Page 20 • Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 14, 2016
A Day in the Life of a Dairy Farmer May 5, 2016
JENNY BINVERSIE/DAIRY STAR
At 4:15 a.m., Sara Byl (leŌ) and ReneƩa begin milking the rst group of cows in the double-8 step-up parlor at Northernview Farms in Polk County, Wis. Byl is in partnership with her parents, Mike and Joyce Byl, and they milk 270 Holsteins three Ɵmes a day near Grantsburg, Wis. MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR
(Above right) At 8:20 a.m., Marc Dammann milks one of his last groups of goats in his swing-12 parlor. Dammann milks 120 goats and runs 20 acres of alfalfa and 10 acres of meadow hay in McLeod County near Glencoe, Minn.
NICOLE SMITH/DAIRY STAR
NICOLE SMITH/DAIRY STAR
Sandy Keller measures out milk for the feeding at 8 a.m. at Kellercrest Holsteins. There are 45 calves housed in the farm’s Cozy Calf Care Center, built in 2009. Sandy and her husband, Tim, along with Mark and Kareen Keller, milk 300 cows on the family farm located in Mt. Horeb, Wis.
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(Right) At 9 a.m., Duane Bernet evaluates and tags young heifers at Valley Mead Dairy. Each heifer is Ʃed with an electronic tracker that records caƩle informaƟon each Ɵme they enter the parlor. These heifers will be joining the milking herd in a few short months. Bernet and his family own and operate the 1,200cow operaƟon in MonƟcello, Wis.
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Use as a BEDDING CONDITIONER...
Improves Alfalfa tonnage and quality
• 420 lbs. SOLUBLE calcium/ton • 360 lbs sulfate/ton • Reduces water stress • Fights compaction • Faster, leaÀer green-up
• Soft material keeps cows clean, dry and comfortable • Gypsum is more absorbent than sawdust or shavings • Gypsum can reduce foot health problems • Gypsum can reduce cell counts and mastitis problems, add to the value of manure, suspendss in pits and lagoons • Non Caustic and safe. Doesn’t burn or cause dried skin or feet like hydrated lime.
Healthy nutrition starts with healthy soil.
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