the timeline of your construction project. We started gathering ideas the winter of 2012 into 2013 We looked at six different parlors to see
QC SUPPLY
www.qcsupply.com
ROLL-UP CURTAIN SYSTEM
• Easy to Operate • Designed to keep you in Control of the Environment Inside your Facility • Multiple Styles Maximize Air Flow
Take us through the timeline of your construction project. We started planning about two years before we started building. We first built a 20- by 75-foot silo in July 2012. On May 6, 2013, we started building the front 75- by 42-feet of the barn, the milkhouse and utility room with 30 stalls. This was done on Aug. 12, 2013, which is the last day we milked in the old barn. When we started milking in the new part we ran two sets of cows in and out. We were milking 51 cows at this point. The old barn came down Aug. 14, 2013, and we built the rest of the new barn. We were in the complete barn by Oct. 12. It was the best day of all because for the past two months we pitched the barn out by hand, and now we had the barn cleaner in. What are some of your favorite/unique features? We have wide feed alleys for the gas feed cart. We store bales in front of the cows and can still get by with the feed cart. We have tunnel ventilation using four 36-inch fans and four 50-inch fans. The air movement is good and the air is fresh. We have a big feed room. We used to have a wheelbarrow and pitchfork. We have a TMR now. The utility room is nice for storing the straw chopper. I would say a unique feature is our electric winch on the end three stalls. This is where we put the fresh heifers. We use our feed cart with a gate hanging on the front to move the heifers to the end of the barn where we have those three stalls. If the heifers don’t want to cross the gutter, we put on the winch chain and lead them in the stall. When we milk them, it holds them out of the gutter and they will not kick. What are some things you would have done differently? Nothing, really. We tried to do a good job planning. How much work did you do yourself? How much did you save that way? We did the plumbing in the milk house ourselves. What are tips you would give to someone who is thinking about new construction? Spend a couple years planning. Tell us about your farm. I farm together with my brother, Vernon. Along with our herd of cows, we farm 1,050 acres, where we raise corn, soybeans, alfalfa and wheat. We are the fourth generation to farm here. Our great grandfather homesteaded it in 1874. He came from Norway. I started milking in 1980 and my brother joined me in 1983. My dad retired from milking in 1972, and then I started the dairy part back up again in 1980. what we liked and what we didn’t. We started the permitting process in May 2013 and started building by August. We moved in on Jan. 9, 2014. What are some of your favorite/unique features? My favorite is having a walkin parlor so we don’t have to walk down steps to be in a pit. We also like our 8-foot wide pit so we have plenty of room for when we have extra help milking at night. Sometimes there are four to five people in the parlor for night milking. It’s our gathering time for our family. Also, a larger entry way is a great space for our kids to play while we’re milking. They are in the parlor with us every night, so it’s much safer for them. I also like the vertical lift for the cows to exit. There are limited posts in the cement between the cows. If a cow falls in the parlor, it’s easier to get her up without so many posts. It also makes cleaning easier. What are some things you would have done differently? I would make the holding pen larger. Our two groups are 90 and 100 cows, but the holding pen only fits about 60 to 70 cows. We have to let some of the second group enter the parlor in order to make room for them all. It would also be nice to have wider return lanes so it doesn’t take as long for the cows to exit the parlor. Sometimes we have to wait until the cows get out of the way before we can load another group. How much work did you do yourself? How much did you save that way? My uncle, David, did the main portion of the building. He does construction as a side job. He didn’t charge as much because he’s family and because we helped him with the building. Our family also put in all the freestalls and headlocks in the freestall barn. We saved about $30,000 doing things this way. What are tips you would give to someone who is thinking about new construction? Make sure you look at lots of different facilities to gather ideas before building. That’s how we decided we wanted a vertical lift and chose a parallel parlor over a herringbone. Tell us about your farm. My mom and dad, Erin and Dale, started the farm in 1985, and my brother, Dillan, and I are now starting to take over. My wife, Tracy, and Dillan’s wife, Michelle, help whenever they are not working at their off-thefarm jobs. We don’t have any employees. We do all the work ourselves. We also have 25 beef cows and farm 500 acres. Tracy and I have two kids, Taylor, 3, and Braxton, 5 months.
SAVE YOUR BEDDING Silver Star Bedders rs cut up your bales for better bedding dding or feeding Round or square bales • Corn stubble • Soybean stubble • Straw • Baleage Universal skidsteer • Dry hay hookup Fits in smaller areas than n pull behind shredders
Algona, IA Boyden, IA Manchester, IA Storm Lake, IA 515.295.9621 712.725.6100 563.927.8487 800.792.6828 Waseca, MN Willmar, MN COVERING THE ENTIRE DAIRY STAR AREA! 507.835.2100 800.992.8986
Silver Star Metals W6754 Pine Road • Withee, WI
715-229-4879
Dealer Call for details and custom options Inquiries Options include: square or round bales, 8 ft or 6 ft, chain or hydraulic driven Welcome Includes 1 year limited warranty
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 17
Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017
Repro Leaders
Consistent synch programs help Darlington Ridge Farms with repro success Darlington Ridge Farms Jim and Katie DiGangi Darlington, Wis. Lafayette County 2,600 cows What was your pregnancy rate average last year? 32 percent. What is your voluntary waiting period for cows? For heifers? Our voluntary wait period for lactating cows is 50 days and we start breeding heifers at 390 days of age. What is your first service conception rate? 49 percent. What is your reproduction program? Do you use a synchronization program? First lactation, first service is a double ovsynch. First lactation heifers start the protocol at 45-51 days. Any animals that show a good heat after 50 days will be bred with sexed semen. Any animals that do not show heat will continue the double ovsynch and be bred at 66-72 days. For cows in second and greater lactations, first service is a 14-day presynch ovsynch. We also cherry pick cows in heat off the second Lutalyse (prostaglandin) shot as long as they are in a good heat. We are very confident in our breeding team to select eligible cows to breed. Any cows that are not bred continue the protocol and are bred at 73-79 days. We have herd check every Monday morning. All animals 32-38 days are checked. Any open animals are enrolled into one of two
RON JOHNSON/DAIRY STAR
Darlington Ridge Farms, of Darlington, Wis., was recently honored by the Dairy Ca�le Reproduc�ve Council. The farm’s dairy team includes – (front, from le�) herdsman Carlos Ramirez; herdsman Hugo Campos; farm owners Ka�e and Jim DiGangi and their daughter, Mila; office manager Tanya Bonin; Jim Has�ngs, a consul�ng veterinarian with the Lena Veterinary Clinic; (back, from le�): herdsman Ricardo Ruelas; herd manager Rayme Mackinson; Genex breeding program specialist Dakota Bockenhauer; Genex breeding program specialist Mike Grinnell; and B.J. Jones, consul�ng veterinarian, Center Hill Veterinary Clinic. she has a CL, we pull the CIDR and give prostaglandin. If not, we give GnRh again, and leave the CIDR for another week. We also give double prostaglandin to a group of our cows. So, if she gets her last prostaglandin shot on Monday, we double it by giving another shot of prostaglandin on Tuesday.
resynch programs. The first is a standard ovsynch resynch and the second is a CIDR-synch. We also check the group that is given the last prostaglandin shot during the week these cows are suppose to be bred. If the animal has a CL, she gets prostaglandin and continues ovsynch and is bred on Thursday. If she does not have a CL, she gets a CIDR. We will check CIDR cows again the following Monday for a CL. If
How do you observe for heat? Our Genex breeders use tail chalk. How do you confirm pregnant or open cows? Vet palpation. The first check is at 32 days, the second check is at 60, a third check is at 120 days and a confirm check is at 200 days pregnant. Turn to DARLINGTON RIDGE | Page 20
Have Winter-Damaged Alfalfa? BYRON SEEDS HAS SOLUTIONS!
Determine your
• Do you still need haylage? answers for each winterdamaged field and call • Would you only keep the field in haylage one more year? your Byron Seed Expert for the best solutions • Would you like to keep the field in haylage two or more years? for you. • Do you need more legumes in the crop? • Or would this year be a good year to finally try Masters Choice Corn Silage Every one of our solutions will include Forage Analysis Superbowl Champion Forages! Burkholder Seeds
For more info or dealer Claremont, MN inquiries - please call: Dwight
Rick Tamm
NW Territory Manager
320-267-5021 Brad DeBauche
NC Territory Manager
920-660-7974 Larry Hawkins 608-516-0101
507-279-0292 Justin 507-456-0006
Gerard Becker
Long Prairie, MN (320) 290-9261
Hy View Feeds 507-493-5564 Mabel, MN
Valley View Ag Russ Funke Dyersville, IA (563) 590-6939
Schueler Farms
Greenwald Elevator
Sherman Schueler 330-987-3159 Willmar, MN John Dockendorf (320) 894-4808 Greenwald, MN (320) 290-1240 Cleeson Mill Travis Schlosser Altura, MN Miltona, MN (507) 458-5907 218-639-1727
Luxemburg Feed Service
Luxemburg, MN (320) 252-1513
Jack Stamschror Kellogg, MN (507) 259-0269
Timberline Dairy Service Joe Graber Kalona, IA (319) 656-3527
Dale Ommodt, CCA Crop & Livestock Nutrition Atwater, MN (320) 212-3190
Winscher Seeds Mike Winscher 320-282-6748 Shawn Winscher Royalton, MN (320) 420-4516
Lee Kurtenbach
Mechanicksville, IA (319) 241-5105
Peak Forage Products LLC
Benjamin Arlt
Natures Best
Tim Huffman 608-574-7918 Nelson Horst Adam Decker 608-988-6855 Canton S.D. Kevin Zimmerman (605) 359-0765 608-574-7918
Natures Best
Big Stone City S.D. (651) 331-8865
Jason Mickelson Frazee, MN 218-849-3137
Mervin Beachy St. Ansgar, IA (641) 381-0054
DJ Cattle Co.
Daryn Yoder Leon, IA (641) 344-6002
Chad Tesch Canton S.D. (605) 759-5622 Dan (Boone) Uphoff, Sioux Falls S.D. (605) 321-1862
Natures Best Roger TeSlaa
Inwood, IA
(605) 370-2249
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 19
“Udder Comfort is my go-to...” — Dore Baker
Dorothea Baker, herd manager 53 Jerseys milking robotically CHANEY DAIRY FARM, BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY THE CHANEY FAMILY: 2003 Jersey Master Breeder 60 to 70 lbs/cow/day, 5.0F, 3.7P, SCC 160 to 200,000 “I started using Udder Comfort™ while relief milking in high school. I’ve used it frequently over the past 10 years,” says New York native Dore Baker who came to Bowling Green, Kentucky a few years ago to manage her aunt and uncle’s herd at Chaney Dairy Farm, home to the Topsy and Althea families of 2003 Master Breeder James Chaney. Today, Carl and Debra and children Jessica, James Neale and Elizabeth participate in the business that includes agrotourism through their Chaney’s Dairy Barn ice cream and restaurant. A robot milks the 53 Jerseys, and comfort and quality are top priorities. “Back before the robot milked the cows, I would apply Udder Comfort lotion by hand to calm fresh heifers. I love the smell. What I like most is that this is an effective product I rely on for fresh cows, mastitis, even injuries. If we have any swelling, Udder Comfort is my go-to topical. It also plays a role at the first sign of high conductivity.
Now with the robot, “I spray Udder Comfort on all fresh udders for the first couple days after calving to soften edema and help with any skin chapping,” Dore explains. “I spray each quarter as each cup is removed in the robot, or, since we have a relatively docile herd and the spray involves little contact, I apply it in the alley after they exit.”
Quality Udders Make Quality Milk
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 25, 2017
Con�nued from DARLINGTON RIDGE | Page 18
What is your breeding philosophy? How do you select bulls? What traits do you focus on? Does fertility play a role in bull selection? We breed for a moderate-sized functional cow that is going to last several lactations, has high components and has a will to get pregnant. We use 100 percent Genex sires. The whole team at Genex plays a critical role in our success. For sire selection, we primarily look at daughter pregnancy rate (DPR) first, followed by productive life (PL), combined fat and protein, milk, udder depth and stature. We want genetics that are going to produce offspring that are able to be preg-
nant, stand the test of time and make high-component milk. How are cows and heifers bred? Do you have a different philosophy for breeding both? We use a simple prostaglandin program for our heifers, which are housed in Texas. Its simple and it works. We start breeding heifers at 13 months and use 100 percent sexed semen. We use the same sire selection criteria in heifers and cows. What do you do to settle hard breeders? Any cows serviced more than four times is bred to high conception limousine semen.
RON JOHNSON/DAIRY STAR
Jim DiGangi, owner of the 2,700-cow Darlington Ridge Farms, examines breeding records. The farm’s pregnancy rate averaged 32 percent last year. How many times do you try to breed a cow before you sell her? We don’t typically stop breeding cows until they are culled for low production.
RON JOHNSON/DAIRY STAR
Herdsman Ricardo Ruelas, herd manager Rayme Mackinson and veterinarian B.J. Jones check in on a newborn heifer at Darlington Ridge Farms.
Is there anything you have done or changed that brought about a significant improvement in your reproductive program? Over the years, we have committed to reinvesting and allocating resources into cow comfort. In 2012, during an expansion, we converted all the stalls to sand bedding and every year focus on projects that will improve overall cow health and fertility. Recently, we have started incorporating
genomic testing in our heifers and are excited to see how implementing precision strategies will move our herd to the next level. Tell us about your farm. Owners Jim and Katie DiGangi oversee the daily operations of Darlington Ridge Farms, LLC. Established in 2008, the leased facilities housed 1,100 cows. With the purchase of the dairy in 2012, an expansion was completed to 2,600 cows that included three freestall barns, expanded manure and feed storage, conversion to sand bedded stalls and a sand recycling system. Our reproduction team meets quarterly to monitor performance and
continually challenge each other with fresh facts and new information. Lead performance indicators and trends help us be proactive versus reactive, and we feel efficiencies and profitability are gained by taking this approach. Our team consists of veterinarians, nutritionist, consultants, A.I. technicians and managers on the dairy. Taking a team approach on our dairy has been a critical part of our success, especially in the areas of fertility and milk quality. By investing in building an effective team internally and taking a team approach, we can all work together effectively for the future of our dairy farm.
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 21
Low Rate Financing Available See our complete inventory with pictures and descriptions at:
www.mmcjd.com
Visit one of our 13 locations in Central Minnesota! JD 569, 2014, #124210
(1) = GLENCOE 800-558-3759 4561 Hwy. 212
(2) = HOWARD LAKE 866-875-5093 5845 Keats Ave. SW
(3) = STEWART 800-827-7933 78412 Co. Rd. 20
(4) = ST. CLOUD 800-645-5531 1035 35th Ave. NE
(5) = GLENWOOD 888-7999-1495 1710 N. Franklin
(6) = SAUK CENTRE 888-320-2936 1140 Centre St.
(7) = ALEXANDRIA 888-799-1490 5005 State Hwy. 27 E
(8) = PAYNESVILLE 866-784-5535 725 Lake Ave. S.
(9) = PRINCETON 800-570-3453 3708 Baptist Church Rd.
(10) = LITTLE FALLS 800-655-5469 16069 Hwy. 27 E.
(11) = WADENA 888-631-2311 62505 US Hwy. 10
(12) = AITKIN 800-732-1129 1120 2nd St. NW
(13) = BAXTER 800-568-4338 7045 Foley Rd.
JD 7630, 2007, $ 3782 hrs., #131106
38,900
$
119,900
JD L330 $ 2015, #119685
JD L330, 2016, #125537
125,900
$
Over 1200 items with pictures updated daily • Go to www.mmcjd.com 6 JD 1760, 1996, #135809 ................................$21,750 9 JD 1780, 1997, #127222 ................................$28,500 1 JD 1770, 2000, #136716 ................................$29,900 5 JD 1780, 2001, #136764 ................................$32,900 9 JD 1750, 2013, #131524 ................................$36,500 2 JD 1780, 2001, #134553 ................................$42,500 7 JD DB44, 2008, #131589 ................................$58,500 8 JD 1770NT, 2006, #135018 ................................$64,000 4 JD 1770, 2011, #132629 ................................$72,500 4 JD 1770NT, 2010, #131019 ................................$75,000 1 JD 1770NT, 2010, #123272 ................................$77,500 10 JD 1770NT, 2010, #134770 ................................$78,732 4 JD DB44, 2005, #134620 ................................$89,900 4 JD 1770NT CCS, 2013, #125129 ............................. $115,000 4 JD 1770NT, 2014, #134722 ............................. $127,330 2 JD 1720, 2006, #120108 ................................$35,000 ROUND BALERS 10 NH BR740A, 2006, #131072 ................................$12,500 7 JD 567, 2001, #136010 ...$13,320 10 NH BR780, 2007, #131480 ................................$13,500 2 JD 566, 2000, #134548 ...$14,800 8 JD 568, 2007, #131030 ...$17,500 10 JD 582 SILAGE SPECIAL, 2006, #132056 ................................$18,500 12 JD 458, 2009, #131244 ...$18,900 11 JD 568, 2007, #131763 ...$18,900 2 JD 458 SILAGE SPECIAL, 2010, #132415 ................................$19,500 11 NH BR7090, 2008, #123046 ................................$21,900 10 NH BR7090, 2012, #133944 ................................$22,900 1 CIH RB564, 2008, #129522 ................................$23,000 9 JD 568, 2008, #119918 ...$25,000
ARTICULATED 4WD TRACTORS 9 Case STX275, 2001, 3446 hrs., #135811 ................................$68,000 5 JD 9300, 1997, 4445 hrs., #132726 ................................$79,000 8 JD 9400, 1996, 6173 hrs., #134367 ................................$79,000 7 JD 9520, 2006, 3109 hrs., #135259 ............................. $139,000 6 JD 9620, 2006, 4700 hrs., #134870 ............................. $148,000 5 JD 9630, 2008, 3004 hrs., #135019 ............................. $169,000 7 JD 9430, 2011, 2227 hrs., #134950 ............................. $189,500 3 JD 9630, 2011, 1925 hrs., #134865 ............................. $204,000 1 JD 9560R, 2013, 2226 hrs., #127914 ............................. $235,000 6 JD 9560R, 2012, 1681 hrs., #133796 ............................. $249,000 2 JD 9620R, 2015, 455 hrs., #125913 ............................. $379,000 FIELD CULTIVATORS 2 JD 985, 1995, #130971 ...$18,000 8 JD 985, 1999, #135905 ....$21,500 4 JD 2210, #135359.............$32,000 3 JD 2210, 2007, #136563..$39,000 1 JD 2210, 2005, #120515..$39,500 7 CIH 200, 2012, #135767 ..$52,000 7 CIH 200, 2012, #135951 ..$53,000 6 CIH 200, 2011, #129150 ..$55,000 3 JD 2210, 2012, #135755..$62,500 MOWER CONDITIONERS 11 JD 946, 2005, #130363 ....$17,500 10 NH H7150, 2011, #122976 ................................$19,900 11 JD 635, 2013, #134300 ....$21,900 8 JD 946, 2009, #132018 ....$23,500 10 JD 835, 2012, #130580 ....$24,000 6 NH H7150, 2012, #126620 ................................$24,500 11 JD 946, 2011, #126500 ...$25,500 9 JD 830, 2015, #134944 ...$25,900 10 JD 835, 2015, #133943 ...$26,500 1 JD 956, 2011, #126054 ...$27,900 10 JD 956, 2013, #121134 ...$28,900 7 JD 946, 2014, #126629 ...$30,900 2 JD 946, 2014, #126997 ...$32,000 PLANTERS: DRAWN 4 JD 1750, 2001, #127462 ................................$20,500
105,000
86,900
2013 JD 6125M, $ 125 hp., 243 hrs., #123591
1 JD 568, 2007, #122377 ...$25,900 2 JD 569, 2013, #135012 ...$26,900 2 JD 468 SILAGE SPECIAL, 2011, #126398 ................................$30,900 6 JD 469, 2013, #131787 ...$30,900 7 JD 469, 2014, #121911 ...$30,900 5 JD 468 SILAGE SPECIAL, 2012, #132115 ................................$31,900 4 JD 459 SILAGE SPECIAL, 2013, #134718 ................................$32,500 5 JD 568, 2011, #126221 ....$32,900 4 JD 568, 2012, #123505 ....$34,900 4 JD 569, 2014, #135360 ....$37,000 10 JD 569, 2013, #126055 ....$38,900 7 JD 569, 2014, #123810 ....$38,900 8 JD 569, 2014, #124210 ....$38,900 6 JD 569 SILAGE SPECIAL, 2015, #134962 ................................$44,500 ROW CROP TRACTORS 9 JD 4440, 1980, 8000 hrs., #136759 ................................$19,900 10 International 5488, 1982, 8140 hrs., #129314 ............$24,500 1 JD 4255, 1991, 11822 hrs., #133470 ................................$27,900 1 JD 7410, 1997, 4482 hrs., #136566 ................................$52,900 2 JD 4560, 1993, 4640 hrs., #135362 ................................$56,000 4 JD 7420, 2007, 5301 hrs., #134042 ................................$58,900 11 JD 7810, 2000, 3155 hrs., #136691 ................................$79,000 6 CIH 145 PUMA, 2013, 755 hrs., #134447 ................................$84,500 11 JD 7920, 2003, 4910 hrs., #134912 ................................$94,900 6 JD 6150M, 2014, 917 hrs., #135969 ................................$98,500 6 CIH MAGNUM 180, 2010, 1230 hrs., #131001 ......... $103,500 8 JD 7630, 2007, 3782 hrs., #131106 ............................. $105,000 8 JD 8220, 2002, 5469 hrs., #127863 ............................. $108,500 4 JD 7830, 2008, 3289 hrs., #135361 ............................. $114,500 9 JD 6150R, 2013, 698 hrs., #127915 ............................. $119,000 4 JD 8220, 2004, 1640 hrs., #132349 ............................. $122,000 9 JD 6145R, 2015, 268 hrs., #120191 ............................. $122,900
JD 7420, 2007, 5301 hrs., #134042
58,900
$
1 JD 6155R, 2015, 179 hrs., #124983 ............................. $129,500 1 JD 7200R, 2012, 729 hrs., #135070 ............................. $129,900 8 JD 6175R, 2015, 650 hrs., #135147 ............................. $148,000 3 JD 8235R, 2013, 1636 hrs., #127894 ............................. $159,000 6 JD 7210R, 2015, 887 hrs., #134395 ............................. $161,900 1 JD 7230R, 2015, 446 hrs., #126922 ............................. $171,500 3 JD 8245R, 2014, 429 hrs., #107406 ............................. $172,900 5 JD 8260R, 2013, 1527 hrs., #125130 ............................. $179,000 1 JD 8320R, 2010, 2557 hrs., #117098 ............................. $185,000 4 JD 8245R, 2015, 494 hrs., #135325 ............................. $185,500 2 JD 7230R, 2015, 88 hrs., #134308 ............................. $187,500 8 JD 8245R, 2015, 767 hrs., #134375 ............................. $192,900 1 JD 7230R, 2014, 447 hrs., #126805 ............................. $193,000 8 JD 8295R, 2015, 911 hrs., #134373 ............................. $224,900 2 JD 8285R, 2011, 1345 hrs., #118552 ............................. $226,900 7 JD 8320R, 2014, 2084 hrs., #127013 ............................. $227,500 3 JD 8270R, 2015, 70 hrs., #125647 ............................. $239,000 TRACK TRACTORS 6 JD 8310T, 2001, 2295 hrs., #126238 ................................$85,000 2 JD 9320T, 2004, 3280 hrs., #134963 ............................. $123,050 1 Case STX425, 2002, 3168 hrs., #136012 ............................. $126,900 5 JD 9530T, 2009, 3199 hrs., #135766 ............................. $155,000 8 JD 8310RT, 2013, 477 hrs., #132060 ............................. $235,000 2 JD 9460RT, 2012, 1089 hrs., #125925 ............................. $269,000 1 CIH 600 QUAD TRACK, 2012, 1182 hrs., #135208 ......... $279,900
JD 6140D, 2013, $ 140 hp., 378 hrs., #131138
62,500
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
FOR SALE:
200 good quality Holstein heifers, 6-8 months bred, for sale at all times, shots & trucking included.
MILLER CATTLE 612-201-1613
www.panningbrothers.com
Used Parts • Replacement Parts
FREE NATIONWIDE PARTS LOCATING We Buy Salvage Tractors 25060 651 Ave., Gibbon, MN Toll Free: 1-800-635-0993
Put the PLUS+ in your herd health
™
Precise data analysis means more efficient resource management
Shift from reactive to proactive and predictive herd management
Early illness detection
Focus on Key Performance Indicators
Low Somatic Cell Count levels
Your partners in dairy production We offer a complete range of products to our customers. We service what we sell to help keep your farm in top shape. Our goal is to make you more profitable and more efficient through innovative equipment, aftermarket solutions, scheduled maintenance and 24 hour emergency services.
www.delaval.com
Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: IOWA Kramer Bros. Monticello, IA 319-465-5931 Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290 United-Suckow Dairy Supply West Union, IA 563-422-5355 Postville, IA 563-864-7417
WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bob’s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201 Ederer Dairy Supply Plain, WI 608-546-3713 Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Waunakee, WI 608-849-5043
Mondovi Dairy Systems Inc. Mondovi, WI 715-926-5777 West Salem, WI 608-769-2113 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470 MINNESOTA & SOUTH DAKOTA D&D Ag Supply Pennock, MN 320-599-4466
East Central Dairy Supply Mora, MN 320-679-1029 Genex Farm Systems Melrose, MN 320-256-3276 Watertown, MN 605-886-7401 Sioux Falls, SD 800-284-0015 S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Professional Dairy Systems Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2017 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296. www.delaval.com
Lets make 2017 a better year
Dear Editors: In early February, I came upon an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal. It said the total numbers of farms in America will soon be under 2 million. That’s important, because we haven’t seen that number since the Louisiana Purchase in the mid-1800s, the WSJ writers said. The article detailed America’s shrinking role in global grain markets. That, coupled with a strong dollar and higher seed costs, are driving producers out of business, the piece said. In fact, planted wheat acres have fallen to the lowest number in a century. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says farmers’ income will drop 9 percent this year, the fourth straight year of declines. At a time when the cyclical farm economy is showing its down side, having as much market access as possible grows in importance. Our grain producer members, whatever the crop, are operating their businesses in a global market. Tools like crop insurance, the ability to market together, manage risk and operate in an agriculture climate friendly to producers will be key as the next farm bill is developed. At National Farmers national convention in Springfield, Mo., at the end of January, I spoke about agricultural prices in several sectors falling below farmers’ production costs last year. In fact, 1,400 loads of milk were disposed of in the Northeast and Mideast dairy regions because there wasn’t access to a stable market. In the first eight months of 2016, the amount tallied up to 43 million gallons of milk that was used in feed or disposed of on farms. Dairy producers are seemingly at the mercy of the industry climate, because of consolidation and plant closures. And, many of these processing plants who closed facilities had been good partners that we appreciated. At National Farmers we understand the need for healthy finances on the buy side of the marketing equation, as well. There’s a balance, to be sure. Wisconsin Farmers Union in December released the results of its Wisconsin survey of every dairy producer in the state, which WFU conducted in the fall. Sixty-three percent of the more than 1,000 respondents said they lost money based on cost of production and prices received. Of those dairy producers, 765 said they had signed up for the Margin Protection Program. So, the solution isn’t in this particular program. Milk producers are dealing with only a 3 percent surplus, which has created a 40 percent price drop. For farmers, that doesn’t seem commensurate. At National Farmers, we are actively pursuing new partnerships to address the situation in the Northeast. And we’re proposing a two-tier dairy price structure, a growth management program. See http://www.nfo. org/files/pdf/Dairy-Policy-Proposal.pdf. For producers, remaining financially stable means a combination of things. As marketers, at National Farmers, we suggest marketing together and using risk management tools, whether you’re in the dairy, grain or livestock sector. Still, market access remains a concern for many farmers. In the beef sector, when Tyson announced it was no longer processing Holsteins, a price decline quickly occurred, $30 live in the cash market, $45 inthe-meat regionally on a cash basis. Dairy beef is an important part of beef supply in the United States, and we stand behind our cattlemen who feed and finish Holstein steers. I’m happy to say that our Livestock Division is continuing to work for producers’ benefit as they talk with Holstein processors to define our contract details and develop new partnerships. All of us in the cattle industry want to assist all cattlemen. Right now, it’s the Holstein producer who is facing a challenge, and we’re working to solve this market access concern. We’re proud to serve American farmers. Together, many organizations and companies, in an agriculturefriendly setting, will be part of making 2017 a better year for American grain, livestock and dairy producers. Paul Riniker Vice President, National Farmers Greeley, Iowa
Hopeful for a recovery
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 23
Palmer being treated for rare, aggressive form of cancer By Kelli Boylen Guest Writer
WAUKON, Iowa – Eric Palmer has always been the type of person to keep pushing through when he didn’t feel well. In the last 25 years, he has only been sick enough to go to the doctor a handful of times. But when he started having headaches every day during a week late last fall, he knew something wasn’t right. The headaches were severe enough that he would get nauseous and sick from the bouncing of the skid loader on his family’s dairy farm. Eric milks 150 cows with his wife, Stephanie, and several part-time milkers in a step up parlor near Waukon, Iowa. In addition to the cows, the Palmers farm about 700 acres. His headaches were caused by an uncommon and very aggressive form of brain cancer. On Nov. 21, he went to the clinic in Waukon to have his headaches checked. His appointment was at 1:30, and by 2 p.m. a CAT scan showed a possible tumor. By 3 p.m., an MRI showed a mass in the right temporal area of his brain. Stephanie quickly made phone calls to nd someone to take care of feeding and the 4 p.m. milking of their dairy cows that rst night. By 5 p.m., they were headed for a larger hospital in La Crosse, Wis., where he was admitted to Mayo, and surgery was scheduled for two days later. What Eric and Stephanie thought was just going to be a doctor’s appointment turned into Eric not coming home for over two weeks. Their children, Madalyn, 14, Emma, 12, Keagan, 9, and Sophia, 6, stayed with Eric’s parents, Greg and Marlene Palmer, who also live on the family farmstead. Many people offered assistance on the farm. Greg ran the farm’s day-today operations. Their regular milking employees were a big help by lling in the milking schedule in Stephanie’s absence. They hired neighbor Lyle Stock to work full time on the farm during the winter. Stock helped the Palmers while
maintaining his own operation. Jim Thesing also helped out as needed. The rst surgery seemed to go well, but the next day (Thanksgiving Day), Eric could not move the left side of his body. Another round of CAT scans and MRIs determined he had suffered a stroke. He was in intensive care for two days; Stephanie said he doesn’t remember the worst of it. They started physical therapy the rst day. “It was amazing how fast he progressed,” Stephanie said. “Every 12 to 24 hours, we could actually see some type of improvement.” Within a week, he could walk with a walker, and as a left-handed person, he had to relearn some life skills for his hands. “It was very humbling to watch him struggle to walk,” Stephanie said. “He was a healthy 43-year-old man.” Having recovered enough on, Nov. 29, he was transferred to the local swing bed care center in Waukon. Eric remained there for another week, continuing intense therapy; nally returning home on Dec. 5. Stephanie stayed with the kids as much as she could during this time so things remained as normal as possible for them. She also resumed her usual duties on the farm; juggling her time between Eric’s needs and appointments, the kids, and the farm. While at the hospital with her husband, Stephanie was able to manage the herd using her smart phone and tablet, which is tied into their cow manager system to monitor activity and health. “I leaned heavily on that and was able to keep an eye on things, even though we were an hour away. That way I didn’t stress so much about that,” she said. During week ve of the chemo and radiation, Eric had an adverse reaction to the treatment. What started as a simple rash erupted into huge red hives head to toe. He had severe edema, to the point that his ankles swelled so quickly that the skin blistered. The most severe symptoms lasted more than two weeks; everything itched, and then everything peeled.
PHOTO SUBMTTED
Eric and Stephanie Palmer, along with their children – (from leŌ) Emma, Keagan, Sophia and Madalyn – milk 150 cows near Waukon, Iowa. Eric is currently undergoing chemotherapy for a rare form of brain cancer. They were never able to determine what caused the reaction, either the antibiotics he was taking to prevent pneumonia or the chemo drug. There is only one chemotherapy drug believed to treat this type of cancer, so options are limited. He recently started another round of oral chemo, which he can take at home. This round of treatments will last for six months. Just before they started the chemo, they tried to desensitize him to the chemo drug, and thus far things are going well. It is still unknown if Eric will be able to return full-time to their family dairy farm, how much he will physically be able to do, or how the cancer and the treatments will affect him into the future. “The side effects of the treatments can show up for years, it is a big unknown,” Stephanie said. Eric agreed. “We just don’t know what is going to
happen,” Eric said. “We are praying and planning for a full recovery, and to stand on our own two feet again, but we just really don’t know.” The Palmers are hopeful about the future. “The most recent brain scans looked promising,” Stephanie said. “But we are dealing with cancer and there are no guarantees.” The Palmers stressed they are so appreciative of all that has been done for them thus far; Stephanie didn’t have to cook for more than a month. “The community support has been phenomenal, and it has helped us to maintain some normalcy for the kids. Nothing rallies like a small town,” she said. In addition to the medical costs, there is the cost of extra hired help on the farm. They also have been putting a lot of miles on their vehicles, traveling back and forth to La Crosse and then Rochester.
Palmer Benet, April 8 A benet if planned for the Eric Palmer family at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 8 at the Waukon Banquet Center. A free will donation meal will start at 5 p.m. Carry outs will be available. Silent auction bidding will be from 5 to 7 p.m. and a live auction begins at 7 p.m. Supplemental funds will be provided by Thrivent Financial. If you are interested in making donation, tax-deductible donations can be mailed to The Thrive Project, Attn: Eric Palmer Benet, 1639 Green Valley Rd NW, Waukon, IA 52172 or non-deductible donations can be mailed to Waukon State Bank, Attn: Eric Palmer Benet, PO Box 246, Waukon, IA 52172. Non-monetary donations can be dropped off at the Allamakee Extension Ofce, 218 7th Ave SE, Waukon, IA 52172. For more information contact Amanda Peterson at 563-568-8764 or Amy (Menne) Ihde at 563-380-9673.
Congratulations
to the nine young ladies crowned Stearns County Dairy Princesses. Nine girls were crowned Stearns County Dairy Princesses March 11 at the 63rd annual dairy princess banquet held at the Freeport Community Center, in Freeport, Minn. They include (front, from left) Roseann Mehr the daughter of Vernon and Joann Mehr of Farming, Kayla Herkenhoff the daughter of Bernie and Diane Herkenhoff of Freeport, Kayle Benesh the daughter of Deanna Benesh of Spring Hill and Gina Holdvogt the daughter of Alvin and Bernie Holdvogt of New Munich; (back, from left) Marissa Willenbring the daughter of Ed and Ann Willenbring of Richmond, Ashley Herdering the daughter of Tom and Sandra Herdering of Freeport, Kelly Schmitz the daughter of Isidore and Beverly Schmitz of Freeport, Ashley Maus the daughter of Darrel and Lisa of Freeport and Anna Donnay the daughter of John and Chris Donnay of Kimball. Herkenhoff also earned Miss Congeniality and was one of the two $150 Stearns County ADA scholarship winners. Herdering also won a scholarship. The nine princesses have a chance to go to the training seminar and compete for Princess Kay.
Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017
Making a Super connection for dairy
In the next couple weeks, I’ll celebrate one year with Midwest Dairy Association as its CEO. It would be difcult to share with you all the experiences I’ve had and all the knowledge I’ve gained about the checkoff work funded by dairy farm families. But in answer to an invitation from Dairy Star, I’m going to do my best to take you with me on my journey throughout the year. In my role, I’ve come to appreciate that I serve as the eyes and ears of each family who contributes to the checkoff. I try to think about what dairy farmers would be looking for as I evaluate an effort or engage in conversation. I owe it to each family to be intentional with how I manage my time and inuence Midwest Dairy Association’s work. Last month, I was fortunate to participate in dairy activities surrounding Super Bowl LI (51) in Houston, and it wasn’t about the big game. It came about because of Midwest Dairy’s involvement with Super Bowl LII (52), coming to MinneapoBy Lucas Lentsch lis next February. As Dairy Star has reported, dairy farmers are working with the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee Midwest Dairy (MSBHC) on a legacy which includes 52 weeks of school Association CEO breakfast grants to help kids across Minnesota eat breakfast. And, since every school breakfast includes milk and often cheese and yogurt, more children will consume dairy as a result. I was in Houston with the MSBHC to identify opportunities for farmer engagement and dairy inuence in next year’s events. The Super Bowl is so much more than just a game; it’s a week of activities with thousands of people involved. Fuel Up to Play 60, your partnership with the National Football League (NFL) to promote healthy and active children, is noticeable on the Super Bowl stage. We have a unique opportunity to share dairy’s stories when the focus of the world is on Minnesota for the labeled #BoldNorth experience. At a reception sponsored by the MSBHC, Viking Chad Greenway helped host students from our area who were part of the festivities. They included three eighthgraders from the Twin Cities who are active in Fuel Up to Play 60 and recently won a contest for their achievements. It was also neat to see young girls and boys on the Fuel Up to Play 60 eld, where their football heroes were talking to them about having three servings of dairy each day as part of a healthy diet, and staying physically active for at least 60 minutes a day. Later, people stood in line at kiosks for “Taste of the NFL,” waiting to try local foods. Wouldn’t it be great to see dairy farmers talking with attendees when this event comes to Minneapolis? After all, in this part of the country, milk is about as local as you can get. We also watched presentations as part of AdVenture Capital, a program of Fuel Up to Play 60’s funding arm, GENYOUth. Through it, young people came together as leaders to present ideas for making their schools healthier, and the judges included an NFL quarterback, an NFL coach, former USDA Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack and the CEO of Land O’Lakes. It was a great dialogue, and dairy was an important part of developing these student leaders’ ideas. And yes, there was a football game too, and I was lucky enough to get a ticket at the last minute. It was thrilling to watch your Fuel Up to Play 60 National Super Kid – from our Midwest Dairy region – in front of 100 million eyeballs as she handed off the game ball at the start of what turned out to be a great game. Super Kid Sophie is a middle school student who became passionate about health and wellness (and dairy), and it got her to the game. Best of all was knowing her experience happened because of dairy farm families. Attending the Super Bowl was great, and I hope to make it pay off for our dairy community. Recently, I enjoyed sharing some of those experiences at two local dairy events in Minnesota, and those are the experiences that keep me grounded. I look forward to sharing my thoughts about them next month. Lucas Lentsch was named CEO of Midwest Dairy Association in April 2016. In that role, he serves the dairy farm families of 10 states including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. Midwest Dairy works to foster innovation and inspire consumer condence in dairy products and practices.
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 25
Commitment. Relationships. Trust.
Professional Dealers for: • Bulk tanks • Chiller systems • Plate coolers • Fre-Heater®
• Automated milking systems • Automated feeding systems • Robotic manure scrapers
• Tie-stall & stanchion barn equipment & automation • Parlor equipment & automations • Automated milking systems
• Tie-stall & stanchion barn automation • Centrus rotary platforms • Parlor detachers • Milk weight systems
• Parlor detachers • Milk weight systems
Turner, Inc
Parlor stalls – new install & retrofits
Ventilation systems
DCC Waterbeds® for tie-stall & free-stall barns
Super stall foam mattress systems & more
• Headlocks for all sizes of animals • Free-stall systems
NEWLY AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR Is Your Compressor Ready for Summer? Early Spring is the time for an annual bulk tank compressor checkup to make sure your milk stays fresh and cool this summer. Yearly maintenance helps you keep your tanks and coolers functioning properly.
Leedstone’s Refrigeration Maintenance Checklist* 9 Clean condenser with Foam-Brite advanced cleaning agent 9 Check through/run starting components 9 Take amp draw on fan motors and compressor 9 Check Freon charge and change filter drier if necessary If low on Freon charge, locate leaks and fix Once everything meets or exceeds spec standards, we’ll check the superheat and subcooling to ensure proper system function and efficiency.
Contact Chris to schedule your compressor maintenance check before the heat sets in!
• Headlocks for all sizes of animals • Free-stall systems • Curtain sidewall systems
Dealers Livestock Equipment Feed bins & auger systems
Automatic waterers
• Individual calf pens • Calf hutches • Group housing
Chris Kennedy 888.267.2697
ckennedy@Leedstone.com • Calf hutches • Group housing
• H & L automated feeding system • H & L milk taxi systems • Pasteurizers & milk cooling systems
Cattle head-gates & chutes PHOTO COURTESY MIDWEST DAIRY ASSOCIATION
Lucas Lentsch along with the co-chair for the Minnesota Super Bowl Host CommiƩee, Marilyn Carlson Nelson, visits with students from Cedar Riverside School in Minneapolis. The students won a $10,000 grant in the SAP Teen Innovator Contest through GENYOUth, the funding arm for Fuel Up to Play 60.
Gates & livestock equipment
Leedstone’s MUELLER-Certified Technician, Chris Kennedy, brings you all-around refrigeration knowledge, support and expertise—servicing all brands of milk coolers and tanks. *To perform these tasks, tank must have water or milk at a temperature at 40 to 45 °F. Scheduled maintenance takes roughly 2 hours.
Jake Moline 320.761.9630
Don Brower 320.267.1604
jmoline@Leedstone.com
dbrower@Leedstone.com
Randy Arnhalt 320.267.3235
Paul Becker 320.510.0200
rarnhalt@Leedstone.com
pbecker@Leedstone.com
Recognizing dedicated farmers
Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR PROTEIN AND AMINO ACIDS FOR YOUR DAIRY COW RATION? Your Best Buys Are Soy Best® and Soy Best® “L” Soy Best® High Bypass Soybean Meal with Gums can help keep production high, making your herd more profitable long-term. With its digestible bypass protein, elevated phosphatidyl-choline (the natural methyl-donor) from added gums and its great taste, Soy Best helps balance the ration like no other rumen-protected protein source. For rations in need of more lysine, use Soy Best® “L”. It’s Soy Best with rumen-protected lysine mixed right in! According to research, these two products give you more metabolizable protein, lysine and methionine per dollar spent than other protein sources.
INGREDIENT
Lys
Met $/Ton Cents/g Cents/g Cents/g IADP* MP Lys MP Met
67.5
6.29
1.44 $410
0.29
4.6
20
CP RUP RUP
%DM %CP %Digest %RUP %RUP
Soybean Meal 53.8 42.6 ®
49.1 73.3
83.8
6.26
1.57 $440
0.16
2.6
10
Soy Best “L”
®
48.8 73.3
83.8
9.37
1.53 $561
0.21
2.2
13
Canola Meal
37.8 35.7
58.1
5.62
1.87 $325
0.46
8.1
24
Blood Meal
95.5 77.5
55
9.12
1.18 $850
0.23
2.5
19
Soy Best
: From NRC 2001
We celebrated National Ag Day March 21. I wanted to take a moment to thank all of our hard working and dedicated farmers in our community. We recognize and greatly appreciate all you do to feed this great nation and world. While we celebrated this day, the changes in farming were quite evident. This includes how people farm, what technology they are using, and how they access information related to farming. To make FSA data more available to our farmers, FSA has launched FSA News & Notes a new tool to provide farmers and ranchers with remote access to their personal farm information using their home computers. Farmers and ranchers can now view, print or export their personal farm data all without visiting an FSA county ofce. The program, known as FSAfarm+, provides secure access to view your personal FSA data, such as base and yields, Conservation Reserve Program data, other conservation program acreage, Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation status By Ryan Brunn information, eld boundaries, farm imagery, name Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. and address details, contact information and membership interest and shares in the operation. This data will be available in real time at no cost to the producer and allow operators and owners to export and print farm records, including maps. Producers can electronically share their data with a crop insurance agent from their own computer. Farm operators and owners will rst need level two e-authentication to access the web portal. This level of security ensures that personal information is protected for each user. Level two access can be obtained by going to www. eauth.usda.gov, completing the required information and then visiting your FSA ofce to nalize access. For more information on FSAfarm+, the customer self-service portal, contact your FSA ofce. To nd your FSA county ofce, visit http://ofces.usda. gov. 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.
“I didn’t even think we had stray voltage!” Roger Lange milks 100 head on his family dairy at Crofton, Nebraska. Until recently he was often forced to sell his fresh heifers because they wouldn t let down their milk. “We called Stray Voltage Consulting, and Jerry found the problem within half an hour.” Roger said. “I was very impressed with Jerry. He’s a former REA guy, so he understands both the farmer and the electric company. Being able to work with both sides is a key component to his success.” “I haven’t had a single problem with our fresh heifers since Jerry corrected our stray voltage problem. I would highly recommend Stray Voltage Consulting to anyone who thinks they might have stray voltage!”
STOP THE SHOCKS
Stray Voltage Consulting Over 30 years of experience
605-695-3328 •
www.strayvoltageconsulting.org
: From ADSA., 2005, Stern et al., University of Minnesota
: University of Minnesota, 3-Step Process
: Best Buy
Go to soybest.com or call us at 1-800-422-4697.
YOUR NEW CLOVERDALE MIXER DEALER 9 Different Sizes to choose from 175 cu. ft. 1,300 cu. ft.
N26423 Commerce Lane • Arkansaw, WI 54721 www.anibassilo.com • 715-285-5317 • siloman@nelson-tel.net
A time for preparation The Transition Pen
By John & Laura Rosenhammer Father/Daughter Farming Duo With the warmer weather and extra hour of sunlight each evening, farmers everywhere are wondering just how soon they can get in the elds to start planting. Each new season begins hopes such as record bushels per acre, harvesting better quality forages, or nishing tillage before winter sets in. This time of year is an opportunity to take time to plan. A high school teacher once told me, “You never planned to fail, but rather you failed to plan.” I feel this relates to dairy farming each day. Each morning on my 15-minute drive to the farm, I think about what I need to get done that day; vaccines to give, pens to be cleaned out, bills to be paid and so on. Last July, I remember the forecast was in the high ‘90s for the coming week, so I only set up one cow for the ovsynch breeding because, as we all know, cows do not settle well in the heat. Just like you wouldn’t cut hay when rain is in the forecast, we try not to breed cows when the heat index is scorching. We take time to work with our nutritionist and estimate our forage needs for the coming year so we can accordingly plant and harvest to avoid running short or having excess that goes to waste. On our farm, I have been watching our number of cows expected to be dry and milking in the coming months. We will be calving heavily in the summer, therefore, by May when the dry pen numbers rise, I am working on a plan to move gates around so I can expand the dry cow pen in order to ensure each cow has enough bunk space and a stall to lay in. Besides, we sold a group of springers last week and plan to sell another group in September in order to limit overcrowding. Financials are a vital component in planning for success. As dairy farmers, we have the right to choose if we want to milk 200 cows or 2,000. We can decide if we want to grow our own forages or purchase them. We can decide if we want to produce organic or conventional milk. We can choose to contract milk or roll with the markets. We can choose to bed with sand or straw. At a recent workshop, I spoke with a presenter on economics about the many different decisions dairy farmers must make on a daily basis and their impacts on production. He said, “You have the freedom to farm anyway you want, but you do not have the right to profitability.” This is absolutely true. Milking 2,000 does not guarantee you will be more protable than the farmer with 200 cows. Milking a herd of high producing Holsteins does not guarantee you will be more protable
Hydrostatic & Hydraulic Repair
• Repair & Sales • Troubleshooting • Hose Assemblies
• Design • Service Calls • Cylinders
Skidsteer Attachments For Sale www.stoens.com
16084 State Hwy. 29 • Glenwood, MN 56334
320-634-4360
Toll Free 866-634-4360
than a farmer who has a herd of component-rich Jerseys. A dairy that ranks among the top 10 in the state for cow dollar value does not guarantee they are more protable than those ranked lower. Their success is determined by how well they are managed. Everyone measures their success differently, but in order to continue dairy farming being nancially successful is a must. Through farm business management, I’ve learned to change my focus from the dollar value output of a cow to the dollar value I invested into a cow that has been returned to my pocket, or return on investment. For example, investing in giving lutalyse shots to heifers to stimulate estrus has resulted in heifers calving at a younger age which means they are becoming producers and generating income sooner. Investing in BST shots for late lactation and lower producing cows has allowed me to keep them in the herd longer, rather than having to dry them up early or culling for low production. I’m also trying to be realistic. I am expecting milk prices to stay around $16-$17. Rather than cutting
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 27
off inputs to lower my cost of production, reviewing the value of each dollar of inputs is helping me decide where I can adjust to make ends meet. For example, switching to sexed semen would result in more heifer calves which I can sell as springers for prot, and less bull calves which are not generating much income. However, I would sacrice my conception rate which may not be worth the gain in heifer sales. As dairy farmers, we face situations like this each day. At 25 years old, I’m certainly not an expert and have limited experience. I am grateful to have my dad and several other mentors to discuss these obstacles with, so I can be condent in each decision. I believe if I take time to analyze each decision and carefully plan my next move, I can keep my herd on track for a successful 2017. Laura Rosenhammer farms with her father, John, and uncle, Greg, on Roseview Dairy near Sleepy Eye, Minn. They milk 200 Holsteins and run 580 acres of cropland.
Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 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
Take aways from Carver County Dairy Expo By Colleen Carlson
University of Minnesota Extension Educator
Implementing forward thinking strategies will keep Minnesota dairy producers productive, efcient and effective was the consistent message during the 25th Carver County Dairy Expo, held in February, at Central High School in Norwood Young America, Minn. By taking a look at world population growth, world hunger, increase of calorie consumption and consumers’ buying decisions, Phil Plourd, president of Bliming Associates, dairy consultant and keynote speaker, painted an optimistic picture of the important role dairy farmers have in feeding the world. In 1798, Thomas Malthus estimated the world population to be 900 million people. The world population today is 7.5 billion and is predicted to rise to 9 billion by 2040. World hunger along with severe poverty are in a decline; however, as developing countries continue to grow, so does the demand to increase the world’s food supply. In 2012, the United Nations said food production must increase by 60 percent by 2050 in order to keep up with population growth and economic expansion. Jim Dickrell, editor of Dairy Herd Management, shared important facts. The global dairy industry has doubled output in the past 50 years, but per capita, globally we are producing 14 percent less milk than in 1965 because milk production is not keeping up with global population growth. Dickrell suggests to double milk output we need 40 million more conventional cows or 75 million organic cows or we need to increase milk production by 100 pounds per cow per year. Dickrell maintains that demand for dairy will continue to rise as the world populations look to milk and dairy products to provide a dense, nearly complete nutrient package. Milk production is predicted to rise to over 1,000 million metric tons by 2040. How do consumers’ buying and eating habits impact food purchases? Plourd shared a study from Pew research where 54 percent of the people say they are paying attention to eating healthy while only 29 percent have adopted heathier eating habits. Consumers’ buying decisions are based on taste, price and convenience. Consumption of chips, fast food and pizza are on the rise. Delivery systems are evolving to more online shopping, restaurant spending, fast food delivery and the newest trend – delivery of meal kits. How will the dairy producer keep pace with world demand? Jeffrey Bewley, University of Kentucky, shared this key message in his, “Small Giants: Strategies for Small Farm Survival,” presentation. “There are businesses around the world that are small despite the fact that the world tells us you can’t be successful and compete,” Bewley said. “The one thing that is quite clear is you no longer can just be average if you’re going to be a dairy farmer.” Attendees had the option of participating in two breakout sessions featuring Bewley’s work. Bewley challenged the audience to engage in using precision technology to improve farm operations. “Today’s technologies are endless and do deliver results better than visual observation,” Bewley said. “Like today’s human
CLINIC OPEN Monday – Friday 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. Emergency service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Dr. Tom Czeck | Dr. Lee Michels | Dr. Steve Baldwin
320-836-2788
121 1st Ave. | P.O. Box 67 | Freeport, MN 56331 Servicing Benton, Morrison, Stearns and Todd counties
After hour emergency calls are made directly to the veterinarian on call, not through an answering service
Visit us at www.freeportvetservice.com or Freeport Vet Service on Facebook
exercise monitors, we can monitor a cow’s activities for better detection of health issues, minimize environmental impacts and improve the overall health and well-being of dairy animals. There are exciting opportunities for large and small producers to utilize these technologies for improved efciencies. Many producers don’t know their actual cost of production. They usually only think about the variable or cash costs. Applying the principles of business management, understanding the economies of size, fully utilizing labor, machinery and buildings can increase returns to size.” Bewley offered six controllable factors small producers should monitor: milk yield, herd health, reproduction, replacement heifer quality, feed costs and asset base to make the operation more efcient and competitive in the marketplace. Another key message throughout the expo was to maintain cow health and milk quality. “What you feed your cows is important,” said Abby Neu, University of Minnesota extension. Neu shared the results of different types of hay rakes on ash content in alfalfa. Choosing a hay rake that minimizes ash content produces more desirable forages, provides greater digestion efciency and aids in better milk quality. “‘Science of Mastitis,’” presented to bilingual dairy laborers and herd managers was well received,” said Alison Rickeman, Minnesota Dairy Initiative Representative and Carver County Dairy Core Team member. “The goal is to engage every level of the labor force in dairy education.” “When we understand the anatomy and physiology of the udder, we can grasp how bacteria in the environment can enter the udder and cause infection. This infection can also be transmitted to healthy cows,” said Javier Lara, herdsman, Enchanted Dairy of Little Falls, Minn. Shannon Seifert related the impact of mastitis on the dairy industry and how preventing mastitis infections can be controlled by keeping the environment clean. Following proper milking procedures will result in healthier cows, improved conception rate, better tasting milk, improved cheese yield and longer shelf life of milk products. “Good communication leads to a more successful farming operation,” Betty Berning, University of Minnesota extension, said during her workshop. Whether it’s husband to wife, parents to children, manager to employee, good communication minimizes unmet expectations, reduces conict and helps generate better ideas. Understanding communication styles can bridge the gap between generations, personal culture and genders. Willingness to engage in positive communication results in better relationships. This year’s line-up of speakers at the Carver County Dairy Expo was timely with the current economic conditions. The key messages were to stay positive; we have a world to feed; keep cows healthy for better milk quality; track and improve your nancials and dairy production benchmarks; and keep communicating to build better relationships. Now that the expo has passed, take these strategies to improve your operation and prepare to feed the growing world. The year 2042 is just 25 years away.
For Sale or Rent:
BALE WRAPPER X2 The TL5500 AX2 is equipped with a powerful automatic wrapping cycle that is perfect for bale wrapping with only one person. The adjustable switches make it easy to set the cycle according to any bale length.
TLR 5000 - Special $27,200 TL 5500 - Special $30,800
NEW VIENNA AG AUTOMATION 563-921-2896 • 7264 Iowa Street, New Vienna, Iowa 52065
Planning early-season alfalfa harvests using environmental information Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 29
By Reagan L. Noland & M Scott Wells U of M Dept. of Agronomy and Plant Genetics
As spring approaches, alfalfa growers need to keep a plan in mind for optimizing the nutritive value and yield of the rst harvest. Now is a good time to refresh on different strategies for in-eld prediction of alfalfa nutritive value, and when and how they should be used. Some crop growth predictions are based on environmental information, whereas others are based on direct measurements of the crop in the eld. Tracking the accumulation of growing degree days (GDD), is a common approach to estimating the growth and maturity of a crop in the eld based on actual temperature conditions rather than calendar days. GDD are calculated by subtracting a base temperature from the average of daily high (Tmax) and low (Tmin) temperatures as shown in the equation below. The resulting value is an indicator of how high temperatures were relative to the minimum required temperature for plant growth to occur. This base temperature for alfalfa is 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, cumulative GDD (the addition of all GDD to date) are an indicator of how much warm weather has accumulated throughout the growing season up to a given point. In situations where heat is the only limiting factor (ample water and nutrients, no pest pressure, etc.), GDD accumulation is an excellent predictor of crop growth. Consequently, the early growing season leading up to the rst harvest (when moisture is not usually limited) is the time of year when GDD estimations are most accurate for alfalfa nutritive value. Later in the season, estimations of nutritive value should be based on physical measurements of maturity, height, or a combination using the Predictive Equations for Alfalfa Quality system (PEAQ). Information on PEAQ can be found online at the University of Wisconsin extension website. GDDalfalfa= ((T_max+T_min)/2)-41 In the upper Midwest, general recommendations are to plan the rst cut near the accumulation of 700 to 750 GDD (Lee et al. 2010). This is intended to achieve an NDF concentration near 35 percent at harvest, resulting in NDF concentrations near 40 percent (RFV ~150) when used as feed or sold as hay. This recommendation is consistent with observed values in an alfalfa trial at Rosemount, Minn., in 2015 (Figure 1); however, the best approach is to identify the target specic to your production goals and your region. If records are available to compare alfalfa harvest dates and corresponding nutritive value from previous years, online tools such as the Midwest Climate Center tool cli-MATE (http://mrcc.isws.illinois.edu/ CLIMATE) can enable calculation of cumulative GDD values from specic days in previous years. Remember to adjust the base temperature value to 41 degrees Fahrenheit F. When looking back at the number of cumulative GDD at the time of harvest, consider whether desired forage quality was obtained. Understanding the relationship between environmental conditions and forage quality highlights the importance of maintaining farm records that include harvest date, forage nutritive value (NDF, ADF, CP) , and yield. These comparisons will indicate whether you harvested too early, too late, or met your goal, and will inform future harvests based on cumulative GDD. Recent averages from Rosemount, Minn., indicate GDD accumulation to reach 700 around May 25 (Figure 2). However, with climatic uctuations each year and different goals among producers, it is important to keep a close eye on current and forecasted conditions in your specic area. As this information is used, remember that GDD-based estimations of forage nutritive value are most consistent for the rst harvest. Later in the season, when other environmental factors become more limiting, direct measurements (growth staging) or lab analysis may be required to obtain accurate predictions of nutritive value. Even though these methods can provide useful information, they are labor intensive, time consuming, and are seldom adequate for eld-scale assessments. Ongoing research at the University of Minnesota (http://z.umn.edu/alfvalue) is investigating the value of remote sensing technologies to inform predictions of alfalfa nutritive value. These tools have potential to provide timely information at the eld scale.
THE NO COMPROMISE FABRIC STRUCTURE
Figure 1. Alfalfa neutral detergent ber (NDF) concentration relative to cumulative growing degree days (Noland et al. 2017).
Figure 2. Average accumulation of alfalfa growing degree days (GDD) at Rosemount, Minn., from 2014-2016 (Noland et al. 2017).
BUNKER SILOS
DAIRY, MACHINERY & HAY STORAGE
Commercial Agri Buildings
CALL FOR S WINTER DISCOUNT
WE ALSO SELL REPLACEMENTTARPS!
Single and Truss Arch available from 20’-120’ wide Flo-Coat® Galvanized Steel Tubing Supplied by Allied Tube & Conduit Heaviest gauge steel in the industry Pre-engineered truss buildings
NELSON’S AGRI STRUCTURES
Dean Nelson • Central and Northern Minnesota • Grove City, MN • 320-857-2633, Cell 320-699-3297
RIVERSIDE HOOP BARNS, INC.
US Hwy. 75 At IA/MN Stateline • Steen, MN • 507-392-2870 • Fred A. Tilstra & Sons
LANGE CONSTRUCTION & CONCRETE
Duke Lange • Swanville, MN • 320-290-0859
LAKESIDE HOOP STRUCTURES, LLC
Eastern Minnesota and Wisconsin • Harris, MN • 651-248-6302 • Craig Moline
ASK US ABOUT GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR HAY STORAGE
AVAILABLE IN ONE OR MULTIPLE BAY DESIGN • 8-1/2’ or 12’ high bunkers available • Panels are bolted together and moveable
AL’S
CONCRETE PRODUCTS 1-800-982-9263
Serving Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin Since 1965
www.alsconcreteproducts.com
More power
Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017
It’s true what they say. The more things change, Why don’t you let me tweak it with an Atomic Turthe more they stay the same. bocharger Video Card and a Hypersonic Audio AcFor instance, when I rst began writing my col- celerator?” umn, I used an old Epson Whenever he said Equity 1 computer. Old is the something s like that, I had a operative term here, which, N Not only l could ld the h JJohn h D Deere ready reply. This is because in the case of the electronDad and I had a similar conics industry, means any piece A pull larger implements, it ict when I was a teenager. of hardware that’s been out could also go faster. When I was growing of its box for more than one up, u we farmed with equiphour. ment m that could have easily Our eldest son was 15 at the time and a total com- been classied as antique. I spent innumerable hours puter whiz (aren’t all teenage boys computer whiz- jostling along on the seat of our 1945 John Deere B zes?) He constantly gave me static about my stone- (which Dad considered to be a training tractor) and aged computer. dreaming of the day when I might get to pilot our “Geez, Dad,” he’d say, “That thing is so slow, an mighty John Deere A. abacus could beat it. And its memory is so puny, you I was in seventh heaven when I nally got to drive can’t even play Thermonuclear Space Warrior Vixens. the A. I could not believe the quantum leap in power
YOU HAVE ROBOTS? We have feeding solutions that
work.
ADM has the experience and products
The Dick family, owners of Dick Haven
that will help you meet important robot feeding objectives—nutritional integrity, pellet durability and alluring palatability, but don’t just take it from us. Ask those that really matter—our customers.
Farm in McBain, MI, are nationally recognized for producing high-quality milk. “Product consistency and a firm pellet with no feed refusals is important. The ADM pellets flow well in our system and
The Westendorp family, owners
our cows clean it up,” reports Dale Dick.
of Westvale-Vu Dairy & Mooville Creamery in Nashville, MI,
• Customized pellet specially tailored to your operation • Product manufactured with ADM patented cold pelleting technology that allows higher inclusion rate of liquid palatants • Standard, pelleted, robotic feeds For more information on ADM robotic milking system products, contact Bill Earley at 800-777-7692 or email bill.earley@adm.com
produce high-quality products from healthy, comfortable,
and performance. Not only could the A pull larger implements, it could also go faster. It was like going from a Model T to a Corvette. As the day wore on and I grew accustomed to the A, I began to daydream. I pondered over that deep, philosophical question which has driven the wheels of progress since the dawn of time; the same question that gets so many guys into hot water. I won- Dear County Agent Guy dered: if a relatively small improvement in horsepower made that much difference, what would an even larger increase do? I fantasized about outtting the A’s twocylinder engine with a supercharger. Perhaps I could further boost its oomph with fuel injecBy Jerry Nelson tion and a set of headers. Then I made a leap Columnist of logic that’s the sort of stuff that separates the men from the boys. Why mess with the existing engine at all? Why not go to an aircraft bone yard and scrounge up a WWII airplane engine? A brave new world of possibilities opened before my eyes. Perhaps I could nd a power plant that once sent ghter planes screaming across the heavens. Maybe I would get really lucky and happen across the holy grail of piston power – a Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12. I could imagine the lazy “blub, blub” of the enormous Merlin idling as I pulled onto a eld that needed plowing. Lining up with the last furrow, I would slowly advance the throttle until all 12 cylinders roared with their full-throated battle cry. As the Merlin’s thunder shook the earth, I would pull the rope to trip the plow into the ground and engage the A’s clutch. The A would leap forward with such force that I would be thrown against its backrest and would be obliged to hang on to its steering wheel in order to stay on the operator’s platform. The lugs of its rear wheels would turn into a blur of rubber and dust; the plow would throw the rich, black soil 10 feet or more. I would reach the opposite end of the eld in a matter of seconds. Yes, owning a 2,500 horsepower John Deere A would make eld work a snap. And as a bonus, I might be able to win a few drag races on weekends. The only obstacle was Dad. He was old-fashioned and would never agree to such an obviously modern and forward-thinking plan. I argued until the cows (literally) came home, but he held fast to his stodgy, fuddy-duddy ways. His stubbornness nearly drove me nuts. The shoe was on the other foot when our son began to give me a hard time about my computer’s antiquated hard drive. I answered his criticism with the same words Dad often used. “She may be old, and she may be slow, but she’ll get the job done by and by.” This nearly drove our eldest son nuts. “Yeah,” he said, “But what if you had to send out one of your columns real quick-like? How could you do it without email?” “Well, smarty, I guess I would simply have to do things the old-fashioned way. I would send it by fax.” 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.
productive cows. “We demand high-quality, palatable pellets that work in our robotic system. With ADM pellets, the quality is right and the price is competitive,” says Carlyle Westendorp.
ADMAnimalNutrition.com 800-777-7692
HOOF TRIMMING
Call today to get your cows tuned up for more milk production! • I use the 5 Step Functional Hoof Trimming, which is the Gold Standard. 10 ft. Foot • Gentle with cows Baths For Sale • Large Dairy Experience • Over 100,000 cows trimmed in the last 10 years! • Professional Hoof Care in the Midwest since 2003 • Lifetime of dairy knowledge • Graduate of Dairyland Hoof Care Institute Drink Milk We offer foot bath systems with a money back guarantee! Drink Milk
JUSTIN ADDY’S BOVINE HOOF CARE Avon, MN Covering MN, SD, IA, & WI
320-200-1221
Time for a Milk Break
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 31
When I was in elementary school, I always looked forward to milk break. Not only did it break up the long mornings, but I got to have a cookie or snack and enjoy a small carton of chocolate milk. Chocolate milk was a real treat for me when I was growing up. We never bought milk from a store. It was straight from the bulk tank. If we wanted chocolate milk – it was a spoonful of Nesquik to mix into our glass of milk. I don’t know what milk break means to my kids in school now. I know they always razz me if I forget to pack a snack in their backpacks. I think my boys look forward to the fruit snacks more than the milk. But, I know they appreciate the break in the day just the same as I did. It is with this same intention – offering a fun, entertaining break in your day – that Dairy Star will now be offering a weekly E-newsletter for people who sign up to receive it. It is called Dairy By Andrea Borgerding Star Milk Break. Staff Writer My co-worker, Cassie Olson, and I will be coordinating Dairy Star’s E-newsletter. Together, we have been brainstorming ideas on what to include in our weekly letter. We are aiming for something short, informative, fun, engaging and straight from the mouth of my supervisor – not boring. Through all of this brainstorming, we have come to the realization that there are lots of tidbits of information out there we can’t always include in Dairy Star. These tidbits are pperfect for our Milk Break – Dairy D i SStar will ill now b be offering ff i a like surveys or polls, jokes cartoons, contests and weekly E-newsletter for people and trivia, technology tips, new who sign up to receive it. product features and special aaccomplishments by students oor industry professionals. With our goal in mind for this newsletter, we have set to work to our latest endeavor and would enjoy hearing from you on what you would like to read during your milk break. If you would like to be included in the mailing of our newsletter being launched next month, please email me at andrea.b@dairystar. com. We want this to be something worth taking a break for in your busy lives. And, if you have any information you would like included in the newsletter, please email me or Cassie (cassie.o@dairystar.com). We’ll consider any suggestions – birth announcements, fun photos from the barn, dairy recipes, your favorite joke or a story. Somehow, I wish I could send out a small carton of chocolate milk with our E-newsletter – just for old times sake.
TOMORROW
’S CHALLENGES ARE ANYTHING BUT
CUT AND DRIED.
A NEW WORLD DEMANDS NEW HOLLAND. Earning a reputation for the most consistent, even dry-down doesn’t happen by chance. Making high-quality hay begins with a precise cut, and the Discbine® disc mower-conditioner is built to slice through field after field. The WideDry™ conditioning systems ensure that you’ll have uniform conditioning, unconditionally. See what 120 years of hay tools expertise can do for your operation at EquippedForANewWorld.com
EQUIPPED FOR A NEW WORLD™
©2016 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. “New Holland” is a trademark registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or 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.
Stop S top B By yO One ne O Off T These hes New Holland Dealers For Details...
MELROSE IMPLEMENT INC.
MELROSE, MN 320-256-4253
SCHLAUDERAFF IMPLEMENT
LITCHFIELD, MN 320-693-7277
A & C Farm Service
PAYNESVILLE, MN 888-365-1898
ADKINS EQUIPMENT INC.
DETROIT LAKES, MN 218-847-4587
MODERN FARM EQUIPMENT
SAUK CENTRE, MN 320-352-6543 PIERZ, MN 320-468-2161
Double E
Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017
What factors have inuenced the most changes in agriculture? That was a question posed to me earlier this year by people from the Minnesota Historical Society. My mind immediately started going through a list of changes in the last 30 years that have inuenced our farm, but they wanted to know how agriculture in Minnesota has changed over the last 100 years. I may not know the answer, but I knew someone who would. The Oliver Kelley Historical Farm is a learning center about farm life in the 1860s operated by the Minnesota Historical Society. It is located just northwest of the Twin Cities along the Mississippi River. Thousands of school children have been on class trips to the farm to experience life in the early days of our statehood. Our kids were most excited about seeing oxen pulling a plow. Recently, the Kelley farm has changed their focus, thanks in large part to our commodity groups. They are maintaining the original 1860 farm along the river bottom, but up the hill on the sand plains, they have developed a new modern farm system to demonstrate today’s agriculture. Now, they needed stories of the changes that
occurred between these two farm sites. I invited Deon and Leslie to have lunch with our family to talk about the changes we have seen on our farm over the last 80 years. My father-in-law, Ralph, has lived through many of the changes in agriculture this past century. (He turned 91 earlier this month.) The two girls scribbled down notes as Mark and Ralph talked farming. This was a perfect day for these two guys as two young ladies hung on their every word. It was great listening to the stories of days gone by and the vision of changes on the horizon. After two hours of picking and sorting through memories, the girls had all their questions answered. They were going to combine these stories with others to create a dialogue for their guides to explain changes in agriculture to the visitors of the Kelley farm. The narrative will explain how weather events, wars, economic booms and busts, politics and other events inuenced the way we operated our farms. It was interesting to see how our everyday farm life was tied in with historical events over the last century.
MAX A MIZE YOUR
FORAGE NDFD 9% 17% INCREASE INCREASE
DRY MATTER DIGESTIBILITY
FORAGE NDFD
Know Your Diet Digest Ability Because You Can’t Afford to Overfeed or Underfeed Your Cows.
Digest Ability the Healthy Natural Way
FOR A FREE APPARENT NUTRIENT DIGESTIBILITY ASSAY
Call 816-351-3790
St. Joseph, MO • 1-800-821-3070 • www.biozymeinc.com
Now back to the original question. What factors have contributed to the most changes on our farm? My take away from the conversation that day could be summed up as the Double E’s – electricity and education. These two factors have been the driving force in shaping Just Thinking Out Loud the changes around our farm and farms across the nation. Ralph talked about how he and the neighbors had to plead with the electric co-op to keep coming westward to our township. The co-op said there wasn’t enough of a customer base to cover their expenses of expanding in the area. Several By Natalie Schmitt farm neighbors banded Columnist together and traveled over an hour to the co-op headquarters for a board meeting to present a proposal. The farmers would clear a path through the woods and help anchor the poles if the co-op would continue to string the power lines to their farms. The reason these farmers pushed so hard to get electricity to their farms was because a few of them had their own power plants on their farms. Sixteen two-volt batteries were connected to operate a generator. The power was used to run the milk pump, water pump, refrigerator and lights in the house and barn. The power plants had a 10-year life and were coming to an end. Either the farmers had to invest in new batteries or extend the electrical lines. The power lines were installed in 1949. Agriculture was being pulled into the 20th Century, and it was half done. I have a hard time imagining what farming would be like without electricity. With the ick of a switch, we can move hundreds of pounds of feed from silos to mixers to cows. We have instant hot water for calf milk and cooling plates for bulk tanks. We can milk a hundred cows without a single cramp in our hand. How could we use all of today’s technology without electricity? Yes, today’s computerization is creating another leap in advancements for agriculture, but it can’t be done without the juice. Electricity revolutionized agriculture and ushered in a new era of growth and development which we enjoy today. The second “E” is education. Each generation has expanded their knowledge base. Ralph’s dad had an eighth grade education. (What they learned in those eight years would equal a master’s degree today.) He farmed like his father and brothers. If you worked hard enough, you would be OK. Ralph earned his high school diploma. When he came back to the farm, he enrolled in adult farm management classes. These classes were practical, hands on applications about nances, bookkeeping, fertilizer application, crop rotations and other university extension research. Mark earned his two-year degree from the University of Minnesota-Waseca in dairy production. His classes were geared toward how to manage a farm in the ‘80s. Today, all four of our children will earn their four-year degree in a variety of majors, but all surrounding an aspect of agriculture. Some may even go on towards a master’s degree. You still need to know how to put your head down and work, but that is only part of the equation to survive in farming today. We must be open to new ideas and technology and willing to incorporate new thinking into solving old problems. I think today’s education factor is yesterday’s electricity factor in the revolutionary changes in agriculture. As electricity was a springboard into the 20th Century for farmers, education will be the springboard into the 21st Century for the next signicant changes in farming. It looks like it is going to be a fun ride. Natalie, Mark and his brother, Al, Schmitt farm together near Rice, Minn. They milk 100 registered Holsteins under the RALMA prex. Their four children are great help around the farm and are pushing Natalie out of several jobs. Therefore she is thankful to have something else to do. For questions or comments please email Natalie at mnschmitt@jetup.net.
FEED BUNKS
• H-Bunks • Fenceline Bunks • 115 Bu. Steer Stuffer • Individual Yard Bunks • Bunker Silo Backed by over 40 years proven experience!
PRECAST SYSTEMS Hwy. 12, Darwin, MN 55324
1-888-693-8440 • www.darwinconcrete.com
Be bold, be crazy, be all in
Bold: showing an ability to take risks; condent and courageous. Crazy: extremely enthusiastic; foolish. All in: fully committed; prepared to give all of one’s energy toward something Twelve years ago, when we decided to quit our jobs and start dairy farming, more than one person told us we were crazy. From Dairy Good Life their perspective, they couldn’t understand the risk we were taking; it was foolish to give up regular hours, benets and weekends off. Our farming decisions have been called crazy several times since. However, those ideas that look crazy on the surface have always been the result of carefully weighed risks and benets. Bold, yes. Foolish, no. We made another crazy decision last weekend. Our oldest cow, Danara, started her tenth lactation a couple weeks ago. She calved in with a heifer, her fourth – a pretty little spotted calf we named Darling. By Sadie Frericks Danara seemed to be off to a great start. But Columnist when she came in with the switch group on Saturday night, it was clear she didn’t feel good. Grass hay and aspirin didn’t help. On Sunday morning, Glen got his stethoscope. “She’s got an RDA,” he said after listening. I started fretting about the diagnosis before Glen nished speaking. There’s a reason why Danara has been with us for 12 years. She’s one of those hardy, resilient cows that quietly calves, breeds back and milks. A webinar presenter recently referred to cows like Danara as invisible cows. Now Danara was the center of our attention. We talked about whether or not to proceed with surgery. The oldest cow in the herd always holds a place of special fondness and appreciation. I can still remember when Danara was born. Her mother, D’Neel, was due to calve while we were away at a wedding. My dad and sister were doing chores for us, so they were the ones that brought her in and got her off to a good start. The name Danara comes from a combination of Danny and Sara, my dad’s and sister’s names. She’s the last of our cows who was born up north and came with us when we moved to Stearns County. As much as I didn’t want to lose Danara, I wasn’t sure a cow her age was the best candidate for high-risk surgery. RDAs can be complicated and recovery rates aren’t spectacular. I composed myself and said the awful words, “Maybe it would be best to euthanize her.” Glen disagreed. And I’ve never been so glad to hear him counter. Usually, I’m the optimist and he’s the realist. “We’ve had good luck with RDA surgeries, and she’s in great condition,” he said. I was starting to say something about Glen’s commitment to saving cows and second chances when he said, “You know I’ve always been all in.” Truly, he has. An hour later, our vet was here. We moved Danara to ...those h id ideas that h llook k crazy on the front stall so the vet would the surface have always been the have more room, and I could keep milking. My dad and his result of carefully weighed risks girlfriend were here for the and benefits. weekend, w so they watched the surgery s along with Glen and the kids. The surgery went well; we caught the twist early, so there were no complications. As I kept milking, I reected on the importance of being all in. Growing up, my parents set a strong example of what it means to be fully engaged. They never said it out loud, but it was clear that lukewarm involvement wasn’t acceptable. If you were going to do something, or be something, or join something, you were expected to give it your all. A couple weeks ago at my cooperative’s annual meeting, our board chair, Pete Kappelman, shared a similar message: We need farmers to engage and contribute – by sharing our stories with consumers, by getting involved in our cooperative and by participating in political advocacy. “This is our time to be all in,” Pete said. And it’s not just our co-op. All of dairy needs engaged, enthusiastic farmers – on the farm, in the boardroom, in our state and national capitols, and as advocates for our way of life. It’s too early to tell if Danara will make a full recovery or not, but I know Glen will do everything he can to help her along. With any luck, we’ll look back and say that was a bold move, but it was the right one. If not, at least we gave it our all. 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.
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 33
Generators for small to large dairies. Over 200 units currently on hand … 30kw up to 1000kw. Call Jay for your generator needs.
Peak load shaving compliant units available. “We have had the generator for about 1 year and so far it has been trouble free! It is important that it is reliable and so far it has been just that!” - Jeremy VanEss
HoÁand Enterprises Inc.
3189 Silver Ave., Sanborn, IA 51248 712-348-7119
FARM RAISED SINCE 1965
PUSHING THE LIMITS OF AGRIBUSINESS PERFORMANCE Ready to work, Mustang Compact Equipment comes standard with the right power needed to tackle the biggest tasks. Building its first skid-steer in 1965, Mustang loaders have pushed the limits of durability, setting new industry standards. CHOOSE G E N U I N E
We BUY, SELL, TRADE used dairy equipment and milk tanks WE SPECIALIZE IN USED DAIRY EQUIPMENT.
Milking machine equipment, bulk milk tanks and cooling equipment. Give us a call, we will be glad to help you with any of your milking machine or bulk tank needs.
We also BUY your used equipment and milk tanks.
SALVAGE HOUSE
424 Third Street, Fullerton, NE 68638 • 800-844-5427
™
P A R T S
FOR YOUR MUSTANG EQUIPMENT
MANCHESTER Livestock Auction, Inc.
CALL YOUR AREA MUSTANG DEALER TODAY!
(40 miles west of Dubuque, Iowa on 4 lane Highway 20)
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL DEALER FOR MORE INFORMATION:
DAIRY SALES 2nd Fridays Monthly at 11:00 AM Selling 150 to 250 Head
Sheep and Goats sell at 9:30 AM
Northland Farm Systems Owatonna, MN
Lake Henry Implement
Lake Henry, MN
A Top Notch Equipment Plymouth, MN
563-927-2540
www.manchesterauction.com
www.mu stangmfg .com
Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017
KURA & Cirrus
UXEEHU Ă RRULQJ IRU FRQFUHWH ZDONLQJ DUHDV SDUORUV DQG ODQHV 9LVLW XV DW &3'; %RRWK
(800) 800-5824 www.agromatic.net
MN Sales Rep - Matt Bendert - (605) 670-2213 WI Sales Rep - Erik Niemeier - (608) 574-6046
" %
Barn Lighting, Sheds, Fans, Trenching, Irrigation, Homes & More!
Master Electrician, Owner Lic. #CA03435
•
C
.M. ELEC E.A Bob Meyer TRI . B
We Offer the Following Agricultural Services:
!
Need an Electrician?
E lectric Cell:
320-761-1042 Serving Central Minnesota
Forage inventory: How much is enough?
Much of the Midwest is less than one month away from spring planting. How did the alfalfa make it through winter? Will we have any late frosts this spring? We have plenty of unanswered questions at this point. Fundamentally, all questions come back to having enough good-quality feed for your dairy cows. Forage quality and harvest strategies can be ďƒ&#x;ushed out in future articles. My goal today is to share some forage inventory strategies to consider. Adequate forage inventory seems to carry a few deďƒžnitions. Storage structure can play a role in these decisions. In the case of narrow bunkers with back walls and top-unloading upright silos, the goal might be to run out of feed the day you start chopping to maximize capacity for the new harvest. Some look at having a minimal carryover supply of four to ďƒžve weeks to allow for new feeds to partially ferment. A third group of producers have a goal of four to six months of carryover, at least in the case of corn silage. Although this inventory has a value, the cost of not having it can be more signiďƒžcant. While some advantages come with allowing haylage to ferment and stabilize, the value of corn silage carryover can be much greater. Corn silage ďƒžber digestibility will show some improvement through the ensiling process, but the greater impact relates to starch digestibility. A similar relationship exists with high moisture corn, earlage and snaplage. Optimal harvest moisture and adequate processing are both key components to accelerating this process. Here’s what happens. Starch molecules are locked in by a protein matrix called prolamins. Prolamins will break down under ideal fermentation conditions and signiďƒžcantly improve starch digestibility, but the process may be slower than we realize. Research has shown starch digestibility continues to improve well
beyond four to ďƒžve months post-ensiling. Hence the beneďƒžt of having multiple months of carryover. Although it increases storSomething to Ruminate On age space and inventory costs, improved starch digestibility leads to greater milk production. Many farms routinely monitor forage inventory. Now is a good time to assess where you are. In some situations, total forage inventory is low. One By Barry Visser option may be to purchase baled hay. While Nutritionist current prices are favorable, consistently ďƒžnding the desired quality may be challenging. Incorporating higher-ďƒžber byproducts, such as corn gluten feed, soyhulls, cottonseed or beet pulp, may also be an option. All can be fed at an aggressive level as long as sufďƒžcient physically effective ďƒžber is maintained in the ration. Targeting these byproducts to differing stages of lactation can also be a valuable strategy to maintain milk production and moderate body condition. As the wheels start to turn in the ďƒželd, take a hard look at your current forage inventory. Consider what you want this inventory to look like 10 to 12 months from now. We have no idea what the 2017 growing season will bring. While most seed needs are allocated, you may still have time to modify if the need arises. Adjustments can be made both in the ďƒželds and at the feed center. Barry Visser is a dairy specialist for Vita Plus. To contact Visser, email bvisser@vitaplus.com.
SINCE 2003
DCC Waterbeds Junior for Young Stock
• Minimal Maintenance and Bedding • Unparalleled Durability • Consistent Comfort • Easy Transition to Milking Herd • 10-year limited warranty “My goal was to raise a really nice heifer and a really comfortable heifer with as little maintenance as we could. We don’t use a single ounce of bedding on the waterbeds. I think the waterbeds are the best for the heifers to lay down on for comfort and maintenance, rather than go to sand and have those complications. I recommend the waterbeds for heifers, for sure.â€? - Majestic View Dairy, Lancaster, WI 500 heifers • 460 DCC Waterbeds Junior
$5/BED MAIL IN REBATE
OɈer valid on DCC Waterbeds ISO purchases made January 2 – May 1, 2017 (U.S. and Canada only) For complete rebate details visit: www.DCCWaterbeds.com/rebate Rebates must be postmarked or emailed no later than June 1, 2017.
Contact a DCC Waterbeds dealer near you: Dairy Services, Inc. - Stratford, WI Fuller’s Milker Center Inc. - Lancaster, WI Field’s - Mount Horab, WI Eastern Iowa Dairy Systems - Epworth, IA Scharine Group - Whitewater, WI Livestock Systems - Charles City, IA K&R Equipment - Fountain, MN
Komro Sales & Service - Durand, WI Midwest Livestock Systems - Pine Island, MN & Sioux Falls, SD Dairyland Equipment - Plainview, MN Ross Equipment - Lonsdale, MN United Development LLC- Brookings, SD Preston Dairy - Sparta, WI Leedstone - Melrose, MN & Glencoe, MN
www.DCCWaterbeds.com | (608) 709-2693 Advanced Comfort Technology, Inc. Š 2017
A career change
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 35
Schoenberg returns to his roots on dairy By Jennifer Coyne & Mark Klaphake Staff writers
BELGRADE, Minn. – After Mike Schoenberg graduated high school in 2001, he worked various jobs, getting further and further away from his home dairy farm. But at 34 years old, Schoenberg has returned, and is ready to raise his family in the same lifestyle he grew up in. Mike and his wife, Jackie, and their two young children – Jameson, 8 months old, and Stella, 2 – milk 53 cows at Mike’s home farm near Belgrade, Minn. They are currently renting the 200-acre farm site from Mike’s parents, Jim and Sharon. “If it were 10 years ago and someone would’ve asked me if I was going to be milking cows, I don’t think I would’ve known that,” Mike said. “I milked cows for so long growing up that I thought maybe there was something else out there for me.” However, in 2013, shortly after the Schoenbergs wed, Mike slowly found his way home as a milk truck driver, and on Sept. 15, 2015, he became a full-time dairyman. “Driving truck was how I knew a farmer was selling his cows, and I knew it was a good herd close to home,” said Mike, who had already begun raising
Holstein steers on his parents’ farm. In preparing for the herd dispersal and milking on his family’s property, Mike and his dad created an arrangement, which would allow Mike to return to the farm site, using all the buildings, while his parents stopped milking and moved to their residence nearby. “We had originally asked Dad to put more cows in the barn to keep it running, but we were already at the point where he was ready to retire,” Mike said. “If we wanted to milk cows, we had to do it on our own.” With an agreement in place, the father-son duo planned for Mike’s career in the dairy industry. Throughout the summer of 2015, Mike installed four automatic take-off units, rewired the barn and changed out the vacuum line. He also placed new mattresses in the tiestalls, and added more fans for better ventilation and cow comfort. “Dad’s barn only sat empty for a short time before my herd came in,” Mike said. “We were able to run the barn changes through Dad’s herd so everything was tuned and tweaked by fall.”
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Mike Schoenberg milks 53 cows with his wife, Jackie, and two young children near Belgrade, Minn. Schoenberg began milking Sept. 15, 2015, in his parents’ Ɵestall barn, which he currently rents. Mike purchased springing heifers throughout the summer, and then the 40-cow herd that was for sale, as well as a few from his dad. By September 2015, the Schoenbergs were milking 65 cows. However, with Jackie working full time in Buffalo, Minn.,
the Schoenbergs quickly realized the herd would have to be smaller for Mike to manage alone. “It just got to the point that I couldn’t handle 65 by myself,” Mike said. “We cut back to 53, and that’s seemed like a decent number to work with.” Every morning, Mike milks
the cows, feeds the calves and completes other chores while Jackie gets the kids ready and is off to work by 6 a.m. When she returns home for the evening at 5:30, she feeds calves and helps with other chores. “It’s hectic trying to balance a full-time job and helping at
Turn to SCHOENBERG | Page 37
WHO SAYS THEY HAVE 140 LUMENS PER WATT?
WE DO!
THE LEADER IN LED LIGHTING! Just Hang and Plug it in!
500 plus vehicles to choose from 8 Brands!
Replaces 400W-1000W metal halide.
LED Wall Packs /Flood Lights
Available wattages: 30, 50, 70, 140 ,200, 300
Full line of Farm, Commercial, Personal, Trucks & Vans
140
Lumen/Watt
SCR/B-15WLED
LED HB/C80-150, 200, 300, 400W-120/277
• 160° beam spread. • 10-year LED chip warranty • 5-year LED driver warranty
140
• 360º beam angle • 5 years at 100% warranty
Lumen/Watt
140
Lumen/Watt
140
TL18W-85/ Lumen/Watt 145ED-6’-30K,65K TL18W-175/285ED-6’-30K,65K • 220° light beam angle • 5 years (100%) + 5 years (pro-rated) warranty • 3000K and 6500K color temperature • Extension cords available in 5 ft. and 10 ft. lengths • 30 watt available in ‘V’-Style and Standard Tubes
CBM CAN DIM ANY LED LIGHT
LED Wall Pack Available wattages: 30, 50
WP fixtures
www karautogrou www.karautogroup.com
AWC fixtures
If you’re considering upgrading or adding lights to your existing facility, give CBM a call. We’ve got the answer.
• 4-ft long • 8-ft long • Available in T-8, T-5, and LED • Available in T-8, T-5 and LED • Available with 1, 2, or 3 tubes • Available with 4 or 6 tubes
LED
160
Lumen/Watt
Metal Strip Lights
MS-220 (4 ft.) MS-420 (8 ft.)
MS-320 (4 ft.) MS-620 (8 ft.)
Available with LED, T-8, T-5 4 ft. bulbs
LED
160
Lumen/Watt
TRUSTED, TESTED, LEADERS IN THE INDUSTRY. CBM Lighting NORTH AMERICAN
MADE PRODUCTS
JIM HEHENBERGER J ‘n J Sales
S9217 Slotty Rd Prairie du Sac, WI 53578 jandjsales4@gmail.com 608.963.9485 (c) • 608.544.2421 (h)
RICHARD PEDERSON Pederson Sales
220 Schendel St, Box 145 • Blomkest, MN 56216 rmmcl@frontiernet.net 320.905.3725 (c) • 320.995.6403 (h)
Ag Solutions Plus, national representative for CBM Lighting in the US (540) 433-1840 • www.agsolutionsplus.com
Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017
Women In Jeans Mary Hettinga Orange City, Iowa Sioux County 130 cows
Family: Jason and I will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary this June. We have four children: Meghan, 16, Lane, 14, Maren, 12, and Madison, 9. The kids help on the farm between school and church activities. Tell us about your farm. We have registered Jerseys. Our 2016 ME Average was 18,918 pounds of milk, 907 pounds of fat and 731 pounds of protein. We raise our own heifers. We sell our milk to Agropur in Hull, Iowa, for cheese production. We rent 70 acres to grow silage and purchase the rest of our feed. We also keep our bull calves and market the beef. What’s the busiest time of day for you? Mornings are denitely the busiest time of day. We usually get up at 5 a.m. Getting the chores done and kids out the door on time makes for hectic mornings. When you get a spare moment what do you like to do? I like to be in the kitchen when I have extra time. I love to cook and bake. I will look online for new recipes or different ways to cook some of our old favorites, and try new things whenever I get a chance. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. One of my most memorable farm experiences was when we were knocking down an old block silo to make room for more calf hutches. Jason and I, along with our hired man, were following a plan to knock out the old staves so the silo would fall over to an empty space we had cleared. The silo started to lean so every one got back out of the way as Jason tapped out the last stave. The silo rst tipped the way we wanted it to go, and then it swung and started falling a different direction towards my dad and our son, Lane, who was 3 at the time. As it slowly fell over, Dad and Lane kept backing up as the rubble from the silo rolled up to within a couple feet from where they were standing.
What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? The thing I enjoy most about dairy farming is how my family works together and spends time together. We have discussed everything in the parlor from religion and politics to philosophy and sports with a lot of math facts and spelling words in between. I also enjoy being able to produce a healthy wholesome product to feed the world. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? Jason and I try to attend the Central Plains Dairy Expo every year. I also read periodicals. In your opinion, what’s the importance of women in today’s dairy industry and how have you seen that change over the years? Women today are an integral part of the dairy industry. I grew up on a dairy and had the example of many strong women who had active roles on dairy farms. Dairy women can milk the cows and manage the farm. Today, there are women consultants, veterinarians and ag lenders, just to name some of the positions women help us with on our farm. As a dairy women and a mother of three daughters, I know my girls can have any career in the dairy industry they want because of the women in the industry today. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be and why? I would invite Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and/ or Sen. Joni Ernst. I would thank them for their service and all the work they have done so far. I would share our dairy story and give them a glimpse of the joys and trials we face everyday. I would hope they could take the small insight with them and use it to improve agriculture legislation.
Joe Gill • Farm Director
What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? The best vacation I‘ve taken was with my family to the Florida gulf coast. We spent a week on the beach snorkeling, kayaking and watching beautiful sunsets. We had no schedules and just relaxed the whole week. It was awesome.
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? Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all the ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
FARM INFORMATION STATION SERVING CENTRAL MINNESOTA FOR OVER 50 YEARS
PO Box 160, Albany, MN • (320) 845-2184 • Fax (320) 845-2187
tfn
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 37
Con�nued from SCHOENBERG | Page 35
ATTENTION FARMERS... Are rocks, re-rod or holes showing in your bunker silo?
WE CAN RESTORE YOUR BUNKER TO LIKE NEW CONDITION! BUNKER SILO RESTORATION/REPAIR WITH JETCRETE Approximately 1” of steel reinforced material added to bunker walls.
• High pressure water blasting of walls for excellent bonding. • Reinforced heavy duty wire mesh installed. • Jetcrete -phnuematically applied concrete.
SILO RELINING WITH “JETCRETE”
BARN WALL & BASEMENT RESTORATION WITH “JETCRETE” B (Limestone, rock, block & concrete wall)
SERVING IA, MN, WI, IL AND SD CONTACT:
800-866-7327
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
The Schoenbergs – Jackie, holding Stella, and Mike, holding Jameson – started dairy farming in the fall of 2015 a�er purchasing a herd of milking cows and springing heifers. night, when we have two little kids who need my attention too,” Jackie said. “I leave around 6 a.m. and drop the kids off at daycare, and I don’t get home until 5:30 p.m.” Mike agreed. “Hopefully, down the road I have some helpers,” he said in reference to their two young children. Over the last 1.5 years, the Schoenbergs have adjusted to their new lifestyle, and the cows have done the same. When Mike began milking, his bulk tank average was 60 pounds, but today that average has risen 15 pounds. While part of that success may be
“I wake up every morning knowing [the cows] are mine. And then I’m grateful to go to bed and realize all we’ve accomplished.” MIKE SCHOENBERG, DAIRY PRODUCER
from Mike’s attention to his herd and drive to continue improving, the Schoenbergs also credit the family members who have helped them. Jim helps with the eldwork, as Jackie’s brother, Nick Worms, helps chop silage and the hay, and their nutritionist creates a high-quality ration. Jackie’s dad, Bob, has also been vital in managing the herd. Mike’s mom helped in the morning
until Jackie had their second child. Mike’s nephew also helps at night or if Mike needs extra help on the weekends. “I think it would be foolish to say that we’ve accomplished all of this on our own,” Mike said. “I have to give credit to everyone who is helping us – to the parents, to everyone.” The advice Mike and Jackie have received from veteran dairy producers is also appreciated, most importantly the notion that they have to do things on their own to nd the answer. “When we ran into any problems in the barn or out in the elds, we xed it and hope it doesn’t happen again,” Mike said. “But if it does, we know how to take care of it.” With more than a year under their belts, the Schoenbergs are looking forward to a long career in dairying, eventually purchasing the land, buildings and equipment from Mike’s father. “Last May, we nally got a full milk check and wasn’t splitting it with Dad to pay the bills,” Mike said. “Now we just pay him for rent.” The Schoenbergs also want to grow their herd with the goal of having Jackie return to the farm. Due to facility constraints, Mike and Jackie do not have room to raise bred heifers. Instead, they raise the bull calves to nishing weight and purchase springing heifers to add to the milking herd. With large goals in mind, Mike is taking one day at a time. “I wake up every morning, knowing [the cows] are mine,” Mike said. “And then I’m grateful to go to bed and realize all we’ve accomplished.”
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Jackie and Stella Schoenberg feed calves on March 5. A�er working all day off the farm, Jackie does calf chores every evening.
SAUK CENTRE, MN Phone 320-352-6511 Ask for Ralph or Steve
www.mmcjd.com
1.9% Interest Financing Available, 6 Years
Large Selection of Used Self-Propelled Forage Harvesters 8700, 2016, 351 Hrs, RWA, Warranty .....$439,000 8600, 2015, 549 Hrs, RWA, Warranty .....$375,000 8600, 2016, 154 Hrs, RWA, Warranty .....$439,000 8600, 2016, 148 Hrs, RWA, Warranty .....$435,000 8100, 2015, 150 Hrs, RWA, Warranty .....$279,000 7780, 2013, 963 Hrs, RWA, Warranty .....$259,000 7780, 2014, 366 Hrs, RWA, Warranty .....$345,000 7780, 2014, 409 Hrs, RWA, Warranty ....$329,000 7780, 2014, 1048 Hrs, RWA, Warranty ...$299,000 7780, 2013, 1126 Hrs, RWA, Warranty ...$299,000 7580, 2013, 610 Hrs, RWA, Warranty .....$299,000 7580, 2013, 1009 Hrs, RWA, Warranty ...$265,000 7380, 2014, 590 Hrs, RWA, Warranty .....$260,000 7180, 2015, 333 Hrs, RWA, Warranty .....$245,000 7950, 2012, 694 Hrs, RWA, Warranty .....$299,000 7850, 2008, 1600 Hrs, RWA....................$210,000 7750, 2012, 1019 Hrs, RWA, Warranty ...$245,000 7550, 2010, 1344 Hrs, RWA...................$230,000 7550, 2008, 1359 Hrs, RWA....................$219,000 7450, 2009, 1550 Hrs, RWA....................$195,000 7350, 2010, 1100 Hrs, RWA....................$199,000 7350, 2009, 1025 Hrs, RWA....................$209,000 7800, 2007, 1885 Hrs, RWA....................$179,000 7700, 2007, 1570 Hrs, RWA....................$185,000
7500, 2003, 2406 Hrs, 2WD ....................$129,000 7400, 2004, 2918 Hrs, RWA....................$135,000 6950, 1999, 2328 Hrs, RWA......................$89,000 6850, 1999, 3120 Hrs, RWA......................$85,000 6850, 1998, 3100 Hrs, 2WD ......................$78,500 6810, 1995, 3000 Hrs, RWA......................$69,500 6810, 1993, 3000 Hrs, RWA......................$64,000 6710, 1995, 2908 Hrs, RWA......................$68,500 5830, 1991, 4167 Hrs, RWA......................$37,500 5730, 1986, 4980 Hrs, RWA......................$43,900 Claas 970, 2008, 3000 Hrs, RWA ...........$199,000 Claas 960, 2013, 1312 Hrs, RWA ...........$275,000 Claas 890, 2002, 2290 Hrs, RWA ...........$135,000
Special Lease Offer $32,500 Per Year 2 Year Lease, 300 Hours Per Year John Deere 7780, 625 Horsepower, 4WD, Kernel Processor, and 10 Row Corn Head*
Call today for details on our Easy-Lease financing!
*One time advance payment $25,000 or will accept trade-in. Subject to credit approval. Other machines available for lease also. Call for details.
Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017
Y R I DA UR DNA
O Y N I IS
U O Y G N I T R O
P P SU IS IN OURS
Tim Hageman DuPont Pioneer Dairy Specialist Mark Knutson Dairy Producer
Pioneer.com/Dairy
Nikki Schulte Pioneer Sales Professional
Dairy prole
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 25, 2017 • Page 39
sponsored by
Donald and Barney Swenson Glenwood, Minn. Pope County 82 cows How did you get into farming? I’m the third generation on this farm, Barney will be the fourth. I grew up here and never moved. Janice and I bought the farm from my mom and dad in 1989. Barney came back full-time in 2005 and the partnership was formed in 2011. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? We hope the milk price stays where its at or gets a little stronger. Last year was a tough year. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? Donald: I never had an outside job. I’ve never drawn a paycheck from anything else. I like the exible hours. Barney: I like that I can keep moving all day. I used to be a welder, and What is your favorite dairy prodwe stood in the same spot for 12 uct? We both really like vanilla hours. ice cream. What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Find a banker who understands dairy farming and love what you do. If you don’t love it, don’t do it.
What is your favorite tool? Donald: The cordless grease gun. Barney: The sawzall.
What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? How did you achieve this? We built a new bedding pack barn in 2011. The cows are real comfortable, but it takes a lot of bedding.
What is your favorite technology? Why? Donald: The DHIA reports. Barney: The information we get from our farm business manager.
How do you like to spend time when you are not doing chores? What has been the best purchase Donald: I like going to auctions you’ve ever made on your farm? and talking to the neighbors. The skidloader. We do 90 percent Barney: I like to go to threshing of our feeding with the skidloader. shows.
Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. Donald: I can read cows What are your plans for your well. Barney: I am a good welder. dairy in the next ve years? Pay down debt and continue to sell If you could have a celebrity help more of the farm to Barney. you with chores for a day who would it be and why? Donald: What is your favorite thing to do Donald Trump, so I can tell him on the farm? Donald: Milk cows to throw his cell phone away. It’s and combine corn. Barney: I like getting him in trouble. Barney: doing rst crop hay. Brad Paisley.
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 25, 2017
FAST. CONSISTENT. VERSATILE.
SL 100 SERIES PROTWIN® SLINGER® SIDE-DISCHARGE SPREADER • • • •
All-new discharge provides more consistent, even spreading Exclusive twin-auger design eliminates material bridging Extended and simplified service intervals save time and money Versatility to handle the widest variety of materials
1000, 1400, 1800 and 2400 gallon capacities • trailer models
New Kuhn Knight Vertical Maxx VT 180, #2981- Call
New Kuhn Knight VT156, #2993 - Call
KuhnNorthAmerica.com
New Kuhn Knight 2054, #3557 -
New Knight 2044, #3625 -
New Kuhn Knight SL 114, #3558 -
Call
New Kuhn Knight SL124, #3598 -
Call
INVEST IN QUALITY®
Call
New Kuhn SL 118,
Call
#3589 -
New Kuhn Knight SLC 132, #3715
Call
New Kuhn GF222T, #3246 -
Call
Call
New Kuhn SR 110 GII, #3241 -
Call
Salesmen: Tony Steinhart (608) 778-3491 or Joe Ryan (608) 778-2900
4116 Hwy. 80 S. Platteville, WI
Office: (608) 348-9401 or Toll Free: 1(888) BUY-PATZ www.steinhartsfarmservice.com
4116 Hwy. 80 S. Platteville, WI