Sign up for our Newsletter
Dairy St r Milk Break
Volume 26, No. 4
Visit dairystar.com to sign up!
April 13, 2024 A
“All dairy, all the time”™
First-ever Creating their own progress cases of HPAI White family confirmed in makes cost-effective US ruminants upgrades Poulsen urges biosecurity to protect herds By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
MADISON, Wis. — Many Americans turned their attention toward March Madness last month. The U.S. dairy industry found itself in the throes of its own version of madness as cows on dairy farms in Texas and Kansas began exhibiting symptoms of an illness later identied as highly pathogenic avian inuenza. Dr. Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, spoke April 2 during a Professional Dairy Producer “The Dairy Signal.” “The second week of March, farmers were dealing with an unknown morbidity event,” Poulsen said. “It was not acting like anything else we typically see on a dairy.” As of April 9, the virus has been conrmed in 17 herds in six Dr. Keith Poulsen states: Texas, 9; Kansas, 3; New Director, Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Mexico, 2; Idaho, Laboratory 1; Michigan, 1; and Ohio, 1. Farmers in the Texas panhandle began noticing a decrease in feed intake and reduced rumen motility as reported by rumination monitors. Cows suffering these symptoms were found to be second-lactation cows or older that were at least 150 days in milk. The most unusual symptom was in the appearance of the milk of affected cows. While the cows did not Turn to HPIA | Page 8
By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
REEDSBURG, Wis. — Kinnamon Ridge Dairy has seen a lot of upgrades since the rst generation of Whites began dairying in the 1950s with 30 wooden stanchions. Ryan and Nate White manage to continually make upgrades by being tech-savvy and penny-wise. “I’ve always been a rm believer that we should be able to technically support the things we have,” Nate said. “(If you make) improvements 50 cents on the dollar Turn to KINNAMON RIDGE | Page 2
ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR
Ryan (leŌ) and Nate White take a break from shop work April 2 at their farm near Reedsburg, Wisconsin. The brothers operate their family’s 860-cow dairy with their parents, Jerry and Linda, in Sauk County.
Handing down a herd of excellence Vandertie to take over farm, continue breeding for superior genetics By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
AusƟn (from leŌ), Julie and Dan VanderƟe stand in their Ɵestall barn March 7 on their farm near Brussels, Wisconsin. The VanderƟes milk 40 cows and farm 400 acres and are preparing to pass the farm on to AusƟn.
BRUSSELS, Wis. — On Jan. 1, 2025, Austin Vandertie will become the owner of Doorco Farms. Taking over the farm where he grew up, Austin looks forward to carrying on his family’s legacy of breeding registered Holsteins. “I’ve known for quite a while that I wanted to come back to the farm, but college conrmed it,” Austin said. Turn to VANDERTIE | Page 6