Seniors! CELEBRATING OUR
See pages 12 & 13 of the Second Section for our High School Senior Feature!
DAIRY ST R
Reduce milk production but maintain cow numbers, capital Lormore offers three strategies for market demands By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
The novel coronavirus has caused mayhem throughout the dairy industry. For those who received notice from their cooperative or milk processor regarding the unprecedented need to reduce milk shipments, Dr. Michael Lormore, director of U.S. dairy cattle technical services at Zoetis, has offered strategies to reduce milk ows while maintaining a position for a successful re-entry into the market. “It’s rst important to recognize and understand the situation in the industry and what you’re personally up against,” Lormore said. “There is no perfect single answer for everybody.” If a dairy farm is faced with the need to decrease milk supply, there are three primary options that are the most effective when considering farm operations: transitioning from three-timesa-day milking to twice-a-day milking, extending the dry cow period and feeding calves whole milk longer. Limit milking frequency Extensive data has shown that increasing milking frequency from twice a day to three times a day results in an additional 7-8 pounds of milk per cow per day, Lormore said. “So, it’s reasonable to consider going from three-timesa-day milking to two times a day,” he said. “But, farmers have to understand this can’t happen without awareness to the challenges that come with it.” Depending on management strategies, a farm increasing milking frequency can increase production anywhere from 7-8 pounds of milk per cow per day; it is assumed the same will be lost when decreasing milking frequency. If a farm is requested to reduce production by 10% as Turn to PRODUCTION | Page 5
May 9, 2020
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 22, No. 6
Rosy-Lane Holsteins wins U.S. dairy sustainability award Healthy, long-lived cows main driver of efciency By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
WATERTOWN, Wis. – Breeding cows that live longer, healthier, more productive lives is one of the keys to sustainability success at Rosy-Lane Holsteins. By focusing on this aspect of genetics, the farm has increased efciency so they are producing 1.7 pounds of milk for every pound of dry matter fed to milking cows. This translates to 728,175 more gallons of milk per year using the same amount of feed and other resources. Rosy-Lane Holsteins is owned by Lloyd and Daphne Holterman, and their partners, Tim Strobel and Jordan Matthews, who milk 955 cows and farm about 1,800 acres near Watertown. Rosy-Lane’s daily dedication to cows, people, environment and community won the farm a national award for Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability April 22
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Daphne and Lloyd Holterman, part-owners of Rosy-Lane Holsteins, recently won the U.S. Dairy Sustainability award. The Holtermans milk 955 cows and farm 1,800 acres near Watertown, Wisconsin. from The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. The farm’s extreme efciency is a result of excelling in the areas
of genetics, people, animal housing, nutrition, herd health, milk harvest, technology and calf care. Rosy-Lane genetics zero in on productive life – a
trait Lloyd has bred for since 1994.
Turn to ROSY-LANE | Page 7
Farmers donate milk to those in need Sassy Cow Creamery, Marinette County dairies give back to community By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Taylor (leŌ) and Faith Baerwolf stand next to the Kindness Cooler they helped create to help area families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic at Sassy Cow Creamery’s retail store near Columbus, Wisconsin. The milk in the refrigerator is free to the public.
COLUMBUS, Wis. – Dairy producers across the state are doing amazing things during the current crisis to ensure milk is not wasted and the hungry are fed. Sassy Cow Creamery in Columbus, a dairy farm that bottles its own milk and makes ice cream, is making sure its customers who have fallen on hard times never go without milk. The creamery has placed a refrigerator outside its retail store lled with fresh, cold milk that is free for the taking. “The Kindness Cooler, as we call it, serves our neighbors, friends and people in the community who are laid off from work, lost their jobs, have kids at home, etc.,” said James Baerwolf, one of the creamery’s owners. “This is an easy way for them to have access to milk.” Sassy Cow regularly works with food pantries and groups in the community, but the Kindness Cooler hits a little closer to home. The response Turn to DONATE | Page 6
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020
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 Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Krista Kuzma - Editor/Wisconsin (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Andrea Borgerding - Associate Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman (608) 487-1101 danielle.n@dairystar.com Stacey Smart - Staff Writer (262) 442-6666 • stacey.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 - Joyce Frericks 320-352-6303 • joyce@dairystar.com Bob Leukam (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-1248 (cell) bob.l@star-pub.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 Julie Barnes (SE WI and Northern IL) julie.b@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Ashley Curry (Northeast WI and Upper MI) 920-539-7268 • ashley.c@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.
A glance at the other side
Dairy donation shout outs For the next couple issues, we will use this space to recognize the organizations and businesses that are donating dairy products to food banks. Please contact us if you have a donation you would like us to list here. Sargento Foods donates $2 million in cheese to help food banks across the country To help feed families during this time of need, Sargento Foods Inc. is donating $2 million in cheese to Wisconsin’s anti-hunger leader, Hunger Task Force and its membership organization the Hunger Relief Federation of Wisconsin. To assist families outside Wisconsin, Sargento will provide donated cheese to Feeding AmericaÂŽ- the largest hunger relief organization in the U.S. The family-owned cheese company is providing relief by donating a total of 15.8 million cheese sticks which can feed more than 1.3 million households across the U.S. Here are a few highlights from stories you will not ďƒžnd in this paper, but you can ďƒžnd online in zone 1. Sauer reďƒ&#x;ects on years in industry, prepares for future A decade ago, Branden Sauer started is dairying career with a few cows in a tiestall barn near Pierz, Minnesota. After years of carefully building his business, Sauer purchased a farm site that includes a parlor and freestall barn to accommodate is 90-cow herd this spring. Farming has not been easy for Sauer, but it has been worth it. In this article, the 30-year-old shares how he was able to weather the low years and progress during the high years. Family steps up as Richter recovers from surgery When Bruce Richter had emergency triple bypass surgery April 23, the last thing he had to worry about was how the chores were going to get done on his 80-cow dairy near Wadena, Minnesota. With help from immediate and extended family, the Richters ďƒžnished fall ďƒželdwork and prepared for spring planting, and continue to take care of the cows as Bruce recovers. Settergren brothers proud of family’s legacy Don and Peter Settergren spend their days in the barn and in the ďƒželds, just as their ancestors did. Last year, the brothers’ farm was recognized as century farm in Meeker County. Since 1919, the family has milked cows on the farm near Dassel, Minnesota. Over the years, they adapted to the industry, being one of the ďƒžrst to use haylage for feed, milk in a parlor and house cows in an open barn setup.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Columnists Ag Insider
Spring Valley
Glenwood City
First Section: Page 36
First Section: Pages 10-11
Women in Dairy: Jada Ellefson
Buffalo
Come Full Circle
Page 33 First Section
Vernon
Green Lake
Waushara
Richland
Cr
Just Thinking Out Loud
Grant
Lafayette Green
Jo Daviess
Carroll
Madison
on
Walworth go
eba
n Win
Whiteside
Columbus
Sassy Cow Creamery, Marinette County dairies give back to community First Section: Pages1, 6
Racine Kenosha
McHenry
Ogle DeKalb
Ag in the Classroom awards educational grants
Do or
Jefferson Waukesha
Rock
ens
h tep
S
Zone 2
Green Lake Fond Du Lac
Dane
Iowa
Page 22 Second Section
Zone 1
n Wi
Columbia Dodge
Sauk
aw
First Section: Page 39
o ag Calumet
b ne
for
Pages 10 - 11 Second Section
d
Dairy Prole: Loren Greeneld
O
Adams Juneau
ie am Brown
g uta
Wa sh
The “Mielke” Market Weekly
Shawano
Wood
Monroe La Crosse
te
Oconto
Portage Waupaca Jackson
et
Ke w
Pepin
Menominee
Bo o
Page 32 First Section
in
Langlade
Marathon
Clark
Eau Claire
ar
Menominee
ton S he bo Milwaukee Ozauk M yg ee an anito wo c
Pierce
Dunn
Forest
Lincoln
Taylor
Chippewa
M
ce
ing
St. Croix
Making Cents of Dairy
Oneida
Rusk
Barron
First Section: Pages 34 - 35
Price
ren
ne
Polk
Flo
Sawyer
Delta
Dickinson
Vilas
aun ee
n ur Burnett
Iron
ett e
Page 31 First Section
Anderson sisters serve as queen, alternate princess for Brown Swiss, Holstein breeds
Trempealeau
Veterinary Wisdom
Ellsworth
hb
Page 30 First Section
Ashland
Wa s
Ramblings from the Ridge
First Section: Pages 18, 20, 22
Bayeld
Douglas
Page 27 First Section
Top Performers: Nathan and Tajia Retzlaff
qu
Along the property line
Belle Plaine
Appreciation for cows drives Mahoneys
Ma r
Pages 8-9 First Section
Milwaukee
New program seeks to help farmers, processors
Kane
First Section: Pages 12 - 13
Lee
First Section: Pages 23, 25
Rock Island Mercer
Hen
ders on
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:
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re War
How have you scheduled your day to balance your work and help your children with distance learning? First Section: Pages 15 - 16
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ConƟnued from PRODUCTION | Page 1 a whole, this strategy will help meet that goal. On a milking and dry cow basis, the U.S. dairy industry produced 64 pounds per cow per day in 2019. If milking frequency was reduced on the 75% of cows that are milked three times a day, this would reduce aggregate production by 5.25 pounds. “This needs to be done with a careful eye on milk quality,” Lormore said. “Cows full on milk are at an increased risk of mastitis and higher somatic cell counts.” One option farmers may consider is milking post-peak production cows, those more than 120-150 days in milk, twice a day and keeping fresh cows and high production cows milking three times a day. Extend days dry to 70 To quickly Dr. Michael eliminate milk cows Lormore in the herd without culling, farmers may dry cows off earlier than planned and extend the dry period. Current research recommends herds aim for a days dry target of 45-65 days, Lormore said. “We could push that target up to 70 days and reduce the number of milk days,” he said. By adding two more dry weeks to a typical 14-month calving interval herd, farmers would reduce milking days by 3.3% and decrease production by nearly 2.5%. On a national basis, this would decrease milk ows by 1.6 pounds of milk per cow per day, Lormore said. Yet, extending the dry period can have signicant setbacks to animal health. “We really don’t want to go beyond 70 days dry because of the disease risks associated with that,” Lormore said. When dry periods exceed 70 days, the risk of removal during the rst 60 days of the next lactation more than doubles. At 90 days dry, that risk is increased three times over. “Transition cow diseases become much more prevalent because the cows with extended dry periods are often over conditioned,” Lormore said. Feed whole milk to calves The third strategy to reduce milk production, or milk sold off the farm, is to feed calves whole milk for a longer period of time. “Most farmers are weaning calves at 7-8 weeks old. That’s a lot of milk replacer,” Lormore said. “There’s now an opportunity to use whole milk to feed calves. It’s also going to eliminate some costs with raising calves.”
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020 • Page 5
Calves could receive about 2.5-3 gallons of milk per day. Lormore suggested keeping calves on milk up to 60-90 days where facilities can support it. Under the right circumstances, that period could be extended to 120 days while also including roughage to help with rumen development. “You’re going to have really high performing calves, and in two years, those will become high performing cows,” Lormore said. Because the calves will likely grow larger than if fed with milk replacer and on a shorter time frame, dairy farmers should decide if their housing facilities are able to accommodate bigger calves on whole milk. With these three strategies, dairy farmers can effectively reduce the amount of milk shipped without reducing cow numbers. “The thing to take into consideration with any decision is how you’re going to maintain cow numbers and capital,” Lormore said. “For most farms, culling may be part of the strategy, but we’re already seeing a lot of challenges with throughput in the beef processing industry.” Additionally, Lormore cautioned farmers against dramatically reducing cow numbers for the risk of not being compliant with borrowing base loans. When deciding which strategy is the best for a dairy, farmers should work with their team to develop an appropriate solution. “These are not decisions you should be making in a vacuum,” Lormore said. “It is ultra important to communicate with others. Include your family, your employees, nutritionist, veterinarian, lender and milk handler.” Regardless of the situation each dairy may be faced with, Lormore said there are things all farmers can do during these times – continue to communicate with trusted employees, take time for themselves and keep the business’ nancial house in order. “What happens today is normal for today,” Lormore said. “We have to accept this brutal reality, roll up our sleeves and get at it.” Over time, dairy farmers have adapted to become more sustainable in the industry. As these unprecedented times have many facing challenges they have never seen in their lifetime, farmers must also think about resiliency and how their business is able to respond to adversity. “When the markets do reopen, it’s going to be a walk, not a run,” Lormore said. “At that time, it’s going to be important to have the right cows, the healthy cows. So right now, focus on being nancially prudent, having a good disease prevention program in place, and maintaining performance and good husbandry for all animals, calves through cows.”
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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020
ConƟnued from DONATE | Page 1
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to the cooler has been incredible with an average of 150-200 gallons of milk ying off its shelves daily. Some days have topped 300 gallons. “We primarily give away 2% milk as that covers the most common needs,” James said. “Chocolate milk is the hardest to keep stocked so we have to divvy that up to offer some variation.” Available 24/7, the fridge is restocked multiple times per day, and on the weekend, replenishing milk is a full-time job. The Kindness Cooler opened to the public March 24 and will continue until the end of the stay-at-home order. The idea for the cooler was that of James’ three daughters, Taylor, 18, Faith, 16, and Anika, 14. “We were talking about the coronavirus and how crazy it is, and wondered what we could do to help,” Taylor said. “Now, we’re using what we have to help others.” Faith agreed. “With schools and coffee shops shut down, we had extra milk, and we didn’t want it to go to waste,” Faith said. Taylor attends Fox Valley Technical College and is studying agricultural business and animal science. Like her sisters, she is home from school and able to help more at the farm and creamery. “It’s been a big plus for me in that I got my calf feeders back – morning and night,” James said. Owned and operated by James and his brother, Robert Baerwolf, and their families, Sassy Cow Creamery is home to two herds, milking 600 cows at their traditional dairy and 200 cows at their organic dairy. Milk is run ve days a week at Sassy Cow Creamery, and lately, they always do a little extra for the cooler. “Like everybody in the dairy industry, things were kind of normal for us one week, and the next week, everything turned upside down,” James said. “We wanted to nd the best way to be helpful with all the upheaval, and this is one thing we can do.” The Sassy Cow store has remained open throughout the pandemic, and trafc has increased times two. “We’ve never sold this much milk before, and ice cream takeout sales have doubled,” James said. “Consumers are scared to go to the grocery store or a busy area and are willing to pay more for things like eggs, cottage cheese, cheese curds and meat if it means they don’t have to be around a lot of people.” However, the creamery’s new Farmhouse Kitchen, featuring classic and signature grilled cheese sandwiches, has not really had a chance yet to get off the ground. “We’re doing takeout, but we lost a big chunk of our restaurant and coffee house business because of the virus,” James said. “State restrictions affect how we operate, and we see it rsthand on both ends – at our farm and at our store.” The cooler has sparked interest from other members of the community looking to make a difference, and people have been donating money to put towards stocking the fridge with milk. “Having people fund this cooler was never our intention,” James said. “But people want to help, and we appreciate that. The Kindness Cooler has given them that opportunity.” For dairy farmer Monica Schwittay, serving her fellow neighbor is part of everyday life. Schwittay’s charitable heart has been amplied during the
COVID-19 pandemic as she and other Marinette County dairy farmers and fellow community members established a milk fund to help feed families in need. Local dairy farmers teamed together and donated 80 gallons of milk to the Peshtigo and Crivitz food pantries April 15. An initiative started by Jason Malke at Straight Flush Sewer and dairy farmer Laura Finger, the idea soon took off as other dairies expressed interest to get on board and help. Finger Family Farms of Peshtigo, Drees Dairy Farm of Peshtigo, Schwittay Farms of Peshtigo, Van De Walle Farms of Crivitz, Nor Farms of Peshtigo, Kaufman Farms of Crivitz, Carviou Dairy of Marinette and Jason Malke generously donated. “We tried to stay anonymous,” Schwittay said. “Nobody in the group wanted to take credit for anything, but at the same time, we want to build more awareness for helping those in need. We just want others to see the need that we see. This includes helping to stimulate the dairy industry. We need to survive, too.” Schwittay and her husband, Jeremy, operate two farms in Peshtigo – Schwittay Farms where they milk over 300 cows with Jeremy’s brother, Jason, and Heifer Solutions, a custom heifer raising operation. The couple has been contributing to food pantries for years, donating milk, butter, cheese and meat. “Supporting our local food pantry has always been near and dear to our hearts,” Schwittay said. Going forward, Marinette County farmers will be serving four food pantries in Marinette County – Bread by the Bay in Oconto, Peshtigo Food Pantry, Crivitz Food Pantry and Pastor Fred’s Pantry in Amberg. The Peshtigo pantry feeds 30 families twice a month; Crivitz feeds 50 families twice a month; Oconto feeds 80 families twice a month; and Amberg feeds 160 families twice a month. “Our goal is to feed all those families two times a month in both May and June,” Schwittay said. “Therefore, we are hoping to donate 640 gallons of milk in May. Fluid milk is always a much-needed item at food pantries. Contrary to what many might think, they don’t always have milk. Butter is another hot commodity that pantries rarely see, and we’re considering doing a donation of butter for the month of June.” The pantries are partners with several grocers that are supplying milk directly to the milk fund. These include Lee’s Family Foods in Peshtigo, Witt’s Piggly Wiggly in Crivitz and Sal’s Foods in Wausaukee. “Sal Sarvello, owner of Sal’s Foods, said he would sell the milk at cost,” Schwittay said. “And due to his commitment to the community, he was willing to cover half of that cost. With just two locations, he’s not a big grocer so I thought that was rather gracious.” Word has spread fast, and many people from the community are pitching in to donate, handing checks directly to grocers to put towards the milk fund. “It doesn’t matter who you are – a business owner, dairy farmer or a consumer who lives in town – we just want everybody to help with the movement of helping others,” Schwittay said. “It’s about giving back, and we need to give back to our community. It truly takes a village.” Anyone interested in donating to the milk fund or helping in some manner is encouraged to contact Monica Schwittay, Laura Finger or Jason Malke.
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ConƟnued from ROSY-LANE | Page 1 Experts at creating cows that last, the folks at Rosy-Lane Holsteins have mastered the art of doing more with less by breeding a relatively troublefree cow they can milk for many years. “Genetics has made the biggest difference for us in terms of sustainability,” Lloyd said. “We breed for longevity instead of type and have multiple generations of high productive life cows.” The Holtermans think not of short-term success but of longterm performance and proÀtability achieved on minimal resources. Their herd is Àlled with efÀcient cows that stand the test of time, breed back quickly and rarely call in sick. “Cows must be bred for resilience,” Lloyd said. “At the farm level, we’ve greatly reduced our cost to produce milk – not by traditional ways – but by breeding better, healthier, longer-living cows. It’s a big reason why we won this award.” Fixed on breeding cows that produce more milk throughout their lifetime, Rosy-Lane has bred 166 cows with over 200,000 pounds of lifetime milk production. The farm’s rolling herd average is 32,155 pounds of milk, with 4% butterfat at 1,296 pounds, and 3.2% protein at 1,020 pounds. Cows average 102 pounds of energy-corrected milk per day. The farm follows a specialized breeding template focused on productive life, daughter pregnancy rate and Dairy Wellness ProÀt, allowing them to attain more milk with fewer cows. Their breeding philosophy results in cows that perform higher over a longer time period while incurring lower veterinary costs. Low cattle turnover is evident in the farm’s cull rate which has averaged 25% for the last four years. “It’s really paid off to intensively breed for productive life,” Lloyd
said. “We’re milking older, healthier, fertile, disease-resistant cows. That’s where the money is. If you really want to cut costs and increase production, you have to do this. You can breed for more milk, but if she doesn’t last, it’s futile. Reducing a herd’s replacement cost is the lowhanging fruit for proÀtability.” Rosy-Lane is a farm where the older girls often outperform the younger ones. “Our fourth-calf cows are our highest producers,” Lloyd said. “And we have eighth-calf cows that are outproducing our second-calf cows. Forty percent of our herd is at three or more lactations.” Lloyd said they raise 30% fewer replacements than the average farm but still have enough animals to sell replacement cows. “We do intensive selection for daughter pregnancy rate,” Lloyd said. “It takes generations to improve fertility, but we’ve been doing this for 15 years and have seen an improvement in genetic fertility. Most of the cows we culled in the past were open. Now, most cows breed back trouble-free.” The Holtermans worked with Dr. Paul Fricke and Dr. Milo Wiltbank from the University of Wisconsin-Madison on implementing reproduction strategies. Lloyd said his farm’s breeding strategy costs no more than other approaches. “Our breeding budget is the same as before we went down this path,” he said. “The bulls we use are not necessarily the highest priced. Prices are based on production and type, not longevity, so there are some real bargains out there.” The farm is currently using these sires: Rome, Solution, Arrowhead, Windu, Media, Magnitude, Tuner and Ragnar.. “Our cows were getting too big so now we breed a smaller, rounder,
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Tim Strobel (leŌ) and Jordan MaƩhews are partners with Lloyd and Daphne Holterman and part-owners of Rosy-Lane Holsteins. Strobel and MaƩhews have worked at Rosy-Lane since high school. tougher cow,” Lloyd said. “We pick average to below on stature, but they still need to be strong. Reducing frame size has dramatically improved mobility. We breed a cow that’s extreme in cheese yield while living longer and healthier. Our cows are also more resistant to disease which has greatly reduced our use of antibiotics.” Whittling away at the cost to produce 100 pounds of milk, the Holtermans have learned how to achieve maximum production on minimal resources. “We believe healthy cows and a healthy planet go hand-in-hand,” Daphne said. “That’s the essence of sustainability.” The Holtermans place a high emphasis on cow health and breed for cows that resist mastitis, ketosis, displaced abomasums and other ailments. The outcome is fewer sick animals and a lower cost per hundredweight of milk. Antibiotics have not been used on the milking herd for more than seven years as cows only
receive antibiotics at dryoff, not during lactation. The farm’s vet cost is 32 cents per hundredweight, whereas 90 cents to $1 is typical, Lloyd said. When dealing with things like mastitis, the focus is on prevention. When mastitis does occur, it is treated via Áuid therapy, not antibiotics. “Our cure rate went up when we started doing this,” Lloyd said. “Fluids stabilize the cows and they usually get better in less than a week.” The Holtermans and their partners have bred two No. 1 genomic females. Rosy-Lane Delta 10090-ET obtained top genomic status in 2015, and two years later, her daughter, Rosy-Lane LLC Frazzled 11270-ET, took the No. 1 spot. “The Delta daughter’s livability score is over 5, which is very extreme at more than two deviations over the standard,” Lloyd said. “She has great mobility, fertility, and resistance to mastitis and disease. She has 50 offspring and Àve sons in A.I. and is the epitome of what we’re trying to breed here.”
Lloyd said the power of genetics to transform a farm should not be underestimated. “You can start changing what you’re breeding for tomorrow,” he said. “It’s an investment, and each generation gets better. Things don’t improve overnight – it takes two to three generations to see a difference, so you have to be patient and keep at it. You also have to measure and track your numbers.” Daphne agreed. “We collect numbers from all areas of the farm and enter them into the computer on a regular basis,” she said. “These measurements tie everything together and are extremely helpful in guiding us as we strive to be more efÀcient and sustainable.” Daphne also attributes their efÀcient, highly-trained and motivated staff of 20 employees as critical to the farm’s success. “Without great people, we couldn’t do all of this,” she said. Sustainability is procured at Rosy-Lane through a combination of large and small efforts, and Daphne said they constantly evaluate what is providing the best return. Although they have found genetics pulls the biggest bang for their buck, they push for efÀciency and sustainability at every turn – in caring for their land and crops and in using water, electricity and other resources. “Work towards sustainability, better cash Áow and long-term debt reduction and watch your operation grow in Ànancial strength,” Lloyd said. “People think sustainability has to cost more without getting better performance, but we would argue that’s not the case. By reÀning our protocols and focusing on genetics, we’ve become more sustainable and proÀtable at the same time.”
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Signiďƒžcant losses in farm income forecast Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020
A new analysis from Texas A&M University is Trump discusses reopening of packing plants forecasting a massive decline in farm income. This President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike study projects net cash income for dairy farms will Pence and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue drop 58% this year. Income for beef operations will spoke with farm leaders and meat company executives decline 47%. Agricultural economist in late April. The phone conversation Bart Fischer said feed grain and oilseed centered on the use of the Defense Ag Insider producers will see net cash income decline Production Act to reopen meatpacking 15%. Following the release of this report, plants. Trump referenced that call during National Milk Producers Federation remarks made in the Oval Ofďƒžce. “The President and CEO Jim Mulhern said farmers are very happy, and the ranchers COVID-19 is “a grave danger for U.S. and the companies that we’re talking dairies,â€? and the proposed payment cap about,â€? Trump said. “They’re now being in the federal disaster package is not treated fairly; they’re thrilled and that adequate. whole bottleneck is broken up.â€? Trump said the United States has ample food USDA rejects proposed change to supplies, but the pandemic caused a federal orders logistical logjam. The JBS Packerland The United States Department of meatpacking plant in Green Bay closed Agriculture has rejected a request for on a temporary basis due to the spread of By Don Wick an emergency hearing for a temporary coronavirus among its workforce. Columnist increase in the Class I milk price. Major dairy processors proposed a minimum Lawsuit ďƒžled over new WOTUS rule $15.68 Class I milk price in June, July and August. Environmental activist groups have ďƒžled a federal Agricultural Marketing Service Administrator Bruce lawsuit, challenging the new Navigable Waters Summers said the proposal for a change in federal Protection Rule. This rule updates the Waters of the milk marketing orders was turned down because of United States. The lawsuit claims the public was not the temporary nature of the request and dairy industry given enough opportunity to provide feedback. The interest in alternative solutions to the COVID-19 environmental groups are also saying the new rule crisis. does not consider the impact to water quality. United States considers trade retaliation against China The United States is investigating the source of the coronavirus and what China did to prevent the spread of the disease. “China is buying billions of dollars worth of our products, farm products and other products, and it is a good deal,â€? said President Donald Trump. “And then we noticed the virus, and it is not acceptable what happened. It came out of China, and it is not acceptable.â€? Trump signed the phase one trade deal with China in January and it took effect in mid-February.
DOJ calls for divestiture The Department of Justice will only allow Dairy Farmers of America to acquire Dean Foods milk processing plants if it divests of three of its plants. Those three plants are in De Pere, Wisconsin, Harvard, Illinois, and Franklin, Massachusetts. Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim, from the DOJ’s antitrust division, said this is a difďƒžcult time in the dairy industry with Dean Foods and Borden Dairy Company in bankruptcy and COVID-19 resulting in the loss of demand for milk and dairy products. “In the face of these challenges and Dean’s worsening ďƒžnancial condition, the department conducted a fast but comprehensive investigation,â€? he said.
Martin drops interim title Karl Martin has been named the new dean and director the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension. Martin has led roles within the Extension program on a temporary basis since 2016. Martin joined Extension in 2014 as the program director for Community, Natural Resource and Economic Development. Eberhard leaves IDFA for Capitol Hill job Tony Eberhard will serve as the new chief of staff for North Dakota Senator John Hoeven. Eberhard was Hoeven’s deputy chief of staff and legislative director until 2017 and comes with 14 years of Capitol Hill experience. For the past three years, Eberhard has served as the vice president of legislative affairs for the International Dairy Foods Association. Dairy Hall of Fame honorees named The National Dairy Shrine has selected the Dairy Hall of Fame honorees for 2020. Jay Mattison of Verona, Wisconsin, will receive the National Dairy Shrine’s highest honor as the Guest of Honor. Mattison is the chief executive ofďƒžcer for the National Dairy Herd Improvement Association. David Patrick of Maple Dell Ayrshires of Woodbine, Maryland, has been named the Distinguished Dairy Cattle Breeder. By unanimous selection, four individuals were named Pioneers. Those honorees are dairy sanitation leader Harold Barnum of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin; UW-Madison Extension dairy professor Dr. Allan Bringe; dairy cooperative leader Randall Geiger of Reedsville, Wisconsin, and Select Sires veterinarian Dr. Don Monke of Plain City, Ohio. Wisconsin dairy earns sustainability award Rosy-Lane Holsteins of Watertown, Wisconsin, is a national winner of the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Award from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. Rosy-Lane Holsteins is owned by Lloyd and Daphne Holterman and their partners Tim Strobel and Jordan Matthews. The Wisconsin farm is one of Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
IMPROVE ACCURACY AND DRAMATICALLY REDUCE COSTS REDUCES FOOTBATH TREATMENT COSTS TO ABOUT $1/COW PER MONTH Daniel Kieler, Kieler Farms Inc. • 1,800 cows Automatic Footbath installed January 2018 “We looked at installing an automatic footbath to eliminate employees having to handle and mix the chemicals like they would with a traditional footbath. We are happy with the system, as it has proven to be easy and efficient to use. It has also helped us to save on chemical costs.â€?
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020 • Page 9
ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8 three national winners.
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July 1 deadline for WDE decision A nal decision regarding the fate of this year’s World Dairy Expo will be made July 1. WDE ofcials said the health and safety of exhibitors, attendees and volunteers are a priority. However, the current economic crisis in the dairy industry is also a consideration. The WDE executive committee will consider all options before making a nal decision to hold or cancel this year’s show.
Trivia challenge The National Cheese Exchange, which is where cheese was bought and sold up until 1997, was located in Green Bay. That answers our last trivia question. For this week, when did the rst Dairy Queen restaurant open? We will have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star.
Tomah NTPA pull canceled This year’s Budweiser Dairyland Super National Truck and Tractor Pull in Tomah has been canceled. The NTPA event is the victim of COVID-19 and
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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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020
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GLENWOOD CITY, Wis. – A love of cows has kept Tom and Debbie Mahoney milking their small herd of dairy cows for the past 13 years, while each has worked full-time off the farm as well. The Mahoneys milk their herd of 18 cows on their St. Croix County farm. Tom works as an inseminator for Select Sires. He began breeding cows at the age of 16, working as a relief technician for his father’s PHOTO SUBMITTED route before taking on his own full-time route Debbie and Tom Mahoney operate a small dairy farm near Glenwood City, Wisafter he graduated from consin. They milk 18 cows while both working full-ďż˝me jobs o the farm. school. Eventually, Tom was able to come back to his home area and take over his father’s route when his father took a new di- ways abided by on his breeding route as well. rect service route. Debbie has worked for nearly 25 “Over the years, I’ve heard a lot more complaints years with Baldwin LightStream. about young cows blowing their udder than I have “Our dairy farm started out as a fair project for about young cows not milking,â€? Tom said. our kids, but we both enjoy the cows,â€? Tom said. “Our Waiting for heifers to be large enough to breed and sons, Pat and Ryan, are grown now, but they come mature enough when they calve is another thing Tom home and help out whenever they might be needed.â€? considers to be important. The Mahoneys started their pursuit in a time remi“I look at their height, but I also look at how my niscent of what they are facing currently. hand ďƒžts across their rump and pins,â€? Tom said. “If “We started with $9 milk and mostly cull cows,â€? I’m going to have trouble ďƒžtting my arm through their Tom said. pins, why try breeding them?â€? They began with Jersey and Holstein, and over The Mahoneys said time management is the key time have added Brown Swiss and Milking Shorthorn to operating a small dairy farm while working fullinto the mix. time jobs. Being efďƒžcient and keeping a schedule al“We are focusing on components and trying to lows them to take care of their chores in the morning keep the protein and butterfat up,â€? Tom said. before they leave for their respective jobs. Milk produced by the Mahoneys’ herd is shipped “You have to be efďƒžcient and not waste time,â€? to the Swiss Miss plant in nearby Menomonie. All of Tom said. “We’ve always enjoyed doing this, and it the feed for the herd is purchased; their farm consists has worked out well with our work schedules.â€? of about 17 acres, most of which is pasture. Besides their sons, the Mahoneys said they are “In the summer, we put cowbells on our cows blessed with good friends who help when they need when they are out to pasture,â€? Tom said. “We enjoy time off from chores, and they have a local retired sitting outside and listening to the music of the cow- farmer who milks once a week to give them a night bells as they graze.â€? off. When it comes to mating, Tom said he focuses on The Mahoneys said they planned to hang up their type and high components, which is what he has al- milking stools when they turned 50, but those birthday candles are now in the rear-view mirror. “Our timeline to quit is up in the air,â€? Tom said. “We’re still enjoying doing it, and we’ve paid down enough of our debt to give us more ďƒ&#x;exibility. As long as the plant continues to pick up our milk, I’d guess we will keep at it for a few more years at least.â€? A retirement project for the Mahoneys is already beginning to take shape based on their love of cattle. They are working on training a pair of 1-year-old Milking Shorthorn oxen with plans to start a second The Mahoneys milk their mixed herd of cows in a ďż˝estall barn.
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Turn to MAHONEY | Page 11
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020 • Page 11
ConƟnued from MAHONEY | Page 10
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Tom Mahoney stands with his 1-year-old team of Milking Shorthorn oxen he has started training as a hobby. pair of oxen in the near future. Tom is planning to attend Tillers International in June to learn to train oxen. “I just enjoy working with the animals, and training the oxen is a lot like training cattle for shows,” Tom said. “You just work to earn their trust, and they will do what you ask.” One of the challenges they have faced has been nding a good balance of chores, work and quality family time. Now that their children are grown and moved away, they work to ensure they have time to visit them. “I think that is something all farmers struggle with,” Tom said. “But making time to enjoy your family when they are young is important, because you can’t get that time back.” The overall state of the dairy industry today gives Tom concern, but he also sees hope and optimism for the future.
“Supply management and getting product moving again is going to be our biggest challenge,” Tom said. “I see a future for the dairy industry. I’m not entirely sure what it looks like, but there is hope.” When dairy farmers on his breeding route ask his advice for how to breed their cows in these uncertain markets, Tom’s advice is steadfast. “I tell them to breed them the same way they did last year to stay the course,” Tom said. “The decisions you make today are what you’ll be dealing with in your milking herd in two years and nine months.” An appreciation for the cows and for the people in the industry are what gives Tom his faith for the future. “The markets swing, but it will always work out if you work hard enough at it,” Tom said.
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020
New program seeks to help farmers, processors Wisconsin Dairy Recovery partnership moves product, feeds hungry By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Continuing to move milk in Wisconsin during the COVID-19 pandemic is the main goal of the state’s new Dairy Recovery Program – a $1 million investment in the dairy industry spearheaded by the state’s leading anti-hunger organization, Hunger Task Force, partnering with Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Hunger Task Force. The donated money will help dairy Sherrie Tussler Hunger Task Force producers and processors stay in business. “I was watching news stories about dairies having to dump milk and seeing people lamenting over the loss of this food that could help low-income people across the state and wanted to do something,” said Sherrie Tussler, Hunger Task Force executive director. “People have been super generous in donating to our cause, allowing us to contribute $1 million to dairy to purchase both uid milk and cheese products.” Rolling out April 15, the program
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Hunger Task Force community relaƟons manager Kyle Buehner distributes fresh milk safely in a drive-thru distribuƟon for senior ciƟzens in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. is seen as a win-win for food pantries and dairy farmers alike, moving high volumes of milk and cheese across the state. Kemps, a Dairy Farmers of America company, is processing the milk at its Cedarburg facility. Engelhardt Dairy picks up the milk and delivers 900 cases weekly to the Hunger Task Force, which serves 47 food pantries, and 20 soup kitchens and homeless shelters in
the Milwaukee area. An additional 900 cases of uid milk are being sent to the Hunger Relief Federation of Wisconsin, which serves 77 food banks across the state. The amount of milk shipped at the end of April is expected to double in the coming weeks. “This is an opportunity for our processors to move milk,” said Patrick Geoghegan, executive vice president of industry relations at Dairy Farmers of
Wisconsin. “This is not donated milk. The milk and cheese sold to the food banks allows dairy farmers to be paid and processors to pay their employees so we can keep the wheels of the dairy industry turning. We are moving well over a quarter million pounds of milk a week just through this program, and this number will continue to grow. We’re working with the entire dairy infrastructure in Wisconsin to keep milk moving.” With half of Wisconsin’s cheese normally sold into foodservice channels and 70% of restaurants closed, Geoghegan said there was a lot of cheese and dairy products to nd a home for. Retail sales have been fairly robust as of late, but regardless of how much product is sold at retail, Geoghegan said they would never be able to make up for foodservice losses. “It is heart wrenching to see uid milk disposed of in America’s Dairyland,” said Randy Romanski, DATCP interim secretary. “Milk is one of Wisconsin’s signature products, and we do not want it going to waste.” Chalet Cheese Cooperative in Monroe is sending 18,000 pounds of baby Swiss per week through the program, and Rolling Hills of Monroe is delivering 10,000 pounds of cheese curds weekly. In addition, Winona Foods in Green Bay is providing cheese slices and sticks, and Clock Shadow Creamery in Milwaukee is supplying curds as well. “In working with DFW and DATCP, we tried to nd processors that Turn to RECOVERY | Page 13
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020 • Page 13
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Kemps delivers the rst truckload of more than 4,500 gallons of whole milk to Hunger Task Force for distribuƟon to families throughout Milwaukee. we could help save – those whose very existence was threatened by the pandemic,” Tussler said. “Chalet makes a fabulous baby Swiss and is the only maker of Limburger cheese left in the country. We didn’t want to see them go out of business.” Demand at food pantries is high, and since the stay-at-home order went into effect, Wisconsin dairy farmers, processors and communities have joined forces to provide more than 10 million pounds of dairy products on a milk equivalency basis (representing more than 1.2 million gallons of milk) to the state’s growing number of individuals needing assistance. “We’re blessed with an amazing network of food banks and pantries in Wisconsin,” Geoghegan said. “Working with food banks is a good model for our organization right now.” Romanski said nding a home for uid milk is a top priority of the DATCP. “We want farmers to have a place to take their product and still get compensated for their work,” Romanski said. “What is heartening about this partnership is that the Hunger Task Force is paying for product, and that money is going to farmers. This program keeps the supply chain moving which is re-
ally important during a disturbance in the marketplace.” Romanski is hopeful the connections being made in Wisconsin will appear in the federal Coronavirus Food Assistance Program the United States Department of Agriculture is working on. Payments from this program are expected to reach farmers by the end of May. “We have asked the USDA to expedite payment as quickly as possible,” Romanski said. “Farmers need help now.” Partnerships in other areas of agriculture are forming as well. The Wisconsin Pork Association and DATCP have aligned to start a new program called Passion for Pork, which will connect Wisconsin pork producers to local meat processors, consumers and individuals experiencing food insecurity during COVID-19. “If dairy farmers are disposing of milk, they should get in touch with their local food bank and ask them to buy the product at a fair price,” Tussler said. “We need to gure out ways to help our farmers and keep the supply chain intact. What we’re doing can be replicated across the nation and could make a difference in how many farmers are left after the pandemic is over.”
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Brenda and Erik Gilbertson Hollandale, Wisconsin Iowa County 50 cows Tell us about your family. Makenna, 9, is in third grade; Elise, 6, is in ďƒžrst grade; Naydeen, 4, is in preschool; and Janelle, 1. Tell us about your athome setup for your kids. Erik is on the farm, and his dad, Mark, helps with chores. Brenda works parttime from a home ofďƒžce doing independent marketing communications with her primary role for Dairy Girl Network while taking care of the kids. She helps as needed on the farm and does bookkeeping. How have you scheduled your day to balance your work and help your children with distance learning? For the ďƒžrst two-week period, we took that time to setup workspaces for each child, although as time has gone by everyone has been moving around the house and going outside to complete work. Our school provided lesson plans the ďƒžrst week of April, including reoccurring video chats for each class. Third grade meets daily, ďƒžrst grade has three video chats per week and preschool has one session weekly. The teachers have been resourceful with providing learning engagement, yet patient in understanding that it’s not possible to complete everything or attend every Zoom or Google Hangout meeting. The kids are encouraged to get the must-do items done daily: reading, math, journal writing and language arts. When the baby naps, I try to do my ofďƒžce work, however, as the weeks go by I am ďƒžnding that is also a good opportunity for time with the school-aged kids. I love breaking up the day by going for walks, the kids riding their bikes and doing stuff around the farm. Once we narrowed down some key tools to use, we’ve found a good groove for our days. What non-school learning are you having your kids take on while at home? The big girls have been helpful with the baby. Makenna loves being around the cattle. She helps with feeding calves and is starting to learn how to milk. Elise is all hands-on, watching how things are done and then takes initiative to help. She is always looking to do any type of experiment or craft. She has more gained conďƒždence with chores around the farm. Naydeen also enjoys her quality time around the farm with a big heart to help and always makes us laugh. Grandma Christine is also planting a garden with the kids. What has been the most difďƒžcult aspect of the current situation for you and your family? The impact to the dairy industry, and changes we’ve had to make on the farm to reduce milk production. The pandemic has also affected the kids’ emotions. We have good days and not so good days. The excitement of homeschool has faded. They are ready for summer break. We will continue to use a few learning tools into the summer. I’d like to continue reading every day and doing math facts. I’d also like to work on improving handwriting skills, including cursive handwriting. It’s my hope to ďƒžnd a way to tackle some of those early quarantine projects I initially dreamed of when this all began. How has COVID-19 positively impacted your family? We’ve been slowing down more to be in the moment with a different outlook on life. Although we did not travel much before, it sure is nice not running the kids to activities. The kids are involved on the farm by their personal choice. They are building stronger relationships with each other, forming bonds and using their creativity more. We also enjoy doing video chats with our extended family. I have enjoyed doing homework with the kids. Although teaching our own kids is quite stressful, I’ve often thought about my grandmother teaching in a one-room schoolhouse, and I don’t know how she did it. With so many unknowns for the summer, the summer months may be when we experience the most positive of together time at home. I am looking forward to summer break as an opportunity to implement the perspectives I’ve been thinking about in recent weeks of simplifying and living in the moment. We have so many fun, learning opportunities around the farm to savor together. Tell us about your farm. Gildale Holsteins is home to 50 cows and 80 heifers. We take pride in improving genetic quality of the herd with registered Holsteins. As Erik says, walking into the barn and seeing good cows is what keeps him doing it every day.
Amber Mueller Garden Prairie, Illinois Boone County 200 cows Tell us about your family. My husband, Brent, is a fourth-generation dairy farmer, and I am a speech language pathologist. We have two children. Samantha is 8 years old and is in second grade, and Logan is 6 years old and is in kindergarten. Tell us about your athome setup for your kids. Brent’s daily life has not been impacted too much by e-learning. I worked three days a week doing speech-language therapy at a high school. The other two days, I used for running errands for Brent, cleaning, meal planning, laundry, etc. Now that we are all home, it is chaos. My ofďƒžce is the kitchen counter. I’m often doing virtual meetings with the whole family in the same room. The ďƒžrst couple days of trying to work from home I hid in a closet, but I quickly found out the children could not be left unattended, so now we are all in the kitchen/living room together. The kids prefer to do their schoolwork on the couch with clipboards and checklists while alternating between work/fun activities. How have you scheduled your day to balance your work and help your children with distance learning? My 8-year-old prefers to do her schoolwork as soon as she wakes up. She is independent and rarely needs help. However, my 6-year-old will drag out his four assigned worksheets throughout the day. I sneak learning in, even though it’s not the assigned work from his teacher (doing addition by playing blackjack and card games, reading his preferred books and farm magazines, asking him silly word problems around the house/farm.) Instead of working three days and coming home and switching to my mom/wife brain, now my work brain is on in the background seven days a week while ďƒžtting in ďƒžve minutes here, 30 minutes there, a two-hour meeting here. One day, our agitator stopped working in the bulk tank and all the cream rose to the top. So, I threw out my work/e-learning plans, and we learned how to make homemade butter, yogurt and ice cream instead. What non-school learning are you having your kids take on while at home? The slower pace has allowed them to do more chores, such as watering plants, emptying the dishwasher, feeding pets, keeping rooms cleaner, learning how to make simple meals for themselves, etc. They both are more interested in helping Grandma take care of her horses than helping Dad with the cows/calves. As weather warms up, they will help more in the calf barn emptying buckets, etc. What has been the most difďƒžcult aspect of the current situation for you and your family? The increase in responsibilities with decrease in income. Trying to provide stability and routine to help kids emotionally deal with cancellations, missing friends/ teachers, fear and life changing overnight. Cooking and cleaning for three meals a day. The living room/kitchen area being turned into ofďƒžce and classroom. Kids not understanding that when I’m on the laptop, I’m working. Limiting screen time despite them needing to be on screens for learning. Hiding our fears and worry about all the what ifs. How has COVID-19 positively impacted your family? I don’t miss saying, “Hurry up. We are going to be late,â€? a million times a day. The kids get to see Dad more often. When school was in session, there were many days they barely saw each other. The kids’ favorite thing about e-learning is doing homework with pets by their side. We have time to play with all the neglected toys and board games. Reminding us to treasure time with family and friends is another positive. We enjoy pausing church to reďƒ&#x;ect and chat, and we’ve watched church packed in the tractor. We enjoy not rushing out the door every morning which has given us more time for prayer and daily devotion. We’re saving lots of time, money and gas from not running kids around for extracurriculars, and the kids are getting along better. It is also a plus to see the public realize how fragile the food supply chain is. I’m also giving virtual farm tours to my special-needs students. Tell us about your farm. Our farm, known as Claretta Farm, began in the late 1960s and was named for Brent’s grandparents, Clarence and Virginia Maryetta Mueller. Brent’s parents and two brothers run the grain operation, while Brent runs the dairy. Our farm is located northwest of downtown Chicago. We milk 200 Holsteins, have 200 head of youngstock and farm 500 acres.
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Chris and Monica Dukelow Abbotsford, Wisconsin Clark County 450 cows Tell us about your family. My husband, Chris, and I have two sons. Aaron is 16 and a sophomore, and Nathan is 11 and in fth grade. Tell us about your at-home setup for your kids. We have transformed our kitchen table into our classroom. We eat at our counter island so giving up the table was not a problem. With one dedicated location, we do not have to move things. The table is divided in half, and each boy has claimed an end. There is a laptop on one end and a Chromebook on the other for virtual learning. The majority of their assignments are on Google Classroom. How have you scheduled your day to balance your work and help your children with distance learning? Besides working on our farm, I work at a neighboring school district. Due to COVID-19, I am on furlough and home all day. Daily we go out for morning chores, and after breakfast we start school. Typically, school operates Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to noon. We can get all of the extra morning chores done. Since we have rural internet, it works best in the morning. Our afternoons are free to do other things. What non-school learning are you having your kids take on while at home? Although both boys helped with chores on a daily basis when school was in normal session, they now have the opportunity to stay in the barn or work in the shop for longer periods of time. With the recent onset of eldwork, we have Aaron as our extra tractor driver, and Nathan makes extra trips to the barn to keep an eye on the cows as the assistant herdsman. What has been the most difcult aspect of the current situation for you and your family? The most difcult aspect of the current situation is maintaining a schooling routine and setting some ground rules to ensure school work is being completed. Having patience with the boys and our unreliable and spotty internet has also been an issue. How has COVID-19 positively impacted your family? Although we spent an acceptable amount of time together prior to COVID-19, we have relearned what our family unit is since we are not in as much of a hurry on a daily basis. Our pace of life has slowed, and we have more time to enjoy nightly hearty homecooked meals and spend the evening watching recorded shows, such as “Little House on the Prairie” or Hallmark movies and mysteries. We used to spend the evenings rushing around in the barn so we could get in, quickly eat and try to get homework done and be in bed at a reasonable hour. Many days we were burning the candle at both ends. Tell us about your farm. Three generations are involved in the daily operations of our family farm. Our farm, Dukestead Acres, is a joint venture with my husband and his two brothers. My in-laws are involved as well. We crop 1,700 acres of alfalfa, corn and soybean for our dairy herd. We do our eld work and manure hauling. Our dairy herd consists primarily of Holsteins, and they are milked twice a day in a double-12 parlor. We raise our replacements and also keep a portion of our calves to raise for beef.
Mark and Kate Olbrich Harvard, Illinois McHenry County 170 cows Tell us about your family. We have ve kids ranging in age from 10 years old to 2 years old. Elena, 10, is in fourth grade; Bria, 9, is in third grade; Logan, 7, is in rst grade; Sierra, 5, is in preschool; and Daxton is 2. Tell us about your at-home setup for your kids. While Mark is home on the farm, I have been working off the farm for the past 3.5 years as a veterinary tech/ assistant. Because veterinary clinics have been deemed essential during this pandemic, I have been working four to six days a week. We try to have the kids get up early and do their work in the morning, so there is the rest of the day to have fun, do chores and have a little normal in their life. Our schools have been wonderful. They provided Chromebooks for all the students and are doing free breakfasts and lunch deliveries. They have been understanding of everyone’s situations, so if there is something the kids cannot get done, they have time to turn it in late without penalties. How have you scheduled your day to balance your work and help your children with distance learning? If it’s a morning Kate works, they wake up and sign into their Chromebooks and do what they can without help. Mark comes in between scraping and calf chores to check on their progress, help with any questions and do breakfast. The oldest two are self-sufcient. Logan needs some help signing on and making sure he’s been doing all his assignments. Sierra practices her preschool work on the computer. The girls have to read for at least 30 minutes a day, and Logan has to read for 15 minutes. School takes us anywhere from two to ve hours depending on the workload. Once school is done, they do their morning chores which include feeding grain to the calves, feeding the chickens, the bunny and the cats. Then they are free to have fun and play before repeating those chores around 5 p.m. They clean out our one calf area a few times a week. What non-school learning are you having your kids take on while at home? They are helping more in the house with cleaning and dishes. They check our springer pen to see if any babies have been born or are on the way. Elena has been fantastic at taking on extra roles where needed and helping babysit her siblings while Mark is a few steps away in the barn. Bria has accumulated a knack for cooking and loves experimenting in the kitchen. Logan has been enjoying being at home because he thinks school is for the birds. Sierra was loving going to school like her siblings, so it’s been sad for her not getting that fun experience. And Dax is on the road to potty training and loves having his siblings home to hang all over. What has been the most difcult aspect of the current situation for you and your family? Time. It’s difcult for Mark in between chores to get everything done with the kids, but some how he manages. He’s dad of the year, I’d say. It’s not easy parenting ve kids and doing chores during the day. When I get home from the vet, I go over everyone’s day and nish up any schooling that may have been missed or nish any project that couldn’t get done during the day. It has been helpful having Bria wanting to cook, so I can nish helping others with schoolwork while she’s trying a recipe. How has COVID-19 positively impacted your
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Mark and Kelli Elmhorst Granton, Wisconsin Clark County 280 cows Tell us about your family. We have Grace, 8, in second grade; Madelyn, 6, in kindergarten and Lane, 3. Tell us about your at-home setup for your kids. Normally our girls are in school and our son is home with me (Kelli) during the day. If I am called to work then he goes to Grandma’s house and the girls get off the bus there also. Since the schools have closed, they are home, and we try to do our schoolwork rst thing in the morning. I work casually in therapy in skilled nursing facilities, but with the virus the facilities have been extremely slow. I have not been called to work for the past two months. How have you scheduled your day to balance your work and help your children with distance learning? We try to get homework done right away in the morning so we have the rest of the day to work. Kids can play outside now that it is nice weather. Our 6-year-old has a Facebook live with her teacher and classmates every evening along with weekly Zoom meetings for both girls. What non-school learning are you having your kids take on while at home? My oldest enjoys cooking, and she has been helping with breakfast almost every day. The girls have been helping with more barn chores. They help push back hay, feed chickens, collect eggs and grain horses. What has been the most difcult aspect of the current situation for you and your family? The most difcult aspect has been adjusting to the kids having an abrupt stop to their school year and missing their friends. They are also younger so they don’t quite understand why we aren’t having family parties, church, etc. It’s difcult to explain without making them feel scared. The instability in the markets has been concerning. How has COVID-19 positively impacted your family? We have been lax in our kids’ bedtimes which has allowed for more night time family tractor rides where we all eat supper together with Dad while he does eldwork. Tell us about your farm. My husband and I own our fth-generation farm. We milk primarily Holsteins and run 640 acres. We started manure hosing last spring and have started adding a few custom jobs. family? We have more immediate family time. The kids might be sad about no sleepovers, no sports and no 4-H meetings, but it’s been fun having us together and being stuck at home with each other, even if they do get on each other’s nerves. Tell us about your farm. We are a third-generation dairy farm with registered Holstein, Red and White, and Jersey. Mark and his brother, Brian, run the farm. The farm’s rst registered animal was Holbric George Rosie born in 1978. She ended up EX-90 and lived to be 14. Mark’s dad, Bill Olbrich, purchased her mother at a local farm sale along with four others. They were not the fanciest, but they were nice milk cows. Most importantly, they were registered, and the family’s love for registered cattle grew from there.
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Hands-on management, efciency keeps Retzlaffs herd producing Nathan and Tajia Retzlaff Belle Plaine, Wisconsin Shawano County 208 to 216 cows What is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? 34,435 pounds of milk, 4% butterfat and 3.09% 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 have been milking 3X a day since May 2015. Do you contract your milk? Has it been successful for you? On the suggestion of our milk company and the COVID-19 situation, we have contracted our milk. It is too early to say if it is successful. Describe your housing and milking facility. Cows are milked in a DeLaval double-8 parallel parlor and housed in a ve-row, sand-bedded freestall barn built in 2014 and expanded in 2017. The freestall barn has three milking groups, a dry cow area, a maternity pack pen, bred heifer area and breeding age heifer area. Youngstock are housed at the second homestead down the road. Turn to RETZLAFFS | Page 20
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Roger Aldinger, WINONA, MINN. — 70 cows, RHA 27,000, SCC 80-110,000 Jeff Hackbarth, Houston, MINN. — 50 cows, RHA 20,000, SCC 150,000 “We wouldn’t want to be without it. We love Udder Comfort™,” say Minnesota dairymen Roger Aldinger of Winona and Jeff Hackbarth of Houston. They have both been using Udder Comfort for 9 years. “It really softens udders and heads-off potential problems in fresh cows. This sets them up for a better lactation,” says Hackbarth. He checks fresh cows with his Mas-D-Tec® hand-held conductivity meter 3 days after calving. “If I see readings of 4 or 5 or higher, I apply Udder Comfort after each milking for a few additional days.” “Our need for antibiotics is almost zero, and we save money and milk, with less worry,” says Roger about his routine. “I use Udder Comfort on fresh cows 2x/day for 5 to 7 days to get swelling out of the udders. Cows are calmer, and they take off in quality and performance,” adds Roger. “We start every lactation with Udder Comfort.”
Quality Udders Make Quality Milk
Keep the milk in the system 1.888.773.7153 1.613.652.9086 uddercomfort.com Call to locate a distributor near you. For external application to the udder only after milking, as an essential component of udder management. Always wash and dry teats thoroughly before milking.
Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020
Con�nued from RETZLAFFS | Page 18
What is your herd health program? We installed the Cow Manager system in 2018 which has been helpful, saving us time and money. It’s our extra set of eyes, monitoring rumination, temperature and heat activity. It will ag cows that need attention based off activity, and we check those cows regularly. Our vet comes every other week for herd health checks. Previously, we used all CIDRs for breeding, but now we barely use any since the system monitors for estrus. What does your dry cow and transition program consist of? Prior to dry off, we modify their feed ration and taper down milking to twice a day until production is at a low enough level for drying. All
cows receive SRP at dry off and Bovi-Shield Gold two weeks post-fresh. Our dry cow ration consists of straw, conventional corn silage, decab and protein supplement. We do random pH tests on the dry cows. Closeup cows are moved to the pack pen two weeks before freshening and go into the third milking group after freshening. This group is a low-key group of fresh cows and heifers along with slower moving and nonaggressive older cows. We do not have a traditional transition pen area. What is the composition of your ration? What has been one of your most recent changes that has been successful for you? BMR corn silage, haylage or cocktail mix,
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Tajia Retzlaff (le�) and employees, Kaitlyn and Taylor Dillenburg, milk cows in the farm’s double-8 parallel parlor. Cows are milked three �mes per day with three people on every shi�. long-stem baleage and grain mix. Last year, we applied cocktail mix when we were short on haylage, and the cows seemed healthier. We lost a little milk but gained fat and protein, and had less cows off feed provided the feed is fermented completely.
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Ray (le�) and Oliver Retzlaff interact with a cow on their family’s farm in Belle Plaine, Wisconsin.
Through the years you have been farming, what change has created the biggest jump in your herd average? Cow comfort has played the biggest role in boosting our herd average. When we switched from a tiestall barn to a freestall barn
with milking parlor, production took off. They love the deep sand-bedded stalls and the automatic brushes. Our cows are comfortable and stress-free in this barn. Furthermore, the ve-row barn offers the cows more opportunities for eating. The ability to have three separate milking groups allows our rate of return to stalls/feed to stay at a minimum. Our cows do not stand in the holding area long. One hour max per group reduces standing time which in turn keeps stress on the cows low and aids in their comfort.
What role does genetics play in your production level, and what is your breeding program? At 60 days fresh, cows are checked by the vet. If all is good, we will breed them at next heat. Our Cow Manager system detects the heats. If not bred by 90 days, we’ll do an ovsynch CIDR protocol. We don’t use top-end bulls, but we don’t use bottom-end either. We watch carefully for feet and legs and teats. We work with many A.I. companies and Turn to RETZLAFFS | Page 22
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020 • Page 21
0.9% Ànancing for 60 months on 2010 and newer 200HP+ row crop tractors through May 31st. Financing subject to pre-approval through JD Financial. Some restrictions apply. See dealer for details.
JD W260, 2018, 500 hrs., $ ##1163376 7644 #163764
169,500
Claas 3100/FRC & 9100RC, 2011 #160472
JD 7215R, 2013, 2761 hrs., $ #167434
114,900
NH H7550, 2014, 13’ cut #167351
$
NH 460RB, 2014, 4x6 rd, $ #1165591 910 #165910
JD 8335R, 2012, 2573 hrs., $ #167926
JD 8400R, 2018, 225 hrs., $ #148294
49,900
$
JD 8295R, 2018, 813 hrs., $ #163758
251,900
20,500
174,900
24,900
314,900
Over 1200 items with pictures updated daily • Go to www.mmcjd.com 7 5 8 8 10 11 8 8 10 16 5 15 1 2 7 10 1 2 11 17 14 10 10 2 4 6 6 11 8 10 8 2 10 4 6 5 17
MOWER CONDITIONERS Hesston 3312, 2007, #167802.......................................................................................... $15,500 JD 835, 2012, #164224........................................................................................................ $18,900 JD 635, 2013, #169331........................................................................................................ $19,900 New Holland H7550, 2014, #167351 ............................................................................. $20,500 JD 635, 2017, #166698 ....................................................................................................... $23,500 JD 946, 2014, #168983........................................................................................................ $24,400 JD F350R, 2019, #166686................................................................................................... $27,000 JD R990R, 2019, #166685 .................................................................................................. $65,300 PULL-TYPE SPRAYERS Blum 750, 1979, #158936.....................................................................................................$4,900 Hardi NP1100, #168425 ................................................................................................... $12,750 Top Air TA1200, 2008, #155358 ....................................................................................... $16,650 Hardi RANGER 2000, 2014, #163524 ............................................................................. $17,900 Hardi 4000, 2011, #166560.............................................................................................. $19,500 Hardi RANGER 2000, 2014, #155294 ............................................................................. $20,500 Fast 9508, 2008, #169075 ................................................................................................. $23,900 ROUND BALERS JD 375, 1990, Twine Only, 540 pto, 55’ bales, #161836 ........................................................$6,200 JD 535, 1989, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 540 pto, 5’ bales, #151310.............................$8,325 CIH RBX561, 2002, Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 pto, 5’ bales, 9000 bales, #160144 .....$9,900 Vermeer 55XL, 2005, Twine Only, 540 pto, 5’bales, #160364 ...........................................$9,900 JD 567, 2001, Mega Tooth pickup, Twine Only, 540 pto, 5’ bales, 16500 bales, #161325$10,900 NH BR780A, 2007, Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 pto, 5’ bales, 15900 bales, #167206............................................................................................................ $11,900 NH BR7090, 2009, Mega Wide pickup, Twine Only, 540 pto, 5’ bales, 6484 bales, #167794 ................................................................................................................................. $14,500 NH BR7060, 2012, Twine Only, 540 pto, 4’ bales, 2900 bales, #166079.......................... $18,500 JD 558, 2010, Mega Wide, Twine Only, 540 pto, 5’ bales, 1153 bales, #163653..................19900 JD 854, ‘10, Mega Wide Pickup, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 pto, 5’ bales, 11400 Bales, #159849 ........................................................................................................... $20,900 NH BR7060, 2011, Mega Wide, Surface Wrap Only, 540 pto, 4’ bales, 7300 bales, #169262 ................................................................................................................................. $23,900 JD 469 Silage Special, 2015, Mega Wide Pickup, Surface Wrap Only, 1000 pto, 4’ bales, 9500 bales, #166199................................................................................................ $24,900 NH 460RB, 2014, Mega Wide Pickup, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 pto, 4’ bales, 7500 bales, #165910................................................................................................ $24,900 JD 568, 2007, Mega Wide Pickup, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 pto, 5’ bales, 7000 bales, #169336.............................................................................................................. $26,900 JD 854, 2011, Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 pto, 4’ bales, 8170 bales, #160884.............................................................................................................. $29,500 JD 459, 2013, Mega Wide pickup, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 540 pto, 4’ bales, 4000 bales, #169330.............................................................................................................. $31,900 JD 569 Silage Special, 2013, Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 540 pto, 5’ bales, 5500 bales, #169189................................................................................................ $32,500 JD 450M, 2018, Mega Wide Pickup, Twine Only, 540 pto, 4’ bales, 690 bales, #163947 .. $33,500 JD 469, 2017, Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 pto, 4’ bales, 2600 bales, #167879.............................................................................................................. $37,400 JD 560M, 2019, Mega Wide, Surface Wrap Only, 1000 pto, 5’ bales, 5500 bales, #166321 ................................................................................................................................. $43,900 JD 460M, 2018, Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 pto, 4’ bales, 5985 bales, #164359.............................................................................................................. $49,900 JD 560M, 2018, Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 pto, 5’ bales, 3311 bales, #165961.............................................................................................................. $57,900
(1) = GLENCOE 4561 Hwy. 212
9 4 15 17 11 16 3 2 4 5 8 1 12 15 17 1 3 2 14 17 8 8 7 6 9 16 15 2 17 6
ROW CROP TRACTORS JD 7810, 2000, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 15042 hrs., #168906 .. $34,900 Case IH MX240, 2001, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 1000 pto, Duals, 7624 hrs., #167682 . $43,900 JD 4955, 1991, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 1000 pto, Duals, 8691 hrs., #169280 ............... $44,000 JD 8300, 1995, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 1000 pto, Duals, 10129 hrs., #158662 ............. $49,500 JD 8100, 1995, Cab, Power Shift, 1000 pto, 7920 hrs., #163584 ....................................... $59,500 JD 7230, 2010, Cab, MFWD, Partial Power Shift, 540/1000 pto, Singles, Loader, 1966 hrs., #168726 ................................................................................................................ $69,995 JD 6175R, 2015, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 5043 hrs., #156490 ............... $78,900 JD 6145M, 2017, Cab, MFWD, Partial Power Shift, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 2650 hrs., #156660 ................................................................................................................ $85,000 JD 6155R, 2017, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Singles, narrow tires, 1879 hrs., #169034 ................................................................................................................................. $99,000 JD 8330, 2007, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 5598 hrs., #168270...................$105,000 JD 7200R, 2013, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Duals,, 2067 hrs., #168168 ................$107900 JD 6145M, 2016, Cab, MFWD, Partial Power Shift, 540/1000 pto, Singles, Loader, 464 hrs., #166650....................................................................................................$112,900 JD 7215R, 2013, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 2761 hrs., #167434 ................$114,900 Case IH Magnum 290, 2011, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, Power Shift, 1000 pto, Duals, 2850 hrs., #167254 ...................................................................................................$115,900 JD 6175R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, Partial Power Shift, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 2008 hrs., #157577 ..............................................................................................................$128,000 JD 6145R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 313 hrs., #147212..$129,500 JD 6145M, 2018, Cab, MFWD, Partial Power Shift, 540/1000 pto, Singles, Loader, 100 hrs., #168135....................................................................................................$129,900 JD 6145R, 2019, Cab, MFWD, PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, Loader, 283 hrs., #153238 ...$134,900 JD 6155M/ 640R Loader, 2019, Cab, MFWD, Partial Power Shift, 540/1000 pto, Singles, Loader, 100 hrs., #153304 ......................................................................................$134,900 JD 6175R, 2017, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Singles, Loader, 1729 hrs., #169033 $134,900 JD 6155R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 136 hrs., #147651..$136,900 JD 6145R, 2019, MFWD w/Suspension, Power Shift, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 244 hrs., #153237 ................................................................................................................$137,900 JD 8335R, 2011, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 4937 hrs., #165966$139,000 JD 6145R, 2019, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 254 hrs., #153236..$139,500 JD 6145R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 540/1000 pto, Singles, Loader, 436 hrs., #167089 ................................................................................................................$142,900 JD 8320R, 2014, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, Power Shift, 1000 pto, Duals, 3246 hrs., #155355 ..............................................................................................................$149,500 JD 7210R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 861 hrs., #163755 ..................$154,900 JD 6175R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 145 hrs., #168137..$157,000 JD 8245R, 2017, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 2002 hrs., #165917 ..............................................................................................................$158,400 JD 7210R, 2017, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 878 hrs., #153518 ................................................................................................................$159,500 JD 8335R, 2012, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 1954 hrs., #157884 ..............................................................................................................$159,500 JD 8335R, 2012, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 3200 hrs., #165963 ..............................................................................................................$159,500 JD 8245R, 2017, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 1827 hrs., #165918 ..............................................................................................................$163,900 JD 8245R, 2017, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow tires, 1043 hrs., #153517 ..$169,500 JD 6175R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 72 hrs., #148777 ..................................................................................................................$172,900 JD 8335R, 2012, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 2573 hrs., #167926 ..............................................................................................................$174,900
Visit one of our 17 locations in Central Minnesota! (7) = ALEXANDRIA (9) = PRINCETON (4) = ST. CLOUD 1035 35th Ave. NE
(2) = HOWARD LAKE (5) = GLENWOOD 5845 Keats Ave. SW
1710 N. Franklin
(3) = STEWART
(6) = SAUK CENTRE
78412 Co. Rd. 20
8 15 5 14 17 11
1140 Centre St.
320-763-4220 5005 Co. Rd. 82 SE
3708 Baptist Church Rd.
(8) = PAYNESVILLE
16069 Hwy. 27 E.
725 Lake Ave. S.
4 2 6 15 15 4 15 4 14 1 14 10 10 1 16 16 16 16 14 6 16 16 8 4 2 15 11 1 16 8 16 16 16 16 16
CALL TODAY! (320)365-1653 (12) = AITKIN 1120 2nd St. NW
(10) = LITTLE FALLS (13) = BAXTER (11) = WADENA 62505 US Hwy. 10
JD 7210R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, 540/1000 pto, Duals, Loader, 810 hrs., #163862 ............$179,500 JD 8345R, 2014, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 50K Transmission, 3305 hrs., #166449 ..............................................................................................................$189,900 JD 8320R, 2014, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Narrow Tires, 2001 hrs., #167228 ..............................................................................................................$196,400 JD 8245R, 2017, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 1065 hrs., #162058 ..$199,900 JD 8345R, 2014, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 2113 hrs., #167776 ..............................................................................................................$199,900 JD 8270R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 540/1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 994 hrs., #163842 ...............................................................................................................$204,900 JD 8245R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 1000 pto, Duals, 193 hrs., #148229 ............$204,900 JD 8270R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 540/1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 994 hrs., #163841 ................................................................................................................$209,500 JD 8245R, 2017, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 1208 hrs., #162059 ..............................................................................................................$212,900 JD 8370R, 2015, Cab, MFWD w/Susp., IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 2759 hrs., #167919 .........$214,900 JD 8360R, 2013, Cab, MFWD w/Susp., IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 1293 hrs., #167687 .........$219,000 JD 8245R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 249 hrs., #148226 ................................................................................................................$228,900 JD 8370R, 2015, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, 2011 hrs., #156835 ..........$229,500 JD 8270R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, Power Shift, 1000 pto, Duals, 1 27 hrs., #148233 ................................................................................................................. $234,900 JD 8245R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 395 hrs., #169249 ................................................................................................................$239,500 JD 8245R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 542 hrs., #169246 ................................................................................................................$239,500 JD 8245R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 547 hrs., #169247 ................................................................................................................$239,500 JD 8245R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 hrs., Duals, Narrow Tires, 829 hrs., #169248 ................................................................................................................$239,500 JD 8345R, 2016, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 1930 hrs., #166297 $239,900 JD 8295R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 813 hrs., #163758 ..........................................................................................$251,900 JD 8345R, 2016, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, Power Shift, 1000 pto, Duals, 1591 hrs., #146351 ..............................................................................................................$259,000 JD 8320R, 2015, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 452 hrs., #163735..$262,400 JD 8295R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 135 hrs., #166651 .$291,900 JD 8320R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 99 hrs., #152537 ..................................................................................................................$299,500 JD 8345R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 hrs., Duals, 226 hrs., #156041.$299,500 JD 8320R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 hrs., Duals, 131 hrs., #155882.$299,500 JD 8345R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 357 hrs., #147199 .$299,500 JD 8400R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, 1000 pto, Duals, 225 hrs., #148294 ........$314,900 JD 8400R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, 1000 pto, Duals, 223 hrs., #148295 ........$314,900 JD 8345R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 hrs., Duals, 139 hrs., #165247 .$319,000 JD 8370R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 724 hrs., #169242 ................................................................................................................$319,500 JD 8370R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 921 hrs., #169244 ................................................................................................................$319,500 JD 8370R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 691 hrs., #169243 ................................................................................................................$319,500 JD 8370R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 740 hrs., #169241 ................................................................................................................$319,500 JD 8370R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, Narrow Tires, 899 hrs., #169245 ................................................................................................................$319,500
7045 Foley Rd.
(14) = ELBOW LAKE
(16) = BENSON
(15) = MORRIS
(17) = MADISON
110 2nd St. NE
23604 State Hwy. 9
380 Atlantic Ave. 516 1st St. E
SEE OUR COMPLETE INVENTORY WITH PICTURES AND DESCRIPTIONS AT: www.mmcjd.com
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020
Con�nued from RETZLAFFS | Page 20
DeLaval Parlor P500 milking system
96
”
max ceiling height requirement for DeLaval SynchroArc™
Up to
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
56
Cows wait to enter the parlor at the Retzlaffs’ dairy near Belle Plaine, Wisconsin.
%
reduction in exit cycle time with DeLaval SynchroSweep™
3
cow flow control options
ZERO
obstructions at cow exit
www.delaval.com
Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: IOWA 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 Mondovi Dairy Systems Inc. Mondovi, WI 715-926-5777 West Salem, WI 608-769-2113 Professional Dairy Services Arlington, WI 608-635-0267 Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon, WI 920-346-5579 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, SD 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
is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2020 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296. All facts and figures are the result of data collected on test farms and pilot farms. Data compared to DeLaval Champion. Results may vary and are not guaranteed. www.delaval.com
do pedigree mapping. We use bulls with high milk and high components and focus less on type. We like short, wide cows with big, wide fronts. What type of improvements would you like to make that would increase your rolling herd average even higher? We would like to focus more on genetics and making sound cows. Sire companies are pushing for net merit and not pushing traits. Therefore, heifers don’t always end up making the cut due to poor feet and legs. Another improvement we would like to make involves feed storage. We use silage bags, but it’s hard to keep the moistures consistent; therefore, we do a lot of feed sampling and moisture testing. We would like to change to a more consistent feed storage option, such as a bunker or pack to keep the feed more uniform. List three management strategies that have kept you protable. Hands-on management, efciency and consistency. We are somewhat non-traditional in our approach. Our breeding standards do not conform to the industry, and our strategies do not always reect what other people do to achieve high milk production. Our emphasis is on the cows, and we are a total hands-on operation. My wife, Tajia, and I are in the barn every day. We spend a lot of time with the cows and know each one by heart. We are involved in every aspect of the dairy, and every cow is like a pet to us from the day she is born. Tajia is the only person who feeds calves – nobody else is allowed to touch her babies. One of us is here for every milking. The parlor is built so one person can handle the work, but we have three people on each shift to move cows. Cows are checked manually to ensure they are properly milked out before leaving the parlor. We’ve found that it’s the little things that matter and doing things the same way every day. Our cow health issues are manageable within the milk groups; therefore, we do not have a need for a separate sick pen. We try to address problems before they escalate. We like to stay ahead of the game rather than playing behind. Our cow stress is low because we pay attention to the details and do things consistently day in and day out. Tell us about your farm. Our farm has been in the Retzlaff family since 1863 and is believed to be the oldest family farm in Shawano County. We bought it from my parents in 2013, and I am the sixth generation to farm here with my wife and our two sons, Ray, 10, and Oliver, 7. We also have eight team members who assist with milking, barn cleaning, feed mixing, cow care and eldwork. Of these, we have three sets of siblings. The older set are retired farmers who we would be lost without. The youngest set are the Krueger girls: Macey and Riley. And the middle set is Kaitlyn and Taylor Dillenburg. Kaitlyn has been with us since June of 2016 and is nishing up her rst year at Fox Valley Technical College studying agribusiness science and technology-animal science. Taylor has been with us since November 2017, graduates in May from Shawano Community High School and will be attending the University of Wisconsin-River Falls for the pre-veterinary medicine program. Our team is blessed to be working with a diverse herd of cows consisting of Holstein, Jersey cross, Milking Shorthorn, Brown Swiss, Ayrshire, Fleckvieh, Charolais cross, Normande, Lineback and the latest addition, Guernsey. We have about 500 total head of livestock and farm around 500 acres on two homesteads with rented land.
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020 • Page 23
Ag in the Classroom awards educational grants Eighteen groups receive funding for special projects By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
MADISON, Wis. – Educating youth about Wisconsin agriculture is the common goal among all recipients of this year’s Ag in the Classroom grants awarded by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Foundation. A total sum of $6,749 was given to 18 schools and organizations to help expand agricultural literacy. Groups looking to spread a love and appreciation for one of the state’s most impactful industries can apply for up to $500 as part of the Ag in the Classroom matching grant program to support a project, provided the group has a source of matching funds. Schools, organizations, events, fairs, FFA chapters, county boards, museums and more are eligible to apply. “For more than 20 years, the Farm Bureau has awarded Ag in the Classroom grants for the purpose of supporting ag education activities geared for K-12 students,” said Darlene Arneson, Wisconsin Ag in the Classroom coordinator. “We want to extend dollars as much as we can and reach as many students as possible.” In some cases, the grant money could be the deciding factor for a group to be able to move forward with a project. “It is very rewarding to be a part
of this,” Arneson said. “There is great appreciation for the money, and groups look forward to and have a lot of fun completing their projects.” Brown County Dairy Promotions received a $500 grant that will be used to purchase banners, posters, books and other educational materials to use at events throughout the year. “We visit classrooms through the Ag in the ClassDarlene Arneson room program and WI Ag in the Class- carry that educaroom coordinator tional aspect into the community events we do,” said Jennifer Bartkowski, Brown County Dairy Promotions ambassador. “Breakfast on the Farm is a big one for us. We also do Sunset on the Farm, Taste of Wisconsin and other various community events. Furthermore, we partner with our local YMCA and library programs to put on educational activities where kids can learn how to make butter, ice cream or grilled cheese.” An event similar to Breakfast on the Farm, Sunset on the Farm is a slightly more intimate venue limited to 500 people. Guests receive a tour and enjoy a meal, and like the name implies, the event is held in the early evening hours to be timed with watching the sun set at a dairy farm. Sunset on the Farm is held annually at Brickstead Dairy Farm in Greenleaf during the month of August. Taste of Wisconsin is held in February and highlights Brown County restau-
2020 Ag in the Classroom grant recipients:
– Bonduel Elementary Garden Committee, elementary school garden: $500, Bonduel – Brown County Dairy Promotions, agricultural literacy: $500, Green Bay – Building a Better Forest, deep mulch gardening: $500, Independence – Chain Exploration Center, Growing Seeds, Growing Students: $500, Waupaca – Cows on the Concourse, Cows on the Concourse event: $500, Madison – Easter Seals Wisconsin, exploring job options in rural Wisconsin: $500, Madison – Eau Claire Friends of the Fair, Blue Ribbon Kid’s Day: $500, Eau Claire – Envision Greater Fond du Lac Agri-Business Council, Day on the Farm: $500, Fond du Lac – Glenwood City High School Ag Department, Learning to Grow Center improvements: $500, Glenwood City – Iowa-Grant FFA Chapter, agricultural lab stations: $500, Livingston – Luck High School Ag Department, Cultivating Agriculture for Luck: $500, Luck – Portage FFA Chapter, Food for America: $500, Portage – Rock County Ag in the Classroom, Ag in the Classroom training of trainers model: $500, Janesville – D.C. Everest 4K at St. John’s Lutheran, Our Pollinating Partners: $299, Wausau – Sigma Alpha Beta Delta at UW-Platteville, Agriculture Day on the Farm: $500, Platteville – Taylor County Farm Bureau, C.O.W.S: $500, Medford – Walworth County Fair Barnyard Adventures: Growing to learn raised perennial crop beds, $500, Elkhorn – Wanish Sugar Bush LLC, Sap to Syrup Workshop: $450, Colfax rants that use Wisconsin ag products in their recipes. “Even though agriculture has a strong presence in Brown County with over 130 dairy farms, it is largely an urban county,” Bartkowski said. “Our goal is to reach the community in a positive and fun way that helps clear up unfortunate misconceptions of exactly where and how food gets from farm to
plate. Our team of three ambassadors work continuously all year to bridge that gap with new and innovative ideas and are happy to have this grant money to help us along.” Through its various programs and events, Brown County Dairy PromoTurn to CLASSROOM | Page 25
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Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020 • Page 25
ConƟnued from CLASSROOM | Page 23 tions reaches nearly 40,000 individuals annually – a number they continually try to top. “We do a lot of activities in Green Bay, an area that we feel has a large disconnect from ag and where food comes from,” Bartkowski said. “It becomes more important every day to help everyone, whether child or adult, understand where the food on their table is coming from.” Cows on the Concourse also received a $500 grant from Ag in the Classroom. Featuring live cows, Cows on the Concourse is a free, familyfriendly event held on the Capitol square in Madison the rst Saturday of every June. Hosted by the Dane County Dairy Promotion Committee, Cows Brandon Maly on the Concourse is Cows on the the kickoff to June Concourse Dairy Month in Dane County and is followed up by Breakfast on the Farm the next weekend. “The goal of Cows on the Concourse is to educate consumers about the dairy industry and Wisconsin’s rich dairy heritage,” said Brandon Maly, Cows on the Concourse committee chair. “Most consumers are three generations removed from the farm, and we strive to educate those who have never been on a farm or perhaps have not been on one in a long time. With dairy alternatives becoming more popular, the need to educate people about dairy is greater than ever before.” A mixture of 15 to 20 cows, calves
We have faith in their abilities to get it done and want to give them the support and patience they need during these trying times.” Bartkowski said with the sad news of a canceled Breakfast on the Farm this year, her team will work diligently to come up with new and creative ways to reach the intended audience of 6,500 people who usually attend their annual breakfast.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Kids admire a Brown Swiss cow at Cows on the Concourse in June 2019. About 15 to 20 cows, calves and heifers are on display for visitors to see and pet during the free event. and heifers are on display for visitors to see and pet. Staffed by dairy farmers and volunteers, the event is divided into zones where attendees can partake in a variety of fun activities while learning about the dairy industry and dairy product nutrition. Grilled cheese sandwiches and milk are for sale at the event along with other dairy treats. All funds raised from the event go towards promoting dairy education events as well as scholarships for students pursuing an agricultural major at a secondary school. “It costs about $15,000 to put on this fun event, and we offer different
levels of sponsorship,” Maly said. “The grant money will be put towards various zones and used to help buy supplies and other logistical items to help make the event successful.” Due to COVID-19, some projects and events may not go on as planned this year. “If a project is postponed until 2021, we can extend the grant and postpone the use of the money until next year or redirect the grant money elsewhere if they can provide modications to their project,” Arneson said. “We want them to be able to complete a project, even though we know it might be delayed.
“We do a lot of activities in Green Bay, an area that we feel has a large disconnect from ag and where food comes from.” JENNIFER BARTKOWSKI, BROWN COUNTY DAIRY PROMOTIONS AMBASSADOR
“Even though this wonderful event won’t happen this year, Collins Dairy in Greenleaf has agreed to so kindly keep their barn doors open and be our host farm in 2021,” Bartkowski said. “We are so grateful for their kindness.” Last year marked the 40th anniversary of Cows on the Concourse, but a virtual event is being considered for this year. “We’re grateful to have the support from Ag in the Classroom,” Maly said. “They’re wonderful to work with, and their mission aligns with ours – to help educate others about the agriculture and dairy industries.”
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By Ryan Brunn, Stearns County FSA Executive Director & Shannon Olson, county operations trainee
As a reminder, Farm Service Agency ofces are open by phone appointments only at this time. Please call your local ofce to make an appointment, or we will work with you to complete your FSA paperwork by mail or email. The United States Department of Agriculture announced additional disaster assistance available to agricultural producers, including producers impacted by drought and excess moisture as well as sugar beet growers. Through WHIP+, USDA is helping producers recover from losses related to 2018 and 2019 natural disasters. FSA opened signup March 23 for producers to apply for eligible losses of drought (D3 or above) and excess moisture. USDA is also entering into agreements with six sugar beet processing cooperatives to distribute $285 million to grower members of those cooperatives who experienced loss. In June 2019, more than $3 billion was made available through a disaster relief package passed by Congress and signed by President Trump. In December 2019, Congress passed, and Trump signed, the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 that provides an additional $1.5 billion for the continuation of disaster assistance program delivery. WHIP+ new qualifying disaster events The bill added excessive moisture and D3 and D4 drought as qualifying losses for WHIP+ assistance. Beginning March 23, producers who suffered either of these types of loss in 2018 and/or 2019 can apply for WHIP+ assistance at a FSA ofce. For drought, a producer is eligible if any area of the county in which the loss occurred was rated D3 (extreme drought) or higher on the U.S. Drought Monitor during calendar years 2018 or 2019. WHIP+ sugar beet loss assistance As also directed in the bill, USDA will provide $285 million through sugar beet processing cooperatives to compensate grower members for sugar beet crop losses in 2018 and 2019. Details will be nalized in agreements between USDA and participating sugar beet processing cooperatives. Sugar beet producers who are members of these cooperatives and experienced losses may contact their cooperative for more information about how this sugar beet crop assistance will be administered.
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Along the property line
This year was going to be a crazy year even with COVID-19. We had plans for Anna’s graduation, the Dane County Dairy Breakfast and Anna’s wedding in August. Cleaning the machinery shed and the garage were always on the list of things to tackle. We started off great with putting up industrial shelving and had places for the show supplies, extra feeders and waterers. The snow fence is neatly stored. The old stanchions from the remodel of the barn in 1993 are on a pallet. There is a barrel full of collars we took off the cows when we went robotic. Disc openers, a hydraulic pump and a few good tires got put where they would be easy to get to with the hopes someone will want to buy them. Some things went by the road with a free sign in By Tina Hinchley hopes someone would be able Farmer & Columnist to use what my kids grew out of. The bike cart that pulled both the girls when we went for bike rides. Two umbrella strollers we got for the boys to push the girls around when we went to Disney World. Chairs we picked up at the church garage sale with the hopes we could use them if we had needed extras. They were forgotten behind the pile of cages and animal carriers we used to get chickens and rabbits to the county fair. The pool oaties, life jacket and old golf bag and clubs were the rst things to disappear by the free sign. Later the chairs, strollers and bike cart found new homes, too. It felt good to get them out of the garage, but better that someone else could use them. With all of this cleaning, Anna and Kevin, her ancé, had time to themselves. They took to the woods to hunt for sheds and look for signs of turkeys. While driving from eld to eld, they drove past a friend who had stuff for sale in his front yard. Anna noticed her strollers, then the chairs. He had them for sale along with a huge set of moose antlers. That drew them in to see how much he was selling the antlers for. Dewey came to say hello. They talked, and Anna wanted to know where he nds all of these sheds. He had a lot of stories to tell. He spoke about the sheds he nds in the state parks and along the streams. He has several farms where he walks the tree lines. He goes to Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan. He wanders over 5 miles every day looking. As the visit went on, his wife came out and was so excited to hear Anna was graduating, and she invited them into their home. The walls were lled with amazing sheds, and then they went into the basement where there were thousands of sheds neatly arranged in boxes that he sells online. He has every one photographed and documented. Anna and Kevin were in awe. They got a few tips and went on to look for turkeys. We own a few elds that have thick tree lines and wooded areas, so they headed that way searching for turkeys. Kevin has hunted turkeys for years and has the ability to call the toms in with a clicking sound. As Anna and Kevin went by the woods near the elementary school, they noticed foot prints in the moist soil. Big and little footprints. There were boards over the creek that made a bridge from one side to the next. When they walked behind the homes that border our elds, they noticed more foot prints. Then in the wooded areas, there were trees cut down and stacked neatly in rewood piles right behind their houses. Did they think this was going to be a campsite? Anna took photos so she could show Duane and I to let us see what is happening. The lot line stakes are still in to clearly show the line from one end of the housing development to the other. Every one of the homeowners have crossed that line. Kevin has an app that shows property lines within a foot or so, and it was clear many of the homeowners were trespassing. This situation could be dangerous if Kevin and Anna were hunting in the woods, and people were back there
Les Kuehl
Repair Service
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020 • Page 27
walking around. The solution was to post the property lines, and make the homeowners and the other wanderers know this is private property, not a local park. Anna and Kevin posted the property with yellow signs that had our name on the bottom. It was not but a few hours later a phone call came in from two of the homeowners asking what is going on. Did they do something wrong? The homeowner mentioned that when her children were little they always played in the creek and made bridges. And now their grandchildren enjoy the creek, too. The last landowner did not have a problem with them being in the woods, and now they have these bright yellow signs to look at when they look out their windows. They were both clearly upset and wanted to take the signs down. Since the coronavirus hit, the parks have been closed along with school. Families have been exploring in the woods, creek and even creating areas to have a repit and cutting down trees to make a camping area. We know of hunters trespassing, and clearly all of the foot prints are telling the story. There is a cul-de-sac that is near the woods, and that is an entry place for many who are spending their
quarantine time hiking. The homeowners said they have never seen anyone walking behind their property, and they felt we were ruining their view looking at all the wildlife. He was an avid walker, walking at least 2 miles daily. He had never seen anyone go in or out by the cul-de-sac. So, Anna encouraged him to walk over by the opening in the woods and look at all the footprints. They both were once again asking permission to take the signs down. I could see the conversation getting nowhere, so I gave them Duane’s phone number. The next evening, Duane called and spoke for over an hour. This is one of those situations that will not be resolved easily, and we will be the bad people in the neighborhood for protecting the safety of others. We love they enjoy the wildlife and have taken advantage of not having a fence between the property, but clearly there needs to be a line. Tina Hinchley, her husband, Duane, and their daughters, Anna and Catherine, milk 240 registered Holsteins with robots. They also farm 2,300 acres of crops near Cambridge, Wisconsin. They have been hosting farm tours for over 20 years.
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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020 Joe Armstrong armst225@umn.edu 612.624.3610 Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130 Hugh Chester-Jones chest001@umn.edu 507-835-3622
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
What do we do now?
Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391
By Kevin Janni, Melissa Wilson, Erin Cortus & Chryseis Modderman
Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177
University of Minnesota
Consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to spread. One challenge is that some dairy producers are being told to dump their milk because their processing plant does not have a market for their milk. News reports when this article was written indicated that no farms in Minnesota have had yet to dump milk. But what would you do if you were told that your milk is not wanted and will not be picked up for quite a while? As in many cases the answer depends on your situation and conditions. Some farms can dump the milk into their manure storage and land apply the milk and manure mixture at rates consistent with their nutrient management plan. Some farms may land apply the milk directly to cropland at rates that are within their nutrient management plan. Another option is to feed the milk to animals. Check with your veterinarian and your nutritionist if you plan to feed raw milk to your animals. There are disease and nutrition issues that need to be identied and addressed. In each case, there are logistical challenges and questions to answer. If you plan to add the milk to your manure storage, how many days of milk can you add to your storage before it will be full and need to be emptied? If you plan to land apply daily, which elds will you use and what will you do during wet weather? Do you have a neighbor with manure storage capacity or land that could take some milk? Milk added to a manure storage or land applied can generate strong odors; what will you do to manage the odors? Milk is nutritious, and it is important that the nutrients be accounted for in the nutrient management plan for the cropland used. Each 1,000 gallons has the equivalent of 46 pounds of nitrogen, 26 pounds of phosphorus and 17 pounds of potassium. To get information on the nutrient value of the milk or milk and manure mixture, samples should be collected and sent to a lab for analysis to gure out how much can be land applied. Use good record keeping to document the nutrient loading. To help farmers sort through issues with land application of surplus milk, University of Minnesota Extension faculty published a blog post. The post is available online at http://z.umn. edu/5gpd. There are tips for direct land application of milk and land application of a mixture of milk and manure. It is noted that milk is highly degradable and can generate strong odors when directly land applied or added to manure storages. Avoid land application when the risk of rain events and runoff is high. Farmers are also encouraged to record the date, volume of milk, reason for
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 Emily Krekelberg krek0033@umn.edu 507-280-2863 Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435 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
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dumping and where it was disposed of in case there is a state or federal program to help farmers with their losses. The blog also has links to a University of Wisconsin publication (https://ipcm.wisc.edu/download/pubsNM/UW-LandspreadingMilkConsiderations2020.pdf) about land spreading of milk or milk and manure mixtures. There are also links to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency materials (https://www.pca.state.mn.us/sites/default/les/wq-f811.pdf) and a guidance for disposing of excess milk (https://www. pca.state.mn.us/sites/default/les/wq-f6-81.pdf). One thing not to do with the milk is dump it down the drain with your milk house wastewater. Milkhouse wastewater treatment systems are not designed to handle large raw milk quantities. The biological oxygen demand will overload the treatment system. For more information about the milkhouse wastewater systems, go to the research page of the Onsite Sewage Treatment Program at https://www.septic.umn.edu/research. A second challenge that some conned animal feeding operations might have to deal with is an increase in animal numbers above their CAFO designation threshold. The animal number increase can be caused by processing plants closing, which under certain circumstances could cause an animal feeding operation to have an increase in animal numbers above thresholds for their CAFO designation. If your farm must house more animals than your CAFO designation, be sure to check out the MPCA guidance at https://www.pca.state.mn.us/covid-19/covid-19-response-agriculture. As you face a new problem and are trying to gure out what to do next, there are people willing to help problem solve. The University of Minnesota Extension website has links to all livestock groups and the manure management group. The URL is https://extension.umn.edu/animals-and-livestock. For general farm-related questions, contact the Farm Information Line. The Farm Information Line is a statewide service backed by a network of local Extension educators that provides reliable, research-based answers from Extension agriculture and natural resources experts. You can reach the Farm Information Line by calling 1-800-232-9077 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday from now through June 30. Leave a voicemail if you call after hours and someone will return your call the next business day. You can also send emails to the Farm Information Line at l@umn.edu. Finally, be open with family and employees about your decisions. They have invested time and energy on the farm as well and would appreciate knowing reasons for the actions you take.
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Seasons of change
When I usually sit down to write my Dairy Star articles, I am at my desk in my ofce in St. Cloud. Today, I am at my aunt and uncle’s kitchen island at their house in Coon Rapids. What a difference a few months make. As I look at the past, I realize how different the future is going to look. This is a season of change. I do not only mean spring. The way we live our lives changed in the blink of an eye, and the way we will live our lives after this global pandemic will look different. In what ways, I am not sure. Change is not always a bad thing. It is usually an uncomfortable thing, though. I speak from a lifetime of experience with change. I also speak as someone in my own season of change. A couple months ago, I got divorced, sold my house and temporarily moved in with relatives while I got my feet under me. The plan was to stay a month or so, nd an apartment and keep working. Then COVID-19 hit. I am fortunate to be working (from home), have a safe place to live and a great support network. But, life is not crazy enough for me so let us throw in another change. On April 27, I started my new position with University of Minnesota Extension as the Extension educator for farm safety and health. I will be based out of our RochesBy Emily ter ofce and have statewide responsibilities related to farmer Krekelberg mental health, tractor safety, grain safety, livestock safety and U of M Extension many other topics. I will always cherish my time as the livestock Extension educator in Stearns, Benton and Morrison counties; my seven years in central Minnesota were nothing short of amazing. Thank you to all the amazing people I worked with. Why am I telling you all this? Because change is hard. Yes, change can be good, but it can still be hard. We are living in a world that is changing by the hour. We are in a constant state of uncertainty, living from one update to the next. Some days it feels like business as usual. Some days we wonder what universe we have been transported to. And that is OK. We all cope with change in different ways; resilience does not look the same for everyone. The important thing is we are coping. We are working to nd ways to make it work. There are so many things that are out of our control right now. A great strategy to keep us from feeling overwhelmed is to focus on what we can control. We can control ourselves. We can take care of ourselves. We can work toward daily goals. As I write this, farmers are going gangbusters in the elds. The farmers I have talked to have commented that it is nice to have something normal in their lives. It is good to have those things that feel familiar in such uncertain times. Remember those moments and how they feel. Focusing on positive emotions (happiness, peace and amusement) is a great way to build resilience. In times of change, it is especially important to focus on building and maintaining strong relationships. A key way to do this is through communication. Recapping the day, discussing the good and the bad, and working together to nd solutions can make us feel at ease with our circumstances. Being a good communicator includes two parts: talking and listening. Be an active listener when someone else is sharing. Listen to understand, ask questions and review what the speaker is saying to make sure you understand what they are saying. Speaking of communication, it is important to be open with people during seasons of change, especially in a family setting. Be open with your spouse, children and parents. Humans have a tendency to protect others by trying to keep information they think may be distressing. As we all cope with this season of change, we need to keep everyone in the loop with problems, ideas, solutions and upcoming decisions. The most crucial part of being resilient in a season of change is practicing self-care. Taking care of our three-legged stool (physical health, mental health and emotional health) will help us be adaptable, think clearly and feel well. Self-care is any activity we do to take care of ourselves. This can include eating, sleeping, grooming, reading, walking, cooking, connecting with friends, journaling and so much more. Self-care does not need to be an elaborate routine. In fact, the best self-care is a part of our everyday life. Taking care of ourselves ensures we are able to take care of others. Remember, you cannot pour from an empty cup. As we navigate seasons of change, we need to remember that change can be difcult, and it is OK to give ourselves a little grace. Change looks different for all of us; when we control the things we can control, communicate clearly and practice self-care, we are setting ourselves up to be resilient to the change that surrounds us. Everything is going to be OK.
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Backwards to go forwards Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020
Is it possible that we have all stepped a bit back in time to help us move forward? When our milk company told us that we needed to send less milk in the coming months, we immediately started brainstorming ways to do this in the best way possible, while still being prepared for the markets to shift again in our favor. Raise piglets? Feed the excess milk back to the cows in a form of topdressing? Feed millions of kittens? (We tend to get outlandish when we are in full brainstorming mode). Switch from milk replacer to milk in the calf barn? This would not be an easy task; our feeders are currently set up for replacer only. The most attainable idea seemed to be to dry up cows early, giving us the reserve we will need if it happens that we can produce more milk in the coming months. I took stock of the available dry cow treatment, and Stacy and Carmen granted 60 cows vacation that week, followed by 20 of their comrades the next week. Peter and Dad combed the pen lists and found more cows to sell that
were sitting on the fence between staying and going, so the go list became longer. We relocated cows based on days carrying calf, and made two pens of all pregnant cows that don’t need to be walked daily to check for heats. This leaves us with three pens of cows to watch for heats. The day we moved hundreds of cows around into their new homes was a long one. It was mentally exhausting. I try so hard to move cows into the pens that I think they will perform the best in, and instead of telling the cows to be their best selves, I left the barn feeling as though I told them to just do mediocre for a while. Stacy kept reminding me that we were still taking good care of our cows; it wasn’t as though we gave up on them. The movement of cows into pens designated by days in milk and pregnancy status instead of sizes and ages was something we did years ago. I had forgotten the handiness of having all of the cows needed to go dry being found in two pens instead of walking through ve pens searching for a cow. We switched our milking schedule to starting at four
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in the morning, and again at four in the afternoon. A trueblue, two times a day milking schedule – we haven’t done that in years. A milking takes about eight hours, and the downtime in between them is lled with pushing feed, scraping the dry pens and extra cleaning. Stacy Ramblings from the Ridge had the genius idea to start running the dry cows through the foot baths two days a week when the parlor is quiet. This had never been a convenient option before – the parlor was busy almost around the clock. They bring all the cows and springing heifers in, spray their feet, and run them through a fresh foot By Jacqui Davison bath twice. Columnist It has been a great way to squash the number of warts that popped up in the dry pen with the inux of 80 cows. Stacy is in the barn more than I am, and the effects of that have been fantastic. She is on top of the mixed up cow lists on the daily, and there have actually been days when all the cows are where they are supposed to be. She is much more efcient at keeping cow records up to date. She is farming in the morning, while her afternoons are full of working on things to help her students from a distance. Her brain is busy and her feet are always moving. I am teacher in the morning, head cook in the afternoons, and my evenings are spent with the cows. I have been knocking on the door of the bread-making club for a while, but now the door has been kicked wide open. I am following a trail of yeast packets and old recipes to the golden loaf of bread. I feel as though I have been channeling my inner Grandma Ike. Stacy and I succeeded at making raised doughnuts last week. We are certain of this, because upon tasting one, Grandpa Ike said, “Tastes just like Grandma’s.” There is no better compliment than that. I know perhaps I sound like one of the many out there who are baking things in these wild times, but I know that it won’t be a passing spree for me. Not that the kids or my dad would let it be – the taste of homemade bread has them spoiled. I see it as sticking, like those bits of dough left beneath my ngernails. It leaves me fullled in a way I didn’t know it could. When I take a loaf of bread out of the oven and it gives that lovely little knock, I know I am grinning like a fool. Stacy and I could hardly wait for it to cool to slice a piece off and lather it in jam. It was blissful. Our step to return to twice a day milking has had its visible benets. We are able to do things like extra cleaning or running the dry cows through the foot baths, and it is oddly quiet and calm on the farm for a few hours. The employees seem less rushed to milk, and we think that has helped the cows stay in their proper pens. The backwards movement on our farm has given me a glimpse of how the farm could be in the future. When we have breaks between milking shifts, it can give us time to do things together as a farm family with all of our employees. The intangibles of a less hurried way of life in general seem to be helping all of us move forward in this new uncertain world. It is grounding and fullling, calming and rewarding. These are all things that I want the future to hold. Jacqui and her family milk 800 cows and run 1,200 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wis. Her children, Ira (12), Dane (10), Henry (5) and Cora (toddler), help her on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones, or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos – and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020 • Page 31
J I M ’S E L E C T R I C S E RV I C E
to determine the proper incision site. Normally their jobs. Others have died, and more will die. one looks for legs to grab somewhere near the Going to the grocery store feels like a trip into the middle or front of one of the horns, but I could hot zone. You, America’s farmers, can help show feel no legs in this case. So, I cut where I thought the rest of us a way out of the Upside Down. So I would have the best exposure for closure and often I have seen farmers show fortitude and a reached in. I was able to get a leg, then the head, certain steadiness during difcult times. Planting a then another leg out of the incision. A third leg crop between rains when it is already three weeks seemed to want to come late, facing a lost crop or along, so I pulled that collapsed barn following a one out as well. We then Th Thanks k to COVID COVID-19, 19 it seems storm, or weathering years pulled on the two front of low prices are things legs but to no avail. Just we are in the Upside Down most farmers will do in like before, everything right now. their career. Continuing to wanted to come together. produce food for the rest Frustrated again, I of us while everything increased the size of the incision. No dice. We seems turned inside out is just another storm. pulled on the head alone. More frustration. At Thank you for everything that you do, including this point, delivery should have been easy, but it showing us how to navigate the Upside Down. was not. The calf was dead, so to get more room I Bennett is one of four dairy veterinarians quickly amputated the head. We pulled again, and at Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine again, no dice. I then pulled up the fourth leg. We Center in Plainview, Minn. He also consults pulled hard and nally, the whole thing came out on dairy farms in other states. He and his wife, with a whoosh. I looked to the ground and saw Pam, have four children. Jim can be reached that we had delivered a schistomus retroexus, a at bennettnvac@gmail.com with comments or condition sometimes described as an inside out questions. calf. The front and rear legs were extended over the back all the way until they came together. The abdomen was open with organs exposed. It JIM’S ELECTRIC SERVICE • JIM’S ELECTRIC SERVICE • JIM’S ELECTRIC looked more like an octopus than a calf. Relieved, I explained what we were seeing while I started Serving Central Minnesota since 1977 closing the uterus. The plan forward was clear and something I had done many times before. There Taking care of all was light at the end of the tunnel. your electrical needs Thanks to COVID-19, it seems we are in the fast and efÀciently. Upside Down right now. There are food shortages The experienced crew - Jim Schulzetenberg along in the grocery stores, but farmers are dumping with Mike, Dennis, and Jim Schulzetenberg milk. Slaughter plants are shutting down, but Jared give you the best job. and crew are here to give hamburger can be hard to nd. Milk prices have you the best job! 320-987-3587 crashed, and uncertainty about the future reigns. JIM’S ELECTRIC SERVICE • JIM’S ELECTRIC SERVICE • JIM’S ELECTRIC Nearly everything is canceled. Millions have lost
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In the Netix series “Stranger Things,” the Upside Down is another world that exists as an alternate dimension to the real world. Sometimes it is hard not to feel that one is in that alternate For example, the Veterinary Wisdom reality. other night I was called to help with a dystocia. The farmer said there were three feet and a head, and he just could not gure it out. Upon examination, indeed there were three legs and a head within reach. Further examination revealed a fourth leg. Two legs appeared to By Jim Bennett be rears, and the others Columnist were fronts. The most likely scenario was twins. It was also possible the legs were from the same calf, but the positioning suggested this was not likely. The third possibility was a severely deformed fetus, but this was even less likely. In such situations, one may have a choice of which calf to deliver rst, and in my experience one can always choose and then proceed to deliver both calves without excess difculty. In this case, however, I could not get either set of legs or the head to move without the other set of legs coming along. Something did not seem right. Finally, I suggested a cesarean section. I was frustrated. All indications were that I should be able to deliver the calf or calves vaginally but clearly was not reality that night. Necessity made the farmer and I move to step two, a C-section, something neither of us wanted to do. But that was our reality, the Upside Down. The heifer was clearly tired, so I moved quickly. Once inside the peritoneum, I palpated the uterus
COVID-19 for a 14-year-old farm boy Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020
His math skills are average at best, but his ability to make a 10-second statement into a 5 minute soliloquy is surpassed only by our minister. This is how he turns in his hours, with no total, so the paymaster (me) has to add them up. - April 1: scraped manure, loaded cattle to Kansas, 11 hours. - April 2: sorted cattle at Seth and Kia’s, and scraped manure, 6 1/2 hours. - April 9: leveled tile lines at Vance farm, and fed calves at dairy, 5 1/2 hours. - April 11: hauled manure at Paul’s, and at old feed at Berket’s, 6 hours. - April 13: hauled manure at my house, 6 1/2 hours. - April 16: hauled manure at my house, 1 hour. - April 17: helped at shop with eld cultivator, 8 hours.
We are paying super high real estate taxes on our land to support the local public school system. That could be another story all by itself, especially in Worthington. We pay tuition and donate money for private Christian kindergarten through eighth grade schools all my grandkids attend. And now I am paying my 14-year-old grandson to drive tractor during school hours because he is not really in school. Well kind of, maybe, sort of, partially, in a social distancing sort of way. While the rest of us suffer nancially from depressed prices, job layoffs or reduced hours, Vince will graduate from eighth grade without entering a real classroom for three months and get paid besides. Vince turned in his hours yesterday to the paymaster at Ocheda Dairy for the month of April. Now Vince does not estimate or guess when it comes to hours.
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- April 18: helped hook up rock picker at Paul’s, and rock picked at both Vance elds, 7 hours. - April 20: hauled manure at my house, and dug Lindon’s and Vance north farm, 13 hours. - April 21: eld cultivated, 10 hours. Making Cents of Dairy - April 22: brought seed to the planter and eld cultivated, 10 1/2 hours. - April 23: eld cultivated, 9 hours. - April 24: eld cultivated, 8 hours. I totaled them once, came up with 96, and gured close enough for a kid who would rather By Dave Vander Kooi drive tractor than be in Columnist a class room any day of the week. There were some serious lessons about tractor driving and farming safety that Vince learned this past week. He was doing so well over thousands of acres and even moving the 9RX and 60-foot eld cultivator down the road between farms. Then he was rounding a curve on a tar road, and he did not stay far enough on his side of the road and a shovel on the folded up cultivator took a mirror off a neighbor’s pickup. There is probably more to that story than I will ever know, but thankfully no one was hurt. The very next day he was trimming the edge of a eld on the nal pass, and the harrow and rolling basket clipped a three-phase REA power pole and split the pole in half. The wires stayed up, thankfully, and again no one was hurt. I immediately took a picture of the pole and sent it to a lineman friend of mine that works for Nobles Cooperative Electric. I also called it in to the co-op ofce as required. The line crew made a special afterhours repair that night yet because strong winds and rain were forecasted for later that night. They did not want the pole to go completely down. The lineman friend also reminded us about how close that accident was to being very serious. He also gave Vince the big brown insulator off the broken pole as a souvenir and reminder to respect power poles. Troubles usually come in threes, and Vince proved it is true. After those two mishaps, he was putting fuel in the tractor from the portable fuel trailer. Apparently, the bearing between the gas engine and the actual diesel pump failed, causing heat, smoke and maybe even a little re. Vince shut it off and threw water on it, which luckily got it out. But water was probably not the right choice. Again, Grandpa and Dad have not adequately trained our youth in safety procedures. I wish I knew the answers to how much and how early we let teenagers do work. If we do not allow them to do anything until they are 20 years old, will they know any better by then? Just a follow-up on last month’s article on COVID-19. As many of you are aware of, Worthington is a hotbed of infection, somewhat related to a large hog processing plant located here. So far as of this writing, we are all OK. All of our employees are OK. Our three semi loads of milk are being picked up daily, and that is much appreciated. Milk prices are down to under $12 per hundredweight, but cull cow prices have already improved dramatically. We are blessed. 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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Chloe, our farm dog, is narrating her take on her job at our dairy for this month’s column. (My apologies to Spencer Quinn, author of the “Chet and Bernie Mystery Series” where the dog in the crime-solving duo, Chet, narrates the stories and where I found this idea.) It is 4:15 a.m., and Mike and I are walking through the pasture to the farm on this ne spring morning. Smells are great. Do I sniff some cats, rodents, other critters in the long grass? I hope I nd out later today. Maybe someone will re up a mower or an air compressor to make the critters run. I love when that happens. I can race around the windbreak or lie with my nose stuffed in the culvert under the driveway where a critter might be hiding. Come Full Dairy Circle But right now, it is my time to check the perimeter of the farm and stay on alert for predators. I usually have to bark for an hour or two while I do this. They can hear me all of the way in the parlor and the house. Mike is busy in the barn, raking stalls, cleaning alleys, feeding, moving cows. It’s pretty routine. He doesn’t need me to supervise, usually. Although I do like to once in a while run through the barn, nipping at the cows’ noses and lapping up something yummy from the feed alley. I smell something pungent this morning. Is it By Jean Annexstad coyotes? Another small animal? Extra barking and checking is needed. A lot. OK, I’m done. Columnist Next, I walk proudly down the cow lane, stopping to greet the heifers in their pen and arrive to stand at the end of the parlor pit. My tail goes back and forth. I am smiling. I can’t help it. My other people who live at the farmhouse are there. When will they quit doing stuff to the cows and come over to rub me? Jean says hello to me, but she isn’t coming over. Oh, well. I can catch up with her in the calf barn later. Here comes Rolf. He gives me a nice rub and talks to me. OK, now I go out to lie in the grass with my belly hair blowing in the nice breeze. Ah, feels great. A long wait. Some more people I love came out to help, and they stopped to rub my belly. Mike and Rolf’s brother, Eric, is here many days because he is planting corn and soybean. He is one of my favorites. Will is another, because he always take time to rub my belly. My tail wags when I see them. I just love how there are more people here now. I can get many belly rubs in every day. Here’s Jean, nally. Oh, boy. I have to make sure the cats know I am in charge. They come to drink milk and eat their food while she is pouring up the milk for the calves. I run through and make sure no unsavory cats are there. If there is an imposter, I chase them away. Why does Jean say, “No Chloe, cats are our friends.”? Certainly, we don’t need any more of them around, do we? Geez. Now to the calf barn. I hope it’s a mouse day. I May we allll take M k in and d savor can smell them under empty the sights, smells and tasks of feed sacks. I patiently wait until she moves them. Then these ne spring days. I pounce and get a mouse in my mouth, tossing it up in the air. It’s not moving. I get praised and rubbed. I know we don’t want the mice in the feed, and I am so proud to be the best mouser on the farm. (Not hard, those cats are a tad lazy.) My tail circles round and round. I am so happy. The only time I get happier is when the hoof trimmer comes. That is the best. I don’t have to explain it, do I? I help with almost all of the calf feeding just in case a calf gets out and chasing is needed. I am good at this job and know exactly which way the calf should go. I listen well. If I am not doing the right thing, I will hear, “Chloe, mom says, ‘No.’” Then I know I did the wrong thing. Oops. This warm spring day I have smells to investigate in the meadow between the calf barn and the road. I should not go across the road, but sometimes I go incognito to the culvert that goes under the road. It is wet there now with critters and really great smells. They won’t notice that two-thirds of my body is soaking wet, will they? Now morning chores are done. Mike says, “Chloe, time for breakfast. Come on.” I am ready. Lois will have food and fresh water dished up for me along with a nice soft rug to lie on right outside of the door so I won’t miss my chance to go back to the farm for more fun. May we all take in and savor the sights, smells and tasks on these ne spring days with a dog’s sensibility for pleasure in the little things. Jean dairy farms with her husband, Rolf, and brother-in-law, Mike, and children Emily, Matthias and Leif. They farm near St. Peter, Minnesota, 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.
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020 • Page 33
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020
A Wisconsin family of royalty
Anderson sisters serve as queen, alternate princess for Brown Swiss, Holstein breeds By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
ELLSWORTH, Wis. – Being only one year apart, 19-year-old Roslind and 18-year-old Riley Anderson have grown up sharing many experiences. From farm chores to showing cows, the sisters have supported each other and been together throughout their lives. Now, the two can share the experience of being dairy royalty. This January, Roslind was crowned the Wisconsin Holstein Princess Attendant, and in March, Riley became the Wisconsin Brown Swiss Queen. Each is representing her favorite breed on the family’s 150-cow dairy owned and operated by their dad and stepmom, Jeremy and Dulcie Anderson, near Ellsworth. The herd became a mix because of Jeremy’s love for Holstein and Dulcie’s pull towards Brown Swiss. The sisters had a similar split in favorites. “I’ve always loved the
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Sisters Roslind (leŌ) and Riley Anderson are serving this year as royalty in each of their favorite dairy breeds – Roslind as Wisconsin Holstein Princess AƩendant and Riley as Wisconsin Brown Swiss Queen. The Andersons help their dad and stepmom, Jeremy and Dulcie Anderson, on their 150-cow dairy near Ellsworth, Wisconsin. Holsteins more than the Brown Swiss and Riley is vice versa,” Roslind said. “Even when we go to cow shows, I would rather show Holsteins and she would rather show Brown Swiss. It’s always been like that even from a young age.” So, when the applications were due for the breed royalty in their state, the sisters encouraged one another to apply – Roslind for Holstein and Riley for Brown Swiss.
“I like that they’re the more popular breed,” Roslind said about her beloved black and whites. “There are always more of them and more competition at shows. When we’re at our county fair, we’re one of the only families in the county that brings Brown Swiss (to the show), so we were always competing against each other. So, I gured I would move over to the Holsteins.” Riley likes the bigger-bod-
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ied Brown Swiss and the fact that their milk is usually more component rich with higher butterfat and protein, among other reasons. “I like the old-fashioned traditions put together with the new traditions,” she said. One old fashioned tradition she is referring to is dressing in old style Swiss dress for shows and national events. When the crowns were placed on Roslind and Riley’s
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heads, they were excited for the roles in the upcoming year. “I get to share my passion about the Holstein breed to other exhibitors, Holstein breeders and even regular nonfarming people to advocate for the dairy industry,” Roslind said. Riley described how she felt when she became queen. “When I was crowned, I was taken in by the moment that it’s more than just being crowned queen,” she said. “I’ll be representing Wisconsin (Brown Swiss) juniors.” During a typical year, each one would attend various type of events ranging from dairy breakfasts, local and state shows, World Dairy Expo and junior activities. Because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, some events have already been canceled. While other early summer events are still scheduled, the Andersons are waiting to hear the nal decision about whether they will proceed or not. The event Roslind is looking forward to most is Cows on the Concourse – a June event that is still scheduled as of now. “It’s a big event where we go to Madison for the day to promote dairy right on the Capitol square talking to peo-
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020 • Page 35
ConƟnued from ANDERSON | Page 34
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“We both have a lot of passion for the dairy industry, and we both have the opportunity to extend our passion for each of our own favorite breeds.”
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ple about the dairy industry,” she said. “We need to promote the dairy industry.” During events like this, Roslind said the message she wants to share with non-farming people is that dairy farmers have family support. “When a farmer is in need, usually another farmer is there to help,” she said. “In times like these, it’s important to know we have people standing behind us.” For the events that are canceled, PHOTO SUBMITTED the Anderson sis- Riley Anderson feeds a Brown Swiss calf on her family’s dairy ters are looking near Ellsworth, Wisconsin. The 18-year-old currently serves to carry out their as Wisconsin Brown Swiss Queen. reigns through online interaction. Both the Wisconsin Brown Swiss and Holstein royalty but we help each other with Facebook have Facebook pages. ideas,” Riley said. Roslind is working together with Having each other is helping make the Wisconsin Holstein Princess to post the year a little better. fun and educational material. They are “We both have a lot of passion for also coordinating Facebook live events the dairy industry, and we both have so children who would normally get to the opportunity to extend our passion for each of our own favorite breeds,” Roslind said. “I support her in her role, and she is there supporting me back.” Plus, it will be helpful to have a fellow royalty member to help get ready for events. “I like having her help me get ready because I have so much hair, and I don’t know what to do with it,” Riley said. In the future, Roslind, a freshman at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, would like to graduate and become an animal nutritionist. Riley, a high school senior, would like to exROSALIND ANDERSON, DAIRY FARMER plore occupational therapy and speech pathology. see the princess and attendant during “With the Brown Swiss role, better a school visit can have their chance to communication within the breed is one meet the royalty virtually and hear them of the things I hope to achieve,” Riley read a dairy-related book. said. Riley is working with the state’s juIn the meantime, the sisters plan to nior advisor to plan activities and brain- support each other and continue their storm ways to get junior Brown Swiss reigns as their state breed royalty. members involved on social media dur“It’s so cool we both were crowned ing the pandemic. the same year,” Riley said. “It’s hard to plan things right now,
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020
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farming has taught me how to be tough, work with what you have and don’t even bother complaining, because someone has it a lot worse than you. It taught me a lot. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? Texting, phone calls, social media groups and reaching out to the resources I’ve accumulated over the years of working in the industry to troubleshoot problems. Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? The easy answer would be my parents and in-laws for raising my husband and I to be hard working farmers, but another one would be Megan Weigel. We met in college, worked in the industry together and both run small successful dairy farms with our signiďƒžcant others. She is a triple threat to the industry as far as I’m concerned, always striving to ďƒžnd a better option in the most practical way she knows how. She catches me up on what’s going on in the industry, and we like to share farm stories to see which one was better or worse. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? Amy Schumer. Because she’s real, funny, raw and doesn’t sugar coat anything. I’d love to show her our simple lifestyle and ask in return to come spend a day in the life with her. What is the best vacation you have ever taken? A week-long trip to Cancun, Mexico, for our honeymoon. I’m glad we got to experience it before we started milking cows, because I don’t think I could fully relax to enjoy it now being away from the farm that long. What are some words you like to live by? Tough times make tough people. Farming isn’t a good living, but it’s a good life.
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Why heifer maturity at calving matters By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
A common theme is that the earlier a dairy heifer joins the milking herd, the sooner she begins to pay her own way, becoming a proďƒžtable member of the herd. Dr. Gavin Staley cautioned those joining in on his presentation, “Why Maturity Matters,â€? as part of the Dairy Calf and Heifer Association Virtual Conference April 8 to be aware of the difference in age and maturity. “I could have also called this the Peter Pan problem, referring to the children’s storybook character that never grows up,â€? Staley said. “They say that the end justiďƒžes the means, but I’m going to take a slightly different angle on this.â€? Staley said often times, most thought and discussion is placed on the beginning of a heifer calf’s life, but he chooses to look at it from the end point. “The end product of all heifer raising is the lactating heifer,â€? Staley said. “I’m going to focus on outcomes, and then we can look back and see how that was inďƒ&#x;uenced.â€? Staley said the trend to breed heifers earlier has exposed the impact immaturity has on the animal’s entire life. “So why breed virgin heifers earlier? There are a lot of good reasons, such as economics, to reduce heifer inventory and feed costs,â€? Staley said. “But if we lower the age at ďƒžrst breeding, what is the cost if these animals are immature?â€? Staley said a fresh heifer should be at 85% of her mature bodyweight immediately post-calving and should be at 95% just prior to calving. He said a mature heifer will possess the phenotypic characteristics of frame and weight that will allow her the ability to express her full genetic potential through her milk production. “We know that age at calving impacts milk production,â€? Staley said, noting studies have shown that heifers calving in between 23 and 26 months will typically make the most milk in their ďƒžrst lactation. “But what about weight at calving? There are studies that milk production is also related to post-calving bodyweight. Holstein heifers that weighed 1,200 to 1,300 pounds post-calving had the highest milk production. So we have a time factor and a physical outcome. What joins those two together? It’s the average daily gain.â€? Staley said average daily gain is critical in helping a heifer reach her mature size quickly enough to expedite her entry into the milking herd and set her up to be a productive milk cow. He said if the adult mature body weight of a Holstein cow is 1,520 pounds, then a close-up springer should weigh in at 1,444 pounds, or 95% of that mature weight. If that heifer’s own birth weight is 85 pounds, she needs to gain 1,359 pounds from birth until she
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enters the close-up pen. “If we have an average daily gain of 2.05 pounds, we can bring that heifer in at 21 months. We would need 1.98 pounds to calve at 22 months; 1.9 pounds to calve in at 23 months and so forth,â€? Staley said. “This of course includes the calf and the placenta and ďƒ&#x;uids in the gain, it’s hard to remove them in the weight.â€? Staley said he sees average daily rates of gain mostly in the area of 1.75 to 1.8 pounds, which means these animals are reaching maturing at 24 and 25 months of age. However, many herds are calving their heifers in at 21-22 months. “So, the question is, should we grow these heifers to achieve maturity at 24 months and manage them to calve at 21 months? We certainly can, but should we? What are the impacts?â€? Staley said. Average annual milk production for an entire herd can be predicted based on the maturity of heifers at calving, Staley said. “First lactation milk production sets the ceiling for the whole herd,â€? Staley said. “You cannot out-perform the production level set by the ďƒžrst lactation. For example, the herd with a 75-pound, ďƒžrst lactation peak will not be capable of reaching 85 pounds. You can’t cull your way there, you can’t repro you way there, and you can’t feed your way there. The limitation is the heifers.â€? Second and third lactation production in the ďƒžrst ďƒžve weeks is tightly linked to the ďƒžrst lactation, according to Staley. He said at ďƒžve weeks of lactation, the difference between the ďƒžrst and second lactation is 30 pounds for Holsteins. At ďƒžve weeks into the third lactation, the difference from the second lactation is only 8 to 10 pounds. “If you look at records and you see that your difference is not 30 pounds, that it is 25 pounds, that is a good thing,â€? Staley said. “That means your heifers have improved relative to the rest of the herd, and next year they should go up 5 pounds. If it goes the other way, to 35 pounds, they are going to come down next year.â€? Staley said this correlation between lactations has been independent of the level of milk production or the milking frequency of the herds he has studied. The impact of heifer maturity on production can extend into the third lactation. Staley said his studies indicate cows never catch up from being immature at calving, and the impact of the ďƒžrst lactation is compounded by a lower average number of lactations. “If we can push those heifers up, the focus we put on raising healthy heifers will ultimately push everything up,â€? Staley said. “The old cows do not drag the heifers up behind them; the heifers push the old cows ultimately. All ships rise on the rising tide.â€?
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020 • Page 37
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Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020
Making a difference to affect their future
Ingersoll, Runde spearhead local dairy donation campaign By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
CUBA CITY, Wis. – Growing up and being working members of their families’ dairy farms, long-time 4-H friends Austin Ingersoll and Ray Runde have rst-hand knowledge of the hard times dairy farmers have been facing recently, and they decided to help move dairy products and their community at the same time. Austin, 17, is a junior at Cuba City High School and is the son of Ryan and Kellie Ingersoll. Their family milks 115 cows. “I was hearing that dairy farms around Wisconsin had to dump milk, and I knew how hard that must be for them to have to do,” Austin said. “I also heard about people in other areas of the state raising money to donate dairy products to school lunches and food pantries. I thought that might be a good thing to try and do around here.” Austin rst approached his Cuba City FFA advisor Jill Van Schyndle about the idea, and they set about working to plan for the FFA chapter to donate milk to the school lunches in Cuba City. “That rst week (April 14), the FFA gave a gallon of milk to all the families getting school lunches,” Austin said. Meanwhile, Ray Runde heard about what Austin had started in Cuba City and decided to do the same with his own school, Southwestern High School. Ray, 17, is the son of Brett and Laurie Runde and is a junior. “I thought this was a great way to help out people in our community and maybe make a small dent in the surplus of milk,”
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Ray Runde (leŌ) and AusƟn Ingersoll, both of Cuba City, Wisconsin found a way to help both their local communiƟes and the dairy industry by spearheading a donaƟon campaign to procure milk for their local school lunch programs and food pantry. Both boys plan to join their respecƟve family dairy farms in the future. Ray said. “I know the struggles of dairy involved, the group held a vote on Facefarmers, and it’s frustrating and hard on us book messenger, where all of the club with everything we have been facing.” members had a say in whether or not they Ray’s family milks 140 cows near wanted to pursue the project. Laurie said Cuba City. Both the Rundes and Ingersolls the response was overwhelmingly in favor. are members of the Rolling Hills CooperaBecause of the rules put in place for tive, which signed on to help locate a local 4-H clubs to adhere to social distancing, distributor to supply the cause with locally the youth are unable to be involved in disproduced milk. tributing the dairy products and are workAs their sons got involved with work- ing through various vendors and distributing to source milk for the Southwestern and ers to ensure the delivery of the donations Cuba City school district s, Laurie Runde they have procured. and Kellie Ingersoll, leaders in the Hazel “To keep our members engaged in the Green 4-H Clever Clovers Club, thought project, we have them posting dairy facts the project would be a great community and photos on our club’s Facebook page,” service project for their 4-H club. Kellie said. “I felt this project truly exemplied As word spread about the project, supwhat being a 4-H member is about,” Laurie port from the community and participation said. “Service to the community, especially in the school lunch program grew. during this challenging time, is important.” “It exploded,” Laurie said. “We have Wanting to ensure the entire club was had a great response from individuals and
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businesses in the community.” The outreach of the project has grown from the Cuba City and Southwestern school lunch programs to also include the school lunch program in the East Dubuque, Illinois, school district as well as donations to help stock the Hazel Green Food Pantry. “After the word got out the rst week of sending home milk with the school lunches, an additional 30 or so families signed up for the program,” Kellie said. “I thought that was neat and showed people had an interest in receiving our product.” May 4 marks the third week of the program, and the group said 400 gallons of milk, 350 pounds of cheese curds and 500 wrapped servings of string cheese will be distributed between the three school districts and the food pantry. The Hazel Green 4-H Clever Clovers along with the FFA chapters and organizations in the community are working together to keep the project growing. While they have coined the hashtag #MayMilkChallenge for their project, the Ingersolls and Rundes hope to see it continue into the summer months. “We are working to develop creative ideas to continue to provide for the needs of families in our community into the summer,” Laurie said. Working to increase demand of dairy products holds a spot near and dear to both Austin and Ray. After their high school graduation next year, both boys plan to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course before returning home to join their respective family dairy farms. “I’m a little nervous about making my career in the dairy industry,” Austin said. “But if I can make an impact now to help make the future better, that helps me feel better about my choice. Taking over my family farm is what I’ve always wanted to do.”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020 • Page 39
sponsored by
Loren Greeneld Markesan, Wisconsin Green Lake County 1,400 cows
What has been the best purchase you have ever made on your farm? Automatic teat scrubbers. Our milking parlor is a double-12 herringbone, and we milk over 1,150 cows on a daily basis three times a day. The teat scrubbers add a lot to our parlor efciency.
How did you get into farming? I grew up on a family dairy farm. After a seven-year stint of teaching, I got back into the dairy industry in 2000.
What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? Watching our farm grow – not only our herd and facilities but also our employees. Our farm has grown a lot over the past 20 years, and it is not because of one person. It takes a great team of people buying in to what you want to accomplish.
What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? This pandemic is obviously affecting us all. Hopefully this will all pass, and a sense of normalcy will settle in. What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? We built an elite calf facility in 2015. The 160-stall barn features an automatic curtain system and temperaturecontrolled ventilation system. Our farm prides itself on great genetics, and giving calves a great start is a high priority. What is a management practice you changed in the past year that has beneted you? We have given managers more total control of employee management issues. What cost-saving steps have you implemented during the low milk price? Most of the changes we have made have
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Greeneld family – (from leŌ) Rich, Cal and Loren – owns and operates Hilltop Dairy, a 1,400-cow farm in Markesan, Wisconsin. been ration related. We have taken out a lot of ingredients that are not affordable at the moment. How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? We are intentional about job protocols and giving employees an opportunity to provide feedback, especially in meetings and during trouble shooting. We also hired a consultant who assists with employee development so nothing is overlooked or
missed due to the language barrier.
the public to educate them on where their food comes from.
Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. Over the past few years, due to family life demands, I have let go of my roles and given them to my managers.
What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Network. Especially during these difcult COVID-19 times. It is important to stay in touch with the people who impact our businesses the most. Staying in touch with fellow producers is also essential. Very seldom does anyone gain knowledge without talking to someone. Talk is cheap.
What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? Sharing the industry both on a professional level with fellow dairy businessmen and also with
What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? At the moment, to survive. And we will. Our next goal is passing the farm to the next generation and looking at other revenue streams for the farm. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? We like spending time with our kids attending their school events and activities, youth sports, church events, and 4-H and neighborhood activities.
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 9, 2020
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Your Local GEA Milking Equipment Dealers Advanced Dairy Solutions Inc. WestfaliaSurge Monroe WestfaliaSurge Eastern Iowa Dairy Systems Advanced Dairy Solutions Leedstone, Inc.Fuller’s Milker Center,Monroe Richland Center, Monroe, WI • 608-325-2772 Monroe, WI • 608-325-2772 Epworth, IA • (563) 876-3087 Richland Center, WIWI Melrose, MN Lancaster, WI • 800-887-4634 608-647-4488 • 800-772-4770 320-256-3303 • 800-996-3303 608-647-4488 • 800-772-4770 Leedstone, Inc. Sioux Dairy Equipment, Inc. Sioux Dairy Equipment, Inc. J Gile Dairy Equipment Glencoe, MN Central Ag Supply, Inc. Melrose, MN Rock Valley, IA City, WI • (608) 744-2661 Rock Valley, IA Cuba Centre Dairy Equipment 320-864-5575 • 877-864-5575 Baraboo, • 608-356-8384 712-476-5608 • 800-962-4346 and SupplyWI Inc. Plainview, MN •320-256-3303 800-548-5240• 800-996-3303 712-476-5608 • 800-962-4346 Juneau, WI MN • 920-386-2611 MN Colton, SD Service 800-944-1217 Sauk Centre, Menomonie, WIGlencoe, • 715.231.8090 Colton, SDPreston Dairy Equipment 320-864-5575 • 877-864-5575 Edgerton, MN Chemical Sales Sparta, WI • (608) 269-3830 320-352-5762 • 800-342-2697 Service 800-944-1217 Centre Dairy Equipment and Supply Inc. 507-920-8626 Midwest Livestock Systems, LLC Sauk Centre, MN Midwest Livestock Systems, Inc. Edgerton, MN Stanley Schmitz, Inc. Fuller’s Milker Center, Inc. Zumbrota, MN • 800-233-8937 320-352-5762 • 800-342-2697 Menomonie, WI • 715-235-5144 507-920-8626 Central Ag Supply Inc. Chemical Sales Chilton, WI • 920-849-4209 Lancaster, WI • 800-887-4634 Menomonie, WI • 715-235-5144 Owen, WI • 715-229-4740 Sioux Falls, MN • 800-705-1447 Juneau, WI • 920-386-2611 Fitzgerald, Inc. Pine Island, MN • 800-233-8937 Beatrice, NE • 800-742-5748 Baraboo, WI • 608-356-8384 Tri-County Dairy Supply Elkader, IA • 563-245-2560 Sioux Falls, MN • 800-705-1447 Janesville, WI • (608) 757-2697 Beatrice, NE • 800-742-5748