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25
2 DAIRY ST 5R C E L E B R A T I N G
Volume 25, No. 7
Diverse geographical representation
2 5
Y E A R S
May 27, 2023
“All dairy, all the time”™
Near-fatal collision cannot hold dairywoman back
Marschall survives 10 nalists for 70th internal decapitation Princess Kay of the Milky Way announced to return to the farm By Amy Kyllo
amy.k@star-pub.com
Josephine Sutherland found out she was a Princess Kay of the Milky Way nalist while helping move a futon. She had asked a friend to watch the announcement video on her behalf because she did not want to be disappointed. That afternoon, her friend casually texted her that she should check out the video. “I’m just standing there in shock,” Sutherland said. “I wasn’t expecting it so that I wouldn’t feel so bad at the moment.” Midwest Dairy’s video announcement of the 10 nalists for the 70th Princess Kay of the Milky Way premiered May 14 on Princess Kay’s Facebook page. Within less than four days, the video had already amassed over 7,000 views. As a nalist for Princess Kay, Sutherland, representing Pipestone County, is the rst nalist from Pipestone County since 1984. “My boss has a farm here in Pipestone, and she called me screaming that day,” Sutherland said. “She was just so excited. … I was just in shock for the next day or two.” Sutherland said her county princess coordinator, dairy farmer and president of the Pipestone County American Dairy Association, Keith Welgraven, was key to her getting the opportunity to compete for Princess Kay. Welgraven said he had a good feeling Sutherland would do well. “We’ve always had what I would feel is good representation,” Welgraven said. “It’s just fun to be able to see one you know be there in the top 10.” Pipestone County princesses have the exibility and opportunity to exercise leadership by planning and coordinating many of their own events. Welgraven’s advice to other Turn to FINALISTS | Page 6
By Amy Kyllo
amy.k@star-pub.com
CALEDONIA, Minn. – Rural rst responders from Caledonia were already in the ambulance when they were called to the scene of Rebeckah Marschall’s car crash. “They told me that I didn’t have another two minutes,” Rebeckah said. “They got to the scene, and they picked my head up and I gasped for air.” Rebeckah was struck on the driver’s side at around 55 mph in the late afternoon in snowy weather conditions Dec. 16, 2022, on her way to work on her family’s dairy farm. Within six hours, her injuries required an airlift to a hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. The airlift occurred as soon as a plane could be found as the weather conditions did not allow for helicopter or ground transport. There, they worked to stabilize
AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR
Rebeckah Marschall smiles with her dad, Dan Schroeder, in the milking parlor April 25 on their farm near Caledonia, Minnesota. One of Marschall’s rst concerns when she woke up aŌer a near-fatal accident was if the milk tester had been called because they were supposed to test the day aŌer her accident. her head and neck which had suffered what the medical team called internal decapitation. Rebeckah said the doctors described her injury as a complete sepa-
ration of the skull base from the cervical spine which required them to do an occipital cervical fusion procedure. Turn to MARSCHALL | Page 8
Winning the war on high somaƟc cell count Evans Dairy recognized for herd’s milk quality By Jerry Nelson
jerry.n@dairystar.com
JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR
Jim and Mary Evans stand on their farm May 19 where they milk 100 registered Holsteins near Pipestone, Minnesota. For the past 15 years, Associated Milk Producers Inc. has recognized the Evanses for their herd’s low somaƟc cell count.
PIPESTONE, Minn. – Dairy farmers battle with high somatic cell counts. But, Evans Dairy has experienced a good deal of success in its war against high SCC. Jim and Mary Evans and their son, Justin, milk 100 registered Holsteins on their farm near Pipestone. Associated Milk Producers Inc. has given the Evanses an award for
their low SCC every year for the past 15 years. In 2021, their average SCC for the entire year clocked in at a mere 78,000. The Evanses milk their cows 28 head at a time in a stanchion barn that is well over 100 years old. The barn features timber framing with mortice and tenon joints that are held together with hand-carved wooden pegs. The two rows of stanchions in the barn were originally installed sometime in the 1940s. The Evanses’ lactating cows are housed in a well-lit, naturally ventilated freestall barn. The free stalls, which are bedded with generous amounts of clean, dry sand, have ample room for mature Holstein cows. Turn to EVANS DAIRY | Page 7