Issuu

DairySt r Milk Break

Email andrea.b@dairystar.com

DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™

Volume 22, No. 4

Producers dump milk due to COVID-19

Processors ask farmers to get rid of, reduce production during pandemic By Krista Kuzma & Jennifer Coyne Staﬀ Writers

HORICON, Wis. – As other dairy farmers received letters in March from their processors about potentially needing to dump milk due to shutdowns because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lisa Condon became nervous for her own farm’s production. “We thought maybe we would be under the radar, but that didn’t happen,” Condon said. Condon and her husband, Bob, began dumping milk April 1 on their 500-cow dairy near Horicon. They are one of many farms in the country having to let raw product go down the drain. “What a waste,” Condon said. “You work your whole life and every day just to throw it down the drain. Right away we tried to gure out options to try to use it or do something with it.” Instead, the Condons are pumping 6,000 gallons – one tanker load – each day into their manure pit. “We didn’t get a lot of warning,” Condon said. “We got a call from our eld representative that afternoon saying don’t ship anymore milk through the weekend. But it has continued longer than that.” Condon is a representative for the central district in Wisconsin for her cooperative, Dairy Farmers of America. She said her family’s dairy was chosen to dump milk because it has a manure pit and direct ships with its own tanker trucks. “If our dairy dumped, then four or ve smaller dairies Turn to MILK | Page 7

April 11, 2020

A career built from scratch

Martins erect cow, calf barns, milking parlor By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com

BROOTEN, Minn. – For Wesley Martin to continue his career as a dairy farmer, he needed a place to call his own with the ability to further establish his herd. Over the last year and a half, Wesley has been able to do that by building facilities for his cows and youngstock on his dairy farm in Stearns County near Brooten. “The biggest decision was how many cows I wanted to milk and how much money I was willing to spend to make a good living,” Wesley said. In July 2018, the Martins broke ground for a 101-stall freestall barn, double-8 parallel parlor and enclosed calf barn. The project would accommodate 110 milking cows Turn to MARTINS | Page 7

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

The MarƟn family – Wesley holding Weston, Juanita and Maria holding Kristen – milks 110 cows on their farm near Brooten, Minnesota. The family built a parlor, freestall barn and calf barn in 2018.

Milk given to those in need Cooperative, dairy farmers give school cartons to Rochester food bank By Krista Kuzma

krista.k@dairystar.com

ROCHESTER, Minn. – When schools in Wisconsin and Minnesota closed in March due to COVID-19, Plainview Milk Products Cooperative was left with 250,000 half pint cartons with nowhere to go. Charlie Sachs, a dairy farmer from Eyota, thought he could help. “I was in a position where I could get the right people talking and product out,” said Sachs, who is on the board of directors for both Plainview Milk Products and the Olmsted County American Dairy Association. The cooperative and association teamed up to donate milk March 19 to Channel One Food Bank in Rochester. Plus, Plainview Milk Products donated additional milk to three other food banks in the Twin Cities metro area. “It came at a really good time because we were just starting to worry about COVID-19,” said Jessica Sund, communications and development director for Channel One Food Bank. “We were able to use that milk to push out additional distributions to families, so that was really helpful.”

Fred Berndt, assistant general manager for Plainview Milk Products Cooperative, said about 15% of the cooperative’s milk is sent to its plant in Hastings and bottled. This includes milk for many local schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin. “We produced on Friday (March 13) as though the schools would be open and going,” Berndt said. “By Sunday afternoon and night, we reached out right away because we knew we would have to nd homes for it.” He had 250,000 half pint cartons, or 10,000 gallons, of milk that would not be going to schools. When Kevin Connelly heard about the extra milk, he had no hesitation with using money to donate it to a great cause. “We jumped on board and didn’t want to see the milk go to waste,” said the Olmsted County ADA board chairman and dairy farmer from Byron. “There are people who need dairy products. We always make a monthly donation to Channel One, but to me there was a greater need now than even two months ago, especially with kids out of school.” Sund is grateful for the donation and others like it. “It’s such a perishable item and it has to have cooling so we can’t accept donations of milk from the public,” Sund said. While the food bank can accept dairy given from retailers and distributors, more often, it is bought with donation money. Turn to FOOD BANK | Page 5

Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020

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 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Krista Kuzma - Editor/Wisconsin (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Andrea Borgerding - Associate Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman (608) 487-1101 danielle.n@dairystar.com Stacey Smart - Staff Writer (262) 442-6666 • stacey.s@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Advertising Sales Main Ofce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Joyce Frericks 320-352-6303 • joyce@dairystar.com Bob Leukam (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-1248 (cell) bob.l@star-pub.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofce) 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 Hoeer (Eastern Iowa) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Julie Barnes (SE WI and Northern IL) julie.b@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Ashley Curry (Northeast WI and Upper MI) 920-539-7268 • ashley.c@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 ofces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.

A glance at the other side

COVID-19 updates As the novel coronavirus continues to impact communities around the world, here at Dairy Star we want to make sure you are informed with the latest updates surrounding the pandemic and our dairy industry. We compiled a list of helpful resources, news and updates on postponed or canceled events on our website. We will update this page daily. Please visit www.dairystar.com for more information. If you have a helpful link or change of event to share with others, please email andrea.b@dairystar.com. Here are a few highlights from stories you will not nd in this paper, but you can nd online in zone 2. Finders enjoy making maple syrup Tony Finder and his family collect and process sap from 5,000 taps during the spring sugar season each year on their 50-cow Dunn County, Wis., dairy farm. They started making maple syrup in 2004, collecting sap from a modest 85 trees and have grown their endeavor over the years. In a typical year, Finder makes 800 gallons of maple syrup, but said a shortened season this spring only netted him 650 gallons. Rogers nds inspiration for artwork, illustrations Jessica Rogers feels blessed to nd beauty in the everyday things and she parlays that beauty into her artwork. Rogers, who milks 30 cows with her husband Drew on their family’s rst-generation Westby, Wis., dairy farm, embarked on a new type of art project, illustrating a children’s book. The project took her out of her artistic comfort zone, but in the end offered her great professional growth and personal satisfaction. Behnkes in midst of transitioning farm to daughter, son-in-law Taking over her parents’ farm someday is Kellie Zahn’s dream. Over the past few years, she and her husband, Ryan, have been building equity in the form of cattle and assuming more responsibility on the Clintonville, Wisconsin farm as they prepare to become its new owners. Kellie’s parents, Doug and Mary Behnke, hope to retire in the next 4 years and have been doing a lot of legwork with their daughter and son-in law to determine the best way to proceed with their transition.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020 • Page 3

It’s all inside... Columnists Ag Insider

Pages 8-9 First Section

Charles Mix

Hutchinson

Turner

Bon Yankton Homme

Lin

Clay

Nobles

Lyon

O’Brien

Sioux

Ida

Monona

n inso Emmet

Palo Alto

e Buena Vista

Sac

Kossuth

Ihlen

Zone 1

Viland’s Dairy dispersal auction delayed

Zone 2

Fre

bo du ry

ome

tg Mon

Page

Kanabec ms ey

Worth

Mitchell Howard

Hancock Cerro Gordo

old

Floyd

Bremer

Wright Franklin Butler

Black Hawk

Greene Guthrie

Boone

Dallas

Story

Tama

Jasper

Fayette

Clayton

n na

e war Dubuque

Benton

Dela

Jones

Linn

Jackson Clinton

on Cedar

s hn

Iowa

Scott

Muscatine

Earlville

Dairy’s Star Youth: Amber Engelken Third Section: Page 12

Polk

all

rsh

First Section: Pages 1, 5

Houston

ick

Grundy un Webster Hamilton Hardin

Pottawattamie Cass Mills

n Win

Fillimore

Mower

lho

Crawford Carroll

Harrison Shelby

c Po

eba

Dick

Clay

Freeborn

Faribault

Martin

ero

Woodbury

Page 22 Second Section

Hubbard

Osceola

Plymouth

Country Cooking

Jackson

Winona

Gregory

McCook Minnehaha

Rock

Wabasha

Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted

iek

Tripp

Murray

Rice

ake

Todd

Douglas

Moody

Nicollet

Brown

Cooperative, dairy farmers give school cartons to Rochester food bank

Goodhue

Mellette

Lake

Redwood

Aurora

Brule

Miner

Sibley

Lyon

Lyman

Sanborn

Brookings

All

Jerauld

Kingsbury

Madison Warren Marion Mahaska Keokuk

Adair

Adams Taylor

Union ld

g Rin

Clarke

Lucas

Decatur Wayne

Monroe Wapello se

noo

pa Ap

Davis

gto

Buffalo

Beadle

W in

Hand

Rochester

Dakota

Scott

hin

Hyde

Carver

Wa s

Jones

Hughes

Hamlin

Hennepin

McLeod

Renville

Yellow Medicine

iek

Stanley

Deuel

Anoka

Wright

Meeker

Washington

Sully

Lac Qui Parle

Codington

Clark

Kandiyohi

Chippewa

Isanti

Spink

Ziebach

Sherburne

eu r

Grant

Faulk

Potter

Swift

Pine

Mille Lacs

Benton

Stearns

Pope

First Section: Pages 12 - 13

Carlton

Morrison

Douglas

Stevens

Big Stone

Day

Aitkin

Todd Grant

Arlington

Krueger sews supplies for local health care workers

Crow Wing

Dewey

Edmunds

Cass

Roberts

Marshall

McPherson

Otter Tail

Wilkin

Richland

Sargent

Brown Walworth

Jackson

Clay

Tra ver se

Campbell

Corson

Dickey

McIntosh

Becker

Ransom

LaMoure

Emmons Sioux

Bennett

Cass

Lake

Itasca

Pages 10 - 11 Second Section

Bames

Cook

The “Mielke” Market Shannon Weekly Fall River

Stutsman

Mah

Lincoln

Grant

Pennington Custer

Kidder

Logan

Haakon

en nom

Pipestone

Page 33 First Section

Burleigh

Morton

Making Cents of Dairy Perkins

Polk

Trail

Steele

Koochiching St. Louis

Red Lake

Norman

Oliver

Adams

Come Full Circle Meade

Griggs

Second Section: Page 8

Lawrence

Foster

Beltrami

Wadena

Sheridan Mercer

Page 32 First Section Butte

Wells

First Section: Page 10

Dairy cattle sales take on a new look during pandemic

Lake of the Woods

Pennington

Grand Forks

Eddy

McLean

Roseau

Marshall

Benson

Litcheld

isa Ch

Harding

Walsh

Nelson

Page 31 First Section

Kittson

Bowman

Pembina

Ramsey

McHenry

Ward

Stark Veterinary Wisdom Hettinger

Slope

Cavalier

Towner

Golden Valley

Rolette

Da vi so n

Billings

Bottineau

Pierce

Dear County Agent Guy Page 30 Dunn First Section

Third Section: Pages 10 - 11

Page 27 First Section Mountrail

McKenzie

First Section: Pages 1, 7

Sauk Centre

Klaphake, Borgerding make arrangements for farm transition

Kids Corner: The Bock Family

On the Road Renville with Princess Burke Kay

Williams

Osakis

Martins erect cow, calf barns, milking parlor

Page 26 First Section

Divide

Brooten

Clearwater

FSA News & Notes

Louisa

n rso Henry Des

fe Jef

Van Buren

Moines

Lee

First Section: Pages 22 - 23

Sherrill

Fayette

Long Grove

Second Section: Pages 14 - 15

Third Section: Pages 6 - 7

Fagle family dabbles in multiple ag ventures

For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com

Newell still farming at 89 years old

Late March tornadoes damage dairy farms in Iowa, Wisconsin Third Section: Pages 2 - 3

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Dairy Star â€˘ Saturday, April 11, 2020 â€˘ Page 5

Conďż˝nued from FOOD BANK | Page 1

Performance, Reliability and Durability The GEA Steerable Liquid Manure Spreaders are designed and manufactured to easily operate on all types of terrain â€” even in extreme conditions. In addition to the power steering system and the hydraulic suspension on each wheel, many other options and tool bars are offered to ease your work in the ďŹ eld.

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A refrigerated delivery truck from Plainview Milk Products Cooperaďż˝ve drops oďŹ€ cartons of milk March 19 to the Channel One Food Bank in Rochester, Minnesota. â€œItâ€™s a critical item we always try to keep in stock,â€? Sund said. â€œAnytime we get a donation like this is extremely helpful because it is something we have to purchase otherwise.â€? Berndt liked being able to help others in need. â€œBeing good community members, we knew there were going to be people who were going to be in need quickly with the schools closing,â€? he said. â€œThere are a lot of places where these kids are only getting meals at school â€“ breakfast and lunch. We knew there was a need for milk.â€? Although the cooperative had a backlog of milk that ďƒžrst week of school closings, it is now continuing to bottle at a different pace. â€œWeâ€™re producing a lot less half pints,â€? Berndt said. â€œA lot of schools are still taking as much milk, but theyâ€™re taking it in a different form. They are taking gallons and half gallons, and giving them to families.â€? Other milk sales in local grocery and convenience stores have increased for the cooperative. Its dairy store attached to the plant in Hastings has also seen three times the normal daily sales. â€œWeâ€™re actually producing more milk out of the plant right now than we were prior to the pandemic,â€? Berndt said. â€œSo, weâ€™re able to serve the community.â€? The cooperative is hoping it will not get to the point of needing to dump milk. â€œHaving the ďƒ&#x;uid bottling does make a difference,â€? Berndt said. â€œIt

gives a place to put some of it.â€? Channel One Food Bank is also seeing changes during the pandemic. More people are using the service. â€œWeâ€™re seeing people who are needing food shelves who never thought they would or are ďƒžrst-time clients,â€? Sund said. â€œPeople are out of a job, and they canâ€™t afford food because theyâ€™re trying to pay their other bills.â€? The organization has also changed the way it distributes food. In the past, people could come into the food bank and pick the food of their choice. Now a large group of volunteers packs emergency food boxes distributed in a drive thru. One family of four can receive a 30-pound box of nonperishable items along with one box of perishable protein items. â€œItâ€™s safer to use this model, but itâ€™s more expensive,â€? Sund said. Plus, a lot of the grocery stores have given fewer donations because they have not had as many leftovers. â€œWeâ€™re having to purchase a lot more food,â€? Sund said. That is why the milk donation from the cooperative and the Olmsted County dairy farmers was greatly appreciated. â€œWeâ€™re really pleased with the community support weâ€™ve been shown at this time not only with the monetary donations but the generosity of manufacturers, farms and people close to it,â€? Sund said. â€œItâ€™s a really important cause to give to right now so we appreciate everything everyoneâ€™s done to support that.â€?

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ConƟnued from MILK | Page 1

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would not have to,” Condon said. The cooperative has asked several member owners to dump milk because many of its customers have shut down. “Think about everything that goes on that uses dairy and cheese – restaurants, schools, sporting events and other events,” Condon said. “They’re all closed. So, the processors are backed up with nowhere to go with the milk.” On a recent conference call with other DFA patrons and leaders, Condon said the cooperative is trying to work with organizations and businesses to quickly nd markets for its product. Another cooperative is also feeling the strain from shuttered businesses no longer needing as many dairy products. “Our sales pretty much came to a halt with the closing of the country,” said Scot Meyer, chairman of the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery Board of Directors and a dairy farmer who milks 160 cows with his son, Andy, near Lake City, Minnesota. Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, known for its cheese curds, had 15 weekly loads of cheese canceled. “We’ve never had any products canceled,” Meyer said. “That’s the hiccup. That’s the affect we’re feeling from producer to processor to retail.” To help offset this hiccup, the cooperative sent a letter to its member owners April 1 asking for producers to reduce production by 7%. “We are still making barrel cheese, but we’re storing it in our warehouse,” Meyer said. “We can only do that so long before we’re going to get full. The intent here is to keep the milk owing. The last thing we want to do is dump milk.” It also created a program for those looking to exit the business. Any dairy that agrees to the program and sells its cows by April 15 will be paid 100% of its equity from 2010 through 2019. The program is only for the rst 100,000 pounds of milk per day of member milk and the cows cannot be sold to another member of the cooperative. “First and foremost, we’re not forcing anybody out of business,” Meyer said. “It’s got to be a voluntary thing.” This program helps the producers who were looking to retire from dairying soon regardless of the pandemic. “We knew four farms were going to retire this month anyway,” Meyer said. “We just sped it up a bit because of the jam we are in.” Several of the cooperative’s patrons have signed up for the equity payout program and over one-third of the creamery’s 300 producers have verbally committed to reducing production. “It has really been accepted,” Meyer said. “They’re more than happy to reduce production and are even offering up to 10% if we can just keep the plant going. We’re real fortunate to have those kinds of members.” Many dairy farmers are feeling the pain from the COVID-19 pandemic; however, there are options for farmers to recoup some of their losses due to the novel coronavirus. President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act March 27. Within the $2 trillion relief package, an estimated $14 billion is allocated to the United States Department of Agriculture’s borrowing authority of the Commodity Credit Corporation. Historically, the CCC is used to support agriculture industries in crisis. The CARES Act also provides an additional $9.5 billion for livestock, direct retail and specialty crop farmers. “Farmers are determined to deliver on their commitment to provide a safe and abundant food supply, but make no mistake, they are facing make-or-break

struggles,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall in a statement. “After years of a down farm economy, … the COVID-19 ripple effects are forcing farmers to face heartbreaking nancial realities. Without question, the disaster aid provided in the CARES Act is a lifeline that will help many farmers hold on.” Farmers also have the unique opportunity to apply for loans through the Small Business Association’s Paycheck Protection Program. The program, under the CARES Act, authorizes up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses to pay their employees during the pandemic. A small business – less than 500 employees – may use the loan to cover payroll costs, mortgage interest, rent and utility cost over an eight-week period with the rst loan payment deferred for six months. The application period for PPP opened April 3. SBA is also offering Economic Injury Disaster Loans up to $2 million based on actual economic injury determined by SBA. The association can also provide up to $10,000 in emergency grants for those who apply for EIDL. In addition to contacting a Farm Service Agency representative, visit http:// www.sba.gov for more information about the programs and a list of local lenders. For individuals, the CARES Act is expected to deliver a one-time cash payment of $1,200 if a person’s 2018 or 2019 tax returns show earnings of less than $75,000. Married couples earning less than $150,000 are each expected to get a check plus an additional $500 per child. Those who receive Social Security benets but did not le a tax return in the previous two years are also eligible. At the state level, there are few programs available to provide nancial relief to dairy farmers during these unprecedented times. In Minnesota, the agriculture department’s Rural Finance Authority is available for farm operations affected by COVID-19. Gov. Tim Walz signed a $330 million relief bill that includes expanding funding for RFA’s Disaster Recovery Loan Program for loss of revenue due to human contagious disease. State lawmakers also claried animal diseases covered by the Disaster Recovery Loan Program by broadening it to hazards rather than specic names. “It’s important that we make sure farmers whose businesses are affected by the COVID-19 outbreak have the resources to help them get through this difcult period,” Minnesota agriculture commissioner Thom Peterson said. To apply, dairy farmers should visit the state’s website at https://www.mda. state.mn.us or call 651-201-6004. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem established the Small Business Relief Fund which will provide up to $75,000 loans to small South Dakota businesses – those with less than 250 employees. The conditions allow for a maximum loan term of 60 months with payments deferred for six months. More information about the program is available at https://sdreadytowork.com/covid-19. While there is assistance, both Meyer and Condon admitted they do not know what the future holds. “It feels like there’s been an accident, as if one of your family members is in a coma but you have no idea when it will end or what things will be different,” Condon said. “Things are going to change so we’ll see what will happen. We’ll take it one day at a time.”

Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020 • Page 7

ConƟnued from MARTINS | Page 1 for Wesley and his family – wife Maria and children Juanita, 5, Kristen, 2, and Weston, 1. The Martins began milking Jan. 15, 2019. “This all came together really well,” Wesley said. Maria agreed. “It’s really nice,” she said. “I grew up on a dairy farm. I never thought I’d be a dairy farmer’s wife and have such a nice setup.” The 68-by-256 freestall barn is equipped with three rows of waterbed stalls that the Martins bed with separated manure solids and also a robotic manure collector. There is a feed alley on one side of the barn. With the tunnel-ventilated design, the barn rarely dips below 40 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter. Twenty 48inch fans on the end wall of the barn help with airow. “I knew what type of barn I wanted,” Wesley said. “So as long as it was going to cash ow, I was willing to bite the bullet and take what it took to get it done.” Wesley began his dairying career at the age of 20 when he worked for his dad, Ernest Martin. Then, two years later, Wesley purchased 25% of his father’s herd to build up his own. The young farmer worked at his dad’s dairy, with ownership of a portion of the herd, until 2018. “We knew for quite a few years that once we could nd a farm to buy, we would eventually do that,” Wesley said. The couple purchased 40 acres of land to build their farm site. They then came to an agreement to rent an additional 200 acres from Wesley’s father to grow feed. “I am 28 now. If it wasn’t for my dad, I wouldn’t have been able to do it,” Wesley said. “I needed backup to get nancing, and he was willing to pledge collateral.” With a farm site available, cows to ll a barn and a nancial plan in place, Wesley began sketching out ideas for what he wanted and needed the barn and milking facility to be. “We built my family’s barn, so I knew what size the stalls needed to be, the manure alleys and feed alleys. I had a pretty good idea of what I needed,” Wesley said. “I bought a used parlor and put new stall fronts on it. I saved some money that way.” The freestall barn and parlor frames were completed by October 2018, and soon after, the calf barn was built. “We did the groundwork for the bunker pad at the same time so it was done by silage time. That was a pretty busy fall,” Wesley said. “I’ve got a lot

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

The MarƟns’ freestall barn includes three rows of waterbed stalls that are bedded with separated manure solids on their farm near Brooten, Minnesota. of brothers, so I wasn’t in the elds all that much.” The calf barn is a 28-by-56 facility, equipped with side curtains for proper ventilation. There is a middle aisle made of concrete with the pens sitting atop gravel. “I am thinking about concreting most of it so it’s easier to clean out,” Wesley said. “You take out a lot of gravel when you scoop it out with the skidloader and that’s expensive. But, the gravel helps drain any moisture from the pen.” Calves are housed in groups of two in large pens until they reach weaning age. “This way calves can socialize a bit,” Wesley said. The barn holds 30 calves. “I really like the calf barn and being able to get out of the weather,” Maria said. When the facilities were nearly complete, the Martins moved their cattle to the new location. For the rst month, cows were housed on a bedding pack as the stalls were being completed in the freestall barn. “The transition went really well,” Wesley said. “In the rst week we lost a little milk but then went back up to full production. I think it helped (the cows) went from something they were used to, a freestall barn and parlor, and it didn’t take them long to adjust.” Wesley had 70 cows at his father’s farm, and then purchased another 45 cows and heifers to ll the barn.

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

The calf barn can hold up to 30 calves, with calves grouped in pairs to encourage socializing, at the MarƟn family’s dairy farm near Brooten, Minnesota.

“There’s still room for improvement on production a little bit, but we’re doing really well for what we’ve got,” Wesley said. “The barn is full, but when I only had cows to make up the herd, I’ve been keeping some I would normally sell until more heifers come in.” The Martins are grateful for the lifestyle they have been able to create in the dairy industry. Both Wesley and Maria milk in the mornings, and then the children are also in the barn throughout the day and during evening milking. “It’s very nice to work with family and still do something you like to do,” Wesley said.

Maria agreed. “I really enjoy watching the kids out here and seeing them interact with the animals,” she said. “Plus, I really enjoy milking in the morning with Wesley when the kids are still in bed. That’s kind of our time.” The past 20 months have been a whirlwind experience for the Martins all in an effort to continue their dairying careers as young farmers. “I grew up milking cows, and I enjoy the cows. I’ve always wanted to dairy farm,” Wesley said. “This is great. The cows are happy and that makes the farmer happy.” Mark Klaphake contributed to this article.

COVID-19 results in milk going down the drain Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020

Dairy Farmers of America reports milk processing it is important to set a price oor for milk so farmers plants are already operating at capacity, forcing do not nd themselves in a situation where low prices strategic milk dumping at large dairies. West Bend, hurt even more. “Set the oor on part of the milk, wait Wisconsin, dairy farmer Ryan Elbe spoke to the a little bit and if prices recover, set another oor. If the Midwest Farm Report. “Anything we never thought markets don’t recover, pull the trigger anyway,” Bozic said. “Now is the time to take protection could happen seems to be happening the Ag Insider for 2021. By all means, be optimistic and last couple weeks. There is a lot of pride hope for the global recovery, but farmers in producing milk so the thought of just shouldn’t bet their farms on that.” dumping it down the drain is denitely disheartening.” COVID-19 has resulted Coronavirus to accelerate consolidation in sudden changes in demand. There of small dairies was an initial surge in buying at the There has been a signicant uptick in grocery stores, but that has leveled off. dairy consumption at home, but that has School closures and the loss of restaurant been offset by the downturn in foodservice business have resulted in a sudden business. There are reports of milk being oversupply of milk. dumped and trucks being turned away at the dairy plants. From Feb. 11 to April 1, DFA responds to milk dumping National Milk Producers Federation Chief Dairy Farmers of America vice By Don Wick Economist Peter Vitaliano estimates president of corporate communications Columnist U.S. dairy farmers lost $6 billion of gross Kristen Coady said the company is total income. Vitaliano sees long-term “diligently working to ensure our farm families’ milk continues to be picked up (and) our implications for the dairy sector. “We’ve already seen plants continue to operate.” Due to COVID-19 and over the last two years, the number of commercial the subsequent school and restaurant closures, there dairy farms dropping at a faster rate than has been is a milk surplus. Since plants are already operating at the case in the last decade-and-a-half,” Vitaliano said. capacity “in combination with the perishable nature “Unfortunately, I expect that is going to continue and of our product has resulted in a need to dispose of raw further consolidate production at the farm level.” milk on farms in some circumstances.” Coady said Since there is a lag in what happens with the markets, DFA is exhausting “all possible avenues” to nd a dairy farmers will not see the full impact in their milk check until May or June. home for their farmer/members’ milk. Bleak situation According to University of Minnesota Extension Economist Marin Bozic, the milk check has been hurt by the coronavirus pandemic. “Looking at recent charts of Class III milk prices, there were highs a few months ago of $18 per hundredweight. Now, the most decent price is around $12.84 per hundredweight,” Bozic said. “Just as farmers were coming off ve years of misery, we got hit by the virus in the most vicious way.” Foodservice demand for U.S. dairy products is down. Not all of that demand is gone, but no one is stepping forward with new demand either. Bozic said

NMPF seeking solutions to market downturn There are economic challenges for the U.S. dairy industry, including the impacts of COVID-19. “In late 2019, there was a light at the end of the tunnel in terms of milk prices. Now, prices are expected to be lower in the coming months,” said Paul Bleiberg, vice president of government relations, National Milk Producers Federation. “We’re trying to make sure producers can stay aoat during this challenging time and get product to places where it will be consumed.” The NMPF would like the United States Department of Agriculture to re-open signup for the 2020 Dairy

Margin Coverage program.

Stimulus package includes relief for dairy farms Help is coming for farmers and ranchers impacted by COVID-19. The USDA is in the process of guring out a formula for assistance. “Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is having the chief economist and staff look at the different aspects of agriculture, trying to gure out what commodities have been the most damaged by the coronavirus. Also, looking at which ones will have the most damage going forward,” said Collin Peterson, chairman, House Agriculture Committee. “USDA may come up with a system like they did the last time, but it would be a different formula. It’s not facilitation payments based on trade, it’s damage that’s been done by COVID-19.” The USDA has $9.5 billion to help livestock and specialty crop producers and local food providers. Court approves DFA/Dean Foods deal Dairy Farmers of America will acquire a substantial portion of assets from Dean Foods through the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process. The winning bid was $433 million for 44 facilities. The agreement received court approval April 3, and the deal is expected to be nalized by early May. MPCA reviewing changes to feedlot permits According to Minnesota Milk Producers Association executive director Lucas Sjostrom, changes to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits inuence dairy farming. “This impacts large dairies and the dairies with fewer cows could see the regulations copied and pasted at the county permit level, township level or in state law,” Sjostrom said. “The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency made positive changes since the rst draft. I appreciate that they are sticking to science in these conversations.” Sjostrom also said the agency is working with Minnesota farm groups on the permit changes. “In the rst draft, the agency went for ease of regulation instead of farmer ease. They were picking Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9

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ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8 Dille passes Longtime Minnesota legislator Steve Dille, 75, has passed away. The Dassel Republican served in the House from 1987 to 1992 and in the Senate from 1993 to 2010. Dille, who was a farmer and veterinarian, was a member of the agriculture committee.

dates based on the calendar instead of temperature and land cover. It was the different wording that gave us some concern. Getting manure out when its 65 degrees in November with no snow on the eld is different than getting manure out when it’s 65 degrees in February with one foot of snow on the eld,” he said.

Trivia challenge Finland leads the world in percapita milk consumption, totaling 34.3 gallons per year. That answers our last trivia question. For this week, we know the United States produces the most milk. What country is ranked second? We will have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star.

Federal court rules in favor of beef checkoff The U.S. District Court of Montana has ruled in favor of USDA and the Montana Beef Council in a legal battle over the beef promotion and research checkoff program. R-CALF USA wanted the beef checkoff declared unconstitutional in 15 states, arguing the program is a violation of the First Amendment. To no one’s surprise, R-CALF does not support the ruling and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association called it a major victory.

“It has made it easier and faster to manage...” What do you use Bovy to look up? When cows are in heat, their days in milk, heifer net merits, and sire and cow net merits. We also use Bovy to look up last sire used, date last bred, and cows that calve in certain months, and to get a list of cows bred to speciÀc bulls.

How has using Bovy helped you and your dairy? It has helped us in multiple ways. It has saved us time by being able to look animals up on the go. It has also made it easier and faster to manage, therefore more things get done on time. We use it for keeping track of sire conception rates.

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.

How many years have you been testing with DHIA? Testing for 12 years with DHIA.

CORRECTION

In the March 28 issue, a photo printed in the article, “Creating the next great Holstein” was misidentied. The photo caption should have read: “This is one of the barns that houses donor heifers at Genetic Futures. Calves that test high genetically are worked into the donor program.” Dairy Star regrets the error.

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Chuck Klaphake farms in partnership with his nephew, JarreƩ Borgerding (not pictured), on their 120-cow dairy near Sauk Centre, Minnesota. The two are working together to transiƟon ownership to Borgerding.

Klaphake, Borgerding make arrangements for farm transition By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com

SAUK CENTRE, Minn. – In all of Chuck Klaphake’s years as a dairy farmer, he has always wanted someone to take his place when it came time for him to hang up the milking units. While Klaphake is not to the point of retirement, he is taking the steps to transfer the farm to another generation. “It’s nice to see a younger person get into it. I can’t be here forever,” Klaphake said. “Just look at all the dairy buildings sitting empty out there. It’s a good thing to have someone make use of the things you have.” Klaphake is in the process of selling his 120-cow dairy farm to his nephew, Jarrett Borgerding. For the past nine years, the two have followed a plan for Borgerding to have sole ownership of the dairy in Stearns County near Sauk Centre. Borgerding has worked as an employee for Klaphake since 2007, but began taking on a percentage of the milk check, farm expenses and farm management decisions in 2011. “(Borgerding’s) percentage of the milk check has been slowly increasing every year. My goal was that every year he stayed, I gave him a little more,” Klaphake said. “Until this year, now I’m the minority. He gets more of the milk check than me, but also pays more of the bills.” Today, Borgerding milks the dairy herd every morning and evening, and feeds the youngstock. He also oversees breeding decisions for the herd. The two also have several part-time employees that help milk and do other chores around the farm. “A number of years ago, he wanted to breed the cows, so I told him he could take care of it,” Klaphake said. “It’s worked out. He was interested in doing it, so I said he could take it over.” Klaphake milks with Borgerding in the morning and continues to help with chores in the evenings, and lls in for Borgerding in the milk barn when he is unavailable. “In the summertime, if we are busy chopping hay, Jarrett will go milk and myself and a part-timer will continue chopping,” Klaphake said. “If (Borgerding) has something going on and I have to nish up chores, that’s what I’m here for. It’s nice to have another person around for that.” Borgerding’s willingness and desire to take on more responsibility on the farm has beneted the partnership. “He likes to work with the cows,” Klaphake said. “He knows how to A.I. the cows. He knows how to treat them and IV them. He can handle ketosis, milk fever.” Borgerding agreed. “I’ve learned a lot from (Klaphake),” he said. “His experience in the dairy industry is a good compliment to what I bring to the table.” Borgerding grew up on a dairy farm, and both of his grandparents were dairy farmers. He knew at a young age

that it was a career he wanted to go into when he was older. Forming a partnership and developing a transition plan with Klaphake was a feasible way Borgerding could become a dairy farmer himself. “As soon as I started (working with Klaphake), the plan was to buy the farm one day,” Borgerding said. “I gured if I worked hard then it could be attained.” At the rst of the year, Borgerding purchased 105 acres of the farm, including the main dairy site. “He bought it all together, sort of like the original farm when I started out,” Klaphake said. “Now, he has something to work on.” Borgerding agreed. “This was a big step. It’s pretty cool to have land of my own,” he said. “I have a long way to go until it’s paid off, and I think that’ll be the day I can really appreciate it more.” The price of land today is signicantly more expensive than when Klaphake rst purchased the farm in the late 1970s. Borgerding also has to weather the volatile milk prices and onset of the novel coronavirus. “There’s always something to worry about,” Klaphake said. But, these challenges do not deter Borgerding from dairy farming. “I’m just trying to maintain quality milk and try to be more efcient every year,” Borgerding said. The duo is working with a nancial planner and lawyer as the transition continues. They have also kept in contact with their tax advisor. While the transition is not nearing its end, both Klaphake and Borgerding agreed working through the business transaction slowly has been benecial. They rst created a relationship as employer and employee, became business partners and are now reestablishing their roles as minority and majority partners in the dairy. “You can’t do it all in one sum. You have to transition slowly,” Klaphake said. “I’ve given (Borgerding) percentages so that he can take the peaks and valleys from one year to the next, and what to expect.” Borgerding added, “(Klaphake) has treated me well over the years and I don’t see that changing. We plan to continue progressing, and I’ll take on as many assets as I can handle at a given time.” Transitioning a farm is not an easy process, but in Borgerding’s experience it is possible and one he encourages other young aspiring farmers and retiring farmers to both consider as an option to strengthen the dairy industry. “Find somebody that is looking to get out of dairying because if you don’t have help to get into it, it’s hard to do,” Borgerding said. “And, if you put in the hard work and time, it’s attainable to take over a dairy farm.” Mark Klaphake contributed to this article.

Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020 • Page 11

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Sewing to stop the spread of COVID-19 Krueger makes supplies for health care workers By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com

ARLINGTON, Minn. – When Madison Krueger was asked to leave campus and move home to wade out the novel coronavirus pandemic, she gured her time would be spent doing homework and milking cows. What she did not anticipate was helping her local health care workers. “We’re all in this together, and I’m

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Madison Krueger sews a facemask at her grandmother’s home near Arlington, Minnesota. Krueger made 100 facemasks for area health care workers.

just trying to help in a way that I can,” said the college sophomore. Krueger, 19, is the daughter of Scott and Stephanie Krueger of Arlington. She has spent the past few weeks sewing facemasks for area health care workers. “My mom saw the pattern for the facemasks, and she told me I should make them with all of Grandma’s scraps,” Krueger said. “I really thought that would be cool. It’s something I could do for the local clinic.” Krueger and her grandmother, Pam, then devised a plan. And, Krueger’s brothers, Mausten and Murdock, helped too. “We’ve made it into a fun assembly line,” Krueger said. As Krueger’s grandmother cut the fabric, her brothers cut the elastic and bias tape to attach to the masks. Krueger and her grandmother would sew the masks, and then her brothers would turn the masks right side out once it was all sewn together. “These were all minor jobs, but they really enjoyed being a part of this,” Krueger said about her brothers. In the rst day, the family made 13 masks for the clinic in Glencoe. The following day, they were able to construct 24 masks. “We kept working on them until we ran out of elastic,” Krueger said. “Then, we had to convert the pattern a bit to use bias tape because the stores were sold out of elastic.” Turn to KRUEGER | Page 13

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Madison Krueger holds a handful of completed facemasks she made with her grandmother, Pam, at her home near Arlington, Minnesota. The college student is using her extra Ɵme at home to help protect local health care workers during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020 • Page 13

ConƟnued from KRUEGER | Page 12 In her rst two weeks of being home from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Krueger made 100 facemasks for the clinic in Glencoe, hospital in Waconia and pharmacy in Gaylord. “When we dropped off the rst set, they were very grateful,” Krueger said. “Then, we posted about what we were doing on Facebook and started to receive a lot of messages with people saying others could use masks.” Since Krueger’s actions rst gained attention, she has received fabric and other sewing supplies from community members who do not feel comfortable making the facemasks themselves. “They tell me they can’t use the fabric,” Krueger said. “It’s a way for them to pay it forward and help in a different way.” When Krueger decided to take on this project, she was unsure of how much time she could dedicate to sewing while also doing schoolwork and chores. But, she found a way to work it into her schedule. Krueger has begun her college classes at 8 a.m. every day and works on assignments until they are complete. Then, she has spent her afternoons sew-

“This has been such a cool way to give back, and it’s rewarding when you see the hospital and clinic staﬀ using the items you sewed.” MADISON KRUEGER

ing with her grandmother and brothers until 4 p.m. when it is time to begin chores. Every evening, Krueger helps her dad milk 100 Holsteins on their farm, Sunshine Dairy in Sibley County. “Sewing has been a nice break from homework and chores,” Krueger said. “Plus, having my family to talk to and work with during the day is a good break from homework.” For Krueger’s grandmother, she has enjoyed the extra time spent with her grandchildren and the fun it brings to work as a group, said Krueger. Krueger’s interest in sewing began when she was 5 years old. Her rst nished piece was a blanket for a 4-H project.

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A pile of completed facemasks sits near Madison Krueger’s sewing machine. Krueger made 100 facemasks and is now sewing scrub caps for health care workers. “I think being in 4-H has really been the reason I’m doing this,” she said. “Anyone who has been in the sewing project can do this. And for those younger kids, they can save a mask and use it for a fair project later.” Krueger said the 4-H youth organization has a goal of creating 10,000 facemasks for health care workers across the state of Minnesota. Growing up on a dairy farm has also helped Krueger prepare for this newfound pastime. “On the farm, we learned how to work hard and problem solve to gure something out,” Krueger said. “And, I’m working with my family, as a team, as we do on the dairy.” With plenty of fabric and other sewing supplies on hand, Krueger has shifted her focus to another personal protective gear health care workers are requesting. She recently started making scrub caps. “We’re going to keep making things until something changes,” Krueger said. “This has been such a cool way to give back, and it’s rewarding when you see the hospital and clinic staff using the items you sewed. That’s such a good feeling because you never know who is going to need their help, but you know you’re helping them.”

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Dairy Star â€˘ Saturday, April 11, 2020 â€˘ Page 15

Describe your favorite tractor.

Chad Schumacher Plainview, Minnesota Wabasha County 150 cows Describe your favorite tractor. My favorite tractors are our two 1968 Farmall 806 tractors. They do not have cabs and have fenders on the side. One of them, Dad bought new in 1968, and the other one Dad bought from his dad later on. One has 15,000 hours on it and the motor has never been touched. The other has over 12,000 hours, but we do not know exactly how many because the tack quit working 10 years ago. Why does this tractor mean so much to you? The tractor we bought new is the one I learned how to drive. My ďƒžrst job was discing with an 18-foot disc in the middle of a 50-acre ďƒželd. They are the tractors that built the farm into what it is today so they mean a lot to me. How has the workload of this tractor changed over the years? These tractors did all the ďƒželdwork for the farm in the 1970s and 1980s. They were used for moldboard plowing, discing, mulching and planting. They also did all the tillage, chopping and wagon hauling. We farmed 350 acres using two tractors. Now I use them to pull a fertilizer wagon, spray our food plots for the deer and to grade our driveway. Now they only work 10 hours per year at most. What type of maintenance do you do to it? We have always taken good care of the tractors because these were the only two tractors on the farm, so if one of them went down it was not good. We changed the oil and checked the air ďƒžlter every 100 hours. We let the tractors warm up before using them, and if we worked them hard, we let them cool down before shutting them off. We have always done that with tractors. What are a few great memories you have with this tractor? Along with one of them being the ďƒžrst tractor I learned to drive, I also learned a valuable lesson on this tractor at the age of 5. My dad had parked the tractor up by the house in the shade. My sister and I thought it would be fun to play on it but pulled the brake lever. The tractor rolled backward and into the barn. Thankfully, my sister and I were able to jump off and were not injured. My dad was happy we were not hurt, but he was so mad at us. Thankfully, the tractor was not damaged, either. I loved those tractors. If we werenâ€™t sunburned from the sun shining down and having no cab, we were black from the dirt swirling around us. I also always cranked the old country music on the radio on the fender. If you could, what kind of enhancements would you make to this tractor? I would put a chrome smokestack on them. I would also paint them because they still have the original paint. What are your plans for this tractor down the road? I plan to pass them on to my son, Jace. They will not leave the farm.

Mark and Shelley Czech (not pictured) Foley, Minnesota Benton County 650 cows Describe your favorite tractor. It is an Agco RT 155A. We bought it new in 2009. Why does this tractor mean so much to you? It feeds all the cattle on three farms. How has the workload of this tractor changed over the years? It has not changed too much. The tractor was bought new to pull a feed cart. Occasionally it does PTO work in yards. What type of maintenance do you do to it? We do nearly all the maintenance in house. Shelley and I have a very talented group of employees. What are a few great memories you have with this tractor? Just the fact that our animals are well taken care of with the reliability that tractor. If you could, what kind of enhancements would you make to this tractor? I wish I would have bought a front wheel drive with front suspension. Then it would have had a road speed of 33 miles per hour. What are your plans for this tractor down the road? This tractor has been so dependable I think it will stay on this farm for years to come. In 11 years of mixing feed it has over 30,000 hours on it, and yet the engine and transmission has not been worked on. Tell us about your farm. I am 62 years old and started farming full time when my wife and I got married in 1982. We were milking 32 cows at that time; we now have increased the operation to 650 cows. My wife retired from FSA after 30-plus years and is now full-time on the farm doing paperwork. We are blessed to have a very good team of employees, so if Shelley and I want to get away we know the farm is in good hands. Our farm is a dairy, beef and grain farm. We farm 5,400 acres and feed 1,560 animals.

Tell us about your farm. My wife, Amy, and I along with our three kids, Jordyn, 17, Ashlyn, 15, and Jace, 13, milk our herd of cows using robots. We started using robots six years ago. The herd is averaging 91 pounds of milk per cow per day. We also run 1,000 acres of ďƒželd corn, sweet corn, alfalfa, soybeans, oats, a small pumpkin patch and a small number of acres in CRP.

Roger Altendorf Belgrade, Minnesota Stearns County 57 cows Describe your favorite tractor. It is a 1999 8670 New Holland. I have had this tractor for two years. We purchased it online and had it shipped to Minnesota from Oklahoma. Why does this tractor mean so much to you? I enjoy using this tractor because it has air conditioning, a good heater and an air ride seat. Plus, the visibility is great. How has the workload of this tractor changed over the years? This is my spring and fall tillage tractor and it also runs the chopper. What type of maintenance do you do to it? I do all of the oil and ďƒžlter changes and small repairs. Anything bigger than that goes for a ride to the shop. What are a few great memories you have with this tractor? Finishing plowing the night before Thanksgiving during a snowstorm last year. We also used it for a family reunion to do a hayride through the ďƒželds last year. For most of the kids in attendance, this was one of the few times they had ever been around a tractor. If you could, what kind of enhancements would you make to this tractor? It would be nice to have brighter headlights, especially when we are trying to up ďƒželd work in the fall. What are your plans for this tractor down the road? I plan to keep this tractor around for a long time, and we are hoping it will outlast us. Tell us about your farm. We are a small dairy farm outside of Belgrade. We grow our own corn and alfalfa to feed the milk cows, heifers and calves. Our bull calves are sold as starter calves. The cows are housed in a tiestall farm, fed TMR and milked twice a day. Our black lab and Chesapeake dogs spend a lot of time keeping me company during milking.

Turn to OUR SIDE | Page 16

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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020

ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15

Peter Salzl, pictured with kids, Kaylee, Brantley and Riley Albany, Minnesota Stearns County 140 cows Describe your favorite tractor. It is a New Holland TV6070 bi-directional. Why does this tractor mean so much to you? We can do a lot of things with it. How has the workload of this tractor changed over the years? It has not changed much over the years. We use it for many things, such as blowing snow, cutting hay, spraying, baling, loader work and everyday uses. What type of maintenance do you do to it? We do regular oil changes and any other maintenance that comes up. What are a few great memories you have with this tractor? When my kids, Kaylee and Riley, learned to drive it. If you could, what kind of enhancements would you make to this tractor? It would be nice to have a roomier cab, but I would not change anything else. What are your plans for this tractor down the road? We plan to keep it as they no longer make bi-directional tractors, and we use it for many things. Tell us about your farm. My wife and I along with our four children milk 140 cows. We grow our own corn, alfalfa and soybeans.

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Jay Graber Parker, South Dakota Turner County 30 cows Describe your favorite tractor. I have a goodsized collection of Farmall and IH tractors, but one of my favorites is our IH 856. My father, Jerry, purchased it new for $8,300 on December 26, 1969. It now has more than 9,900 hours on it. It has had its engine overhauled once, but other than that it is pretty original. Its paint is faded, but I would never repaint it. I like the weathered patina of a well cared for tractor. Why does this tractor mean so much to you? I drove it a lot as a youth. Up until we got the 856, the biggest tractor on our farm was a Farmall 450 diesel. The 450 had a hard time pulling the plow in alfalfa, so I begged Dad to get the 856. It has been a good, tough tractor. It still performs well today. How has the workload of this tractor changed over the years? It has gone from being the farm’s biggest tractor to a mower or auger or manure spreader tractor. With only 100 HP, it is not big enough to cover all the acres we have today. Dad put a Year-ARound cab on it in 1973, and we later added a heater and air conditioning. These days, the tractor has an easier life and a much lighter workload. What type of maintenance do you do to it? I just check the antifreeze regularly, and change the oil and the lters as needed. What are a few great memories you have with this tractor? It was a real joy to move up to a 100 HP tractor from our Farmall 450. The 856 eventually became our planting and cultivating tractor. I used it to plant a lot of acres with a 6-row planter. When I was cultivating, I would often stop to pick up rocks and put them into the tractor’s rock box. This was a lot of extra work, but it gave me a break from cultivating and helped prevent damage to the combine during harvest. If you could, what kind of enhancements would you make to this tractor? There is not much I could do to improve it. Maybe I would put on a modern tractor cab on it. That would be pretty luxurious compared to what was considered state-of-the-art back in the day. What are your plans for this tractor down the road? I hope it stays in the family and they keep it original. I try to keep it running and well maintained. I plan to keep on using it to help it stay in good health. Tell us about your farm. My brother, Cal, and I milk 30 Registered Jerseys and farm 2,500 acres. Our grandpa, Peter, started dairying on this farm in 1927 and began milking registered Jerseys in 1932. We have maintained our herd at 30 cows since 1957. That is what our barn will hold and it works for us because of the amount of help available. Our elds look to be in much better shape this spring compared to last spring. One of my current tractor projects is xing up a Farmall Super C. It is similar to my grandpa’s Super C, which was the rst tractor I ever drove.

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Bruce Wood Plainview, Minnesota Wabasha County 150 cows Describe your favorite tractor. My favorite tractor is our 2008 New Holland T6070. We bought it new in 2008. It now has 11,000 hours on it. Why does this tractor mean so much to you? It is one we use daily and is very reliable. How has the workload of this tractor changed over the years? The work load has been about the same since we bought it. It has spent most of its life on the TMR mixer, corn planter, round baler and stalk chopper. What type of maintenance do you do to it? We have done mostly routine maintenance. We have had very few mechanical problems with it. What are a few great memories you have with this tractor? It is the rst brand new tractor I have ever bought. If you could, what kind of enhancements would you make to this tractor? I would not change anything about it. I like it just as it is. I would like to take the hours off it so stays in good shape. What are your plans for this tractor down the road? I plan to keep it running as long as I can. Tell us about your farm. My wife, Natalie, and I run Maple Breeze Dairy. We milk around 150 cows that are mostly Holstein with about 25 Brown Swiss, four Ayrshires and one Milking Shorthorn. We run 275 acres of cropland, half corn and half hay to feed the cows. The farm has been in the family since 1855. I am the sixth generation to run it. Kyle Kunze Abbotsford, Wisconsin Marathon County 48 cows Describe your favorite tractor. My favorite tractor that we currently own is a 1994 Ford 8670. My parents bought it in 2004. Why does this tractor mean so much to you? Through the years, as I grew up, I have put many hours on this tractor and learned most of the elds and how to work them. How has the workload of this tractor changed over the years? Since we got it, it’s been our main tractor and has done most of the tillage and does all the chopping. What type of maintenance do you do to it? We change the oil twice a year, blow out air lters every few months and the occasional wear and tear repairs. What are a few great memories you have with this tractor? Tractor rides when I was younger. I look forward to taking my 15-month-old daughter for rides when we can get in the elds soon for planting season. Also long nights to beat the rain when either planting or chopping. If you could, what kind of enhancements would you make to this tractor? I would like to put some LED lights on it because the lights on it are not the best otherwise it does the job the way it is. What are your plans for this tractor down the road? I plan on keeping this tractor for a long time. I would like to get another tractor that is slightly bigger to help speed things up and in case our 8670 breaks down. We don’t have anything else to do tillage or chop with so it would be nice to have a second option to keep things rolling. Tell us about your farm. I milk 48 Holsteins and a few Jerseys. During the summer, I milk about 60 when cows can get out to pasture and I can switch cows. In total, I have 103 head of cattle between milk cows, dry cows, heifers and calves. The farm crops 140 acres. I plan on renting/buying some more land from an uncle that is going to be retiring in a couple of years. My ancée and I are in the process of taking over the farm from my parents. I’m the second generation on my farm but come from a long line of dairy farmers.

Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020 • Page 17

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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020

Top Performers

Components important at Country Aire Farms Country Aire Farms LLC Greenleaf, Wisconsin Brown County 3,700 cows What is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? 32,384 pounds of milk, with 4.5% butterfat and 3.1% protein. How many times a day do you milk? If you do not milk 3X a day, have you tried it in the past? We average 2.9 milkings per day. Not all cows make it to the parlor three times every day due to time constraints in getting everyone

STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR

The Gerrits family (from leŌ) – MaƩ, Jon, Mike, Craig and Nick – own Country Aire Farms in Greenleaf, Wisconsin. They milk 3,700 cows and maintain a herd average of 32,384 pounds of milk with 4.5% buƩerfat and 3.1% protein. through the parlor.

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Cows at Country Aire Farms eat their raƟon, which consists of haylage, corn silage, wet brewers grain, soybeans, coƩon seed, straw, protein mix and dry corn.

Do you contract your milk? Has it been successful for you? Yes; milk options, selling futures and using Dairy Revenue Protection have been successful for us. Describe your housing and milking facility. Cows are housed in a sandbedded freestall barn, and we milk in

a Boumatic/Blom 40-stall rotary parlor. We also have a double-10 herringbone parlor for milking treated and fresh cows. What is your herd health program? Fresh cows and heifers are walked and examined daily by the herdsman. Hospital cows are treated once daily with proper medication. At both of our facilities, the herdsman walks through

pens a few times a week to monitor sick and lame cows. All pregnant cows are vaccinated at 200-206 days carrying calf with Ultrabac, 217-221 DCC with Scourguard and J-5, and 254-260 DCC with SRP and a second dose of J-5. All calves are given Enforce at birth. What does your dry cow and transition program consist of? Cows are dried off at 221 days in milk and moved Turn to COUNTRY AIRE | Page 20

FOR SUCCESS.

The Signature name says it all. The 504R Signature baler advances the Vermeer legacy by giving the working man a baler that is built upon the three signature pillars of Vermeer — convenience, ease of use and durability. Combine that with a camless wide pickup, rotor and a durable steel windguard roller for quiet and smooth operation — all while making bales at a quick pace. Backed by a 3-year pickup warranty*, it’s clear the 504R Signature baler is truly one of a kind. *3-year pickup warranty covers internal components and includes parts and labor. Does not include teeth or hardware for teeth. See local Vermeer dealer for details. Vermeer Corporation reserves the right to make changes in engineering, design and specifications; add improvements; or discontinue manufacturing or distribution at any time without notice or obligation. Equipment shown is for illustrative purposes only and may display optional accessories or components specific to their global region. Please contact your local Vermeer dealer for more information on machine specifications. Vermeer and the Vermeer logo are trademarks of Vermeer Manufacturing Company in the U.S. and/or other countries. © 2020 Vermeer Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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VERMEER SALES & SERVICE

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YES JCB

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BRUNKAN EQUIPMENT

Paynesville, MN • acfarmservice.com

Worthington, IA • brunkans.com

WOLLER EQUIPMENT A&C FARM SERVICE

Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020 • Page 19

Stray voltage can develop at any time on any dairy. Have you noticed the following symptoms in your herd? • Increased somatic cell count • Poor reproductive performance • Decreased milk production

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“This one did the job... getting SCC down by over 100,000.” — Mark Spadgenske

SPADGENSKE DAIRY, MENAHGA, MINNESOTA Mark and Mike Spadgenske and families 300 cows, 75 lbs 3.9F 3.2P, SCC consistently below 200,000 Mark and Kristine Spadgenske with Adam, Kate and Seth at the 2019 Central Plains Dairy Expo. Not pictured is oldest son Ryan as well as Mark’s brother Mike and son John.

“We were able to get SCC down by over 100,000 and are still going strong with Udder Comfort™ in our fresh cow routine. The results pay in quality and performance,” says Mark Spadgenske. He and his brother Mike and their families operate Spadgenske Dairy, milking 300 cows near Menahga, Minn. “We brought home Udder Comfort samples from the 2017 Central Plains Dairy Expo in Sioux Falls and started spraying every fresh udder 2x/day for 4 days after calving. “Within just 2 months, we saw counts come down, and by 6 months, SCC was down by over 100,000. “Three years later, we continue using Udder Comfort on all fresh udders. Our counts remain well below 200,000. We had tried other products, but this one did the job. We love Udder Comfort.”

Quality Udders Make Quality Milk

Keep the milk in the system 1.888.773.7153 1.613.652.9086 uddercomfort.com Call to locate a distributor near you. For external application to the udder only after milking, as an essential component of udder management. Always wash and dry teats thoroughly before milking.

Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020

ConƟnued from COUNTRY AIRE | Page 18

to the far-off dry pen. Dry cows receive Spectramast DC and are then sealed with Orbeseal. Dry cow rations consist of corn silage, haylage, sorghum, oat hulls, soybean meal and dry cow mineral mix. Eventually, they get moved to the steam-up pen 250+ days until freshening. Once fresh, there is a 20-30 day wait period in the fresh pen until they are moved to milking pens. What is the composition of your ration? What has been one of your most recent changes that has been successful for you? Haylage, corn silage, wet brewers grain, soybean, cotton seed, straw, protein mix and dry corn. Feeding more corn silage has been benecial in making a more consistent ration that enables fewer ration changes.

Through the years you have been farming, what change has created the biggest jump in your herd average? In 2008, we switched from mattresses with sawdust to sand bedding. This along with increasing the quality of feed and providing consistency in overall management have all helped to increase our herd average. What role does genetics play in your production level and what is your breeding program? Genomic testing plays a big role in culling the bottom 10% of low-level ranked cows. Double ovsynch and tail chalk are the two main breeding programs we use, and we are also breeding more cows to beef bulls regardless of lactation number. When evaluating what bulls to use, we look at

STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR

Cows are milked in a 40-stall rotary parlor at Country Aire Farms built in 1998. The farm places equal emphasis on components and milk volume. cow value, pregnant value and genetic rank. What type of improvements would you like to make that would increase your rolling herd average even higher? The improvements we would like in 2020 for increasing the rolling herd average start with better forage quality and cow comfort. Also, our breeding strategy going forward is to produce top-tier genetics in the herd.

STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR

Cows rest on deep sand beds in the freestall barn at Country Aire Farms. Cow comfort has been a major contributor to increasing the farm’s herd average.

List three management strategies that have kept you protable. Keeping key employees, milk quality/high components and consistent feeding. We feed and breed for high components. It is not all

about milk volume. Components are just as important as production per cow. What are the three most important factors that helped you attain your current herd average? Our nutritionist, Jim Barmore, has played an important role in nutrition and in dairy consulting on our farm. Tunnel ventilation and sprinklers have also played a part along with better stall and sand management. Tell us about your farm. Country Aire Farms was started in the early 1920s by Edward Gerrits milking nine cows. In 1965, the farm was taken over by Budd Gerrits who started milking 70 cows and ended up

at 378 cows by 1995. Brothers Tom and Mike Gerrits purchased the farm in 1995 and started milking 700 cows. We are at 3,700 cows between two facilities. Tom’s sons, Nick and Craig, and Mike’s sons, Jonathan and Matthew, are also part of the operation. Country Aire has two dairies. The dairy in Kaukauna milks 550 cows where each of the four boys take two years in managing that operation before they come home to the main dairy in Greenleaf. Country Aire Farms consists of 5,700 acres split between corn, hay and wheat. All of the forage harvesting is done in-house. The dairy is in the process of the succession plan where the four boys are transitioning into the business.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020 • Page 21

LOW RATE FINANCING AVAILABLE Financing subject to pre-approval through JD Financial. Some restrictions apply. See dealer for details.

JD 2200, 2002, 47’, 1161487 614487 87 # 16

25,400

Case IH Steiger 620 Quadtrac, 2017, $ 561 hrs., #161650

369,500

JD 8335R, 2011, 4937 hrs. $ #165966

139,000

DB66 Planter, 2012, 36R22” $ #1166629 296 96 #166296

75,900

JD DB66, 2005, 6R22” #166985

199,900

WARRANTY JD 6120M, 2018, 169 hrs., #141903

92,900

JD 1765, 2018, 12R30” #161082

JD 6175R, 2015, 5043 hrs., $ #156490

78,900

128,400

Over 1200 items with pictures updated daily • Go to www.mmcjd.com COMPACT TRACK LOADERS

10 JD CT322, 2009, Cab Enclosure, Foot Controls; Aux Hydraulics; Narrow Rubber Tracks; 76” Bucket, 1461 hrs., #166632 ......................................................................................................................................$27,500 10 JD 323D, 2010, Cab Enclosure, A/C, Foot Controls, Air Ride Seat; Aux Hydraulics; 2 Speed; Wide Rubber Tracks; General Purpose Bkt, 2761 hrs., #167345 ..............................................................................$27,900 10 Bobcat T590, 2013, Cab Enclosure, A/C, Foot Controls; Aux Hydraulics; 72” Bucket, 914 hrs., #157124 .... 28950 4 JD 323D, 2012, Cab Enclosure, A/C, EH Controls, Hi-Flo; Aux Hydraulics; 2 Speed; Narrow Rubber Tracks; 76” Bucket; Reversing Fan, 2356 hrs., #165363 .................................................................................$30,900 13 JD 329D, 2011, Cab Enclosure, A/C, Foot Controls, Hi-Flo; Aux Hydraulics; 2 Speed; Narrow Rubber Tracks, 1962 hrs., #165473 .............................................................................................................................$35,499 8 JD 317G, 2017, ROPS, EH Controls, Joystick; Aux Hydraulics; Narrow Rubber Tracks, 57 hrs., #155403 ....... $37,900 10 JD 329E, 2016, Cab Enclosure, A/C, EH Controls; Aux Hydraulics; 2 Speed; Self-Leveling; Wide Rubber Tracks; 84” Bucket; Reversing Fan, 1309 hrs., #167683 .....................................................................$45,000 13 JD 333E, 2014, Cab Enclosure, A/C, Hand Controls, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Hi-Flo, Joystick; Aux Hydraulics; Ride Control, 2 Speed; Wide Track, Wide Rubber Tracks; 84” Bucket; Reversing Fan, 1831 hrs., #165057 ..............................................................................................................................................$46,000 13 JD 317G, 2018, Cab Enclosure, A/C, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Joystick; Aux Hydraulics; Self-Leveling; Narrow Rubber Tracks; 72” Bucket, 101 hrs., #162594.......................................................................$48,900 12 JD 333E, 2014, Cab Enclosure, A/C, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat; Aux Hydraulics; 2 Speed; Wide Track; 84” Bucket; Reversing Fan, 1135 hrs., #159838 .......................................................................................$49,595 10 JD 333E, 2015, Cab Enclosure, Cab Enclosure, A/C, A/C, EH Controls, EH Controls, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Hi-Flo, Hi-Flo; Aux Hydraulics; Ride Control, Ride Control, 2 Speed, 2 Speed; Wide Rubber Tracks; 84” Bucket; Reversing Fan, Reversing Fan, 803 hrs., #157583 .................................................................$54,900 6 JD 333G, 2017, Cab Enclosure, A/C, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Hi-Flo; Aux Hydraulics; Ride Control, 2 Speed; Self-Leveling; Rubber Tracks, 745 hrs., #153697 ...................................................................$63,500 7 JD 333G, 2018, Cab Enclosure, A/C, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Hi-Flo, Joystick; Aux Hydraulics; Ride Control, 2 Speed; Self-Leveling; Wide Rubber Tracks; General Purpose Bkt; Reversing Fan, 582 hrs., #166120 ..............................................................................................................................................$69,900 2 JD 333G, 2018, Cab Enclosure, A/C, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Hi-Flo; Aux Hydraulics; Ride Control, 2 Speed; Self-Leveling; Rubber Tracks; Reversing Fan, 715 hrs., #162031...........................................$70,400 15 JD 333G, 2018, Cab Enclosure, A/C, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Hi-Flo, Joystick; Aux Hydraulics; Ride Control, 2 Speed; Self-Leveling; Wide Rubber Tracks; Reversing Fan, 689 hrs., #160845 .................$70,400 11 JD 333G, 2019, Cab Enclosure, A/C, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Hi-Flo; Aux Hydraulics; Ride Control, 2 Speed; Self-Leveling; Wide Track; General Purpose Bkt; Reversing Fan 485 hrs., #166156 ..............$74,900 13 JD 333G, 2018, Cab Enclosure, A/C, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Hi-Flo, Joystick; Aux Hydraulics; Ride Control, 2 Speed; Self-Leveling; Wide Rubber Tracks; Reversing Fan, 329 hrs., #163424 .................$74,900

DISKS

10 Krause 4991W, 30 ft, 3-Section Folding, 9” spacing, #165465 ..................................................$14,900 10 JD 2623, 2013, 23 ft, 3-Section Folding, 9” spacing, #167883 ......................................................$23,900 11 Sunflower 1830, 2012, 30 ft, 3-Section Folding, 11” spacing, #161784 ....................................$29,400 5 Kuhn Krause 8300, 2014, 28 ft; 3-Section Folding, #167353 ....................................................$29,500 3 Wishek 862-NT, 2009, 33 ft, 3-Section Folding, #163465 ...........................................................$30,000 10 JD 2620, 2016, 26 ft, 3-Section Folding, 9” spacing, #165298 ......................................................$38,500 5 JD 2625, 2013, 42 ft, 11” spacing, #151841....................................................................................$38,500 5 Summers DT2510, 2012, 45 ft, 3-Section Folding, #167770......................................................$39,000 4 JD 2623, 2013, 33 ft, #149511.........................................................................................................$39,500 7 JD 637, 2011, 45 ft, 5-Section Folding, 9” spacing, #166177 .........................................................$42,000 14 Summers 36FTDC, 2015, 35 ft, 3-Section Folding, #167985....................................................$52,400 14 Lemken Rubin 12, 2017, 23 ft, 3-Section Folding, 11” spacing, #165159 ..............................$64,900

(1) = GLENCOE 4561 Hwy. 212

C&H Mfg 4300, 2000, 52 ft, #168170 ........................................................................................... $7,400 JD 960, 1989, 42 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #165959............................................................ $9,900 JD 980, 2000, 41 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #168036..........................................................$13,500 JD 2200, 2002, 47 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #161487 .......................................................$25,400 JD 2210, 2005, 54 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #167743 .......................................................$30,900 JD 2210, 2007, 65 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #166478 .......................................................$43,900 JD 2210, 2008, 65 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #166479 .......................................................$45,900 JD 2210, 2011, 60 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #168037 .......................................................$49,400 JD 2210, 2012, 55.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #162453..................................$51,900 JD 2230 fh, 2018, 60.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #166421...............................................$89,900

7 9 5 8 10 8 8

Hesston 3312, 2007, #167802 ....................................................................................................$15,500 JD 835, 2008, #161169 .................................................................................................................$17,500 JD 835, 2012, #164224 .................................................................................................................$18,900 New Holland H7550, 2014, #167351 .......................................................................................$20,500 JD 635, 2017, #166698 ..................................................................................................................$23,500 JD F350R, 2019, #166686 .............................................................................................................$27,000 JD R990R, 2019, #166685............................................................................................................$65,300

1 4 17 4 6 3 8 4 14 16 14

MOWER CONDITIONERS

PLANTERS

JD 7200, 1993, 12R30”, Wing Fold, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #166682 ...............................................$13,900 JD 1780, 2002, 24R20”, Flex Fold, 3.0 Bushel Hopper,..................................................................$30,000 JD 1765, 2015, 12R30”, Flex Fold, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, Row Command, #155243.......................$44,900 JD 1760, 2013, 12R30”, Flex Fold, 3.0 Bushel Hopper, #156200 ..................................................$52,500 JD 1765, 2018, 12R30”, Flex Fold, 3.0 Bushel Hopper, Row Command, #161082.......................$75,900 JD 1770NT CCS, 2012, 24R30”, Wing Fold, Central Fill System, Row Command, #167881 ....$118,500 JD DB66, 2005, 36R22”, Flex Fold, Central Fill System, Row Command, #166985...................$128,400 JD 1775NT, 2018, 16R30”, Flex Fold, Central Fill System, Row Command, #150736...............$169,000 JD DB66, 2012, 36R22”, Flex Fold, Central Fill System, Row Command, #166296...................$199,900 JD 1775NT, 2017, 24R30”, Wing Fold, Central Fill System, #160204........................................$262,900 JD DB66, 2018, 36R22” Flex Fold, Central Fill System, Row Command, Electric Drive, #161783.........................................................................................................................................$279,500 7 JD DB66, 2018, 36R22” Flex Fold, Central Fill System, Row Command, Electric Drive, #161533.........................................................................................................................................$315,400 5 JD 1710, 24R22”, Wing Fold, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #168066 ........................................................$17,900 15 JD 1710, 24R22”, Wing Fold, 3.0 Bushel Hopper, #168140 .........................................................$19,900

ROUND BALERS

1 JD 535, 1989, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 540 PTO, 5’ bales, 151,310 bales ...........................$8,325 2 Case IH RBX561, 2002, Regular Pickup, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 PTO, 5’ bales, 9000 bales, #160144 .......................................................................................................................... $9,900 11 Vermeer 555XL, 2005, Regular Pickup, Twine Only, 540 PTO, 5’ bales, #160364........................ $9,900 17 JD 567, ‘01, Mega Tooth, Twine Only, 540 PTO, 5’ Bales, 16,500 bales, #161325 .......................$10,900 14 NHBR780A, 2007, Mega Wide Pickup, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 PTO, 5’ bales, 15,900 bales, #167206 .....................................................................................................................$11,900 10 NH BR7090, 2009, Mega Wide, Twine Only, 540 PTO, 5’ bales, 6484 Bales, #167794 ...............$14,500 10 NHBR7060, 2012, Regular Pickup, Twine Only, 540 pto, 4’ bales, 2900 bales, #166079............$18,500 2 JD 558, 2010, Mega Wide Pickup, Twine Only, 540 PTO, 5’ bales, 1153 bales, #163653 .............$19,900 4 JD 854, 2010, Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 PTO, 5’ bales, Precut Knives, 11,400 bales, #159849 .....................................................................................................................$20,900

Visit one of our 17 locations in Central Minnesota! (7) = ALEXANDRIA (9) = PRINCETON (4) = ST. CLOUD 1035 35th Ave. NE

(2) = HOWARD LAKE (5) = GLENWOOD 5845 Keats Ave. SW

1710 N. Franklin

(3) = STEWART

(6) = SAUK CENTRE

78412 Co. Rd. 20

FIELD CULTIVATORS

16 14 15 14 9 15 15 6 5 9

1140 Centre St.

320-763-4220 5005 Co. Rd. 82 SE

3708 Baptist Church Rd.

(8) = PAYNESVILLE

16069 Hwy. 27 E.

725 Lake Ave. S.

6 JD 469 Silage Special, 2015, Mega Wide pickup, Surface Wrap Only, 1000 PTO, 4’ bales, 9 500 bales, #166199 ..........................................................................................................................$24,900 11 NH 460RB, 2014, Mega Wide Pickup, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 PTO, 4’ bales, 7500 bales, #165910 ........................................................................................................................$24,900 10 JD 854, 2011, Mega Wide Pickup, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 PTO, 4’ bales, Precut Knives, 8170 bales, #160884 ................................................................................................$29,500 6 JD 854 Silage Special, 2016, Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 540 PTO, 4 ’ bales, Precut Knives, 6000 bales, #151149 ....................................................................................$31,300 10 JD 450M, 2018, Mega Wide, Twine Only, 540 PTO, 4’ bales, 690 bales, #163947 .......................$33,500 10 JD 469 Silage Special, 2017, Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 PTO, 4’ bales, 6200 bales, #162893 .........................................................................................................$34,500 4 JD 469, 2017, Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 PTO, 4’ bales, 2600 bales, #167879............................................................................................................................................$37,400 6 JD 560M, 2019, Mega Wide Pickup, Surface Wrap Only, 1000 PTO, 5’ bales, 500 bales, #166321............................................................................................................................................$43,900 5 JD 460M, 2018, Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 PTO, 4; bales, Precut Knives, 5985 bales, #164359 ........................................................................................................................$49,900 17 JD 560M, 2018, Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 PTO, 5’ bales, Precut Knives, 3311 Bales, #165961 ........................................................................................................................$57,900

WINDROWERS

8 JD W260, 2018, 16”, Conditioner: Rubber/Urethane, 500 hrs, #163764 .................................$169,500

CALL TODAY! (320)365-1653 (12) = AITKIN 1120 2nd St. NW

(10) = LITTLE FALLS (13) = BAXTER (11) = WADENA 62505 US Hwy. 10

SKID STEER LOADERS

3 Bobcat 743B, ROPS, Foot Controls, 1648 hrs., #167800 .................................................................10900 10 JD 240, 2000, Cab Enclosure, Foot Controls; Aux Hydraulics; Beefy Baby Tires; 66” Bucket, 2385 hrs., #168163...............................................................................................................................13400 3 JD 250, 2003, ROPS, Hand Controls, 72” Bucket, 3750 hrs., #168067 .............................................13900 15 JD 315, 2007, ROPS, Foot Controls, Self-Leveling; Aux Hydraulics, 60” Bucket, 1874 hrs., #165904............................................................................................................................................$17,900 1 JD 250, 2000, Cab w/o AC, Foot Controls, 3100 hrs., #167442 ....................................................$18,500 17 JD 320E, 2017, Cab w/AC, EH Controls, Joystick, 2 Speed, Aux Hydraulics, Less Bucket, 2976 hrs., #158327..........................................................................................................................$27,900 15 JD 320E, 2017, Cab w/ AC, EH Controls, Joystick, 2 Speed, Aux Hydraulics, 3029 hrs., #159774............................................................................................................................................$28,900 4 JD 326E, 2014, Cab w/AC, EH Controls, Joystick, 2 Speed, Aux Hydraulics, Steel Tracks, Less Bucket, Reversing Fan, 1420 hrs., #167115 ...........................................................................$32,900 14 Caterpillar 236D, 2017, ROPS, Cab w/AC, Cab Enclosure, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat; 2 Speed; 72” Bucket, 671 hrs., #161230 .........................................................................................$33,400 10 JD 332E, 2014, 1059 hrs., #155014 ..............................................................................................$39,500 4 Bobcat S650, 2017, Cab w/AC, A/C, Hand Controls, Foot Controls, Ride Control, 2 Speed, Aux Hydraulics, 78” Bucket, 427 hrs., #166045.......................................................................................$42,900 9 JD 324G, 2018, Cab w/ AC, Foot Controls, Air Ride Seat; 2 Speed; Self-Leveling; Aux Hydraulics; Beefy Baby Tires; 78” Bucket; Reversing Fan, 291 hrs., #161893.....................................................$44,500 4 JD 324G, 2018, Cab w/AC, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Joystick; 2 Speed; Self-Leveling; Aux Hydraulics; 78” Bucket; Reversing Fan, 85 hrs., #166450.........................................................$45,900 4 JD 324G, 2018, Cab w/ AC, Cab Enclosure, A/C, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat; Ride Control, 2 Speed; Self-Leveling; Aux Hydraulics; 78” Bucket; Reversing Fan, #162065 ..............................$45,900 11 JD 330G, 2018, Cab w/ AC, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Joystick; Ride Control, 2 Speed; Self-Leveling; Aux Hydraulics; 84” Bucket; Reversing Fan, 575 hrs., #159949 ..............................$48,900 16 JD 332G, 2018, Cab w/ AC, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Joystick; Ride Control, 2 Speed; Self-Leveling; Aux Hydraulics, Weights; 84” Bucket; Reversing Fan, 150 hrs., #144002 ...............$56,900

7045 Foley Rd.

(14) = ELBOW LAKE

(16) = BENSON

(15) = MORRIS

(17) = MADISON

110 2nd St. NE

23604 State Hwy. 9

380 Atlantic Ave. 516 1st St. E

SEE OUR COMPLETE INVENTORY WITH PICTURES AND DESCRIPTIONS AT: www.mmcjd.com

Page 22 â€˘ Dairy Star â€˘ Saturday, April 11, 2020

Wood

Shavings BULK

Blue Hilltop, Inc. Your Mixer, Spreader, Hay Processor Headquarters We carry:

BAG

www.rotomix.com LLC

S&S Wood Products

35335 Green Street | Independence, WI 54747

800-234-5893 | 715-985-3122

Dana Berreau

507-879-3593 / 800-821-7092 Box 116, Lake Wilson, MN 56151

Dairy dispersal auction delayed

DeLaval OptiDuo

â„˘

ROBOTIC FEED REFRESHER

Donâ€™t just push feed

REMIX IT JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR

Up to

+4.4lbs

Marla and Steve Viland hold an ad for their dairy dispersal aucĆ&#x;on that was scheduled April 22 on their farm near Ihlen, Minnesota. The Vilands decided to delay their aucĆ&#x;on unĆ&#x;l the end of May due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

USD +$2,500

more milk per day

labor savings

Concerns about spreading COVID-19 causes Vilands to postpone sale

per year

By Jerry Nelson

jerry.n@dairystar.com

Weigh-back down to

Up to

push-ups a day

www.delaval.com

Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: IOWA Kramer Bros. Monticello, IA 319-465-5931 Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290 United-Suckow Dairy Supply West Union, IA 563-422-5355 Postville, IA 563-864-7417 WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bobâ€™s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201

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Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon, WI 920-346-5579 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470 MINNESOTA & SOUTH DAKOTA D&D Ag Supply Pennock, MN 320-599-4466 East Central Dairy Supply Mora, MN 320-679-1029

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IHLEN, Minn. â€“ On March 25, in response to the growing public health threat from the novel coronavirus pandemic, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz issued an executive order directing Minnesotans to stay at home from March 27 through April 10. Staying home was not a problem for dairy farmers Steve and Marla Viland. But Walzâ€™s order and the rapidly developing situation prompted the Vilands to delay the herd dispersal auction they had planned to have April 22 at their farm near Ihlen. â€œWe didnâ€™t want to delay our auction, but we felt that we had no choice,â€? Steve said. â€œWe have tentatively rescheduled it for May 29, but who knows what will happen. We will have to see how things progress. We certainly donâ€™t want anyone to get sick because they came to our auction.â€? Steve and Marla and their family have been working on improving the genetics of their 40-cow herd of registered Holsteins for many years. â€œThis farm has been in our family since 1907,â€? Steve said. â€œMy father, Carroll, started dairying in 1949 when he remodeled one half of a horse barn into a stanchion barn for his cows. For the ďƒžrst few years, he still kept horses in the other side of the barn.â€? After graduating from technical college in Hutchinson in 1979, Steve came home and joined his familyâ€™s dairy operation. â€œI worked for Dad as a herdsman until 1984 when I began to take on ownership,â€? Steve said. â€œDad had started to register all of our females in 1959. One of my goals after I took over was to gradually phase out all of the grades and make the herd 100 percent registered.â€? Steve and Marla married in 1990 and have three adult children. Megan, 28, is married to Tyler Kludt. Turn to VILANDS | Page 23

Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020 • Page 23

ConƟnued from VILANDS | Page 22

Megan works as an animal researcher at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota. Kyle, 25, and Gavin, 22, both live in the Pipestone area and are employed as shop technicians at C & B Operations in Pipestone. “About three months after we got married, Steve’s leg was broken when he was kicked by a heifer,” Marla said. Marla grew up on a Sioux County, Iowa, dairy farm and has been a parttime teacher with the Pipestone school system for many years. “That meant that I had to get the morning milking done before I could head off to school for my teaching job,” Marla said. Some years ago, Steve and Marla experimented with expanding their herd. “We didn’t like the way things were going with the larger number of animals,” Steve said. “Our focus has always been on improving the quality of our herd’s genetics. We found that this was easier to accomplish with a smaller number of animals.” JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR This attention to their herd’s Marla and Steve Viland stand in the alley of the Ɵestall barn where they have genetics has paid off. According to milked cows for the past 36 years. The Vilands planned a herd dispersal aucƟon Holstein Association USA, the Vilands’ April 22, but delayed it due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. herd currently has a BAA of 110.5, which ranks them as 85th in the entire nation. Their rolling herd averages are 28,329 pounds of milk with 3.8% barn, Steve and Marla are looking emotions about selling their life’s work. butterfat or 1,099 pounds, and 3.1% forward to spending some time away “None of our kids were interested protein or 854 pounds. This was all from their farm. in taking over from us, so we knew accomplished with twice per day “We had a four-day honeymoon that we would eventually have to do milkings. In 2019, the herd at Iland when we got married,” Marla said. something like this,” Marla said. Acres Dairy had an average SCC of “About three years ago, we took a long Steve admits the time is now to exit 101,000 with monthly totals often well weekend to visit Megan when she was the industry. below that number. living in Missouri. Other than that, we “I was told last summer that I will After 36 years of milking cows haven’t taken any time off.” need to have a knee replaced at some twice a day every day in their tiestall Steve and Marla have mixed point,” he said. “None of us are getting

any younger. I can’t run at full tilt all day like I could back when I was 30.” The Vilands also said it has become increasingly difcult to nd people who are willing to provide services for a smaller dairy operation such as theirs. “The hoof trimmers and the nutritionists like it better when they can stop at a larger operation that has a big number of cows to service,” Marla said. With their feed supply running short, Steve and Marla are hoping their auction will not have to be delayed again. “If it goes much beyond the end of May, we will have to look at buying some silage and some hay,” Steve said. “We had started planning for our auction last fall, so we didn’t put up as much corn silage as we would have normally. It’s just a matter of time until we run out.” It is going to be quite an adjustment for Steve and Marla after the cows leave. “We plan to increase our cropping operation,” Steve said. “And I hope to do a little shing. I look forward to hunting deer this fall without having to quit during the afternoon to go home and do chores and milking.” Marla, too, will have to transition into a life with an empty barn. “There are about half a dozen cows in the barn that I will shed a few tears for when I see them leave,” she said. “It’s going to be different around here because our farm has always been such a hotbed of activity. After the sale, I’m hoping that Steve and I can do some traveling. We want to make up for some of the vacations that we haven’t been able to take.”

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A virtual contest

COVID-19 forces change in Princess Kay nalist selection, statewide dairy princess workshop By Sherry Newell Contributing Writer

The uncertain timeline of Minnesota’s COVID-19 lockdown has resulted in the cancellation of Midwest Dairy’s annual dairy princess seminar, an event which serves as the backdrop for selection of the 10 nalists for Princess Kay of the Milky Way. County princess coordinators and American Dairy Association county chairmen were notied of the decision last week along with members of the Midwest Dairy Minnesota Division board and county princesses who had already registered for the event. The organization is planning to conduct judging virtually, using Zoom software, May 15-17, the event’s original date. The nalists’ names will be announced on the Princess Kay Facebook page at 2 p.m. May 17, the same time it would have happened during the luncheon that normally caps off the weekend of workshops and competition. “The hotel where our event was scheduled notied us they were closing until the end of May,” said Theresa Reps, Midwest Dairy agricultural affairs manager and staff lead for the state’s dairy princess program. “At that point, our committee had to decide what to do. Given all the uncertainty at this time, the decision was to move forward with virtual judging to get nalists in place.” The princess committee is a group of Minnesota Division board members and two county promotion board members

along with an industry representative and former princess. An alternative plan for the workshop portion of the event has not yet been developed, but Reps said that will be the next step. The sessions are designed to help county princesses carry out local promotion more effectively. “I think there will be creative ways to provide resources to county princesses. We’re still working through that,” Reps said. “We’re sad we can’t get all the princesses together. It’s a fun event and a cool celebration, but we certainly don’t want to put anyone at risk.” She said the new plans provide an opportunity for county princesses who might not have otherwise been able to compete for a nalist position. The committee is waiving the limit on how many candidates a county can advance to statewide judging. Normally, each county can send princesses to the nalist judging based on their county contest numbers. Since some counties have completed their contests, and others called off events and local judging due to the pandemic, the committee leveled the eld with the new ruling, Reps said. “Another nice thing is that princesses who were originally not available for the weekend might now be able to make the time to be in the contest on that one day (May 16),” she said. Princess Kay nalists are selected based on an application, a personal interview, a speech and a mock media interview with separate sets of two judges assigned to each component. Reps said the virtual judging will have the same portions, but with the participants – staff, committee members, judges and participants – all remaining at home. Reps said princesses must submit applications by May 1, and all materials will

Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020 • Page 25

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Former Princess Kay of the Milky Way Rebekkah Paskewitz talks with county dairy princesses during a previous promoƟon workshop. be distributed May 4, so each candidate has the same amount of time to prepare. Midwest Dairy will provide a tip sheet to help them do their best during the online judging. “Our goal is to make the process as easy and stress-free as possible,” Reps said. For instance, advice on things like lighting and background will be provided. There is also a plan to provide a phone number for troubleshooting in case technical or timing problems come up during the judging. “One advantage we have is that nearly every girl is already doing e-learning right now, so working online is not unfamiliar to them,” Reps said. If high-speed Internet is not available to a princess, she will be able to connect via cell phone signal using the same software. The scorecard is also being changed to put less emphasis on the visual aspects of evaluation, because each competitor will have different surroundings, and their speeches and mock media interviews will be delivered sitting down

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Be proactive against COVID-19 The United States Department of Agriculture service centers are encouraging visitors to take proactive protective measures to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. USDA service centers in Minnesota will continue to be open for business by phone appointment only, and eld work will FSA News & Notes continue with appropriate social distancing. While our program delivery staff will continue to come into the ofce, they will be working with our producers by phone and using online tools whenever possible. All visitors wishing to conduct business with the Farm Service Agency, By Ryan Brunn Natural Resources Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. Conservation Service or any other service center agency are required to call their service center to schedule a phone appointment. In the event a service center is closed, producers can receive assistance from the closest alternate service center by phone. FSA’s Farm Loan Program division is continuing to provide full services through mail, by phone and by email. Borrowers needing checks endorsed are asked to mail their checks to the ofce and Farm Loan Program staff will endorse them and mail them back the same day they are received. Please contact your local FSA ofce with any questions. Youth loans The FSA makes operating loans of up to $5,000 to eligible individual youths ages 10 to 20 to nance income-producing, agriculture-related projects. The project must be of modest size, educational, and initiated, developed and carried out by youths participating in 4-H clubs, FFA, tribal youth organizations or similar agricultural-afliated groups. The project must be an organized and supervised program of work. It must be planned and operated with the assistance of the organization advisor, produce sufcient income to repay the loan, and provide the youth with practical business and educational experience in agriculture-related skills. These loans can nance many kinds of incomeproducing agricultural projects. The loan funds may be used to: - Buy livestock, seed, equipment and supplies. - Buy, rent or repair needed tools and equipment. - Pay operating expenses for the project. For more information on youth loans, visit http:// www.farmers.gov or call your FSA ofce. 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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The renewal of spring

Most of all, I encourage you to ďƒžnd renewed vision in the things you do. As dairy farmers, we are doing important work. Let us take spring as our opportunity to be re-energized and renewed. Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Amy Kyllo, serves as the Minnesota dairy communityâ€™s goodwill ambassador. Throughout the year, Princess Kay helps people understand the dedication of dairy farmers to wholesome and nutritious food, and the way milk is produced. Princess Kay does many school presentations, represents dairy farmers at the Fuel Up To Play 60 events that are held in conjunction with the Minnesota Vikings, and is very active during June Dairy Month sharing the importance of dairy farming and dairy foods. Amy grew up in Byron, Minnesota, living and working on her familyâ€™s dairy farm. She is a senior at the Free Lutheran Bible College. She enjoys music, loves to read and is an avid Minnesota Twins baseball fan.

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One new type of event was the Farm-City Hub Club Farm Show that I attended. I ďƒžrst did book reading with the kids, and afterwards spoke to attendees as they came past the booth. I was well equipped with coloring books, stickers, string cheese and more to tempt the passerby into stopping. It was such fun to take pictures with the little girls and send them off armed with coloring books. I also loved talking with adults, and even had the chance to visit with the Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Thom Pederson. In the coming months, I want to continue to represent you well. This is important work, and I never want to lose sight of that amongst the myriad details of the day to day. I want to go to events, write these articles and post on social media with renewed excitement, purpose and vision. So, for each of you this month, I encourage you to embrace spring and enjoy the hope that it brings.

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Spring has always been my favorite season of the year. I love to feel the air grow warm and ďƒžnd plants beginning to grow again. My favorite thing is the wild ďƒ&#x;owers. Our farm has numerous sections of woods, and if you know where to look you will ďƒžnd carpets of ďƒ&#x;owers: false rue anemone, On the Road with Dutchmanâ€™s breeches, Princess Kay Virginia bluebells, bloodroots, trout lilies and more. Every year they poke their brave heads through quicker than I would imagine possible and bless the world with their beauty. These ďƒ&#x;owers are a part of what makes me thankful that I grew up on a farm where it is possible for me to enjoy By Amy Kyllo 66th Princess Kay of the this beauty. Milky Way In the spring, as farmers, we are raring to go. The ďƒželds swiftly go from too wet and cold to just right in a few days. The satisfaction of getting the crops in the ground is a big part of spring. Gardeners like my mom have little seeds coming up in a sunny corner of the house. Everyone yearns for a little green. Each year, I dread the overwhelming rush of work yet anxiously look forward to spring and all it brings. Most of all, spring brings hope. It brings hope of new plants, a new growing season. It is a time to leave the past behind and start fresh. It is a time to leave the cold and closeness of winter. As Princess Kay, I want to ďƒžnd spring and new hope in all I do. I continue to post on Facebook and Instagram every few days. I am always trying to think of fresh, photographic ways of presenting the diverse world of dairy farming and dairy nutrition. This past month, I gave a speech at the All Breeds Convention. Giving a speech is not a new experience, but it is an important one. Whether I give one speech, or 15, each is important as I share with the people before me.

Dairy Star â€˘ Saturday, April 11, 2020 â€˘ Page 27

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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020 Joe Armstrong armst225@umn.edu 612.624.3610 Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130 Hugh Chester-Jones chest001@umn.edu 507-835-3622

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Monitor calving traits to improve cow, calf health

Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391

By Brad Heins and Glenda Pereira

University of Minnesota

Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177

Calving problems prolong the ability of dairy cows to reach peak production and may impair the ability of a cow to calve again. First lactation cows that have a difcult birth may have increased labor and veterinary costs. Furthermore, there is an increased probability the cow may not survive, which can cost $2,000 before the heifer may enter the milking herd. Moreover, calves born with difculty are more likely to be stillborn or develop a digestive or respiratory disease. While superb management may help minimize calving problems, recording calving traits may also be valuable. At the University of Minnesota dairy research herds, calving traits are recorded to improve cow and calf health. Gestation length is the date of successful insemination subtracted from the date of calving. Birth weight is measured within 12 hours of birth. Stillbirth is recorded as dead within 24 hours of birth. Calving ease is measured on a 5-point scale, with 1 being a quick, easy birth with no assistance; 2 means over two hours in labor but no assistance; 3 is minimum assistance but no calving difculty; 4 means obstetrical chains were used; and 5 is an extremely difcult birth that required a mechanical puller. Stillbirth and calving ease scores may be entered in any dairy management software program for tracking of individual dairy herds. The University of Minnesota has two research herds: a conventional dairy in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a low-input pasturebased dairy in Morris, Minnesota. Cows in St. Paul calve primarily from September to May and are bred from December to July. Cows in Morris are bred to maintain a seasonal production system. The two herds have Holstein cows and ProCROSS St. Paul Morris crossbreds, composed of Holstein ProCROSS Holstein ProCROSS Grazecross the Montbéliarde, Viking Number of calvings (n = 645) (n = 471) (n = 476) (n = 922) (n = 401) Red and Holstein breeds. In addition, in the Mor- First lactation ris dairy herd, Grazecross Gestation length (days) 278 281 278 281 281 crossbreds are composed Calf weight at birth (lbs.) 86.6 89.0 84.6 87.3 75.6 of the Normande, Jersey Stillbirth (%) 9.1 9.4 9.1 9.4 9.4 and Viking Red breeds. Calving ease (1 to 5) 1.5 1.5 1.2 1.3 1.2 Table 1 shows means for calving traits for St. Multiple lactations Paul and Morris, for rst Gestation length (days) 279 281 279 282 282 lactation cows and cows Calf weight at birth (lbs.) 95.3 97.3 92.2 94.3 81.8 with multiple lactations, Stillbirth (%) 9.8 9.7 9.8 9.7 9.5 from January 2009 to De- Calving ease (1 to 5) 1.3 1.3 1.1 1.1 1.2 cember 2019. In St. Paul, GRAPH SUBMITTED Holstein cows had a shortThis graph depicts means for gestaƟ on length, calf weight, sƟ llbirth and calving ease of calves in St. er gestation length than ProCROSS cows. Gesta- Paul and Morris dairies January 2009 to December 2019.

Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711 Nathan Hulinsky huli0013@umn.edu 320-203-6104 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu 612-625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Emily Krekelberg krek0033@umn.edu 320-255-6169 Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435 Kota Minegishi kota@umn.edu 612-624-7455 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093 Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205 M. Scott Wells mswells@umn.edu 612-625-3747

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tion length is inuenced by the genetics of the calf, and a longer gestation length has been documented in the Montbéliarde breed. Holstein calves had mean weight that was 2 pounds less than ProCROSS calves. The longer gestation length reported for ProCROSS cows may explain the higher weight at birth. Stillbirth and calving ease were similar for Holstein calves compared with ProCROSS calves. In Morris, Holstein cows had a shorter gestation length than ProCROSS and Grazecross cows. Calf birth weight was different between the breed groups in Morris, and Holstein and ProCROSS calves weighed more than Grazecross calves. This was anticipated because some Grazecross calves were sired by Jersey bulls, and Jerseys have lower body weight than other dairy breeds. Similar to St. Paul, stillbirth and calving ease were similar for Holstein calves compared with ProCROSS and Grazecross calves. While similar breeds for crossbreeding exist in St. Paul and Morris, there are management differences that inuence calf weight at birth. In Morris, cows that are dry during the summer months are on pasture and have less energy intake compared with dry cows in St. Paul that are fed a TMR. Additionally, calving ease was slightly higher in St. Paul than in Morris, and this may be due to a higher rate of unobserved calvings in Morris than in St. Paul. Dairy producers should consider genetic evaluations for calving ease of potential service sires especially for mating virgin heifers. Using different sire breeds might reduce costs associated with difcult births. Recording birth traits on farm can help producers improve cow and calf health and reduce nancial loss. Glenda Pereira is a graduate research assistant at the University of Minnesota advised by Dr. Brad Heins.

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Why monitor subclinical ketosis?

Well, everyone, I hope you are ready for a technical article with all sorts of numbers. I think I might have even avoided saying anything controversial. Continue reading to nd out. Why should you care about subclinical ketosis? Subclinical ketosis is a common transition disorder encountered on all dairies. Most studies show us that the prevalence of the condition is anywhere from 5% to 80%. Usually, 15% is considered the alarm level for when you, your veterinarian and your nutritionist should look into the transition program. Subclinical ketosis is dened as an elevation of ketone bodies without clinical symptoms of ketosis. SCK is associated with the occurrence of many other transition cow diseases, such as clinical ketosis, metritis, retained placenta and left displaced abomasum. By monitoring their herd level of SCK, producers can work to prevent these economically signicant diseases. What causes ketosis? All cows suffer from a negative energy balance around By Joe Armstrong the time of calving. This occurs based on increased energy University of MN demand from milk production and decreased nutritional intake. Most cows have reduced dry matter intake before and after calving. When this reduced intake is combined with an increased demand for energy from milk production, the cow uses the energy stores in her own body to try to make up for the difference. The cow mobilizes fat stores and sends the fat to the liver. The liver is an amazing and complex organ, and especially in the dairy cow, has a high workload. The liver metabolizes fat to useful components for energy, including ketones. Excessive fat mobilization to the liver can overwhelm the liver’s ability to process, and this can result in fat accumulation in the liver leading to fatty liver (hepatic lipidosis). The circulating ketones and circulating fat can be measured to determine the severity of the negative energy balance. The ketone that is measured is beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), and the fats measured are non-esteried fatty acids (NEFA). How is subclinical ketosis measured? Both BHBA and NEFA measurement has been evaluated in the literature. NEFAs are best used pre-calving, and BHBAs are best used post-calving. Both sampling techniques are valuable because they allow you to identify where your most signicant challenge is, either pre-calving or post-calving. NEFA measurement is done at a laboratory and requires a serum sample. Take samples from cows between 14 and two days before calving. The cut off that predicts clinical disease is 0.29 mEq/L. BHBA measurement can be done cow-side with ketosis meters initially developed for human diabetic monitoring. When using validated cow-side meters, SCK is considered when values are greater than 1.2 mmol/L. Take samples from cows three to 14 days post-calving. The values used for NEFA and BHBA were determined through research connecting these threshold values with their ability to predict clinical disease. Cows testing over the thresholds are more likely to develop diseases associated with SCK. For example, the paper establishing the values, stated cows testing above 1.2 mmol/L of BHBA post-calving were 6.7 times more likely to develop an LDA than cows testing below 1.2 mmol/L. Post-calving BHBA levels can also be tested using milk ketone test strips. In general, these test strips are far less sensitive for detecting ketosis resulting in a high percentage of false negatives. Milk testing through a laboratory is often an accurate tool for detecting SCK, but Minnesota DHIA no longer offers this testing due to a lack of interest from producers. What if you are above 15%? The rst thing to do is to make sure you have tested enough animals. In general, 12 to 15 animals need to be tested to reasonably make assumptions about the entire herd (this number will depend on the size of the herd). Several factors play into SCK. Anything that would decrease DMI should be addressed rst. Bunk space and stocking density are critical factors for DMI. Bunk space should be kept at a minimum of 24 inches per head and preferably 30 inches per head. Stocking density for free stalls should remain at one stall per cow or less. Bedded pack space allowance should be 120 to 150 square feet per head. With both systems, prioritize bunk space. Body condition scoring is an incredibly valuable tool and probably needs its own article, but for now, know that BCS has a signicant impact on SCK and transition performance. Both too high and too low body conditions lead to more issues during the transition period. Cows should maintain a BCS of 2.75 to 3.25 out of 5 and ideally maintain their body condition post-calving. A reduction of greater than 0.5 units of BCS following calving has huge implications for SCK and reproductive performance. To truly have a handle on the body condition of your cows, you should monitor BCS routinely. I like to incorporate BCS with times cows are already handled. Dry off, moving to close-up, calving and moving out of the fresh pen are all excellent places to record a BCS. At a minimum, I would recommend scoring cows at the move to close up, at calving and moving out of the fresh pen. This gives roughly 21 days before calving, calving and 14 to 40 days post-calving. There are other causes of subclinical ketosis. Work with your veterinarian and your nutritionist to help address the above issues and identify other possible causes. Should you treat cows diagnosed with subclinical ketosis? In short, yes. Cows identied with SCK benet from treatment with propylene glycol. Discuss treatment protocols with your veterinarian. Most often, SCK cows are treated with 300 ml of propylene glycol orally once per day for three to ve days. Remember, treating a condition is never as good as prevention. Do not be tempted to put a bandage on with treatment and not work to x the actual cause of a high percentage of SCK in your herd.

Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020 • Page 29

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Afternoons with Gramma Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020

High school would have been a lot more tolerable Sometimes our school tried to force us to learn for me if it had not been for all those stupid classes. things that were obviously untrue. For example, in There may have been a few classes that did me history we were told about Abraham Lincoln and his a teeny bit of good. For instance, in English class I Gettysburg Address. Like I am supposed to believe heard a vague rumor about tthat a guy would really stand something called “syntax.” G up in front of a crowd and Gramma was a sturdy d old ld I had no idea that there was say, “Four score and seven a levy for breaking the Ten country woman and a bit on years ago.” Commandments. Have you ever heard My favorite class the crusty side. anybody talk like that? Me, was shop. Nothing res eeither. I bet our teachers also a teenaged boy’s zest for tthought we believed in the learning like having access to an array of razor-sharp, Tooth Fairy. high-speed power tools. Nothing was worse than the classes where you Shop is where my pal Dale proved that the were supposed to learn about things you would never human body denitely conducts electricity when he use. A prime example was crafts. thoughtlessly grabbed both leads of an arc welder. Crafts was taught by Mrs. Hoffelt, who had earned Dale claimed that it did not affect him, but his hair a nice rating from the student body. But her class was would not lie at for the rest of the day. totally worthless as far as I was concerned. My life’s

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goal was to become a farmer; the only clay I would ever deal with was the kind that stuck to a moldboard. And what, exactly, is batik or macramé? How would learning about these things help me as a farmer? Dale and I both had scornful attitudes Dear County Agent Guy regarding crafts, so we began to skip Mrs. Hoffelt’s class. Mr. Grebner, our high school principal, would summon us to his ofce and deliver his youshould-take-schoolmore-seriously sermon or his your-educationis-up-to-you lecture. We would listen respectfully and skip crafts the very By Jerry Nelson next day. Columnist We began to pass the hour allocated for crafts by walking two blocks to the house where Dale’s widowed grandmother lived. Gramma was a sturdy old county woman and a bit on the crusty side. She always opened the door with a wisecrack such as, “Look at what the cat dragged in.” Or, “If it ain’t Pete and Repeat.” I got the impression that had we brought Gramma a live hog, she was fully capable of butchering it on the spot and would have sent us home with fresh homemade sausage. “Set yourself down,” Gramma would command grufy, gesturing toward a timeworn wooden kitchen table. Gramma’s boyfriend would already be seated at the tableside. That is, if you can use boyfriend to describe a guy who has over eight decades on his odometer. A deck of cards would be produced, and Dale and I would engage Gramma and her companion in a few hands of euchre. Gramma would offer Dale and me a beer, which we invariably declined. Not just because we had to return to school, but also because Gramma bought the cheapest rotgut beer available. Gramma would hand her chain-smoking companion a brew, shake her head and mutter, “He only comes here for one thing.” Dale and I would blush. The old codger would ddle with his hearing aids and ask, “What?” Gramma would shout, “I said you shouldn’t be so stingy and bring some beer.” “You don’t need to holler,” he’d reply. “I have hearing aids. And I’m as cheerful as the next guy.” Gramma would roll her eyes, saying, “It would help if he trimmed his ear hair. It looks like he’s growing cotton balls.” Dale and I passed many pleasant afternoons with Gramma and her octogenarian chum. We would snicker when Gramma scolded the old coot for playing the wrong cards or when she threatened to leave him out in the country where he could eat cattails instead of gobbling up all her hotdogs.” Dale had known Gramma his whole life and privately assured me that her threats were empty. Beneath that gruff façade beat the heart of a sweet old grandmother. Mrs. Hoffelt may have seemed nice, but that was just a front. I could not believe it when she gave me an F for crafts based upon the imsy technicality that I never attended class. So, I missed my chance to learn about bisque and glaze. But somehow, our afternoons with Gramma left me feeling just as edied as if I had gone to crafts. Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, S.D. He and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry currently works full time for the Dairy Star as a staff writer/ad salesman. Feel free to E-mail him at: jerry.n@ dairystar.com.

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Milk per cow or milk per stall?

Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020 • Page 31

Forty years ago, a farmer might have been able to build a freestall barn for $750 per stall, and a cow cost about $1,000. Today, the same farmer might pay $2,000 to Veterinary Wisdom $2,500 to build that same freestall, and the cow costs about $1,000. Hence the attraction of putting more cows in a stall today. As xed costs per stall increase, increasing milk per stall makes sense. Running another cow through a parlor will likely increase milk production per parlor stall, too, By Jim Bennett but there is one critical Columnist difference between this and increasing cows per free stall. Increasing cows per parlor stall usually does not negatively affect the other cows in the herd, while increasing cows per freestall almost always negatively affects the other cows in the herd. Negatively affecting some or all of the other cows can easily wipe out the gains of adding cows to a xed number of stalls. There is research to quantify some of these claims. Increasing stocking density above one cow per stall likely reduces production by 1.7 pounds of milk per cow per day for every 10% increase in density (for example, 120% to 130%). Butterfat production may decrease by about 0.04 pounds per day for every 10% increase in stocking density. Conception rates may decrease by 0.1 percentage points for every 10% increase in stocking density. All of these assumptions, though based on research, will vary from farm to farm. There are other negative effects that unfortunately do not have a lot of research behind them but will most likely occur. Some of the more signicant are: increased reproductive and non-reproductive culls, increased somatic cell count

and clinical mastitis, increased lameness, reduced answer is probably, to some degree, yes. But most of rumination, increased heat stress, decreased feed the time depreciation is considered a xed cost. The efciency and increased health disorders. At least same is true for labor. More cows in the pen will, to ve of the six Compeer/Zoetis “Big Six” factors some degree, increase labor requirements. How one affecting protability (milk per cow, somatic cell models depreciation and labor costs will signicantly count, pregnancy rate, cow death rate and calf affect the economic projections of increasing stall s stocking density and thus death rate) are likely to complicates decision. be negatively affected by N Negatively i l affecting ff i some or There is, of the course, another increased stocking density. The big problem is this: all of the other cows can easily consideration. The negative effects of increasing The effects of increasing wipe out the gains of adding stocking density are mostly stall density can be hard to due to a decrease in the evaluate. The main reason cows to a fixed number of long-term welfare of the is that most of the negative stalls. ccow. Ouch. How would the effects are long term, while cconsumers of our products the positive effects of more milk sold per stall are short term. The farmer feel about this? Truthfully, we all know there are sees the immediate increase in the milk check but always tradeoffs between the natural state of animals does not necessarily see the effects of long-term in the wild and food production, but what are the negative effects on the cows. For example, a two limits and what is acceptable to our market? We veterinarians often nd ourselves as percentage point drop in pregnancy rate will have only moderate short term costs but could easily the primary cow advocate in discussions about cost $0.10 per hundredweight on a long-term basis. increasing farm protability. We sometimes are on Reduced performance becomes the new normal the losing side when decisions regarding cow welfare and is accepted as an acceptable cost of increased versus expected increased protability are weighed. This may be OK, but ultimately cow welfare is what stocking density. Another problem with increasing stocking makes money on a dairy, not milk per stall. Usually density is that it is more protable to increase a very small negative change in cow welfare has stocking density when the margin between milk large costs. Every veterinarian may not understand price and feed price is greater. Unfortunately, human the economics of milk production, but having your nature makes us want to increase milk per stall the veterinarian at the table when contemplating an most during periods of low milk prices not high increase in stall stocking density is almost always a milk prices. While this may intuitively make sense, good idea, because the decision is more complicated in reality this is precisely the time not to increase than just numbers. Bennett is one of four dairy veterinarians at stall stocking density on most farms. Increasing stall stocking density is an attempt to Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center dilute the xed costs of the stall or pen. However, in Plainview, Minn. He also consults on dairy how does one dene xed cost per stall? Things like farms in other states. He and his wife, Pam, have interest cost are easy to quantify, but what about four children. Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@ depreciation and labor? Do more cows in the pen gmail.com with comments or questions. result in faster depreciation? In most cases, the

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Let not our hearts be troubled

Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020

We think we have it so bad. We worry about the I admit to seeing my grandkids at their homes when world-changing virus, we worry about our aging they are outside playing in the fresh air, but I really try parents, we worry about our busy adult kids, we to limit my exposure to others. I have not even been in worry about our free-range, a grocery store since this all not-in-school grandkids, and sstarted. I try to go to the farm hi iis the h end d off the h world, ld stores early in the morning we worry about our crashing If this milk prices. Watching or how come I have eaten more after chores to get necessary reading the news overwhelms supplies, because I gure us into thinking it is the end delicious home cooked meals there are less people buying of the world. dog food at that time of day, If this is the end of the in the last week than I have in and the store is cleaner. world, how come I have many When I think about our y moons? eaten more delicious home aancestors and worry, I cannot cooked meals in the last hhelp but think of all four of week than I have in many moons? Right now, on this my grandparents emigrating from Holland through Thursday evening, we have leftover roast, meatloaf, Ellis Island, not knowing the language, with only a baked potatoes to fry and fresh apple crisp in our piece of paper in their hand saying some relative from refrigerator. My wife, daughters and daughter-in-law northwest Iowa had sponsored them to come and work are all cooking up a storm, and I am the beneciary. as farmhands and housekeepers. One grandmother

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came from a well-to-do family in Holland that even had servants only to join her soon-to-be husband on a poor dirt road hog farm near Bigelow, Minnesota. Obviously my grandparents survived the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918, or I would not be here. Making Cents of Dairy I am sure the isolation of a southern Minnesota farm did not hurt their chances. My parents became voting age at the beginning of World War II. Both of them had quit school during the ninth grade to help their parents on their respective farms. By Dave Vander Kooi They met at a church gathering of teenagers Columnist from Worthington and Bigelow churches. My dad soon joined Merchant Marines and was stationed in New Jersey. On a long weekend furlough, he hitchhiked back to Minnesota, married my mother and took her on a train back to New Jersey. He then left her alone in a rented apartment while he sailed to Europe on a mission to bring back foreign war brides of U.S. soldiers. Fortunately, my mom found new friends through the church in New Jersey that gave her employment on their small farm. When the war ended, they returned to Minnesota and wanted to buy a farm. My grandfather had just died and left my grandmother with very little. She could only help my dad put a down payment on probably the worst, most rundown farm in Nobles County. From there, my dad made that place into one of the nicest 20-cow Grade A dairies in the area. My point in all this is how brave my parents were in adversity and times of worry. Yes, I am worried about our cheese plant closing down because a worker may get sick; however, I worry more about our employees on our farm staying healthy. My thought process is we could dump milk for a month or two and survive the nancial carnage of our cheese plant going down. It would be much harder to survive long term if we cannot keep 2,000 cows milked at least twice a day. Those cows would be ruined if not milked regularly. Granted we could lower protein and energy in the milk cow ration so they would give way less milk. We could milk the better cows two times per day and the lower end cows once a day, utilizing probably half the people we need now. We could also dry up many cows early in anticipation of better times ahead. I do not know how well cows in early lactation would respond to low input rations and then a ramp up again in 60 days. I think it would be generally a bad idea. Will cheese consumption come to pre-pandemic levels in a few months? I do not know if restaurants can survive long enough to reopen. I do not know if people will consume the same equivalent of cheese at home. Personally, I eat less cheese at home because the meat quality at home is superior and does not need cheese to make it taste good. I will say our Godfather’s Pizza sales at our convenience store have been through the roof since the pandemic started. People still have cravings for their favorite food. I know my mind has rambled through this article, but maybe your minds have been rambling a bit these past few weeks also. I leave you with this quote from Matthew 6:34: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” 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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Clear my head. My thoughts and ideas do not seem to jell these days with so much of life upended by COVID-19 pandemic information and the ensuing changes. There are stay-at-home rules with unknown added weeks looming ahead. Cancellations of many enjoyable things keep piling up. Milk is being dumped throughout the dairy farm landscape due to market disruptions and prices nosedive. Health care and EMT workers must put their lives at risk to save others, and we worry about loved ones. And there is so much more to think about. These are difcult times for certain. How do we keep moving forward? How we resist getting mired in negative thinking due Come Full Dairy Circle do to circumstances beyond our control? No one has answers. I do not intend to be political; however, I will call out Gov. Tim Walz as being a gem of a leader for Minnesota. He speaks with clarity, calmness and calls forth unity. His examples of how Minnesotans step up to the plate makes me glad to live here. I listened to his State of the State address as I cleaned up after milking and fed a newborn calf. It moved me to tears and made me feel better at least for a while. “Staying home is some of the hardest work, but it’s the most crucial work. … You are making a By Jean Annexstad difference, and you are certainly saving lives,” Walz Columnist said. I decided I should start a COVID-19 journal a few weeks ago to focus on some good things happening each day. Not to gloss over these scary and uncertain times, but there are many fortunate outcomes that result from this current situation if you seek them. Some happen because of factors beyond our control, yet we can also choose to create opportunities. As I read through my journal entries, some patterns emerge in my writing. There are comments about the kids coming home for spring break and then not returning to college. As classes resumed, they each found a place to do the required online learning. They plug into headsets, watch screens, do problem sets, write papers. When the weather is nice, they take their laptops outside on the deck. It makes us happy to see them there. Leif is asked to train for his summer internship of breeding cows earlier with his more exible schedule, so he works with technicians to learn and practice a few times a week. When home, he catches up on his classes and chores. Matthias studies hard and helps with calf, milking and other chores when he can. He asks questions about our farm’s practices with crops and cows as he is learning about plant nutrients, ruminant nutrition and physiology right now. It is cool to see him apply what he is learning rst hand on our farm. Emily can do the work for her University CFANS job remotely, although she really misses her contact with co-workers. It is her nal semester of college and understandably she is sad to miss the last of so many things with classmates and friends. She patiently helps with calf chores and milking when needed. On March 20, the rst full day of spring, I write about the dueling conversations going on as I make a meal: - The boys are having a Zoom meeting with friends about securing a grant proposal for their food insecurity non-prot called Fasting for Friends. - Emily is at her desk giving input during a dairy production management class online. - Rolf is napping in the sunroom. - I am wondering if I will ever get an opportunity to vacuum and clean my house. I nd I write a lot about the weather, farm work, the kids helping, how nice it is to have them home and get to visit with them at meal time, and how much we appreciate their help. Spring is always busy with lots of new mammas and babies, so more help is a silver lining, especially for me. March 25 is a rainy day and perfect for sorting and cleaning, I note in my journal. I now am taking time to work on overdue projects with fewer places to go. On March 26, I wrote, “Argggg! I don’t want to know anymore about viruses, how they work or how they make us sick.” I am listening to more educational things, attending webinars and watching how-to videos with endless chances to learn. April 2: “We got done with chores early and were about to sit down to supper. Mike poked his head in the door and said, ‘You don’t have to help, but all of the big heifers are out.’ We went out for the round up, got them back in their pen and secured the gate. With three more younger helpers, it went way faster.” So, there is some good that comes from things beyond our control. Nobody’s life is easy or certain at this time, but we must work together to seek the good. We will make it through. Take care. Jean dairy farms with her husband, Rolf, and brother-in-law, Mike, and children Emily, Matthias and Leif. They farm near St. Peter, Minnesota, 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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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020

A chapter closes as another begins

Smith’s century farm no longer home to dairy cows By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com

ALBANY, Minn. – The morning after Lloyd Smith sold his milking herd, he was not sad or distraught. Instead, he was quickly reminded of all the tasks that still needed to be done on his family’s century farm. “I still got up (that morning) knowing there is more than enough to do around here,” Lloyd said. “I was ready for it.” Lloyd and his wife, Diane, sold their 50-cow herd March 25 off their dairy farm in Stearns County near Albany. The couple is continuing to raise youngstock – feeding out steers and selling springing heifers – and run 400 acres of tillable land. Selling the dairy herd was a decision Lloyd had considered for the past couple of years. “It was time to see the cows go,” Diane said. “Lloyd’s knees are starting to crack and we knew then that’s enough.” Lloyd agreed. “I’ve started to slow down, but I’d been holding on to make it 100 years of milking cows on this place,” he said. “It’s been a good farm. These hills have taken care of us for 100 years.”

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

Lloyd and Diane Smith are no longer milking cows on their farm site in Stearns County near Albany, Minnesota. The Smiths sold their 50-cow milking herd March 25 aŌer the farm had been home to dairy cows for more than 100 years.

Turn to SMITHS | Page 35

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Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020 • Page 35

ConƟnued from SMITHS | Page 34

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Lloyd Smith walks through his empty Ɵestall barn March 30 on his farm near Albany, Minnesota. The Smith family has farmed the land since 1919. Lloyd’s grandparents moved to the area two years prior and then settled on the farm site to raise 12 children. It was then the dairy farm was established. “There was an old barn down here and that’s where they milked,” Lloyd said. “Grandpa had eight cows, and they were all milked by hand.” In 1943, Lloyd’s parents, Alfred and Frances, purchased the farm and herd of cows. They continued milking in the original barn for 16 years before building the barn that Lloyd would then establish his dairying career in. Lloyd was 5 years old when his parents improved their housing facilities. “Even then, they still separated the milk and just sold the cream,” he said. “Then, they milked with buckets.” As a young boy, Lloyd watched his older brother, Roger, start dairy farming. Roger was 16 years old at the time and began with 15 cows. Then, in 1972, after high school graduation, Lloyd joined the partnership. “We started putting in more and more stalls,” Lloyd said. “Thirty years ago, we built on enough so there was room for 50 cows.”

“And kind of like my old trucks and machinery, we picked out the better stuﬀ and it lasted.” LLOYD SMITH, RETIRED DAIRY FARMER

When the addition was nished, the Smiths used a pipeline to collect the milk. “There’s been 100 years (of milking here),” Lloyd said. In the brother partnership, Lloyd was in charge of mostly milking the cows as his brother oversaw the farm’s hog operation and took care of the youngstock. Lloyd also spent a majority of his dairying career working at the local sales barn. For 25 years, he would haul cattle to and from the livestock market, and then help sort the animals. “Everybody worked out,” Lloyd said. “Grandpa worked at the hardware store in town, and my dad was a carpenter by day and farmed at night.” Not only was the off-the-farm job benecial for the brothers’ partnership, it gave Lloyd and Diane a bit of nancial stability. “We didn’t make much money, but it was enough to pay for the groceries,”

Lloyd said. The dairy farmer’s days would begin at 5:30 a.m. He would wake early enough to milk cows and do chores on the farm before spending the day at the sales barn. Then, he would return in time for evening chores and eldwork. “From the time you got up in the morning, you didn’t get a chance to stop until you went to bed at night,” Lloyd said. “You had to keep moving to get stuff done.” Even amidst the busyness of dairy farming, it was also an opportunity for the Smiths to create lasting memories with their seven children. “It was a great place to raise the kids,” Diane said. “I think they all enjoyed baling hay, and it was good to see everyone working together.” Lloyd agreed. “That was the nice thing about having a farm,” he said. “You couldn’t do everything because you never had the weekends off, but at least you were around. I used to take the kids in the tractor with me, and now my older boy is doing the same thing with his kids.” Even still, the Smiths’ grown children return home and help combine corn or bale hay. As Lloyd recollects his career, he is adamant his ability to continue the family farm was because of help from neighbors and the penny-wise mentality the Smith family had for three generations. When Lloyd and Roger began farming, they had two tractors – a John Deere A and a John Deere B. As they grew their land base, the Smiths slowly expanded their machinery inventory. “We just always had to do everything slowly,” Lloyd said. “We never really jumped into anything fast. And kind of like my old trucks and machinery, we picked out the better stuff and it lasted. It seemed to work for us that way.” Six years ago, Lloyd and Roger dissolved their partnership because of Roger’s declining health. Roger continued to help on the farm, feeding calves daily, but running the farm by himself was wearing on Lloyd. With the Smiths’ decision to stop milking cows, they have found more time to complete other farm chores and see their family, spending days with their 10 grandchildren. And Lloyd is looking forward to getting back into his hobbies of draft horses and riding motorcycle. “I’ll keep busy, just moving a little slower,” Lloyd said. “It was time, but I’m proud I stuck with it. The farm has taken care of us.” Mark Klaphake contributed to this article.

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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 11, 2020

Women In Dairy Kendra Thewis Mellen, Wisconsin Ashland County 115 cows

Family: Me, 34, my husband Peter, 35, daughter Starr, 8, and son Skyler, 5. I have a bachelor’s degree in agriculture marketing communications from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. My husband has a degree in agriculture business from UW-River Falls. Tell us about your farm. Thewis Valley View Farm was established in 1935. The farm is owned by the third generation, my father-in-law, Michael, and mother-in-law, Jennie. Myself and my husband have been full-time employees for almost 12 years. My husband also got a job with the town of Morse as a road maintenance worker last August. We milk around 115 cows (mostly Holsteins with a few Jerseys and Ayrshire crosses) twice a day and raise about the same number in youngstock. We feed calves milk the rst two weeks of life then switch to milk replacer until weaning. This has been a saving grace. I haven’t lost a calf in three years. We make our own haylage and corn silage between owned and rented land which is hard to come by living in the north woods of Wisconsin. All of our grains and additional hay are purchased. We had a devastating barn re back in 2009, losing 24 cows and our milking facilities. We were able to milk at a neighboring barn for nine months while we constructed a new double-8 parabone parlor and retrotted an existing barn with stalls. What is the busiest time of day for you? The busiest days are when the kids have school. I have to get them dressed, fed, backpacks packed and on the bus, then I start my day at the farm to feed, milk, bed, etc. My daughter also does dance class on Thursdays, so I pick her up from school, take her there and head right home after because it’s time to start milking. When you get a spare moment what do you do? Post to my Facebook page, 5 Minute Moos; walk my Siberian husky, Knut, eat donuts, dream about building a micro-dairy and farm camp. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. Our skidsteer was on re as it was sitting in the freestall barn. I went into our back holding area to get cows up for milking, and there were ames coming out of the back of the skidsteer. I yelled to my husband. He got a re extinguisher which didn’t put it out. We grabbed the parlor hose and sprayed it until we thought it was extinguished. My husband took the battery out, and we drug it out of the barn with the tractor. It was very scary as we had already had a barn re 10 years before. I felt like a reghter

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that day. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? The cows and calves. I’ve always had a passion for animals as long as I can remember. Cows don’t judge you and don’t talk back. I love the feeling that we are creating a product that feeds people. It seems like such an essential job even if at times we might not feel respected. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? Online, mainly because we live in such a remote region of northern Wisconsin. We don’t have many dairy people to chat with in person. I like the Dairy Moms Facebook page along with Women in Agriculture. Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? My mom, who is now a retired dairywoman. She broke many barriers, such as attending college at UW-Madison and learning to breed cows in a time when it wasn’t as widely accepted that women do those things. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? Kelly Clarkson. She has a large following which would be good for dairy promotion. She seems so upbeat and interested in helping others. What is the best vacation you have ever taken? I’ve been lucky that I have been able to take a few throughout my life. My husband and I went to Napa, California, a couple years ago to celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary. My cousin is a winemaker there, so he gave us a VIP tour of some of the wineries which was amazing. In addition, we took a hot air balloon ride over some of the vineyards thanks to my uncle. Both of those experiences made us feel very ritzy which is usually not the way you feel when you farm. We also checked out San Francisco and the sea lions on the pier. Our whole trip was less than four days, but it was just enough to feel refreshed and go back to the farm with a clear mind. What are some words you like to live by? Don’t be so serious all the time. Don’t be afraid to make jokes to get through hard times. Keep trying and if it doesn’t work, nd a new plan that might.

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Dairy Star â€˘ Saturday, April 11, 2020 â€˘ Page 37

A heart for Jerseys

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Alaina Johnson stands with one of her Jersey cows on her grandparentsâ€™ farm near La Crescent, Minnesota. Johnson was crowned Minnesota Jersey Queen in March.

Johnson crowned queen of the breed in Minnesota By Krista Kuzma

krista.k@dairystar.com

LA CRESCENT, Minn. â€“ Jersey became Alaina Johnsonâ€™s favorite dairy breed at the age of 3 after showing one for the ďƒžrst time at the Houston County Fair. â€œAll the years after that until I was 8, I showed a Jersey calf at the fair because my aunts wanted me to, and I fell in love with them,â€? said Johnson, who is from La Crescent. Now the 17-year-old will use that love for the breed during her reign as Minnesota Jersey Queen after being crowned earlier in March at the All-Breeds Dairy Convention. Johnson is the daughter of Ryan and Tracy Johnson and is a senior at La Crescent High School. Although she does not live on a dairy, Johnson spends every weekend and many summer days on the farm owned by her grandparents, Linda and Richard Johnson, also from La Crescent. The 140-cow dairy has Holstein, Jersey, Brown Swiss and one Milking Shorthorn. Growing up, Johnson spent a lot of time playing with the barn cats, playing in the hay and helping her grandpa feed calves. â€œI didnâ€™t know it at the time, but this was the beginning of my passion for dairy,â€? she said. Now, Johnson milks cows every weekend during the school year. This increases to almost every day during the summer. Plus, she feeds calves. â€œIâ€™m always at the farm,â€? she said. â€œAnytime I can, I love to walk my show heifers.â€? Many of those show heifers are Jersey. â€œOne year, my family wanted me to show a Holstein,â€? Johnson said. â€œI tried to walk it, and it stepped on my foot so I was done with that breed. I eventually grew out of that. But because of the early years of showing Jerseys it pushed me in that direction.â€? The Jersey breedâ€™s temperament, curiosity and beauty are what Johnson loves the most. â€œPersonally, I love their attitude, sass and curiosity,â€? Johnson said. â€œI can tell when Iâ€™m leading them, theyâ€™re more interested in whatâ€™s around them, and we bond so much better.â€? Beyond their personality, Johnson said she likes that Jersey cows are more efďƒžcient. â€œShe produces a 20% less carbon foot print than that of Holsteins and also produc-

es more protein, calcium and phosphorus in her milk,â€? Johnson said. â€œShe eats less feed and requires less land to produce the same amount of milk so all around, sheâ€™s a better cow.â€? Because of these desirable traits, the Johnsons have grown their herd to be about 20% Jersey. While showing in 4-H and being a part of the dairy judging and dairy quiz bowl teams have helped propel Johnsonâ€™s love for Jersey, last summerâ€™s activities helped solidify her love for the breed. Last summer, Johnson attended the Jersey Youth Academy in Columbus, Ohio. â€œI learned so much about different Jersey operations and pedigrees,â€? she said. â€œIt was really amazing.â€? Johnson also served as the Jersey Parish 1 Queen last year. â€œI absolutely loved sharing my passion for Jerseys and telling other farmers about the beneďƒžts of having Jerseys,â€? Johnson said. This experience is what gave Johnson the encouragement to compete for Minnesota Jersey Queen. Johnson competed with one other Jersey enthusiast for the role. â€œI was shocked at ďƒžrst,â€? Johnson said when she was crowned. â€œI didnâ€™t think I would get it.â€? Now that she has been crowned, Johnson is excited for the year ahead. â€œI hope to talk to more farmers and consumers and just educate them about Jerseys, how cows are cared for, the beneďƒžts in their milk and hopefully encourage other farmers to add a Jersey cow like we did and grow their herd,â€? she said. However, with the pandemic, many events have been canceled or are on hold. â€œIt stinks that Iâ€™m not able to do as much and get out in the public, but we have to stay healthy, so I understand,â€? she said. â€œI hope Iâ€™ll be able to get out and be at a lot of shows and sales, but we donâ€™t know that right now. And hopefully the Minnesota State Fair will still go on so I can meet people there.â€? During the downtime, Johnson will promote dairy and the Jersey breed through her personal Facebook page. This fall, Johnson will continue her education at the University of WisconsinRiver Falls in the pre-veterinary program. She hopes to one day be a large animal veterinarian. Until then, she will promote the Jersey breed the best she can. â€œIâ€™m very excited to represent Minnesotaâ€™s Jersey farmers,â€? Johnson said. â€œI want to help spread the word about how great the Jersey cow is and hopefully inďƒ&#x;uence to add a Jersey cow to their herd.â€?

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Page 38 â€˘ Dairy Star â€˘ Saturday, April 11, 2020

Monitoring SCC a part of Manshaemsâ€™ farm management By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com

CHETEK, Wis. â€“ Gordon and Michelle have a stack of milk quality awards from their dairy cooperative, but none are on display in their home. Rather, the awards are a small token compared to the coupleâ€™s continued diligence to produce a high quality dairy product. â€œItâ€™s nice to get them because it says that your dairy is acknowledged, and you do a decent job milking cows,â€? Gordon Manshaem said. â€œBut, Iâ€™m not doing this for recognition. I do this because itâ€™s what I want.â€? The Manshaems maintained an average somatic cell count of 111,000 in 2019 on their 45-cow dairy in Barron County near Chetek. There are several components that come together for the Manshaems to reach a consistent level of milk quality. First, when the Manshaems moved to the farm site 26 years ago, they had the barn and other buildings rewired. â€œIâ€™m not my own electrician, so I hired someone,â€? Manshaem said. â€œI wanted to make sure everything was in conduit so it stays dry.â€? The Manshaems breed for low SCC, aiming to choose a bull with a somatic cell score of less than 3. They also consider udder conformation, wanting both a balanced udder but needing teat

The lower the better

length. â€œThe really super udders, the teat length is all short. If theyâ€™re short, they donâ€™t want to milk out properly. The teat canâ€™t support the weight of the claw and the milkers,â€? Manshaem said. â€œI have to start breeding a few for a little bit longer teats.â€? Michelle milks more often than he does and diligently follows a preparation routine. Before milking, the teats are sprayed with an iodine disinfectant and wiped clean with a paper towel. Then, the Manshaems attach the milking unit immediately. The couple uses ďƒžve milking units, all with manual take-offs. â€œItâ€™s all about milk ďƒ&#x;ow,â€? Manshaem said. â€œWe try to get them off right away. Iâ€™d rather have a milker hanging on the cart than hanging on the cow.â€? Manshaem helps milk the fresh heifers and troublesome cows. â€œThat takes up most of my time,â€? he said. â€œThen, if Iâ€™m caught up, I switch all the milkers. Thatâ€™s my one big deal. If the cow is done, I want (the milking unit) off of her.â€? After milking, the teats are dipped in the same iodine solution they were prepped with. The Wisconsin couple ships their milk to Associated Milk Producers Inc. Every few days, Manshaem will go on to the cooperativeâ€™s website and review his SCC from the most recent loads. If the value is high, he has time to review the farmâ€™s management to see what might be contributing to the spike in SCC before the herd is tested through Dairy Herd Improvement Association.

â€œI like to make sure our monthly test and our daily reports are similar,â€? Manshaem said. â€œYou would think if it jumped really high it would be a cow with thick milk or a hard quarter. If we have a fresh cow, is it her?â€? To monitor potential culprits of high SCC, the Manshaems religiously watch the ďƒžlter on the pipeline. They also check to see which cows may be leaking milk. â€œIf theyâ€™re leaking, theyâ€™re not milking out, and some cows just give too much milk for the amount of oxytocin they can produce,â€? Manshaem said. â€œWe donâ€™t give a lot of oxytocin, but weâ€™re also not afraid to use it.â€? The Manshaems will administer oxytocin to help with milk production but will not otherwise treat a cow for a high SCC or mastitis. â€œIf theyâ€™re not milking out, we use oxytocin, and if that doesnâ€™t do the trick then theyâ€™re gone,â€? Manshaem said. â€œIf we have one with hot mastitis, weâ€™ll have the vet come out. Heâ€™ll come up with his concoction, and weâ€™ll see how theyâ€™re doing before we ship them.â€? This style of dairy farming is one Manshaem learned from his dad when the family dairy farmed in Michigan. â€œWeâ€™ve got too many heifers, so why would I treat an animal to try and cure something that I donâ€™t know if thereâ€™s a chance of making better?â€? Manshaem said. â€œShe might as well be gone so I can put a better one in her place. I donâ€™t know if itâ€™s the right way or wrong way, but it works for us.â€? To prevent an onset of high SCC, Manshaem maintains a clean herd. The cows are bedded with dry sawdust twice a day and the gutter grates

are scraped six times in a day in the Manshaemsâ€™ 80-stall tiestall barn. â€œWe use a lot of sawdust and it costs a lot more money to do, but we donâ€™t have any problems. And, Iâ€™m all about not having a problem,â€? Manshaem said. â€œAt the end of the day, the cows stay as comfortable as much as possible.â€? Cowsâ€™ tails are also clipped. â€œWe keep the cows pretty clean,â€? Manshaem said. Manshaem also houses heifers in the barn. The animals are brought into a stall at breeding age and are bred, and then remain in the barn when the weather is not warm and dry outside. â€œThe heifers get treated just like the cows,â€? Manshaem said. â€œThey donâ€™t get the grain and protein like the cows, but theyâ€™re just as clean.â€? If conďƒžrmed-pregnant heifers are housed outside, they come into the tiestall barn at three weeks prior to freshening. â€œI think thatâ€™s some of it,â€? Manshaem said. â€œIf a cow comes in and never sees the inside of a barn until she freshens, she might thrash herself around and injure her udder a little bit.â€? Manshaemâ€™s methods of dairy farming are unique to him and have proven effective as shown by the years of producing milk that is high in quality. â€œI donâ€™t really care what anyone else thinks because everybody has to do their own thing. This works for us,â€? Manshaem said. â€œFor me, this is a personal accomplishment.â€? Mark Klaphake contributed to this article.

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DURAND, WI

Komro Sales & Serv. 715-672-4263 FREEPORT, MN Arnzen Construction 320-836-2284

For Cleaner Healthier Happier Cows

FREEPORT, MN

Hartung Sales & Serv. 320-387-2770

GILMAN, MN

Tri-County Dairy Sup. 608-757-2697

LANCASTER, WI Fullers Milker Ctr. 608-723-4634 800-887-4634

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Stiffer Bristles for a better scratch Rigid or swing arm Dual Voltage 115V or 230V Motion & Thermal Sensored Safety Auto Release

Northland Farm Sys. 507-451-3131

PENNOCK, MN

D&D Ag Supply & Con. 320-599-4466

ROCK VALEY, IA

Prairie Land Ag Supply 712-476-9290

ST CHARLES. MN

S&S Dairy Systems Gilman Coop Creamery 507-932-4288 320-387-2770

JANESVILLE, WI

SMART COW BRUSH

OWATONNA, MN

COWS

LOVE

them!

MARSHFIELD, WI Podevels Farm Serv. 715 384 6193 800-742-5748

MELROSE, MN Farm Systems 320-256-3276

MENAHAGA, MN

Dairyland Equipment

MENOMONIE, WI

Lindstrom Farm Sys. 715-231-3168

SAUK CENTRE, MN Dairyland Supply 320-352-3987 800-338-6455

SIOUX FALLS, SD

Midwest Livestock Sys. 800-705-1447

SPARTA, WI

Preston Dairy Equip. 608-269-3830

WITHEE, WI

Tri-County Equip. 715-229-2000 800-569-6825

ZUMBROTA, MN

Midwest Livestock Sys. 800-233-8937

Dairy prole Dan Brick Greenleaf, Wisconsin Brown County 1,000 cows

What has been the best purchase you have ever made on your farm? The Boumatic double-10 parallel milking parlor we built in 2007 is by far the best asset on our farm. We milked in a at-barn parlor before that. My dad and I spent years milking, and it was very hard labor. Installing the parlor was exciting – it was a gamechanger for us. And it makes milking a lot easier for our employees.

Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. My ability to listen to employee needs. I’m an approachable boss, and my employees come talk to me whenever they need to. I’m not a control freak; I allow them to make decisions. It makes my life much easier when they feel empowered to do things. As a result, I don’t have to be at the farm 24/7 which allows me to spend more time with my family.

What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? Getting through this COVID-19 pandemic. Milk prices are bad, and I’m trying to gure out how the dairy industry will be able to survive this.

What is a management practice you changed in the past year that has beneted you? Placing key employees in key positions on the dairy has been very benecial. Finding good, qualied people who make good team players is important.