LOOK INSIDE FOR OUR CENTRAL PLAINS DAIRY EXPO PREVIEW EDITION!
DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 21, No. 2
Snow storm makes mess for hauling
March 9, 2019
Blizzard causes widespread destruction
Truckers deal with treacherous roads, Dairy producers dealing with producers dump collapsed roofs, milk fallen buildings from By Krista Kuzma late February storm krista.k@dairystar.com The blizzard the region experienced Feb. 23-25 is not one that will soon be forgotten. “It’s the kind of storm you’ll talk about forever,” said Cindy Morgan, public engagement coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Transportation and social media meteorologist. “This one might be like the 1991 blizzard. I would put it on that magnitude. When you get to the point where you can’t travel through the storm even days after dealing with it, this is quite rare.” The storm, which moved from South Dakota across southern Minnesota and northern Iowa, and into west central Wisconsin, dumped over 10 inches of wet, heavy snow in the area. The precipitation plus wind speeds reaching over 50 miles per hour caused for whiteout conditions and closed down most roads in the storm’s path. Morgan called the road conditions treacherous and impassable. “The snowplows were out as long as possible, but in the middle of this, because those drifts were getting so high, at times they were getting stuck or they would miss the road and slide off,” Morgan said. MnDOT drivers were reporting drifts over the hood of their snowplows, Morgan said. “Eventually it shifted from a response effort to a passable system for emergency vehicles,” Morgan said. Because of the impassable road conditions, many milk truck drivers had difculty on the road or were unable to make stops Feb. 24. Tim Neitzel owns Neitzel Trucking, which has 15 trucks that picks up milk in Buffalo, Trempealeau, Jackson, La Crosse, Turn to MILK | Page 5
By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
CHATFIELD, Minn. – The Hoffman family knew a blizzard would cause extra work on their dairy, but they never imagined the storm would force them to exit the business. “I was mixing feed when my dad called me and said another section of the barn [roof] had come down,” Corey Hoffman said. “I went over there and walked in to look at it. It wasn’t even two minutes and I said, ‘Dad, the cows have to go. We don’t have a choice.’” Two sections of the Hoffman family’s freestall barn Turn to BLIZZARD | Page 10
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Bridget and Corey Hoffman stand near a por�on of their freestall barn’s roof that collapsed from the weight of snow on Feb. 24. Two sec�ons of the family’s barn roof collapsed from a blizzard, forcing them to sell their 420-cow herd on their farm, North Creek Dairy, near Cha�ield, Minn.
High components help see Brandenburgs through tough times Mixed Holstein, Jersey herd earns higher milk price By Stacey Smart Contributing Writer
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Olivia Brandenburg and her father, Jim, maintain a 4.5 percent bu�erfat and 3.5 percent protein test on their 50-cow farm near Fort Atkinson, Wis. Not pictured are Jim’s wife, Peggy, and sons, Sawyer and Emerson.
FORT ATKINSON, Wis. – Like most dairy farmers across the country, Jim Brandenburg is riding out one of the industry’s longest downturns. And, although weathering the storm has been anything but easy, Brandenburg has found a way to lighten the blow of four years of bad milk prices with his herd’s components – a 4.5 percent butterfat and 3.5 protein test. “With milk prices the way they are, you need components to carry you,” Brandenburg said. “If you don’t have components, you’re behind the eight ball. But, you need good milk volume, too, in order to make this work.” Turn to BRANDENBURGS | Page 6
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Amanda Thooft 320-352-6303 amanda.t@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Andrea Borgerding - Associate Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Krista Kuzma - Assistant Editor (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048 cowlady@centurylink.net Danielle Nauman (608) 487-1101 danielle.n@dairystar.com Danna Sabolik - Staff Writer (320) 352-6303 • danna.s@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Advertising Sales Main Ofce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Jeff Weyer (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-8505 (cell) jeff.w@dairystar.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 fax: 507-634-4413 laura.s@dairystar.com Jerry Nelson (SW MN, NW Iowa, South Dakota) 605-690-6260 jerry.n@dairystar.com Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Amanda Hoeer (Eastern Iowa) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Lori Menke (Southern WI) 563-608-6477 • lori.m@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute nal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters. The views and opinions expressed by Dairy Star columnists and writers are not necessarily those of the Dairy Star LLC.
The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Dairy Star, LLC, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sauk Centre, MN and additional mailing ofces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
North America dealers. A glance at what’s inside
Dairy Prole brought to you by your
A common theme is evident on the front page of this edition of Dairy Star. With record snowfalls in February blanketing our coverage area, the weather not only directly affected dairy farmers but those who frequently visit the farms. In the “From Our Side of the Fence” feature, we spoke with milk truck drivers. Turn to pages 15 and 16 in rst section to learn how these drivers prepare for the driving conditions and read about their toughest day hauling milk. With the federal government up and running, it will By Mark Klaphake not be long before rulings of the 2018 farm bill, specically the Dairy Margin Coverage program, are nalized. In late Editor February, we took in a workshop hosted by the University of Minnesota Extension that evaluated the potential effectiveness of DMC and the Dairy Revenue Protection program. Examples of both risk management strategies and factors dairy farmers should be aware of when choosing the best option for their dairy farm can be found on page 11 in rst section. Dairyman Trevor Lisson also focuses on putting up quality forage to withstand the dairy markets. We caught up with Lisson, who began milking cows in 2012, as part of our recently new feature, “Dairying in Tough Times.” Harvesting quality baleage, working with family, and making wise purchasing decisions have helped Lisson grow his herd to 60 cows and weather the low milk prices. The young farmer’s story can be found on pages 12 and 13 in rst section. In this issue, we’ve started a new feature that highlights those hardy ladies in the barn – the ones that have proven their worth in production, health and longevity. Kevin and Steph Krohnfeldt’s No. K1067 is the epitome of a cow for this new feature. The 11-year-old has a lifetime production record of 157,257 pounds with a 5 percent fat and 3.5 percent protein test, plus her personality is second to none. To read about the Krohnfeldt’s animal at Lakeside Jerseys, turn to page 9 in second section. Lastly, we spoke with New Mexico dairy farmer Art Schaap and the troubles he is faced with from a toxic chemical that has leached into his groundwater. The chemical, which was used at a nearby Air Force base, has forced Schaap to dump 15,000 gallons of milk daily since October. Schaap’s story, and more information about the compound, is found in second section on page 4.
Favorite quotes from this issue:
“One of the most catastrophic things that happened to agriculture was the extended good times because it got us into bad habits.” – Dr. David Kohl (Pages
22-23, rst section)
“If 70 percent of the time you handle problems the right way, then you will have more mental reserves and energy to handle the tougher situations.” – Merri Post (Page 34, rst section)
By the Numbers
250:
Cows lost on J&K Dairy, LLC from a blizzard that hit Washington Feb. 8-10. (Pages 14-16, second section)
of adults who consume 55: Percent some form of yogurt. (Page 6, second section)
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 23, 2019 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Columnists Ag Insider
Pages 8-9 First Section
A lack of baggage
Page 25 First Section
Thorp
Osseo
Dairy Task Force 2.0 working to solve industry’s biggest issues
How did the blizzard affect you?
The Transition Pen
First Section: Page 16
Page 27 First Section
First Section: Page 29
Ramblings from the Ridge
Bayeld
Douglas
Page 30 First Section
Ashland
n
Boyceville
Page 31 First Section
Burnett
Third Section: Page 9
Polk
Making Cents of Dairy
hb
ur
Dairy’s Star Youth: Anna Boesl
Sawyer
W as
Veterinary Wisdom
Iron
Price
Evansville
Farm museum serves as tribute to the past
Rusk
Barron
Taylor St. Croix
Come Full Circle
Pierce
Page 33 First Section
Dunn
Pepin Buffalo
The “Mielke” Market Weekly
Pages 10 - 11 Second Section
La Crosse
Organic agriculture within the farm bill Second Section: Pages 7-8
First Section: Pages 37 - 38
Chippewa
Marathon Clark
Eau Claire Trempealeau
Page 32 First Section
Wood Jackson Adams
La Crosse Monroe
Juneau
Country Cooking
Vernon
Page 21 Second Section
ford
Richland
Sauk
Craw
Iowa
Zone 2
Baraboo
Heatherstone dispersal celebrates 35-year career
Fond Du Lac Columbia
Dane
Green
n
so
er
ff Je
Grant Lafayette
Dodge
Rock
Fort Atkinson
High components help see Brandenburgs through tough times First Section: Pages 1, 6-7
First Section: Pages 34 - 35
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
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Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019 • Page 5
ConƟnued from MILK | Page 1
TRUST THE EXPERTS At Famo Feeds, we strive to provide the best support for your operation and work to accommodate your specific needs.
From calf to cow and everything in between! DAIRY STAR FILE PHOTO
The Schwartz family – Terry and Ellie Schwartz (leŌ) with children and grandchildren (from leŌ, Nathan holding Kaylee, KrisƟna and Mandy holding Adalynn) – had to dump over 40,000 pounds of milk on their 550-cow dairy near Fountain, Minn. Vernon and Monroe counties in western Wisconsin. Although he was not on the roads that day, he was coordinating his company’s trucks that were trying to make it to dairy farms. “It was pretty bad,” Neitzel said. “The snow was so thick and so deep.” Neitzel spent most of Feb. 24 trying to nd new routes for drivers when they came across road closures due to drifting snow or calling in equipment when a truck driver needed help. Four trucks went into the ditch that day. “It was denitely one of the worst days we have experienced in a while,” Neitzel said. “It was denitely a challenging day. It was exhausting.” Josh Finnesgard, who owns Finnesgard Trucking with his dad, Bruce, also
faced horrendous road conditions near Goodhue, Minn. “I have never been scared to take the truck out of the shop, but that day (Feb. 24) I was nervous,” Finnesgard said, who hauls milk in Goodhue, Olmsted and Fillmore Counties in Minnesota. For many of his stops, Finnesgard relied on dairy farmers to plow out roads and driveways in order to get to the barns. The day also included a two-hour delay when the snow stranded his truck. “It was whiteout conditions. I was driving, but then everything went black for 10 seconds, and I buried the truck right there in the middle of Highway 58,” Finnesgard said. “The snow was up over the fuel tank.”
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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019
ConĆ&#x;nued from BRANDENBURGS | Page 1
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STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Olivia Brandenburg gives aĆŠenĆ&#x;on to two of the farm’s Jersey heifers. The Brandenburgs plan to focus on the Jersey cow going forward and are breeding many of their Holsteins to Jersey bulls. Brandenburg milks 50 cows and ships his milk to Dean Foods, which pays a premium for components. Brandenburg Dairy Farm is located near Fort Atkinson, Wis. In addition to striving for high components, being savvy and having little overhead during his farming career has helped Brandenburg stay aďƒ&#x;oat through good times and bad. Brandenburg tries to keep spending to a minimum and managing debt wisely. “We utilize what we have to incur less cost,â€? Brandenburg said. Brandenburg Dairy Farm embraces a waste not mentality. For example, all labor is handled by the family, and they feed waste milk to older calves that are close to weaning. “Self-sufďƒžciency is a way of life for
us,� Brandenburg said. “It’s a simple practice. We don’t really think about it because that’s how we’ve always done things around here.� Growing up on a nearby dairy farm, Brandenburg started working on the farm he now owns when he was 13 years old. The farm was owned by Clarence Giessel at the time. In 1989, Giessel sold his cows, and on Aug. 1, 1994, Brandenburg started milking his own herd of 25 grade Holsteins on Giessel’s farm – a herd developed from heifers Brandenburg had been raising since 1989. Brandenburg and his wife, Peggy, who works off the farm as a dental assistant, bought the farm March 31, 1995. Turn to BRANDENBURGS | Page 7
ConĆ&#x;nued from MILK | Page 5 It took three attempts by three different tractors along with a snapped chain and busted tow strap to get the truck out. “It’s deďƒžnitely one of the worst storms I been through,â€? Finnesgard said. Although no farms on their stops had to dump milk, several of them had to wait for milk pick up until the next day. For dairy farmers who did not have enough room on their dairies to store additional milk, it meant unloading the bulk tank. Like many other farm families in the area, the Schwartz family had to dump over 40,000 pounds of milk on their 550cow dairy near Fountain, Minn. “It was a lot of milk down the drain,â€? Ellie Schwartz said. Their milk truck driver could not make it to their farm for over 24 hours. “It was bad,â€? said Ellie’s husband, Terry, about the weather conditions. “I’ve never had it where they couldn’t pick up my milk before, and I’ve been farming since 1982.â€? Ellie agreed the storm was one of the worst she has experienced. “It was crazy,â€? Ellie said. “I’ve never seen snow piled up this high in our yard. The drifts are 8-9 feet tall.â€? Terry described what it was like when he drove to his daughter’s house in the tractor in order to bring her to the farm for chores. “We could hardly see,â€? he said. “We shouldn’t have even been out there. You couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.â€? Four of the Schwartzes’ employees hunkered down in the parlor ofďƒžce with blankets and pillows while not milking. Ellie made them food throughout their stay. The lost milk is another blow to the Schwartz family in an already compromising dairy economy. “It’s going to hurt if we only get paid
for half of it,â€? Ellie said. “It’s going to hurt a lot. The prices are so low anyway. We can’t afford to give it away or not get paid for it.â€? But, she also knows it could have been worse. “I would rather dump than have to go through what these people with barn collapses are going through,â€? Ellie said. “I feel terrible for them. We considered ourselves lucky compared to what’s happened with these other ones.â€? The weather also impacted the processing facilities. On Feb. 24, AMPI only received 10 percent of its typical milk load at its plant in Rochester, Minn. “It really was about a three to four-day impact at the plant,â€? said Steve Voss, division manager of the plant. To help the truck drivers, AMPI extended receiving hours. “We received around the clock to help those guys out,â€? Voss said. “Typically milk that comes in during the afternoon wasn’t coming in until 10 or 11 at night. Those guys worked their tails off. There was a signiďƒžcant amount of milk dumped.â€? They also had a delayed start Feb. 25 for two reasons – they did not have milk in from the day before and employees could not reach the plant. Even though there was not much milk in on Feb. 24, the plant had 90 percent of its milk the next day. “We really have to give a lot of credit to the milk haulers,â€? Voss said. ‌ “They saw this [weather coming] and they started to go out there on Saturday trying to get ahead of the storm to help get as much milk picked up. The way it was sounding is that they were not going to travel much on Sunday. They did a great job getting as much ahead of the storm as they could. Obviously there’s only so much you can do.â€?
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019 • Page 7
Con�nued from BRANDENBURGS | Page 6
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Jim Brandenburg, and his daughter, Olivia, stand with Ratliff Minister Krystal-ET EX93. Their herd’s high components are helping the Brandenburgs earn be�er milk prices. The couple’s three children – Olivia, 20, Sawyer, 17, and Emerson, 13 – are active on the farm. Sawyer and Emerson help with daily chores and evening milkings and also do a lot of the eld work. Olivia works on the farm as much as she can between attending University of Wisconsin-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course and working part time at Sunshine Genetics in Fort Atkinson. The dairy’s mixed herd is 60 percent Holstein and 40 percent Jersey, along with a spattering of Brown Swiss and one Guernsey. The rst Jersey cows join the farm in 2010. All the Jerseys are registered whereas 20 percent of the Holsteins are registered. Some of Brandenburg’s Jerseys came from Ratliff Jerseys in Kansas, including a farm favorite, Ratliff Minister Krystal-ET EX93.
“We’ve had a lot of success with this breed and want to keep leveraging the Jersey’s high components.” JIM BRANDENBURG, DAIRY FARMER
Shifting their attention from Holsteins to Jerseys, the Brandenburgs plan to focus on the Jersey cow going forward. In their transition to Jerseys, the Brandenburgs have been breeding many of their Holsteins to Jersey bulls. Through crossbreeding, they will continue expanding the Jersey portion of their herd, while whittling down the number of Holsteins, keeping only registered Holsteins and those with high components. “Jerseys are the future of our farm,” Brandenburg said. “We’ve had a lot of success with this breed and want to keep leveraging the Jersey’s high components.” Type is an important trait to the Brandenburgs; therefore, these avid showmen focus not only on milk and components when making mating selections, but on type as well. The Brandenburgs have done well in the showrings of the Wisconsin State
Fair, World Dairy Expo and the National Jersey Show in Louisville, Ky. They earned honorable mention bred and owned cow and reserve junior champion of the Jersey show at the state fair in 2018 and reserve all-American junior 2-year-old at Louisville in 2015. “Showing equals vacation time for me, my wife and Olivia,” Brandenburg said. “The boys typically stay behind and take care of the chores.” A freestall setup with outdoor feeding describes the Brandenburg’s current setup, in which cows are milked in the 32-stall stanchion barn. In the near future, the Brandenburgs plan to build a new freestall barn and milking parlor. “We wanted to build it this year but pulled back because of the economy,” Brandenburg said. Olivia said the 74-stall barn will be retrotted for the farm’s Jerseys, featuring smaller stalls and freestall loops to accommodate the more petite animal. The Brandenburgs will provide separate housing for Holsteins and Jerseys, as their Holsteins will remain in the current facility. Designed to improve cow comfort, Brandenburg hopes the new facility will also bump up milk production. “If we can get a 10-pound per-cow per-day increase, the new barn will pay for itself,” said Brandenburg, who plans to keep cow numbers around 75 cows. Brandenburg plans to do some of the work himself. “It doesn’t have to be the Taj Mahal,” Brandenburg said. “It just needs to work well for our needs and give us that edge. We’re not looking to make millions. We just want to have enough money to pay the bills and live comfortably.” Brandenburg recalled that 2014 was his best year milking cows. “Prices were great,” he said. “We could pay the bills, make improvements and still had money left over. Now all we can do is pay the bills, but at least we can do that.” As dairy farmers struggle to survive, Brandenburg is hopeful the hard days are coming to an end. “I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “At least I hope I see it because I live for this life and want to continue doing what I love.”
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Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019
Dairy forecast released at USDA ag outlook conference For the rst time since 2013, annual dairy cow Optimism seen for new safety net numbers this past year were below year earlier levMinnesota Milk Producers Association President els. According to the analysis presented at the United Dave Buck hopes the Dairy Margin Coverage proStates Department of Agriculture Agricultural Out- gram will be better than the Margin Protection Prolook Conference, the dairy cow inventory is expected gram. “MPP disappointed a lot of people,” Buck said. to decline slightly again in 2019. “Events “I think there’s been a lot of changes made Ag Insider during 2018 roiled the industry, delaying in DMC. I hope dairy farmers will take milk price recovery,” said Carolyn Litime to explore it as an option.” DMC faebrand, economist, USDA. Dairy export vors smaller dairies, but Buck said large numbers started 2018 with a 16 percent dairy farmers will still be able to cover increase in January and a 30 percent yearthe rst 5 million pounds and there’s the over-year increase for April. That came to Dairy Revenue Protection Program and a screeching halt when retaliatory tariffs the Livestock Gross Margin program that were enacted by China, Canada and Mexare still going to be available. ico in response to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum. No new MFP in 2019 For many farmers, the Market FaPerdue announces DMC signup cilitation Program was the difference By Don Wick Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue between a positive or negative cash ow Columnist recently made stops before the House and in 2018. During the USDA Agricultural Senate agriculture committees. During Outlook Conference, Agriculture Secrethose appearances, Perdue announced signup for the tary Sonny Perdue made it clear that farmers will not Dairy Margin Coverage program will begin June 17. receive additional MFP payments this year even if the DMC payments will begin as soon as July 8. “On the trade war continues. Perdue said farmers were caught net refund provision on prior premiums, we think we unaware by the trade retaliation last year, but that is can get that out in April,” Perdue said. House Agri- not the situation this year. culture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson voiced concern about dairy farmer signup for DMC. “I think Milk production edges higher the future for dairy is actually pretty good given this Milk production in the 23 major dairy states tonew safety net,” Peterson said. taled 17.1 billion pounds in December. That is up just under 1 percent from a year earlier. In Minnesota, the Dairy Margin Coverage should be a priority state cow herd declined by 6,000 head, but production During the USDA farm bill implementation lis- still grew 1 percent. South Dakota milk output rose tening session, the dairy industry urged the Trump 5 percent with an additional 4,000 cows milking in Administration to work promptly to put the Dairy the state. Wisconsin milk production rose 1.4 percent. Margin Coverage program into operation. “With California was up 1.7 percent. dairy farmers going out of business daily in the Upper Midwest, it is really critical you prioritize the signup Plant-based products perceived to be healthier for this program and get it up and running as soon According to a newly published report from Caras possible,” said Steve Etka, who oversees the Mid- gill, global consumer attitudes about dairy are changwest Dairy Coalition.
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ing. Overall milk consumption in the United States has declined 22 percent since 2000. At the same time, non-dairy alternatives have increased by triple digits. Dairy milk consumption is still commonplace in 90 percent of American households. The Cargill research said plant-based products are perceived as healthier and better for the environment, a claim that would be disputed by those in the dairy industry. 2018 income up for Land O’Lakes For 2018, Land O’Lakes is reporting net sales of $14.9 billion and net earnings of $255 million. That compares to net sales of $13.7 billion and net earnings of $365 million in 2017. The dairy foods sector had strong performance with convenience foods helping offset lower retail prices and compressed margins for milk powder. Agropur reports sales success The Canadian-based Agropur dairy cooperative had sales this past year for $6.7 billion, an increase of nearly 5 percent from the previous year. AMPI returns patronage in March After a protable year in 2018, Associated Milk Producers Incorporated is returning patronage allocations back to its members on a faster-than-normal pace. “We’re going to revolve 20 percent of that in cash, which normally happens in August,” said Steve Schlangen, chairman, AMPI. “We plan to send that out in March to get money in our farmers’ pockets for spring planting.” At its annual meeting, AMPI rolled out a new brand for its butter. “It’s going to be called Dinner Bell, and we have the trademark on the label that would call it co-op crafted so a consumer would know it came from a dairy farmer cooperative and there would be traceability back to our farms,” he said. Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019 • Page 9
ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8 A.I. co-ops to merge The members of Waupun-based East Central/Select Sires and the Lansing, Mich., NorthStar Cooperative have agreed to a proposed merger. The new entity will become one May 1 and will be called CentralStar Cooperative. FarmFirst ofcers re-elected John Rettler, of Neosho, Wis., was re-elected to the presidency of FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative. Brian Wozniak, of Stanley, Wis., is vice president; Kathy Bauer of Faribault, Minn., is secretary and Rich Meyer, of Unity, Wis., is treasurer. A new role for Kappelman Effective March 11, Pete Kappelman will join Land O’Lakes as its senior vice president of member and government relations. Kappelman is the co-owner of Meadow Brook Dairy Farms at Two Rivers, Wis., and has been the Land O’Lakes board chairman for the past 15 years.
Wisconsin Farm Bureau hires Towns Debi Towns, of Janesville, Wis., is the new senior director of government relations for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau, replacing Rob Richard. Towns is a dairy farmer in Rock County and served in the State Assembly from 2003-07. Trivia challenge The Red Poll is the English dairy breed that is a cross between Norfolk Red and Suffolk Dun. That answers our last trivia question. What Swiss cheese is known for as a good melting cheese and used in fondue? We will 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.
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In the Feb. 9 issue, the children of David and Katy Lammers were misidentied in the photo. Hope and Lilly are the correct names of the children. Dairy Star regrets the error.
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that housed their 420-cow milking herd along with 30 springing heifers collapsed Feb. 24 and 26 on their farm, North Creek Dairy, near Chatďƒželd, Minn. Many other dairy farmers across the region had barns and buildings cave in from the weight of snow and ice due to a blizzard the weekend of Feb. 23-24. The storm brought double-digit snowfall totals and wind speeds over 50 miles per hour, causing white-out conditions and major road closures for several days from eastern South Dakota, across southern Minnesota, down to northern Iowa and into western Wisconsin. An 80- by 100-foot section of the Hoffmans’ roof collapsed about midnight on Feb. 24 while another 60by 80-foot portion came down around 5:45 a.m. Feb. 26. “We instantly knew [we had to sell the cows] because the roof was not safe and more was going to come down,â€? Hoffman said. “The way the weather forecast was with more snow projected, we thought there’s no point in taking a chance of someone getting hurt.â€? Thirteen cows died from the incident. “The worst part was ‌ lifting steel off and thinking there was nothing under there and all of a sudden there’s a cow shivering and not being able to get up, cut up, shivering and bleeding,â€? Hoffman said. “That was pretty hard.â€? About 300 cows were sold to a farm in Lake City and Hoffman’s friend, Mike Johnson, purchased a small group of the herd. About 53 cows were sold for slaughter. Dry cows and springing heifers stayed on the farm, but will need to be sold soon, Hoffman said. “Between Saturday night and Tuesday morning I kept it together,â€? Hoffman said. “But, when I knew the cows had to go I lost it.â€? The loss of their herd was especially tough because Hoffman said the herd had been producing the highest ever – 95 pounds per cow per day with 4.2 percent fat and 3.1 percent protein and a somatic cell count consistently under 100,000. “We were really optimistic and really looking forward to this year and now everything’s gone,â€? Hoffman said. The family does not know if they will rebuild or start milking again. “People say you have to rebuild because you love it,â€? Hoffman said. “Yes, I love it, but it also has to be proďƒžtable. If we don’t get the insurance money to cover enough of this barn we won’t be able to afford to do it. There are so many variables. We’ll have to wait and see.â€? Across the border, Greg Friendshuh was also dealing with a collapsed roof on his 1,000-cow dairy, Friendshuh Farms, near Clear Lake, Wis. Although the dairy did not receive the same amount of snow or wind as those to the south, Friendshuh said rain in between bouts of snowfall caused a heavy pack of ice and snow on the 12-year-old barn’s roof, bringing down a 60- by 200-foot section Feb. 23. “When I ďƒžrst got on the scene, I looked at where the barn used to be and all I saw was white,â€? Friendshuh said. “The barn just crashed right down and the snow you saw on the roof was what you saw on the ground. I’ve had sections of barns go down before. They’re a terrible mess, and we’ve lost cattle, so I knew how destructive this could be. But to see a whole barn go down like this in one big boom, I didn’t think it could
happen like this.â€? Of the 175 cows trapped underneath, 44 died and 20 were injured. Over 100 had to be moved to two neighboring dairies. “Around the fringes of the barn I saw cows pinned,â€? Friendshuh said. “Underneath the roof you could hear moaning and groaning and steam coming out from underneath. The ďƒžrst thing we did was cut holes in the roof to get air to the cattle.â€? The dairyman said he wants to prevent this from ever happening again on his farm. “I’m going to have a structural engineer come in and look at the rest of my buildings,â€? he said. “We’re going to bolster them up because I want to be able to walk in there with my kids and not have to worry about the sky falling, not to mention my guys working in there.â€? Friendshuh said he will rebuild the barn as soon as he can so he can bring the rest of the herd home. On the Cafferty family’s dairy, the roof of a 50- by 90-foot youngstock building collapsed Feb. 25 on their 62-cow dairy near Fountain City, Wis. “It was the worst day of farming,â€? said Kara Cafferty, who farms together with her husband, Paul, and son, Brandon. The incident trapped 100 animals – heifers and steers from 2 months old to about 1 year old. “We were so overwhelmed at ďƒžrst just trying to ďƒžgure out how to get in there,â€? Cafferty said. “There was so much snow, and we had no clue how to even get in the barn.â€? Neighbors came over to assist by driving their snowmobiles across the ďƒželds to the farm. It was the only mode of transportation that did not get stuck in the unplowed and drifted-in roads. “We live where two valleys come together so we had snow whipping around us like you would not believe,â€? Cafferty said. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.â€? To get the animals out, one neighbor, who is also on the local ďƒžre department, drove his mountain snowmobile into town and brought back a metal cutter to extricate the animals. After ďƒžve hours, all animals, except one steer that died, were out of the barn. The Caffertys sold the steers and arranged the heifers to be housed at neighboring farms. “We had redone the inside of the barn and thank goodness we did,â€? Cafferty said. “That’s probably what saved the animals. We had super heavy gates between each pen and headlocks through the middle. The beams laid on top of it.â€? The family is unsure if they will rebuild. All three families said they are appreciative and grateful for the help they received from family and friends. “I just hope everyone knows how thankful we are that everyone came to help,â€? Friendshuh said. “And for all the prayers. That’s what got us through.â€? Hoffman agreed. While it was not the outcome they envisioned from the blizzard, they are thankful for the people who helped them along the way. “There were so many strangers here lending a hand. A lot of people I didn’t even know,â€? Hoffman said. “It was a hell of a way to exit, but I’m extremely grateful for the help and ďƒžnding a good home for the cows.â€?
DMC vs. DRP: What is the best decision?
Hulinsky explains dairy relief programs By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
MELROSE, Minn. – In an effort to support dairy farmers across the nation, two programs were established to provide relief from low milk prices. The Dairy Margin Coverage and Dairy Revenue Protection programs were reviewed during an educational workshop hosted by the University of Minnesota Extension Feb. 28 in Melrose, Minn. “Being informed (about these options) is important and having a marketing plan is going to be your key to success,” said Nathan Hulinsky, extension specialist. Both DMC and Dairy-RP are possibilities for dairy risk management strategies, but farmers should be cautious when deciding how to use each program as they will benet the bottom line differently. “We’re here to provide you with information you’ll need to make the right decision,” Hulinsky said. DMC is the new, improved MPP-Dairy In the former farm bill, dairy farmers dealt with a failed government program. It soon became evident the Margin Protection Program for Dairy was not providing the dairy industry with the aid needed to withstand high margins. With the passing of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, DMC is said to x the pitfalls of the previous initiative. “In the new farm bill, DMC is give or take the new MPP,” Hulinsky said. “It looks at the margin between milk price and feed costs.” The formula to determine monthly DMC payments will take into consideration regional all-milk price and feed costs of corn, soybean and alfalfa hay, Hulinsky said. Feed costs will be calculated by multiplying 1.0728 by the USDA-NASS price per bushel of corn; multiplying 0.00735 by the USDA-AMS price per ton of soybean meal; multiplying 0.0137 by USDA-NASS price per ton of alfalfa hay; and adding those values together. Other signicant improvements to the program include smaller premiums for Tier 1 coverage and margins covered up to $9.50 in $0.50 increments. Additionally, dairy farmers may cover anywhere from 5-95 percent of their largest production history from the years of 2011-13 up to 5 million pounds. For newer producers, Hulinsky inferred a formula will be used to calculate production history. With the forecasted feed costs for 2019 and 2020 being $9.02 and $8.78 per hundredweight, respectively, there is a net benet to using DMC at the $9 and $9.50 coverage levels of Tier 1. “For this year, it looks like a good program … clearly better than what we had,” said Hulinsky, mentioning the program will be retroactive to Jan. 1. Hulinsky provided examples of how DMC may pan out for dairy businesses of different sizes. Farms at 100 and 200 cows may want to cover 95 percent of their production at $9.50 in Tier 1, while 500-cow dairies may want to cover 45 percent of their production, to reach 5 million pounds. Farmers would pay $9.50 premiums of $2,316, $5,201 and $6,834 for herd sizes 100, 200 and 500, respectively. Then, with 2019 feed cost data, those farms would receive $7,410, $16,644 and $21,870 and see a net gain of $5,094, $11,443 and $15,036 over the course of the year for their herds of 100, 200 and 500 cows, respectively.
The net gain may be more if a farmer chooses to participate in the program for ve years, which gives a 25 percent discount on premiums. Also, if dairy farmers participated in MPP from 2014-17, they may receive 75 percent of the MPP premiums to use towards DMC premiums. If one chooses not to participate in DMC, or has since sold out, they may receive 50 percent of the premiums from 2014-17 in the form of cash. “Farmers have some decisions to make,” Hulinsky said. “Look at what margin level you want to use and how much production history to cover.” USDA Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced DMC signup should open by June 17 with payments coming as early as July. Once enrollment is open, farmers will have 90 days to sign up. Dairy-RP is insurance for dairy enterprise The second risk management option for dairy farmers reects crop insurance policies and operates on a quarterly basis, protecting against the decline in revenue as price or yield. “Dairy-RP is a new program,” Hulinsky said. “It’s insurance, like what you would use for crops, but with milk.” There are ve categories within the program that will shape how milk is insured – the method which values milk, either by a combination of Class III and IV or solely with components; the amount of milk to insure; the coverage level and a protection factor; and which quarters to purchase insurance for. Hulinsky provided a class pricing example of a possible Dairy-RP plan for 100, 200 and 500 cows. In the scenario, all farms declared 95 percent of their quarterly production level at $17.50 per cwt., based on Class III and Class IV expected prices for quarter two in 2020. The 100-cow herd covered 4,000 pounds in the quarter, 9,000 pounds for the 200-cow herd, and 20,000 pounds for the 500-cow herd. The protection factor was listed as 1.10. After all calculations were made, each farm saw a net gain of $893, $2,010 and $4,466 for herd sizes 100, 200 and 500 cows, respectively. “This is more confusing than DMC because there are more options,” Hulinsky said. With the rst quarter of 2019 still open, it is yet to be determined the effectiveness of this program for those farmers who have already enrolled. Dairy farmers will want to work with their agriculture lender and decide if DairyRP is a suitable option for their business. They may also visit the Rice Dairy Risk Services’ website (https://www.quotes.ricedairyrs.com/) and view potential outcomes of their insurance decisions. Both programs may be used in concert and with other risk management programs, such as Livestock Gross Margin for Dairy. Dairy farmers need to carefully evaluate how each program will benet their enterprise. “You have to know your cost of production to know how to use each program,” Hulinsky said. “If you don’t know your cost of production, you don’t know what to protect and how to protect it.” One agriculture lender in the audience referred to it as comparing apples to oranges, with the understanding that these programs serve two purposes and should not be compared at face value to determine effectiveness. Hulinsky encouraged all dairy farmers to enroll up to 5 million pounds of milk, based on 2011-13 production history, at the $9.50 coverage level in Tier 1 of DMC and then work with their agriculture lender to see how they can best use Dairy-RP.
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019 • Page 11
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019
DAIRYING IN TOUGH TIMES
Lisson focuses on quality forages to beat markets By Jennifer Coyne and Mark Klaphake Staff Writers
Editor’s note: In this new series, “Dairying in tough times,” Dairy Star is catching up with dairy farmers who began milking cows in the last ve years. These farmers are sharing how they have been able to weather the market conditions and why they see promise in today’s changing industry. STAPLES, Minn. – Times could be better for Trevor Lisson; but, rather than spending his days worrying about things out of his control, he chooses to focus on his management decisions to become a better dairy farmer in these difcult times. “I’ve kept wanting to do the best I can for the cows,” Lisson said. Lisson began dairy farming in 2012 on a rented farm site near Staples, Minn. Over the last seven years, Lisson has grown his herd and relocated to another nearby farm, invested his time and nancial resources into providing better quality feed, and leaned on family for guidance and support as he carries his business through the fourth consecutive year of low milk prices. Since 2015, Lisson has used a center pivot to grow alfalfa hay for Turn to LISSON | Page 13
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Trevor Lisson milks 60 cows in a rented facility near Staples, Minn. Lisson began dairying in 2012, and has withstood the markets by providing high quality forages to his herd and the premium he receives for components.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019 • Page 13
ConƟnued from LISSON | Page 12 has been cautious when making those nancial investments. “I was able to pick up a skidloader at a reasonable price, and we’ve been able to take up machinery that is cheaper than what it would have been if commodity prices were better,” Lisson said. As the young dairyman becomes more established in the industry, he has realized the success of his business comes from making those wise nancial investments, but also from the people he surrounds himself with. Last June, Lisson married his wife, Alex. Her off-farm income, health insurance and retirement portfolio have helped offset the dairy’s losses. “I was running without insurance before that,” Lisson said. “With her getting this, it’s been amazing.” Likewise, Lisson’s parents’ advice based on their experience dairy farming helps guide the dairy farmer. “I bounce off of my parents, wife and the spiritual direction of my church,” Lisson said. “Sharing
equipment with my family has been huge, and then having that support there when stuff goes terribly wrong. Your family’s always there.” The relationship Lisson has formed with his nutritionist and veterinarian has also helped position him to get through the industry’s downturn. “I always rely on them,” he said. “My nutritionist has kept encouraging me, especially when it was really bad, and my vet checks in on me to see how things are going.” While dairy farming poses great challenges, Lisson is encouraged by the industry’s outlook. “I’ve always wanted to dairy farm,” he said. “I like a cow that looks good with type, milks hard and has a good udder. There’s just something about seeing a good cow milk and doing well.” More importantly, Lisson is eager to provide a rewarding lifestyle for his family when he and his wife welcome their rst born this summer.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Trevor Lisson’s herd stands next to one of his cows that exemplies the type of animal he strives to breed. baleage on a small portion of owned and rented land. “I purchased the pivot after the high milk prices,” he said. “That was a huge blessing. I’ve been able to put up really good alfalfa, which is a huge benet during the low prices not having to pay so much for protein mix.” Lisson works with his dad, Albert, to put up the forage. Lisson owns the baling tractor and his father owns the discbine tractor and bale wrapper, and together they own the baler. The two try to harvest the forage every 28 days in a two-day process, and have been able to get four, sometimes ve, cuttings in the growing season. “I cut right before budding, and we don’t rake our hay,” Lisson said. “We lay it down and bale it up and wrap it the next day.” Lisson chooses to use this method of hay making because of his dad’s 13-foot discbine. “When he purchased it and we started baling hay this way, it’s always been quality alfalfa,” Lisson said of the 7 tons of forage per acre he harvests in a year. The forage is used as a small portion of the TMR Lisson feeds his heifers, 6 months and older, as a supplement for protein. It is also used in the milking cow ration in combination with corn silage. “When I was at the other farm, I was running lesser quality alfalfa with a lot of protein mix,” Lisson said. “We were getting good milk prices, so it didn’t hurt so much to do it.” However, when the market took a dive, Lisson knew he had to make changes to his expenses. “I knew so much of my milk check was going to buy alfalfa, so I was hoping to get [the land] as soon as I could and put that pivot up,” Lisson said. “When the prices were good, it was a good investment. The alfalfa that is now coming off of that irrigation we put up, it’s all tied up to that decision I made back then.” Lisson’s decision to relocate provided him an opportunity to have all of his animals at the same property. Previously, his heifers and dry cows were across the road and at his dad’s place, and had to be trucked back and forth. However, relocating has also caused troubles with milk production and herd health. “We found out the [waterers] outside had three volts of electricity in them,” Lisson said. “That would deter the cows from drinking. I was running a 90-pound tank average before I relocated, and then it slowly dropped down to 60.” Once the stray voltage issue was addressed, his production rebounded. Lisson’s nutritionist said if it were not for the quality feed he was feeding, the impact of the stray voltage would have been worse. Lisson’s current tank average is about 78 pounds with a 4 percent fat and 3.1 percent protein test. While Lisson’s cooperative is paying below the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the premium he receives for components is about $1.80. “I’m doing pretty good again,” Lisson said. “And, I give credit to a great nutritionist and having quality feed.” In Lisson’s short time in the dairy industry, he has grown his herd to 60 milking cows; he began with 30. With a larger herd size, Lisson has purchased equipment to make chores more efcient, but he
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019 • Page 15
From Our Side Of The Fence
Milk truck drivers: How do you handle adverse weather conditions? Paul Rinka Owen, Wis. Mullins Cheese 18 years experience What have been the toughest weather conditions you have driven in this winter? The blizzard we had last Sunday, Feb. 24, was very challenging, but we also had an ice storm two weeks earlier. Ice is the most challenging to drive
on for me. How have you adjusted your route and schedule on bad weather days? On bad weather days, I leave at least 30 to 45 minutes earlier just so I can keep my schedule somewhat on time. Depending on what we have for weather, if it’s deep snow I sometimes pick up milk from one of my farms that is on the highway ďƒžrst so I have more weight on the truck so it’s easier to go through the deep snow on the side roads. I will pack extra gloves and sometimes boots. In this last blizzard, I packed extra food and water just in case I got stranded somewhere. I also bring a shovel, lime and sometimes my tire chains, depending on what the weather. How do you prepare your truck to handle the cold weather? For the cold weather, I make sure my fuel has additives in it. I put my winter front on, drain my air tanks to make sure there is no moisture in them and hope nothing goes wrong. I have been lucky and never had my truck gel up. Sometimes the most trouble I have in the cold is that my lift axles don’t always go up or down. The cold doesn’t affect the milk much with the tanks being insulated. I will put a jug of hot water in my back cabinet on real cold days. That helps keep the pump from freezing up and my hose from getting so stiff. In your driving career, what has been your toughest day hauling milk in adverse weather conditions? The blizzard we had last Sunday was challenging, but the ice storms of 2016 and 2017 were the most challenging. Icy side roads are no fun. The roads usually have a crown to them and once you start getting milk on as the truck leans so does the milk and if you get off that crown or over too far one way, the milk will pull you right in the ditch. To me, ice is the most dangerous. You can be sitting stopped and if the milk is still surging it will start to slide the truck and you have no control over it. What do you enjoy about hauling milk? I enjoy talking with all my farmers and seeing everyone along my routes. They become like family. You see them every day or every other day. I also enjoy seeing the cattle and watching everyone doing their ďƒželd work and harvesting. It’s also nice just driving the back roads sight-seeing on my route. I have some farmers who will leave me candy bars or doughnuts on my route, which is always nice. In June, I usually leave all my patrons cheese curds just show my appreciation for what they do – A Curd of Thanks! It’s a nice job to go out to see the countryside and visit with people, and get paid to do it. Tell us about your trucking company. I haul milk directly for Mullins Cheese of Knowlton, Wis. It is the largest family-owned cheese factory east of the Mississippi. They have four company trucks that do farm pick-ups and the rest of the milk is picked up by independent contractors that all haul exclusively for Mullins Cheese, also.
Brad Sudbeck Sheldon, Iowa Sudbeck Trucking, Inc. 28 years experience What have been the toughest weather conditions you have driven in this winter? Winter driving can be tough on all of us. Sometimes it feels like winter has been going on forever and after a while, it all turns into a big blur. You try to forget about the bad days and keep moving yourself forward, knowing the sunshiny days are around the corner. How have you adjusted your route and schedule on bad weather days? The day before the storm can sometimes be exhausting, spending lots of time tracking storms and their patterns and ďƒžguring out which areas will be impacted ďƒžrst. I always wonder if a storm gets so bad, will I get stranded somewhere? I take along money, warm clothes and extra food because you never know what Old Man Winter has up his sleeve. Being properly prepared is a checklist of things. Do I have spare fuel ďƒžlters, log chains, tow rope and tire chains? It’s almost like I sleep with one eye open, constantly thinking ahead. Knowing which farms that all the trucks need to be going to and where they will all be delivering to can sometimes be a lot. Some routes may get switched around by picking up certain farms a day earlier than their normal pickup so that when the storm hits the hardest we don’t need to be in that area. Then, what happens if the storm lasts longer than expected? How many pounds of milk do all the farms produce per day? What size tanks do they all have? How much time do we have to get there? We need to make sure we get the milk picked up so nobody has to dump any milk. How do you prepare your truck to handle the cold weather? I blend the fuel as needed by watching the weekly temperature forecasts and using fuel additives as needed. Most of our trucks are parked inside heated shops; by doing so, we are all starting off the day on a good note. The fuel is always warm, so gelling up and having frozen fuel ďƒžlters is out of the question. If you’re not in a heated shop, your day could start as a disaster with frozen milk pumps, valves, brakes, etc. In your driving career, what has been your toughest day hauling milk in adverse weather conditions? My toughest days hauling milk are if someone gets stranded somewhere or has truck problems. I get out there as much as I can and do my part with all my guys. I enjoy going the extra mile for someone, busting our butts together, getting things caught back up and trying to keep positive attitudes going forward. What do you enjoy about hauling milk? I enjoy the interaction with people. Doing whatever it takes to be the person that everyone needs. To be the guy who can make as many positive impacts on peoples’ lives as you can. To see people and their families bettering themselves and knowing that you had a part of all that is priceless.
Chuck Christopherson Onalaska, Wis. Caledonia Haulers 15 years experience What have been the toughest weather conditions you have driven in this winter? The blizzard Feb 24-25 have been the worst conditions I have ever driven in. About midday on Feb. 24, I got stuck in Lewiston, Minn., because all the roads leading out of town had closed, unplowed and had drifted shut. The main highways and interstate were also impassable because so many cars were stuck in the middle of the road and stranded. We have a shop that ďƒžts four or ďƒžve trucks in Lewiston so that’s where I spent the night. How have you adjusted your route and schedule on bad weather days? When the weather is bad I usually bring along extra clothes and expect to work a longer day. I don’t start any earlier as I am normally at my ďƒžrst stop when they are done milking. How do you prepare your truck to handle the cold weather? I usually have chains with me if I need them. I also carry tools and an extra fuel ďƒžlter. For driving in cold weather, I use winter-blended fuel and when it gets extra cold I add diesel fuel conditioner to make sure the fuel doesn’t gel up. I also park the truck in a warm shop overnight to help alleviate cold weather problems. In extreme cold weather, I try to put a couple gallon containers of hot water in the back compartment to help keep the pump and hose from freezing. In your driving career, what has been your toughest day hauling milk in adverse weather conditions? The worst weather I have driven in was the blizzard Feb 24-25. It took a lot of teamwork to get the milk picked up that day. We had to change our routes several times to get the job done. What do you enjoy about hauling milk? The best thing is being on farms. I enjoy seeing how different farms operate and try to help the farmers stay informed on changes in the industry. Tell us about your trucking company. I drive for Caledonia Haulers. They have about 40 trucks, covering an area including Austin, Minn., to Winona, Minn., and south to Waukon, Iowa, and Cresco, Iowa. We haul for ďƒžve milk cooperatives and deliver to plants in the tri-state area. I milked cows until I sold the herd in 2002. I have 20 years of trucking experience with 15 years of milk hauling experience. Nine of those years have been with Caledonia Haulers.
Tell us about your trucking company. Brad and Lisa Sudbeck started Sudbeck Trucking in Sheldon, Iowa in 2002. We started off with two milk trucks. Who would have ever thought we would be where are today with over 36 trucks hauling milk and whey products for multiple milk companies in the area? A special thanks to all of our loyal customers and employees who have made us who we are today.
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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019
How did the blizzard affect you?
Lee Jensen Elk Mound, Wis. Dunn County 1,100 cows Describe what the storm was like for you on your farm. The storm started early Sunday morning (Feb. 24) and lasted until around 7 p.m. The wind is what made it really bad. Wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour made snow drifts up to 10 feet tall or more. We got a total of 13 inches of snow and thankfully no rain. What buildings had damage and what was in them at the time? We were lucky that it was only a 24- by 40-foot hole in the roof that collapsed in our prefresh pen. It was frankly the best place I could have picked for this to happen if I had a choice. Maybe it was luck or maybe God just helped us out some. How were animals affected? No animals died or were sold. We were very lucky that nobody got hurt. There was one pre-fresh heifer that got buried in the snow and we were able to get her out within 15 minutes. She was not injured, but was very happy to get out of the snow pile. We crowded up the pre-fresh pen and the lactating pen, which is on the opposite side of that pen about 90 feet. We did this just because I felt that the barn was not safe. Who helped you assess and clean up the damage, and what roles did they play? We had a lot of our employees come to help dig out the heifer and to help with the cleaning process. Durand Builders’ “Dutch” came and looked at things Sunday morning and sent a crew Monday morning to stabilize the barn for now. Thanks to all who helped with that or it could have been a lot worse. How did the storm affect your daily schedule? Daily jobs got pushed back when this happened, since our No. 1 priority was to get the cows away from that area. Then, it was constant monitoring of the barn along with other barns. We were not able to clean the snow off the roofs on Sunday since the winds were so bad still. It was a constant worry about the other barns. What are your plans going forward? Since the storm, we have been working on clearing snow off the roof of the other barns. It is not easy as one would think. There is about 6 feet give or take on these roofs. We are going to x the roof of the barn that collapsed so we are able to use that space again to house the prefresh cows. Tell us about your farm. Five Star Dairy milks around 1,100 cows, is family owned and has a lot of very good employees.
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
People help to dig out caƩle aŌer a 24- by 40foot secƟon of the roof over the pre-fresh pen collapsed from heavy snow Feb. 24 at Five Star Dairy near Elk Mound, Wis.
Brad Goplin Osseo, Wis. Trempealeau County 100 cows Describe what the storm was like for you on your farm. Before going to bed Saturday night (Feb. 23) there was a light rain but no snow so I thought maybe it wasn’t going to be as bad as the weather channel said. I was wrong. Heavy snowfall and high winds put a lot of stress on the buildings. The drifts had to be 4-6 feet deep in spots. The snow died down late morning but the wind wouldn’t let up. By the time the plows were able to make a pass, by the end of their route the drifts were lling in again. Trempealeau County started to shut down roads and call off the road crew at 6 p.m. to give them a break and let the storm die down. The wind nally let up late Sunday night and the plows headed back out early Monday morning with every truck and maintainer they had. My dad told me this storm is one for the books. What buildings had damage and what was in them at the time? A heifer shed on a farm I lease collapsed early Feb. 24. The shed was a total loss and it collapsed on the bunk feeder and conveyor. Thankfully all the heifers were able to make it outside in the pasture where we offer free choice hay so they had something to nibble on. How were animals affected? After knowing the shed collapsed, I knew the heifers needed a new home since the feeding system and water source wasn’t accessible. I called Henry and Noel Filla. Henry said he could have the shed ready in ve minutes, but would have to plow to it, which would take awhile. The storm was still in full force and the wind was howling making it impossible to get trucks and trailers to move the heifers safely so we decided to wait until the following morning to make the move. That would give the road crews time and us time to get things plowed out and come up with a plan. Who helped you assess and clean up the damage and what roles did they play? I want to thank the road crews for working around the clock, and the re chief of Osseo for blazing a trail up the road allowing for the re department to assess the damage. I had a lot of support and neighbors volunteering to help even though I knew they were busy helping others or dealing with their own farms. I’m truly grateful for living in such a generous and caring community. Another special thanks to Henry Filla, Shane Goplin, Dawsyn Lyngen, Bob and Shelly Hart, Julie Goplin, Travis Hayes and Cody Welke, who all played a special role in moving the heifers and getting feed hauled over to the Fillas’ farm. I would also like to give a special thanks to my uncle John. He lives in Libertyville, Ill., and wanted to nd a way to help. Tuesday morning I checked Facebook and he has started a GoFundMe me page towards a new heifer shed. I am overwhelmed in seeing how much support I have. It brought tears to my eyes. I know a lot of barns went down and farmers had way worse damages than I did, and in a way I was fortunate. My heart goes out to the other farmers who suffered losses from the storm. With the way the dairy economy is right now, we didn’t need this right now. How did the storm affect your daily schedule? This winter’s routine involves clearing snow more often than we would like. This snow storm seemed to make everything a little harder to plow out and doubled the time of chores. The snow was so deep and with the wind blowing snow, the visibility was very poor. We decided to start piling manure because my dad wasn’t sure if we would make it out to the eld and back without getting hung-up in a drift. This particular day we got done with morning chores just in time to grab dinner then head back out and start all over. What are your plans going forward? I would like to rebuild the heifer shed if I’m able to get funding. For now the heifers are at a good place allowing me to take my time in the next step. Hopefully I gure that out in the next month or two. Tell us about your farm. I’m a sixth generation dairy farmer. I milk 60 cows on the home farm along with my Dad. He is in charge of the feeding and my neighbor, Greg Johnson, milks 35 cows on his farm for me. I’m very fortunate to have Greg. He runs the day-to-day chores just as he would want things run, which leaves less for me to worry about knowing that he is taking great care of the animals. My uncle, Paul, and Mom also help in the day-to-day chores and my sister is always willing step in and relief milk when needed. I also run 700 acres of cropland.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The roof of a heifer shed collapsed Feb. 24 on a farm Brad Goplin leases near Osseo, Wis.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019 • Page 17
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USED SKIDSTEERS
’08 Mustang 2041 H/F Ctrls, D, 1350 Lift Cap, Block Heater, 340 Hrs - $17,900 ‘14 Gehl RT175, ISO switchable ctrls, D, 12� tracks, 1750 lift cap., C/H/A, 2 spd., 111 hrs. ..................................... $41,900 (12) Gehl R220, many options .................Start at $26,900 ‘14 Gehl R190, Gehl hand ctrls, D, 2100 lift cap., C/H, 2 spd., 2190 hrs. .. $23,500 ‘16 Gehl R190, Gehl Ctrls, C&H, 2 Spd ........................................ $27,900 ‘13 Gehl R190, T-bar ctrls, D, C&H, 2 spd., 2110 lift cap, 867 hrs. .... $29,500 ‘78 Gehl 2600, T-bar ctrls, G, 750 Lift Cap ................................. $2,900 ‘14 Mustang 2600R, H&F ctrls., D, C&H, 2 spd., 2600 lift cap., 1576 hrs .. $28,500 ‘16 Mustang 2100RT, NXT3, ISO/Dual H Ctrls, C/H/A, Folding Door, 2 Spd, 550 hrs ...................................... $39,500 ‘07 Mustang 2076, JS Ctrls, D, 2200 Lift Cap., C/H/A, 2 spd, 2650 hrs...... $22,700 ‘08 Mustang 2076, Dual JS Ctrls, C/H/A, SS, 1200 hrs .............................. $27,500 ‘07 Mustang 2066 T-Bar H-Ctrls, D, 2200 Lift Cap, Cab & Heat, 2 Spd, 2600 Hrs .................................... $17,500 ‘06 Mustang 2066, dual lever/ft ctrls, D, 2000 lift cap., C/H, 1341 hrs.. $20,900 ‘06 Mustang 2066, H&F Ctrls, D, 2000 Lift Cap., 2 spd, C&H 1865 hrs .. $22,500 ‘99 Mustang 2050, T-bar ctrls, 1650 lift cap., D, 4623 hrs., C&H, SS, 4623 hrs .................................... $11,900 ‘16 Mustang 1900R, H&F Ctrls, D, 2100 Lift Cap., C&H, 2 spd, 2727 hrs . $25,800
USED SKIDSTEERS ‘15 Mustang 1900R, H Pilot Ctrls, C&H, 2 Spd, Sound Reduction Package, 2378 hrs. ................................... $25,750 ‘16 Mustang 1500R, H/F Ctrls, Cab & Heat, 2717 hrs................. $23,500 ‘16 Mustang 1500R, H/F ctrls, D, 1500 lift cap., C&H, 2585 hrs..... $22,500 ‘15 Mustang 1350R, H/F ctrls, D, C&H, 1450 lift cap., C&H, 263 hrs....... $25,000 ‘92 Mustang 940, T-bar ctrls, D, 1350 lift cap., 3258 hrs. ............... $7,900 ‘80 Mustang 441, T-bar ctrls, G, SS, 1200 lift cap., cab ........................ $4,900 ‘95 Takeuchi TL26-2, 12� Tracks, 4370 hrs ...................................... $9,900
USED TMRS/MIXERS
USED TMRS/MIXERS
‘11 Kuhn Knight VTC 1100, LH slide tray, rear door, 2 scales, mounted to ‘12 Peterbuilt 367 w/40,619 miles, 66,000 GVW, 10 spd., hyd. drive, 1100 cu. ft. - $114,000 ‘07 Penta 8020, 800 cu. ft., corner door in front and rear, 2 spd...................$17,900
MANURE HANDLING
‘04 Penta 5600, 600 cu. ft., EZ 2000V scale, corner door ......................$13,500 ‘08 Penta 5620HD, 600 cu. ft., 8� rubber ext., right corner door ................$23,500 Knight 2300, 260 cu. ft., 3’ discharge .................................$6,900 ‘05 Kuhn Knight 3130, 300 cu. ft., scale w/remote, 2 ft., LH disch............$10,500 Automatic ATG1800B, 1800 bu./hr., 54� blower, 4 cut rolls, load auger $8,500
Pik Rite 1190, 550 bu., top beater, hydra-push..................................$14,500 ‘91 Balzer Manure Pump, V6, 8’ pump, 2 pt. hitch, rmt. ďŹ ngertip ctrl .........$4,200 ‘00 Balzer Manure Pump, V6, 8’ vert. manure pump ...............................$4,500 Jamesway Manure Pump, 6x8, 8’ pump, 2 pt. hitch, double agitation ..........$5,500
MANURE HANDLING
’12 Kuhn GMD600GIIHD Disk Mower, 7’10� Cut, 6 Disc ...........................$7,100 Vicon CM2400 Disk Mower, 7’10� Cut .......................................$4,700 Vicon CM2200 Disc Mower, 6 Disc $2,900 Kuhn GMD600 Disk Mower, 7’10� Cut, 6 Disc............................................$7,800 ‘13 Kuhn GMD600 Disc Mower, 10� Width..................................... $7,750 ‘13 MF 1329 Disc Mower, 9’2�.......$4,800 Land Pride Disc Mower - 5 disc ........$750 NI 5209 Mower Cond., 9’ Cut .........$8,800 Gehl 860, 1210 hay head, 3038 CH$4,200 ‘96 JD 930 Mower Cond., 11’6� Cut, Impeller Cond .............................. $5,750 JD 1360 Mower Cond, 10’, 6 Disc w/Flail Conditioning ............$7,800 JD 1209 Mower Cond, 9’ Cut, 2 Rubber Cond. Rolls ................... $3,500 ‘06 NH 1475 Mower Cond, Rubber Rollers, Lights ............................$12,800 Farm King Y550R Finishing Mower, 5’, 3 blades, 3 pt hitch ......................... $850 ’03 H&S BF12HC Rake, 12 Whl High Cap ...........................$7,950 ’08 H&S X12 Rake, 12 Whl ............$7,800 ‘05 H&S BF14HC, 14 Wheel Rake, Wind Guards .................................$9,750 ‘12 Vermeer WRX12 Rake, 12 Whl HI Capacity ...................................$5,900 ’15 Kuhn GF222T Tedder, 8’6� Working Width, 2 Rotor, Pull-type...............$3,150 ’12 Kuhn GA300GM Rotary Rake, 7’3� Raking Width, 10’6� Windrow .......$3,800 NH 144 Merger, Ground Driven ......$2,900
USED TRACTOR
‘72 JD 4320, 2wd, Quick Hitch - $15,000
2250 Austin Rd. • Owatonna, MN 55060 nfs@northlandfs.com
NH 795, top beater - $5,995 ‘10 Kuhn Knight 8141, 4100 gal. ..$38,500 ‘12 Kuhn Knight 8141, 4100 gal., hyd. lid ........................................$35,800 ’08 Kuhn Knight 8132 Frt And Rear Splash Guards.............................$17,000 Kuhn Knight 8124, 2400 gal., 500 bu., front and rear splash guards .......$14,900 Kuhn Knight 8118, 1800 gal., 400 bu...........................................$7,900 Knight 8030, 600 bu., 3000 gal. .... $9,500 ‘17 Kuhn Knight 2044VB, vert beater .................................. $27,500 ‘04 Knight 8018, 400 bu.............. $10,000 AGCO NI 3732, 320 bu., walking tandem, single beater, rear endgate ............$7,500 ‘09 H&S 560 .................................$14,500 ‘14 H&S 660, Upper Beater, Hyd Drive Apron, Variable Spd ....................$22,850 ‘03 H&S 310, 310 Bu..................... $5,700 ’07 H&S 175, Drip Pan, New Gear Box, 175 Cu Ft ..................................... $4,875 Hagedorn 277, 270 cu. ft., 420 bu.........................................$12,900
HAY & FORAGE
HAY & FORAGE Miller Pro 7914 Merger, 9’ Pick – Up, 14’ Meger, Hyd Drive ............... $4,500 AS IS ‘82 NH 851 Rd Baler, 5 x 6 bales ...$1,850 ‘93 JD 535 Rd Baler, 5 x6 bales, twine .............................................$7,750 New Idea 4865 round baler............$6,900 H&S Super 7+4 Forage Box, 16’ Box $3,500 Gehl 980 Forage Box, 16’ Bx, 12 Ton Tandem, Vari-SPD Drive................$3,500 Gehl 980 Forage Box, 16’ Bx, 12 Ton Tandem 6-12 Running Gear ..........$3,500 ‘08 Meyer 6222 Forage Box, Front & Rear Unload, 22’ Box, Carted Running Gear XT2200L, hyd drive .................... $24,500 Case IH 600 Blower, 60� ................$3,900 ‘16 Anderson Hybrid X, 11,500 bales, remote start and steer ................ $26,900 ‘17 Anderson Hybrid X Bale Wrapper, 6’ Rd and Square Bales .............. $35,500 ‘15 H&S BW1000 Bale Wrapper, 6’ Bales, Remote Start & Steer, Lights ........$21,000 ‘09 Haybuster H1100 TILT II Tub Grinder w/corn hopper...............................$34,500 ‘06 Haybuster 2650 Tub Grinder, Self Loading, .............................$15,500 Bale King Vortex 3000 Processes Full Size Round Bales ....................$6,800 Midsota Bale Processor 66HS, Hyd Flow 13-30GPM, 66� Wide, Processes 5x6 Round Bales....................................$4,50
MISCELLANEOUS Berlon BSC, lifts full rd. bales ......... $450 Loftness Snow Blower, 93â€? width, 2 stage, hyd. swivel......................... $1,200 Woodchuck 1 yard Sand Bucket .. $3,900 ‘98 Buffalo Scraper 53300010, 3 yd ............................................ $6,900 Snow Push, 10’ wide ................... $1,800 Buhler YC8520 Snowblower, 7’, hyd. rotation ...................................... $2,700 Brown HB9, Mount on Skid Loader Q-Tach........................................ $2,600 Rice Lake Scale MAS-LC, 70â€? X 120â€? Outside Dimensions, Printer With Scale, CertiďŹ ed in 2017) ..................... $12,500
Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019
Top Performers
Timeliness, consistency contribute to Koltes Dairy components, production milks and handles herd health and reproduction. Andy mixes TMR and feeds calves. He also works with crops. Ken milks in the morning and helps with crops. Eugene milks in the evening. Missy and Brianna help with calves and milking during busy times.
Koltes Dairy, LLC Andy, Mike and Ken Koltes St. Cloud, Minn. Stearns County 130 cows Tell us about your farm. Koltes Dairy, LLC is a fourthgeneration family farm. We milk 130 cows, raise our youngstock and sell our bull calves at 1-2 weeks old. We farm around 400 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa. We milk in a parlor. Two-thirds of the lactating cows are housed in free stalls with dual chamber waterbeds and one-third are on a bedded pack. Both barns are tunnel ventilated. All the cows eat outside on a feed line with shade and sprinklers. We have a RHA of 28,011 pounds with a 4 percent butterfat and 3.15 percent protein test. The farm involves Andy and Missy and their four kids, Mike and Brianna, and our parents Ken and Tess. Eugene is our full-time hired man, and we have many seasonal helpers. Describe your milking routine. We milk twice a day at 5:30 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. Mike
How do you market your milk? We have been signed up for the MPP-Dairy program and plan to sign up for the DMC program. Also, we have locked in some of the DRP insurance. We have not contracted any milk recently.
SHERRY NEWELL/DAIRY STAR
The Koltes family – (from leŌ) Ken and his sons, Mike and Andy – milk in a swing-10 parlor on their 130-cow dairy farm near St. Cloud, Minn. The family has maintained a rolling herd average of 28,011 pounds with a 4 percent buƩerfat and 3.15 percent protein test.
What is your herd health program? We run a 55-day dry period. We have hooves trimmed before dry off. We use quarter master and orbeseal at dry off. We also vaccinate with J5 and Guardian. We vaccinate all animals with bovishield twice a year. Cows and heifers are moved into the pre-fresh pen 28 days prior to calving. At calving, all animals are pumped and 3-year-old and up lactation cows are given a bolus the next day. Turn to KOLTES | Page 20
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019 • Page 19
Open House se Thursday March 7th, 2019! 9 9! Buffered red Propionic Proppionic Acidd w/Citric w/Cit ttric ric 2400 lb. Tote Tote: e: $1 e: $1669 16 669 69 9 480 lb. drum: m: $340 4 40
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“...works better than anything else.” — Jeremy and Lisa Brooks
BROOKWAY HOLSTEINS, PLEASANT GAP, PA, 2018 Dairy of Distinction 200 Holsteins 25,675M (2x) SCC below 180,000 Lisa and Jeremy Brooks at our booth during the 2019 Keystone Farm Show, York, Pa. with daughters Olivia, 4, Miss U.S. Agriculture Tiny Ambassador, and Madalyn, 1, Baby Ambassador. Lisa and the girls are involved in the new Miss Agriculture USA advocacy open to all ages -- proud to share with the public as 7th generation farmers.
“We use Udder Comfort on any type of “We love Udder Comfort™ and swelling because it removes swelling have been using it for about 4 years. We like that it’s natural and better and faster than anything else.” effective. We use it on fresh cows Jeremy mixes feed, scrapes, beds, for edema, to improve comfort and does the mechanical work on and to prevent problems,” the farms. say Jeremy and Lisa Brooks. His brother Jeffrey and parents Dennis “We like how Udder Comfort makes that warmth and takes the and Deb operate Brookway Holsteins, a 2018 Dairy of Distinction, milking swelling out of the udder so fresh 200 Holsteins near Pleasant Gap, cows are more comfortable. Pa. The registered herd makes over 85 lbs/cow/day of high “You know it’s working because quality milk. you can see that bag getting soft!
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019
ConƟnued from KOLTES | Page 18 What is the composition of your ration? What has been one of the most recent changes that has been successful for you? Our ration, on a dry matter basis, consists of 20 pounds corn silage, 15 pounds alfalfa baleage, 11 pounds ne ground corn, 4 pounds roasted beans and other concentrates. Nelson Consulting does our nutrition work. They have us feeding our own roasted beans which has saved us a lot of money. What change has improved your herd average most? Many things have helped us improve our herd average over
the years, but the big ones that stick out are shade and sprinklers on our feed line and running cows through a footbath four days a week. Most of all, putting up high quality baleage and highly digestible processed corn silage. What is your breeding program? How do genetics play a role in your production? We have a 60-day voluntary waiting period then we breed on natural heats. If no heat is shown by 90 days, we start the cow on ovsynch. We use all Genex bulls. The main traits we watch for are milk pro-
SHERRY NEWELL/DAIRY STAR
Mike Koltes reviews a sire booklet on his family’s dairy near St. Cloud, Minn. The Koltes family breeds for milk producƟon, components, calving ease, strength and reproducƟon. duction, components, calving ease, udder strength and reproduction.
SHERRY NEWELL/DAIRY STAR
Andy Koltes checks the quality of his forage March 5 on his dairy near St. Cloud, Minn.
What type of improvements would you like to make that would increase your rolling herd average even higher? The main thing that would help us improve our herd average would be building a new freestall barn where the cows
can stay inside all the time out of the summer and winter weather. Also, we are trying BMR silage this year, so hopefully that will make our corn silage even better. What three management strategies have helped maintain production and kept you protable? We start chores at the same times every day. We
try to stay as consistent as possible and not cut corners. Putting up high quality forages is something we put a lot of work into. Cow comfort is something we stress and are always trying to improve.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019 • Page 21
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JD 2210, 2014, 55.5 Äeld cultivator, $ #154394
AIR DRILL AND SEEDER 14 JD 1990, 2011, #156314 .........................................................................$85,860 FIELD CULTIVATORS 4 JD 2210, 2008, 60 ft, 3-Section Folding, #146682 .................................$34,500 4 JD 960, 1994, 36 ft, 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #148486 .....$7,500 10 JD 1010, 25.5 ft, 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #151724 ..........$3,495 10 JD 1010, 31 ft, #150876 ............................................................................$2,825 10 JD 960, 1994, 26 ft, #148845 ....................................................................$5,500 7 JD 960, 1988, 44 ft, Standards: C-Shank, #150157....................................$7,215 7 JD 2210, 2013, #156232 .........................................................................$55,900 1 JD 2210, 2011, #155650 .........................................................................$29,900 1 Case 690, 2014, #155651 ......................................................................$18,900 1 Case TIGERMATE 200, 2013, 30.5 ft, 3-Section Folding, #155652 ......$33,000 1 JD 960, 1993, 33 ft, 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #154535 .....$6,500 12 JD 1000, 1978, #156035 ...........................................................................$3,950 15 Case 4800, #155715 ................................................................................$5,100 16 JD 980, 1995, 45 ft, 5-Section Folding, #145326 ....................................$14,000 16 Case TIGERMATE 200, 2014, 60 ft, #155901 ........................................$59,400 16 Case TIGERMATE 200, 2014, 60 ft, 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #154509 ..................................................................................................$59,400 16 Case TIGERMATE 200, 2014, 60 ft, 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #154511 ..................................................................................................$59,400 16 Case TIGERMATE 200, 2014, 60 ft, 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #154510 ..................................................................................................$59,400 16 Case TIGERMATE 200, 2014, 60 ft, 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #154507 ..................................................................................................$59,400 16 Case TIGRMATE 200, 2014, 60 ft, 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #154508 ..................................................................................................$59,400 5 JD 980, 1997, #155850 ...........................................................................$11,500 11 JD 2210, 2010, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, #146707...............................$49,500 8 DMI Tigermate 48 ft, #147786 .............................................................$14,500 8 JD 2210, 2009, 53 ft, 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #154393 ..................................................................................................$48,000 8 JD 2210, 2014, 55.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #154394 ..................................................................................................$58,500 8 JD 2210, 2009, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #154537 ..................................................................................................$43,500 14 JD 980, 1997, 26 ft, 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #153320 .....$9,900 14 JD 2210, 2007, 58 ft, 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #151055 ..................................................................................................$32,900 14 JD 980, 1997, 44 ft, #145571 .................................................................$16,500 14 JD 980, 1998, #156455 ...........................................................................$14,430 3 JD 980, 1994, 33 ft, 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #151027 ...$12,000 MULCH FINISHER 17 JD 726, 38 ft, #148373 ............................................................................$29,500 5 JD 726, 1997, 30 ft, 3-Section Folding, #148851 ....................................$18,900 PLANTERS: DRAWN 4 JD 1775NT, 2017, 16R30, Frame: Flex Fold, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: Central Fill System, Row Command, #150734...........................$152,500 4 JD 1775NT, 2018, Rows: 16, Row Spacing: 30 in, Frame: Flex Fold, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: Central Fill System, Row Command #150736 ................................................................................................$169,000 4 JD 1760, 2013, #156200 .........................................................................$52,500 17 JD 1750, 1997, #156043 .........................................................................$12,500 17 JD 1765, 2015, #155243 .........................................................................$54,500 7 JD 1760, 1997, 12R30, Frame: Wing Fold, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: 3.0 Bushel, #137790 ...................................................................$23,900 7 JD 7000, 1981, 12R30, Metering System: Finger Pickup, Hopper: 1.6 Bushel, #149569 ....................................................................................................$7,215 7 White 8180, 2004, #154647 ..................................................................$29,500 6 Great Plains YP2425, 2007, 24R30, Frame: Flex Fold, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: Central Fill System, #152236 ......................................................$65,000 15 JD DB66, 2008, #156439 ......................................................................$107,500 15 JD DB66, 2008, #155284 ......................................................................$139,900 16 JD DB99, 2014, #156313 ......................................................................$310,000
58,500
Case IH Tigermate 200, 2014, 60’ Äeld cultivator, $ 6” spacing, #154511
11 JD 1775NT, 2018, 16R30, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: Central Fill System, Row Command, #140328...........................$149,500 11 JD 1750, 1999, 6R30, Frame: Rigid, Metering System: Finger Pickup, #153700 ..................................................................................................$19,800 11 White 6100, #155671 ..............................................................................$5,000 8 Wil-Rich 24-22, 2009, 24R22, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: 1.6 Bushel, Row Command, #139224.........................................................................$44,900 8 Case 900, 12R30 in, #150606 ..................................................................$6,500 14 Kinze, 2000, #155343 .............................................................................$15,540 14 JD 1780, 1999, #155446 .........................................................................$33,500 PLANTERS: INTEGRAL 17 JD 7300, 1988, Row Spacing: 22 in, Frame: Wing Fold, Hopper: 1.6 Bushel, #148843 ...................................................................................................$14,600 6 White 5100, #155511 ..............................................................................$6,700 16 JD 1720, 2004, 16R22, Frame: Wing Fold, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: 3.0 Bushel, #155857 ...................................................................$26,000 8 JD DR24, 2018, 24R22, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: Central Fill System, Row Command, #150773.......................................................................$179,500 PULL-TYPE SPRAYERS 4 Hardi NAV 1100, #137543 .....................................................................$14,000 4 Raven 1000 Gallon, #149597 .................................................................$6,100 2 Hardi RANGER 2000, 2014, #155294 ....................................................$20,500 10 Fast 7400, #130185 ...............................................................................$18,900 10 Top Air 60, #140416 .................................................................................$5,000 10 Redball 580, 2006, #151074..................................................................$18,900 7 Summers ULTIMATE 120, 2012, #155256.............................................$27,900 15 Wil-Rich Blumha, #148336 .....................................................................$5,500 15 Top Air TA1200, 2008, #155358.............................................................$16,650 5 Hardi Commander 1200, 2002, #150043.............................................$14,900 5 Wil-Rich 500 GAL, #150604.....................................................................$6,000 5 Hardi COMMANDER 1200, 2004, #148536 ...........................................$19,900 14 Summers 500, 1996, #145350 ................................................................$4,500 3 Top Air TA2400, 2014, #156122.............................................................$49,500 SELF-PROPELLED SPRAYERS 4 JD R4038, 2017, Boom Width: 120-Foot, Boom Leveling, Tank: Stainless, Nozzle Spacing: 20 in, 289 hrs., #141223 ...............................................$329,500 1 JD 4830, 2013, Tank: Stainless, Tire Width: Mid, Hydraulic Tread Adjust, Traction Control, Nozzle Spacing: 15 in, 2400 hrs., #155970 ..................$139,000 15 JD 4940, 2014 , 1763 hrs., #155452 ......................................................$199,500 16 JD 4830, 2013, Boom Width: 90-Foot, Boom Leveling, Tank: Stainless, Hydraulic Tread Adjust, Traction Control, Nozzle Spacing: 20 in, 1423 hrs., #150080 ................................................................................................$169,500 16 Case 4430, 2013, Boom Leveling, Tank: Stainless, Tire Width: Narrow, Guidance-ready, 2655 hrs., #154198 .....................................................$209,500 8 JD R4038, 2018, Boom Width: 120-Foot, Nozzle Spacing: 20 in, 495 hrs., #150887 ................................................................................................$339,000 14 JD R4038, 2017, Hydraulic Tread Adjust, Guidance-ready, 508 hrs., #143961................................................................................................$346,500 14 JD R4038, 2018, 100 hrs., #155379 ......................................................$340,200 UTILITY TRACTORS 4 JD 6135E, 2016, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Tire Width: Wide, 196 hrs., #142599 ........................................................$71,900 4 JD 5115M, 2018, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Tire Width: Mid, Loader, 175 hrs., #143684 .............$78,900 4 JD 6120E, 2018, 100 hrs., #143694.........................................................$79,500 4 JD 6135E, 2018, 100 hrs., #143696.........................................................$84,900 4 JD 6135E, 2018, 100 hrs., #143698.........................................................$84,900 4 JD 5115M, 2018, 304 hrs., #143686 .......................................................$78,900 4 JD 5100E, 2018, 238 hrs., #143682.........................................................$65,900 4 JD 5115M, 2018, 113 hrs., #143688 .......................................................$71,900 4 JD 6120E, 2018, 36 hrs., #143692...........................................................$79,500 4 JD 5115M, 2018, 113 hrs., #143690 .......................................................$71,900 2 JD 6125R, 2014, 780 hrs., #155293 ........................................................$67,500 10 JD 5065M, 2012, Partial Power Shift, 2WD, Rear PTO: 540, 4975 hrs., #151388 ..................................................................................................$21,900
59,400
10 Farmall Super C, 2WD, Rear PTO: 540, #151487 ......................................$3,500 10 JD 6120E, 2016, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540, Tire Width: Wide, Loader, 272 hrs., #124936........................................................................$69,500 10 JD 6130R, 2016, Configuration: Narrow, Cab, Partial Power Shift, Guidance-ready, MFWD, Tire Width: Mid, 160 hrs., #124987 ..............................................$96,900 10 JD 6120E, 2016, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Tire Width: Mid, 259 hrs., #124310 ..........................................................$69,500 10 JD 6120E, 2016, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540, Tire Width: Wide, Loader, 222 hrs., #124867 ............................................$69,500 10 JD 6130M, 2016, Configuration: Narrow, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Loader, 195 hrs., #124993 .......................................$99,500 10 JD 6420, 2002, 6900 hrs., #154564.........................................................$52,500 17 JD 6110R, 2017, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Partial Power Shift, Guidance-ready, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Tire Width: Wide, Loader, 364 hrs., #144495 ..................................................................................................$99,500 17 JD 6110R, 2017, Configuration: Standard, Cab, IVT, Guidance-ready, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Tire Width: Mid, 257 hrs., #144497.........................$97,900 6 JD 6130R, 2016, Cab, Partial Power Shift, Guidance-ready, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Tire Width: Mid, 363 hrs., #142596 .........................................$99,500 12 JD 5115M, 2017, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540, 540/1000, Tire Width: Mid, 130 hrs., #140105 ..........................................................$71,900 12 JD 6120M, 2016, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Tire Width: Narrow, 116 hrs., #141879 ....................$92,900 15 JD 6110R, 2016, Cab, IVT, MFWD, 338 hrs., #144500 ..............................$95,900 15 JD 6130R, 2017, Configuration: Standard, Cab, IVT, MFWD w/ Suspension, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Tire Width: Mid, 403 hrs., #144505........................$109,500 15 JD 5100E, 2016, Cab, Power Reverser, MFWD, 2075 hrs., #149334 .........$46,900 9 JD 6135E, 2016, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540, Tire Width: Mid, Loader, 134 hrs., #124870........................................................................$76,900 9 JD 6130M, 2018, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Tire Width: Mid, 208 hrs., #143700..........................$94,900 5 JD 6135E, 2016, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Tire Width: Narrow, 327 hrs., #142600 .....................................................$74,900 5 JD 5100E, 2016, Cab, Power Reverser, MFWD, 1971 hrs., #145220 .........$46,900 5 JD 6105R, 2013, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Tire Width: Wide, 1425 hrs., #156129......................$71,900 11 JD 6110R, 2017, Cab, IVT, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, 345 hrs., #142813 ..................................................................................................$99,500 11 JD 6135E, 2016, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540, Tire Width: Wide, 62 hrs., #142602 ...................................$72,900 11 JD 5115M, 2016, Cab, Power Reverser, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Loader, 290 hrs., #149192 ....................................................................................$79,500 8 JD 6110M, 2016, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, 292 hrs., #144493 ...................................................$79,500 8 JD 6130R, 2015, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Partial Power Shift, Guidance-ready, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Tire Width: Wide, 262 hrs., #142595 ..................................................................................................$99,500 8 Massey Ferguson 3545, 1983, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Tire Width: Mid, 4279 hrs., #151182........................$19,500 8 JD 6130R, 2017, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Loader, 156 hrs., #147778 .....................................$109,500 8 JD 6130R, 2018, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Partial Power Shift, Guidance-ready, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Tire Width: Wide, 130 hrs., #156512 ................................................................................................$115,000 8 JD 6130R, 2018, Guidance-ready, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Tire Width: Wide, 120 hrs., #156488 ..................................................................................$125,000 8 JD 6130R, 2016, Guidance-ready, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Tire Width: Wide, 2200 hrs., #156511 ..................................................................................$79,900 14 JD 6130R, 2017, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Partial Power Shift, Guidance-ready, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Tire Width: Wide, 193 hrs., #144503 ..................................................................................................$99,500 14 JD 6110R, 2017, Cab, IVT, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Loader, 378 hrs., #144499 ................................................................................................$104,900 14 JD 6110R, 2017, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Loader, 409 hrs., #144496........................................................................$99,500
189,000
CIH QT500, 2011, $ 2950 hrs., #155272
134,900
JD 6155R, 2016, $ 319 hrs., #144516
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019
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Finding success in the new normal Kohl encourages farmers to evaluate business IQ By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
WILLMAR, Minn. – Since 2013, dairy farming has provided families with a median net farm income of about $35,000, according to the FINBIN database of Minnesota participants. While some may argue this period is an anomaly in the industry’s recent history, it shows similarities to the 1990s. “My contention is that our new normal is the old normal,” Dr. David Kohl said. “We’re going back to the years prior, but our cash rent or land hasn’t gone down.” Kohl presented ways dairy farmers can position their dairy business for future success in his seminar, “Getting Down to Business,” during a program Ridgewater College hosted Feb. 27 in Willmar, Minn. In the years leading up to the current downturn, a market was created that allowed both poor and good business managers to succeed. “That bottom 20 percent was making tons of money, so I knew we were heading to bad times because it attracted inefcient managers,” Kohl said. “They overpaid for assets and put marginal land and assets into production. It’s the old saying of high prices cure high prices. That played right out.” Now, there are three ways in which dairy farmers can withstand the poor market conditions according to Kohl – evaluating their business IQ, diversifying sources of income and presenting an accrual analysis to nancial lenders. During the presentation, the professor from Blacksburg, Va., provided the audience with a template of his business IQ questionnaire. The questionnaire is intended for every farmer, and those invested in the dairy, to review and honestly answer. The questionnaire is a set of 15 topics to review the agriculture enterprise includes: know cost of production; know cost of production by enterprise;
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“That bottom 20 percent was making tons of money, so I knew we were heading to bad times because it attracted inefficient managers.”
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goals – business, family and personal; record keeping system; projected cash ow; sensitivity analysis; understand nancial ratios and break evens; work with advisory team and lender; marketing plan written and executed; risk management plan executed; modest lifestyle habits and family living budget; written plan for improvement executed and strong people management; transition plan and business owner plan; educational seminars and courses; and attitude. Each may be categorized as yes and in action, no, but working on it, and non-existent. Based on the responses, points are awarded for each response which helps provide an overall business IQ score. “It doesn’t guarantee success, but it will identify what you’re strong at and areas of improvement,” Kohl said. “This is a tool for the times and it’s what is going to be needed as we move forward.” While Kohl admits the questionnaire will take time and those involved in the dairy may have different responses for each topic, it is critical to dissect in developing a direction for the dairy business. “You put a million dollars on the line, you’ll ll out these questions and do it for each enterprise,” Kohl said. Turn to KOHL | Page 23
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019 • Page 23
ConƟnued from KOHL | Page 22 In Kohl’s work, he saw dairy farmers with strong business IQs make critical decisions in 2013, before milk prices collapsed. “The good news is the businesses with a higher business IQ are getting a bigger share of the prot,” Kohl said. “You’re not going to do it with just producing more. It’s going to happen by producing more, marketing and monitoring your nances, and putting an efcient system together.”
“The good news is the businesses with a higher business IQ are getting a bigger share of the prot.” DR. DAVID KOHL
While larger dairy operations may have stronger business IQs and more options when faced with adversity, small farms are not excluded from opportunities in the current dairy market. Kohl believes small farms, making less than $500,000 in sales, can also be protable by considering off-farm income options, particularly those farms operated by young farmers.
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Dr. David Kohl speaks to audience members during his presentaƟon, “Geƫng Down to Business,” Feb. 27 in Willmar, Minn. “You’re all going to be entrepreneurs – you’re going to have this gig, that gig and this gig,” Kohl said. “The key is time management and how you handle all of them. The smaller farm is going to be the gig.” Also, at the farm level, dairy farmers should implement the little bit better philosophy
– striving to become a little bit better in three areas of the business, such as production and cost control. “One of the most catastrophic things that happened to agriculture was the extended good times because it got us into bad habits,” Kohl said. “Bad habits are formed in good times, and tough times
create good habits. Try to be 5 percent better in three areas of your business. Production, marketing, nance, cost control all come in together.” Dairy farmers should also be doing an accrual analysis with their nancial lender. Also, make sure this relationship is benecial for the farm’s future.
“We’re seeing the nontraditional types of lenders coming in, but be careful,” Kohl said. “When you select a lender it’s more than interest rates. You want somebody that really understands you, your operation and your needs.” Personally, dairy farmers should invest in themselves and make a point to be surrounded by mentors, both young and old. Also, take time to offset the tough moments of dairying, whether that is with a hobby or form of personal well-being, either by exercise, community involvement or growing in faith. “Do things to give back in life,” Kohl said. Kohl concluded his presentation by reminding dairy farmers to be continually mindful of their actions and how those actions will facilitate the farm’s future. He compared today’s industry with that of a basketball game, and how in the game, a player may only have the ball 5 percent of the time, but when that time comes it is imperative they handle it correctly. “What makes one farmer more successful?” Kohl said. “They sweat the small stuff. We’re in the playoffs and there’s small room for error. Your successes are going to be based off small successes and celebrate those.”
Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019 • Page 25
A lack of baggage
I have been anxiously awaiting the end of Febru- hours, and then got up at 3 a.m. and fed calves before ary for a few reasons. I have been looking forward I went to the Madison airport at 6 a.m. I wanted to to warmer weather and having our glatake my phone with me during chores so cier melt off of our driveway, and also I could have my 5 a.m. alarm with me. anticipating a visit to Washington to visit Then, I would have plenty of time to my son, Curtis, and attend the National shower and get going. Farmers Union Convention. When I was putting more bedding We all know March has a wide range into the last few pens, I looked at the of weather possibilities. Simply hearing clock and started to frisk myself to nd the forecast for another polar vortex commy phone. I had forgotten it in the house. ing during the rst weekend was not the The clock was correct with it already beprediction I wanted to hear as I was packing 5:30. I do not think the bottles and ing to y to Washington. I had to head out pails even got to the sink. early in the morning to Madison to catch I tried to run to the house, but our a ight to Denver and then on to Seattle driveway is still a sheet of ice. It was By Tina Hinchley where Curtis would meet me at the air- Farmer & Columnist frustrating to have to go around the edge port. of the slippery ice to have traction on the My plans were to stay with Curtis snow covered ice to get to the sidewalk, and his ancée, Meeya, for a couple days and then so I could get in and take a speedy shower to make it attend the convention as a delegate for Wisconsin. to the airport on time. I packed some nice clothes, but also some work Duane drove the car around from the shed and clothes to help them with fallen trees that dropped in surprised me with driving me to the airport. I had evtheir recent snow storm. Curtis was looking forward erything: tickets, phone charger, personal ID and sun to my help, and this was going to be my rst visit to glasses. I had checked in before packing and paid for Washington where he has lived for over three years. my carry-on bag. All I needed to do was to get to the He planned to show me where he works at the Uni- counter and have them tag my bag and head to gate versity of Washington in the astrophysics department No. 5. as an engineer, then a brief tour of Seattle, and then Madison airport is such a great place to y out of. I would nally be able see his place they recently Rarely is there ever a long line, and they are friendbought on the side of a mountain. ly and accommodating. That was until this morning I did all I could do to try to fall asleep for a few when I was rolling my bag up to the counter and the
agent was helping someone rebook their ight because they were too late to check their bag. That was when it dawned on me that I also was too late to get my luggage on the plane. Funny what a small world it is. The gentleman that was taking the bags for the airlines was Matt. He lives in town, and his children went to school with my girls. He kept apologizing about the policy and even offered to run my bag to the plane and load it himself, but the supervisor told him it is the new policy, and he had to stick with it. I was at a loss for words. What was I to do? Travel without any luggage? Could I t anything more into my canvas book bag? Can they send my luggage on the next ight? Nope. I started to heat up and sweat. Panic was taking over, and my face was turning red. I had to take my coat off. Could I travel without any luggage? Should I call my husband and rebook my ight for the next day? Oh my, I was so ustered I could not think straight. Then Matt said he could drop my bag off at the farm when he was done at 2 p.m. I could get some clothes in Seattle. Not a big deal. Yes, I could travel without my luggage. All is OK. Tina Hinchley, her husband, Duane, and their daughters, Anna and Catherine, milk 240 registered Holsteins with robots. They also farm 2,300 acres of crops near Cambridge, Wisconsin. They have been hosting farm tours for over 20 years.
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019
Consider risk protection before crop sales deadlines The United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency reminds producers to review available USDA crop risk protection options, including federal crop insurance and Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program coverage, before the crop deadline March 15. Federal crop insurance covers crop losses from natural adversities such as drought, hail and exces- FSA News & Notes sive moisture. NAP covers losses from natural disasters on crops for which no permanent federal crop insurance program is available, including perennial grass forage and grazing crops, fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, oriculture, ornamental nursery, aquaBy Ryan Brunn culture, turf grass, ginStearns Co. Exec. Dir. seng, honey, syrup, bioenergy and industrial crops. The following crops have a NAP application deadline of March 15: spring-seeded annual crops such as vegetables, grain crops such as sorghum and perennial forage pasture. Producers can determine if crops are eligible for federal crop insurance or NAP by visiting https:// www.webapp.rma.usda.gov/apps/actuarialinformationbrowser2018/CropCriteria.aspx. NAP basic coverage is available at 55 percent of the average market price for crop losses that exceed 50 percent of expected production. Federal crop insurance coverage is sold and delivered solely through private insurance agents. Agent lists are available at all USDA service centers or online at http://www.prodwebnlb.rma.usda. gov/apps/AgentLocator/#. Producers can use the USDA cost estimator, https://www.ewebapp.rma.usda.gov/apps/costestimator/Default.aspx, to predict insurance premium costs. For more information on NAP, service fees, premiums and sales deadlines, contact your county’s FSA ofce or visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov/ nap. Farm Service Agency is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Visit the Farm Service Agency Web site at: www.fsa.usda.gov/ for necessary application forms and updates on USDA programs.
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I’m going to save this calf The Transition Pen
By John Rosenhammer & Laura Scholtz Father/Daughter Farming Duo “I’m going to save this calf.â€? That’s what I conďƒždently told Cassidy, one of our high school helpers, as she crouched down next to me, holding the calf still while I stuck the needle in its vein and started a lactated ringers IV. I explained to her that this calf had a bad case of scours and we had been giving it an IV every 12 hours and giving electrolytes via a tube feeder. I’ve saved many seemingly helpless calves, and I wasn’t about to fail on this young heifer. However, the next morning, I walked into the calf barn to ďƒžnd my efforts weren’t enough. Anger ďƒžlled me. Why was this heifer different from others I’d saved? Frustrated, I spent extra time in the calf barn watching the calves, identifying far too many with scours and mixing up electrolytes for each one. One bull calf refused to drink his bottle, so I put the electrolytes in the tube feeder, and just like I had done many times before, proceeded to tube feed him. About three-fourths of the way through, the electrolyte mix began coming back out the calf’s mouth, and I quickly stopped. I helplessly watched as the calf gagged and gasped for air. He too, didn’t survive. Now, rage ďƒžlled me. My skills weren’t enough to keep my calves alive. I needed to ask for help. I sent in several fecal samples, and lost two more calves in the following days. Finally, our vet called with results of rotavirus and E. coli, and we discussed a treatment and prevention plan. I relayed the info to my dad, and together we are implementing a vaccine at birth and giving pills as treatment for those already sick. I’m excited to say we are on the mend and working on getting all our calves’ immunity built up again. Losing four calves will be on my conscience for a long time. As I look back and analyze our situation, I can see what led to our problems. Normally, bull calves are sold within a week of birth, but with the low prices, we have been keeping them longer. That means our calf barn has double the number of calves it is meant to hold. Additionally, a calving boom in January added to the workload and the frigid temps caused cold stress for both the calves and us. The excessive snow requires hours in the skidloader clearing the yard, taking away from our time spent caring for the calves. Finally, the challenging weather had prevented me from keeping up with my weekly dry cow vaccinations, which meant calves weren’t getting needed protection in their colostrum. With another snowstorm in the forecast, I’m preparing by getting our calf barn organized – extra bedding, cleaning calf jackets not in use, pail training as many as we can, cleaning up dirty pails, and making sure we have plenty of grain nearby so we don’t have to walk through the snow. I can’t change
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019 • Page 27
the number of calves we have to feed, but I can do my we are getting caught up on a lot of projects with his best to make feeding calves easier. I’m getting caught help. Next week there will be more hours of daylight up on dry cow vaccinations, and in a few weeks, I am to renew our spirits. Last week, my mom received conďƒždent we will able to eliminate the $4 vaccine we conďƒžrmation that she is ďƒžve years breast cancer free and we celebrated by going have been giving calves at for lunch, followed by an birth and fully rely on their As I llook A kb back k and d analyze l our out afternoon running errands immunity via colostrum. I always keep an attitude situation, I can see what led to together. We stopped at a liquor store to pick up a of gratitude. While I could our problems. bottle of wine, and I noticed not save the sick calves, I my favorite beverage, did catch a fresh cow going Leinenkugel’s Summer off feed and was able to successfully prevent her from developing a DA by Shandy, was available. If it has to be this cold outside, drenching ďƒ&#x;uids. With the cold weather preventing us at least I can have a taste of summer. Laura Scholtz farms with her father, John from running our weekly footbath, our hoof trimmer was able to make an extra stop and take care of our Rosenhammer, and uncle Greg, on Roseview Dairy lame cows. One of our best hired hands, Nick is near Sleepy Eye, Minn. They milk 200 Holsteins and helping us this week during his spring break, and run 580 acres of cropland.
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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019
Creating a bright future for dairy
Dairy Task Force 2.0 working to solve industry’s biggest issues By Stacey Smart Contributing Writer
A group of people in Wisconsin is coming together to come to the aid of dairy farmers. The Dairy Task Force 2.0 was created in June 2018 as a joint effort between the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and the University of Wisconsin to make recommendations on actions needed to maintain a viable and protable dairy industry in Wisconsin. The task force has its Dr. Mark work cut out for it Stephenson as members try to UW-Madison nd practical solutions to some of dairy’s most pressing issues. The Dairy Task Force 2.0 is comprised of 31 individuals including dairy farmers, milk processors and allied organizations – all volunteers representing a broad spectrum of the industry and a wide geography of the state. The task force’s ultimate mission is to help Wisconsin’s dairy industry achieve long-term success, while removing any roadblocks that stand in the way. As the name suggests, this is the second edition of the Dairy Task Force. The rst was created in 1985 to address the state’s declining milk production. About 80 recommendations resulted, and many were implemented successfully to help Wisconsin retain its status as a dairy leader. “The current state of the industry made it necessary to revisit the task force,” said Dr. Mark Stephenson, chairman of the Dairy Task Force 2.0 and director of Dairy Policy Analysis at UWMadison. “However, this time, there’s not just one issue that we’re trying to resolve. In fact, at our rst meeting last August, we identied 130 different issues to address.” Contrary to what some might believe, the task force was not created to x current milk prices. Rather, the task
force is trying to implement ideas that will prevent this type of catastrophe from happening again. “The marketplace will sort out the industry’s low-price problem before we could even have a chance to implement anything that would improve milk prices,” Stephenson said. “However, that problem is what brought us here, and we are working hard to ensure a bright and vibrant future for the dairy industry.” The task force is divided into nine subcommittees: markets, dairy and rural community vitality, consumer condence and perception, access to capital, education and workforce, generational succession and transition, price volatility and protability, regulatory certainty, and research and innovation. Task force members were assigned to various subcommittees to work on specic issues within these categories. Each subcommittee has met several times to develop recommendations specic to their topics, which are then bubbled back up to the entire task force. “The members have come up with many great ideas, and we are now almost to the point of voting on them,” Stephenson said. The task force holds open hearings, and meeting minutes are available to the public on the DATCP website. The full task force will meet for the third time at 10 a.m. March 15 at UW-Green Bay’s Sheboygan campus to vote on each subcommittee’s recommendations. Recommendations voted in favor of will then be executed at one of three levels: individual, state or national. “Most recommendations fall at the state level,” Stephenson said. “But, that doesn’t mean they’re automatically decided by government. Some of these recommendations are coordinated by dairy farmer groups.” A couple recommendations have already been voted on and passed by the task force, including the creation of a Dairy Innovation Hub. This is a request for state funding to support university positions that will advance the dairy industry. “There are no task force members from the university system, so this is not a self-serving recommendation,” Stephenson said. “Dairy is losing some capacity at the university level, and it’s concerning to the industry. We don’t want our intellectual capital to deteriorate by running out of a stream of new
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ideas for process or product technologies and advancements in regards to things like genetics, milking equipment, new dairy products and so on. The Dairy Innovation Hub will be very benecial to Wisconsin’s dairy industry.” Offering new types of state loans for dairy processors is another idea passed by the task force and on its way to implementation. Better lending options will make it easier for plant expansions to take place, benetting rural communities by creating more jobs and increasing the volume of milk that processors can purchase from farmers. Amy Penterman, a member of the Dairy Task Force 2.0, operates Dutch Dairy with her husband, Sander Penterman in Thorp, Wis. The Pentermans milk 850 cows and own Amy Penterman and rent 1,400 acres Dutch Dairy of corn, soybeans and hay. “As a dairy farmer and crop insurance agent, I wanted the opportunity to speak up for all farmers in our state,” Penterman said. “I want to be part of the solution.” Penterman is on three subcommittees: education and workforce, consumer condence and perception, and regulatory certainty. She said the task force has reected on all the major issues and the best ways to tackle each one, and hopes to have some of their ideas implemented by this summer. “I want farmers to know that even though it might appear things aren’t going as fast as they would like, there are a lot of people behind the scenes giving it their all,” Penterman said. “We have farmers’ best interests in hand; we want them to be successful. Our end goal is to make our state the best in the world.” Don Hamm of Sandy Loam Farm in Fredonia, Wis., is also a member of the Dairy Task Force 2.0. His 350-cow operation is a family-run affair that includes Hamm and his wife, Diane, daughter, Heather, brothers, Rick and Randy, and many nieces and nephews. “With everything going on in the dairy industry right now, I thought it was important to try to be a part of the solution to x the problems we’re having,” Hamm said.
But it was his daughter’s words that really convinced Hamm he wanted to be a part of the task force. “She told me, ‘I want to be just like you, Dad. I want to come back home and be a dairy farmer,’” Hamm said. “I want to make that dream come true for her and everyone else who has sons and daughters that want to come back and work as a family unit.” Hamm is involved on three subcommittees: access to capital, price volatility and protability, and dairy and rural community vitality subcommittees. He said the task force is looking at all kinds of avenues – from pricing issues to local and state regulations – to discover how to make an infrastructure that can handle today’s industry, while looking at new markets for using milk and Don Hamm milk products and Sandy Loam Farm even assessing markets not related to food. “We need to look for new uses and ways of doing things like new technologies to produce more products that could be made out of milk,” Hamm said. “We need to nd dairy’s ethanol so to speak. Of course, we need a better price right now, but all of these pieces will help make us a better dairy industry as a whole. Mark Stephenson really cares about what is going on in the dairy industry and is working very hard to make a difference.” The task force is hoping to wrap up committee work by late spring. It will then spend one to two months writing documents that summarize its work and recommendations. In total, the task force will likely be in session for a little over a year – about the same time period as the rst task force. “We’re moving with a lot of speed and have gained considerable ground since our rst meeting,” Stephenson said. “Once our recommendations are handed off to the appropriate parties for implementation, we will continue to follow their progress over the next couple of years to see which items are actually implemented.” Penterman said the task force represents all farmers, whether conventional or organic, small, large or in between. “It’s for all of us,” she said.
Dairy farm management is an art In a classic textbook of agricultural production economics, Doll and Orazem once stated that the art of farm management centers around a knowledge of the competitive, complementary and supplementary relationships among farm enterprises. “Wheat and soybeans may be supplementary enterprises with respect to combine use because one may be harvested in June and the other in September. With respect to land, they are competitive because if an acre of land is used to grow wheat, it cannot be used to grow soybeans the same season. Two crops may be competitive with respect to labor use during the spring planting time, but supplementary during the harvesting periods. … The most appropriate combination of intermediate products [such as feedstuffs in dairying] can only be selected by considering the needs of the livestock enterprise[s].” This passage suggests the high level of complexity involved in the art of dairy farm management. In the spirit of Doll and Orazen, let us review two fundamental principles of production economics. These principles may appear abstract, but provide powerful tools when operationalized. Rule No. 1: Every additional dollar spent must generBy Kota Minegishi University of MN ate at least a dollar of added value. Equivalently, every additional dollar of cost savings must not reduce revenues by more than a dollar. Suppose that switching to an advanced variety of seed costs $65 more per acre and is expected to yield 20 additional bushels. At the anticipated market price of $4 per bushel, it would generate an additional $80 per acre. Should you switch? Yes. The net prot is $15 ($80 minus $65) as each dollar spent on advanced seed generated $1.23 or revenue. In another example, suppose that reducing one round of pesticide application saves $65 per acre and reduces an estimated 15 bushels an acre. Should you decrease pesticide application? Yes. The net prot is $5 ($65 in cost savings minus $60 in lost revenue) as each dollar of cost saving reduced revenues by only $0.92. Rule No. 2: Every additional dollar spent across various inputs and for various outputs must generate an equal value (or similar values) of one dollar or higher. Now, consider how to allocate dairy manure across elds. At your current plan for allocation, based on your estimates of yield gains, market prices and cost of hauling at $400, you calculate that an additional truckload of manure to two elds of corn and soybeans would generate an additional $800 and $1,200 on those elds, which means a return of $2 and $3 per dollar spent (on manure hauling), respectively. Then, consider reallocating some from the corn eld to the soybean eld in your original plan. You may be better off with less manure applied to the corn eld (and therefore a lower corn yield) and more manure applied to the soybean eld (and therefore a higher soybean yield) until the benet of applying an additional truckload of manure in soybeans becomes similar to that of corn. To check for an optimal allocation of limited resource across multiple purposes, consider hypothetically having an additional unit of that resource and examine whether its application would yield similar returns across various usages. Further, suppose that an incremental application of supplemental fertilizer to the corn eld would create $1.25 per dollar spent. Then, further ask, after such an application, whether yet another incremental application would pay for itself. By the law of diminishing marginal product (that is, an input increases the output at a decreasing rate), the additional benet of fertilizer would decline for each additional increment and eventually yield less than $1. Generally, you want to stop adding input before reaching that point and backtrack if you are over-committed. When incremental calculations and adjustments are thoroughly made, you should nd yourself in a situation where the incremental return of every input for every output is about $1. Applying such principles may not be easy because we rarely know exactly how much an additional ton of manure will impact the yield. Still, these basic principles will help you constantly re-assess the trade-offs involved in each decision you make. Moreover, for a typical dairy producer, crop production is only half of the picture. Many farms grow crops as feed and purchase supplemental grains, bers and minerals, indicating that the inter-connection between dairy and crop enterprises must be considered. When all feed ingredients are sold and purchased through markets, the producer can treat the two enterprises separately. Produce the crops you are good at producing, sell the surplus of those crops, and buy the shortage of crops for your feeding needs. However, given that corn silage and haylage are seldom traded in the market, the producer must understand his own internal prices for those ingredients and coordinate the two enterprises efciently. The internal prices are determined by the interaction between the cost of supplying the crops and the benet of converting them into milk. When milk prices fall, for example, a good manager would lower the intensity of milk production per cow by reducing feed expenses. This decline in the internal demand for feed crops must be coordinated with the reduction in the internal supply to reach a new equilibrium at lower internal prices for those crops. The internal supply adjustments may entail changes in acreage allocation or input usage. Such a complex web of decision-making makes dairy farming a true test of knowledge, decision-making and resourcefulness for all farm managers.
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019 • Page 29
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Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019
We all need a break
Don’t you have those moments that just warrant an utterance of, “Calgon, take me away?” Originally a marketing pitch for Calgon bubble bath and bath salts, the denition of this phrase is now included in the Urban Dictionary: “the feeling a person gets when they have nally been taken away and they forget their present troubles and burdens.” The marketing pitch stuck as a phrase to wail when life was just a bit too crazy. That at that very moment, a nice warm bath with Calgon bath salts would x everything. It could be that instant when all of your children are screaming at the same time and you aren’t sure who to deal with rst. It’s on the tip of my tongue every Monday morning as I enter the farmhouse after being gone all day Sunday. Only Calgon has a chance of xing the kitchen cooking carnage. Maybe it’s when you have already had four calves that morning and you hear that familiar rattle of gates signaling that more cows are coming up the alley to take residence in the calving pen.
It could be when the 21 calves in the pen on the automatic feeder get to rough housing during the night and manage to knock off the nipple. Now instead of having naughty calves, you have hungry, bellowing calves. It’s possible that the phrase sneaks out of your mouth when you are walking cows and you see that you were gifted with three very toxic mastitis cows overnight. There aren’t instructions written on them for how to best x them, leaving you to guess and wish cows could talk for a few minutes. We grew up with Mom saying this phrase frequently. Only now, as a mom with four little ones, do I fully understand why she would say this. It helps the morale to think that someday you will be soaking in a bathtub and everything will be xed. All I have to do is say it and my kids get it, just as we did when we were young, that ‘Mom needs a break.’ The older I get, the better I am at actually following through on taking a real break from the daily stress of
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farming, family, and well, life. I realize that a few hours away from children, cows, and piles of dishes is worth so much. It can help reset my mood, making me calmer, ready to tackle the problems with a clearer view. It makes me a better mom, as if the patience that I had lost was Ramblings from the Ridge suddenly found 30 miles away in the seat of a good restaurant with friends. Years ago, when I was milking the hospital cows twice a day, every day, I thought I could never leave the cows to someone else, because they wouldn’t do the job good enough. I think it was my husband who By Jacqui Davison mentioned that it would Columnist be nice if I had one day off. It was a tough adjustment for me. I was always thinking about the cows when I got up in the morning, even if I wasn’t there with them, worrying incessantly. Fast forward a few years, and now my “farm brain” shuts off completely the minute I leave the driveway on Saturday night, and often doesn’t turn back on until early Monday morning when I have to plan my day. Most of us don’t actually get to wash our stress away with Calgon bubble bath, or a bath of any kind that doesn’t involve children knocking down the door. With our society nowadays, having mini breaks is more possible. Like a quick check of the message feed with all of the girls in your dairywomen’s peer group. It’s a quick x to unload your problems with a group that wholly understands your struggles and can offer specic advice to the situation. Or sometimes, it’s just a virtual hug. Knowing that they are there at the touch of a button can be a sanity saver. At the same time, it’s nice to have a group of friends that doesn’t have a farm background, so that you can go out and talk about something other than cows. We love our four-legged bovines and all, but it can be nice to think of other things every once in a while. We started a book club almost three years ago now, and the women that are involved in it are not farmers. It has been great to make new friendships outside of the dairying world, and they are often fascinated by our lifestyle. After a discussion about a good book, I’m always reenergized and ready to take on another day of cow dilemmas. I think my favorite is when the frequent saying of ‘Calgon, take me away’ among friends actually morphs into an outing. Not just saying that ‘we should get together’ like people do. Taking time to set a date, make plans, and most importantly follow through on those plans to make a great memory among friends. Stacy and I planned a ‘Calgon, take me away’ trip with two friends of ours, and while what we ended up doing was an abbreviated version of our original hopes, the getaway was simply wonderful. Undoubtedly better than any bubble bath. A day lled with good laughs, food, and retail therapy that will give me a happy place to go to as I greet the cows and the problems they bring to me. As the month progresses and new stresses arise, take a break. Make some time for you, spend it with friends, or perhaps even a Calgon bubble bath. Jacqui and her family milk 800 cows and run 1,200 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wis. Her children, Ira (12), Dane (10), Henry (5) and Cora (toddler), help her on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones, or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos – and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.
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Growing dairy in China
Recently, I visited China to consult on dairy farms. It was a fascinating experience. If you want to read more about my trip, see the article in the Feb. 9 edition of Dairy Star or visit my blog http://www. northernvalleydairy.com. While there has been dairy production in China Veterinary Wisdom for a long time, it was a very small industry until recent times. Today, there are somewhere between 8 and 10 million dairy cows. Dairy product consumption has also been low by world standards. In 2013, the average urban consumption of dairy per capita was 63 pounds. The global average at that time By Jim Bennett was 240 pounds per person, Columnist and in the United States it was 637 pounds. So, the Chinese only eat about one-tenth the amount of dairy as we do here per person. However, consumption has been growing. A survey published by the China Dairy Industry Association in 2018 states that dairy product sales will grow 6.4 percent this year and that annual sales will grow by nearly 17 percent by 2023. Most Chinese consume dairy only as milk or yogurt and consume very little butter or cheese. I was not aware of this when I arrived in Beijing, but it was soon clear that dairy is a much smaller part of Chinese life than it is here. For example, in nine days I did not see one piece of cheese, not sliced, shredded, melted, nor blocked. I saw milk served at only one meal, but it was hot. I saw butter once. I did see a little yogurt, mostly of the drinkable version. However, I did see several McDonald’s, and I was told they serve cheeseburgers. Pizza is supposedly popular with the young in China, though I did not see any. I saw ice cream twice. I also saw a population of people that dress like we do, drive cars like we do, use cell phones like we do and all around look like they could
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019 • Page 31
be in Minneapolis or Los Angeles. Clearly China has Dairy farmers in China are paid more for their been westernized in many ways, and it looks like their milk than here. From looking at a variety of online sources, I found producers were paid about $23 diet is changing, as well. The production side of their dairy industry is per hundredweight in 2017 on average, and that westernized also. The newer farms I saw looked farmers have been paid about 50 percent more that like newer farms here. Cows lived in curtain-sided, our farmers over the last few years. Most likely naturally-ventilated freestall barns and cross ventilated much of this advantage is lost in feed costs. I only barns. The new farms had lots of technology including saw one farm that had attempted to grow alfalfa. All cow identication and parlor systems, manure the hay was shipped from places in the United States scrapers, manure digesters, ventilation systems and including Utah and Idaho. According to a 2014 report feeding equipment. The best farms looked a lot like called, “China’s Rising Dairy Industry,” published our best farms. Their cows look like our cows, too. by Biomin, hay imports increased from 2,088 tons in While cows and heifers have been imported from a 2007 to 755,600 tons in 2013. China also imports a lot variety of countries around the world, semen mostly of corn grain and soybeans. comes from the same companies United States Fundamentally, China has a problem in that only or European dairy farmers might use. Part of this 15 percent of the total land mass can be cultivated modernization is because of the melamine scandal and much of this is not very productive. Plus, much in 2008 when six babies died and thousands more of the land goes toward producing rice or wheat for were sickened by consumption of contaminated baby human consumption. Thus production of feeds for formula. According to a variety of sources, Chinese livestock is challenging and not likely to keep up with consumers still to some degree distrust Chinese- the demand. produced dairy products. When visiting the country, it is obvious change Indeed, an article in the February online edition has been rapid and dramatic in many aspects of of Dairy Business talks about a recently developed Chinese life. Dairy is really no different, especially U.S. cheese label for the Chinese market, hoping on the production side. It sure looks like demand for dairy in China is going to capitalize on this continue to go up, and lingering mistrust of When visiting i i i the h country, iit to China really has no way locally produced dairy. Wh to meet that demand even Overall though, younger is obvious change has been with modern facilities, top middle class Chinese notch technology and great are paying increasing rapid and dramatic in many genetics. Dairy farmers attention to their health, aspects of Chinese life. somewhere in the world and consider dairy products will need to ll that void. to be healthy, especially Hopefully U.S. farmers can western-produced products. Following the melamine scandal, the Chinese be at the front of the line. Bennett is one of four dairy veterinarians at government created new quality regulations that resulted in the exit of many small dairy farms. It also Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center in began subsidizing construction of large scale dairy Plainview, Minn. He also consults on dairy farms in farms. All of this was done to consolidate production other states. He and his wife, Pam, have four children. and gain better control over the safety and quality of Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@gmail.com with dairy products, according to the Jan. 11, 2018, edition comments or questions. of Dairy Global.
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Winter nightmares Long periods of cold and snow obviously make dairy farming a difcult occupation. This February and the forecasted early March have indeed been trying to most of us. We cannot get a break in the weather to catch up and reset our lives to some kind of normalcy. The kids miss too much school, parents are stressed about daycare, and I have not taught my Sunday school class in about a month. I really miss those kids. One of the silly things that happened on one of the coldest nights of the year was one of our 6,000-gallon bulk tanks could not cool the milk. That seems a bit like saying your oven will not heat when it is 101 degrees in the summertime. The thermostat inside the tank is actually located outside under the bulk headed tank. The thermostat was inuenced more by the outside cold than the milk temperature inside the
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take care of those great cows. To lose so much so fast in an already tough business would be so hard. So far, we have not had that nightmare, but we have lost some sleep over our sand lane and manure ume. Our basic manure system consists of Making Cents of Dairy scraping pens with a skidloader into a manure ume, which turns 90 degrees and dumps into a sand lane. The sand settles out in the sand lane to be scooped up and recycled as bedding once it dries out. From the sand lane, the manure laden water By Dave Vander Kooi continues on to lagoon Columnist No. 1. In theory, the manure settles out in lagoons No. 1 and No. 2, with gray water left by the time it gets to lagoon No. 3. The oating pump in lagoon No. 3 pumps the gray water back into the ume continuously. The problem during prolonged cold spells like this is the water gets so cold, almost slushy, that it does not carry sand or manure effectively. We have had to manually clean the sand out of the ume twice already and probably will need to do it once more. The manure ume generally works very well, and because Joe did most of the design on it, I do not worry about it much. I help with it and do what I am told. I let Joe lose sleep over it. Corey probably worries if the old feed truck will make it another year, and Bry hopes all the employees make it to work during all the blizzards. My nightmares usually go way back to the olden days of drinking cups running over all night in the tiestall barn. The worst thing back in those days
O off the One h silly ill things hi that h happened on one of the coldest nights of the year was one of our 6,000-gallon bulk tanks could not cool the milk. was pick axing frozen silage off the silo walls so the unloaders would work correctly. It is a good thing most nightmares are not real, or if they are that we adopt the attitude of my good friend Dave Schwartz. Dave’s freestall barn collapsed last week, and he lost 16 of his 100 cows. I called him to see how he was doing, and he said he moved his remaining cows into a bedded shed, and carpenters were already there getting prepared to rebuild. He said he was still having fun, and if it was not fun, he would pretend he was having fun. Vander Kooi operates a 1,800-cow, 4,500 acre farm with his son, Joe, and daughter-in-law, Rita, near Worthington, Minn. Send him feedback at davevkooi@ icloud.com. Follow him on Instagram, @davevanderkooi.
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Meeting madness There has been very little break between bitter cold, blizzards and the aftermath that we are all dealing with this winter. February was record-breaking for Minnesota snowfall amounts in a single month according to the climatologists. Keeping up with day-to-day chores is the main focus on our farm, and I imagine every dairy farm in our region, these past few weeks. Devastating damage to people’s barns from snow load and just the sheer job Come Full Dairy Circle of moving snow for milk and delivery trucks is overwhelming to say the least. Now March has arrived. What will this month bring for challenges? Will we have more of the same or maybe a small respite from the unrelenting snow and wind? I think we are all hoping for some calmer weather with time to regroup, catch up and get some overdue lot cleaning and cattle moving underway. Normally this is the time of the year that we attend various meetings. One or more of us try to go to meetings that we feel are important to our management or business skills. Other events are more on the By Jean Annexstad fun side, because we get to celebrate and maybe see old friends. Still other appointments revolve around Columnist nances, taxes or signing up for dairy and crop programs. Whatever the case, it takes time, energy and planning if we want to get away to attend. Some stay on the wish list even if we cannot make it every year. Rolf and I have had the good fortune to attend the Gopher Dairy Club Banquet three years running. This is a fun event held the third Sunday of February (thank goodness, no blizzard) where the accomplishments of the University of Minnesota dairy club kids are celebrated. This year my brother-in-law, Mike was able to join us. It so happened that alumni of his age were either speaking or being honored by the club, so he had an interest in going. He was able to visit with a good friend during the meal. We are all alumni of the university, and this event is a great way to reconnect with people we went to college with or know from our industry. The students do a tremendous job of organizing and orchestrating the banquet and program. It is an honor to be involved and watch them shine. Another interesting meeting I went to was a farm succession planning workshop held by the United Farmers Cooperative at their headquarters in Winthrop, Minn. The workshop was conducted by Jolene Brown, West Branch, Iowa, who is a renowned speaker on this topic. I had heard her a few other times and was excited to go. The take-away message and information she provided was excellent. Now comes the tough part of explaining and implementing the suggestions. It was useful to have a packet of information to take along to refer to in days to come. The afternoon session covered more of the nuts and bolts of transition planning from the perspective of an attorney, CPA and nancial planner. The February storms meant that some meetings were rescheduled. One of those is our regional DHIA meeting that I was looking forward to attending. The records we pay for and receive are comprehensive but not as well used as they maybe could be. The topic of the meeting was how to better utilize your records. I am hoping it works to get there on the new date. Sometimes, I try to take in a webinar and rely on online or published articles where reporters cover meetings that I cannot attend. Most of the time, that is a good alternative, but it requires some real discipline to actually take time to focus. For Mike and Rolf, this winter has not allowed much time to sit and watch webinars, read or anything else. It seems like every hour in the day is taken up with work needing to be done or dealing with the latest snow storm. Another meeting that comes up in March is our county DHIA and Holstein Association meetings that we hold on the same day. This a collaborative effort between University of Minnesota Extension and the boards of both organizations. At last count, I think there were more than 40 emails to get the time, place, meal and speaker decided for this event. The meeting is fun, and it is good to get together with local dairy farmers that you do not get to see very often. It is an event where we celebrate, learn, conduct business and enjoy a meal together. Our group is small but passionate about what we do. I hope you can nd a meeting or event to attend that offers a chance to gain insight, relax and step away from the difcult winter and economic times we have faced. Jean dairy farms with her husband, Rolf, and brother-in-law, Mike, and children Emily, Matthias and Leif. They farm near St. Peter, in Norseland, where she is still trying to t in with the Norwegians and Swedes. They milk 200 cows and farm 650 acres. She can be reached at jeanannexstad@gmail.com.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019 • Page 33
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019
Heatherstone dispersal celebrates 35-year career
Holschbaches named Wisconsin distinguished breeders By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
BARABOO, Wis. – Culminating a 35-year career, Mike and Valerie Holschbach were awarded the Wisconsin Holstein Association Distinguished Breeder Award less than two months before the complete dispersal of their herd. The Holschbaches own Heatherstone Enterprises near Baraboo, Wis., and will disperse their herd April 13. Mike and Valerie joined Valerie’s parents, Duane and Carol Jean Hegna, in 1984, working as herdspeople on the farm. In 1994, they purchased the farm and set off on putting their own stamp on the wellknown Holstein herd. Today, the herd consists of 130 milking females, and the Holschbaches will have about 230 total head cataloged for
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Holschbach family – (from leŌ) Chelsea, Chase, Mike and Valerie Holschbach and Brienne Carlson – celebrate Mike and Valerie being named the DisƟnguished Breeders at the 2019 Wisconsin Breeders at the 2019 Wisconsin Holstein AssociaƟon’s annual convenƟon last month in Manitowoc, Wis. Mike and Valerie milk 130 cows near Baraboo, Wis. the dispersal sale which will be held on the farm. Breeding for type and placing a strong focus on cow families has been the cornerstone of the Holschbaches’ breeding program. “Our mantra has been that we want to breed the cows we like to milk and that others like
to buy,” Mike said. “We want cows with high type, good pedigrees, and we focus on high components.” Adhering to those benchmarks has worked well with the herd achieving a rolling herd average of 27,716 pounds of milk, 4.5 percent fat with
1,233 pounds of fat, and a 3.3 percent protein with 927 pounds of protein. Two cows in the herd are scored EX-95. The herd is a nine-time Holstein USA Progressive Genetics herd and has won premier breeder and exhibitor awards at the Midwest Fall National
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Holstein Show and the District 5 Holstein Show. In 1997, they were named the Wisconsin Holstein Association Distinguished Young Holstein Breeders. When they took over the farm, the herd had been mostly a closed for over 30 years and a number of cows in the herd had Heatherstone breeding on the top and bottom sides of the pedigrees. “We built on their quality herd, infusing new bloodlines for greater market appeal,” Mike said. Over several years, the Holschbaches purchased a group of cows that impacted the herd positively. Out of that group, two are now scored EX95, one scored EX-94 and one EX-93. “They maybe didn’t turn out to be the show cows we might have wanted, but they transmitted their genetics and made calves,” Valerie said. Those purchased animals have ushed well, and the Holschbaches are excited about the group that will be selling in April. “This group of 2-year-olds Turn to HOLSCHBACH | Page 35
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019 • Page 35
ConƟnued from HOLSCHBACH | Page 34
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The Holschbaches milk in a Ɵestall barn. Nearly 230 head, 130 of which are milking, will be cataloged for the Holschbaches’ Heatherstone Enterprises Complete Dispersal sale next month. we are milking are as nice of a group as we’ve ever calved in,” Mike said. “They are amazing … 18 of 21 2-yearolds are scored Very Good.” The Holschbaches have not placed a great deal of emphasis on genomics, but they have started testing some calves they think would have high type numbers. They are working with one family who has been producing calves that are coming back over 4 points on type. “I do believe in DPR and that has become important in our sire selection,” Mike said. “I used to think we did a good job with our reproductive program, but you can see the correlation of the cows sired by low DPR bulls. Typically, they have been our hard breeders.” When looking over their career of breeding registered Holsteins, one highlight that rises to the top for both Mike and Valerie is the story of Heatherstone Redhot-Red-ET, a four-time class winner at World Dairy Expo, and twice intermediate and reserve grand champion. “It’s a euphoric feeling to have a cow you bred go on and do so well for someone else,” Valerie said. Redhot was purchased as a calf by Westcoast Holsteins of Chilliwack, B.C., and later purchased by Milksource Genetics of Kaukauna, Wis. “Westcoast looked at her all week the year she was a spring calf,” Mike said. “They nally made the decision to buy her shortly before she went to the ring. Winning four consecutive years in four different classes at Madison is rare, especially for a heifer to come back and win as a cow.” Another memory the Holschbaches recall is hosting the 2008 National
Holstein Convention Sale on the farm where they entertained about 3,000 people for the pre-sale meal. “It was fun to plan, working with our fellow Holstein breeders and a great crew of people,” Mike said. “Despite all the work, when I think of it, I only remember the enjoyment. That was probably at the height of cattle prices and industry interest. Markets were good, prices were high.” Hosting that sale provided the Holschbaches with background experience and knowledge in preparing for their upcoming dispersal sale, although Mother Nature has been throwing them a few curve balls in their preparations. “We’re doing well preparing the herd,” Valerie said. “All the other stuff is a little more stressful with each snowfall and bout of cold temperatures we face.” Mike and Valerie feel blessed to have raised their three children, Brienne, Chelsea and Chase, on the farm and enjoyed sharing their love of dairy farming with all three. While the dispersal will close a chapter on Heatherstone Enterprises, the Holschbaches are looking forward to what the future will bring. “We aren’t retiring,” Valerie said. “But, the time is right to disperse the herd and move on to whatever the next chapter might bring. We’ve put together a great group.” With both their roots so deeply entwined with the Holstein cow, they will miss the daily contact with their herd. “We’ll miss the breeding part of it, watching the generations work and anticipating what they will turn into to,” Mike said. “For me, that has always been the most rewarding part of dairy farming.”
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019
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family’s farm. He led me through the corn eld, turned around and before I knew it, he was down on one knee. I was caught so off guard that honestly I thought he fell down and was wanting me to help him up. From the earliest days of dating, I knew if I ever wanted to see this dairy farmer, I better get myself on the farm and work alongside him. For our rst Valentine’s Day, we were doing the most romantic thing you could do on that day together, milking cows. I went out that night to bring the rest of the cows up into the holding pen from the freestall barn. As it turned out, one cow got skittish and had a hard time crossing a grate. All of a sudden, this cow jumps over the grate, inging manure all over me. I was covered head to toe in manure. I came back to the parlor to nd Ted and his dad laughing away. With a smirk on my face, I told Ted that if he’d ever second guess my love for him, this was proof I am in it for the long haul. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? There is always something to do. It’s something our family gets to do together. I love knowing that Clayton gets to be a part of this and grow up on the farm working alongside us. Clayton’s grandpa and uncle are already ghting on who gets to have him ride in their tractor this coming spring. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? Every year I put on the Youth Dairy Classic in northeast Iowa. It is a weekend event that solely focuses on the youth. The event includes judging, kiddie calf, showmanship, a dairy show and a tting contest. This will be my 10th year organizing the show. In past years, we’ve had over 350 head of cattle with 150 exhibitors from six states. The most rewarding part of the show is getting to know all the exhibitors and their families. It’s a pretty amazing experience that I get to be a small part of. Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? My in-laws. If you looked up all-American family in the dictionary, their names would be next to the denition. No matter how busy they are, they always take time to help their family, neighbors or others in need. They have taught us about living simple and humbly as they have farmed. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? Melissa Peterman. Everyone needs a few good laughs, especially with the trying times that farmers experience. She’s hilarious. What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? Some of our closest friends went with us to Jamaica for our honeymoon. It was around New Year’s and a great time to pull away. We went mudding, rode the Segway, climbed a waterfall and even rode a camel. What are some words you like to live by? Life is short. Smile while you still have teeth.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019 • Page 37
Farm museum serves as tribute to the past
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EVANSVILLE, Wis. – Ed Larson loves to collect antiques, especially farm antiques. From milk bottles and ice cream scoopers to butter churns and milking machines, along with tractor seats, and signs, and nearly everything in between, his diverse collection includes thousands of relics from the past. A visit to Larson’s museum, aptly named Grandpa’s Farm, is like taking a walk down memory lane. Historians and farmers alike can appreciate the storied past of the museum’s contents. The 1,000-square-foot space is packed wall to wall with many one-of-a-kind, hard-to-ďƒžnd treasures from generations gone by – such as a bull blinder patented in 1933 and a milk aerator from 1917 – perhaps the only one of its kind ever seen. It is appropriately located at Larson Acres, a 2,400-cow dairy owned by the Larson and his family near Evansville, Wis. When gazing upon Larson’s vast collection, it would appear antique collecting has been a lifelong hobby for the dairy farmer. But Larson started a mere six years ago. “I had back surgery in 2013 and was laid up for quite awhile,â€? Larson said. “I got bored and needed something to occupy my time.â€? Thus, the treasure hunting began. It started with Wisconsin milk bottles – a collection that has grown to number 1,800. The majority is from Wisconsin, as Larson prefers to collect local items, with 17 milk bottles from Evansville. “I like to ďƒžnd things with connections to the area,â€? Larson said. He even managed to obtain a bottle that came from Alfakorn Farms, owned by Green Brothers Grain Exchange, the place his great-grandfather purchased in 1920 and land the Larsons still farm today. “It took me three years to ďƒžgure out where that bottle came from,â€?
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Larson’s collection showcases 200 years of agriculture
Larson said. “That’s my favorite part about collecting – ďƒžnding out the history of an item. It’s fun ďƒžnding a piece, but it’s even more fun to learn about it.â€? Larson’s milk bottle collection also includes specialty bottles like one from the Naval Prison Farm, a Famous American Hero bottle featuring Abraham Lincoln, a circa 1886 Thatcher bottle (inventors of the milk bottle), a small blue-colored bottle used for cream at a Chicago hotel, a green-colored bottle from New York used only at Christmas time, and a red bottle made by Borden’s that caused milk to look red, therefore, only a couple dozen were ever made. “Antique collecting is addicting,â€? Larson said. “Once you start, it snowballs.â€? Larson acquires his items from auctions, antique stores and eBay. Shipshewana, Ind., a site for several big consignment auctions each year, has also been a source of some great ďƒžnds for Larson. “When I ďƒžrst started, I bought everything,â€? Larson said. “Now I’m more selective. It’s become harder to ďƒžnd something I don’t have. Plus, I’m running out of room. Now, an item really has to catch my eye and have a good story behind it.â€? In his search for the eccentric, Larson came across a pair of hand milkers – wooden devices used to extract milk from a cow one teat at a time. From the crude to the sophisticated, Grandpa’s Farm is ďƒžlled with all kinds of inventions and gadgets showcasing the evolution of farming. Larson’s fondness for the nostalgic has led to the purchase of numerous old-fashioned objects, like a dogpowered butter churn, horse measurer, cabbage cutter, grain ďƒ&#x;ail, giant cattle dehorner, stone water cups for cows, chicken catcher, milk cans, cow yoke pokes, hand-crank cow clipper and a 1922 model Holstein cow and bull set – one of only 100 pairs made. Other items in his collection include blacksmith tools from the 1800s, books and literature including several issues of the 1890 National Stockman and Farmer newspaper, thrashing machine coun-
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Ed Larson, one of the owners of Larson Acres dairy farm, collects anĆ&#x;que milk boĆŠles, buĆŠer churns, ice cream scoopers, milking machines, signs and much more for his on-farm museum in Evansville, Wis. He began collecĆ&#x;ng six years ago.
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Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019
ConĆ&#x;nued from LARSON | Page 37 ter, ruggle or drag shoe which prevented a wagon from running over the horse, windmill weights, apple basket liner, and a variety of kitchen utensils, including a green bean cutter, pasta maker and asparagus buncher. Larson has also accumulated a couple “What is it?â€? items – mystery pieces that even the seller could not positively identify. “You can’t go looking for some of this stuff because you don’t even know it exists,â€? Larson said. “And a lot of it, people have never even heard of. You just never know what you’re gonna ďƒžnd.â€? Larson also has a few items with no relation to agriculture whatsoever, like a communion wafer maker and an embalming pump. He also has an iron with a fuse plug that he got from a buddy who was on the show, American
Pickers. “I don’t always know what I want until I see it,� he said. For example, when Larson spotted an odd ringshaped item with various words engraved on it, such as beans and tomatoes, Larson’s curiosity was aroused. When canning vegetables or fruit, the item helped identify the jar’s contents. Before the jar was sealed up, the item was pressed into the soft wax to label the jar with the name of the appropriate vegetable or fruit. It was one of only two such known items, and once Larson saw it, he knew he had to have it. This antique collector is not partial to any one antique in his collection, however. “They’re all interesting,� he said. “Every piece has a story.�
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Ed Larson’s milk boĆŠle collecĆ&#x;on numbers 1,800, and no two boĆŠles are the same.
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Grandpa’s Farm is ďƒžlled with thousands of farm anĆ&#x;ques collected by dairy farmer Ed Larson. Larson’s passion for ďƒžnding unique, vintage farm items is rooted in his love for dairy farming. Larson was 5 years old when his dad bought the farm now known as Larson Acres in 1957. Ed’s father and grandfather farmed together, milking about 70 cows in the 57-stanchion barn. Today, Larson Acres is a 2,400-cow, 5,000-acre operation managed by Larson, Larson’s younger brother, Mike, and Larson’s daughter, Sandy, and son, Jamie. The farm employs about 70 people, including 11 Larson family members. Mike is the farm’s general manager, Sandy is the dairy production manager, and Jamie is the
crops and maintenance manager. Larson Acres is devoted to producing high-quality milk and doing right by their animals, the community and the environment. The all-Holstein farm is also recognized for its outstanding genetics and are active in showing cattle and breeding for deep pedigrees and type. The basement of the dairy’s ofďƒžce building is home to Larson’s museum. The old farmhouse was converted into ofďƒžces in 2006, and Larson opened the museum two years ago. Most people hear about the museum via word of mouth. Area historical societ-
ies also bring groups to visit. Preserving farm items for future generations is important to Larson. “There aren’t many farmers left,� Larson said. “And if I don’t protect some of this stuff, the next generation isn’t going to have a clue about any of it. I can show people how their grandpa would’ve done things.� A new discovery is always just around the corner for Larson, who continues to add about 100 new items annually to his collection. “It’s been fun,� Larson said about antiquing. “I never know what my next treasure is going to be.�
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019 • Page 39
with Edgar and Martha Martin, Brooten, Minn.
Edgar and Martha Martin (pictured with granddaughter) Brooten, Minn. Stearns County 190 cows How did you get into farming? I grew up on a dairy farm; my parents milked and farmed in Elkhart, Ind. My wife, Martha, and I, and our 11 children moved here in 1999. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? Like everybody else, the milk price and the outcome of the dairy industry. Commercial farms get bigger and family farms struggle to keep going. What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? We put tunnel ventilation in the freestall barn three years ago. It kept the barn warmer in the winter and kept the ies off the cows in the summer. It really helped with cow comfort. What is a management practice you changed in the past year that has beneted you? We shared equipment with our neighbor and did our own manure pumping this past fall. It saved us a lot of money. How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? We don’t really have any help. It’s us and our son and daughter-in-law, Gregory and Charlene. They are buying some of the cows. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. Maintenance. I like to x things as much as I can. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? Being home with the family and working with the family and raising our children on the farm.
What advice would you give other dairy farmers? If you have cows, you have to manage them well; cows pay the bills. Watch your spending. What has been the best purchase you’ve ever made on your farm? The skidloader; it moves a lot of things around in a day. What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? Raising our family, teaching them good work ethic and helping them get established. We have ve children in the area. Four milk cows and one hauls milk.
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What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? We plan to ease off and help our son take over. We will try to help him as much as health permits. As long as we are here we will help. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? Edgar: I like to take a nap. Martha: I like to read. We both like to spend time with church families on Sunday.
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 9, 2019
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