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DAIRY ST R
SEE PAGE 18 OF THE SECOND SECTION FOR MORE INFOMATION
Volume 21, No. 10
“All dairy, all the time”™
July 13, 2019
A family’s A move towards full automation tragic loss
Thoennes fatally injured in bull attack By Danna Sabolik
danna.s@dairystar.com
PARKERS PRAIRIE, Minn. – There is an eerie feeling accompanying the stillness on the Thoennes family farm. For the rst time in 50 years, the barn is sitting empty. “It just doesn’t seem right,” Charles Thoennes said. “The fans in the barn are off, there are no cows making noise; it’s just too quiet.” Charles sold his family’s dairy herd in June after his son, Craig, was found dead in the cow yard – having suffered fatal injuries from the 1,900-pound herd bull. The attack happened June 14 Craig Thoennes on the Thoenneses’ 65-cow farm in Douglas County near Parkers Prairie, Minn. Charles and Craig worked in partnership, with Charles owning the farm site and Craig owning the cattle and managing an additional 25 head of youngstock. Heartbroken, Charles recounted the day he found out his son had passed. He received a call from the Urbank Coop Creamery, of Urbank, Minn., at 11 a.m. June 15. The milk truck driver was concerned when he stopped at the dairy and saw the bulk tank was much lower than expected and the cows were bellowing. Charles’ brothers, Marvin and Gerald, were at the creamery at the time of the call, and went to the farm at the request of the milk truck driver. They discovered Craig lying near the barn, covered in blood and the herd bull roaming free. “[Marvin and Gerald] called 911,” Charles said. “We didn’t nd out until a couple of days later, but [Craig] had laid there the whole night. The cows hadn’t been milked Friday evening or Saturday morning.” Marvin was at the farm earlier in the day June 14. He helped Craig seed his alfalfa and left around 5:45 p.m. Turn to THOENNES | Page 7
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
The Reins – (from leŌ) Kim, Amber and Ben – milk 150 cows with two robots on their dairy near Lanesboro, Minn. The Reins recently hosted a tour June 23 for aƩendees at the Second InternaƟonal Precision Dairy Farming Conference to show the milking and feeding automaƟon on farm.
Reins install feeding system in path towards one-person-run farm By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
LANESBORO, Minn. – The Reins are on the path to their farm being fully automated.
“I built this so I can run (the farm) myself, and if it doesn’t, we better x it,” Ben Rein said. Rein and his family – wife, Amber, and their children, Steven, 21, Jaime, 18, Nora, 16, Kim, 14, and Rachel,
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Tour aƩendees watch as the automaƟc feeding system dumps a batch of fresh feed in the freestall barn on the Reins’ dairy near Lanesboro, Minn.
10 – installed a Lely Vector automatic feeding system six months ago for their 150 cows on their farm near Lanesboro, Minn. The Reins use two robots to milk their herd and have plans to install an automatic calf feeder later this year. On June 23, a group from the Second International Precision Dairy Farming Conference toured the dairy. “Labor is the main part of it,” Rein said about why they are moving toward automation. To accommodate the new feeding system, the Reins built two silos along with two bulk bins. Each contains an ingredient of the milking cows’ ration: haylage and corn silage in each of the silos, and ne ground corn with fat in one bin with protein and mineral mix in the other bin. A long conveyer and portable mixing unit are housed in a building attached to the silos and bins, which is called the kitchen. Every hour, the mixing unit drives into the freestall barn to push up feed. Using a laser, it measures the height of the feed. Rein programmed the system to mix a ration if the feed is lower than 3 inches. The mixing unit will drive back to the kitchen, mix a batch of feed and Turn to REINS | Page 5
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Amanda Thooft 320-352-6303 amanda.t@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Andrea Borgerding - Associate Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Krista Kuzma - Assistant Editor (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048 cowlady@centurylink.net Danielle Nauman (608) 487-1101 danielle.n@dairystar.com Danna Sabolik - Staff Writer (320) 352-6303 • danna.s@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Advertising Sales Main Ofce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Jeff Weyer (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-8505 (cell) jeff.w@dairystar.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofce) 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 Hoeer (Eastern Iowa) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Amos Denman (Southern WI) 563-608-6477 • amos.d@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute nal 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 ofces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
North America dealers. A glance at what’s inside
Dairy Prole brought to you by your
It is evident dairy farmers across Dairy Star’s coverage area strive to produce high quality milk. In this issue, we caught up with some of those farmers. Roger and Laura Primus milk 46 cows in Stearns County near Sauk Centre, Minn. They were recently recognized by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture for the lowest somatic cell count in the state – 42,000 in 2018. Read about how they care for their cows on pages 23 and 25 in rst section. Other farmers provided their advice for maintaining low SCC in the Our Side of the Fence feature found on pages 15-16 in rst section. Take a look at their responses to learn how dairy farmers of all sizes keep their cows dry, clean and healthy. For many, a low SCC adds a premium to the milk check. But milk quality is not the only way to gain additional income on the farm. Aaron Brand, of Farmington, Minn., started an apple orchard and also raises chickens. Turn to pages 12-13 in rst section to see how Brand has diversied his farm and ways others can consider value added options for their dairies. This year has been challenging, no doubt. On June 28 and July 5, the Kyllos and Schimeks watched as their farmland was damaged from heavy rainfall that inundated their already saturated elds in southern Minnesota. To see photos of the ooding and how the two families coped with the excess water, turn to page 11 in rst section. In this issue, we also caught up with two dairywomen who cherish the industry despite its challenges. Betty Hesse, 80, has milked dairy cows most of her life, and currently milks 142 cows with her two sons, Donald and Mark Hesse, on their farm near Cologne, Minn. Her story can be found on pages 2-3 in third section. Also in third section is a story about Krista Quam’s journey to becoming a dairy farmer. After her parents sold the cows, Krista made it a priority to ll the barn again and now milks 60 cows near Kenyon, Minn. Read about Quam’s young dairy career on pages 7-8. For the rst issue of July, we are introducing some of this year’s Princess Kay of the Milky Way nalists. Turn to pages 34-35, 37 and 38 in rst section to read about nalists Rachel Paskewitz, Kayla Biel and AnnMarie Sachs. The remaining seven nalists will be featured in upcoming issues of Dairy Star. Lastly, we are halfway through our Summer Salute to Dairy campaign. Our winners of the June 22 contest are listed on page 18 in second section. To participate in our next part of the promotion, tell us about your favorite animal on the farm. The deadline for submissions is July 22. Details can be found on page 18 in second section.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Columnists Ag Insider
Pages 8-9 First Section
Sakrys cultivate life on dairy farm
The “Mielke” Market Weekly
Pages 10 - 11 Second Section
Hamlin Kingsbury or n
Country Cooking
n nso
Lake
Moody
McCook Minnehaha
Lyon
Murray
Rock
Nobles
Hennepin Carver Scott
Sibley Redwood Brown
Nicollet
Lanesboro
Reins install feeding system in path towards oneperson-run farm First Section: Pages 1, 5 - 6
Dakota
Rice
Goodhue Wabasha
Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted Jackson
Martin
Faribault
Freeborn
Winona
Fillimore
Mower
Houston
Holy Cross
Hutchinson
Turner
Bon Yankton Homme
Lincoln Clay
Union
Lyon Sioux Plymouth
Osceola Dickinson Emmet O’Brien
Clay
Palo Alto
Kossuth
Winnebago Hancock
Worth Cerro Gordo
Mitchell
Floyd
Howard
as
ick
Ch
aw
Bremer Black Hawk
Zone 1
Fayette
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
Second Section: Pages 3 - 4
Clayton
n
na
ha
c Bu
Kruse spends days on family’s 60-cow farm
Allamakee
Charles Mix
Brookings
McLeod
Renville
Yellow Medicine
Wright
Winneshiek
Douglas
Deuel
Meeker
Anoka
Ha
Da
vis
on
Sa nb
Miner
Chippewa
Lac Qui Parle
Codington
Clark
Kandiyohi
First Section: Pages 18, 20, 22
sey
Grant
Sherburne
Isanti
Washington
Swift
Benton
Stearns
Pope
Kleins increase production with sand bedding, 3X milking
go
Big Sto Stone
Mille Lacs
Morrison
Douglas
Stevens
Lake City
Pine
isa
Roberts
Day
Crow Wing
Kanabec
Grant
Third Section: Pages 7 - 8
Carlton
r
Marshall
Aitkin
eu
First Section: Page 10
Cass
Todd
rse
Ode takes full-time gig until farm transition is feasible
Page 33 First Section
Page 29 Second Section
Wilkin
Brandon
Kenyon
Quam takes over farm with help from family
Ch
Come Full Circle
Otter Tail
Tra ve
Page 32 First Section
Becker
Clay
Page 31 First Section
en
nom
Mah
Ra m
Norman
First Section: Pages 12 - 13
Itasca
Hubbard
Polk
First Section: Page 36
Farmington
Pick value added products to benet dairy
St. Louis
Red Lake
Women in Dairy: Lisa Zeinstra
Hesse continues farming at 80 years old Third Section: Pages 2 - 3
Koochiching
Pennington
Holland
Veterinary Wisdom
Making Cents of Dairy
Beltrami
Wadena
Page 30 First Section
First Section: Pages 15 - 16
Clearwater
Dear County Agent Guy
Third Section: Pages 10 - 11
Cologne
From Our Side of the Fence
Lake of the Woods
Marshall
Page 27 First Section
New Ulm
Su
On the Road with Princess Kay
Avon
Kids Corner: The Merdan Family
Second Section: Pages 18 - 19 Kittson Roseau
First Section: Pages 1, 7
Lincoln
Page 26 First Section
Melrose
Thoennes sells herd after son fatally injured in bull attack
Pipestone
FSA News & Notes
Le
Parkers Prairie
are
law
De
Linn
Dubuque
Jones
Jackson
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Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 5
ConƟinued from REINS | Page 1
Les Kuehl
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KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
A cow stands in the sand bedded freestall barn, which the Reins built in order to accommodate their new automaƟc feeding system at their farm near Lanesboro, Minn. return to the barn to unload the batch. The feeding system will feed 12 1,000-pound batches per day. With this newest use of automation, the Reins’ herd increased in components with butterfat up to 3.8% from 3.6% and protein jumping to 3.3% from 3.1%. Rein attributes the increase to consistent feeding. Refusals have also gone down nearly 25%. “It’s a big thing,” Rein said. “Now I scrape the bunk every two weeks and get one small skidloader bucket from each side. Before I was getting 1-2 buckets per day.” Rein thinks this can be attributed to one aspect. “There is fresh feed in front of the cows all the time, which helps keep the feed depth down,” he said. Although milk production dropped from 85 to 75 pounds per cow per day, Rein expects production to climb to its previous rank. He thinks the decrease is because of the housing change last year. When the Reins decided to install the feeding system, they tore down their housing for the milking herd – a hoop barn with a compost bedded pack. The cows ate from a bunk outside. “The heat was hard on the cows in the summer,” Rein said. “The hoop barn was too hot. They would stand out by the bunk. We needed something
better.” The Reins built a sand bedded freestall barn. This allowed for the use of the automatic feeding system and also lowered the herd’s somatic cell count, which at one point reached 600,000. “The robots didn’t clean good enough for a compost barn,” Rein said. Before putting in the robots – the rst one in 2014 and the second in 2015 – Rein said the SCC stayed at about 200,000. But, Rein had trouble once the robots were installed. Once the cows started using the new freestall barn, their SCC started to lower and is now down to 150,000. “Sand is really good,” Rein said. “The cows aren’t standing as much, and they’re laying down a lot more.” Rein has cut bedding cost by using sand from his own bluff. The automatic feeding system also saves the Reins up to $1,500 per month in fuel savings because they no longer have to run a tractor. And, Rein said he has not seen an increase in his electricity bill. The biggest advantages to the automation is having less labor, Rein said. The new feeding system only requires about 15 minutes of attention every week. Prior to the feeding system, Rein’s father had the responsibility of
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Turn to REINS | Page 6
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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
ConƟinued from REINS | Page 5
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t ^ >> E t Θ h^ 'ͳ ' Θ < >>z Zz E '' Z^
Tour aƩendees watch as the automaƟc feed system gets silage from one of the silos at the Reins’ dairy farm near Lanesboro, Minn.
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mixing and feeding the ration for the milking herd, a job that took three hours each day. “My dad is 71 so he’s soon not going to be able to do it anymore,” Rein said. Hiring people outside the family did not work. “They would last about four to eight weeks and then they just wouldn’t show up,” Rein said. “I just decided to put all my resources into this [automation].” To do the job of the milking and feeding robots, Rein estimates he would have had to hire two people, which would be an expense of about $100,000 each year. “That more than pays for the vector and the [milking] robots in a few years,”
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Rein said. Now that the Reins have gotten into the routine of using the automatic feeding system, they plan to install a chopper box that will be able to add dry hay and cottonseed to the mix. They also plan to build two more silos for earlage and more corn silage. Eventually, the Reins would like the system to feed their dry cows and youngstock. Later this year, the Reins will also be adding an automatic calf feeder. Amber feeds all the young calves on milk. “We’re trying to automate this as much as possible to make it as efcient as possible,” Rein said. Step by step, the Reins hope their farm will be as automated as possible.
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Combining activity and rumination monitoring, the Allflex Heatime system gathers real-time and actionable data about individual cows, groups, and the whole herd without disturbing their daily routines. A dairy producer can find sick cows before clinical signs appear, breed off of natural heats, and leave the rest of the cows alone to produce more milk. “We found the happy medium between increased milk production and limiting stress. Since installing our Allflex Heatime system, our timed artificial insemination has dropped by 90%, we have a 24% pregnancy rate, and 32,000-pound herd average. Allflex and Fuller’s Milker Center provide excellent installation, training, and support with our system.” Jerry Volenec, Mike Spink
Hardscrabble Dairy Montfort, WI
Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 7
ConƟnued from THOENNES | Page 1 “It had to have happened between then and 7 p.m. because he never milked,” Marvin said. “We think he was trying to chase a cow out to be bred because he had gates out, but I bet he turned his back and that was when the bull attacked.” The ofcial autopsy stated Craig died of blunt force injuries to the chest, caused by a farm animal accident. In a state of overwhelming shock, the Thoennes family worked together to complete the chores Craig left unnished. They fed the animals and milked the cows for a day and a half, and by the morning of June 17, the cows were at the sale barn in Perham, Minn. “It’s so weird,” Charles said. “I don’t think this barn has ever been empty since 1965.” Charles grew up a quarter mile down the road from the farm site. He remembered attending the barn party when the barn was rst built. In 1987, there was an auction where Charles purchased one cow so the barn did not sit empty. He farmed there until 2001, when Craig joined in a two-third, one-third partnership. The father and son continued that working partnership until 2008 when Craig purchased the entire herd from his father. “I still worked with him everyday,” Charles said. “We did it all together until 2010 when I got a job with a manufacturing company in Alexandria [,
DANNA SABOLIK/DAIRY STAR
The Thoennes brothers – (from leŌ) Gerald, Charles and Marvin – gather at the family farm site July 1 near Parkers Prairie, Minn. The brothers sold the dairy herd aŌer Charles’ son, Craig, was killed in a bull aƩack June 14. Minn].” Craig was known for his dedication to the farm. He would often be in the barn until midnight or moving irrigators after dark. He enjoyed farming and had no intentions of selling out. At the time of the accident, Charles owned the farm. He was in the process of creating a purchase agreement with his son. “I had asked [Craig] in April why he wanted to do this; there’s no money in it,” Charles
said. “But, he was adamant and said the cattle aren’t worth anything now, so it wouldn’t be worth it to sell either.” Along with the known nancial struggles of dairy farming, Craig would have been in for a surprise this fall when he discovered his heifers were open, said Charles. “The bull wasn’t even doing his job,” he said. “Only 15 cows were bred out of an 80head herd.” Marvin said the family encouraged Craig to sell the bull.
“He was just plain mean,” Marvin said. Unfortunately, the bull was new to Craig’s operation. “I had never had a herd bull,” Charles said. “I think he was trying to save money with some of the heifers, so he got a bull last spring.” Charles was overwhelmed with the support of his friends and neighbors in helping clean up the farm or recalling Craig’s life. “We had enough help to farm all of Leaf Valley Town-
ship,” he said. “If I didn’t see them at the wake or funeral, they sent a card. I really can’t recall anybody who hasn’t shown up or sent a card.” Even as a young boy, Craig wanted to farm. “That’s all he wanted to do and that’s what he died doing,” Charles said. “It still doesn’t feel real. But you just move on, you don’t have a choice. The rst week I was too busy to think about it, but when I saw him in the cofn on Thursday, it really hit home.” Craig was known for his passion to dairy and kindness towards people. He was close with his nieces, Payton and Faith Thoennes, and made annual trips with them to Minnesota Twins games or the Valleyfair. He was also involved in the local re department for 12 years until he could no longer attend meetings due to his busy schedule as a dairy farmer. Craig enjoyed snow sports, competing in snowmobile races throughout the state with his best friend, Brent Bitzan, said Charles. “Every weekend they would go racing and he loved that,” Charles said. “He also enjoyed snowboarding at Andes Tower Hills. He will be missed by everyone who knew him.” In the wake of the tragic loss of Craig, the Thoennes family lives to celebrate the life of a beloved son and dairyman.
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Trade talks resume
U.S. and Chinese trade ofcials will return to will see that reected in the new Market Facilitation the bargaining table. After a meeting with Chinese Program payments. “It is based on the calculated President Xi Jinping during the G-20 Summit, impacts on trade per commodity,” Censky said. President Donald Trump sounded very optimistic. “That is totaled up together with all the commodities within a county, including how much is “We had a very, very good meeting with Ag Insider produced in each county, and that will China; I would say probably even better determine the county rate. So yes, there than expected.” In a news brieng, will be differences between counties.” Trump said China agreed to purchase The county rate structure has not been a tremendous amount of U.S. farm announced and that may not happen commodities. Trump also praised U.S. until after the Farm Service Agency farmers as patriots. During the overseas certies acreage in mid-July. “Our goal trip, Trump also tweeted about a Farm is to have it available right around or Journal survey that said he has a 74 shortly after the USDA acreage report.” percent approval rating from farmers. USDA moves up cover crop haying McKinney: Ag must be part of EUand grazing date U.S. trade negotiations USDA’s Risk Management Agency If agriculture is not included, the By Don Wick has moved up the date for farmers and United States and European Union will Columnist ranchers to start haying and grazing not be able to reach a trade agreement. cover crops on prevented plant acres to USDA Undersecretary Ted McKinney made that point during his visit to Brussels. Europe Sept. 1. The adjustment was made due to this year’s wants a trade deal with the United States, but is late planting season and forage shortages, with the refusing to discuss increased market access for U.S. previous date for grazing and haying being Nov. 1. Producers who use cover crops for silage, haylage farm products. or baling will remain eligible for their full 2019 prevented planting indemnity. RMA Administrator Dairy exports decline According to USDA, U.S. dairy exports in Martin Barbre said the adjustments are only made May were at 425 million pounds, down 60 million for 2019. The agency is evaluating the prudence of pounds from one year ago. Total cheese exports a permanent adjustment moving forward. increased 7 million pounds. Butter exports declined nearly 4 million pounds. The total exports of nonfat Higher cover crop seed costs Tight supply and strong demand are driving dry milk and skim milk powder dropped 14 million pounds and dry whey exports declined 20.5 million up the price of cover crop seed. Albert Lea Seed House owner Mac Ehrhardt said millet is in short pounds. supply in southern Minnesota. “The only millet we Censky meets with Minnesota farmers, talks have left to sell now is proso millet. It’s probably the weakest of all of the millets in terms of forage MFP Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen production,” Ehrhardt said. “Most of the others Censky came back to his home state of Minnesota are sold out. There still seems to be sundangrass, and met with state farm leaders. States like though it’s getting more expensive. Oats are also Minnesota, which are more dependent on exports, in tight supply. We’re having to go to Canada for
seed, because bins are running out in the Dakotas.” If farmers in southern Minnesota are buying oats legally labeled, the cost will be about $10 to $12 a bushel. Ehrhardt said that is extremely high. Albert Lea Seed House just raised the price of oats $1.25 a bushel a few days ago. Ehrhardt tells farmers if they are buying cover crop seed, make sure it is from someone you trust and it is properly labeled. Navigating conict and tough times in agriculture Agribusiness professionals and farmers are diving deeper into conict resolution and tough conversations in a three-hour workshop series sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. University of Minnesota Extension Educator Denise Stromme told attendees at the Thief River Falls workshop conict resolution is not a 12-step program. It is really about connecting with others, meeting people where they are at. “It’s to be able to understand even though we may have tough information to share, we can share it in a way (that’s) benecial for the people hearing this also for the people giving the information.” Stromme also said conict is not necessarily a bad thing. “You can have positive outcomes from conict.” Consumers face misconceptions about food Consumers may not be getting accurate information about what they eat. Dr. Nina Shapiro, who has written a book about medical myths and exaggerated health claims, cites the hype over alternative milk beverages. “Plant-based beverages, such as soy milk or almond milk, are touted as healthier and better for you. In reality, they have a lot of added sugars and added avoring. One of the myths out there is that these alternative milk products are better for you and that is not the case.” Shapiro said consumers are inundated with false health claims, especially through social media and online stories. Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 9
ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8
Two co-ops work together in China Land O’Lakes and the Dutch cooperative, Royal Agrirm Group, are partnering on a joint venture in China. The new company is called Agrilakes and will be based initially at Agrirm’s current manufacturing plant in Tianjin. The joint venture will focus on the dairy nutrition sector for China’s expanding dairy industry.
Meyer to leave World Ag Outlook Board World Agricultural Outlook Board Chair Seth Meyer is leaving his post effective July 13. Prior to becoming chair of the World Ag Outlook Board in 2014, Meyer worked in the USDA’s Ofce of the Chief Economist. Meyer will return to the faculty of the University of Missouri’s Department of Agricultural Economics. USDA Chief Economist Rob Johansson named Mark Jekanowski as the acting Ag Outlook Board Chair.
An expanded label Aureomycin is now labeled for bacterial pneumonia control in dairy replacement heifers. A veterinary feed directive is required Trivia challenge to feed rations with this Zoetis feed More ice cream is sold on Sunday additive. Aureomycin has a zero-day than any other day of the week. That withdrawal period. answers our last trivia question. What is the most popular ice cream topping MN-Pearl to be released in 2020 in the world? We’ll have the answer The University of Minnesota, in the next edition of Dairy Star. in collaboration with the University Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for of Saskatchewan, has released MN- the Red River Farm Network, based in Pearl. This new white hull oat variety Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has is described as late-maturing and high- been recognized as the National Farm yielding. MN-Pearl will be available Broadcaster of the Year and served as for the 2020 growing season. 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, July 13, 2019
DAIRYING IN TOUGH TIMES
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Alex Ode is the Ōh-generaƟon to be a part of his family’s dairy, Royalwood Farms, near Brandon, S.D. Ode has a full-Ɵme job at Bel Brands, in Brookings, S.D., while also helping on the family dairy. By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
Editor’s note: In this series, “Dairying in tough times,” Dairy Star is catching up with dairy farmers who began milking cows in the last ve years. These farmers are sharing how they have been able to weather the market conditions and why they see promise in today’s changing industry. BRANDON, S.D. – Alex Ode wants to be a fulltime dairy farmer. While the timing to become a part of his family’s operation has not allowed the transition, he builds sweat equity with plans to one day join his father and uncle. “Money is tight and the farm can’t take on a whole other family; that’s too much of a burden,” Ode said. “Yes, I’ll come back, but when the timing is right.” Ode works on his family’s 360-cow registered Holstein farm, Royalwood Farms, in Brandon, S.D. He also has a full-time job at Bel Brands processing facility in Brookings, S.D. In a two-week stretch, Ode works 12-hour shifts for seven days at the processing plant – the rst week on Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday; the following week on Wednesday and Thursday. Ode then works on his family’s dairy the other seven days he is available. “Honestly, it’s the best of both worlds,” Ode said. “I have a full-time job off the farm with a full salary and benets, and I’m available to work on the farm.” The fth-generation dairyman does not take a salary – or any form of pay – at the farm. “The money stays on the farm and that makes it easier for the dairy to cash ow. I’m an extra set of hands to help when things get busy,” said Ode, who has been a part of the farm in this capacity since September 2013. Ode’s dad and uncle, Gregg and Doug, own Royalwood Farms with Ode’s grandfather, Robert, still involved on a regular basis. The farm also employs ve individuals. The cows are housed in a six-row sand-bedded freestall barn and milked in a double-8 parlor. The Odes raise all of the replacements as well as bull calves to 500 pounds. They run 750 acres of corn and alfalfa that is custom planted and harvested. “Because I’m not on the farm every day, I don’t have daily tasks,” Ode said. “I’m the jack of all trades.” Ode oversees a lot of equipment repairs and general maintenance on the farm. He also helps get the cows sorted for vet checks on Fridays. While not a partner on paper, Ode still provides input when large decisions are being made for the dairy. “We always have those important conversations as a family,” Ode said. As Ode builds equity in the farm – having purchased 12 springing heifers in the summer of 2010 which has grown to 35 animals within the herd – and works to-
wards ownership, the dairy is able to focus on weathering the poorer markets. “There’s never been any conversation about my involvement; it’s accepted and appreciated,” Ode said. “There are a lot of people who already need to draw a salary from the farm, so I put in a little old sweat equity and don’t take any money off the dairy. That’s how it gets passed on.” The family works together to see where they may be able to cut their cost of production or improve animal health to facilitate a better milk yield. “I have a fresh set of eyes that try stay up on industry trends and technologies more than my dad and uncle,” Ode said. “As a group, we look if any idea is viable for our situation, because even though we are a larger farm, we’re still smaller than the state average.” Ode keeps in close contact with the farm’s nutritionist. They talk about ways to eliminate expenses without sacricing production, particularly butterfat and protein content. While Ode toys with dry cow and heifer rations, he is strict in not touching the milk cow ration. “That’s one area we don’t skimp on,” he said. To keep feed costs under control, Ode and his family have locked in the price for protein when it hit a low. The Odes also strive for a low somatic cell count to receive premiums on their milk check. “Last July, milk prices were down, the summer heat hit and we had a bit of stray voltage,” Ode said. “Those were major compounding issues we had to correct.” Once the family worked with their electricity company, SCC returned to a low level and reproduction vastly improved. “It was such a big change, I wonder if we weren’t dealing with minute stray voltage for a very long time,” Ode said. Ode graduated from South Dakota State University with studies in dairy production and manufacturing and business specialization in 2010. With the markets of 2009 still weighing heavily on Ode’s family’s dairy, he did not return immediately. “I was itching to get into dairy,” Ode said. “But, we were nancially strapped, and I couldn’t go home because the farm couldn’t pay for me.” Rather, Ode found an internship where he gained experience on other dairy farms and then secured a job in the processing business. In taking jobs off the farm, Ode has found ways to remain involved on the family dairy without being a nancial burden. Now, the young farmer frequents his alma mater, sharing that same message with other aspiring dairy farmers. “I was born and raised on the dairy and there’s no question I want to do it. I love it,” Ode said. “Right now, I am making a sacrice of not working full time on the farm, but it’s for the betterment and long-term viability of the farm.”
Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 11
Heavy rain causes ďƒ&#x;ash ďƒ&#x;ooding on already saturated ďƒželds
Kyllos’, Schimeks’ farms under water By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
BYRON, Minn. – Paul and Susan Kyllo are used to a few acres of their farm being ďƒ&#x;ooded during the spring thaw season, but recent rain events inundated their lower ďƒželds with water. “The ground just got so saturated,â€? Paul said. “The water came up and went down the fastest it ever has.â€? Excessive rainfall throughout the spring and early summer, including two rain events June 28 and July 5, caused ďƒ&#x;ooding on several Olmsted and Dodge county farms. The Kyllos milk 95 cows on their dairy situated along the middle branch of the Zumbro River near Byron, Minn. During the early morning hours of June 28, the area received nearly 8 inches of rain in a ďƒžve-hour span. Flash ďƒ&#x;ood warnings spread throughout the communities as rain pummeled already saturated ďƒželds. “I slept through the whole storm,â€? Susan said. “When I woke up and went outside, I heard a noise ‌ like a roaring sound.â€? That noise was water gushing through the lower portions of the family’s pasture and ďƒželds. “The intensity and depth was the worst we’ve ever seen,â€? Susan said. Nearly 40 acres of their land – 30 acres of pasture and 10 acres of corn – had over 10 feet of water. The water came as close as 20 feet of the building site. Since the Kyllos keep their cattle outside year round, the family has faced
“All the farmers are already under so much stress with prices and everything, and then this happens ...� LAURA SCHIMEK, DAIRY FARMER
challenges this spring with ďƒžnding dry places for the cattle. “I didn’t even realize it was suppose to rain over night,â€? Paul said. “We had contemplated putting the cows in the lower pasture.â€? Thankfully, the Kyllos chose higher ground and escaped having to round
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Paul and Susan Kyllo stand in front of a corn ďƒželd that ďƒ&#x;ooded this summer due to excessive rainfall on their 95-cow dairy near Byron, Minn. up cattle ďƒ&#x;owing down the river, which happened to a nearby neighbor. Along with farmland underwater, the Kyllos also dealt with water over the road to their feed bags. Pine-Shelter Farms also dealt with ďƒ&#x;ooded ďƒželds and roads in nearby Pine Island, Minn. “It was pretty spotty, but our farm got well over 4 inches Friday morning after it had rained all day Thursday,â€? said Laura Schimek, who with her family milks 600 cows on their dairy. Two water channels pass through Pine-Shelter Farms – one is the middle branch of the Zumbro River while the other is a small spring-fed creek. Schimek described how the creek turned into what she called a raging river, which caused the road to her brother, Eric’s, house to ďƒ&#x;ood. “It was emergency mode at the farm, and he couldn’t get to us because the water was 2 feet over his road,â€? she said. The river runs through the dairy’s dry cow pasture, which ďƒ&#x;ooded almost up to the fence. “We had cows we had to move,â€? Schimek said. “They were right up against the gate and couldn’t go anywhere. Half were on one side and half were on the other.â€? Along with making sure the cattle were OK, Schimek’s biggest dilemma was trying to get employees to and
from the farm for milking. “We basically met them at Kwik Trip and escorted them back to the farm according to what bridge was open at the time,� Schimek said. After the water receded, Schimek said the farm lost 50 acres of grass hay and 75 acres of corn located on both sides of the middle branch of the Zumbro River. There was also debris left in
the ďƒželds. Schimek said this is the worst ďƒ&#x;ooding she has seen on her family’s dairy. “All the farmers are already under so much stress with prices and everything, and then this happens and you’re already months late getting crops in or out of the ďƒželd,â€? Schimek said. “It’s been a crazy year.â€?
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
Pick value added products to benet dairy Diversied farms can be fullling, protable
that addressed animal health – reducing mortality to less than 1% in the entire lifetime of the ock – improved egg and shell quality, and facilitated steady production throughout the entire year. Brand’s apple orchard rst began as a 6-acre plot at a nearby business. With time, Brand has developed his orchard to t the needs of his family’s agriculture enterprise. “We’ve made a lot of changes, but they’ve all beneted the farm,” Brand said. There are ample possibilities for dairy farmers to create a value added business from their farm, whether it is directly related to the dairy or becomes
By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
FARMINGTON, Minn. – Diversifying a dairy farm can be done in multiple ways, each bringing a certain value to the business based on the market’s demand. “There are a lot of opportunities for value added,” Betty Berning said. “It could be as simple as diversifying your farm by adding a different crop or animal, or as complicated as making a food product that you sell at the grocery store.” Berning provides strategic insight for farmers to develop a value added niche with her business, Betty Berning Consulting. When deciding if value added is right for the farm, Berning suggested dairy farmers explore options. “Visit other dairies and talk to other people who have completed a value added investment on their farm,” Berning said. “Make a list of possibilities.” Aaron Brand was a recent college graduate when he returned to his family’s farm and established an apple orchard and chicken farm. Today, Brand milks 70 cows with his family – dad, John, uncle, Greg, and grandfather, Richard – grows 16 acres of apples
DAIRY STAR FILE PHOTO
Aaron and John Brand milk 70 cows on their farm in Dakota County near Farmington, Minn. Aaron also grows 16 acres of apples and raises more than 2,500 laying hens and meat birds. and raises more than 2,500 laying hens and meat birds at their farm in Dakota County near Farmington, Minn. The cows are housed in a 50-stall tiestall barn with 20 cows housed in a freestall barn. “When I came home from college in 2005, we were trying to gure out what we could do based on our location,” Brand said. “With housing less than 1 mile away, expanding the dairy was not feasible, so we decided this would be a better t.”
The Brands have a traditional dairy farm and then sell their eggs, poultry meat and apples in an on-farm store, at farmers markets and to area grocers. Brand always raised laying hens, but after college further developed that area of his family’s farm business. “I ordered 50 birds and gave them to family and sold them off the farm,” Brand said. “I grew the ock to 800900 hens and realized I needed to do this correctly or walk away.” The dairy farmer then built a facility
“Visit other dairies and talk to other people who have completed a value added investment on their farm.” BETTY BERNING, CONSULTANT
an entirely different sector of the farm. Berning uses a scorecard when working with farmers. This diagram allows farmers to visualize and measure options for value added and what might be the best t for the farm business. Given the farmer’s resources and desires, criteria is established and Turn to VALUE ADDED | Page 13
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 13
ConƟnued from VALUE ADDED | Page 12 reach consumers. “People and customers like to see where and how their food is made, and that has really beneted our family farm,” Brand said. Dairy farmers can work with government programs to nd the right value added product. At the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the AGRI Value Added Feasibility Study Grant provides funding to research the best value added product for the farm. The United States Department of Agriculture and Agriculture Utilization Research Institute offers similar programs. Creating a value added product is not an easy feat. With trial and error, it can become a successful venture. “I jumped in head rst, and I’ve experienced my fair share of downfalls and also positives,” Brand said. “If you start small and do your research, you can always grow.”
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Berning agreed. “Do your homework and vet your ideas,” she said. After more than a decade of adding diversity to the family farm, Brand still runs into challenges with labor being the greatest obstacle. “By far that’s our top problem, and I know I’m not alone in saying that,” Brand said. “There are some new things I’d like to do or places I’d like to market our products, but without the man power we can’t do it.” But Brand does not deter anyone from pursuing a value added business. “Go for it, but do your research rst,” he said. There is possibility in the industry for dairy farmers to nd a niche market they enjoy being a part of and one that is also protable.
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weighed against possible value added ideas. “Don’t just go after the idea that has the greatest potential prot,” Berning said. “Pick something that ts with your appetite for risk and works well with your business and family.” For example, Berning might work with a farmer who is considering transitioning to organic, hosting day camps or making dairy products to sell to grocers, but is limited with their time and access to capital. The scorecard would help reveal converting to organic dairying is the best decision. “It’s very important to decide what you are capable and not capable of doing,” Berning said. “Make a list and compare. Most likely, none of [the possibilities] will meet every criterion perfectly, but hopefully there will be a few ideas that meet most.” Brand Farms knew their fruit and poultry endeavors would complement the dairy well given the farm’s proximity to the Twin Cities and ability to
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Sample calculation: 3,000,000 x 95 percent = 2,850,000/100 = 28,500 cwt. x 0.150 premium fee = $4,275
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The dairy operation in the example calculation will pay $4,275 in total premium payments for all of 2019 and receive $9,950 in DMC payments for January, February, March and April combined. Additional payments will be made if calculated margins remain below the $9.50/cwt level. All participants are also required to pay an annual $100 administrative fee in addition to any premium, and payments will be subject to a 6.2 percent reduction to account for federal sequestration. For DMC signup, eligibility and related dairy program information, contact your local USDA service center. To locate your local FSA ofce, visit farmers.gov/ service-locator.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 15
From Our Side Of The Fence What do you attribute your low SCC to?
Joe Wuethrich Brownton, Minn. McLeod County 15 cows Describe your farm. I milk in a single-4 ďƒ&#x;at barn parlor in a retro-ďƒžtted tiestall barn. The cows are housed in a freestall barn that we made out of a livestock shed. We use ďƒžne pine shavings. We bed once a week. What was your average somatic cell count in 2018? 80,000. Why is it important for you to have a low somatic cell count? Premiums are a huge bonus, but the biggest reason is it means you have healthy and happy cows. What are the three biggest factors you attribute your low somatic cell count to? Keeping the cows clean is huge. Keeping cows’ stress down with ventilation and spraying for ďƒ&#x;ies several times a week and comfortable spots to lay. Not pushing cows with feed or feeding for immunity. What type of analysis do you use to monitor milk quality? I watch my temperature monitors, and I pre-strip to check quarters. I also watch my SCC alarms. Have you ever had times when your SCC got higher than you like? What did you do to bring it back down? I have had some high counts when it is wet. I scrape the alleys more and put lime down to dry things out. I dry cows up early because they are usually the cause. Less milk usually means they will be a little higher count. What are some strategies you use to control SCC during the wet and hot times of the year? The biggest thing is to keep the cows dry and comfortable with extra fans and bedding. Add hydrolac to get water intake up to keep the cows cool. The less stress the cows have in the daily routine the better, especially when we have had this type of weather.
Andy (left) and Bob Cremers; not pictured is Ann Cremers St. Anthony, Minn. Stearns County 62 cows Describe your farm. Our farm has been in the Cremers family since 1877. We grow alfalfa, corn and oat on about 300 acres, some of it rented from neighbors. The cows are housed in a tiestall barn using chopped straw for bedding. What was your average somatic cell count in 2018? Our average SCC for 2018 was 84,000. Our average bacteria count for the last three years has been 3,000. Why is it important for you to have a low somatic cell count? We get a premium from the milk plant for low SCC. It’s nice to know we are producing a quality product for consumers. What are the three biggest factors you attribute your low somatic cell count to? Keeping the cows clean, dry and comfortable is most important. Putting lime behind the cows helps keep them dry. We have our vacuum and milking equipment checked monthly. The same people do the milking using the same routine, including pre and post dipping. What type of analysis do you use to monitor milk quality? Our milk plant gives us a weekly printout showing SCC, bacteria and other information. Have you ever had times when your SCC got higher than you like? What did you do to bring it back down? Yes. If we suspect a certain cow, we will have her tested and then treat her. What are some strategies you use to control SCC during the wet and hot times of the year? We have three large exhaust fans on the south end of the barn which run all the time. We also have quite a few circulating fans and a large ďƒ&#x;oor fan that we turn on when it’s hot and humid. That keeps the air moving which keeps it cooler and drier.
Kevin L. Braulick New Ulm, Minn. Brown County 40 cows Describe your farm. My brother, Scott, and I milk in a tiestall barn bedded with chopped oat straw. Our Dad, Melvin Jr., and Scott’s son, Spencer, also help us by assisting with tasks throughout the day. What was your average somatic cell count in 2018? 69,000. Why is it important for you to have a low somatic cell count? Our No. 1 goals are cow health and producing a product that we can be proud of. We do not put anything in the milk tank that we would not consume ourselves. What are the three biggest factors you attribute your low somatic cell count to? It’s hard to name only three. Unical: We spread it twice a day in the morning and again at night. Cleanliness: We do our best to make sure everything is clean; scraping manure and wet spots, making sure the teats are clean and dry before attaching units, and making sure the units are being washed properly. Nutrition: Making sure the diet is appropriate for the cow, that it is good quality and that they are getting what they need. What type of analysis do you use to monitor milk quality? We forestrip four squirts of milk from each teat to visually check the color and to check for clots. If anything looks a little off, I CMT them. I also monitor Bongards Patron Dashboard closely to watch for any big increases in the SCC. Have you ever had times when your SCC got higher than you like? What did you do to bring it back down? Yes. Haven’t we all? I normally have a good idea which cow has the higher SCC. I CMT all suspect quarters ďƒžrst, and, if I do not ďƒžnd it, I start CMTing all of the cows. High quarters go into the quarter milker, and then the cow is treated on an individual basis. What are some strategies you use to control SCC during the wet and hot times of the year? We try to keep the cows clean, as cool as possible and keep the ďƒ&#x;ies under control.
Avery Hatďƒželd Hillsboro, Wis. Richland County 320 cows Describe your farm. We have a double-12 parallel parlor and sand bedded freestalls. Our milking routine is to wipe, dip, wipe and attach unit. What was your average somatic cell count in 2018? Our average SCC was 92,000. Why is it important for you to have a low somatic cell count? Having a low somatic cell count is important because it means more milk per cow, and selling a clean product is rewarding. What are the three biggest factors you attribute your low somatic cell count to? All of our milkers are following the same milking procedure to help ensure a consistent environment for the cows. Daily bulk tank SCC checks are sent to my phone so I can check if we have any possible ďƒ&#x;are ups. Monthly DHIA tests are used so I can see the high SCC cows and use that milk to feed calves. What type of analysis do you use to monitor milk quality? We use the daily bulk tank tests and the monthly DHIA test sheets. Have you ever had times when your SCC got higher than you like? What did you do to bring it back down? Yes. I start checking cows that have had history of high SCC. We treat them with sulfur and Today. What are some strategies you use to control SCC during the wet and hot times of the year? We don’t have any particular strategies for controlling SCC during hot and wet weather. A guy can go crazy trying to keep SCC at a certain level during the summer months. Sometimes it will go up to about 150,000 during really hot weather, and then in the cooler months it will go back down to about 70,000 to 80,000. We’ve had a few days it’s been in the 50,000 range. Turn to OUR SIDE | Page 16
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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15
Steve Temperli Elkton, S.D. Brookings County 1,750 cows Describe your farm. My parents, Ernst and Ursula, and I moved to South Dakota from Canada in 2003. We built Crosswind Jerseys and began milking in 2004. We started with 650 head and have grown the operation to its present size. We are in the process of building a new tunnel ventilated freestall barn that will house an additional 350 head. Our free stalls are bedded with sand. Some of our barns are naturally ventilated and some are tunnel ventilated. What was your average somatic cell count in 2018? Our SCC averaged about 90,000 in 2018. It never went above 100,000 the whole year. Why is it important for you to have a low somatic cell count? It’s a sign of good udder health. A low SCC means healthier cows, better milk production and lower treatment costs. Our milk processor, Valley Queen Cheese Factory, pays us a bonus of $.50 per hundredweight for keeping our SCC below 125,000. What are the three biggest factors you attribute your low somatic cell count to? There are three simple things any dairy farmer can do to attain a low SCC. They include making sure the stalls always have adequate levels of clean, dry bedding, using a good quality teat dip, and making sure you maintain good milking parlor protocols. It’s important that our employees don’t stray from our milking protocols. We use TV cameras to review milking parlor activities. What type of analysis do you use to monitor milk quality? We keep track of the number of clinical mastitis cases and watch the bulk tank SCC. If we see a spike, it raises red ags, and we immediately take action to nd and correct the cause. Have you ever had times when your SCC got higher than you like? What did you do to bring it back down? Yes. The rst thing we did was to check the pulsators and the teat dip, but then we found the inations were past due to be changed. We installed new inations and the SCC went down immediately. We have also learned if an employee isn’t doing a good job in the milking parlor, it will show up in our SCC. One bad employee can make big trouble. What are some strategies you use to control SCC during the wet and hot times of the year? We don’t really do much different; our strategies remain the same year-round. The main difference during the hot weather is we have to fog our barns to control the ies.
Kieand Holsteins LLC Gary and Linda Kieffer, and Chad and Kendra Kieffer Utica, Minn. Winona County 350 cows Describe your farm. We have a robotic milking free ow barn design that is natural ventilated with fans and sprinklers. Cows are housed in sand freestalls that are bedded twice each week. We scrape manure alleys three times each day and groom stalls three times a day. Dry cows are housed on sand freestalls with fans. What was your average somatic cell count in 2018? 68,000. Why is it important for you to have a low somatic cell count? Most importantly, to have a healthy herd with strong immune systems. Secondly, to provide a high quality dairy product leaving the dairy. Lastly, to maximize premiums to attempt to be protable. What are the three biggest factors you attribute your low somatic cell count to? Attention to small details – excellent employees, early detection of mastitis, conductivity, CMT paddle, on-farm culturing, plowing stalls and periodically using lime. Use of mastitis vaccines – Kleb vaccine based on days carrying calf and E. coli vaccine in May/June. Many years of strategically culling chronic and high SCC families. What type of analysis do you use to monitor milk quality? We DHIA test quarterly test conductivity daily with sensor technology. We also use a CMT paddle and on-farm tri-plate culturing. Have you ever had times when your SCC got higher than you like? What did you do to bring it back down? Yes. Attention to details. What are some strategies you use to control SCC during the wet and hot times of the year? We administer an E. coli vaccine in May/June before humidity starts and plow out the back of the freestalls and replace it with lime. In the summer, we use a 1% chlorhexidine gluconate/Iodine combination post dip. We always rst look at daily conductivity report then at CMT affected quarters followed by sample and culture affected quarter. The last thing we do is only treat the animal if the culture is positive or the cow is clinically sick.
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Youngren Dairy Farms Inc. Dean, Michael and Trevin Youngren Pennock, Minn. Kandiyohi County 450 cows Describe your farm. We have a robotic facility with cross ventilation and sand bedding. We raise all our feed and heifers. What was your average somatic cell count in 2018? 90,000. Why is it important for you to have a low somatic cell count? Cow health, better milk quality and production. We do get a small premium in our milk price. What are the three biggest factors you attribute your low somatic cell count to? Our facility. Manure management and sand bedding have contributed to the herd’s low SCC. Also, our dry and fresh cow protocol have helped. At dry off, cows receive a dry off treatment and teat sealant. We singe udders at dry off as well as fresh. The udders on the milking herd are singed every 4-6 weeks. We give J-5 vaccine every three months to the entire milking herd. The robotic prepping consistency and constant monitoring for cow health and milk quality issues has contributed to our herd’s low somatic cell count. What type of analysis do you use to monitor milk quality? The herd is checked daily for SCC. We also get weekly bulk tank cultures provided by First District Association, our milk cooperative. All fresh cows are checked for high SCC at day three of freshening. Have you ever had times when your SCC got higher than you like? What did you do to bring it back down? High SCC has not been an issue in the newer barn. But if so, we check equipment and review protocols. It does help the cows are milked more often with robotic milkers. We have fewer cases we have to treat. What are some strategies you use to control SCC during the wet and hot times of the year? We follow the same protocols we have in place all year. If we have a are up, we review protocols and check equipment.
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Travis and Angela Scherping Freeport, Minn. Stearns County 62 cows Describe your farm. We operate an organic dairy. All cattle 6 months and older are housed outside. Our dairy cows are rotationally grazed throughout the growing season on alfalfa/grass pasture. Replacement heifers 6 months and older are also on pasture. In the winter, cattle are provided wind breaks and straw packs. Straw is added to these packs on an as needed basis due to weather conditions. What was your average somatic cell count in 2018? 83,000. Why is it important for you to have a low somatic cell count? A low somatic cell count is important because it lets us know we have a healthy herd and are producing quality milk. What are the three biggest factors you attribute your low somatic cell count to? The three biggest factors that attribute to our low somatic cell count are pasture, maintenance and testing. Pasture promotes healthy animals. The cows get fresh air, exercise, rest and quality feed. The cows are less stressed as well. If a cow has chronically high SCC, she is culled. We also make sure to pre and post dip the cow before and after milking. This ensures the teats are staying clean and healthy. It also closes up the teat end after milking to prevent bacteria, manure and dirt from getting into the udder. Monthly testing, tank testing and daily testing helps to nd and isolate cows that would contribute to a high SCC. After monthly testing, we ag any cow that is above 200 and treat her. The highest test cows are pulled and milked for the calves. This monitoring helps us nd the chronically high SCC cows and the cows that look healthy but have an increased SCC. What type of analysis do you use to monitor milk quality? We do monthly somatic cell testing along with daily testing if needed. We visually watch our cows to ensure they are healthy. Have you ever had times when your SCC got higher than you like? What did you do to bring it back down? There are times when the SCC jumps higher than we would like, but we try to catch it as soon as possible. We pull tank samples and that helps us know if there is an issue. If we do see an increased SCC, individual cows are tested to isolate which cows are causing the somatic cell count to rise. Those cows are treated with an aloe vera juice and water mixture, Belladonna and aspirin. Depending on the somatic cell count of an individual cow, she might also be milked in the pail for the calves. What are some strategies you use to control SCC during the wet and hot times of the year? Since we rotational graze, we notice the SCC will increase if the cows bunch on hot days. In order to stop this, the cattle are provided with smaller paddocks more frequently throughout the day. This keeps the cattle moving and stops them from bunching, which causes ies and stress to the cows. During the wet times, we try to get them on sacrice pasture ground or woods, which provides shelter and a clean place to lay.
Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 17
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
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Kleins increase production with sand bedding, 3X milking Kleins Cow Palace, LLC The Klein family – Lois and Dean Klein; Eric and Chassidy Klein Lake City, Minn. Wabasha County 700 cows
How many times a day do you milk? If you don’t milk 3X a day, have you tried it in the past? We milk three times a day at 4 a.m., noon and 8 p.m. We have been milking three times a day since 2007.
What is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? Our rolling herd average is 29,400 pounds of milk with 1,148 pounds of fat and 918 pounds of protein.
Do you contract your milk? Has it been successful for you? We tried contracting once in the past, and it wasn’t Turn to KLEINS | Page 20
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Cows at Kleins Cow Palace rest on sand bedding, which the Kleins started using three years ago.
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The Klein family – (from leŌ) Dean, Lois, Chassidy holding Grayson, and Eric holding Hailey – milks 700 cows on their dairy near Lake City, Minn. The herd has a rolling herd average of 29,400 pounds of milk with 1,148 pounds of fat and 918 pounds of protein.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 19
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ROGER AND TERESA ALDINGER, (left) WINONA, MINN. — 70 cows, RHA 27,000, SCC 80-110,000 JEFF AND JOANNE 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 8 years. “It really softens udders and heads-off potential problems in fresh cows. This sets them up for a better lactation,” says Jeff. He checks fresh cows with his Mas-D-Tec® hand-held milk conductivity meter 3 days after calving. “If I see readings of 4 or 5 or higher, then I apply Udder Comfort after each milking for a few more 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. They calm down and take off in quality and performance,” adds Roger. He starts every lactation with Udder Comfort.
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
ConƟnued from KLEINS | Page 18
a good t for us. However, we do participate in the Dairy Revenue Protection program and the Dairy Margin Coverage program Describe your housing and milking facility. Our parlor is a double-10 parallel we built 15 years ago. Cows are housed in sand bedded freestall barns. The milking herd is in a combined 4-row and 6-row freestall barn. The dry cows are in a separate 3-row freestall barn. We have a mechanical sand separator we installed last November. Long term, it will be good for the soil and more protable than buying and trucking in sand. What is your herd health program? Herd check is every other Tuesday. We ultrasound
cows to check for pregnancy at 32 days bred, and then recheck a second time to conrm. We vaccinate twice with JVac and also use ScourGuard 4KC and Virashield. The animals are also wormed once a year in the fall. What does your dry cow and transition program consist of? We selectively dry treat cows. If a cow has a somatic cell count over 200,000 based on the DHIA sheet, we use a Tomorrow tube. Cows are given a dry period of about 55 days. At dry off, cows are given Scourguard and JVac along with ViraShield one week later. They are given JVac again when they are in the prefresh pen. Close up cows are moved into the main freestall barn about 12 days before calving,
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
A Holstein calf and a Holstein-Angus crossbred calf stand side by side in pens in the calf barn at the Kleins’ farm. The Kleins breed 85% of their herd to Angus or Limousin.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
The high-producing group at Kleins Cow Palace eats a raƟon that includes corn silage, haylage, high moisture corn, Novameal, and a protein and mineral mix. while close up heifers are moved there about 21 days before calving. We have one ration for the dry cows so we’re not concerned about bringing them up any sooner. We follow just-in-time calving so close up animals are kept in the stalls until we see labor starting. Then, we move them to the maternity pen. We have done this for about six years. It helps conserve bedding and keeps the cows cleaner. After calving, the animals stay in the fresh pen for about two to three weeks and are watched closely. What is the composition of your ration? What has been one of your most recent
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and kept butterfat consistent. It doesn’t dip as much as it used to in the summer.
changes that has been successful for you? We have three rations. The high group is fed a ration with corn silage, haylage, high moisture corn, Novameal, and a protein and mineral mix. The ration is just over 50% forage with twothirds being corn silage and one-third haylage. The low production group receives a ration with less protein and more corn silage while the rst lactation/fresh group receives more protein. Novameal has been the most recent change to the ration. It is a byproduct from dried distillers. We added it about 1.5 years ago to replace the corn gluten, and so far it has helped increase components
Through the years you’ve been farming, what change has created the biggest jump in your herd average? Going to sand three years ago helped a lot; it took about a full lactation for each cow before we started to see the full potential. Each cow increased about 2,000 pounds of milk each lactation. Switching to 3X milking in 2007 also increased the production – about 8 pounds per cow. Turn to KLEINS | Page 22
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 21
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224,900
JD S680, 2014, $ 1839 hrs., 1248 Sep Hrs., #147716
7 JD S680, 2012, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Duals, Yield Monitor, 2267 hrs., 1529 Sep Hrs., #152167 ............................................................. $149,500 7 JD S660, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, Yield Monitor, 986 hrs., 769 Sep Hrs., #155826 ................................................ $230,500 7 JD S670, 2013, 2WD, Duals, 1456 hrs., 998 Sep Hrs., #145812 . $189,500 7 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, Yield Monitor, 385 hrs., 268 Sep Hrs., #159539 ................................................ $421,900 7 JD 6620, 1981, 4500 hrs., 4500 Sep Hrs., #156979 ........................$8,500 7 JD 9400, 1989, 6762 hrs., 4175 Sep Hrs., #156978 ..................... $18,995 7 JD 9600, 1990, 6778 hrs., 4605 Sep Hrs., #155273 ..................... $29,500 6 JD S670, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 1897 hrs., 1260 Sep Hrs., #153514 .................................................................................... $192,900 6 JD S660, 2014, PRWD, Duals, 670 hrs., 381 Sep Hrs., #142203 . $239,500 6 JD 9600, 1996, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 4989 hrs., 3341 Sep Hrs., #151078 ...................................................................................... $24,000 1 JD 9770 STS, 2011, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 1283 hrs., 903 Sep Hrs., #143429 ............................................................... $165,900 15 JD S670, 2016, 2WD, Duals, 361 hrs., 265 Sep Hrs., #144309 ... $294,000 15 JD S690, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, 1733 hrs., 1156 Sep Hrs., #144335 ............................................................. $219,500 15 JD S670, 2017, PRWD, Duals, 970 hrs., 624 Sep Hrs., #146347 . $294,500 15 JD S680, 2016, PRWD, Duals, 1167 hrs., 816 Sep Hrs., #148149 $279,500 15 JD S680, 2016, PRWD, Duals, 986 hrs., 718 Sep Hrs.,#148150 .. $294,000 15 JD S680, 2016, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, Yield Monitor, 1325 hrs., 989 Sep Hrs., #157714 .............................................. $246,750 15 JD S780, 2018, PRWD, Singles, Yield Monitor, 326 hrs., 241 Sep Hrs., #157785 ............................................................... $430,000 15 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, Yield Monitor, 1701 hrs., 1341 Sep Hrs., #156460 ............................................ $205,500 15 JD S660, 2014, 1047 hrs., #155345 .......................................... $189,500 15 JD 9660 STS, 2005, 3435 hrs., 2551 Sep Hrs., #155302 .............. $56,750 9 JD S670, 2017, PRWD, Duals, 426 hrs., 262 Sep Hrs., #142208 . $359,500 16 JD S680, 2015, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Chopper, Yield Monitor, 1723 hrs., 1235 Sep Hrs., #144329 ............................................ $224,900 16 JD S680, 2015, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Chopper, 1235 hrs., 859 Sep Hrs., #144326 ................................................................................... $259,500 16 JD S680, 2015, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, Yield Monitor, 1769 hrs., 1133 Sep Hrs., #144328 ............................................ $239,500 16 JD S690, 2014, PRWD, Duals, 1442 hrs., 982 Sep Hrs., #144333 $234,900 16 JD S670, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 1332 hrs., 979 Sep Hrs., #151692 ..................................................................................... $209500 16 JD S670, 2017, 2WD, Duals, 256 hrs., 186 Sep Hrs., #146346 .......349500 16 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Spreader, Yield Monitor, 346 hrs., 235 Sep Hrs., #157910 ................................................ $425,000 16 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Spreader, Yield Monitor, 400 hrs., 283 Sep Hrs., #157911 ................................................ $420,000 16 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Spreader, 2420 hrs., 1781 Sep Hrs., #159509 ............................................................. $187,400 16 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Active Yield, 337 hrs., 279 Sep Hrs., #154461 ............................................................... $425,000 16 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Spreader, Yield Monitor, Active Yield, 400 hrs., 327 Sep Hrs., #154560............................. $425,250 5 JD S660, 2013, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 1230 hrs., 811 Sep Hrs., #151693 .................................................................................... $199,500 5 JD S680, 2017, PRWD, Duals, 898 hrs., 580 Sep Hrs., #146345 . $329,500 5 JD S680, 2014, PRWD, Duals, 1839 hrs., 1248 Sep Hrs., #147716 .................................................................................... $209,500 5 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, Yield Monitor, 1796 hrs., 1212 Sep Hrs., #158103 ............................................ $219,500 5 JD S680, 2013, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, 1680 hrs., 1187 Sep Hrs., #154421 ............................................................. $224,900 11 JD S670, 2014, PRWD, Duals, 1755 hrs., 1218 Sep Hrs., #144313 .................................................................................... $189,500 11 JD S670, 2017, 2WD, Duals, 770 hrs., 496 Sep Hrs., #146349 ... $299,500 8 JD 9770 STS, 2008, PRWD, Duals, 2570 hrs., 1508 Sep Hrs., #146342 .................................................................................... $114,900 8 JD S670, 2016, 2WD, Duals, 524 hrs., 372 Sep Hrs., #148148 ... $279,500
209,500
JD S690, 2014, 1733 hrs.,1156 Sep $ Hrs., #144335
8 JD S670, 2014, 1646 hrs., 1265 Sep Hrs., #155388 .................. $210,000 8 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 336 hrs., 259 Sep Hrs., #153997 .................................................................................... $439,500 14 JD S670, 2014, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, 963 hrs., 435 Sep Hrs., #144312 ................................................................................... $239,500 14 JD S690, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 1892 hrs., 1422 Sep Hrs., #153332 .................................................................................... $194,000 14 JD S680, 2012, PRWD, Singles, 1677 hrs., 1278 Sep Hrs., #145287............ $167,900 14 JD 9770 STS, 2009, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Spreader, 2355 hrs., #159895 ................................................................................... $106,000 14 JD 9750 STS, 2000, 7685 hrs., 5021 Sep Hrs., #155851 .............. $39,500 14 JD S770, 2018, 244 hrs., 190 Sep Hrs., #155380 ....................... $389,500 3 JD 9870 STS, 2008, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Yield Monitor, 2662 hrs., 1842 Sep Hrs., #143756 ............................................ $117,900 3 JD S660, 2013, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Duals, 1254 hrs., 882 Sep Hrs., #141412 .................................................................................... $179,500 3 JD S680, 2013, PRWD, Duals, 1303 hrs., 967 Sep Hrs., #140845 $224,900 3 JD S690, 2014, PRWD, Duals, 1732 hrs., 1303 Sep Hrs., #145222 .................................................................................... $224,900 3 JD 9670 STS, 2009, 1884 hrs., 1405 Sep Hrs., #154636 ............ $149,500 3 JD S680, 2017, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 725 hrs., 515 Sep Hrs., #153999 .................................................................................... $360,000 3 JD S680, 2012, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Yield Monitor, 2300 hrs., 1680 Sep Hrs., #154637............................................ $184,000 ROUND BALERS 4 Gehl 1465, Twine Only, #150085 ..................................................$5,100 4 JD 854, 2010, Mega Wide, Twine and Surface Wrap, 11,400 bales, #159849 ...................................................................................... $20,900 2 Case IH RBX561, 2002, Twine and Surface Wrap, 9000 Bales, #160144 .... $9,900 10 New Holland BR780, 2004, Twine, 3000 bales, #152119 ............$9,900 10 Massey Ferguson 2846A, 2012, 1390 bales, #155473 ............. $24,900 7 JD 535, 1989, Twine and Surface Wrap, #151310 ...........................$8325 7 JD 569, 2014, Mega Wide, Twine and Surface Wrap, 6800 bales, #157756 ...................................................................................... $345,00 7 JD 854 Silage Special, 2016, Mega Wide, 250 bales, #156233 . $42,900 6 JD 854 Silage Special, 2016, Mega Wide, Twine and Surface Wrap, 6000 bales, #151149 ................................................................... $31,300 6 JD 854 Silage Special, 2014, Mega Wide, 7250 bales, #151186$29,500 6 JD 560M, 2018, 6018 bales, #155709 ......................................... $39,500 12 New Holland BR7060, 2009, Mega Wide, Twine, 2755 bales, #159902 ...................................................................................... $17,900 9 JD 468, 2009, Mega Wide, Twine and Surface Wrap, 19500 bales, #158356 ...................................................................................... $15,500 11 JD 535, 1990, Twine, #151751 ........................................................$6500 11 JD 375, 1989, Twine, #159901 ........................................................$6400 8 JD 466, 1997, Mega Tooth, Twine and Surface Wrap, 16,500 bales ............ #160171...............................................................................................$10900 14 JD 569, 2013, Mega Wide, Twine and Surface Wrap, 10,900 bales, #153558...............................................................................................$26500 14 JD 559, 2015, Mega Wide, Twine and Surface Wrap, 2730 bales, #158977 $31350 14 JD 535, 1993, Twine, #155784 ........................................................$4520 SELF-PROPELLED SPRAYERS 4 AgChem 1074, 2009, 100-Foot boom, 3650 hrs., #158291.......$56,900 10 John Deere 4920, 2004, 4600 hrs., #157917............................$69,500 16 Case IH 4430, 2013, 2655 hrs., #154198 .................................$179,500 8 John Deere R4038, 2018, 120-Foot boom, 20 in spacing, 495 hrs., #150887 ...............................................$329,500 14 John Deere R4038, 2017, 508 hrs., #143961 .........................$319,500 14 Melroe 220, 1985, 60-Foot boom, 20 in spacing, 1233 hrs., #160062........................................................................ $8,450 14 Melroe 218, 1988, 60-Foot boom, 20 in spacing, 924 hrs., #160063 ......................................................................................$10,900
219,500
JD S780, 2018, $ 337 hrs., 279 Sep Hrs., #154461
425,000
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
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ConƟnued from KLEINS | Page 20
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KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Novameal is a byproduct from dried disƟllers and comes in pellet form. Adding Novameal is the most recent change the Kleins have made to the raƟon.
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What role does genetics play in your production level, and what is your breeding program? We try to pick top bulls, but since we only use sexed semen it somewhat limits our options. We look for bulls with high fat and protein, good daughter pregnancy rate and one that will produce a moderately-framed cow. Our genetic potential has increased exponentially lately because of our use of beef semen. The last few years we have used an ovsynch program which has helped the herd achieve a higher conception rate. It also saves us time since we don’t have to watch for heats. An activity system for our heifers also helps. Our cows have a pregnancy rate of 32%. The majority of the cows – about 85% – are bred using beef semen. The heifers (for the rst three services) and high genetic cows (ranked based on net merit) are bred using sexed semen. We use nine straws of sexed semen each week. That is the number of breedings we determined we needed to have the exact number of replacements we need. We breed all heifers rst. If there are any units left, we breed the highest genetic cows that week. Any other cows that need to be bred that week are bred to an Angus or Limousin. What type of improvements would you like to make that would increase your rolling herd average even higher? Having an activity monitoring system on the cows would get cows bred sooner and move cows closer to peak, and decrease the number of late lactation cows. Looking at haylage and corn silage varieties that have better traits would also help.
TSR
PARLOR
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Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: IOWA Kramer Bros. Monticello, IA 319-465-5931 Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290 United-Suckow Dairy Supply West Union, IA 563-422-5355 Postville, IA 563-864-7417
WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bob’s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201 Ederer Dairy Supply Plain, WI 608-546-3713 Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Waunakee, WI 608-849-5043
Mondovi Dairy Systems Inc. Mondovi, WI 715-926-5777 West Salem, WI 608-769-2113 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470 MINNESOTA & SOUTH DAKOTA D&D Ag Supply Pennock, MN 320-599-4466
East Central Dairy Supply Mora, MN 320-679-1029 Genex Farm Systems Melrose, MN 320-256-3276 Watertown, MN 605-886-7401 Sioux Falls, SD 800-284-0015 S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Professional Dairy Systems Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2019 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296. www.delaval.com
List three management strategies that have kept you protable and explain. We do a lot of things ourselves which cuts expenses. We raise our youngstock and crops, and try to do many tasks ourselves. Diversication also helps spread out risk. We have a herd of beef cows, raise our steers and crossbred calves for beef, and cash crops including canning peas. Our breeding program has also made us focus on the best genetic animal for our farm and reduced the number of animals we are feeding by only have the number of replacements needed. Tell us about your farm. We are second- and third-generation farmers. Dean and Lois farm together with their son and daughter-in-law, Eric and Chassidy, along with their two children, Hailey, 2, and Grayson, 11 months. We run 1,600 acres of owned and rented land where we grow corn, alfalfa, oat, canning pea and cover crop. Occasionally we grow soybean, although we did not this year. We have been using cover crops the last three years, which has helped give us additional heifer feed and provided other benets to the land, such as less soil erosion and more organic matter.
Target Your Customers! Advertise Online at www.dairystar.com If you would like to advertise, call 320-352-6303 for more information.
Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 23
Primus couple ranks No. 1 for milk quality
Consistency, cleanliness key for Minnesota dairy farmers By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
SAUK CENTRE, Minn. – Dairy farmers Roger and Laura Primus have spent their 33-year career maintaining superior milk quality within their herd on their farm near Sauk Centre, Minn.; and this year, they were recognized as the state’s top dairy herd for milk quality by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. “This is what we do. … We strive to take care of the cows because they take care of us,” Laura said. The Primuses’ 46-cow herd was recognized for an average somatic cell count of 42,000 in 2018; the No. 1 dairy herd ranked amongst 135 other Minnesota farmers, all of which had a SCC under 100,000. For the last 30 years of their dairying career, the Primuses have maintained a SCC under 100,000. They were immediately on MDA’s list for superior milk quality when the state began tracking SCC in 2003 and have not waivered their efforts. “Honestly, I never thought we’d have a run this long,” Laura said. “This is the last and biggest goal we wanted to
achieve in our dairy career.” Roger and Laura keep a consistent routine in the barn, which they said helps maintain SCC. The cows are housed in a tiestall barn, where they lay on mattresses. Each mattress is bedded with oat or wheat straw and then coated with a lime powder to keep moisture at bay. “We put a lot of lime down and that helps keep the cows dry and clean,” Roger said. When it is time to milk the cows, Roger and Laura follow a routine they established early on in their career. Laura prepares the cows for milking, and Roger puts on and takes off the milking units. Each cow is washed with a towel using Surge Liquatone, an udder wash, diluted in warm water. “Instead of a pre-dip, we use this wash that works really well at killing any bacteria,” Laura said. “Our route guy recommended it many years ago, and we’ve used it ever since. It’s highly concentrated, so it just takes a little bit to work.” After the cows are cleaned, Roger strips each teat and does
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Roger and Laura Primus – pictured with their grandson, Levi Middendorf, 11 – milk 46 cows in Stearns County near Sauk Centre, Minn. The Primuses were recognized for an average somaƟc cell count of 42,000 in 2018 by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. a preliminary check of the milk. He does the same when the cows are completed milking. “I know the cows,” Roger said. “When I strip them, I know if there is a problem. If the milk looks suspicious or [the cow is] not feeling well, I can then take care of the problem right away.” Roger uses a California Mastitis Test to detect mastitis.
“I’ve done enough CMT paddle tests over the years to have a good reading on what the results mean,” Roger said. When the cows are done milking, Laura applies a postdip to the teats. The Primuses use two dips, alternating every couple of days. “We like to keep the bugs on their toes,” Laura said. Roger researches ways to improve herd health – reading
industry magazines and taking suggested practices to implement on his farm. “If there’s a will, there’s a way to have a good herd,” Roger said. Roger and Laura are the only ones who milk the cows regularly. While being in the barn both morning and night provides little exibility off the Turn to PRIMUSES | Page 25
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 25
ConƟnued from PRIMUSES | Page 23 farm, it has been advantageous for the Primuses’ herd health. “For us, we have our routine down pat, and it creates more worry for us if someone else is doing the milking,” Roger said. The Primuses’ grandchildren, Lyndsey, 14, and Levi, 11, Middendorf, of Osakis, Minn., help with farm chores during the summer months. Consistency and cleanliness at Roger and Laura’s farm is reected in the many honors the couple has received while dairy farming. In their 33 years, they have received 44 awards from their creameries for milk quality. The couple sells milk to Osakis Creamery. Their milk is then shipped to Bongards Creameries. “With a lower SCC, I think our yield is better,” Roger said. “And, we know it consistently tastes good.” The Primuses have always maintained a quality milk supply but have never been named the best herd in the state. When Laura saw their name at the top of the MDA list, she was proud. “It’s all a matter of pride,” Laura said. “We’re nally No. 1, and that’s something we were able to do before we close the barn doors for the last time.” A low SCC also adds a premium to the milk check. The creamery offers a $0.70 premium per hundredweight of milk each month, Laura said. “This is proof a small farm can still make money,” she said. “We’ve done alright and have no regrets. Even without the premium, it’s the satisfaction that we’re producing a decent product.”
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Levi Middendorf sprinkles lime on the maƩresses of his grandparents’ Ɵestall barn at their farm near Sauk Centre, Minn. The Primuses use lime to keep the stalls dry and clean. Maintaining a high milk quality has not always been an easy venture for the Primuses, especially when hot and humid weather hits in the late summer months. When Roger and Laura see the cows react to the weather, they immediately address the situation with treatment. Their suspicions of a spike in SCC are later conrmed in their creamery’s weekly report.
“We usually have things taken care of and numbers are back to normal by the time we see the report,” Roger said. Laura agreed. “Our cows aren’t perfect,” she said. “By milking ourselves, we can nd any problem cow and react faster.” Despite the trials of dairy farming and the challenges of maintaining a low SCC, it is a part of dairying the Primuses believe in. “We’ve always dairy farmed with the philosophy of doing good,” Roger said. “We milk cows and do the best we can, and that’s what every farmer does.”
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Laura Primus shows the awards she and her husband, Roger, have received for maintaining a low somaƟc cell count on their dairy farm near Sauk Centre, Minn. In 33 years of milking cows, the Primuses have received 44 awards from their creameries for milk quality.
Minnesota dairy farms honored for superior cow care The Minnesota Department of Agriculture received late submissions for the top herds for somatic cell count list and were inadvertently omitted from the list previously published in the June 22 Dairy Star. The dairy farms are being recognized for superior herd management skills by achieving an average SCC of under 100,000. Below are the omitted dairy farms: Producer Name John Willenbring Steve and Estelle Martin Ryan Grifn Herdering Farms, Inc Deer-Brook Farms, Inc Roger Mathews Duane Burke Enchanted Dairy, LLP Schroeder Brothers LLC Birch Point Farms - Peshon’s Brandon Stommes Kevin Hanson Reiland Farms Cottonwood Dairy Gar-Lin Dairy LLC John or Mary Trout Wolf Creek Dairy New Heights Dairy-Foley Larry and Nancy Greden Stephen or Cheryl Wiechman Maren Holst
County Stearns Pine Marshall Stearns Winona Olmsted Otter Tail Morrison Houston Winona Stearns Polk Mower Yellow Medicine Olmsted Wadena Rice Benton Winona Stearns Wabasha
Plant Name Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc. Land O’Lakes, Inc.
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
Nominations open for county committee elections The United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency encourages all farmers, ranchers and FSA program participants to take part in their local county committee election nomination process. Nominations are open now through Aug. 1. FSA News & Notes FSA’s county committees are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA and allow grassroots input and local administration of federal farm programs. Committees are comprised of elected agricultural producers responsible for the fair and equitable By Ryan Brunn administration of FSA farm programs in their counties. Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. Committee members are accountable to the Secretary of Agriculture. If elected, members become part of a local decision making and farm program delivery process. A county committee is composed of three to 11 elected members from local administrative areas. Each member serves a three-year term. One-third of the seats on these committees are open for election each year. County committees may have an appointed advisor to further represent the local interests of underserved farmers and ranchers. Underserved producers are beginning, women and other minority farmers and ranchers and landowners and/or operators who have limited resources. All nomination forms for the 2019 election must be postmarked or received in the USDA service center by Aug. 1. For more information on FSA county committee elections and appointments, refer to the FSA fact sheet available online at http://www.fsa. usda.gov/elections. Farm Service Agency is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Visit the Farm Service Agency Web site at: www.fsa.usda.gov/ for necessary application forms and updates on USDA programs.
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At the heart of what you love Nothing in my childhood compares to the Fourth of July. All year long, I would wait anxiously for our family reunion at Turtle Lake, the chance to see my snail mail pal Kaylene, and of course, a heaping bowl of Grandpa Bob’s homemade ice cream. Still toOn the Road with day, the Fourth of July is Princess Kay a holiday I get excited for months in advance. The morning of the Fourth of July, calves would be fed with ngers crossed that no new babies showed up last minute. It was important we be at the lake by high noon. By the time we swam to the middle of the lake, ate By Rebekka Paskewitz homemade ice cream and 65th Princess Kay of the talked farming with some Milky Way of the experienced relatives, it was time for the dairy farmers of the family to go home and do chores again. It seems that in all we do, our conversations, actions and plans lead back to our farms. “Have to be back in time to milk the cows.” Sound familiar? Even when we are not directly focused on the farm, we tend to include dairy in our off-farm celebrations and conversations. A majority of my year serving you has been spent sharing such memories. Feeding calves, throwing hay bales and learning how to turn manure into bedding are some of my highlights I discuss in classrooms, on farms and in grocery stores. These on-farm experiences are foundational to building trust with people as they explore the origins of their foods and make decisions about dietary lifestyles. While animal care, sustainability and other farm-related buzz words are important topics to us as producers, it is equally important to share stories and conversations about something we all hold close to our hearts: food. Over the past month, I have sure been busy sharing farm and food stories across the state. With 4,487 miles under my belt and 24 ofcial visits in June alone, I am proud to say the story of dairy is alive and well in our Minnesota communities. With June Dairy Month in the rearview mirror and summer in high gear, I have noticed more and more of my discussions leaning toward the way dairy plays a role in some of our biggest moments and memories. At a recent Breakfast on the Farm in Princeton, Minn., I sat visiting with kids about their breakfast. The gooey syrup makes the warm pancakes taste so good, but the butter adds a savory avor that cannot be beat. The resounding popularity of butter at this event sparked my interest in seeing what excitement could be stirred by other dairy foods. That afternoon, I traveled to Curd Fest at Redhead Creamery. I was surrounded by foodies who were fascinated by the taste of their cheese curd kabobs and were concurrently interested in the experience of Curd Fest. Are you starting to see a trend? Food is pivotal. It has the potential to bring any experience from zero to 100 with the experiential considerations of taste, presence and atmosphere. A lot in our lives hinges on food, and, as dairy farmers, it is time we take advantage of our most powerful tool. By sharing our memories centered around dairy foods, we relate directly to our consumers who enjoy the same foods, hobbies and celebrations we do. This might have a different feel than our typical conversations about vet checks and cutting hay, but keep in mind that some of our best dairy food memories still take place on the farm. Maybe you are a sour cream fanatic or maybe you are the dairy farmer who prefers their cows to the milk they produce. That is OK. Each day, we see food change lives. No matter how you personally enjoy it, consider its impact on the world around us. In 2014, Feeding America teamed with dairy farmers to provide nourishment to those in need. Since then, 31,915,848 servings of milk have been provided to those in need right here in the United States. This is because of you, which is one more reason I am so proud to stand behind you. In developing countries, whey protein from cheese has been growing in demand to provide protein and ght hunger.
The power of dairy foods is signicant from our family gatherings full of real enjoyment to a worldwide need for nutrient rich dairy foods. Speaking of Fourth of July traditions, there is one summer phrase we bring out with the heat that cannot be beat. “Knee high by the Fourth of July,” is an old adage that at one time indicated good corn growth by this point in the summer. Today, it may not be completely accurate, but the idea of setting a benchmark for growth is still relevant. I hope this article sparks an idea for a benchmark you can set related to the dairy foods you stand behind. Maybe having one good conversation about lactose free dairy is a leap of faith – make it happen. Perhaps this is the opportunity you have been waiting for to share the dairy foods your family loves with your neighbors and Facebook friends. Maybe you have a passion for saving lives, and the idea of delivering
Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 27
milk to those in need will motivate you to foster more change. One of my benchmarks has been to connect with consumers and producers through dairy foods, specifically through social media. As your representative, I look forward to growing Princess Kay’s social media platform in the coming weeks. Help me reach 10,000 likes on the Princess Kay Facebook page, and 1,000 followers on Instagram by joining me in promoting it to family and friends. Together, we can bring dairy foods to the conversation, life’s biggest moments and the world. Dairy is truly at the heart of what we love. How will you share? Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Rebekka Paskewitz, serves as the Minnesota dairy community’s goodwill ambassador.
Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130 Hugh Chester-Jones chest001@umn.edu 507-835-3622 Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391 Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177 Joleen Hadrich jhadrich@umn.edu 612-626-5620 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711 Nathan Hulinsky huli0013@umn.edu 320-203-6104 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu 612-625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435 Kota Minegishi kota@umn.edu 612-624-7455 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093 Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205 M. Scott Wells mswells@umn.edu 612-625-3747 Emily Wilmes krek0033@umn.edu 320-255-6169
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Recent calf feeding research at U of M
The program focus at the University of Minnesota Southern Research and Outreach Center during the last 15 years has been contract raising commercial dairy heifer calves from three commercial dairies (two since April 2018), currently totaling about 1,900 dairy cows. Calves are picked up twice weekly at 2-5 days of age and contract raised until 6 months of age. All calves receive three feedings of colostrum on the farm by 24 hours of age. Nursery calves are housed in well-bedded individual pens in naturally ventilated curtain-sided calf barns. A miniBy Hugh Chester- mum of 100 calves are used for each nursery project. Jones Fresh water is offered daily along with University of MN an 18% crude protein texturized starter. Nursery studies are typically 56 days long with weaning at 42 days (milk twice daily for 35 days and once daily from day 36 to 42). Calves are moved from the nursery into one of two post weaning barns until they reach 6 months of age when they will be picked up by the dairies. Calf performance goals in the nursery have been attained. One of the unique aspects of the project is the development of Excel spreadsheets for each dairy, which is used to track every calf that enters and leaves SROC and follows them back to the dairies for rst lactation production data. Project examples below were presented at the 2019 National American Dairy Science Meeting June 23-26 in Cincinnati, Ohio. 1. Performance and health of dairy calves fed milk replacers at a conventional or accelerated feeding rate supplemented with different fat sources – winter nursery study: Holstein heifer calves assigned to one of four milk replacers (MR), 24% crude protein, 24% fat as-fed, formulated with different fat sources to evaluate calf performance and health through 56 days of age. - MR formulated with 100% animal fat (AF) fed at a low feeding rate (FR) of 0.625 pounds MR powder in 4.4 pounds water twice daily from day 1 to 35, and one daily from day 36 to weaning at day 42. - MR formulated with 85% AF and 15% coconut oil (CO) fed as for 1; - MR formulated with 100% AF fed at a higher FR of 0.95 pounds MR powder in 6.6 pounds water twice daily from day 1 to 42, and once daily from day 43 to weaning at day 49. - MR formulated with 85% AF and 15% CO MR fed as for 3.
- Bottom line: Total starter intake was lower for 100% AF calves. Under the conditions of this study, fat source did not affect 56 day gain (1.76 pound/day). 2. Pre- and post-weaning performance and health of dairy calves fed milk replacers formulated with alternative blended protein and fat sources at different levels of protein – summer nursery study: Holstein calves assigned to four MR formulated with blended protein and fat sources to evaluate pre- (days 1 to 49) and post-weaning (days 50 to 56) calf performance and health. All MR were fed at 0.75 pounds in 4.4 pounds of water twice daily from day 1 to day 42 and once daily from day 43 to weaning at day 49; supplemented daily with neomycin sulfate and oxytetracycline at 10 mg/lb. BW/day (day 1 to 14). - 20% CP: 20% fat (all milk protein, MP, all animal fat, AF - 25% CP: 20% fat MP, AF - 25% CP: 20% fat AF formulated with blend of bovine plasma, soy isolate and hydrolyzed wheat gluten proteins (BP) replacing 35.6% of MP - 25% CP: 20% fat MR formulated with BP as in 3 and a blend of AF and coconut oil (BF) replacing 15% of total fat - Bottom line: Under conditions of this study there were no benets to feeding the third option compared with calves fed the rst formulation. The substitution of coconut oil for animal fat did not benet overall performance (day 1 to 56). 3. Pre- and post-weaning performance and health of dairy calves fed texturized calf starters formulated with a combination of sunower meal, linseed meal or soybean meal compared with a starter with multiple protein sources – fall study: Holstein calves assigned one of four texturized starters (TS) 18% crude protein as fed, sources to evaluate pre- and postweaning calf performance and health. All calves were fed a non-medicated conventional; 20% CP: 20% fat milk replacer (all milk protein) fed at 0.625 pound in 4.4 pounds of water twice daily from (day 1 to 35) and once daily from day 36 to weaning at day 42; supplemented daily with neomycin sulfate and oxytetracycline at 10 mg/lb. BW/day (day 1 to 14). - TS formulated with multiple protein sources - TS formulated with 25% sunower meal, 75% soybean meal - TS formulated with 25% linseed meal, 75% soybean meal - TS formulated with 100% soybean meal - Bottom line: There were no differences in pre-weaning, post-weaning or total gains (day 1 to 56), which averaged 1.69 lb./day.
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Air velocity, production level impact heat stress Heat stress costs you money. Numerous research studies have reported that heat stressed lactating cows have reduced dry matter intake, milk production and pregnancy rates, and increased lameness, disease incidence, days open and death rates. Heat stressed late gestation cows have shorter gestation periods, calves with lower birth weights, reduced milk production and impaired immune function. And, heifer calves from heat stressed cows produce less milk for the ďƒžrst 30 weeks of lactation after freshening. The temperature-humidity index (THI) is commonly used to indicate the amount of heat stress cows are experiencing. High producing cows start to have milk yield losses of 1 pound of milk per day once minimum THI is 65 or above and respiration rates are above 60 breaths per minute (bpm). The amount of milk loss increases as the level and number of By Kevin Janni hours of heat stress increase. Many cows can recover if they University of MN can have several hours a day without heat stress. There are other factors beyond THI that affect heat stress. A previous Dairy Star article covered sunshine and solar heat gain. This article is about the impact of air velocity and level of milk production on heat stress. This material is based on a spreadsheet model that describes how cows exchange heat by respiration, sweating, convection and radiant exchange. One of the model outputs is the typical expected respiration rate. Actual cow respiration rates will vary. Table 1 shows respiration for cows producing 66, 88 or 110 pounds of milk per day (lb./day) when the air dry-bulb temperature is 86 degrees and the dew-point temperature is 59. At these temperatures, the relative humidity is 40% and the THI is 77. Heat stress would be expected. Table 1 shows how respiration rates increase as milk production increases from 66 lbs./day to 110 lbs./day for the temperature conditions used. Higher respiration rates indicate greater heat stress. Declines in milk production are expected when respiration rates are above 60 bpm for several hours each day. Overall respiration rates in Table 1 range from 47 to 94 bpm. Little milk production loss would be expected when respiration rates are below 60 bpm. For the conditions used in the model, a cow producing 66 lbs./day would have little reduction in milk production. A cow producing 88 lbs./day would have a reduction in milk production at the lower air speeds. A cow producing 110 lbs./day would be expected to have a reduction in milk production across all of the air speeds modeled. This shows that the high producing cow is more stressed. She probably will reduce dry matter intake to lower her metabolic heat production to make it easier for her to balance her heat gains and losses. One common method to help cows manage heat stress is to install mixing fans to increase the air velocity past the cows. The model results are based on a standing cow so more surface area is exposed to the air. The respiration rates in the columns in Table 1 indicate the cooling beneďƒžt achieved at different air velocities.
Cows producing 66 lbs./day have respiration rates reduced from 58 bpm to 47 bpm as the air velocity increases from 1.3 mph to 12 mph (114 to 1,056 feet per minute (fpm)). They would have less heat stress, but it would not be expected to have much impact on milk production. Cows producing 88 lbs./day have respiration rates reduced from 72 to 56 bpm with increased air velocity. They would be expected to have some milk production loss at the lower air velocities. Cows producing 110 lbs./day have their heat stress reduced as the air velocity increases, but they would be expected to have a reduction in milk production across all of the air velocities used. The model does not calculate the amount of milk production reduction. Table 1 also illustrates the law of diminishing returns as air velocity increases. The reduction in respiration rate gets smaller at the higher air velocities (i.e., 9 and 12 mph). Getting the air velocity past the cows up to 6 mph has more of an impact on respiration rates than getting the air velocity from 6 mph to 12 mph. The increased air velocity helps the cows with their cooling, but doubling the air velocity at the higher velocities, which takes more and bigger fans and more energy, does not get you twice the cooling effect. Observing and recording respiration rates is a good way to see how much heat stress your cows are feeling. Respiration rates will vary from cow to cow because of differences in production and other factors. However, respiration rates can be observed and recorded to see how well your ventilating system and any cooling practices you are using are doing to help your cows manage heat stress.
Table 1. Modeled lactating cow respiration rates (breaths per minute) for 1,320-pound cows at three milk production levels (66, 88 or 110 pounds milk per day) and ďƒžve air velocities (1.3, 3, 6, 9 or 12 mph) when THI was 77, dry-bulb temperature was 86 degrees, dew-point temperature was 59 and relative humidity was 40%. Daily milk production 66 lbs./day 88 lbs./day 110 lbs./day
Air velocity mph 1.3 3 6 9 12
fpm 114 264 528 792 1,056
58 55 51 48 47
Respiration rates (bpm) 72 94 66 86 61 76 58 69 56 66
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My other parents These days, with so many kids being raised by hood summer vacations at Al and Lorraine’s place. I step, single or surrogate parents, it is difcult to dene was thus exposed to a disciplinary system which was what constitutes a normal family. It is increasingly much more relaxed than the one at home. unusual to nd two people who met, got married and For instance, Steve and I might decide to build raised their own personal something. We were always children to adulthood withbuilding things. Tree houses out some kind of laboratory Wh When I was growing i up, my b buddy, dd were a favorite project, alprocedure or court-ordered though we never actually Steve, and I were lucky enough to completed one. visitations. When I was growing have two full sets of parents. Our endeavor usuup, my buddy, Steve, and I ally began with borrowwere lucky enough to have ing the necessary tools and two full sets of parents. Our materials. This was never a other mom and dad were my next-door neighbors, Al problem at Al and Lorraine’s farm. Al might notice us and Lorraine Warnes. walking off with armloads of boards, nails and barbed Al and Lorraine were childless but made up for wire (to keep away marauding girls) and would ask it by boarding Steve at their farm during the sum- what we were up to. After explaining we were going mertime. Because of this, I spent much of my boy- to construct a treetop mega-fortress and live on bird’s
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eggs and apples, Al would simply smile and say, “OK. Just put things back when you’re done.” And, that was that. No lectures about asking before borrowing, no harangue about the inherent dangers of mixing heights with gravity; just a Dear County Agent Guy vague suggestion we put stuff back. I remember working on one of our projects and seeing Al drive by on his Farmall “H.” Al affected the most relaxed posture I have ever witnessed – perhaps a bit too relaxed. He would often drive his tractor (even in road gear) with By Jerry Nelson his legs crossed at the Columnist thighs. Al was wiry and was able to do this with ease. As we watched the slouching gure pass by, Steve put into words what we were both thinking: I want to be just like Al when I grow up. Lorraine frequently groused about Al’s total lack of fear when it came to avoiding hazards around the farm. “That’s why we don’t have any children,” she would fume from the kitchen counter as she poured Al another cup of coffee. “I’ve already got too much to worry about with this big kid.” Al would toss us a sly wink and clown around until he made Lorraine laugh. Even though we were boys, Steve and I could tell Al and Lorraine loved each other very much. Time and childhood ew by and before I knew it, I was engaged to be married. At my wife-to-be’s bridal shower, Lorraine gave my betrothed a heavy-duty rolling pin. My wife thanked Lorraine for the thoughtful gift but said her baking skills were minimal. “Who said anything about using it for baking?” retorted Lorraine in her no-nonsense manner. She hefted the rolling pin and swung it with all the might her 90 pounds could muster. “That’s how you use a rolling pin. He gets out of line and pow. Right upside his head.” I lost the rolling pin shortly after our honeymoon lest my wife take Lorraine’s advice seriously. Fate follows its own quirky path, often leaving us to wonder why. Nobody could fathom why Lorraine was fated to suddenly pass away following a brief illness. After her funeral, everyone in the neighborhood agreed we had best keep an eye on Al since Lorraine was no longer around to do so. Our neighbor Kenny reported he had dropped in at Al’s farm one summer morning. Al was nowhere to be seen even though both of his vehicles were parked in their usual spots. Kenny began to get a sinking feeling. But, then he heard a racket from above, and there was Al shingling his barn. Kenny hollered at Al that he should get down, that an 85-year-old man had no business up there on that barn roof. Al replied that he had taken precautions, having tied one end of a rope around his waist and the other end to a post on the opposite side of the barn. Al eyeballed the rope and mentally recalculated its length. He then hollered down at Kenny, “But if you drive by and see me dangling, I’d appreciate it if you’d stop and cut me down.” Some things never change. For example, I still want to be like Al when I grow up. Although I am pretty sure he never did. Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, S.D. He and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry currently works full time for the Dairy Star as a staff writer/ ad salesman. Feel free to E-mail him at: jerry.n@dairystar.com.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 31
Are Minnesota’s cows moving? The short answer is yes. Minnesota loses a small number of cows each year, but mostly cows move from one farm to another. Examining the United States Department of Agriculture’s recent dairy census versus 2012 and 2017 data shows this. The current dairy census uses data from 2017. In Figure 1, the rst 10 counties, from Stearns to Swift, were the top 10 counties, by number of cows, from top to bottom, in the most recent census. The last counties all were listed at least once in the top 10 Veterinary Wisdom three counties in 2007 or 2012 but were not in the top 10 in 2017. The most recent census did not list cow numbers for Stevens County; however, the table shows the 2012 data for that county. Total Minnesota cow numbers are at the top of the list. The 10 year percentage change column is the total change for the 10 years from 2007 to 2017. Minnesota lost 1,951 cows, or 0.4%, in the 10 year period, but Otter Tail County lost 6,971 cows or almost 33%. Swift County gained 8,104 cows or 179%. Winona County lost 5,337 cows, or 18.2%, while Kandiyohi County gained 7,751 cows or 118%. Counties with By Jim Bennett signicant gains now have much larger herd sizes than counties that have lost cows. Columnist Figure 2 shows the average dairy herd size by county in Minnesota for each of the three dairy census years and the percentage change over 10 years. Overall, in Minnesota, herd size grew by 41% over 10 years, but Kandiyohi, Swift and Nicollet herd sizes grew by 225%, 300% and 162%, respectively. It is clear that growth in county cow numbers and average herd sizes is largely because of a few very large farms in some counties. Thus, the answer is yes, cows are moving around within the state, and that is changing the Minnesota dairy landscape. Figure 1: Top Minnesota counties by number of cows 5 year 5 year 2007 change 2012 change Minnesota 459,752 0.8% 463,312 -1.2% Stearns 68,677 2.5% 70,407 -5.5% Morrison 24,657 14.3% 28,173 -1.3% Winona 29,369 -2.9% 28,515 -15.7% Stevens 17,925 19.5% 21,428 0% Wabasha 20,110 2.5% 20,614 -1.7% Goodhue 19,320 -9.7% 17,450 5.3% Todd 16,300 -1.4% 16,521 -12.2% Ottertail 21,312 -21.7% 16,689 -14% Kandiyohi 6,581 0.4% 6,606 117% Swift 4,474 -34.4% 2,935 325.5% Fillmore 10,837 14% 12,359 -11.3% Nicollet 6,961 62.1% 11,281 2.5% Benton 12,593 -11% 11,204 -7.1%
2017 457,801 66,524 27,805 24,032 21,428* 20,257 18,382 14,498 14,341 14,332 12,488 10,963 11,566 10,404
10 year change -0.4% -3.1% 12.8% -18.2% 18.5% 0.7% -4.9% -11.1% -32.7% 117.8% 179.1% 1.2% 66.2% -17.4%
Figure 2: Top Minnesota counties cows per farm 2007 2012 2017 10 year change Minnesota 89 98 126 41% Stearns 83 88 107 28% Morrison 85 90 130 53% Winona 117 139 150 28% Stevens 1,494 2,679 2,125 42% Wabasha 103 131 152 48% Goodhue 102 114 136 33% Todd 63 53 65 4% Ottertail 72 65 74 3% Kandiyohi 80 82 261 225% Swift 136 95 543 300% Fillmore 76 85 88 16% Nicollet 116 251 304 162% Benton 84 86 121 44% Bennett is one of four dairy veterinarians at Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center in Plainview, Minn. He also consults on dairy farms in other states. He and his wife, Pam, have four children. Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@ gmail.com with comments or questions.
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Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
Bib overalls Ten years ago, I bought my ďƒžrst pair of bib overalls – hickory striped, also known as railroad bibs as part of a Halloween outďƒžt I wanted to wear when my grandkids came trick or treating. I wore them for that one night and not again, thinking they were horribly uncomfortable. They hung in my work room closet for the next nine years as I wore through countless pairs of Carhartt work jeans. The work jeans are the baggy style with the hammer loop and vice grip pocket. The hammer loop is especially useful every morning to hang my teat dipper on when milking fresh cows. The jeans would wear thin quickly from the daily washing and drying and in 8-10 months would rip a hole in the buttocks area. At that point, I was not allowed to wear them, not even to the dairy in the dark early mornings. The biggest issue with the jeans started a few years ago. No matter how tight I cinched my belt, I
could not keep them from working downhill. I am sure Carhartt changed the design and caused the problem because I have maintained my funnel ďƒžgure for many years. I guess I was in style with my low riding jeans if I was walking around the Mall of America. This past winter, I got so fed up with pulling up my jeans constantly that I rewashed the striped bibs and tried them on. They still ďƒžt great, but I felt so out of character wearing them. Then the light bulb went on in my head. I will buy a blue denim pair of bibs, wear a hoodie sweatshirt over them, and nobody will ever notice I am wearing bibs. That worked great until Deb took one look at me and said, “Your jeans look funny.â€? Nobody else noticed at all through the remainder of the winter and the long cold spring. All of the sudden, the hot weather hit, and my fashion secret was exposed for all to see. My granddaughters giggled, my daughters shook their heads,
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and my employees asked how old I was. The ladies at the bank and the farm store gave me second looks and smiled while they quickly looked back down at their computer screens. I have come to the conclusion there are two types of farmers that wear bib overalls. Making Cents of Dairy First are those unmarried guys who have worn them since their mom ran them through the wringer wash machine, and second are married guys like me who have enough self-conďƒždence to wear them despite what our wives say. Bib overalls should be open to some modern By Dave Vander Kooi day updates however. Columnist First, they should make the front chest pockets 1 inch longer so we could snap them shut over our cell phone. This pocket is an excellent place for a phone, but in my occupation I am afraid it could fall out while inspecting a manure ďƒ&#x;ume or gutter. The second update manufacturers should make is replacing all the metal fasteners with heavy duty plastic clips. This would eliminate the terrible noise chatter when they are tumbling in the clothes dryer. I suppose the manufacturers think if we are backwards enough to wear bibs, we still dry everything on a clothesline. One hot, humid morning earlier this week, when I went to milk the fresh cows, I thought it is too hot to wear jeans or bibs. So, I put on an old pair of jean shorts, T-shirt and muck boots. When I arrived at the dairy, my assistant, Eddie, said there was a cow locked in the headlocks that I better check for a calf. I grabbed a couple arm sleeves and put my arm in the cow. Instantly the cow blew out 5 gallons of urine and ďƒ&#x;uids right inside my boots. I had been thinking about making my oldest pair of bibs into bib shorts, but now I have abandoned that idea completely. The cow had twin Angus cross calves in case you are wondering. A few days ago, I was wearing my bibs when Rita’s dad, Tom Albrecht, stopped by to help us run the ďƒželd cultivator. Tom took one look at me and proceeded to tell his bib story. Apparently when he was growing up, most farmers wore denim bibs for farm work. However, when there was an important social event like a school program or Christmas party, those same farmers dressed up by wearing their hickory striped railroad bibs with a dress collar shirt underneath and a tie tucked inside the bib front. It is a good thing I have not gotten my railroad bibs full of grease from farm work. They are ready to party. 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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It’s almost show time My favorite thing to do on a warm summer day is to go to a youth dairy show. There is nothing better than being ringside, watching the clean, sleek, carefully prepared animals parading around the ring led by enthusiastic 4-H, FFA or other youth. A photo of me at about age 5 has me posing by my siblings’ heifers at a dairy day show in Stillwater, Minn. Maybe that is when the show bug bit me. I know I could not wait to start working with my own calf and go to my rst show as a youngster in 4-H. Growing up, we were only allowed to show our registered Ayrshires at the county fair, a local dairy day and the state fair for 4-H, if we won a trip. It was a big deal in Washington County where I grew up because Come Full Dairy Circle the quality of the animals was high. I sometimes had to settle for a clothing or foods trip instead of the coveted dairy trip. That was disappointing as I always aspired to be in the dairy cattle barn. In the Annexstad family, cattle showing was not a tradition, but taking livestock and many other projects to the county fair certainly was. My husband and his brothers showed pigs, which were their summer 4-H/FFA projects. Dog showing was a specialty of my sister-in-law’s, and her German Shepherd received many baths and countless hours of obedience training. By Jean Annexstad Much has been written about the life lessons learned by working with and showing livestock, and I Columnist agree with most of it. The experience sets you on a path of responsibility, tolerance, perseverance and gratitude. When our children started in 4-H, our dairy-showing neighbors encouraged us to join them in the cattle barn with calves. Those memories of the rst shows are priceless. We have photos of our boys at about 4 feet tall lined up with their friends and their calves. This year, they will be rounding out their 4-H careers with their last show. Emily, with her white shorts and little pink boots in photos from her rst show, has already been done for two years. This year, she will miss our fair as her internship is too far away. It will be bittersweet watching the boys show with their friends this year. Rolf’s family has embraced the showing routine. The kids are responsible for feeding and care of all of the heifers in the summer. The heifers that are being trained, fed grass hay and kept especially clean have their own pen. Four of these heifers are leased by other 4-H youth. These kids come many times throughout the summer to lead, wash and work with their animals. The boys mentor these youth in training, showing techniques and general knowledge about their animals and our farm. The kids who lease get to see the daily workings of a typical dairy farm and learn skills through working with the calves. My role now is mostly to coordinate the schedule and take a few photos of the kids working together. When it is closer to the fair, the boys will start retrieving the show gear from the old barn’s hay mow. That consists of feed buckets, water lines and drinking cups, garbage cans to haul TMR in for the milking cows and more. The show box will be cleaned off and reorganized. Halters will be saddle soaped and inventoried. After many years, we probably have enough of each size for the heifers and cows that we are taking. The county fair is about one month away. Leading up to it is always an intense time with washing, clipping and preparing the cattle barn at the fair. Last will come the hauling of the gear, bedding, feed, hay and cattle to the fair. The best part is being with the friends we have made in the cow barn. The competition in our small show is friendly and fun. The time spent hanging out in the barn at the fair is a summer highlight – a time to slow down for a few days and visit with friends as they wander through the fair barns. Showing cattle takes support. We could not make it without the family friends who help us on show day. When Mike and our employees are nished with morning chores, they will be watching, socializing and maybe holding on to cattle for the state fair lineup. Of course, all of the show ring helpers and photographers are appreciated. My mother-in-law makes a huge show day lunch of baked buns for sandwiches and her trade-mark chocolate chip cookies. Milk is served. There are shakes from the Nicollet County ADA after the show for everyone. In years to come, these will be our priceless memories. They are the best parts of the summer for our family. Jean dairy farms with her husband, Rolf, and brother-in-law, Mike, and children Emily, Matthias and Leif. They farm near St. Peter, in Norseland, where she is still trying to t in with the Norwegians and Swedes. They milk 200 cows and farm 650 acres. She can be reached at jeanannexstad@gmail.com.
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would come together for something like this,” Paskewitz said. “We all came from different backgrounds or schools throughout the county, but we all shared dairy. That’s when I knew I wanted to be a part of something bigger in the dairy community.” Paskewitz, 19, is the daughter of Alan and Vicki Paskewitz, of
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 35
ConƟnued from PASKEWITZ | Page 34 Browerville, Minn. In May, she was named one of the top 10 nalists for Princess Kay of the Milky Way. “Growing up, I spent a lot of time on my uncle’s dairy farm, and that sparked a passion in me that’s only grown,” Paskewitz said. Paskewitz worked on her aunt’s and uncle’s, Lee and Laurie Paskewitz’s, dairy, Solid Rock Dairy, of Browerville, Minn., from 2014 to 2017. When they sold their cows a few years back, she looked for work at Rinde Farms, near Long Prairie, Minn. “Through my connections in the dairy community and as a dairy royalty member, I knew the Rindes and was interested in working for them,” Paskewitz said. “I milk cows and scrape the barn here.” Three siblings – Justin and Jeff Rinde, and Kayla Asmus, operate Rinde Farms LLC. The family milks 235 cows and farms 2,500 acres of cropland. “It’s cool to see the role reversal of the typical dairy farmer who has cows and some crops to Rindes who have crops and some cows,” Paskewitz said. “For farmers, the goal is to take care of our cattle and our land, no matter the size of dairy or amount of acres we have.” When the opportunity arose for Paskewitz to be a dairy princess, she was thrilled to serve the dairy community in a new way. “One of my main goals serving as royalty is sharing the goodness of dairy and the reason why dairy farmers are here,” she said. “There are a lot of misconceptions in our society about where real milk comes from and farming in general so it’s our mission to put a stop to that and share the right messages, so that our community can see what the farm is really like and what we do to protect our land and our cattle.” Paskewitz completed her freshman year at South Dakota State University,
in Brookings, S.D., where she is studying human development and family studies. “One of my passions is helping people,” Paskewitz said. “One of my goals is to receive my master’s degree in counseling and become a counselor for farmers and agriculturalists so I can combine my two passions and serve the ag community in a different way.” As a student, Paskewitz is exploring opportunities in the dairy industry. This summer, she is interning at Redhead Creamery in Brooten, Minn., where she learns about cheese making. “I’m busy, but it’s a lot of fun,” Paskewitz said. “I’ve learned so much about food safety and manufacturing, and I’m seeing another aspect of the dairy community.” Paskewitz has a unique look at just what responsibilities in the crown are like; her older sister, Rebekka, is serving as the 65th Princess Kay. “It’s been amazing to see her grow in her position and watch her serve Minnesota and the midwestern United States,” Paskewitz said. “Her passion has grown, as well, as she connects with different families. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s shown me a different aspect of Princess Kay by being related to her seeing behind the scenes and all the work she puts into it.” Paskewitz also has a younger sister, Lexi, 15, who is a dairy ambassador for Todd County. While Lexi does not work on a farm, she is eligible for royalty because she shows dairy cattle. The Paskewitz family has a legacy of dairy advocacy. “We didn’t grow up on a dairy farm, but it was just down the road,” she said. “We were able to choose dairy, and I think that’s very special. … I believe dairy has chosen me, as well. I didn’t expect to grow in this passion as I have, but it’s been a great experience.” As a Todd County Dairy Princess, Paskewitz attends events throughout
the community to promote dairy and interacts with consumers quite a bit. She is grateful for their support in her royalty journey but also for supporting dairy in general. “I’m thankful for the support [the community] gives farmers by choosing dairy,” she said. “The milk we produce is real, and we love what we do.” Paskewitz is looking forward to sharing her knowledge of the dairy industry and learning from others. “I enjoy connecting with consumers or eaters in our community and showing
them what farming is like from farm to table so they know where their food is coming from,” she said. “Also, to show that we care about our animals and livestock, because our animals are our livelihood. We treat them with the utmost care and respect; they’re like our kids – in a term. They’re our passion; they keep us going everyday.” From that day in the show ring to today, Paskewitz is proud to call herself an advocate for some of the best people she knows – dairy farmers.
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
Women In Dairy Lisa Zeinstra Holland, Minn. Pipestone County 800 cows Family: My husband, Mike, and I have four daughters. Amanda and her husband, Scott O’Neil, have two children, Sophia, 9, and Parker, 6. They live in Brandon, S.D. Ashley and her husband, Justin Hoheisel, live on the farm and have three children, Kolton, 5, and twins Lincoln and Everly, 18 months. Briana and her boyfriend, Michael Wallin, live in Sioux Falls, S.D., and have a son, Grayson, 1 month. Michaela is engaged to marry Holden Surat in August 2020. They plan to live in Marshall, Minn. Tell us about your farm. Mike’s grandfather was a dairyman, so we are the third generation of our family to dairy farm. Mike’s parents, Bernard and Marie, started milking cows on this farm in the 1960s. Ashley and Justin have become partners in our operation, so they are the fourth generation. We hope their kids will someday become the fth generation. What is the busiest time of day for you? All day, every day is busy. Each day is different, but mornings are usually the busiest. There are calf chores that need to get done and newborn calves that need to be fed colostrum and given special care. When you get a spare moment, what do you do? What I enjoy most is simply spending time with our grandkids or going to their ballgames. I like to meet some of my friends in town for an exercise class. I also enjoy gardening. Our oldest granddaughter will be showing cattle for 4-H for the rst time this summer, so we are pretty excited about that. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. It’s always memorable when our grandkids come and interact with the baby calves. They will sometimes bring along a few of their friends and will tell them how much they love visiting the farm and seeing the calves. I never get tired of witnessing the birth of a new calf. It’s always a miracle.
What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? Being our own bosses and having the freedom to choose what to do. We are blessed to be able to do things that others will never experience. We have enjoyed raising our kids on this farm. It taught them the value of hard work and a strong sense of responsibility. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? Mike and I attend dairy meetings. I also stay connected via Facebook and the internet. We have hosted farm visits, and that has given us the opportunity to make new friends and reconnect with old ones. We also met a lot of interesting new people when we were involved in a crossbreeding trial. Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? Mike’s mother, Marie, has been an inspiration for me. She raised kids, milked cows and made meals for everyone. She has a kind spirit and is cheerful and patient. I appreciate those traits in Mike and in our children. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? I would invite Carrie Underwood to tour our farm. She has an inspiring story and doesn’t get caught up in all the glamor. We love her music and her songs. I would enjoy having her and showing her how our dairy farm operates.
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What is the best vacation you have ever taken? A few years ago, we went on a couples’ vacation to Costa Rica with three other couples. It was in the wintertime, so we were able to get a break from the cold and snow. Costa Rica seemed like paradise. It was so warm and relaxing. While we were there, we learned about the culture and the people.
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What are some words you like to live by? There is a sign on our wall that says, “Faith, family and friends.” I read that sign every day and try to live by it.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 37
PRINCESS KAY FINALIST
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KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR
Kayla Biel milks 220 cows on her family’s dairy farm near Harmony, Minn. Biel represents the Fillmore County dairy community as a Princess Kay ďƒžnalist. By Kate Rechtzigel Sta Intern
HARMONY, Minn. – On the dairy farm, Kayla Biel credits learning patience in helping pursue her dreams. “Whether it’s waiting for the rain to stop or the cow to calve, patience is key to being a dairy farmer,â€? Biel said. The same is true for her promotion endeavors. With patience, Biel crafted her skills to earn one of the 10 Princess Kay of the Milky Way ďƒžnalist titles this year, representing Fillmore County. Biel works alongside her parents, Kevin and Kelly, along with her grandparents and siblings on their 220-cow dairy near Harmony, Minn. Although she has enjoyed numerous doing jobs around the farm, one of her favorites is feeding the calves. As she grew, Biel took over the calf feeding position for the herd, which has a mix of Holsteins, Jerseys and crossbreds. “I enjoy playing with the younger calves and watching them grow up to become a part of the herd,â€? Biel said. This summer, Biel is balancing her on-farm duties with her ďƒžnalist roles along with an off-farm job. As a Fillmore County dairy princess, Biel has made care center visits, attended dairy night on the farm, ridden in parades, worked in the malt stand and has enjoyed sharing her story. “There are just so many stories to share,â€? Biel said. “So, I try to keep them dairy centered and relatable especially in this changing industry.â€? Off the farm, Biel is thankful for organizations such as FFA, 4-H, band and choir for helping her achieve this aspiration. “I learned a lot about judging and showing, especially with public speaking for larger audiences and knew how to answer those tough questions,â€? Biel said. Her parents were a huge part of why she was inspired to run for Princess Kay, Biel said. “They pushed me to be an ambassador in second grade, which I eventually agreed to, and I haven’t left the dairy industry since, being an ambassador for four years and a princess for the past two years,â€? Biel said. When Biel’s name was announced as a Princess Kay ďƒžnalist, her nervousness was hard to hide, but there was no doubt she was passionate about her goal.
“When they called my name, I was excited but really nervous. I was just shaking up a storm when I walked across the stage,â€? Biel said. “But, I’m humbled to be given this opportunity.â€? Since being announced a ďƒžnalist, Biel’s family has made sure her chore shifts are covered so she can attend as many events as possible. “I really enjoy going to all of the events,â€? Biel said. “However, I also like to bounce ideas and advocate for my sister, Kelsey, as she is a region and chapter president for FFA. I help her share more dairy stories, and she helps with the agriculture so we really play off each other.â€? Biel plans to use these skills as she attends fairs this summer and talks with people who do not come from a farm. “I enjoy sharing that we all want what’s best for our food and the cows,â€? Biel said. “It really helps to assure everyone that we all want the same things and what’s best for all involved.â€? As a ďƒžnalist, Biel has an eventful summer planned, concluding with the Minnesota State Fair in August where she will be getting her likeness carved out of 90 pounds of butter, talking to fairgoers, trying new foods and participating in activities. “If crowned Princess Kay, I plan to advocate to everyone, eat a lot of ice cream and talk to a bunch of people sharing my stories,â€? Biel said. Biel thanks the dairy princess program for her newly gained leadership skills, the ability to answer hard questions and for the connections she has made. “Children often ask really challenging but fun questions such as is sugar added to chocolate milk or about the breeding systems in dairy cattle,â€? Biel said. “As an agriculture teacher, I’m going to need to know how to answer those.â€? Biel is attending South Dakota State University, Brookings, S.D., for agriculture education with plans to teach. Biel would like to thank dairy farmers for their hard work. “The fact that they are still pushing through is a really great thing,â€? Biel said. Most of all, Biel is humbled to be given this opportunity and excited to ensure consumers are getting the most nutritious dairy products.
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Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
PRINCESS KAY FINALIST
Sachs enjoys summer of promotion By Kate Rechtzigel Staff Intern
EYOTA, Minn. – AnnaMarie Sachs has always played a part in the dairy princess program. “My mom is the dairy princess coordinator,” Sachs said. “So, I would help out and people used to call me the assistant.” Sachs, 19, the daughter of Carrie and Charlie Sachs of Eyota, Minn., has worked on her family’s dairy farm since a young age, doing everything from milking cows to feeding calves. This year, she achieved her goal of becoming a Princess Kay Finalist for the 66th Princess Kay of the Milky Way, representing Olmsted County. Sachs’ mom always pushed her to be more involved in the dairy industry, especially the dairy princess program. “I joined the Holstein and Brown Swiss associations, became more involved in FFA and 4-H, and took on more dairy princess events,” Sachs said. “My mom pushed me to go to all of the events even when I was sick or hurt, and for that I’m thankful.” Sachs’ favorite message to share is that she believes in the dairy industry. “If I didn’t believe that it was something the world needed, I wouldn’t be here today,” Sachs said. “A lot of people
wonder why I want to be a farmer, not a doctor or lawyer, and it’s because of that belief that I’m still here.” When Sachs was announced as the last nalist during the event in May, her immediate reaction was that she did not get it. Sachs was involved in three years of the dairy princess program; being an ambassador once and a princess for two years. “The minute they said involved in both the Holstein and Brown Swiss associations I got suspicious,” Sachs said. “Then they accidentally said team instead of teacher, and I knew it was me.” Since being chosen, Sachs has had a whirlwind of a summer with parades, grocery store events, classroom and daycare visits, an appearance at a kids marathon, Rochester Fest, breakfast on the farm and the Honkers Game. “I’m most excited to be able to participate in the Honkers Game this year,” Sachs said. “Last year I missed it. At this [year’s] event, we are able to help with all of the fun activities such as the cow milking contest, throw the rst pitch, toss ice cream, and to top it all off, all of the nalists will be there.” When thinking about sharing her story this summer, Sachs is ready to tell consumers about her real farm experiences.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
AnnaMarie Sachs milks Holstein and Brown Swiss on her family’s dairy farm near Eyota, Minn. Sachs is pursuing her dreams as a nalist for Olmsted County this summer. “At classroom visits, I will pretend to be telling a story of a real farm experience that I had,” Sachs said. “Both adults and children alike really enjoy that.” In her time spent on the farm and in the princess role, Sachs credits her success to her strong work ethic and her bonds with the animals on the farm. “In order to live on the farm, you have to be willing to do things you don’t want to do, which makes us all work a little
harder to do things and get them done right,” Sachs said. Sachs has her eyes set on becoming an agriculture teacher once she graduates from South Dakota State University, Brookings, S.D. She credits the dairy princess program for helping choose her path. “As a dairy princess, I have the opportunity to interact with all sorts of different learning styles, especially in children,” Sachs said. “I have to take the time to understand each of
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those before I can spread what I know about where their food comes from and explain the nutrients in dairy.” Sachs is prepared to be an advocate for the dairy industry this summer even though the industry is going through tough times. “As a dairy princess, you are more likely to run into people with a negative outlook on dairy,” Sachs said. “Mostly because you are more in the spotlight.” At a grocery store visit, Sachs talked to a store employee who thought there were added hormones in milk. Sachs listened and shared her story as a dairy farmer, explaining that milk has no added hormones and that it is wholesome, delicious and safe because dairy farmers take great care of their animals. One thing is for certain, though; Sachs is excited to represent both dairy farmers and Olmsted County in her role as a Princess Kay Finalist this summer. “I would like to tell dairy farmers that there is still hope for tomorrow, even if it isn’t clear right now,” Sachs said. From her rst role as the assistant dairy princess coordinator to being announced a nalist, Sachs is ready to grasp to this role and expand her experiences in the dairy industry.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 39
with the Calkins of Blue Earth, Minn.
Bob and Lori Calkins family Chain O Lakes Holsteins Blue Earth, Minn. Martin County 250 cows
What advice would you give to other dairy farmers? Stay positive. Try to be optimistic. Pay attention to the cows, and they will tell you what they need. What has been the best purchase you have ever made on your farm? The large fans in the special needs barn. It is a nice place for cows. Right now we have smaller fans in the freestall barn, but it would be nice to get the large ones. The calves are also housed in a hoop barn which keeps them more insulated and has lights to see what you are doing. It helps to get out of the weather.
How did you get into farming? I (Bob) am a fth generation dairy farmer who was raised on the farm. It’s one of those things I always wanted to do as a child. When I met my wife, Lori, who grew up in northwest Iowa, it reassured my decision. She worked for a vet clinic for a while, and then we went on our own, and she helped me out a lot. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry over the next year? It has to be better than it has been. As dairy farmers, we need to stay positive even though there is a lot of catching up to do. It’s really hard to think about all the long hours that go into this work. But, we need to stay positive and think about all of the good things we chose this career path for. What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? On Chain O Lakes Holsteins, we take good care of our cows. A few years ago, we redid the electrical system at the dairy and made it a three-phase, 480V Delta System which makes us isolated from the grid. Meaning, we are not tied to the power company or neighbors like most systems. What is a management practice you changed in the past year that has beneted you? We continually change. This year, one thing we did was plant Enogen corn for silage corn. This corn was invented for its use in ethanol, but
KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR
Bob and Lori Calkins and their children – (from leŌ) Abby and Daniel – milk 250 cows in MarƟn County near Blue Earth, Minn. it also has an enzyme that makes it highly digestible in both beef and dairy cattle. What cost-saving steps have you implemented during the low milk price? We try not to cut costs on important things. If they work, we stick with them. As well as watching everything a lot closer, one thing we do is cull faster if cows aren’t keeping up. It’s easier to cull when they are below average in the herd. We use the equipment longer than it should and take care of it better so it lasts a long time. How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? We provide a friendly working environment. We talk to and see them almost every day, give them a competitive
wage, supply them with beef a couple times a year, and make a neat and clean working environment. Often times, they bring their kids to hang out, and they make chalk drawings on the sidewalk. Tell us about a skill that you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. I can x things. Most of the time it is out of necessity, but with little to no neighbors, we need to make sure everything keeps going. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? I love being outdoors and with the cows. I enjoy a challenge but with the dairy industry right now, a little less would be nice.
What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? We have a goal to get 100% registered cattle and a bull in A.I. But with the industry changing so much, we are lucky to have a smooth running operation. I’m also proud to raise a family on the farm. What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? Honestly, to catch up. With the weather and help availability, it’s hard. We also might update equipment in the coming years. How do you and your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? We spend a lot of time outdoors from shing to deer hunting every fall. We also bought the East Chain Activity Center which used to be the school and rent it out for meetings, weddings or special events. The school has two gyms, so we like to play ball when we can.
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
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