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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 21, No. 6
Farmers reassured with cooperaƟve iniƟaƟve
Base program provides certainty in ever-changing market By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
LAKE CITY, Minn. – More than two years ago, Land O’Lakes Inc. cooperative members received letters informing them of a base program that would soon be implemented across the Upper Midwest. While the initiative was met with mixed emotions, it has served member owners well through the tumultuous dairy markets. “I know what I’m getting … there’s consistency all the time,” Wayne Peters said. “It’s no longer a rollercoaster ride with milk prices, which is reassuring to know what’s been implemented is working.” Peters and his wife, Josie, milk 145 cows near Lake City, Minn. The family has been with Land O’Lakes since Peters’ family rst began milking cows. So far this year, Peters has received an average $3.41 per hundredweight premium on top of Class III prices. While his pay price has been inuenced by quality milk and high components, Peters also credits the base program for his consistent prot margins. “Our prices don’t match what our neighbors or other farmers are getting, and in some cases we’re receiving $2 per cwt. more than what other creameries can offer,” Peters said. The cooperative’s base program has a rich history in other parts of the United States but became an apparent need in the Upper Midwest when demand for dairy products was not keeping up with supply. “We’re a marketplaceback cooperative, and we have Turn to BASE | Page 5
May 11, 2019
“To watch a calf grow and become a cow … as a mother, that’s fulfilling.” – Hope Klaphake
Klaphake embraces role as mother, farmer By Jennifer Coyne Staff Writer
MELROSE, Minn. – Hope Klaphake’s days begin at 5:15 a.m. as she and her husband, Nick, head out to the milking barn with coffee mugs in hand. Klaphake’s days end once the sun has set and her children are tucked in bed. As a mother of three and co-owner of a dairy farm, Klaphake’s days are overowing, yet she cannot imagine her life any other way. “Between doing stuff on the farm and in the house, and nding a balance between taking care of the cows and the children, I love it,” Klaphake said. “I love being here every day.” Klaphake and her husband milk 77 Turn to KLAPHAKE | Page 7 JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
The Klaphake family – (front, from leŌ) Peyton, Reece and Hope holding Mason; (back) Nick – gather around their kitchen table May 6 at their home near Melrose, Minn. Hope enjoys her role on the farm, being both a mother and a farmer.
A voice for America’s dairy industry Frericks testies at nation’s capitol By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
PHOTO PROVIDED BY HOUSE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE
Sadie Frericks tesƟes at the U.S. House of RepresentaƟves CommiƩee on Agriculture’s SubcomiƩee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture hearing April 30 in Washington, D.C. Frericks spoke of how the dairy economy has challenged her family’s dairy farm near Melrose, Minn.
WASHINGTON D.C. – The room fell silent as Sadie Frericks told her family’s story of dairy farming to congressmen and women. As she illustrated the lifestyle it provides, yet the mounting challenges the last few years have presented, Frericks’ story was all too familiar for those milking cows. Despite the multiple stories told of negligible prot margins and unprecedented farm losses, it is a narrative that needs repeating. “It’s OK that we all sound like a broken record. [Lawmakers] need to hear it multiple times before the reality will sink in,” Frericks said. “There were ve of the thousands of dairy farmers in the country who told that story. … They only got a sliver of the pie.” Frericks joined a New York dairyman and a Pennsylvania dairyman, and two industry representatives from across the nation as she testied at the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture’s Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture hearing April 30 in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the hearing was to review the state of the dairy economy in an effort to educate newly elected lawmakers Turn to FRERICKS | Page 6
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofďƒžce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Amanda Thooft 320-352-6303 amanda.t@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Andrea Borgerding - Associate Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Krista Kuzma - Assistant Editor (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048 cowlady@centurylink.net Danielle Nauman (608) 487-1101 danielle.n@dairystar.com Danna Sabolik - Staff Writer (320) 352-6303 • danna.s@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Advertising Sales Main Ofďƒžce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Jeff Weyer (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-8505 (cell) jeff.w@dairystar.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofďƒžce) 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 Hoeďƒ&#x;er (Eastern Iowa) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Amos Denman (Southern WI) 563-608-6477 • amos.d@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute ďƒžnal 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 ofďƒžces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
North America dealers. A glance at what’s inside
Dairy Proďƒžle brought to you by your
We have seen producers kick it into high gear with the warm weather and the ďƒželds ready for planting. This also includes all the dairy farming women who are moms, too. With Mother’s Day May 12, we wanted to highlight two moms who also work hard on their dairy farm. Hope Klaphake embraces her life as dairy farmer and mom on her family’s 77cow organic dairy near Melrose, Minn. Klaphake talks about how she balances doing chores while also getting kids to school and other activities. Despite the hectic schedule, Klaphake loves the lifestyle and having her family surrounding her while going about her By Mark Klaphake work. Read about her story on the pages 1 and 7 in ďƒžrst section. Despite Jane and Becky Remiger not growing up on farms, they have taken on their farm Editor duties with zeal on their 140-cow dairy near Wood Lake, Minn. The mother-in-law/daughter-in-law duo talk Helplines about working together as a family and what new traditions they have created that are different from how they grew up. Read their – Minnesota Farm & Rural Helpline, story on page 10 in ďƒžrst section. May is also a busy time for farm tours. On May 8, Mursu Dairy 833-600-2670 x1 hosted kindergarten students from New York Mills Elementary – Rural Mental Health Counselor School during their annual farm tour. Tom and Tammy Mursu, (MN), 320-266-2390 and their son, Jeremy, have been hosting students for the past ďƒžve – Iowa Concern Hotline, 800-447-1985 years to help them learn about daiy farming. Read about the day – Avera Farmer’s Stress Hotline (SD), 800-691-4336 on pages 7 and 8 in second section. The last month has been a busy one for Mark Berg. After a – Farm Center Helpline (WI), 800video he posted on Facebook about the state of the dairy economy 273-8255 went viral, he has done numerous interviews with local and – National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, national media outlets. We also talked to Berg and his parents, 800-273-8255 Tom and Penny, who milk 200 cows near Pine Island, Minn. Turn – Farm Aid Hotline, 800-327-6243 to page 3 in second section to read about the impact the video has made.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, April 27, 2019 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Columnists Ag Insider
Pages 8-9 First Section
Sleepy Eye
Brown County ADA donates books to libraries, schools
Kittson First Section: Roseau Pages 22 - 23
Beltrami
Hamlin
or n
Kingsbury
n nso
McCook Minnehaha
Murray
Rock
Nobles
McLeod
Hennepin Carver Scott
Sibley Redwood Brown
Nicollet
Spring Grove
Star Youth: Kendra Waldenberger
ey
Wright
Third Section: Page 6
Dakota
Rice
Goodhue Wabasha
Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted Jackson
Martin
Faribault
Freeborn
Winona
Fillimore
Mower
Houston
Coggon
Hutchinson
Turner
Women in Dairy: Jennifer Zumbach
Bon Yankton Homme
Lincoln Clay
Union
Lyon Sioux Plymouth
Zone 1
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
Osceola Dickinson Emmet O’Brien
Clay
Palo Alto
Kossuth
Winnebago
Worth
Hancock
Cerro Gordo
Manchester
Iowa dairyman makes own equipment Third Section: Pages 2 - 3
Mitchell
Floyd
Howard
aw
as
ick
Ch
Bremer Black Hawk
Fayette
an
an
ch
Bu
First Section: Page 36
Allamakee
Charles Mix
Moody
Anoka
Winneshiek
Douglas
Lake
Lyon
Isanti
Ha
Da
vis
on
Sa nb
Miner
Brookings
Meeker
Renville
Yellow Medicine Lincoln
Page 29 Second Section
Deuel
Pipestone
Clark
Kandiyohi
First Section: Pages 18, 20
go
Country Cooking
Sherburne
Chippewa
Lac Qui Parle
Codington
Benton
Stearns
Pope
Swift
Grant
Mille Lacs
Morrison
Douglas
Stevens
Rollingstone
Barn upgrade helps Gibbses boost production
Pine
isa
Big Sto Stone
Roberts
Day
Grant
Second Section: Pages 4 - 5
Carlton
Crow Wing
ms
Wilkin
Marshall
Aitkin
Todd
Tra ve
First Section: Pages 12 - 13
Pages 10 - 11 Second Section
Otter Tail
rse
Hammink Dairy continues with changes
Cass
Company representatives share thoughts on SCC issues, regulation, repair costs
Ch
The “Mielke” Market Weekly
Bruce
Rochester
Becker
Clay
Page 32 First Section
Page 33 First Section
en
nom
Mah
Washington
Norman
Kanabec
First Section: Page 10
Second Section: Page 3
Itasca
Ra
Polk
r
Remiger women embrace life on dairy
Making Cents of Dairy
Come Full Circle
St. Louis
Hubbard
Wood Lake
Berg’s spurof-the-moment video turns into viral Facebook post
Koochiching
Pennington Red Lake
Friauf receives FFA production placement award
Pine Island
Wadena
Page 31 First Section
First Section: Pages 37 - 38
Clearwater
Veterinary Wisdom
First Section: Page 34
Gregorys to again host Breakfast on the Farm
Lake of the Woods
Marshall
Page 30 First Section
First Section: Pages 1, 7
eu
Dear County Agent Guy
Hutchinson
Su
Page 26 First Section
Kimball
Klaphake embraces role as mother, farmer
Le
FSA News & Notes
Melrose
Clayton
are
law
De
Linn
Dubuque
Jones
Jackson
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 5
ConƟnued from BASE | Page 1 to align our product with the market,” Pete Kappelman said. “We can’t take more milk than what we can protably process.” Kappelman is the senior vice president of member and government relations at Land O’Lakes. Kappelman’s children also dairy farm near Manitowoc, Wis. The program was introduced in the Upper Midwest in 2015 and went into affect soon thereafter. “Farmers expand at varying rates, and, traditionally, conversations about those expansions never took place, and we would have milk showing up at our door,” Kappelman said. “This program is more or less a formal conversation to talk about every farm’s business plan.” A base for each farm was established with production history and takes into consideration any plans for expansion. Additionally, each milk shed also has a base. Every year, member-owners work through their business goals with the
“Our priority is to be in a positive position to maximize the value of milk and earnings per hundredweight for our owners.” PETE KAPPELMAN, LAND O’LAKES
cooperative and make necessary adjustments to their allocated base. “It gives an idea where we’re at as a farm and where we want to be,” Peters said. “As a young farmer, I want to put up more facilities and have more cows when the time is right. I haven’t expanded because of the market, but Land O’Lakes has kept an opened mind and acknowledged my goals.” Kappelman agreed. “The industry will continue to have fewer producers with more cows. Those numbers can grow, but traditionally that growth has been haphazard,” he said. “We started these conversations because we want to know what’s happening on the farms. Our priority is to be in a positive position to maximize the value of milk and earnings per hundredweight for our owners.” Outside of any planned growth, the cooperative allows for a 1% increase in
Before
production from each dairy under the base program. “We never canceled out anyone’s plans for expansion because we didn’t want to put them in that awkward position,” Kappelman said. “We’ll take every drop of milk that is produced, but we have to plan for it.” For Peters, he and his family has found other ways to increase production without increasing herd size substantially. “We are able to increase production by feed quality and genetics. Six years ago, we changed our breeding philosophy to focus on components and it makes a difference as we strive to improve our farm,” Peters said. “Also, if we’ve requested more to our base, it hasn’t been much, but we’ve got it because our milk shed base has increased.” Additionally, Peters has beneted from the program when his herd saw a bout of Salmonella. He was able to le a grievance. “I didn’t lose my base pounds of milk, which was really helpful,” Peters said. “If I lost the base, then I’d be asking how and when could I request it back.” Given the operating climate dairy farmers have experienced the last ve years, there was rst hesitation about the purpose of the base program. In watching the program unfold in the current markets, trust has been renewed between the organization and its member owners, Kappelman said. “We have family farmers under a lot of stress, and we want to be as big of a partner with them going forward as we can,” he said. “More than anything, we’re creating certainty and allowing our farmers to plan for the future, knowing our partnership ensures protable growth.” As the industry continues evolving, Peters’ greatest concern is accommodating the potential of up and coming dairy farmers. “There are a lot of young farmers doing a good job managing cows, and as farmers get better at what we’re doing, we’re becoming more efcient,” Peters said. “If the program stays in place, it will have to be ne-tuned to address this.” The cooperative continues evaluating the base program and its place in the industry as it garners the attention of other organizations.
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Sadie and Dan Frericks stand with U.S. Representa�ve and House Agriculture Commi�ee Chairman Collin Peterson April 30 in Washington, D.C. Sadie was invited to Washington, D.C. by commi�ee staff to talk about the dairy economy.
who are a part of the agriculture committee. “We now have a fabulous farm bill, but we can’t let dairy be put to the back burner,” Frericks said. “This hearing will help keep congressmen and women focused on dairy, so it’s at the top of their minds.” During the hearing, Frericks was given ve minutes to testify. She used her platform to briey explain how she and her husband, Glen, began dairying and established a 90cow dairy farm in Stearns County near Melrose, Minn. Frericks’ testimony further emphasized the joys dairy farming provides for her three young children – Dan, Monika and Daphne – but also the trials of the last ve years. For the rst time in the Frerickses’ dairying career, they requested a line of credit to pay their vendors last year, Frericks stated in her testimony. Their savings have evaporated and short-term debt has accumulated. “I bawled writing my testimony,” Frericks said. “We’re certainly been feeling the strain and emotional stress of what’s happening in our industry, but this was the rst time I had actually put the feelings in writing.” Despite difcult conversations about the future of their farm, the Frerickses are persevering with the assistance of government-funded programs, such as Dairy Revenue Protection insurance and the upcoming Dairy Margin Coverage to secure prots. At the hearing, subcommittee members asked questions about the programs and what needs to be done to further encourage farmers’ participation. After the two-hour meeting, Frericks left feeling she made a lasting impression on the lawmakers. “We were all on the same page and presented a unied message,” said Frericks of the others who testied. “Those congressmen and women probably can’t put themselves in our shoes, but they were all listening intently, and I think our message was very well received.” Frericks is no stranger to advocacy, having lobbied at the state and national capitols on the importance of dairy policy. In 2017, she attended Minnesota Farm Fest and participated in the farm
bill listening session on behalf of her cooperative. So, when House Agriculture Committee staff invited Frericks to testify, she readily accepted. “I’ve seen other farmers testify and always thought that’d be cool,” Frericks said. “I think whether you’re at the state or national level, it’s important our elected leaders hear real stories to better understand what our dairy business is like. Whether they’re on the ag committee or not, they’re writing laws that directly affect our businesses.” While Frericks’ testimony was not tied to legislation, she welcomed the opportunity to educate public ofcials. It was also a chance for Frericks to bring her son to Washington D.C. and
“I think whether you’re at the state or national level, it’s important our elected leaders hear real stories to better understand what our dairy business is like.” SADIE FRERICKS, DAIRY FARMER
demonstrate the importance of meeting and forming relationships with lawmakers. The weight a single conversation holds is invaluable, said Frericks. She encourages dairy farmers to create a list of ways the economic downturn is affecting their dairies and write a letter capturing their story to their senators and representatives. “It’s the same concept we use with consumers,” Frericks said. “The more stories they hear, the better.” While Frericks had the chance to share her family’s story, there is more to talk about. Frericks plans to continue talking with lawmakers about rural mental health and the emotional stress the dairy industry is facing. The testimony can be found on the House Agriculture Committee website: https://www.agriculture. house.gov/hearings/hearingDetails. aspx?NewsID=1394.
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 7
ConƟnued from KLAPHAKE | Page 1 cows with their three children – Reece, 9, Peyton, 7, and Mason, 4 – on their organic dairy farm near Melrose, Minn. For the past 12 years, Klaphake has taken pride in milking the herd morning and evening, and also overseeing the care of the family’s youngstock. Previously, Klaphake worked in a nursing home. “Nick had 25 cows at the time and I would chat with him while he milked,” Klaphake said. “One day, I asked if I could milk, and now I’m out here every day, all day.” While Klaphake and her husband begin milking together, Klaphake retreats to the house around 7 a.m. to help get the children ready for the day. After they are picked up by the school bus, Klaphake helps nish chores before she and her husband return to the house for breakfast together. “In the morning, we talk about what needs to all get done for the day,” Klaphake said. By 4:30 p.m., the children return home and the family starts evening chores. When Klaphake nishes milking, she gets dinner started, and soon after the family winds down for the night. “Farm life is repetitive, but it’s my life,” Klaphake said. “When I can sit down on the couch at the end of the day, I feel good. We accomplished all we wanted to get done that day. And, if we didn’t, tomorrow is another day.” As Klaphake’s children have grown, she has taught them responsibility on the farm. Both the older girls feed calves in the evenings during the school year, and also in the mornings during the summer. They also help their mother bed the animals with clean, dry straw.
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Reece and Hope Klaphake feed heifer calves grain and hay May 6 on the family’s organic dairy farm near Melrose, Minn. Hope prides herself in teaching her children responsibility and work ethic as they help care for the farm animals. “The best part of my job is watching our kids mature and being able to teach them the meaning of work,” Klaphake said. Providing the children with responsibilities has also taught them good morals and to help one another. Klaphake is often in the milking barn when her daughters feed the calves milk. “Reece has taught Peyton what to do and they help each other out. As they’ve gotten older, things have gone smoother, and I know the calves are taken care of,” Klaphake said. “Sometimes I’ll hear them bicker, but they know they have to gure it out on their own.”
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Likewise, Klaphake enjoys watching her son begin to understand farming by watching herself and her husband. “Mason is always asking a million questions and that’s really neat,” Klaphake said. Klaphake will also help with eldwork, and mostly enjoys raking and baling hay. However, her favorite responsibility on the farm is tending to the calves and heifers, and then watching her daughters pick up on certain characteristics of what makes an animal not feel well and need extra attention. “To watch a calf grow and become a cow … as a mother, that’s fullling,”
Klaphake said. When Klaphake devoted her life to the farm, she dove in headrst. She and her husband married a couple years later and then started a family shortly thereafter. Klaphake’s ability to both be involved on the farm and raise children is in part due to the support system the family is surrounded by. Klaphake’s parents, Bruce Trotten and Jonel Walz, and her in-laws, Neal and Karen Klaphake, have always been available to watch the children or offer advice and guidance. “We’re pretty lucky with family,” Klaphake said. “My parents were saviors when they would come and watch the kids when they were younger so I could be outside on the farm.” On Sundays the family tries to get away for a short cabin stay at Klaphake’s in-laws. Both farming and parenthood are hectic careers, and Klaphake strives for easy communication between her and her spouse to keep their working relationship and marriage strong. “Balancing house chores, the barn and cows can be stressful; it’s a lot of work,” Klaphake said. “We talk to each other a lot and make time for date nights off the farm.” Whether its chore time and the children are helping or they are watching hay being made, Klaphake values every day she is able to spend being both a mother and a dairy farmer. “I never imagined 15 years ago that I’d be here today, but it’s become second nature to me,” Klaphake said. “With all of life’s ups and downs, I thank God I’m here.”
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Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
Perdue sees DMC as an improvement over MPP Beginning June 17, enrollment begins for the Dairy farmers. “There’s an ability for them to get a cash repayment Margin Coverage program at county Farm Service Agency from those premiums that they paid in at a level of 50% or ofďƒžces. “While the MPP program got maligned and dairy if they want to take the dollars that they paid in premiums didn’t fare quite as well in the 2014 program as people under the old program and apply them to premiums in the would have hoped, this (DMC) is a great program, certainly new program, they’ll get 75% value of the dollars paid as a credit for the premium.â€? Eligible dairy farmers in the 250-300 cow range,â€? said Agriculture Ag Insider will receive a letter from FSA, outlining their Secretary Sonny Perdue. “I would encourage options. all dairy producers to pay attention, it will be really good.â€? Perdue made these comments Support for USMCA while in Fargo. National Milk Producers Federation CEO Jim Mulhern is urging action on the More outreach needed on DMC U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. During a There is hope the new Dairy Margin Farmers for Free Trade event, Mulhern said Coverage Program will be helpful to dairy the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum farmers, but some still do not fully understand nullify the beneďƒžts of USMCA. “We’ve got how the program will factor into their farm’s to get these retaliatory tariffs lifted to get business plan. That is according to Melrose, USMCA passed,â€? Mulhern said. “We are a Minn., dairy farmer Sadie Frericks. “The very, very productive; very, very efďƒžcient Farm Service Agency has done a good job in By Don Wick industry; we need to ďƒžnd markets for the the past of providing education and consult for Columnist products we’re producing and that will be our farmers,â€? Frericks said. “Once the FSA has the salvation.â€? tools in their hands to continue the outreach process, it will help some of those farmers who are still making decisions on sign-up level.â€? University of Missouri ‘A pressure cooker’ Prices have been stagnant for most commodities for Extension economist Scott Brown said dairy farmers need to know the DMC is not the Margin Protection Program. the past six years. The dairy industry has seen some of the Frericks and Brown testiďƒžed during a House Agriculture most signiďƒžcant losses. AgCentric Director Keith Olander Subcommittee Livestock and Foreign Agriculture hearing describes it as a “pressure cookerâ€? situation. “Obviously, we’re hoping for the new farm program to bring some on the dairy economy. relief, but, there has been debt accumulated for the past few years that need to be factored in. It’s not a matter of getting Online tool available Dairy farmers wanting to learn more about the Dairy back to breakeven, but getting proďƒžtable. For families in Margin Coverage program and how it ďƒžts into their business this situation for a number of years, we need proďƒžtability to plan can now evaluate different coverage levels using a web- move forward.â€? based tool. The new DMC decision tool assists producers in calculating total premiums costs and administrative fees. U of M task force to address farm stress University of Minnesota Extension has created a new This program was developed by the USDA and University task force to deal with farm stress and mental health issues. of Wisconsin. Extension Dean Bev Durgan said work has already been underway, but “I felt it was time to have a more focused MPP repayment options Dairy farmers who had coverage under the old Margin effort.â€? Extension’s Rapid Agricultural Response Fund Protection Program are eligible to get back some of those is being used for this work. Durgan said internal training premiums. Farm Service Agency Administrator Richard is also underway to help Extension staff regarding mental Fordyce said there are a couple options available to dairy health issues. Extension Livestock Educator Emily Wilmes
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Little change in milk production In the 23 major dairy producing states, milk production in March was nearly steady with year ago levels, down just one-tenth of 1%. Minnesota milk production increased less than 1%, while the number of milk cows in the state declined 4,000 head from last year. South Dakota milk production rose 4% with the state dairy herd increasing by 4,000 head. An uptick in cow prices A strong interest from buyers and sellers is keeping the cow market strong. Joe Varner said there is an uptick in cows being sold at the ďƒžve Minnesota barns he oversees in Bagley, Motley, Pierz, Winger and Fergus Falls. Long Prairie Livestock Exchange owner Brad Thelen said there are auctions each week this spring. “The kill cow market is getting stronger so that’s helping the dairy cow market. The slaughter end of the dairy cows are up about ten cents on the hoof,â€? Thelen said. “If they were worth 45 cents three months ago, they’re now worth 55 to 60 cents by the pound. If they weigh 1,200 pounds, that’s about $700 a head.â€? Omnibus environment bill passes MN House The Minnesota House omnibus environment and natural resources bill passed with a 73-60 vote. The bill includes $637 million for the DNR, $208 million for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and $39 million for the Board of Water and Soil Resources. A ban on wolf hunting was adopted with a one-vote margin. “I can guarantee you the agricultural community is going to be up in arms over this,â€? warned Roseau Republican Dan Fabian. The livestock losses associated with wolf depredation was emphasized, but the hunting ban amendment survived. Labeling debate continues The Food and Drug Administration received thousands of public comments about the labeling of plant-based beverages with dairy terms, like soy milk or almond milk. The Plant-Based Foods Association reviewed the public comments and found 76% oppose labeling restrictions. Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
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ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8 National Milk Producers Federation Senior Vice President Chris Galen said the comment period was to determine if consumers understand the nutritional difference between milk and the plant-based products. In addition to the FDA, bills have been introduced in Congress to prevent the alternative products to be labeled with dairy terminology. Hardin moves to DMI Former USDA Deputy Secretary Krista Hardin is the new Executive Vice President for Global Environmental Strategy at Dairy Management Incorporated. Hardin will be tasked with leading the dairy checkoff’s environmental sustainability strategy. Hardin previously served as vice president of external affairs and chief sustainability ofcer for Corteva Agriscience. ‘Here by the Owl’ This year’s Minnesota FFA Convention was the last one for Joel Larsen to participate in as the state FFA advisor. Larsen has been in that role since 1995. The FFA has grown during that time and the demand remains strong for ag education. “Right now, we have 40 openings for (agriculture) teachers,” Larsen said. “Of those 40 openings, more than 20 of them are additional teachers or new programs that want to start up.” Larsen will retire this fall. Nearly 4,000 members from 80 FFA
chapters were at this year’s Minnesota FFA Convention. New ofcer team installed The Minnesota FFA Convention wrapped up with the election of the new state ofcer team. Lafe Aarsvold of PlainviewElgin-Millville is the new state president. The vice president is Nicholas Pothoff of Martin County West and the Secretary is Elaine Dorn of Randolph. Madilyn Smith of Fillmore Central is treasurer. The reporter is Britton Fuglseth of Fertile Beltrami and the sentinel is Savannah Aanerud of Morris Area FFA. Trivia challenge Approximately 3 billion pizzas are sold each year in the United States. That answers our last trivia question. What is the most popular day for pizza consumption each year? We’ll have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Where have all the farmers gone? Where have all the farmers gone? This is a play on an old song of “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” by Pete Seeger. The decline in farm families affects all aspects of life, from the farm families in the village parish, the local pub, the creamery and the small town ball team. The farmers still farming are aging and nobody is there to take over. Is bigger better? I am not sure it is. The bigger you are, the less personality the cow has; all she is a number. I am a retired herdsman after 20 plus years of dairy. When I started milking in 1991, there were 44 dairy farms in my township. I counted last fall. There are 13 left. The land does not change. Most of the elds are the same size. The rows are always the same. The swaths of hay and grain are consistent also. Are we striving to be better, or are we striving to survive the bank? I believe modern agriculture is designed to shrink rural life and turn the personalities into conforming numbers. We do not have the character who drove through the straw stack. We do not have the character that milked 45 cows at noon and took the afternoon off to watch the kids play ball despite work that should be done. We do not have the character that lives life to its full. Farming now is just survival. Bob Suszka Grand Forks, N.D.
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
Farm moms trade town living for rural roots
Remiger women embrace life on dairy By Danna Sabolik
danna.s@dairystar.com
WOOD LAKE, Minn. – Jane and Becky Remiger are found in the parlor most mornings, milking together. Neither woman grew up on a farm, but was introduced to dairy through their husbands and has embraced life on the farm. Jane and Steve Remiger farm with their son, Patrick, and his wife, Becky. They milk 140 cows and run 800 acres near Wood Lake, Minn. They also have a beef nishing business with males born on the farm and purchased. Jane grew up a preacher’s daughter, but was exposed to farm life in her younger years. “I grew up in a farming community, so I understood the lifestyle,” Jane said. “We would walk bean elds and de-tassel corn.” She met Steve before she went to college and they were married soon after. They raised two children on the farm. “It’s a unique way to raise your children,” Jane said. “The kids are always with you. From sitting in an infant carrier to helping you carry small feed pails as toddlers, they’re just always with you.” Becky also did not grow up on a farm, but has embraced the life as a wife and mother. She grew up JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR the daughter of two teachers in Plainview, Minn. She Jane (leŌ) and Becky Remiger dairy farm with their husbands near Wood Lake, Minn. Neither woman grew and Patrick met at North Dakota State University in up on a farm, but have embraced life on the farm. an agricultural engineering class. Becky milks with her mother-in-law and feeds the calves while also working part time at Lakeview’s early childhood program. Tate, 10 and Shelby, 7. They are grateful they can ex“She always made a real homemade birthday The women enjoy working with each other. perience the farm while growing up. cake on our birthdays,” Becky said. “She used a form “I started milking more this winter when we lost “Growing up a town kid, it’s different being out pan and would decorate with Strawberry Shortcake or our full-time help,” Becky said. “It’s been an adjust- on the farm,” Becky said. “I always wanted to be a Winnie the Pooh, so I try to do that for my kids.” ment to be in the barn more as it makes the day a little farm kid, so raising my kids out here is great.” The kids see their Grandma Jane almost everylonger. I’d like the farm to still be here for my kids, so The kids have 4-H projects and other responsi- day, and have a great bond with her. The family plants I do what I have to do.” a big garden at Steve and Jane’s place, which the kids bilities on the farm. Jane also enjoys working with her daughter-in“They denitely have a lot more responsibility are very involved in. law. “They help with the weeding and harvest and than their peers do,” Becky said. “We don’t get to “I’m just impressed, we both are not early morngo on vacations like I did maintenance all summer long,” Becky said. “That is a ing people, but Becky has growing up, but they also great experience and memory for them to have.” stepped up to help during Becky also enjoys gardening with Jane and has have a lot of other opporthese down times while gettunities that I didn’t have learned how to can. They start tomatoes and peppers ting three kids off to school in the greenhouse and then harvest and can a lot of the growing up.” and getting her chores done For Mother’s Day, produce they grow together. before work,” Jane said. As a seasoned farm mom, Jane’s advice to other the family likes to do someBECKY REMIGER, DAIRY FARMER “The plus side is that you moms was to let the kids run the farm how they like. thing special for the day. can catch up on all the go“When the kids came back to farm with us, there “When the kids were ings on.” younger we would have a steak fry at home or go to were some things they wanted to do differently, and Becky is thankful for her in-laws, and recognizes the park and spend the day there,” Jane said. “We try you just have to keep your comments to yourself the sacrice they make on the farm every day. to do something fun. This year, if the weather is nice I sometimes,” Jane said. “It’s a hard life. We hope we “In this market, it’s hard,” Becky said. “Every- suspect the men will be in the eld.” can get through the current industry downturn, bething Steve and Jane do on the farm is for us and now Mother’s Day can be tough for Becky; she lost cause we love it. And the grandkids love it, too. There our kids.” her mom a few years ago to dementia. To honor her is denitely a future desire for hard-working dairy Patrick and Becky have three kids – Cole, 12, memory, she tries to keep traditions alive. farmers.”
“I’d like the farm to still be here for my kids, so I do what I have to do. ”
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Good news on the horizon for industry Bozic said milk production is down, milk prices recovering By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
ROCHESTER, Minn. – At a time when dairy producers are struggling, Marin Bozic said he could deliver good news about the economy of the industry – global milk production is slowing and prices are recovering. Bozic, assistant professor in the department of applied economics at the University of Minnesota, presented “Economic Realities of the Dairy Industry in 2019� at the Upper Midwest Dairy Industry Association and the Iowa Association for Food Protection spring meeting April 17 in Rochester, Minn. The U.S. dairy herd has been decreasing the last few months, Bozic said. Milk futures are in the $16 range into 2020. “Prices will be better and that’s good news, but we also need to be aware of what’s going on in our countryside,� Bozic said. Over the last four years, net return on farms after labor and management has either been $0 to a loss of $0.03 per hundredweight. “It’s no wonder we’re seeing a lot of exits,� Bozic said. In Minnesota, 10% of dairy farms hung up the milkers in 2018 while in Wisconsin that number stood at 8%. The national average is around 7%, Bozic said. While Bozic predicts the number of involuntary exits to slow as milk price strengthens, he also sees a second wave of herd dispersals coming. “As cattle prices recover, some
“The higher [percentage] of U.S. milk production is now made by dairies that are not last generation.� MARIN BOZIC, UNIVERSITY OF MN
people who were able to wait and not exit but were thinking about it will sell because the cattle are their retirement,� Bozic said. “I think we will still see elevated exit rates in 2019 and perhaps 2020.� This is not a new story for the industry. Bozic said every decade, the average farm size doubles, production increases and the number of dairy farms shrinks. The farm size category that is growing the fastest in the United States is farms up to 2,000 cows, Bozic said. Farms with up to 200 cows peaked in 1997, farms up to 500 cows peaked in 2000 and farms up to 1,000 cows peaked in 2005. “We have to recognize now that
large farms are agribusinesses. They’re not just large farms. We’ve moved beyond just family ownership,â€? Bozic said. With the change in farm sizes comes a change to the industry’s cycle, Bozic said. “The higher [percentage] of U.S. milk production is now made by dairies that are not last generation,â€? he said. During the 1990s and 2000s, the industry could rely on dairy retirements to balance the supply with the demand. “When you have a higher [percentage] of milk produced by dairies that consider themselves businesses that don’t have a critical issue of family transition ‌ with a more corporate structure, then the only way they exit is involuntary. Otherwise they will be here. All of this together means if we have to balance the supply and demand, more of it may have to come from involuntary exits than has been in decades past,â€? Bozic said. Nine out of 10 dairy farms have less than 200 cows, but they contribute less than a quarter of the U.S. milk, Bozic said. More than half of the milk supply is from dairies that have over 1,000 cows. “We are seeing consolidation and that consolidation is growing. It’s not just a U.S. phenomenon,â€? Bozic said. This has meant exit rates at a pace the industry has not seen since 1986, the year of the federal herd buyout program, Bozic said. These exits have been driving the increase in the block to barrel cheese spread, which has been increasing since 2017. U.S. population growth is also slowing. “The bottom line is our cows are getting better at a faster rate than we are making babies or taking new immigrants in the United States,â€? Bozic said. It leaves two choices – increase domestic consumption or export more. “If neither works, then you have to send cows to McDonald’s,â€? Bozic said. In the political realm, Bozic thinks the president and the country’s leadership is shifting its U.S. foreign policy strategy. Bozic has predictions of how this will impact dairy. He believes the United States Mexico Canada Agreement will go through this year and free trade will resume. In 2020, Bozic predicts free trade will happen with Japan and Great Britain. He also predicts 2020 to potentially bring free trade with China for a short period of time, until after the elections. So, what can producers do? Bozic said they should enroll in the Dairy Margin Coverage. “This is too big of an opportunity to pass. This will be extremely good for producers to increase their income. I think DMC is going to be a game changer,â€? Bozic said. Although it might have a few unintended consequences such as putting more pressure on mid-sized farms between 300 cows and 2,500 cows, Bozic said. Bozic also mentioned the Dairy Revenue Protection program as an available source for producers. “Over 10% of the U.S. milk is now protected by DRP ‌ and it’s growing by 1-2 billion pounds every week. About 4,000 producers are participating,â€? Bozic said.
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 11
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
TEN YEAR UPDATE
A decade of transformations
Hammink Dairy continues with changes By Jerry Nelson
jerry.n@dairystar.com
Editor’s note: When Dairy Star visited Hammink Dairy in May 2009, the Hamminks just put the nishing touches on a new 1,500-cow facility that featured a 60-cow rotary parlor and cross-ventilated freestall barn bedded with recycled manure solids. Here’s a look at where they are now, 10 years later. BRUCE, S.D. – Over the past decade, there have been numerous changes at Hammink Dairy, 3,600-cow operation owned by Wim and Nicolien
Hammink and their son, Tom, and their family. This past winter, the Hamminks built the other half of the freestall barn, doubling its capacity to 3,200 head. The Hamminks keep about 800 cows on an older dairy facility located across the section from their new dairy barn. Ten years ago, Wim and Nicolien’s three sons were in their teens and early 20s. They are now grown men and have all left the nest. Thijs, Wim and Nicolien’s
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Tom and Wim Hammink and their family milk 4,000 cows on their farm at Bruce, S.D. The Hamminks have conƟnued to expand their dairy operaƟon over the past 10 years.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Cow at Hammink Dairy are milked in a 60-cow rotary milking parlor. Because of the parlor’s excess capacity, the Hamminks were able to double the size of of their freestall barn without any major modicaƟons to the milking faciliƟes.
eldest, is employed as an audio technician at Daktronincs in Brookings, S.D. Tom, their middle son, has joined the family dairy operation and owns a trucking business. Wouter, their youngest, lives in New York City where he works for an
online banking and investment company. Wim and Nicolien were born in the Netherlands. Shortly after they wed, they took over Wim’s family’s 50-cow dairy operation. “The Netherlands had a
milk quota system and we could see that there was no chance we could expand there,” Wim said. “So, we began to look at dairy farming in America.” In 1995, Wim and Nicolien Turn to HAMMINKS | Page 13
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ConƟnued from HAMMINKS | Page 12 moved to South Dakota and purchased a beef farm a few miles east of the tiny town of Bruce, S.D. They converted the beef barn to a dairy facility, and built a new barn that held 200 head and began to milk cows. “We were able to start out with 300 head,” Nicolien said. “We could do this because we were able to sell our Dutch milk quota and our 40 acres of land in Holland.” The Hamminks gradually expanded their dairy operation to 1,000 head. They wanted to expand their dairy operation, so the Hamminks decided to build a new facility. They chose a site located on a hill a mile south of their homestead. This site included room for expansion. This past winter, the Hamminks added the second half onto their 10-year-old barn. They also built another manure lagoon. “This addition has made us much more efcient,” said Nicolien, who takes care of the bookkeeping at Hammink Dairy. “The parlor wasn’t running at full capacity. We were able to add another 1,500 cows, but added only ve more employees. Our cost of production went down because we still feed with the same tractor and mixer wagon and other such things.” Hammink Dairy has 40 employees. Two of their employees have been with them for 19 years, and two others have been with them for nearly 10 years. The Hamminks have begun to offer housing to their employees in an effort to attract and retain good workers. Another change at Hammink Dairy involves their calf program. “About seven years ago, we decided to start raising our own baby calves,” Nicolien said. “We now raise our heifer calves until they are 4 months old before we send them to a grower. We feed the babies pasteurized whole milk three times a day. This has made a huge difference on the health of our baby calves. We feel that the heifers also do much better when they join the milking herd.” The Hamminks have pumped their own manure for the past 15 years. About eight years ago, they decided to buy a chopper and put up their own silage. “We always had problems with our manure pumper showing up on time,” Nicolien said. “We found that when we do it ourselves, we can pump manure when we think it’s t.” The Hamminks had a similar experience regarding silage chopping. They farm about 1,200 acres of corn and ryegrass along with a few acres of soybeans. Hammink Dairy buys additional corn for silage from its neighbors. “We like to windrow the ryegrass one day and chop it the next,” Nicolien said. “There is only a short window of time where you can get optimum quality. It’s hard to hit that window when you have to wait for a custom chopping service.” During silage chopping, Hammink Dairy hires Tom to truck the silage. Tom attended WyoTech and is the farm’s chief mechanic. “Tom isn’t afraid to take anything apart,” Nicolien said. The makeup of the dairy herd at Hammink Dairy has also undergone transformations over the past decade. The Hamminks had been using a crossbreeding system that involved a rotation that began with a Holstein cow. The Holstein would be bred to a Jersey sire; the resulting offspring would be bred to a Swedish Red bull. A Holstein bull would be used on the next offspring and the cycle would repeat. “We are in the process of switching over to 100% Jersey genetics,” Nicolien said. “Jerseys have higher milk components and are easier to work with. We feel that Jerseys can take the heat better, are healthier and have better longevity. Our milk herd’s cull rate is only 25%.” Even though they continue to work extremely long hours on their dairy, Wim and Nicolien have made it a policy to take time off for themselves. “We go back to Holland at least once a year to visit family,” Nicolien said. “And at least once a year, we take a winter vacation to someplace where it’s warm.” Wim and Nicolien have taken the step of putting a succession plan in place. “Each of our boys knows what to expect,” Nicolien said. “Tom is currently a 30% owner of the operation. We saw a big difference in Tom when he was given some ownership. He became much more involved in the decision process.” No one knows what the future might hold, but Wim and Nicolien plan to continue to work on their dairy for as long as they can. “We began as newlyweds in the Netherlands with almost nothing,” Nicolien said. “It’s amazing to look back on what we have built over the years. You should never say never, but I never dreamed that we would be where we are today.”
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 13
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Hammink family is switching their herd to 100% Jersey geneƟcs aŌer using a Holstein-Jersey-Swedish Red breeding rotaƟon for several years. The Hamminks feel that Jerseys have higher milk components, superior longevity and can withstand the heat beƩer than other breeds.
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Page 14 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 15
From Our Side Of The Fence How does double cropping benefit your dairy?
Dave Stelter Wood Lake, Minn. Yellow Medicine County 300 cows How long have you been double cropping? I began double cropping in 2007 by planting triticale in the spring. In 2012, I started planting rye in the fall on the ground where we had chopped corn for silage. Why did you decide to start double cropping? I wanted to increase the number of acres of forage harvested from our limited land base. I saw it as a way to boost the value of our land and make better use of the nutrients from the manure that we had applied. What crops do you plant and when do you plant them? In the spring, I will plant a blend of triticale and ďƒželd peas. After I chop that off, I will follow it with BMR forage sorghum. If I have an old stand of alfalfa, I will take off the ďƒžrst cutting and then interseed it with Italian ryegrass or a forage sorghum. I will plant rye in the fall after corn silage chopping. Why do you choose those crops for double cropping? Our choices are somewhat limited by how far north we live. I make my choices based on the time of the year and if the crop is adapted for cool season or warm season. Rye is good to plant in the fall because it can survive our harsh winters. I think there is a sugar in sorghum that drives feed intakes. How do you feel double cropping beneďƒžts your farm? It adds value to our land by producing additional feed for our lactating cows and our youngstock. I think double cropping helps cut down on weeds in general. We have had a lot fewer problems with water hemp since we started double cropping. And always having something growing on the land has helped reduce soil erosion. What is a lesson you have learned about double cropping? You have to know the labels on the herbicides you use. Generally speaking, the sooner you can do something, the better. It’s imperative that you chop a small grain crop for silage when it’s in the boot stage. And planting a crop sooner gives it a better chance to get a good start. Tell us about your farm. Our 300 Holsteins are milked three times a day and have a rolling herd average of 29,500 pounds of milk. We farm 720 acres but harvest about 1,400 acres because of double cropping. My father, Dennis, is 86 years old and still helps out with calf care. Our youngest daughter, Sadie, is a sophomore at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall where she has been the starting point guard for the past two years. Sadie is majoring in agronomy and ag business and comes out to the farm to help whenever she can. We got rid of our last hogs 1.5 years ago so we could fully concentrate on the dairy.
Mark Hernke Cannon Falls, Minn. Goodhue County 700 cows How long have you been double cropping? We have been double cropping six years. Why did you decide to start double cropping? We were having problems with erosion. Cover crops were becoming more popular, and we had read about them being successful so we decided to try it. It was also a way for us to get more feed for our heifers. What crops do you plant, and when do you plant them? We plant winter rye after we chop corn silage. The following late spring or early summer, we harvest the winter rye and then no till soybeans in so we are able to get three crops in two years. Why do you choose those crops for double cropping? The ďƒžrst two years we used winter wheat, but we were having a problem with it overwintering. We switched to winter rye for the last four years. It’s hardier for the Minnesota winters. We keep the seed in our shed so we get it planted within 24-48 hours after chopping because the ground is still soft and moist. We like to be as close as we can behind the chopper. How do you feel double cropping beneďƒžts your farm? We now have less erosion and better soil health from all the roots that stay in the ground to help build soil structure. We are also able to make more forage for our cattle on fewer acres. What is a lesson you have learned about double cropping? The type of crop we plant was a lesson because we realized we needed something hardy for Minnesota winters. We also learned how good it is for the soil. After the ďƒžrst year, we dug it up and that soil was like a garden. There were nice sized particles and the roots growing helped loosen and condition the soil. We also learned that timing is important. The sooner it gets into the ground the better. Having 3-5 inches of growth helps over the winter and gets it up faster in the spring. Tell us about your farm. I farm with my brother, Dave, and cousin, Rahn. In addition to our cows, we have 2,000 acres where we plant corn, soybeans, alfalfa, peas, sweet corn and cover crops. We are the third generation on the dairy. We love the area and the community.
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Steve Moll Freeport, Minn. Stearns County 90 cows How long have you been double cropping? We ďƒžrst began in 2013, so six years. Why did you decide to start double cropping? We wanted to increase our feed inventory and improve soil fertility. A guy at the local elevator told us about it, and after talking about it for a bit, we thought it would work well. What crops do you plant, and when do you plant them? We plant winter rye in the beginning of October, and then chop it in the spring at the leaf stage for cow feed or in the boot stage for heifer feed. Then, in the ďƒžrst week of June, we replant those ďƒželds with BMR forage sorghum in 30-inch rows. We’ll chop it like corn silage in the fall. We keep that rotation going as needed. Other times, we’ve used winter rye and corn silage. After we chop corn, we apply liquid manure and then the rye. The sorghum buys us a couple more weeks for planting. Why do you choose those crops for double cropping? Winter rye is some of the best feed for the cows because it’s high in digestibility. We can blend it with haylage, and it’s cheap to grow. We choose sorghum because of the tonnage. I get about 15-20 tons on sand. It’s a good quality forage with the BMR trait, and we get 90-100 pounds of milk with it. I can get good feed that costs me $17 per acre to plant. Both rye and sorghum are good feeds and reasonably priced. How do you feel double cropping beneďƒžts your farm? I haven’t had to go to a hay sale since we started, and I used to purchase three to ďƒžve semi-loads. We’re able to increase milk production by planting highly digestible forages. Also, it seems we’re getting better yields because of improved soil fertility. The longer we do it, the more we see it pay off. What is a lesson you have learned about double cropping? Make sure to have your equipment ready because springtime comes quickly. If you get in late, it doesn’t work. You have to be willing to start spring ďƒželdwork early. Tell us about your farm. I farm with my dad, Steven Sr., my wife, Jackie, and our two kids, Morgan and Payton. We raise our replacements. We run 350 acres of land and double crop about 60-80 acres of that most years.
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ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15
Brady Voth Goodhue, Minn. Goodhue County 650 cows How long have you been double cropping? Four years. Why did you decide to start double cropping? We decided to start double cropping because it is a good source of feed for heifers and having the cover crop is benecial to the soil. What crops do you plant and when do you plant them? We plant winter rye after we chop our silage corn in the fall. We then harvest the rye mid to late May, spray and kill it and then plant alfalfa. Why do you choose those crops for double cropping? We chose rye because it really tons up well, it’s a very hardy plant and grows well in this area. How do you feel double cropping benets your farm? Double cropping benets our farm because it helps with erosion, gives us an opportunity to haul manure after the rye, and we usually plant oats with our alfalfa, so we get two big crops of feed along with a cutting of just alfalfa. What is a lesson you have learned about double cropping? We have learned the sooner you plant rye in the fall the better erosion control and the sooner you can harvest it in the spring to get the next crop in. Tell us about your farm. I farm with my parents. The farm has been in our family since 1877. We milk in a double-12 parallel parlor. Most of our cows are housed in a 6-row freestall barn with sand bedding. We run 650 acres of land consisting of silage corn, alfalfa and rye.
Ralph Petersheim Viroqua, Wis. Vernon County 80 cows How long have you been double cropping? I’ve been double cropping for 40 years. Why did you decide to start double cropping? I was raised in southeast Pennsylvania. The farm we rented was in the Chesapeake Bay watershed area, so we had to use cover crops. We soon realized that those cover crops could be turned into high quality forage for our dairy. What crops do you plant and when do you plant them? We have used rye, triticale and barley. We also use a lot of BMR sorghum, sudan and forage sorghum. We plant summer annuals in early June and cereal grains starting late August, and have planted as late as Thanksgiving. Why do you choose those crops for double cropping? High yields of high quality forage. Because of the quality of these forages, we use less alfalfa every year. I am actually considering not using any alfalfa in our dairy ration beginning in 2020. How do you feel double cropping benets your farm? I want to always have something growing in my soil. I feel with continual root growth we have healthier soil. Also we don’t use as much herbicide and use no pesticides. It is also a huge benet to have highly digestible, high sugar forages. What is a lesson you have learned about double cropping? My dad always said that if you plant short season varieties early they will yield with longer season varieties, and I have found that to be true. That in turn allows you to get cereal grains established earlier in the fall. We plant an 87-day grain corn that consistently yields over 200 bushels per acre. I have also learned that the summer annuals, with their higher sugar content, are better for soil microbials, thus enhancing soil heal th. Tell us about your farm. My wife, Sheila, and I own 456 acres and rent about 100 more. We have three of our six children involved part time on our farm and we milk and show registered Holsteins. We sell cows, service age bulls, and market 400 to 500 big squares of hay a year. 2019 is our 24th year of farming in Wisconsin, and we feel blessed to be here.
Jack Herricks Cashton, Wis. Monroe County 600 cows How long have you been double cropping? We have been double cropping for around 10 years. Why did you decide to start double cropping? We need to dedicate 50-60 acres for summer manure spreading. There will be one or more cuttings of hay harvested from these acres. This ground becomes nutrient rich and we were drilling rye into it by early to mid-September to get a root system and cover established before the end of the growing season. We need a substantial amount of low to medium quality forage for heifers raised in a freestall barn. One of those years when things didn’t go according to plan because of excessive rainfall this rye was still intact at the end of May. It was huge and we decided to harvest it for ryelage. Now we plan on doing it every year. What crops do you plant and when do you plant them? Early on we would plant corn after rye for silage. Now we plant corn after rye for grain. Why do you choose those crops for double cropping? This works better for us because the corn silage after rye would never be in sync with the rest of the silage corn and it would necessitate two heats of corn silage harvest. The corn grain after rye is high moisture, but stores well in a bunker. How do you feel double cropping benets your farm? Providing additional forage to feed our herd and keeping roots growing in the soil. What is a lesson you have learned about double cropping? Be exible. Have fertile soil and cut the rye earlier rather than later if you think the corn may be moisture challenged. We always plant the corn the same day the rye is harvested. No-til, of course. Tell us about your farm. Our farm has provided for my family for over a century. Dairy has always been the economic driver. Today, my wife and I are the senior generation along with our son and daughter and their spouses and two nephews.
PeterMark Hendrickson Menahga, Minn. Wadena County 80 cows How long have you been double cropping? We started in 2013. Why did you decide to start double cropping? We were forced to when the Army worms ate a bunch of corn crop. It was an emergency crop at rst, but then there was a silver lining. We planted sorghum and other crops to get a little feed. We liked these alternative crops, so in 2014 we planted more. They’re cheap and make good cow feed. We know we get more tonnage on less acres than a rotation between alfalfa and corn silage. What crops do you plant, and when do you do plant them? We plant triticale and peas in the spring. Then, we harvest that crop and spread manure before planting sorghum sudangrass or millet in June or July. Then, I’ll plant winter rye or triticale in the fall. Why do you choose those crops for double cropping? Triticale and peas are cool season crops, so they grow well this time of year. In the summer, small grains don’t like the hot and dry weather. You have to determine what crops to use with what kind of weather you deal with. How do you feel double cropping benets your farm? We’re getting more tonnage at a lesser cost than the old fashion way of farming. It’s a tangible you can see with the feed costs. We also know soil health is better. You’re always farming, and there are no breaks like there is when you’re planting corn and before you harvest it. Double cropping gives you more options, too. We can spread manure throughout the summer and not only in the spring. What is a lesson you have learned about double cropping? You never know until you try it. We once tried sudangrass with hay underneath it. We planted at smaller rates than normal. It looked crazy, but made a heck of a hay eld. Tell us about your farm. My wife, Lynn, and I have four children – Ryan, Sarah, Bradley and Jill. They all contribute on the farm. Ryan graduated and is back working with me. We farm 325 acres and close to half of that is double cropped. The other half is hay and corn.
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Top Performers
Barn upgrade helps Gibbses boost production Nathan and Bridget Gibbs Rollingstone, Minn. Winona County 184 cows Tell us about your farm. We milk 165 Holsteins and Jerseys, and raise all our youngstock. We farm 550 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa. What is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? Our Holsteins are at 30,245 pounds of milk
with 1,222 pounds of fat and 870 protein. Our Jerseys are averaging 22,148 pounds of milk with 1,111 pounds of fat and 717 pounds of protein. Combined, the herd is averaging 29,055 pounds of milk with 1,205 pounds of fat and 848 pounds of 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 milk three times a day at 2:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Nathan and Bridget Gibbs have a rolling herd average of 29,055 pounds of milk with 1,205 pounds of fat and 848 pounds of protein for their mixed Holstein and Jersey cow herd of 184 head on their dairy near Rollingstone, Minn.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
A double-8 parallel parlor is used to milk the Gibbses’ herd on the dairy they bought in 2013.
and 6:30 p.m. In the past, we tried milking every 10 hours. That was miserable because it was the two of us doing all the work. Now we have two employees who do most of the milking along with other
chores. Do you contract your milk? Has it been successful for you? We do not contract our milk. We tried it for a short time in the past, but we didn’t
follow it closely enough. We feel it’s only a valuable tool if you do it all the time and watch it regularly. Turn to GIBBS | Page 20
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 19
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
ConƟnued from GIBBS | Page 18 you protable. The rst is good cow health. We like to get fresh cows off to a good start. The second is high milk quality, which means always watching and striving for a better somatic cell count and PI count. The third is striving to be as efcient as possible. We try to do this by having the max number of cows per full time employee, using down time to its maximum and using less equipment over more acres.
Describe your housing and milking facility. Cows are housed in a four-row barn. We have two groups. Group one is made up of our second lactation and older cows. They have gel mats bedded with sawdust. Group two has our 2 year olds and the Jerseys. This group has waterbeds, bedded with sawdust. The herd is milked in a double-8 parallel parlor. What is your herd health program? Herd health is done every other week. Bovashield Gold is given around 30 days fresh. J-Vac is given three times a year and at dry off. Entervine-D is given 10 days before dry off. At dry-off, cows get J-Vac and Scour guard 4KC. What does your dry cow and transition program consist of? Dry cows and heifers are housed in our old milk cow barn 2 miles from the dairy. Close-up cows are moved to the main dairy 10 days before calving. Once the close-up cows are at the dairy, they get the same TMR as the rest of the milking cows. What is the composition of your ration? What has been one of your most recent changes that has been successful for you? We feed corn silage, haylage, earlage, cottonseed and a protein mineral mix. We have recently
MINNESOTA A & C Farm Service, Inc. (TMR Mixer Dealer) Paynesville, MN Fluegge’s Ag, Inc. Mora, MN Gorter’s Clay & Dairy Equip. Pipestone, MN
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Cows in the older lactaƟon group rest on gel mats bedded with sawdust on the Gibbses’ dairy near Rollingstone, Minn. added Harvextra alfalfa to increase the digestibility of our haylage.
from 46 inches to 49 inches. We also made the stalls longer to increase lunge space.
Through the years you have been farming, what change has created the biggest jump in your herd average? In 2013, we purchased a neighbor’s barn and parlor that was built in 1997. Our old freestall barn was built in the ‘60s. It was dark and the stalls were not as big as we would have liked. Our current barn is open and bright. For the older cows, we widened the stalls
What role does genetics play in your production level, and what is your breeding program? We have been 100% A.I. for the last 16 years. Cows are mated and updated quarterly. We choose bulls for milk, fat and protein, and are positive on all other traits. Cows are bred using activity monitors and checked by the vet at 33 days bred. Hard breeders and low net merit
Call or see your local dealer for complete details!
Hammell Equipment Inc. ChatÀeld, MN Eitzen, MN Harmony, MN Rushford, MN Midwest Machinery Co. (Full Line) Glencoe, MN Glenwood, MN Howard Lake, MN Princeton, MN
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cows are bred to beef. What type of improvements would you like to make that would increase your rolling herd average even higher? We are in the process of a genetic audit to sort our top cows to use elite bulls. Lower end cows will be bred to Angus. Adding more fans to the barn to keep cows cool in the heat. Improving our transition area for the close up cows. List three management strategies that have kept
WISCONSIN Johnson Tractor, Inc. Janesville, WI Price Equipment Sales, Inc. Bloomington, WI Ruf’s Farm Service Inc. Darlington, WI
Tractor Central Arcadia, WI Cameron, WI Chippewa Falls, WI Durand, WI Granton, WI Menomonie, WI Mondovi, WI Sheldon, WI West Salem, WI Westby, WI
What would you say are the three most important factors for you that helped you attain your current herd average? 1. Good employees. We look for longevity in our employees and try to treat them well. One of our employees has been with us six years while the other has been working here two years. 2. Our activity and rumination system. We have been able to catch sick cows earlier. They will drop in rumination before they drop in milk or give any other physical signs. It has also helped get our animals pregnant. We can see heats overnight or others we would have missed by only watching. It also frees time up for as since we don’t have to have someone watching for heat or training someone to do it. It also means fewer shots. 3. Attention to detail. Keeping up with the details helps with overall health, which helps our bottom line.
IOWA Engel Agri Sales Sac City, IA SOUTH DAKOTA Pfeifer Implement Co. Sioux Falls, SD Puthhoff Repair Sales & Service, Inc. Salem, SD
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 21
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ARTICULATED 4WD TRACTORS 2 Case IH STX440, 2001, Power Shift, Duals, 5949 hrs., #156666 ...................................................................................... $89,500 17 JD 9370R, 2015, Power Shift, Duals, Guidance-ready, 968 hrs., #154699 .................................................................................... $219,500 7 JD 9470R, 2016, Power Shift, Duals, Guidance-ready, Heavy Duty Gudgeon, 847 hrs., #158093................................... $259,500 6 JD 9570R, 2017, Power Shift, Duals, 750 hrs., #150670............ $355,900 1 JD 9410R, 2014, Power Shift, Duals, 1561 hrs., #146677.......... $219,500 15 JD 9520R, 2015, Power Shift, Duals, PTO, Guidance-ready, Heavy Duty Gudgeon, 922 hrs., #158096................................... $289,500 14 JD 9630, 2009, Power Shift, Triples, Guidance-ready, 3918 hrs., #151999 .................................................................................... $154,900 14 Ford 9680, 1995, Duals, 5385 hrs., #158661 .............................. $36,000 MOWER CONDITIONERS 4 JD 835, 2014, #152233 ............................................................... $24,200 4 JD 946, 2008, #150133 ............................................................... $14,430 10 JD 630, 2014, #153621 .............................................................. $20,900 10 JD 820, 1994, #150306 ..................................................................$4,750 17 New Holland H7460, 2013, #144344 ....................................... $21,900 7 JD 535, 2005, #139187 ............................................................... $14,000 12 JD 630, 2015, #156597 ............................................................... $21,900 5 JD 946, 2014, #157889 ............................................................... $23,900 PULL-TYPE SPRAYERS 4 Hardi NAVIGATOR 4000, 2010, #158476 .................................. $17,900 2 Hardi RANGER 2000, 2014, #155294 ........................................ $20,500 10 Redball 580, 2006, #151074 ..................................................... $18,900 10 Blum 750, 1979 ............................................................................... CALL 1 Fast 9613, 2016, #157612 ......................................................... $29,900 15 Wil-Rich Blumha, #148336 .........................................................$5,500 15 Top Air TA1200, 2008, #155358 ................................................ $16,650 9 Fast 9518, #158292 ................................................................... $25,900 5 Hardi Commander 1200, 2002, #150043 ................................ $14,900 RAKES 7 Frontier WR1212C, 2015, #157757 .......................................... $13,000 5 H&S AR2112, 2018, #152083 .......................................................$6,900 ROUND BALERS 4 Gehl 1465, Pickup: Regular, Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, #150085 ........................................................................................$5,100 2 New Holland BR7090, 2010, Pickup: Mega Wide, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 8254 Bale Count, #155760 .................... $22,000 2 JD 458 Silage Special, 2011, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, 13444 Bale Count, #157883 ..................................................................................... $22,900 10 New Holland BR780, 2004, Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 3000 Bale Count, #152119..............................................................$9,900 10 Massey Ferguson 2846A, 2012, 1390 Bale Count, #155473..... $24,900 7 JD 535, 1989, Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #151310 .........................................................................................$8,325 7 JD 569, 2014, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #157756 .................................. $34,500 7 JD 854 Silage Special, 2016, 250 Bale Count, #156233 ............ $47,900
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6 JD 569, 2017, Pickup: Mega Wide, Surface Wrap Only, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 6050 Bale Count, #143801 ........................ $38,000 6 JD 460M, 2018, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, 4500 Bale Count, #152787 ...................................................................................... $35,500 6 JD 468, 2012, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, 9500 Bale Count, #153396 .............. $28,900 6 JD 854 Silage Special, 2016, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, Precut Knives, 6000 Bale Count, #151149........................................................... $31,300 6 JD 854 Silage Special, 2014, Pickup: Mega Wide, Surface Wrap Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, Precut Knives, 7250 Bale Count, #151186 ...................................................................................... $29,500 6 JD 560M, 2018, 6018 Bale Count, #155709 ................................ $42,500 12 JD 568, 2010, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 5422 Bale Count, #149676 .................... $25,500 12 JD 330, 1986, Pickup: Regular, Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, #158328 ..............................................................................$2,500 9 JD 468, 2009, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, 19500 Bale Count, #158356 ..... $15,500 11 JD 535, 1992, Twine Only, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #151750 .........................................................................................$7,200 11 JD 535, 1990, Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #151751 .........................................................................................$6,500 8 JD 854 Silage Special, 2013, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, Precut Knives, 9600 Bale Count, #151147........................................................... $25,500 8 JD 569 Premium, 2014, Surface Wrap Only, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 12000 Bale Count, #148146 ...................... $26,900 14 JD 569, 2013, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 10900 Bale Count, #153558 ..... $26,500 14 JD 535, 1993, Pickup: Regular, Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #155784.......................................................$4,520 SELF-PROPELLED SPRAYERS 10 AgChem 1074, 2009, Boom Width: 100-Foot, Tank: Stainless, 3650 hrs., #158291 ............................................................................................ CALL 10 JD 4920, 2004, 4600 hrs., #157917 ............................................ $69,500 16 Case IH 4430, 2013, Boom Leveling, Tank: Stainless, Tire Width: Narrow, Guidance-ready, 2655 hrs., #154198 ......................................... $209,500 8 JD R4038, 2018, Boom Width: 120-Foot, Nozzle Spacing: 20 in, 495 hrs., #150887...................................................................... $339,000 14 JD R4038, 2017, Hydraulic Tread Adjust, Guidance-ready, 508 hrs., #143961 .................................................................................... $346,500 14 JD R4038, 2018, 101 hrs., #155379 .......................................... $340,200 TRACK TRACTORS 4 JD 9520RX, 2016, Track Size: 36-inch, 1193 hrs., #143518 ....... $369,000 17 JD 9520T, 2002, 6337 hrs., #155678........................................... $79,500 17 Case IH Steiger 600 Quadtrac, 2013, 2581 hrs., #155242 ..... $239,500 17 JD 9530T, 2008, Track Size: 760mm/30-inch, Guidance-ready, 3782 hrs., #154119.................................................................... $149,500 7 JD 9570RT, 2015, Track Size: 760mm/30-inch, PTO, Rear 3-Point Hitch, Guidance-ready, Hydraulic Pump: Big, 874 hrs., #144568 ......... $329,500 7 JD 8360RT, 2012, Track Size: 400mm/16-inch, PTO, 1657 hrs., #148436 .................................................................................... $219,500 7 Challenger MT855C, 2009, Track Size: 760mm/30-inch,
3266 hrs., #146086.................................................................... $176,900 6 Case IH QUAD 500, 2011, 2950 hrs., #155272 ......................... $189,000 1 JD 9620RX, 2017, Track Size: 36-inch, 483 hrs., #150671 ......... $459,500 1 JD 8345RT, 2015, Track Size: 760mm/30-inch, PTO, Rear 3-Point Hitch, Guidance-ready, Hydraulic Pump: Big, 830 hrs., #154561 ......... $249,900 15 JD 8310RT, 2013, 1444 hrs., #155283 ...................................... $202,900 16 JD 9570RX, 2017, Track Size: 36-inch, 380 hrs., #150666 ......... $439,500 16 JD 8370RT, 2018, Track Size: 625mm/25-inch, Rear 3-Point Hitch, Guidance-ready, Hydraulic Pump: Big, 434 hrs., #153841 ......... $319,000 5 JD 9510RT, 2014, Track Size: 36-inch, 1526 hrs., #142684........ $239,500 14 JD 9560RT, 2014, Track Size: 760mm/30-inch, Guidance-ready, Hydraulic Pump: Big, 3082 hrs., #153333 .................................. $213,000 14 JD 9630T, 2010, Track Size: 760mm/30-inch, Guidance-ready, 3400 hrs., #158487.................................................................... $159,000 14 JD 9620RX, 2018, 202 hrs., #155383........................................ $469,000 14 JD 8320RT, 2018, 19 hrs., #155376 .......................................... $299,500 3 JD 8370RT, 2015, Track Size: 450mm/18-inch, PTO, Rear 3-Point Hitch, Guidance-ready, Hydraulic Pump: Big, 804 hrs., #152168 ......... $279,500 3 JD 9560RT, 2014, Track Size: 36-inch, Guidance-ready, 1992 hrs., #153954 .................................................................................... $239,000 WINDROWERS 4 JD 2320, 1981, Platform Size: 12, Conditioner: Rubber/Urethane, ............ #150888 .........................................................................................$4,900 10 Claas 1400, 2012, Head: Hay Head, Platform Size: 50, Conditioner: Impeller, 2045 hrs., #157916................................... $93,500 6 JD W235, 2014, Conditioner: Steel, 653 hrs., #135622 ............. $129,500 6 JD W260, 2016, Conditioner: Rubber/Urethane, 591 hrs., #140978 .................................................................................... $149,500 6 JD 994, 2005, Conditioner: Steel, #145340 ................................. $13,500
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COMBINE PLATFORM 7 JD 635F, 2006, #140683 ............................................................. $11,900 ROW CROP TRACTORS 4 JD 6145R, 2016, 145 hp, 231 hrs., #142472 ............................. $114,500 16 JD 6175R, 2017, 175 hp.,182 hrs., #145241 ............................. $128,000 17 JD 6175R, 2017, 175 hp., 419 hrs., #144524 ............................ $139,000 10 JD 7200R, 2012, 200 hp., 2780 hrs., #154425 .......................... $110,000 11 JD 7210R, 2015, 210 hp., 790 hrs., #141370 ............................ $134,900 16 JD 7210R, 2015, 210 hp., 814 hrs., #141371 ............................ $134,900 10 JD 8245R, 2016, 245 hp., 676 hrs., #144535 ............................ $184,900 SELF-PROPELLED FORAGE HARVESTER HEADS: ROTARY 6 JD 688, 2011, #140930 ............................................................... $23,500 6 JD 710, 2007, #115310 ............................................................... $33,000 6 JD 770, 2011, #138381 ............................................................... $29,700 6 JD 7300, 2003, 5093 hrs., 3640 cu. hrs., #140932....................... $68,000 6 Claas JAGUAR 890, 2002, 2749 hrs., 2290 cu. hrs., #133756 ..... $96,000 TRACK TRACTORS 4 JD 9520RX, 2016, 520 hp., 1193 hrs., #143518 ........................ $369,000
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Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
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Ag literacy rened for young, old Brown County ADA donates books to libraries, schools By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
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SLEEPY EYE, Minn. – This summer, children and adults, alike, will have the opportunity to learn more about the dairy industry as part of the Brown County Ag Literacy Initiative by the Brown County American Dairy Association. The ADA donated books to four city libraries and 12 schools within the county in an effort to create awareness and appreciation for those involved in the dairy industry. “I hope this sparks a light for agriculture and cows in the same way kids get excited about Legos and dinosaurs,” Angela Tauer said. Tauer is a children’s librarian at Dyckman Free Library in Sleepy Eye, Minn. Tauer and her husband, David, and children – Ruby, 7, and Adam, 5 – also milk 220 cows nearby. Last fall, the Tauers hosted student groups on their farm to participate in a story time event and tour of the dairy. This year, Tauer has worked with her fellow ADA board members to expand the reach. “When we did Story Time on the Farm, there was good community response,” Tauer said. “So, I was thinking how we could talk more about dairy and agriculture and realized there are not a lot of agriculture specic books out there. If there are any, they’re too factual and not fun or provide misinformation.” The county ADA received a grant through Midwest Dairy to facilitate the book purchases and distribution.
“Kids are fascinated with dairy, but they want more than ‘Old MacDonald Had A Farm.’ We’ve tried to nd books that people want ...”
TSR
ANGELA TAUER, DAIRY FARMER
PARLOR
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Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: IOWA Kramer Bros. Monticello, IA 319-465-5931 Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290 United-Suckow Dairy Supply West Union, IA 563-422-5355 Postville, IA 563-864-7417
WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bob’s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201 Ederer Dairy Supply Plain, WI 608-546-3713 Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Waunakee, WI 608-849-5043
Mondovi Dairy Systems Inc. Mondovi, WI 715-926-5777 West Salem, WI 608-769-2113 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470 MINNESOTA & SOUTH DAKOTA D&D Ag Supply Pennock, MN 320-599-4466
East Central Dairy Supply Mora, MN 320-679-1029 Farm Systems Melrose, MN 320-256-3276 Watertown, MN 605-886-7401 Sioux Falls, SD 800-284-0015 S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Professional Dairy Systems Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
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Tauer, who also serves as the county’s princess coordinator, discovered a set of books that will appeal to a variety of readers. “Kids are fascinated with dairy, but they want more than ‘Old MacDonald Had A Farm,’” Tauer said. “We’ve tried to nd books that people want and what they might be looking for.” Children’s books, such as, “Goodnight Farm” and “A Year on the Farm,” were purchased using the grant funding, as well as more educational reads, like “How Did That Get Into My Lunchbox?” – an American Farm Bureau Federation Association’s farm book of the year – and books for a more mature audience, such as, “The Thing About Dairy Farmers.” The books will be distributed in May with each Turn to BOOKS | Page 23
Target Your Customers! Advertise Online at www.dairystar.com If you would like to advertise, call 320-352-6303 for more information.
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 23
ConƟnued from BOOKS | Page 22 library having a different set of reads they can share within the system. Tauer and her co-workers will use the books as part of their annual eight-week summer reading program for library goers. This year’s theme is “A Universe of Stories” with an emphasis on outer space. On Tuesdays during the program, participants take part in an activity related to the chosen theme. Dairy in space will be the topic of a Tuesday’s activities with a guest appearance by Princess Kay of the Milky Way Friday, June 21. “Dairy is everywhere and the impact goes beyond our small town,” Tauer said. “We’re going to show kids what dairy products astronauts take with on their trips and talk about the innovation in the industry to get them thinking beyond a gallon of milk.” Farm bureau board members, FFA alumni and local dairy farmers will be invited as guest story time readers. Tauer is also hoping to create dairy gift baskets for participants, and then again invite students to her dairy this fall for a farm tour and story time. The idea to create the initiative came after Tauer attended a silent auction for her children’s school where books were donated. “I noticed people have been able to donate farm books to schools through Midwest Dairy before,” Tauer said. “At the library, we’re always looking for ways to get the community involved, to get them indoors and to open a book.” With the grant covering the costs of the books, the initiative will be executed with virtually no expenses. “It’s an easy thing for us to do,” Tauer said. “The library and us farmers are great resources for the community that we don’t have to pay for. This is our chance to engage and do something fun.” Tauer envisions this initiative better serving the dairy community as they may volunteer their time.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Tauers – (from leŌ) Angela, Ruby, Adam and David – dairy farm near Sleepy Eye, Minn. Angela has helped spearhead the Brown County agriculture literacy program.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Brown County American Dairy AssociaƟon purchased a variety of dairy related books and distributed them to libraries throughout the county.
“A lot of farmers don’t know what the library can do, or they don’t feel comfortable being in the space,” Tauer said. “I’m trying to break that stigma. This is a place with resources for everyone, not just books, but video rentals and computer access for those who deal with rural internet.” She also sees an opportunity to connect with the elderly community who grew up in agriculture and would nd joy in reminiscing about their lives on the farm. When the initiative comes to an end next fall, Tauer hopes it will have created a renewed interest in the dairy industry and, more importantly, serve as an opportunity to educate consumers about their food.
Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
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Kuhn Knight RS160, 570 CuFt, Spread width 30’, Vert. Beaters, Dual Apron ..................................$33,000 ‘10 Kuhn Knight 8141, 4100 gal. ..$38,500 ‘12 Kuhn Knight 8141, 4100 gal., hyd. lid ........................................$35,800 ’08 Kuhn Knight 8132 Frt And Rear Splash Guards.............................$17,000 Kuhn Knight 8124, 2400 gal., 500 bu., front and rear splash guards .......$14,900 ‘09 H&S 560 .................................$14,500 ‘03 H&S 310, 310 Bu..................... $5,700 ‘14 Hagedorn 5440, 440 CuFt, 550 Bu ....................................... $12,900 Hagedorn 277, 270 cu. ft., 420 bu.........................................$12,900 Meyers M350, 350 Bu, End Gate ....$8,500
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 25
Altendahl named winner of rock picking contest
Alfalfa, oat elds priority for Albany farmer By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
ALBANY, Minn. – Josh Altendahl does not sign up for many contests, and those he does he rarely wins. That all changed when he was named the winner of the 19th Annual Rock Pickers for a Day presented by Central Minnesota Credit Union and Dairy Star. The contest concluded with Altendahl’s name being announced May 6 on KASM 1150-AM. “We were listening to the radio when my phone started ringing,” Altendahl said. “I looked at it, and sure enough, it was Mark with Dairy Star.” Altendahl and his wife, Kate, and their four children – Mathias, 9, Liam, 6, Emmett, 4, and Roszlyn, 7 months – milk 75 cows in Stearns County near Albany, Minn. Altendahl also runs 400 acres of cropland with his step-brother, TJ Hemmesch. After being named a nalist for the competition in April, Altendahl knew he had a chance at being the prizewinner, but was not expecting his name to be drawn. “I was vaccinating cows when I was named a nalist, so when the radio was going to announce the winner, I made sure to be ready,” Altendahl said. “Initially, I was excited and shocked.”
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Josh Altendahl stands next to a youngstock pen May 8 on his farm near Albany, Minn. Altendahl is the winner of the Central Minnesota Credit Union and Dairy Star rock picking contest. Altendahl did not submit his name for the contest. Rather, his step-mother, Carol Hemmesch, did. “This is the biggest contest I’ve ever won,” he said. “Picking rock will be a different atmosphere this year and this will now give us one less eld to worry about.” When weather permits, Altendahl will use the help of CMCU and Dairy
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Star staff to pick his alfalfa and oat eld. Usually, Altendahl gets help from his two oldest boys and area high schoolers to clear the eld. He uses equipment to clear larger rocks in the other elds. “We’ve always spent our time picking rock by hand with the alfalfa and
oats,” Altendahl said. “And actually, the boys like doing it. When I told them we won, they were excited, but my oldest wanted to make sure he could still help.” With the extended forecast looking relatively dry, Altendahl is hoping to reap his winnings in the next week.
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
USDA extends deadline to certify crop production for payments The United States Department of Agriculture extended the deadline to May 17 from May 1 for agricultural producers to certify 2018 crop production for payments through the Market Facilitation Program FSA News & Notes which helps producers who have been signicantly affected by foreign tariffs, resulting in the loss of traditional exports. USDA’s Farm Service Agency extended the deadline because heavy rainfall and snowfall have delayed harvests in many parts of By Ryan Brunn the country, preventing Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. producers from certifying acres. Payments will be issued only if eligible producers certify before the updated May 17 deadline. The MFP provides payments to producers of corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, wheat, dairy, hogs, fresh sweet cherries and shelled almonds. FSA will issue payments based on the producer’s certied total production of the MFP commodity multiplied by the MFP rate for that specic commodity. Producers can certify production by contacting their FSA ofce or through http://www.farmers. gov. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue launched the trade mitigation program to assist farmers suffering from damage because of unjustied trade retaliation by foreign nations. FSA implemented MFP in September 2018 as a relief strategy to protect agricultural producers while the administration works on free, fair and reciprocal trade deals to open more markets to help American farmers compete globally. To date, more than $8.3 billion has been paid to nearly 600,000 applicants. The MFP is established under the statutory authority of the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act and is administered by FSA. For more information, contact your FSA ofce or visit http://www.farmers.gov/MFP. 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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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 27
Plans underway for 2019 Alfalfa Harvest Alert Project
University of Minnesota Extension is working with the Central Minnesota Forage Council, agribusinesses and farmers on the 2019 Alfalfa Harvest Alert Project. Cooperator sites have been arranged in Stearns, Benton, Morrison and Wright counties. Information will also be shared from Meeker, McLeod, Carver and Sibley counties, similar to what has been done in the past. The goal of this project in to encourage farmers to stay in tune By Nathan Drewitz with their elds related to their U of M Extension feed needs and past experiences. This project kicks off when alfalfa reaches around 14 to 16 inches tall. Project cooperators will sample elds Monday and Thursday mornings. Generally, when alfalfa gets around 24
USDA accepting applications to cover costs for organic certication USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that organic producers and handlers can apply for federal funds to assist with the cost of receiving and maintaining organic certication through the Organic Certication Cost Share Program (OCCSP). Applications for scal 2019 funding are due Oct. 31, 2019. “Producers can visit their local FSA county ofces to apply for up to 75 percent of the cost of organic certication,” said FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce. “This also gives organic producers an opportunity to learn about other valuable USDA resources, like farm loans and conservation assistance, that can help them succeed. Organic producers can take advantage of a variety of USDA programs from help with eld buffers to routine operating expenses to storage and handling equipment.” OCCSP received continued support through the 2018 Farm Bill. It provides cost-share assistance to producers and handlers of agricultural products for the costs of obtaining or maintaining organic certication under the USDA’s National Organic Program. Eligible producers include any certied producers or handlers who have paid organic certication fees to a USDA-accredited certifying agent. Eligible expenses for cost-share reimbursement include application fees, inspection costs, fees related to equivalency agreement and arrangement requirements, travel expenses for inspectors, user fees, sales assessments and postage. Certied producers and handlers are eligible to receive reimbursement for up to 75 percent of certication costs each year, up to a maximum of $750 per certication scope, including crops, livestock, wild crops, handling and state organic program fees. Opportunities for state agencies This also includes the opportunity for state agencies to apply for grant agreements to administer the OCCSP program in scal 2019. State agencies that establish agreements for scal year 2019 may be able to extend their agreements and receive additional funds to administer the program in future years. FSA will accept applications from state agencies for scal year 2019 funding for cost-share assistance through May 29, 2019. To learn more about USDA support for organic agriculture, visit usda.gov/organic.
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inches tall, we can expect to start seeing buds. With alfalfa, the bud stage is usually when forage quality is in the range for better quality dairy hay and harvest takes place provided weather cooperates. Normally the last 10 days of May is when harvest occurs, but this varies based on the weather and winter injury. Last year, alfalfa sample collection started May 14 and ended June 1. Clipped samples are tested to determine relative feed value, neutral detergent ber and other alfalfa quality factors related to harvest decisions. Quality and maturity will also be estimated through an equation called the predictive equation for alfalfa quality. This process uses the stage of maturity and height of the tallest stems to estimate RFV and NDF. The RFV numbers correspond to what you could expect from a fresh cut sample lab test. Due to forage and harvest losses, there could be a 15 to 25 point drop from what the fresh cut sample test or PEAQ chart
indicates. So, if your goal was 175 RFV, you might start harvesting when the fresh cut test of PEAQ chart indicates 200 RFV. Consider your own nutrition goals and past experience when deciding on the proper time to harvest alfalfa. The project information will be shared with KASM 1150 AM and KTLF 960 AM radio in the Stearns, Benton and Morrison county areas. Internet users can search for Minnesota Crop News for posted information. You can check for messages on a voicemail box by calling 320-968-5081 or by calling 1-800-964-4929 and entering 5081 when it answers. Other counties will be working with radio stations and information access points. Questions about this project can be referred to Nathan Drewitz at the phone numbers listed. We appreciate the hard work by all of the farm and agribusiness cooperators and sponsors for this project.
Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130
Colostrum management: Moving from good to excellent
Hugh Chester-Jones chest001@umn.edu 507-835-3622 Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391 Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177 Joleen Hadrich jhadrich@umn.edu 612-626-5620 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 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 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 Emily Wilmes krek0033@umn.edu 320-255-6169
Colostrum management is the single most important management factor in determining calf health and survival and impacts rate of gain and future productivity (McGuirk and Collins, 2004). This article reviews the basics for successful colostrum management and discusses methods to improve your program, including the value of extended colostrum feeding, or feeding colostrum or transition milk after gut closure. The syndesmochorial placenta of the cow separates the maternal and fetal blood supplies, preventing in-utero transmission of protective antibodies or immunoglobulins (IgG). Consequently, the calf is almost entirely dependent upon the absorption of maBy Sandra Godden ternal antibodies from colostrum after birth. Absorption of maternal IgG across the small University of MN intestine during the rst 24 hours after birth, termed passive transfer, helps to protect the calf against common disease organisms until its own immature immune system becomes fully functional. Additional long-term benets associated with successful passive transfer include improved rate of gain, reduced age at rst calving, improved rst and second lactation milk production and reduced tendency for culling during the rst lactation (Robison et al., 1988; DeNise et al., 1989; Wells, 1996; Faber et al., 2005). These benets from colostrum may be attributed to the protective antibodies and high levels of nutrients and bioactive compounds, including hormones and growth factors, which stimulate postnatal growth and development (Hammon et al., 2013). Basic tenets for success with the rst feeding include: - High quality colostrum: Colostrum IgG levels of at least 50 g/L, or colostrum Brix readings of 22% or higher. If at least 90% of cows are not producing high quality colostrum (Brix greater than or equal to 22%), investigate potential reasons (e.g. rapid harvest after calving, dry period stressors, prepartum nutrition issues and short dry periods). i) - Sufcient quantity: Feed 10% of birthweight or approximately 4 quarts for a typical Holstein calf. This can be delivered by nipple bottle or esophageal tube feeder. ii) - Quickness: Ideally feed within two hours or as soon as possible after birth while IgG absorption efciency across the intestine is greatest. iii) - Cleanliness: Pathogenic bacteria in colostrum may cause disease. Furthermore, high bacteria levels in colostrum can interfere with IgG absorption. If culturing colostrum, total plate count (TPC) goals for fresh colostrum or for heat-treated colostrum are less than 100,000 cfu/mL or less than 20,000 cfu/mL, respectively. iv) - Monitor: Collect blood samples from 12 or more clinically normal calves between 24 hours and 9 days of age and test
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with a serum total protein (STP) or Brix refractometer. At a minimum, at least 90% of calves tested should meet or exceed a STP value of 5.1 g/dL or a Brix value of 8.1% (cut point for failure of passive transfer). However, achieving incrementally higher STP or serum Brix values will result in further improvements in calf health and performance. Though it is well recognized that maximal IgG absorption efciency will be achieved when a sufcient volume of high quality colostrum is provided within two hours after birth, the neonatal intestine is still permeable to IgG past 12 hours. Providing a second 2-quart feeding sometime eight to 12 hours after the rst postnatal meal can further increase passive transfer of IgG. In a recent study in which calves were randomly assigned to be fed a second feeding of either colostrum, a 1:1 colostrum to milk mixture or milk at 12 hours of age, calves achieved a higher maximum serum IgG concentration if they were fed either colostrum (30 g/L) or the mixture (25 g/L) at the second feeding, as compared to milk (22.4 g/L) (Pletts et al., 2018). Feeding colostrum after the gut has closed will offer benets even though IgG absorption into the calf’s circulation will no longer occur. One benet may be that bioactive compounds, such as growth factors and hormones, may stimulate growth of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). In one recent study, calves that were transitioned directly onto milk after the rst colostrum meal had less overall GIT mass and less development of villi in the small intestine as compared to calves fed either colostrum or transition milk for the rst 3 days of life (Pyo et al., 2018). This improved GIT development could be benecial for nutrient absorption and gut health. Additionally, antibodies from colostrum or transition milk may provide local protection of the GIT from enteric pathogens including viruses, bacteria and parasites. Challenge studies and eld trials have reported health and growth benets from supplementing the milk diet with colostrum for the rst 14 days of life. One controlled eld trial that added 70 g of colostrum powder containing 10 g IgG into milk replacer twice daily for 14 days reported improved growth, reduced diarrhea days and reduced antimicrobial use in treated calves (Berge et al., 2009). In another eld trial, supplementation of milk replacer with 150 g of bovine colostrum powder containing 32 g of IgG, for the rst 14 days, resulted in reduced diarrhea, respiratory disease, umbilical enlargement and antibiotic therapy in treated dairy calves (Chamorro et al., 2017). Producers feeding pasteurized whole milk are encouraged to include transition milk in the pool. Frozen cubes of clean colostrum added to milk replacer for the rst 12 to 14 days could also be benecial.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 29
Shade, heat stress in dairy cattle Spring sunshine is often a welcome sight especially after a cold, snowy winter and spring oods. The sun brings the light and warmth we need for plants to grow so we can shed the dark and dreariness of winter. However, sunshine in hot weather can add an extra heat load on heat stressed cows that do not have shade. The consequences of heat stress on lactating dairy cows is well documented and includes reduced milk production and pregnancy rates and increased lameness, days open and death rates. Heat stressed dry cows have shorter gestation periods, calves with lower birth weights and lower milk production. Heifer calves from heat stressed cows also produce less milk after growing up and freshening. Cows attempt to manage heat stress by reducing their dry matter intake, increasing respiration rates and sweating By Kevin Janni more. Animal care givers know they can help cows manUniversity of MN age heat stress by providing shade, plenty of fresh drinking water, increasing air velocities past the cows and providing cooling with misters or sprinklers. This article is focused on the importance of shade for lactating and dry cows. High producing cows generate more metabolic heat than lower producing cows. A cow producing 85 pounds of milk per day produces 13% more body heat (4,600 BTU/hour) than a cow producing 70 pounds per day (4,100 BTU/ hour). A cow producing 100 pounds of milk per day produces 26% more body heat (5,150 BTU/hour) than a cow producing 70 pounds per day (4,100 BTU/ hour). The amount of solar energy we get varies hourly as the sun rises and sets each day. On average, Minnesota gets between 167 and 188 BTU per hour per square foot. The peak can be as much as 317 BTU/hour per square foot. The amount of solar energy a cow standing in the sun can absorb depends on the time of day and her orientation in relation to the sun. A cow can easily absorb 1,600 to 3,700 BTU/hour. A cow can almost double her heat load by standing in the sun which makes heat stress likely in warm and hot weather. Shade, which can dramatically reduce the solar load, is usually the rst recommended practice to implement when dealing with heat stress. A chamber study done almost 10 years ago monitored individual cows in chambers where the average temperature-humidity index values (THI) were around 79.6 and the air velocity was 2.2 mph. A THI of 80 was at the line between mild-moderate heat stress and moderate-severe heat stress. The researchers created hot and humid conditions with an air temperature of 84 degrees and 69% relative humidity. They created hot and dry conditions with air at 95 degrees and 23% relative humidity. Without a solar load (under shade)
the cows had respiration rates around 72 breaths per minute (bpm) when the conditions were hot and humid. Respiration rates were 96 bpm when conditions were hot and dry. When cows were given a solar heat load of 174 BTU/ hour per square foot, which is common in Minnesota, their respiration rates increased. The cows in hot and humid conditions with the solar load had an average respiration rate of 114 bpm, and the cows in hot and dry conditions had average respiration rates of 107 bpm. Respiration rates above 85 bpm are considered at the moderate-severe heat stress level. Severe stress is at respiration rates of 120 bpm and above. Individual cows respiration rates varied but all increased when the solar load was added. Results from a lactating cow thermoregulation model that estimates a cow’s respiration rates are shown in Table 1. Higher producing cows have higher respiration rates which indicate they are more susceptible to heat stress. Adding a solar load causes large increases in respiration rates ranging from 14 to 29 bpm. Higher producing cows will have larger increases in respiration rates. The results also show that providing more air velocity past the cows can reduce respiration rates by 10 to 28 bpm which can help reduce heat stress. Solar heat load is an important contributing factor to heat stress in dairy cows. Shade can help reduce the solar heat load and remains one of the rst recommendations to help lactating cows and dry cows manage their heat load in hot weather. Well ventilated barns and pole sheds are good options for providing shade. There are numerous shade structure options available from building suppliers. When providing shade, it is important to provide plenty of shade for all of the animals at the same time without crowding, 20 to 40 square feet per animal is recommended.
Milk production
85 pounds per day
100 pounds per day
Air velocity (mph)
No solar load
Solar load
No solar load
Solar load
6
53
72
62
85
3
12
58
48
84
62
69
56
98
70
Table 1. Modeled lactating cow respiration rates (breaths per minute) for a 1,320-pound cow at two milk production levels (85 pounds per day or 100 pounds per day) and three air velocities (3, 6 or 12 mph) when THI is 75. Solar load was either 0 or 158 BTU/hour per square feet.
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Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
The old barn
The man in the fading black and white photograph behold the colossus Jens had built. peers back at the camera as he holds the reins of a pair I never knew Jens (he died before I was born), but of workhorses. A broad brimmed straw hat shades his I reaped the beneďƒžts of his legacy. A legacy my family features as he proudly stands before the east wall of called the old barn. his new barn. The old barn was a marvelous place for kids. My The man is my siblings and I spent hour grandmother’s uncle Jens, upon hour exploring its and the photo was taken Th The old ld b barn abounded b d d with i h cavernous interior. I would on the farm that would climb the wall-stud ladder eventually become my secret hiding places. up to the soaring rafters as parents’ home. Jens had nervous sisters watched immigrated from Norway from below, grousing that I and had carved a farm from the virgin prairie. The would fall and break my fool neck. barn was his farm’s crowning jewel. The old barn abounded with secret hiding places. Jens’ barn had a gambrel roof adorned by two We knew where mother cats liked to conceal their gothic wooden cupolas. With a lean on each side, litters of baby kittens. We knew that broody hens liked the barn was a behemoth, measuring 60- by 60-feet. to set up housekeeping in the crawlspace beneath the It was said people would come from miles around to old horse manger.
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Every conceivable species of farm animal found shelter under the old barn’s benevolent roof. Cows, of course, and pigs but also sheep and an endless parade of free-range chickens. Our farm dog once birthed a litter in one of the barn’s Dear County Agent Guy many hidden corners. The old barn did not have a traditional hayloft. The immense center area was free of supporting structure which meant the barn could be used for an inďƒžnite number of purposes. I heard that Jens would thresh his oats in this area. I could imagine the impenetrable By Jerry Nelson fog of choking dust Columnist swirling around men and machine. By the time I came along, a small silo had been built in the barn’s center area. Each fall, we would lower the great door on the east end of the barn to access the silo. Lowering the big door was a herculean undertaking, involving ancient ropes, creaky pulleys and a rusty steel track all of which had been in service since the late 19th century. But the rewards were tremendous. Once the silo was full and the elevator was removed, we took turns swinging on the rope that dangled from the protruding steel track. We would clamber up onto the roof of a small nearby shed, clutch the rope and step off the edge of the world. You would plummet into inďƒžnity, the speed building, the wind roaring in your ears. Gradually, you would begin to slow as you arced up into the sky, high enough to grab a cloud. You would be suspended between heaven and earth for a moment, an eternity, sheer joy coursing through your entire being. Then you would begin the return trip. Time marched on and we left our rope swinging days behind. Time also took its toll on the old barn. As the barn approached its 10th decade, its walls began to bow and its roof sag. Dad and I agreed the old barn had become unsafe and should be torn down one of these days. One of these days never came. On a hot, windy May afternoon, we heard the words every farmer dreads: The barn is on ďƒžre. An overhead electric wire had torn loose, and the ensuing shower of sparks had ignited some straw. Between the gale-force winds and tinder-dry lumber, the old barn never stood a chance. It was engulfed by ďƒ&#x;ames within a matter of minutes. Yet this somehow seemed ďƒžtting. Instead of suffering the indignity of a slow death, the old barn received a rip-roaring Viking funeral. Having spent its life in the service of a family of Norwegians, this felt like a proper ending for the old barn. We built another barn in its place, but it is not the old barn’s replacement. The new barn is made of rigid poles and cold steel siding. There are no cupolas, no secret places where kittens can hide, no ropes for kids to swing upon. Whenever I glimpse that photo of Jens with his horses, I think of the old barn and all the memories born beneath its soaring roof. And, I give Jens a silent thanks. 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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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 31
A fresh pen
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I had the opportunity to ll in for an absent herdsman lled out a surgery report and emailed it to the farm, sense. Our practice’s veterinarians like to get into the and perform his daily fresh pen examinations. The the herdsman, my ofce and the other veterinarians in fresh pen on a semi-regular basis to understand what rst thing I did was to print a report of fresh cows with our practice. Following this, I emailed my fresh pen is typically done, to offer help in rening practices low milk production. Next, I walked over to the fresh report to everyone as well, recorded treatment notes and protocols, to help train farm workers, to offer pen and walked in front of the locked up the whiteboard in the hospital and left suggestions on how to improve processes involved to Veterinary Wisdom on reduce the various risks and to assess outcomes of the cows. I quickly looked at each animal’s a note in the ofce. alertness, hydration and amount of feed As you can see, there were a lot of fresh pen work. The School of Veterinary Medicine steps in the process. There were also at the University of Wisconsin has created a document in front. As all good cow people know, it is pretty easy for trained eyes to pick out steps that others on the farm performed that is great for evaluating what is happening in the animals that do not appear to be feeling that I did not necessarily see. There are a fresh pen. It includes everything from the design of good. As I walked, I also looked at my list variety of risks here, too. First, there is a the work ow, design of the pen, to specic diagnoses so I would be sure to spend a little more risk of missing a sick animal. This is not a and treatments, and to results and outcome. This time looking at the animals that were big deal if she is mildly ill but could be if tool and others that may be available to your farm’s low producers. Then I looked at the rear there is something serious. Second, there veterinarian can help him or her to rene your fresh ends while noting udder ll, rumen ll, is a risk of treating an animal that really pen processes to hopefully help your farm be more uterine discharges and feces. Armed with needs no treatment. The risk here is the productive, protable and safe in the future. It may my recorded observations, I performed cost of the treatment, the time it takes to also be valuable for farm owners or managers who do By Jim Bennett physical examinations on a few animals. treat, the safety of the employee and the not typically work in the fresh pen to step in and work Columnist I developed treatment plans for each cow, and the potential negative effects with the staff on a regular basis. Managers can learn and relayed them to J, one of the farm of the treatment on the cow. Third, these the same kind of things the veterinarian might, and workers who would be administering the treatments. I sort of risks apply to the cows needing treatment, too. they also can show employees they understand how had diagnosed left displaced abomasum on two cows We typically assume that needed treatments have complicated and sometimes difcult daily tasks may be. today, and I asked J to move them to the hospital so I only good effects, but in Nobody is perfect could surgically correct the displacements later. Next, reality almost any treatment and no fresh pen routine I examined a couple of other cows that were not in the has a potential negatives, N Nobody b d iis perfect f and d no is perfect. Mistakes will fresh pen because J had told me they needed attention. as well. There is also the happen on every dairy. One was a cow that was on antibiotic treatment for risk of giving wrong or fresh pen routine is perfect. pneumonia and the other had clinical mastitis. I inappropriate treatments. Mistakes will happen on every However, with careful risk analysis, proper monitoring, recommended treatment plans for both. Then I went Fourth, there are risks to all training, oversight and the to the hospital pen and moved one of the surgical the animals that are locked dairy. right tools, hopefully the candidates into the chute. up. Perhaps they need to lie mistakes will not have large It was easy for me to get the cows restrained. down or get a drink. Maybe And, because they have a simple home-built chute the examination techniques result in decreased dry consequences and everything will ow smoothly. that allowed me to remove one or more berglass rods matter intake. Fifth, there are risks of adulterating Getting in there once in a while to look things over on the right side, I could easily and safely perform the milk and meat if strict withholding requirements are can be helpful. Bennett is one of four dairy veterinarians at surgeries by myself even though one of the cows was not met. clearly not happy about what I was doing. I treated This is complicated even when done on a farm Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center in both cows with antibiotics after surgery but had to like this one where things are organized, people are Plainview, Minn. He also consults on dairy farms in change the treatment plan on one because I discovered trained and the proper equipment is in place. Yet the other states. He and his wife, Pam, have four children. some complications once she was opened up. Next, I post fresh period is critical for most dairy cows, so Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@gmail.com with lled out the hospital record for both cows; then, I doing the best we can to get them through makes comments or questions.
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Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
Baby calves and bacteria When I was a young dairy farmer, I always thought role. To his credit, he gave us as long as we needed to the three hardest parts of dairying were getting cows nd a new grower. He and his wife along with a few pregnant, controlling mastitis and raising healthy employees did fairly well raising our calves, mostly baby calves. Getting cows pregnant has become in hutches. They also raised calves for several other easier with ovsynch protocol, tail chalk and cows dairies in the area. During the severe winter of 2017moving more in a freestall 18, we ooded them with environment verses a tiestall way too many heifer calves. I’m not convinced i d anyone h has All the work burned them facility. Controlling mastitis I’ has improved greatly it all figured out when it comes out. As soon as I heard their with dry cow teat sealant plan to cut back, I started therapy, auto takeoffs in the to raising healthy calves, looking at other options parlor, and three-time-a-day because I knew it was milking. I’m not convinced especially in large numbers. something I didn’t want to anyone has it all gured out manage. when it comes to raising The rst and last people healthy calves, especially in large numbers. About 16 I talked to were Seth and Kaia, because they were months ago, our baby calf raiser told us he was cutting already raising our calves from 8 weeks to 12 months back and wanted us to nd someone else to ll the of age. They were denitely interested, so off we went
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late last winter to tour calf barns and facilities. We knew hutches were the gold standard, but also knew we didn’t want to go that route because of calf raiser burnout. The good part was they needed to build baby calf barns from scratch, and they could Making Cents of Dairy build them the way they wanted as long as they had a calf raising contract from us to obtain nancing. The one stipulation I wanted in the contract was that only calves from our dairy would be raised there. We worked it out so the Angus cross calves born at our dairy By Dave Vander Kooi and sold at day one to Columnist my daughter, Kia, and her husband, Aaron, would also be started at Seth and Kaia’s. When Seth and I talk on the phone we have to refer to his Kaia, and my Kia, to keep the Ks straight. Fast forward to November 2018: the calf barns are built, and we start lling them with calves. The barns are straw bedded, naturally curtain vented cold barns. Each pen is set up for nine calves in group housing with nine headlocks with bottle feeders, an exterior dry feed bunk, and heated automatic waterer in back serving two pens. We ll a pen almost daily, so we use removable individual crates in that new pen for the rst ve days of their lives. The rst ll in the pens went fairly well, but then scours and pneumonia hit. Seth and Kaia had also built a separate milk house type building next to the two calf barns. It contains a boiler for hot water, pasteurizer, stainless milk replacer mixing tanks, a bathroom, and large roll up doors for vehicles. They made every effort to do things right and yet things were not going well. Kaia started running pre and post bacteria counts on the colostrum going through the pasteurizer. Both were coming back higher than we liked. We went back to the dairy and started changing hoses, inations, and other things on the fresh cow bucket milkers. We also changed the wash routine for that equipment as colostrum is very hard to remove from rubber and even stainless steel. We power washed the calf receiving pens at the dairy, and alternate them every other day. In between we clean out the straw, disinfect with a special citrus bleach, and put fresh barn lime down on the oor. After all this and a few changes to some valves on their mixing vat, the bacteria counts dropped dramatically, and the calves are doing a lot better. Seth also installed the fresh air tubes in the barns now which should help with the 30day pneumonia issue. Another crazy thing we learned running the bacteria tests on the colostrum was how fast bacteria multiplies in warm milk. Our veterinarian said bacteria doubles every 20 minutes in warm milk. Now we put the colostrum immediately in a freezer, because before when we placed 10 gallons in a refrigerator, it warmed up the whole refrigerator for a few hours. We hardly lost any calves, but we had way too much stress, and drug costs were out of line. All of us involved have the same goal to raise strong healthy calves with no antibiotics. I think we are getting there. I just wish there was a cookie cutter formula to raise baby calves. 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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Find value in thinking about opportunities
At rst I thought I would write my column about struggles versus opportunities. My idea was something along the lines of a person should take advantage of opportunities to expand horizons, go outside of their comfort zone and learn new things when chances come along. Even when there are roadblocks and struggles, seize the day and go for it. This type of advice is certainly put out there a Come Full Dairy Circle lot during graduation speeches and when people are thinking about what is next in their life. I decided to delve a bit further into the topic, however, when our son, Leif, was home over the weekend. We started talking about the concept of opportunity cost in a conversation about the microeconomics course he is nishing up this semester in college. I asked if he knew how to dene it and he readily came up with a good denition. It is a relative cost. The opportunity cost of choosing one possibility is the value of the possibility you gave up. So what you sacrice, not what you choose, is the opportunity cost. By Jean Annexstad I started thinking about all kinds of examples in Columnist farming and life where the opportunity cost concept is valuable for making decisions. I realize that an economist’s idea is to include cost analysis and actual numbers with the concept. But I tend to think in words more than numbers. In my own little world of calfraising, for example, switching calves off their bottles and onto buckets sooner yields more time and less work for me. I don’t really think about labor saved in terms of payment for my work. However, an opportunity cost in doing this might mean that a calf will get sick, and I’ll have to switch her back to a bottle or that some of the calves will be very vocal in protest to being switched to buckets at too young of an age. Then I’ll have to listen to a lot of calf noise during feeding. That, to me, is the opportunity cost of this scenario: are those two annoyance costs actually worth the saved time in having calves drink from buckets sooner? Yes, usually. Maybe another all-too-common example on typical dairy farms makes this concept clearer. We have too many heifers to replace the cows in our herd that are culled, and we cannot obtain a price for excess springing heifers that is higher than what it costs to raise them. An opportunity cost is to breed a percentage of the herd to beef bulls so that we can sell the young offspring at a premium to buyers who will raise them for beef. We save the expense of raising heifers we likely will not need. The opportunity cost is not having the larger group of heifers in case disease or some other tragedy would leave us without an adequate number of replacements. Is the tradeoff worth it? Since we have committed to using beef semen to breed the lower genomic portion of our herd, we hope so. It has been many years since we have needed all of the replacement heifers we are raising. What about opportunity costs in other life decisions? Our three college students have made choices for how to spend their summers using the concept, perhaps without actually thinking about it. Matthias chose to apply for an agronomy internship to gain important technical knowledge and skills outside of his main area of study, and he will also gain income. The timing didn’t allow for a study abroad trip this summer, so that is an opportunity cost. Leif chose to spend a part of the summer doing a study abroad opportunity in Norway. He will gain a new experience in a different county, college credits and will spend a fair amount on the trip cost. For the rest of his summer, he will work on our farm and make money. He will need to nd an internship next summer, so maybe that is his opportunity cost. Emily will do the same study abroad experience and then have an internship at Dairy Marketing Inc. in Rosemount, IL. She will gain new experiences and contacts in her eld and make money at the internship. She will spend money going to Norway, but gain an international experience. She said she will miss helping to train and show cows, so that is her opportunity cost. So you can see that thinking about opportunity cost in detail can be vital to making good decisions in life and in farming. It has value in the discussion and examination of the details in choices that we make. Maybe the clearest benets are that it takes some of the emotion out of the toughest decisions and can help negate second guessing. Jean dairy farms with her husband, Rolf, and brother-in-law, Mike, and children Emily, Matthias and Leif. They farm near St. Peter, in Norseland, where she is still trying to t in with the Norwegians and Swedes. They milk 200 cows and farm 650 acres. She can be reached at jeanannexstad@gmail.com.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 33
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
Ready for round two
Gregorys to again host Breakfast on the Farm By Danna Sabolik
danna.s@dairystar.com
KIMBALL, Minn. – The Gregorys are gearing up to host their second and Stearns County’s 12th annual Breakfast on the Farm June 1. “It’s a great day,” Tom Gregory said. “We always have fun and it’s nice to bring the community together.” Tom owns and operates Mill Creek Dairy, a 600cow operation, with his brother, Ed and son, Nick, near Kimball, Minn. Tom’s family – wife Donna, son Chris, and daughter Michelle – are also involved on the farm. In the Gregorys’ 38 years of milking cows, they have opened their farm to many groups – from Boy Scouts to FFA judging teams and school tours – for many reasons. They rst hosted Stearns County’s breakfast in 2010. “It’s a great way to educate people on farm life, share a nice breakfast, and spend time together,” Tom said. “Hopefully we have as great of a turnout as last time.” Last time, the Gregorys welcomed nearly 1,700 people, and are planning for a larger crowd this year. Visitors can park at ROCORI High School and will be bussed out to the farm. No parking will be available on the farm. In addition to a breakfast of pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, toast and milk, the farm will be brimming with activities. There will be entertainment for kids with an obstacle course and guided tours of the farm. The Gregorys are excited to bring farm life to those who may have not experienced a farm before, tell their farm story and answer any questions. “There’s a lot of people who come who have only been on a farm when they were little kids, and maybe
DANNA SABOLIK/DAIRY STAR
Michelle (leŌ) and Donna Gregory are preparing for the Stearns County Breakfast on the Farm at their farm, Mill Creek Dairy, June 1 in Kimball, Minn. The mother-daughter duo work together to care for calves on a day-to-day basis. now they have young kids who have only ever seen farm animals up-close at the fair,” Tom said. The farm tours will include two locations – one where the calves are housed on the Gregorys’ home site and one where the cows are milked. The Gregorys will provide four horse teams and wagons for visitors to ride between locations; a highlight from the last time they hosted. “Everyone loved the horses, so we brought them back and are getting two more teams,” Tom said. “We also have a few old tractors that will be pulling wagons to bring people to and from the dairy site across the road.” Tom checks cows that are due soon rst thing in the morning; then, he mixes feed for those cows, feeds them and begins whatever projects need his attention. Tom also often puts in ofce time in the early morning. He and Michelle work with the accountant on book keeping, while Nick takes the lead on milk
marketing. The calf barn is equipped with automatic calf feeders to feed their calves from 10-60 days of age. “Our calf feeders were installed seven years ago,” Nick said. “We feed them 7.5 liters of milk a day and keep them housed in groups of 20 or less.” Nick works with the calves born on the farm. The calves are housed in individual pens in the nursery for 10 days then moved to the calf barn, where they are separated into pens with automatic feeders and housed until 2 months old. Donna helps Nick with the calves when she can, but is also employed as a nurse at St. Cloud Hospital. The current parlor site was built in 1997, and houses the Gregorys’ 600 milking cows and double-12 parlor. Ed is responsible for feeding the milking herd and works closely with their nutritionist to ensure a quality diet for cows. The Gregorys are doing their best to get the farm ready despite a wet and cold spring. “Right now, we’re cleaning and getting ready for the breakfast, but we also have eld work to do when the weather cooperates,” Tom said. As the family prepares for the event, Tom is hoping for an eventful morning in his calving barn the day of the breakfast. “Last time, we had twins born,” Tom said. “It was really exciting and the kids loved it. If I knew how to duplicate that I would.” The Gregorys are used to planning events, and it is something they enjoy doing as they participate in fundraisers for their area church and school. “It’s just something we enjoy doing – we like working with people,” Tom said. As June 1 approaches, the Gregorys are hoping for a nice, sunny day and a great turnout to tell their dairy farming story. “We hope we can share the message that we take care of our animals in a proper way and farm in a way that will be great for future generations,” Tom said. “We raise and feed out our crops with the help of a crop consultant and nutritionist. We’re working to protect the land and use our nutrients wisely.”
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Breaking down the stigma Wilmes appointed director of new rural stress task force By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
Times have been tough for farmers lately and the University of Minnesota Extension wants to help. At the beginning of May, which is also Mental Health Awareness Month, the University of Minnesota Extension announced the newly-formed rural stress task force with Emily Wilmes as director. “Rural communities as a whole are under economic stress, and I think it is By Emily Wilmes tied to what is happening in agriU of M Extension culture. But there are other factors like the opioid crisis, lack of access to affordable childcare and this general idea these communities have a lack of access to resources to the proper care they need,” Wilmes said. Wilmes, who is an extension educator, ofcially began her directorship April 15. Her time is now split between her responsibility with the task force and her role as an extension educator. “Stress, managing our stress and mental health are topics that are personally very important to me, and ones I really believe in,” Wilmes said. “In Minnesota this year, we have seen several farmer suicides. That has been a stark wakeup call for me and for several producers and other people who work
“Stress, managing our stress and mental health are topics that are personally very important to me, and ones I really believe in.” EMILY WILMES, U OF M EXTENSION
in agriculture. … I can’t just sit idly by and watch this happen.” The task force is made up of 14 extension staff members and is supported by extension leadership, including the dean, senior associate dean and each associate dean at the four extension centers. Still in its beginning stages, the task force will rst take stock of the resources available. Then, the group will gure out gaps in the programming that need to be lled in. Wilmes said extension will also support other organizations in regards to rural stress. “I’m a rm believer that no one person or organization can x it all or is the No. 1 savior in all of this. How do we all work together? I think that’s going to be key in addressing these issues.
Because not every single person needs the same type of help,” Wilmes said. The task force will also be interested in leveraging stress management in the youth development side of extension. “How are children being impacted by this? When we think of farming, that’s a very centric lifestyle so not just targeting the farmers, but the whole family system,” Wilmes said. Prior to the creation of the task force, Wilmes made stress management a part of her extension education role. “We are all aware of the stigma that surrounds the topic of mental health, but I think when we’re looking at agriculture, and rural communities in general, it seems to be doubled down,” Wilmes said. “There’s this attitude that you can’t say you’re struggling because everybody struggles so you have to keep pushing through. It can be a hard topic to broach, but to me it’s not an excuse not to talk about it.” Wilmes has seen how different people handle stress – men, women and those from different generations. “Women in general do seem to be more approachable on the topic and more open to it … but I get contacted by a high number of men, too. They are more willing than I thought to step up,” Wilmes said. While being positive during stressful times can seem like an easy solution, Wilmes said it does not always work. “I get why people say douse this with positivity. I think that’s good, but when we are dealing with situations with actual chronic stress or an actual mental health issue, a person is typically beyond that from being an effective tool just by itself,” she said. “Some people can naturally maintain their mental health really well, know how to cope and can keep going, but everyone has different needs.” Wilmes said it is OK to not be OK. “It’s OK to say I’m not 100% today. It’s great if you can recognize that in yourself. Then don’t get down on yourself for not feeling 100% and happy and positive all the time,” she said. If you or someone you know is feeling stressed or needs help, Wilmes said reach out to someone – a family member, neighbor or friend; a doctor; or the Minnesota Farm and Rural Helpline at 1-833-600-2670. The call is free and condential. “You’re not alone and the way you feel is OK,” Wilmes said. “There are people out there who care about you and want to help you get better and get you the help you need. I’m not going to think any less of you or think you’re a bad farmer. I’m going to think you’re courageous and strong … we’re not all OK 100% of the time.” Providing more resources and help for others is exactly what this task force is aiming to do. “I’m a rm believer that we break down the stigma [of mental health] by talking about. And we have to keep talking about it,” Wilmes said. “People are listening and it’s not a comfortable conversation to have, but we make it comfortable by continuing to talk about it.”
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Women In Dairy Jennifer Zumbach Coggon, Iowa Delaware County 280 cows Family: Married to Dave Zumbach. We have four kids: Karl, 8, Will, 6, Anna, 5, and Neal, 3. Tell us about your farm. I farm with my parents, David and Donna Kunde, and two younger brothers, Michael and Daniel, at Kunde Jersey Farm. We milk 280 registered Jerseys, raise our heifers and breeding bulls, and feed out our steers. We farm several hundred acres of corn, hay, beans and rye. I help with my husband’s family farm where we feed out over 1,000 Holstein steers annually and run 1,000 acres of crop ground. What is the busiest time of day for you? From 4 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. is a rat race. I feel like I am on the clock. The kids get home from school at 4 p.m. Waking Neal up from a nap, getting others to change clothes, grab homework, not get distracted and jump in the truck to get to the farm is the toughest battle of my day. Then, getting them back in the truck at the farm to head home and not having them run in four directions instead of the house, then supper, showers and bed. When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I enjoy baking, making pies, designing notecards, gardening, canning, entering a local recipe contest, volunteering through 4-H, singing at church and running. This winter, I sewed quilt tops for our church. We met each Thursday to nish quilts for Lutheran World Relief, totaling over 100 this year. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. When I was 4, I had frequently gone to the pasture with my dad, mom and uncle to get cows and sometimes calves that were born. One day, they were chopping hay, and I saw a cow had calved, so I thought I’d go get it. I didn’t recognize the warning signs she was showing me (pawing at the ground and snorting at me). As I got closer, she took off running after me. I got part way up the hill when she caught me, knocked me down and pawed my cheeks before returning to her calf. Learned that protective lesson early on.
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Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? The late Anne Perchard, of Jersey Island, and Christy Ratliff, of Kansas, have inspired me most. I met Anne in 1999, and she ran her own farm. She faced challenges in her life, but she was purely special, kind and gracious. Her service to the Jersey cow around the world will continue to live on. I admire Christy’s determination and condence. She was named AJCA Master Breeder this past year. What she has been able to accomplish in the show ring and beyond to this point is impressive. She knows what she’s looking for, and she will work to get it. On top of that, she’s a great person and someone to learn from.
What is the best vacation you have ever taken? My husband and I went to Rome for our honeymoon. We had to reschedule it because a month before we were to leave, we were shocked to nd out he had kidney cancer. It was enclosed in the kidney, so once they removed it and he recovered for a few months we were able to go.
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How do you stay connected with others in the industry? Mainly through some Facebook groups and breed association meetings.
If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? Candace Owens. Her knowledge and conviction is incredibly inspiring. I’d like to share what we do on our farm daily with her and chat about her work.
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PHOTO SUBMITTED
Emma Friauf receives Star ProducĆ&#x;on Placement in FFA award at the 2019 Minnesota State FFA ConvenĆ&#x;on April 29 in Minneapolis. Friauf’s project was based on her work experience and accomplishments on Loren and Laura Olson’s dairy farm in Hutchinson, Minn.
Friauf receives FFA production placement award By Danna Sabolik
danna.s@dairystar.com
HUTCHINSON, Minn. - Emma Friauf has used her experiences as a farmhand at Raylore Farm to develop an award winning FFA project. Friauf was named the 2019 recipient of Star in Production Placement award April 29 at the Minnesota State FFA Convention in Minneapolis. “It was crazy,� said Friauf about winning. “When I found out, so did thousands of Minnesota FFA students. I was in shock.� For the past six years, Friauf has worked for Loren and Laura Olson on their dairy farm near Hutchinson, Minn. Friauf grew up on a hobby farm, but was introduced to dairy through the Olsons, who employed her father, Wayne Friauf, as a young man. “I fell in love with dairy,� said Fri-
auf about her ďƒžrst time working at Raylore Farm. During her time on the dairy, Friauf has learned new responsibilities from shaking straw and cleaning water cups to managing milking shifts and developing high quality show cattle. As Friauf’s responsibilities on the farm grew and she entered high school, she joined FFA and kept track of everything she did on the farm, from paychecks and time cards to experiences and responsibilities. With encouragement from her FFA advisors, Scott Marshall and Steven Lammers, and the Olsons, Friauf submitted her dairy project as a Supervised Agricultural Experience. The SAE program began in 2011, with a work-based learning philosophy for students in a supervised environment. Not only was Friauf’s work experience part of her SAE, she has also raised high quality show cattle she has shown at the state fair. “Over summers I kept track of how much I worked with show cattle and the
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Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
ConƟnued from FRIAUF | Page 37 awards I won through FFA and 4-H,” Friauf said. Some of the animals she has worked with have been on the farm as long as she has. In 2016, she was able to take her favorite cow, Laffy, to the state fair for FFA and earned grand champion in her show. She took another favorite animal to the fair in 2018. There, her cow, Emma, won reserve grand champion and best udder in the show. These accomplishments were a large part of the Star application process, and ultimately helped Friauf achieve this honor. Friauf said she remembers the application process and thinking it would be an accomplishment to make it to the top four in the state; however, she was also hesitant to get her hopes up. “As I was lling out my application, in the back of my head I was thinking it’d be insane to win, but I was just going to give it my best shot and see what happened,” she said. “I knew I could do it.” The process of the application took time to complete. “First you have to win the regional level, which included a paper application, nancial worksheets, essay questions and a face-to-face interview. Then, you have to give an on-
farm tour of your project,” Friauf said. Friauf advanced from the regional level to state, where she went through a similar process. This time, however, there was more focus on the on-farm interview. Afterwards, Friauf was named a nalist in the state for Star in Production Placement. There are four categories in which an FFA student can achieve star placement: production placement, farmer, agribusiness and agriscience. Within these four categories, four nalists were chosen and announced before the convention. At the convention, the winners were named. “It was very exciting,” she said. “But, then I had to wait. I found out I was a nalist in early April and didn’t nd out I won until the state convention April 29.” Friauf was quick to say this accomplishment was not earned on her own; she had many people to thank. “I’d have to start with my dad,” she said. “If it weren’t for him introducing me to the Olson family, I would’ve never known dairy cows. He introduced me to the rst stepping stone on the path of it all.” She is also grateful for the support of the Olsons. “They really took me in
and helped guide me along the path of dairy and continuing to nd my way and my interests,” Friauf said. “They shined the light and opened the door for me to nd dairy and what my true interests are in the dairy industry.” Friauf’s FFA advisors also helped her earn this award. “They helped me gure everything out and were with me every step of the way,” she said. “It was the rst time they had a Star applicant as well, so we all learned it together.” Friauf said FFA has given her opportunities she never would have explored otherwise. “If there’s any student out there who’s hesitant about joining FFA or doesn’t know what it is, just ask someone,” she said. “If your interests lie in agriculture, FFA is somewhere you should be. It gives you opportunities and opens doors for you to grow as a person, helps you learn leadership and communication skills and can teach you a lot of life lessons you might not learn without joining.” Friauf plans to continue her agricultural education by attending South Dakota State University in the fall and studying dairy production. She hopes to work with Minnesota dairy farmers upon graduation.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Emma Friauf boƩle feeds a calf on Loren and Laura Olson’s dairy farm near Hutchinson, Minn. Friauf submiƩed her experiences and accomplishments on the farm as her SAE project in FFA and received Star ProducƟon Placement at the 2019 Minnesota State FFA ConvenƟon.
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 39
FFA members celebrate success at state convention
Students engage in activities, award ceremony
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — (April 29, 2019) FFA members began the second day of the Minnesota FFA Convention with contests, workshops and sessions at the University of Minnesota (UMN). Nearly 4,000 members competed in Career Development Events (CDEs) and attended leadership workshops on the UMN-St. Paul campus. Following the CDEs and workshops, members gathered at the 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis for the annual award ceremony. Session Speakers To open the second general session, FFA members received greetings from Dr. Frances Homans, University of Minnesota. She shared the importance of agricultural education and its upcoming developments at the university. Session attendees were also welcomed by Minnesota Pork Ambassador Leyton Becker and Sarah Dornink, Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council. “We are here, at this convention and in these blue jackets, to do great things, and we will do great things,” said Keegan Zimmermann, FFA state vice president. “These moments are where it happens. The moments we choose to live in, to truly be present in.” Zimmermann, a Red Rock Central FFA member, delivered his retiring address titled, “Where it Happens.” Amir Ahmed, senior vice president of sales for DISH Network, shared remarks about his admiration of the National FFA
Celebrating
Organization and Minnesota FFA Association. During his visit to convention, he announced a donation of 30 FFA jackets intended for Minnesota FFA members. At the fourth general session, Laura Church, state secretary, delivered her retiring address. “Each day may not be good, but there is good in each day. We can be the reason someone else sees that good, too,” said Church, a Randolph FFA member. During the 2019 Annual Awards Program, Minnesota FFA Foundation Chair Natasha Mortenson offered words of encouragement and advice to the FFA members. “These people who give you gifts, they are your tribe. That tribe of people want you to be successful. They realize that you are the future leaders. We hope your experiences in FFA will allow you to grow as a leader and that the gift you’ve been given will be used wisely,” Mortenson said. Jordan Stowe, National FFA southern region vice president, provided remarks as part of her year-long journey serving the National FFA Organization. “There are people who believe in us, and we have the ability to believe in others,” Stowe said. The Minnesota FFA Prociency Awards, highlighting students’ Supervised Agricultural Experiences, were announced during the second general session. Stars Over Minnesota The Star Farmer award and Stars in Production Placement, Agribusiness and Agriscience indicate students’ commitment to their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) throughout the course of previous years. These projects, in conjunction with agriculture education
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courses, help increase student knowledge of agriculture. The Stars over Minnesota awards are sponsored by Compeer Financial Services. Emma Friauf, Hutchinson FFA - Star in Production Morgan Olson, Sebeka FFA - Star in Agriscience Daniel Williamson, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City FFA - Star Farmer Katherine Moller, Princeton FFA Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame The Minnesota FFA Alumni Association recognized nine inductees to the Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame. They join more than 180 members named to the Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame in the past 15 years. The FFA Hall of Fame is a collaborative effort between the Minnesota FFA Association, Alumni and Foundation. The 2019 Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame inductees include: Judy Barka (Watkins), Nancy Dahlman (Cokato), Ken Hammer (Frazee), Doug Hoseck (Hector), Roy Johnson (Elk River), Gary Olson (Moorhead), Neil Pearson (Grove City), Fred Troendle (St. Charles), and Jeff Voss (Jackson). Honorary State FFA Degree Twenty-one outstanding teachers and business professionals received Honorary State FFA Degrees from the Minnesota FFA Association. They demonstrate success and support of FFA and agricultural education. Each year, the Minnesota FFA Association recognizes the contributions of those who have made a signicant impact towards the success of the membership and the organization. Many of these individuals have served in numerous leadership roles through Career Development Events, the State Ofcer team, the
FFA Foundation or Alumni events. The 2019 recipients of the Honorary State FFA Degree are: Rick Banes (St. Paul), Jen Boersma (Lake Benton), Dean Broadhead (Minneapolis), Jenna Cardinal (Mahnomen), Stacy Fritz (Chateld), Dr. Connie Gores (Marshall), Wendy Haavisto (St. Paul), Amber Hanson Glaeser (Eagan), Dan Hoffman (Austin), Tiffany Hulinsky (Staples), Dr. Frances Homans (St. Paul), Doris Mold (St. Paul), Marge Larsen (New Prague), Sara Nagel Newberg (St. Paul), Jeff Nelson (New Ulm), Tracy Nelson (Cokato), Dave Peper (Alexandria), Clint Smith (Rockford), Ken Theissen (St. Cloud), Juleah Tolosky (Roseville), and Mike Wybierala (St. Paul). The parents of the 2018-2019 Minnesota FFA State Ofcers also received Honorary Minnesota FFA Degrees, including: Dean and Sara Taylor (Randolph), Roger and Kerri Zimmermann (Lamberton), Russell and Ann Church (Hastings), Duane and Linda Kroll (Pierz), Michael and Kristen Eaton (Pine Island), and Bruce and Wendy Mathiowetz (Belle Plaine). State FFA Degree Three hundred and sixty-eight Minnesota FFA members received the State FFA Degree at the 90th Minnesota FFA Awards Ceremony. To be eligible for the State FFA Degree, members must earn and invest at least $2,000 into their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE). Candidates must complete a minimum of two years of classroom instruction in an agricultural, food and natural resources education program. The list of recipients by region and chapter can be viewed at mnffa.org.
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