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2 DAIRY ST 5R C E L E B R A T I N G
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Y E A R S
April 22, 2023
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 25, No. 5
Changing of the guard Murphys make changes when third generation steps in By Sherry Newell Contributing writer
FARLEY, Iowa – The dairy where Virgil and Alvina Murphy, and later their son, Dan, and his wife, Christine, have farmed operates a little differently since the third generation came home from college. Gone are the herd bulls, hot iron dehorning and the old calf barn. Now, 25-yearold Owen Murphy, Dan and Christine’s son, is in charge of the cows, calves and breeding. Owen’s return also relieves a good deal of the stress Dan had as the manager on the 200cow farm with 400 owned and 80 rented acres near Farley. While Owen handles the animals, Dan manages the eldwork and does the feeding.
But, it remains a joint effort in many ways. “I don’t bother with the stuff he’s in charge of, but we meet with the nutritionist together because that way we both hear the same thing,” Dan said. The two men said they get along ne despite the new approaches Owen brought home with him after graduation from the University of WisconsinPlatteville in 2019. Owen takes care of morning milking in the farm’s parabone double-8 parlor. Cows are milked and housed in free stalls with rubber mats and chopped straw. One of the rst changes Owen made as he stepped in was a switch to A.I. The Murphys usually kept ve or six bulls on hand for breeding. That was not Owen’s preference. “Two of those were breeding and three of them were usually hurt,” Owen said. Plus, upon returning home a month before graduation, Owen was chased by a bull
SHERRY NEWELL/DAIRY STAR
Owen Murphy takes a break in front of the heifer barn March 28 at the Murphys’ dairy farm near Farley, Iowa. The University of Wisconsin-PlaƩeville graduate returned home to the farm in 2019. with its head down and in an aggressive manner. “That freaked me out,” he said. So last winter, Owen
switched to A.I. but not without discomfort. “It was denitely scary, going to preg check and not having any idea how things
would turn out,” Owen said. “Dad had a few sleepless nights.” Turn to MURPHY | Page 7
From farm boy to senator Westrom uses background to advocate for the dairy industry By Jan Lefebvre jan.l@star-pub.com
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Minnesota Sen. Torrey Westrom has placed agriculture as one of his top legislaƟve prioriƟes. He said his experience growing up on a dairy farm near Elbow Lake, Minnesota, is largely what shaped who he is today.
ST. PAUL, Minn. – As a child growing up on a dairy farm in the 1970s and ‘80s, Minnesota Sen. Torrey Westrom helped his dad with morning chores before the school bus arrived. As his dad milked, Westrom fed the cows while his brother fed calves and youngstock. “My brother and I would have to get up and do our part of the chores in enough time to get into the house, shower and get ready for school, and there were some mornings where that got cut pretty close,” Westrom said. “We knew we
were really short on time when we were running to the house and the bus was going past our house to pick up the neighbors beyond and then come back again to pick us up.” Now, from his perspective as a senator, Westrom said he holds farmers in high regard. “In the winter months especially, when it’s 20 below and blowing snow, an ofce job looks a lot nicer than out feeding cattle and milking cows,” Westrom said. “I have that great respect for any livestock farmer because it’s tough, it’s cold, it’s brutal, and it’s not always fun.” Westrom said experiences he gained on the farm and in FFA prepared him for both
campaigning and legislative work. “That gave me some core strengths that I can still use in the Senate and the Legislature,” Westrom said. “Parliamentary procedure, public speaking and salesmanship were all some competitions I was in for FFA, and I still use those skills today.” Westrom’s family rst dairy farmed southwest of Willmar before moving in the early 1980s to the farm on which Westrom’s dad grew up near Elbow Lake. They milked anywhere from 30 to 50 Holsteins in a tiestall barn with a step saver and buckets. “It was right at the era of needing to go to pipelines or a parlor or get out,” Westrom said. Turn to WESTROM | Page 6