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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 19, No. 13
August 26, 2017
A busy 23-year-old Thompson working hard on, off the farm By Brittany Olson
brittany.o@dairystar.com
ELLSWORTH, Wis. – The sentiment of plugging along and keeping things going has helped dairyman Mitch Thompson achieve success with his herd of cows at just shy of 23 years old. Thompson milks 60 cows in a sand bedded tiestall barn he rents near Ellsworth, Wis. Opportunity came knocking for Thompson four years ago when his grandparents sold him their cows and 320 acres when he was freshly graduated from high school. “They wanted to keep the farm in the family,” Thompson said. Thompson, who grew up in Spring Valley, Wis., now milks 60 cows near Ellsworth, Wis., about seven or eight miles from the home farm where his farming career began. His cows average between 85 to 90 pounds of milk per day with a 3.7 percent fat and 3.3
percent protein. On top of his obligations as a farmer, he also works off the farm as a route driver for dairy supplier IBA and houses cattle for his dairy consultant, Peter Coyne. “It’s tricky some days, but if you have someone else to milk for you [sometimes] it gives you more exibility and more income,” Thompson said. “My boss, Bill Fesenmaier, is pretty understanding if I need to cut hay or anything like that, and his son, Kevin, is a dairy science major at UW-River Falls and milks for me.” His herd consists largely of registered Holsteins with a few Jerseys. With the Holsteins, both homebred and purchased from other breeders, Thompson currently runs a breeding age average (BAA) of 109 and is ushing more of his prominent cows to build his herd’s genetics. He also houses a few cows for others, as well. “My grandpa always registered his cows, and started using A.I. in the 1970s so he was ahead of the curve in that respect,” Thompson said. “I enjoy Turn to THOMPSON | Page 5
BRITTANY OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Mitch Thompson milks 60 cows in a sand bedded Ɵestall barn near Ellsworth, Wis. Since buying his grandparents’ herd four years ago, he has nearly doubled the cows’ rolling herd average from 16,000 pounds of milk per year to 28,000 pounds per year.
Upgrades lessen workload for Middendorfs Parlor efciency, cow comfort focus of retrotted facility By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
LONG PRAIRIE, Minn. – Donnie and Carolyn Middendorf have two passions – dairy farming and their children. With recent upgrades to their animal housing and milking facilities, the Middendorfs are able to make time for both. The Middendorfs and their three children – Rachel, 17, Hannah, 15, and Landon, 11 – hosted a University of Minnesota Extension eld day on their 100-cow dairy farm near Long Prairie, Minn., on Aug. 8. Throughout the morning, fellow dairy farmers toured the Middendorfs’ farm, taking note of the tiestall barn retrotted to a parlor, as well as a recently-built freestall barn and manure pit. “Since the rst time we milked in the tiestall barn, we talked about an expansion and upgrade project,” Carolyn said. The Middendorfs began milking 50 cows at this farm site in 1995, but seriously considered a farm remodel
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Donnie Middendorf (leŌ) talks with other dairymen about the benets of retroƫng his Ɵestall barn into a swing-8 parlor. Middendorf and his family hosted a University of Minnesota Extension eld day on their 100-cow dairy near Long Prairie, Minn. ve years ago. They wanted an efcient parlor and housing facility that maximized cow comfort and lessened their workload. “By then, we were really having back problems from working in the tiestall barn and knew something
needed to change,” Carolyn said. Donnie agreed. “Before we could keep on going, we had to really look at our options,” he said. After researching building designs and touring other dairy farms, the
Middendorfs decided to retrot their 52-stall tiestall barn into a swing-8 parlor. “We wanted a milking facility that Turn to MIDDENDORFS | Page 6
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofďƒžce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Amanda Thooft 320-352-6303 amanda.t@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Andrea Borgerding - Managing Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Krista Kuzma - Assistant Editor (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Ron Johnson (608) 874-4243 ron.j@dairystar.com Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048 cowlady@centurylink.net Jennifer Coyne (320) 352-6303 jenn@dairystar.com Brittany Olson (320) 352-6303 brittany.o@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman (715) 245-6848 danielle.n@dairystar.com Advertising Sales Main Ofďƒžce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Jeff Weyer (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-8505 (cell) jeff.w@dairystar.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofďƒžce) 320-248-3196 (cell) Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 fax: 507-634-4413 laura.s@dairystar.com Jerry Nelson (SW MN, NW Iowa, South Dakota) 605-690-6260 jerry.n@dairystar.com Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Lori Menke (Eastern Iowa, Southern WI) 563-608-6477 • lori.m@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 megan.s@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute ďƒžnal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters. The views and opinions expressed by Dairy Star columnists and writers are not necessarily those of the Dairy Star LLC.
The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Dairy Star, LLC, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sauk Centre, MN and additional mailing ofďƒžces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
North America dealers. A glance at what’s inside
Dairy Proďƒžle brought to you by your
Milk price has been on the minds of many dairy farmers in recent months. For this issue’s “From our side of the fenceâ€? we talked to people in our coverage area about what they change on their farm when the milk price drops and what management practices they do not sacriďƒžce during a dip. Read what these farmers had to say on pages 15-16 in ďƒžrst section. With the next generation home to help on the farm, the Gengler family has made updates in the last four years to their dairy facility on their 420-cow dairy near Adrian, Minn. Last year, they built a 365-stall freestall barn with water mattresses By Mark Klaphake and an automatic scraper system. In 2013 the family also bought a used double-12 parallel parlor to make milking Editor more efďƒžcient. Read more about these changes to the Gengler family’s dairy on pages 6-7 in third section. After only a year into selling cheese, CannonBelles Cheese is taking home national awards. At the American Cheese Society conference in July, CannonBelles cheese won a ďƒžrst-place ribbon for its Queso Fresco. The company’s owners and founders – Jackie Ohman, Deeann Lufkin and Kathy Hupf – are in the process of building a permanent cheesemaking plant near Cannon Falls, Minn. Read more about how they got started and their award-winning cheese on page 3 in Second section. For this issue’s “Day in the lifeâ€? feature, we followed McKinley Verhulst and her family, who milk 100 cows near Barron, Wis. In between practicing for sports, McKinley helps out with chores, either in the morning or evening depending on the time of year. McKinley has already started cross country practice, but also participates in wresting and soccer, along with being involved in 4-H and FFA. Read about how the family manages the schedule on pages 16 and 18 in second section. The Hahn family is hoping to ďƒžnd a niche market with their 28-cow Guernsey herd near Highland, Wis. The family recently moved their herd to an upgraded facility and is focusing on breeding for the A2A2 trait. They hope to direct market their milk someday. Read more about the Hahn family’s plans on pages 35 and 37 in ďƒžrst section. R&R Farms had a rare occurrence on their dairy, when a bull calf was born with ectopia cordis, where the calf’s heart is misplaced in its neck. The 3-week-old Normande cross has been doing well, but is not in a pen with other animals. One wrong bump or kick could determine the animal’s fate. R&R Farms milks 48 cows near Hillman, Minn. Read more about this calf and its rare condition on page 11 in ďƒžrst section.
Favorite quotes from this issue: “It’s really so much fun having us all here, showing as a family. When we’re not in the show ring, we’re playing card games or passing the football outside.� - Cherie Smith (Third Section, Pages 13-15)
“I was inspired to host the run to honor my brother, Todd, and create awareness of the concerns facing farmers.� - Brenda Gilbertson (First Section Pages 23, 25)
By the Numbers
of dry matter per 3,000: Pounds acre graziers should aim for
(Pages 20, 22 in Second Section)
90: Percentage of students who
consume dairy after participating in Fuel Up to Play 60. (Pages 1213 in First Section)
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Pages 8-9 Ag Insider Page 10
How to become a millionaire farmer
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:
What measures have you taken to help your dairy through the low milk price? Pages 15-16
Page 11
Bull calf is born with rare condition
Page 36
Women in Jeans: Abby Wiedmeyer SECOND SECTION Page 3
Barron
Eau Claire
First Section: Pages 1, 5
Second Section: Pages 4 - 5
Second Section: Pages 16 - 18
Children Museum of Eau Claire hosts June Dairy Kevin Walleser Month activities
Organic farming, grazing a natural t for Midtlings
Bayeld
Douglas
De Soto, Wis. Pages 14 - 15 Second Section
Ponterio family named Jackson County Outstanding Farm Family Third Section: Pages 2- 3
Iron
Third Section: Pages 10 - 11
n
Burnett
Chris McCullough
Polk
Juda, Wis.
Sawyer
Price
Highland Hahn family establishes A2A2 Guernsey herd
Rusk
Barron
First Section: Pages 35, 37
Taylor
Pages 10 - 11 The “Mielke” Market Weekly Page 12
St. Croix
Chippewa
Dunn
Dairy Markets
Pierce
Pepin
Kyle and Sara Mathison Cumberland, Wis.
Buffalo
Pages 26 - 27 Crop and weather reports Pages 30 - 31
Dairy Recipes
Peosta, IA
Dairy Prole: Dale Gaul Page 39
Mineral Point Vita Plus Chick Day held at Roadview Dairy
Clark
Eau Claire Trempealeau
Page 13
Second Section: Pages 23 - 24
Jackson
Hollandale Gilbertsons gearing up to host Holstein picnic
La Crosse Monroe
First Section: Pages 23, 25
Vernon
Worth
Mitchell
Cerro Hancock Gordo
Floyd
Howard
ick
Ch
w
a as
Bremer
Zone 2
Black Hawk
Fayette
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
ford
Craw
Iowa
Dane Madison
Grant Clayton
n
a an
ch
Bu
Richland
Allamakee
Winnebago
Winneshiek
THIRD SECTION Pages 4 - 5 Grober, Buddenberg crowned Iowa dairy royalty Pages 6 - 7 Gengler Dairy expands to make room for another generation Pages 13 - 14 Feltmanns show 23 animals at county fair Page 16 Dairy Calendar Pages 18 - 19 Some Udder Stuff Pages 20 - 26 Classieds
Melrose
Ferryville Fenn forms grazing farm from scratch
Ashland
CannonBelles Cheese wins national award
Area Hay Auction results Pages 14 - 15 Dairying Around the World Pages 20, 22 Nelsons host extension tour Aug. 4 on organic dairy
A day in the life of the Verhulst family
ur
Page 26 FSA News & Notes Page 27 The Transition Pen Page 28 Rural Roots Page 29 Avoiding the u Page 30 Ramblings from the Ridge Page 31 Vacation at the fair Page 32 Just Thinking Out Loud Page 33 Dairy Good Life Page 34 Something to Ruminate On
Wilson
Thompson working hard on and off the farm
Pages 12 - 13
Checkhoff dollars encourage dairy consumption
Ellsworth
hb
Upgrades lessen workload for Middendorfs
W as
FIRST SECTION Pages 1, 6-7
la
re wa
De
Linn
Lafayette
Green
Williams brings new ideas to extension youth specialist position Third Section: Page 12
Dubuque
Jones
Jackson
Monticello
Fourth Annual Farm to Table Dinner held at Voegeli Brothers Farm Second Section: Pages 28 - 29
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Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 5
ConƟnued from THOMPSON | Page 1
MIDWEST PUMPING II LLC
BRITTANY OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Mitch Thompson’s herd averages 85 to 90 pounds of milk per cow per day with 3.7 percent buƩerfat and 3.3 percent protein.
14 yrs experience Looking to expand! • Set up for pumping long distances • Tanks & Hose System Available • No till & chisel applicators available.
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Jon Stein 320-352-5762 • 1-800-342-2697 Henning Area 218-849-0211
BRITTANY OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Mitch Thompson’s herd of registered Holsteins has a breeding-age average of 109. He focuses on breeding for funcƟonal type and protable cows that are built to last.
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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
ConƟnued from MIDDENDORFS | Page 1
Willmar, MN • 320.231.1470
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JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
The Middendorf family (from leŌ) – Hannah, Carolyn, Landon, Donnie and Rachel – milk 100 cows in a swing-8 parlor at their farm near Long Prairie, Minn. On Aug. 8, the Middendorfs hosted a farm tour as part of the University of Minnesota Extension summer eld days. was cost effective and would support the barn structure,” Donnie said. “This setup was heavy enough to bear the weight of the ceiling, even though we don’t store anything [in the hay loft].” The swing-8 allows Carolyn to milk cows by herself at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., while Donnie nishes chores in the barn. “Having two people in the barn really helps,” Carolyn said. “Usually, Donnie pushes the cows into the holding area and then feeds while I milk.” During the winter months, Carolyn uses in-oor heating in the pit to keep her warm. The heat comes from a wood boiler that is also used to heat the machine shop and house. “When the last group comes through and it’s about negative 20 degrees, then you can start to feel the cold,” Donnie said. “There’s also a curtain that divides the parlor and holding area that we close once milking is completed.” As cows enter the parlor, they stand on a slight incline, which encourages them to stand close to the inside of the parlor. “That really improves how the cows move throughout the parlor,” Donnie said. “They back up into their spot because of the slope and then we don’t have to reach far to milk them.” Cows leave through a rapid exit
gate that drops down. They return to the freestall barn through return alleys, formerly the mangers in the tiestall barn. When the facility was constructed, the Middendorfs were mindful to reuse equipment such as the milking units and pipeline. “For the rst two years, I just hung the units on the edge of the butt pans and moved them from side to side,” Carolyn said. “Obviously, when we installed a swing system in the parlor that worked better, but we didn’t want do to it all at once.” By eliminating additional costs of new equipment and building with a resourceful approach, the Middendorfs estimate they spent $50,000 on the parlor. “Really, it was pretty cost effective when we only spent $500 per cow, and that’s what we wanted,” Donnie said. The 87-stall freestall stands 64- by 136-feet, with a single feed alley on the north end of the barn. In building the facility, the Middendorfs restructured their plan to include sand bedding. “We originally wanted to build a compost barn, but then we went on a tour, like this, and saw what sand did Turn to MIDDENDORFS | Page 7
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 7
Con�nued from MIDDENDORFS | Page 6 for the cows. In all of our planning, we kept going back to sand,” Donnie said. When Donnie cleans the barn, he beds the front of the stalls rst and then levels the remainder of the sand throughout the stall. “It really stays pretty clean,” he said. “The cows use the sand to keep ies off of them in the summer. Because of that, we use more of it now than when we bed in the winter.” While the three-row barn design is unique with the feed alley to the north, Donnie is pleased with how his herd has benetted. “It actually works nice because in the winter, that whole rst row is full of cows laying in the south sun,” Donnie said. When the cows are in the milking parlor, Donnie cleans the barn with a skidloader, pushing the manure out of the barn and to a nearby pit with a concrete base. Twice a year, the pit is emptied. Since 2012, when the facilities were built, the Middendorfs have noticed drastic improvements on the dairy – specically the amount of time the family spends on the farm versus with each other. Although the herd nearly doubled in size, the Middendorfs were able to improve their full-time equivalent. Carolyn can milk 100 cows in 1.5 hours, including setup and clean up. “Even though the chores are more, we’re spending less time on chores with more cows. With the new system, everything is faster,” Donnie said. Carolyn agreed. “It took about a week for the cows to adjust,” she said. “The rst three days were bad, but then after that rough patch things were good. We sure wouldn’t go back to what we were doing.” To further their dairy, the
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
The swing-8 parlor is equipped with automa�c take-offs and a rapid exit gate. When the Middendorfs rst used the parlor, they were milking with individual units from the �estall setup before implemen�ng the swing system. Middendorfs are in the process of transitioning to organic – a decision they made with Donnie’s two brothers. Together, the families crop farm 1,200 acres. Two winters ago, Donnie’s brothers talked about transitioning. All three families have one year left before being certied organic. “We talked about going
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cater to both of their passions – dairy farming and family. “We saved money and now we have a barn and parlor that works. And we didn’t have to start from scratch,” Donnie said. Carolyn agreed. “We wouldn’t do anything differently,” she said. “It all works really well for us.”
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July milk output up nearly 2 percent Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
July U.S. milk production totaled 18.2 billion FDA adjusts UF milk policies pounds, up 1.8 percent from last year. There were The Food and Drug Administration is making 9.4 million head in the U.S. dairy herd, up 74,000 a change in its policies dealing with ultra-ltered from last year, but down 1,000 head milk products. Previously, U.S. dairy Ag Insider from June. Among the 23 major dairy processors couldn’t use UF products states, Wisconsin milk production was unless they were made in the same plant up 0.7 percent. Minnesota milk producas the cheese. In a statement, the FDA tion increased 3.1 percent and Califorsaid the action is being taken “due to nia milk output dropped 0.2 percent. recent changes in some export markets that have caused the U.S. dairy industry More milk in ’18, but higher prices to experience oversupply and pricing forecast challenges with domestically produced For 2018, USDA’s Agricultural UF milk.” Canada stopped importing Outlook Board is forecasting a yearUF milk products from the U.S. earlier over-year milk production of 4.6 billion this year, forcing some dairy farmers to pounds. That would put total milk outstruggle to nd a market for their milk. By Don Wick put to 229 billion pounds, up 2 percent Columnist from this year. “We do see, despite an Farm bill timeline is not known increase in production, an increase in What’s the timeline for the 2018 the all-milk price year-over-year,” said Seth Mey- Farm Bill? Informa Economics Senior Vice Presier, who chairs the Ag Outlook Board. Demand for dent Jim Weisemyer said that schedule is uncertain. butter and cheese is very strong and USDA predicts “I just think other issues like tax reform, whether or the all-milk price of $18.50 per hundredweight for not they’ll do it, and other things could denitely 2018. By the end of 2018, Meyer said milk prices impact the timeline for the new Farm Bill.” Weisecould be approaching $20 per hundredweight. meyer said the initial goal was to have the legislation out of the House by Thanksgiving, but that NMPF criticizes Canada’s NAFTA stance schedule has been pushed back. “We don’t know As negotiations for the revamped North Ameri- individual issues within the Farm Bill debate,which can Free Trade Agreement, Canadian Foreign Af- could extend the debate.” Dollars are tight for the fairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said her govern- new farm bill, but a change in the way the Margin ment wants free trade with the U.S. and Mexico, Protection Program is handled is expected to be rebut will defend its supply-management system. alized. National Milk Producers Federation President Jim Mulhern challenged Freeland’s comments. “Cana- Conditions in farm sector could be stabilizing da cannot be allowed to maintain a system that esRecent data from the Kansas City Fed’s survey tablishes one of the highest milk prices in the world of agricultural credit conditions suggest conditions within its borders while using world markets as a in the farm sector may be stabilizing. Ag credit condumping ground for a huge increase in production.” ditions did weaken further in the second quarter, Mulhern said Canada should not have the ability to but the pace of deterioration has slowed. Although use its domestic policies to manipulate global dairy the rate at which farm loans are being repaid conmarkets. tinued to decrease, the change from a year ago was
not as sharp as in recent years. Only 37 percent of the Tenth District reported a decrease in repayment rates from a year ago, the lowest share since mid2015. Similar to credit conditions, income in the farm sector continued to weaken but not as rapidly as in recent years. Bankers in most Tenth District states expected the decline in farm income to be slower this year than in 2016.
Income is down for dairy processor Dean Foods reports second quarter net prots of $18 million, down from $33 million last year. Fluid milk sales are down, hurting the dairy company’s bottomline. Walmart, which is one of Dean Foods’ biggest customers, is preparing to open its own milk processing plant in Indiana. That decision will further reduce the volume of milk sold by Dean Foods. Butter lawsuit to move forward The courts have denied a request from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture to dismiss a lawsuit that challenges a state law that requires all butter sold in Wisconsin to be tested and graded by state-approved inspectors. Ireland-based Kerrygold Company led the lawsuit, hoping to sell its butter in Wisconsin. Minerva Dairy, which is based in Ohio, has also sued the state, saying Wisconsin’s ban on the sale of ungraded butter is unconstitutional. Executive order eases donations to drought areas Governor Scott Walker has signed an executive order easing transportation restrictions for those farmers donating forage to drought-stricken farmers and ranchers in North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana. Baled hay, straw, corn stalks and stover are being sent to this region and this 30-day order will allow those donations to move more easily. Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 9
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Alfalfa checkoff program funds research With the new alfalfa checkoff, research projects have been nanced through the program’s rst-ever round of funding. The projects funded include an evaluation of alfalfa forage quality and improving stand life by managing disease. Thirty-four proposals were made and nine were funded including projects conducted by the University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Dairy Shrine to honor WI dairy leaders The National Dairy Shrine will recognize Tom and Gin Kestell of Ever-Green-View Farms in Waldo, Wis. with its Distinguished Breeder Award. The couple are known as a leading Holstein dairy operation with a rolling herd average of over 45,000 pounds. The Dairy Shrine will also present its Pioneer Award to Arnold Knight of Markesan, Wis. Knight is a former dairy farmer and has been the executive secretary of the Wisconsin Guernsey Breeders Association. State fair dairy barn HOF kicked off The Wisconsin State Fair inducted four individuals into the new Dairy
Barn Hall of Fame. The honorees are Ray Kuehl of Waunakee, George Barlass of Janesville and Tom and Joan Oberhaus of Waukesha. Kuehl was the State Fair open dairy cattle superintendent for 25 years. Barlass is a well-known Jersey breeder and showed cattle at the State Fair from 1948 to 1990. The Oberhaus’ operate a registered Brown Swiss and Guernsey dairy herd and gave over 100 young people the opportunity to show their animals at county fairs, district shows and the Wisconsin State Fair. Trivia challenge Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue previously served as the governor of Georgia. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, what is the most popular dessert in the United States? We’ll have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora, and Sterling.
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
How to become a millionaire farmer Tranel provides benchmarks for all dairy systems By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
MORRIS, Minn. – Are you the next millionaire? Dr. Larry Tranel thinks so. In fact, he thinks every dairy farmer has the potential to make $1 million by milking cows. During the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center’s Organic Dairy Day Aug. 15 in Morris, Minn., Tranel spoke about the prot potential each farm has – whether conventional, hybrid grazing, organic or organic no grain. “In the Millionaire Model Dairy, I’ve taken the best of the grazing world and best of the connement world, and mixed it into a formula to create this model for young or transitioning farmers to get started,” Tranel said. Tranel, an Iowa State University Extension Educator of 28 years, developed his model in the 1990s after speaking with a dairy farmer from New Zealand. “This farmer shows me this graph of where he started with net return [in terms of protability] and where he wants to be in 25 years. He asked me where my graph was, and I didn’t have one. How do you know where you’re going … what’s your plan?” Tranel said. “I then went home and thought if I put in a low-cost parlor and worked the same hours, milking 80 cows on 80 acres, I could make decent money, and that could be a nice model for the industry.” Throughout Tranel’s model, he focuses on two important formulas that determine protability – rate of return on assets and return per hour of unpaid labor – with key measurements affecting protability, including milk price, labor efciency, milk production, quality feed and capital efciency. By comparing these values with different management systems, farmers can determine a
benchmark for where they should be. “The easiest way to learn about yourself is to learn through other people,” Tranel said. “The easiest way to learn about your organic system is to learn about the grazing system, the conventional system and learn about yourself through what they’re doing.” In the studies presented during the eld day, Tranel recorded data from farms in 2015 and 2016. The rst study observed 20 farms – ve conventional, four hybrid grazing, eight organic and three organic no grain – and compared protability based on measurements of return to unpaid labor per hour, cost of milk production per hundredweight (cwt.) equivalent and rate of return on assets. “The milk price is going to determine what system is most protable no matter what system you’re dealing with,” Tranel said. “But protability is quite different than cash ow.”
lent for conventional, $0.32 for hybrid grazing, $5.74 for organic and $9.16 for organic no grain. “The No. 1 factor is rate of return on assets. It marries your net return statement with your net farm income statement,” Tranel said. “It’s an all-inclusive measure to take and compare in the stock market to see what kind of returns you could get on assets.” Conventional farms in the study recorded a 5.75 percent return on assets, 4.59 percent for hybrid, 8.83 percent for organic and 9.54 percent for organic no grain. Taking the operating prot margin and multiplying it by the total volume of milk produced determined the farms’ prot. “There are two ways you can make money dairy farming, either by eliminating costs over price or by increasing volume,” Tranel said. “For grazers, organic and organic no grains, price versus cost tends to be your strength. But for conventional farmers, the asset turnover ratio tends More information and graphics to be their strength.” can be found online at: https:// Tranel further explained www.extension.iastate.edu/ the farms’ protability by dairyteam/business-and-finanselecting high prot farms cial-management within the study and comparing them. The rate of At the time of the study, the average conventional milk price return on assets was 8.04 percent, was $16.64 per cwt., $16.16 for 6.35 percent, 9.68 percent and hybrid grazing, $34.93 for or- 9.54 percent for conventional, hyganic and $41.24 for organic no brid grazing, organic and organic no grain, respectively. grain. Operating prot margin After determining cash income and expenses, with a four showed similar results with orpercent equity charge on assets, ganic receiving the highest perfarms estimated their labor earn- centage at 41.90 percent. While organic and organic ings per unpaid labor hour. Conventional farms noted $21.44, no grain showed more protabil$14.27 for hybrid grazing, $27.06 ity in the studies, Tranel noted for organic and $32.69 for organ- the difference in milk price, and how the competition would differ ic no grain. Cost of milk production per if conventional prices were in the cwt. equivalent was calculated, $18-20 range. “It only takes $1-2 change taking into consideration all nonmilk income divided by milk in conventional prices to swap price and then added to milk cwts. conventional and grazing herds sold. Net income, based on milk with organic and organic no grain price and cost of milk production, herds, if organic prices stayed came to be $0.45 per cwt. equiva- relatively the same,” Tranel said.
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Dr. Larry Tranel, with the University of Iowa Extension, demonstrates how farm protability cannot be determined by net farm income and return to labor alone during the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center Organic Dairy Day Aug. 15 in Morris, Minn. With the 2016 milk prices increasing by $2, conventional farms could see a rate of return on assets at 10.34 percent and hybrid grazing farms at 9.07 percent. Throughout his presentation, Tranel noted other areas where conventional and hybrid grazers would be superior to the organic systems, particularly in on-farm efciencies, such as paid and unpaid labor, as well as the construction of new facilities and parlor setup. “You have conventional producers paying big money for these facilities to get one or two pounds more milk, and they’re known to pay for themselves over time. Organic is being paid twice as much and should be able to do those changes, too, and have a much higher propensity to do so,” Tranel said. On most farms, the milking system is the most inefcient and overlooked area. Low cost parlors are also more efcient, safer and ergonomically correct, Tranel said. He advised attendees with low milking efciencies to consider a TRANS Iowa Low Cost Parlor. “Don’t settle pushing through 14 cows per person per hour. There are people out there
getting through 70 cows. I realize that’s what you decide your labor is worth, but also realize there are people being four times more efcient than you,” Tranel said. In 25-years’ time, it is possible for dairy farmers to push a prot of $1 million-plus by understanding the markets and following the guidelines of this particular model, Tranel said. “One guy who worked with the model, started with -$25,000, and left with $354,00 in assets and no debt, ready to buy a farm. It can still be done in tough times and you don’t have to be organic to do it,” Tranel said. “Every system can be protable depending on how you work it.” However, he warned farmers to be patient. “I always like to point out the rst three years where progress doesn’t look like progress,” Tranel said. “So many throw the towel in because they don’t understand protability and cash ow. It’s tough getting started dairying and building a career, but when it gets going it does get easier.” With the change in milk price since the 2016 study, Tranel will be updating his data to reect milk price in both the conventional and organic markets.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 11
A misplaced heart Bull calf is born with rare condition By Andrea Borgerding andrea.b@dairystar.com
HILLMAN, Minn. – From a distance, the 3-week-old Normande cross bull calf looks and moves like any other calf his age. But getting a closer reveals that the calf has something different about it – an ectopic or misplaced heart. The calf’s heart is protruding from its neck covered only by skin. “It’s a little creepy when you get a close look at the calf,” said veterinarian Dr. Dan Peterson. “One might think it’s just the jugular vein, but you can
NATASHA BARBER/DAIRY STAR
The bull calf’s heart is the large lump in his neck. The calf has been kept away from other calves to avoid being bumped or kicked.
actually hold the heart in your hand and feel it pulse.” The calf was born on Aug. 3 on R&R Farms near Hillman, Minn. where Ralph and Randy Rinkel milk 48 cows. Jen Sadler has been working on the farm for the past 2.5 years. She was present when the calf was born. “It was a normal delivery,” Sadler said. “When I moved the calf, I noticed right away there was something different with his neck. I could feel beating.” When the calf stood up, Sadler saw a large lump in the bull calf’s neck and could see it pulse. “I knew right away it had to be his heart,” Sadler said. Sadler called a veterinarian to see what could be done. She was told to make the calf comfortable – he would not live for long. “Well, he’s still here so I called Dr. Peterson and he didn’t know what to say at rst,” Sadler said. Rightfully so, the condition known as ectopia cordis is extremely rare with only two recorded cases. One more recently in 2015 when a Shorthorn bull was born with the same condition on a Pennsylvania farm. Peterson, a large animal veterinarian at Mille Lacs Veterinary Clinic, knew the condition was possible, but only through his referencing in humans. It is rare in humans, but can occur more often where the heart is located in the neck. Wanting to get a closer look, Peterson performed an ultrasound on the calf’s thorax area – between the neck and abdomen – to see if there was a second heart inside. “There is only one heart and it’s
NATASHA BARBER/DAIRY STAR
Jen Sadler holds a Normande cross bull calf born with ectopic cordis, where his heart is located in the neck. Sadler works on R&R Farms where they milk 48 cows near Hillman, Minn. perfectly normal, just that it is in the wrong location,” Peterson said. Unfortunately, Peterson said the prognosis for the calf is not good. The heart’s location will likely restrict its growth and not be able to sustain as the calf grows. “There is no protection for the heart,” Peterson said. “If he gets bumped or kicked, the heart will stop. The calf might live a long time, but there is a lot of risk.” Sadler knew the calf would be at risk from the day he was born, so she has been treating him extra special. “I get attached to all the calves,” Sadler said. “This calf follows me everywhere around the farm. I’ve named him Spiritual because he has
added so much spirit to the farm.” Sadler said Spiritual continues to grow and act like a regular calf his age. He has been able to drink and has started eating calf feed. Despite his short life expectancy, Sadler wants to keep the calf comfortable and let him live out his life. “It’s been suggested that I send him to the University of Minnesota for testing, but I want him to be able to live out his days here on the farm,” Sadler said. “He’s so healthy and has so much energy.” The calf may have a misplaced heart, but his spirit continues to bring hope and energy for as long as he is roaming R&R Farms.
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
A closer look
Industry news addressed with help from your neighbors
A push of condence
by Jennifer Coyne
Checkoff dollars encourage dairy consumption
PARKER, S.D. – A recent study published by the Innovation Center of U.S. Dairy revealed nearly 28 percent of Americans do not know where chocolate milk comes from, and seven percent of adults believe the dairy product is the result of brown cows. “In today’s world, with so many outlets of gathering information, it’s challenging to deliver correct information to consumers, but I also look at it as an opportunity. We now know what consumers want and how they want it,” Allen Merrill said. Merrill is a third-generation dairy farmer from Parker, S.D., where he and his family milk 150 cows. He also serves as chairman of the Midwest Dairy Association. Since the 1940s, regional American Dairy Associations have promoted the consumption of dairy products and education of production agriculture to consumers through dairy farmers’ checkoff dollars. However, in recent years, as the need for education and promotion is arguably greater than ever, organizations across the Midwest are doubling down on their efforts to connect with consum-
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MIDWEST DAIRY ASSOCIATION
Iowa State University students learn about on-farm dairy pracƟces from Dr. Leo Timms during an on-campus farm tour sponsored by Midwest Dairy AssociaƟon. ers.
“The National Dairy Council was formed in 1915, and that was our rst attempt at forming a trustworthy relationship with consumers,” Merrill said. “Over the years, we’ve recognized what we’ve accomplished and are adapting to new ways of forming those relationships.” Today, two of the most prominent
and successful efforts are the partnerships between National Dairy Council, United States Department of Agriculture and the National Football League; and nationwide retailers, such as Domino’s and Taco Bell. “With the National Dairy Council, we are able to educate more than 25,000 fourth graders each year, teaching them all about dairy farms and how
dairy ts into a nutritious diet,” said Patrick Geoghegan, senior vice president of communications with the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. In Wisconsin, alone, more than three million students have been educated on the importance of dairy as part of a healthy and active lifestyle through the Fuel Up to Play 60 program. More than 1.2 million students in Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota also participate in the Fuel Up to Play 60 Program during the 2016-17 school year. Geoghegan noted 90 percent of students who participate in Fuel Up to Play 60 in Wisconsin have reported they are consuming more dairy. In addition to supporting efforts to educate young consumers, checkoff dollars also support food research to develop new and innovative dairy products that are able to meet the changing demands of today’s consumers. “With restaurant partners, we share the knowledge of food scientists to make their food better and more pleasing to consumers,” Merrill said. Both Merrill and Geoghegan referenced strong partnerships that have increased dairy consumption and awareness throughout the nation. In fact, Domino’s pizza boxes now include a dairy-related Undeniably Dairy logo and several salutes to America’s dairy farmers. More than 7 million pizza boxes with the logo are now being delivered every week in the U.S. Starting in September, napkins at Turn to CHECKHOFF| Page 13
Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 13
Con�nued from CHECKOFF | Page 12 all 5,000 Domino’s retail locations will include the Undeniably Dairy logo and a “thank you” message to dairy farmers and their cows. At Culver’s restaurants, 100 percent of its cheese is made in Wisconsin with milk now the default drink in the kid’s meal; A&W cheese curds are made with Wisconsin cheese and now outsell fries; every year, 11 million Donato’s pizza boxes are identied with the Wisconsin cheese logo; Domino’s increased cheese usage by 43 percent and in doing so, moved an additional 230 million pounds of milk, and 90 percent of Taco Bell’s menu contains dairy. “These have all been really good partnerships to promote dairy,” Merrill said. Geoghegan agreed. “Our goal is to integrate dairy products into their menus and boost overall consumption.” With national programs and industry partners, like Domino’s and Taco Bell, dairy is returning to the limelight in American households. A report from Dairy Management Inc. showed domestic cheese consumption had risen from March 2016 to February 2017, as well as noting an increase in butter sales. “We live in an everchanging and highly competitive marketplace, and we’re all ghting for consumers’ attention and loyalty. Changing lifestyles, smaller families
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MIDWEST DAIRY ASSOCIATION
Former Midwest Dairy Associa�on Board Chair Jerry Messer talks with students at the Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassador Summit. The program is sponsored through dairy checkoff dollars. and increased competition have contributed to the erosion in uid milk consumption,” Geoghegan said. “We’ve been fortunate in Wisconsin however, that as the nation’s leading cheese producer, we’ve seen continual increases in the consumption of cheese.” While these strategies have greatly benetted the dairy industry, organizations, such as Midwest Dairy Association and the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, are faced with the constant challenge of connecting with consumers through their
preferred avenues. Merrill and his family have been long-time supporters of the national dairy checkoff program and have watched its evolution. “I can remember my folks being involved with the checkoff and it’s been a natural course for me to stay involved,” Merrill said. “We changed a lot – from bumper stickers and TV commercials to one-on-one interactions and farm tours.” Today, connecting with
consumers is most effectively done through face-to-face conversations and social media. The millennial population makes up 30 percent of the people in the United States, and is a driving force for dairy consumption. “These people thrive off of social media. They’ve built relationships and made connections with friends they’ve never met in person,” Merrill said. “We have to make those connections, because it’s a worthwhile investment … lost
opportunity is hard to regain.” Geoghegan concurred, referencing the organization’s 500,000-plus social media followers. “Consumers are hungry to understand where their food comes from,” he said. By connecting on social media and being present in an educational capacity, such as hosting farm tours, dairy farmers are able to form a vital relationship with consumers and be the resource for innovative, science-based facts, boosting consumers’ condence in the industry. While at times it may seem like an uphill battle relating to consumers and combatting misinformation about the industry and nutritional value of dairy, both Geoghegan and Merrill are assured in the strides the checkoff program has made and will continue to do so moving forward. “We believe an increase in conversation leads to an increase in sales,” Geoghegan said. Merrill afrmed Geoghegan’s statement while maintaining the need for continually look forward. “We’ve done a good job in the past, but we have to continue being creative. As consumers change, so must we to bring them closer to agriculture and build trust, and ultimately, sales,” he said. “If we aren’t the ones sharing that information, than who is?”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 15
What measures have you taken to help during low milk prices?
Kristy Strite and her dad, Tom Strite Meadowlands, Minn. Saint Louis County 130 cows What measures have you taken to help your dairy through the low milk price? Shopping online for parts before running to a dealer. We’ve found that taking the extra time to browse online can sometimes yield a savings of up to 70 percent; plus, included free shipping is a bonus for us in northern Minnesota. We began cross breeding our Holstein cows to Jersey in 2007. Since then, we use only high protein Jersey bulls. In 2015, we started shipping our milk to Burnett Dairy in Grantsburg, Wis. They make cheese products and the high components in our milk pays off. We’ve seen as much as a $4 premium on our milk checks, which makes a farmer smile. We keep a lot of the farm expenditures low by doing the majority of the work ourselves. We eliminate the unnecessary breakdowns and repairs. What is one thing you do not sacrice during low milk prices? Nutrition. Taking care of our cows is the most important thing. They pay the bills. Did you apply for any milk price protection? No, we are enrolled in MPP in hopes that the program will improve in the future. We crunched the numbers but didn’t see it being affordable or offering much protection in our situation. How does this dip in milk price compare to others you’ve experienced in your dairying career? Milk prices tend to follow a three-year cycle. We’ve lived through historic highs and lows in recent years, but this dip in milk prices is out of the norm. Not only are the highs and lows becoming greater, we’ve never seen a low last for so long. There doesn’t appear to be an end in sight. If things do turn around, it’s going to be hard to catch-up. What do you do to alleviate personal stress because of dairy farming or low milk prices? Networking with our local farming friends (both beef and dairy) via social media is a good way to keep our spirits up. You don’t feel so alone when you see your friends and neighbors sharing the same daily struggles. We compare rain totals, harvest updates, photos of new baby calves, etc. And, adding a little humor helps keep things fun for everyone. Tell us about your farm. We celebrated our 25th year of farming on our 300-acre farm in northern Minnesota. The last 15 years, we’ve been an effective father/ daughter team with the help of a couple part-time workers. Tom does the feeding and manure handling, while Kristy takes care of the calves and does the milking on our 130 Jersey and Jersey/Holstein cross operation. In
Bruce Funk Melrose, Minn. Stearns County 70 cows What measures have you taken to help your dairy through the low milk price? I do not buy more than I can handle and I watch my expenses. I also think before acting. That goes for everything; the cows and what you x. I prepare for the low milk prices by prepaying when the milk price is high. What is one thing you do not sacrice during low milk prices? Genetics. I make sure to use quality bulls with deep pedigrees (four to ve generations back) at a reasonable price. I have been working with Bob Klassen and Kyle Pundsack for almost 30 years. These are my future cows that will hit the pipeline when the prices go up. If you cheat this it takes a couple generations to get back to where you were. Did you apply for any milk price protection? Why or why not? Yes, I originally signed up with the MPP at the $6.50 rate but I never got enough to even cover what I paid. Now I’m signed up for the lowest rate, $4, because I have to. How does this dip in milk price compare to others you’ve experienced in your dairying career? The rst time we had really low milk prices in 2009 it took me by surprise, and I wasn’t prepared for it. Now, when the milk price get high, I expect that low prices are coming so I try to prepay for things. I prepaid a lot of things in 2014. What do you do to alleviate personal stress because of dairy farming or low milk prices? I don’t worry myself sick. It will all work out in the end. You are better off to have a smile and feel good about yourself. You can’t know everything there is to know so ask for help from the people you work with, whether it’s your nutritionist or your banker. Work with them, not against them. Tell us about your farm. This farm is where I grew up. I graduated in 1982 and took over in 1985. My wife, Jan, works off the farm. We have three children, all who have off-farm jobs. We have 200 acres, 180 acres of which are tillable. We plant corn, soybeans and alfalfa. I milk in a 70-stall tiestall barn. 2002, we expanded from a tiestall set-up to a double-6 parallel parlor and a freestall barn. It’s been a time saver and has helped us get by with fewer hired laborers. Farming in the North provides unique challenges; we have frost by the end of August so we focus on growing grass mixes and ensiling everything. Our growing season is short; we’re lucky if we get a second cutting in our elds. We buy protein and corn mix by the semiload. We don’t push for high components rather than production. Once a week, our milk goes to a small bottling plant in Babbitt, Minn., and Dahl’s Sunrise Dairy delivers milk and butter to local homes and various health food co-ops in the area. The Jersey milk gives the butter an exceptional avor and color.
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Mark Swensen Freeman, S.D. Hutchinson County 45 cows What measures have you have taken to help your dairy through the low milk price? We haven’t undertaken any major improvements on our facilities and have focused on maintaining what we already have. We are watching our feed intakes and are doing everything we can to minimize feed waste. All around the farm we are constantly working toward keeping our costs down. What is one thing you do not sacrice during low milk prices? When it comes to growing our crops, we will always follow our agronomist’s recommendations. Our goal is to maximize our yields, especially on our alfalfa. I have learned to trust our agronomist. He is honest, looks out for us and does everything he can to control costs. Did you apply for any milk price protection? Yes, we did. We had to pay $100 for MPP whether we used it or not. We chose the lowest level of protection to cushion the shock in case we got hit with extremely low milk prices. How does this dip in milk price compare to others you’ve experienced in your dairying career? This has been a prolonged dip in prices compared to the previous ones we have experienced. If there is too much milk supply, there simply isn’t much we can do about it. What do you do to alleviate personal stress because of dairy farming or low milk prices? I used to be a mechanic at our John Deere dealership. Working on our machinery helps relieve stress. Our kids are all active in sports. We enjoy getting away from the farm for a while and watching them at their sporting events. Tell us about your farm. I farm with my wife, Kerri, and our sons, Micah and Jacob, and our daughter, Erica. Micah is in high school, Jacob is in junior high and Erica is in grade school. We are the third generation of my wife’s family to operate this dairy farm, which includes 600 acres of cropland. In addition to the dairy herd, we have a beef herd that consists of 85 cow-calf pairs. We nish out all of our calves, including our dairy calves. My wife, our kids and I operate the farm with no outside hired help. Turn to FENCE | Page 16
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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
ConƟnued from FENCE | Page 15 Chris McCullough Juda, Wis. Green County 50 cows What are three measures you have taken to help your dairy through the low milk price? The measures we have taken to help us get through low milk prices include working really hard to control our debt, and pay it off as much as we can when things are good. We also try to make as many repairs ourselves and keep the bulk of the labor in our family. In addition, my wife, Kathie, works off the farm to provide a second income source. What is one thing you do not sacrice during low milk prices? I will not sacrice the money I spend on semen or the money involved in maintaining a registered herd (registration fees, classication, ofcial testing, etc.). The registered business is a lifestyle, and I believe in the breed and breeding good, solid cows with full, deep pedigrees. I also believe one of the worst things a farmer can do is buy cheaper semen from lesser bulls. It is important to use quality bulls in a breeding program in order to milk and breed cows. If I sacrice quality now, I will be paying for it in three years. Did you apply for any milk price protection? Why or why not? I did not apply for any of the programs. When it rst came out it cost $100 to get in, and I honestly was not going to donate money to the government. I rmly believe that the less government involvement we have in the dairy industry, the better off we would be. How does this dip in milk price compare to others you’ve experienced in your dairying career? There are always ups and downs, and I have learned that when it is up, you try to get ahead and pay down debt so that when the next low comes, you are in a better position and can deal with the uctuation better. When cow prices are lower, I see that as a good time to make an investment in a new cow family, but I will keep my extra animals around until cow prices go back up, and those cows have more value. What do you do to alleviate personal stress because of dairy farming or low milk prices? We are married to our cows. We do not hunt, golf, bowl or anything. We are passionate about working with the cattle, and for us, everything revolves around them. We enjoy shows, whether we are taking cattle to them or I am judging them. That is where we nd our enjoyment and our family time. Tell us about your farm. We milk 50 registered Holsteins, with about 130 head total. Our BAA is at 112.8 percent. We take great pride in our cows and our classication results. We have bred over 100 Excellent cows, and have had 15 or 16 cows scored 94 or 95 points. We do not desire to expand, or to build a freestall or parlor facility. Our home farm is 185 acres.
Wall-Stone Holsteins Kevin Walleser; Anne Marie Elwing, DVM; William and Emil Walleser De Soto, Wis. Vernon County 400 cows What are three measures you have taken to help your dairy through the low milk price? We are building a better team by focusing on human resources to make a positive impact in our business. We use outside resources and have team meetings with our employees and industry professionals who provide service to our dairy. We are capitalizing on marginal milk. We’re looking for ways to increase the pounds of energycorrected milk (ECM). Fat and protein pay the bills, but especially in today’s milk market, fat is important. We contract as many of our commodities as we can when we feel prices are at their lowest. We work with our milk processor to forward contract milk, to help reduce volatility in our milk checks. Don’t stop doing things that work and are proven to make money. If you were doing them when cash ow was good, and they returned a prot, why remove them now, when every pound of milk matters. It should always matter. What is one thing you do not sacrice during low milk prices? Our cows are queens. They deserve and receive the highest quality of care. We are always concerned with animal welfare and are a certied Food Armor dairy. Did you apply for any milk price protection? Why or why not? We have only signed up for the lowest level of MPP and are looking forward to using LGM after 2018. We have used forward contracts in several forms, such as Min-Max, level monthly price or level annual contracts. How does this dip in low milk price compare to others you’ve experienced in your dairying career? This is certainly the longest stretch of lower price. We are fortunate to have a milk basis of greater than $2 per hundredweight, which is a plus when the Class III price is so low. What do you do to alleviate personal stress because of dairy farming or low milk prices? Be a part of peer groups that are striving for excellence and have positive attitudes. We share our story on our Facebook page and continue to use technology to assist in making decisions on the dairy. A new trial that we are working on is an app called “My Dairy Dashboard.” It looks like it will be a great asset to have on the go. It puts many nancial parameters, along with Dairy Comp 305 data, FeedWatch, and milk processor numbers, in one place. Tell us about your farm. This is a family owned and operated agricultural business. We are multifaceted, which is a plus in a downturn market. We have a cow-calf operation and dairy and beef feedlots. We own 1,500 acres and rent 350 acres. We raise the majority of our own feedstuffs for the dairy and the
Kyle and Sara Mathison, with son, Grant Cumberland, Wis. Barron County 125 cows What are three measures you have taken to help your dairy through the low milk price? Why? We focus on premiums such as somatic cell count and milk quality. We also harvest quality alfalfa every 28 days to put up as much good forage as we can and cut back on feed costs. We have also added more Jerseys. My wife is a Jersey enthusiast and it does make a difference when we are shipping more butterfat. What is one thing you do not sacrice during low milk prices? Money on reproduction, whether it is bulls or ovsynch. We try not to let anything go on getting animals bred. Did you apply for any milk price protection? Why or why not? We applied for MPP, which is a joke. There is no real protection and it turned out to be a nice money grab. Unlike a true insurance policy you can’t just quit it. How does this dip in low milk price compare to others you’ve experienced in your dairying career? This is the rst in my career where I have been more in charge than compared to 2009. This time, everything is low which helps as opposed to the milk price being low and everything else being high. What do you do to alleviate personal stress because of dairy farming or low milk prices? Even though milk prices make times tough, I try to relax and focus on spending time with my family. It is easy to get caught up in struggling, but I try to take time to not think about it. Tell us about your farm. My wife, Sara, and I dairy farm with our 3-year-old son, Grant, and my parents, Wayne and Heidi. We have Holsteins, Jerseys, and one Ayrshire. Sara and I both have degrees in dairy science from Northeast Iowa Community College as well.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 17
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
Repro Leaders
Mix of A.I., bulls used to get cows bred at Kruschke’s dairy Dan Kruschke Eagle Bend, Minn. Todd County 18 cows (I usually have 35 and now have 22 bred heifers to build the herd up again)
milk Jerseys.
What was your pregnancy rate average last year? It was at 28-29 percent.
What is your reproduction program? Do you use a synchronization program? We will A.I. a cow twice and if she does not settle then we put her in with the bull. We do not use any sync program.
What is your voluntary waiting period for cows? For heifers? For the cows, it is 40 days and for the heifers it is 550 pounds or 12 months. I
What is your rst service conception rate? I am running about 55 percent. I do my own A.I. work.
How do you observe for
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Dan Kruschke had a pregnancy rate average 28-29 percent on his 18-cow dairy near Eagle Bend, Minn.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Kruschke selects bulls for his cows that are plus on percent fat, protein and milk.
heat? I watch the cows for heats. I also get help from my milk units. They have pounds and temperature on them. In the winter when the cows do
Caution!
not get out as much, I watch if they drop in milk and the temperature is up then I breed them. Anything around 101.5 temperature and above.
How do you conrm pregnant or open cows? By vet checks. Turn to KRUSCHKE | Page 20
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
To View Pictures Visit www.dairystar.com and go to the Business Directory Listing
ConƟnued from KRUSCHKE | Page 18
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Dan Kruschke will start breeding his Jersey heifers with a bull at 12 months or 550 pounds. What is your breeding philosophy? How do you select bulls? What traits do you focus on? Does fertility play a role in bull selection? I try to get them bred as early as possible. I have a lot of cows that I dry up at 270 days in milk. They milk more in the early part of their lactation. I would rather dry them up early as well. When I select bulls, they have to be a three-plus bull – plus on percent fat, protein and milk. Now I also breed for polled genetics. How are cows and heifers bred? Do you have a different philosophy for breeding both? Cows are bred twice with A.I. and if they do not settle they are put in with the bull. Heifers are normally turned in with the bull. What do you do to settle hard breeders? They are turned out with the bull.
tfn
How many times do you try to breed a cow before you sell her? It depends on the cow. If I have an 80-pounds-a-day cow I will give her more time. If a
cow goes ve months without being bred she is sent down the road. Is there anything you have done or changed that brought about a signicant improvement in your reproductive program? I really try to keep an eye on the condition of the cows. Cows that are thin or overweight are harder to get bred. We also really watch our minerals in the feed, and I test all my hay and corn silage twice a year. Tell us about your farm. We own 72 acres of land and rent another 40 acres. We grow corn and a hay mix. We buy all our heifer grain. We milk in a tiestall barn and have no TMR. We have the cattle on a grazing program for the summer. We feed silage, baled hay, and ground ear corn and top dress protein on the silage. We feed three kinds of proteins including roasted soybeans, Propel and 37-8. The milking herd gets 37-8 and roasted soybeans and it depends on milk production if they get Propel.
Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 21
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Over 1200 items with pictures updated daily • Go to www.mmcjd.com ARTICULATED 4WD TRACTORS 11 Versatile 1156, 1988, 6000 hrs., #139641 ............................... $51,900 10 JD 8430, 1975, 1893 hrs., #138881 ............................... $15,500 1 JD 8560, 1991, 6305 hrs., #140759 ............................... $33,900 7 JD 8640, 1987, 10435 hrs., #137151 ............................... $20,350 2 JD 8770, 1996, 7970 hrs., #138494 ............................... $32,900 7 JD 8870, 1995, 4370 hrs., #138377 ............................... $60,900 8 JD 8960, 1992, 7694 hrs., #137900 ............................... $45,000 6 JD 9200, 1994, 6844 hrs., #138865 ............................... $67,500 3 JD 9330, 2010, 1260 hrs., #140493 ............................. $185,000 8 JD 9400, 1996, 6173 hrs., #134367 ............................... $79,000 7 JD 9620, 2006, 6120 hrs., #138706 ............................. $114,490 7 JD 9360R, 2013, 1289 hrs., #139202 ............................. $195,900 3 JD 9470R, 2015, 214 hrs., #139203 ............................. $269,000 1 JD 9560R, 2013, 2344 hrs., #127914 ............................. $219,000 7 JD 9560R, 2012, 1751 hrs., #133796 ............................. $239,000 5 JD 9620R, 2015, 461 hrs., #137678 ............................. $365,000 4 JD 9620R, 2015, 514 hrs., #125913 ............................. $365,000 CHISEL PLOW 10 Summers 32’, 2014, #132426 ............................... $64,900 COMBINE PLATFORMS 8 JD 615P, 2016, #133555 ............................... $26,000 1 JD 630F, 2009, #140685 ............................... $20,900 4 JD 630F, 2011, #113753 ............................... $25,900 7 JD 630F, 2012, #126623 ............................... $27,900 8 JD 630F, 2013, #136713 ............................... $29,900 6 JD 635F, 2007, #135115 ............................... $18,500 5 JD 635F, 2006, #140683 .. $18,700
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7 JD 635F, 2009, #140297 ............................... $19,900 5 JD 635F, 2010, #140551 ............................... $22,900 5 JD 635F, 2009, #131606 ............................... $24,500 4 JD 635F, 2008, #132156 ............................... $25,000 1 JD 635F, 2011, #140574 ............................... $26,950 3 JD 635F, 2011, #134729 ............................... $29,800 4 JD 635F, 2012, #118150 ............................... $33,900 5 JD 640FD, 2014, #139826 ............................... $69,500 COMBINES 10 Case IH 8010, 2006, 2125 hrs., 1506 sep., #132086 .......... $99,000 6 JD 9500, 1995, 5104 hrs., 3524 sep.,#140342 ........... $25,900 12 JD 9500, 1989, 4400 hrs., 3300 sep., #132034 .......... $27,900 5 JD 9500, 1992, 5306 hrs., 3502 sep., #140474 .......... $35,900 11 JD 9500, 1995, 2588 hrs., 1747 sep., #140676 .......... $38,900 2 JD 9550, 2001, 3367 hrs., 2352 sep., #134900 .......... $71,900 2 JD 9600, 1995, 5000 hrs., 190 sep., #133728............. $34,900 5 JD 9610, 1997, 4224 hrs., 2856 sep., #138424 .......... $47,000 9 JD 9570 STS, 2008, 1563 hrs., 1084 sep., #115868 ........ $139,500 7 JD 9570 STS, 2010, 910 hrs., 682 sep., #122037........... $169,500 3 JD 9660 STS, 2006, 2574 hrs., 1891 sep., #140592 ........ $115,000 6 JD 9760 STS, 2004, 2642 hrs., 1763 sep., #107702 .......... $98,900 10 JD 9760 STS, 2004, 2354 hrs., 1558 sep., #132810 ........ $118,000 7 JD 9770 STS, 2008, 2845 hrs., 2021 sep., #139325 ........ $119,840 7 JD 9770 STS, 2009, 2597 hrs., 1919 sep., #124372 ........ $127,900 8 JD 9770 STS, 2010, 2427 hrs., 1776 sep., #135046 ........ $132,900 4 JD 9770 STS, 2009, 1861 hrs., 1289 sep., #117362 ........ $162,900
71,900
3 JD 9870 STS, 2009, 3239 hrs., #134942 ............................. $139,000 6 JD S550, 2012, 1105 hrs., 720 sep., #134811........... $210,000 8 JD S660, 2012, 1765 hrs., 1385 sep., #133738 ........ $175,000 4 JD S660, 2013, 1554 hrs., 1027 sep., #135180 ........ $196,000 9 JD S660, 2014, 545 hrs., 420 sep., #132631........... $260,000 9 JD S660, 2014, 418 hrs., 253 sep., #116531........... $265,000 7 JD S660, 2015, 583 hrs., 384 sep., #117457........... $269,000 2 JD S660, 2015, 401 hrs., 245 sep., #125946........... $295,000 1 JD S670, 2012, 2368 hrs., 1711 sep., #128689 ........ $159,500 4 JD S670, 2013, 847 hrs., #134914 ............................. $227,900 5 JD S670, 2014, 662 hrs., 488 sep., #133494........... $285,000 8 JD S670, 2015, 419 hrs., 308 sep.,#124831 ............ $299,500 8 JD S670, 2016, 334 hrs., 258 sep., #138933........... $315,000 8 JD S670, 2015, 290 hrs., 168 sep., #125750........... $325,000 9 JD S680, 2012, 1910 hrs., 1275 sep., #134377 ........ $224,000 5 JD S680, 2013, 1864 hrs., 1318 sep., #134536 ........ $224,900 3 JD S680, 2014, 743 hrs., 553 sep., #135928 ............................. $315,000 3 JD S680, 2015, 500 hrs., 380 sep., #134530 ............................. $359,000 7 JD S690, 2013, 1255 hrs., 855 sep., #119306........... $259,500 CORN AND ROW CROP HEADERS 5 JD 693, 2005, #140668 ... $15,900 10 JD 893, 1998, #138934 ... $16,500 10 JD 893, 1999, #140414 ... $18,500 4 JD 893, 1996, #134171 ... $19,000 7 JD 893, 2004, #134970 ... $24,900 6 JD 1293, 2005, #116503 ..$21,900 7 Geringhoff 1622, 2007, #132675 ............................... $47,900 6 Drago 3012, 2008, #139217 ............................... $29,500 1 Harvestec 4308C, 2006, #133685 ............................... $22,500
Case IH 8010, 2006, $ 2125 hrs., #132086
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4 JD 606C, 2013, #116470 ............................... $53,900 8 JD 606C, 2013, #132413 ............................... $53,900 2 JD 606C, 2013, #132993 ............................... $53,900 7 JD 608C, 2014, #134969 ............................... $67,500 6 JD 608C, 2015, #140472 ............................... $69,900 6 JD 612C, 2008, #127007 ............................... $49,500 7 JD 612C, 2009, #126839 ............................... $52,900 2 JD 612C, 2010, #135623 ............................... $57,500 7 JD 612C, 2012, #106737 ............................... $74,900 2 JD 612C, 2014, #134078 ............................... $85,000 8 JD 612C, 2014, #126047 ............................... $95,900 8 JD 612C, 2015, #126164 ............................... $99,500 8 JD 612C, 2016, #134111 ............................. $109,000 7 Fantini 6R30, 2010, #133739 ............................... $25,900 1 Geringhoff RD830B, 2004, #132061 ............................... $18,900 RIPPERS 6 Case IH 870, 2011, #130393 ............................... $44,900 5 JD 2700, 2005, #139346 ............................... $15,500 1 JD 2700, 2004, #140687 ............................... $15,900 2 JD 2700, 2006, #130972 ............................... $18,900 3 JD 2700, 2005, #139398 ............................... $22,000 6 JD 2700, 2009, #118932 ............................... $27,900 5 JD 2700, 2013, #135020 ............................... $30,900 8 JD 2700, 2013, #134946 ............................... $33,900 8 Kuhn 4855, 2015, #138368 ............................... $59,900 8 Case IH 730C, 2011, #135148 ............................... $30,000
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Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
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Focus on youth wellness, builds trust with dairy
“The average cow chews 50 times a minute; healthy content cows chew their cud for eight hours a day.” “I nally visited a dairy farm, which was a check box on my wish list. I feel a great respect for dairy farmers.” “Heading back from a Wineld answer plot where we learned about drones, corn, wheat and their growing process. It was great!” These comments are a sample of the feedback from student leaders who participated in the seventh annual Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassador Summit in Minneapolis. I was lucky enough to attend, and it was an impressive event. The four-day event welcomed 183 student ambassadors and 85 educators from 44 By Molly Pelzer states, not to mention more than Midwest Dairy Council 30 dairy farm families. The kick-off event was held in U.S. Bank Stadium, home to the Minnesota Vikings and the location where Super Bowl LII will be played next February. How were we lucky enough to experience this impressive location? By leveraging the strong relationships developed between the Minnesota Vikings organization and Midwest Dairy Council who have collaborated on the Fuel Up to Play 60 program for the past 10 years. This program is the nation’s largest youth wellness program and focuses on school nutrition and physical activity. What a thrill to participate in activities on the same eld where players will compete to earn a Super Bowl ring. The positive energy around me served as proof of the impact that the checkoff’s focus on youth wellness is having on tomorrow’s dairy consumers. The Fuel Up to Play 60 program reaches 5.5 million students in the Midwest. The event was an opportunity to celebrate youth leaders and champions for the Fuel Up to Play 60 program. It also provided an opportunity to hear ideas from students, program advisors and parents about how to make the program even more relevant. The students were eager to learn about the nutritional power of dairy foods and to show their commitment to increased activity. They participated in healthy smoothie and pizza making challenges and enjoyed a variety of games. They also jumped right into in an event where they competed for $1,000 grants to implement programs to help solve health and wellness challenges in their schools. One of the most exciting exchanges happened when students from around the country held roundtable discussions with dairy farmers and brainstormed ideas to involve dairy farmers in classroom activities. Consumers today want to know where their food comes from, how it is produced and how the animals are treated. Students are no different. Their denition of healthy eating has changed, and the checkoff is committed to giving student leaders the tools needed to become dairy champions in their communities. As a rst step, students had the opportunity to learn about where their food comes from by visiting either a dairy farm, the test kitchens at Land O’Lakes or a Wineld answer plot to learn what seeds, soil conditions and nutrients are needed to maximize crop yield. Outside the event, there are many examples of how students are sharing information about dairy farming. During the recent Iowa State Fair, a Fuel Up to Play 60 student ambassador toured the dairy area of the fairgrounds with Gov. Kim Reynolds, sharing how the program has helped students in her school learn about farming. Students from Arkansas have shared positive dairy experiences with leaders from Walmart and Del Monte. And, earlier this year, ve student ambassadors were featured in a video highlighting their dairy farm visit in Iowa that was featured at the Central Plains Dairy Expo. Dairy farmers can be proud of the dairy checkoff’s focus on youth wellness because it is building trust in dairy farming, and students tell us they are enjoying more dairy foods at school and at home. The program has also fueled impressive leadership development. Our next focus is to fuel students’ interest in agriculture and food production career opportunities. The student ambassador summit was a great start for that new venture.
Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 23
Gilbertsons gearing up to host Holstein picnic Event to include run/walk: ‘Steps of Hope for Farmers’ By Ron Johnson
ron.j@dairystar.com
HOLLANDALE, Wis. – Sept. 17 is circled on the calendars of Erik, Brenda and Mark Gilbertson. On that date, their Gildale Holsteins will play host to some 300 members of the Wisconsin Holstein Association (WHA) on their dairy near Hollandale, Wis. The gathering is the WHA State Picnic. Along with seeing the Gilbertsons’ blackand-white and Red-and-White Holsteins, visitors are invited to lace up their shoes and participate in the blue ribbon ve-kilometer run and onemile walk. The theme of the run/walk is “Steps of Hope for Farmers.” Money generated by the entry fees will be used to provide milk for a local food pantry and support the Blue Ribbon 4-H Club, the coordinator of the run and walk. A third beneciary of the money will be the Southwest Wisconsin Behavioral Health Partnership, said Brenda, the founder of the events. She said the walk and run are intended to create awareness of mental health problems in farming.
Brenda has a personal interest in the mental health issue. “I was inspired to host the run to honor my brother, Todd, and create awareness of the concerns facing farmers,” she said. Brenda said the project is just getting started. Its overall goal is to help people and communities change how they talk about and provide support for mental health issues. “I, personally, lost my brother to it,” Brenda said. “He was my mentor in dairying and encourager in my young adult years. His death was tragic. On the outside, he was an upbeat, positive person who made us all laugh. But inside he needed hope.” Brenda said it is difcult for her to talk about her brother. “[But,] the theme of the run/walk being ‘steps of hope for farmers’ is my step toward raising awareness of the cause to, hopefully, help others,” she said. The Blue Ribbon MILK 5K run and 1-mile walk start at 9 a.m. Brenda said she hopes to have at least 50 people sign up. To register and for more information, go to: wwwblueribbonmilk.racewire.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Erik and Brenda Gilbertson, along with Erik’s father, Mark, are hosƟng the Wisconsin Holstein AssociaƟon Picnic Sept. 17 on their dairy near Hollandale, Wis. Visitors can view this curtainsided barn that the family recently built for open and breeding age heifers. com. Part of the Gilbertsons’ 280-acre farm lies in the village limits of the Iowa County community of Hollandale. The farm dates to 1947, when
Martin Gilbertson purchased bought the farm from Mark in March. Brenda and Eriks’ the original land. Otis Gilbertson was the daughters – Makenna, 6; second generation on the place, with Mark the third, and Erik Turn to GILBERTSONS | the fourth. Brenda and Erik Page 25
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 25
ConƟnued from GILBERTSONS | Page 23 Elise, 4; and Naydeen, 2 – are the fth generation. Registered Holsteins have been a xture on the farm for more than 30 years. Erik said the rst animals to carry the Gildale prex came to the farm in the early 1980s. Today, the herd consists of 46 cows in the milking string, along with approximately 70 dry cows, youngstock and calves. On twice-a-day milking, the cows make a 21,000-pound rolling herd average, Erik said. The butterfat test is 3.8 percent and the protein test is 3.2 percent. Those numbers are made with pasture at this time of year, along with Erik hand feeding them in the tiestall barn. Several years ago after dispersing the herd, the Gilbertsons wanted to replenish cattle numbers. They went north, to Ontario, Canada, and came home with 40 head. Mark said the cattle were of high type and more affordable than local Holsteins. The exchange rate was awesome at that time,” Mark said. “I think the U.S. dollar was worth $1.45 in Canada.” Over the years, the family continued to buy cattle from Canada. “We made so many friends in the process,” Mark said. More Red and Whites came the Gilbertsons’ way somewhat by chance. One Canadian cow carried the red gene and unexpectedly gave birth to a red daughter. Mark is a former president of the state Holstein association board, and Brenda was the Wisconsin Holstein Princess in 2002. Erik and Brenda met while showing cattle at the 2006 World Dairy Expo and married two years later. They continue to exhibit their cattle at the district Holstein show, and sometimes at World Dairy Expo.
Besides learning how their cattle measure up to the competition, Brenda and Erik value the social aspect of showing. “It’s a people business,’” Brenda said. “We value the people we’re connected with.” Erik and Brenda are enjoying seeing their children’s ventures into the show ring. Makenna and Elise have shown calves, with assistance from Mom and Dad. Like many dairy producers, Erik has a favorite cow. She’s Ms. Ava Pronto Alice-ET, Excellent 92. “She’s easy to milk and she gets bred back every time,” Erik said. The 9-year-old cow has been blessed with strong transmitting ability. Erik said he especially enjoys the sight of Alice when she’s out on pasture with three of her daughters. Along with continuing to build and improve their herd of registered Holsteins, Erik and Brenda are looking to the future by building a niche market for some of the farm’s milk. They’re exploring the possibility of making ice cream. Brenda attended a value-added conference in Madison, Wis., and came home evaluating the possibilities. Erik and Brenda both profess to loving ice cream, so that was a natural choice. “We’ve been talking about something like this for years,” Erik said. “To be sustainable with a herd our size, we need to nd a way to make extra value. We’re ice cream lovers and have been intrigued by what we could do with starting our own business on the farm.” They’re in the process of formulating recipes. “Our goal is to have a sample here at the picnic,” Brenda said. A business plan is in the works, too. And the Gilbertsons have visited on-
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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WISCONSIN HOLSTEIN ASSOCIATION
Erik and Brenda Gilbertson and their children (from leŌ) Elise, Makenna, and Naydeen, will host the Wisconsin Holstein AssociaƟon Picnic Sept. 17 on their dairy near Hollandale, Wis. farm milk processors. Brenda said their farm, being situated between Mineral Point and New Glarus, is in a good spot. “The tourist trafc comes our way,” she said. If the Gilbertsons decide to venture further into the ice cream business, they might build a small retail store on the farm. Erik and Brenda have also been kicking around the idea of someday investing in a robotic milker. If they did that, they might add a few cows to work the machine at its peak capacity, Erik said. The couple visited a few robotic
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farms last fall. Erik liked what he saw, but he’s not totally convinced the technology would be a good t for their operation. For one thing, he’s not sure how well a robotic milker would do when Gildale cows are on pasture part of the year. “I see a lot of good things that could come of it (a robotic milker),” Erik said. For now, the Gilbertsons are focused on preparing for Sept. 17 and the Wisconsin Holstein Association picnic. “We said we’d host it someday,” Erik said. Now, someday is just around the corner.
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
Emergency assistance for livestock
The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) provides emergency assistance to eligible livestock, honeybee and farm-raised sh producers who have losses due to disease, adverse weather or other conditions, such FSA News & Notes as blizzards and wildres not covered by other agricultural disaster assistance programs. Eligible livestock losses include grazing losses not covered under the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), loss of purchased feed and/or meBy Ryan Brunn chanically harvested feed Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. due to an eligible adverse weather event, additional cost of transporting water because of an eligible drought and additional cost associated with gathering livestock to treat for cattle tick fever. Eligible honeybee losses include loss of purchased feed due to an eligible adverse weather event, cost of additional feed purchased above normal quantities due to an eligible adverse weather condition, colony losses in excess of normal mortality due to an eligible weather event or loss condition, including CCD, and hive losses due to eligible adverse weather. Eligible farm-raised sh losses include death losses in excess of normal mortality and/or loss of purchased feed due to an eligible adverse weather event. Producers who suffer eligible livestock, honeybee or farm-raised sh losses from Oct. 1, 2016 to Sept. 30, 2017 must le: • A notice of loss the earlier of 30 calendar days of when the loss is apparent or by Nov. 1, 2017 • An application for payment by Nov. 1, 2017 The Farm Bill caps ELAP disaster funding at $20 million per federal scal year. The following ELAP fact sheets (by topic) are available online: • ELAP for farm-raised sh fact sheet • ELAP for livestock fact sheet • ELAP for honeybees fact sheet To view these and other FSA program fact sheets, visit the FSA fact sheet web page at www.fsa.usda. gov/factsheets. ARC/PLC acreage maintenance Producers enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs must protect all cropland and noncropland acres on the farm from wind and water erosion and noxious weeds. Producers who sign ARC county or individual contracts and PLC contracts agree to effectively control noxious weeds on the farm according to sound agricultural practices. If a producer fails to take necessary actions to correct a maintenance problem on a farm that is enrolled in ARC or PLC, the county committee may elect to terminate the contract for the program year. 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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The county fair The Transition Pen
By Laura Scholtz & John Rosenhammer Father/Daughter Farming Duo The nal kid’s graduation, the arrival of the rst grandchild, the rst wedding, and our last county fair; it has certainly been an exciting past few months for our family. Last week, during our nal county fair I couldn’t help but reminisce about how far we have come since our rst county fair 17 years ago. In April of the year 2000, my parents moved our family from an old farmhouse a few miles from the farm to our brand new house built onsite. At this time, all ve of us kids were born and ranged from ages 2 to 11. For my older brother Joe, and I, moving to the farm meant we were nally allowed to join 4-H and show cows at the county fair. My dad asked our Genex salesman to help pick out calves to show, and he picked out a March calf for me that I named Freedom. Our rst couple years showing, I don’t remember being worried about where we placed in the classes. That all changed when we became state fair eligible. Watching the older 4-Hers show and hearing them talk of stories at the state fair sparked a desire in me to make sure I would win a trip to the state fair so I could join in on the fun. My rst year eligible at the county fair, it was my fth time showing Freedom. At the time, she was a 4-year-old grade Holstein cow. After she placed rst in her class, it was time for state fair line-up. I remember feeling nervous. I watched the judge intently, making sure Freedom looked her best each time he walked by and praying I could make the cut to go on to state fair. To my surprise, he pulled Freedom rst into line and she was grand champion of our county fair. I could not have been happier. At the state fair in the coliseum, I proudly lead Freedom in her class of nine cows, and the judge quickly put her in last place and gave me a red ribbon. I remember feeling confused. How could my champion cow be put in last place? I made the decision that day that I wasn’t going to be satised with placing last. I started dairy judging, went to other shows around the state and observed how cows were tted and prepared for the show ring. I especially watched lots of showmanship competitions. Dairy judging taught me how to analyze cows, looking for strengths and weaknesses. In return, I could pick my own show cows each year and have condence they were the best we had available. Watching other shows allowed me to see what type of cows did well in their classes, and my dad would try to breed for cows that embodied these traits. Unlike many others I saw, my dad refused to buy me any show animals and instead forced me to learn how to make the best of the ones we had. Little did I know that is one of the most powerful lessons I have learned in life. My dad made us attend t-
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 27
ting workshops, and practice clipping and doing toplines on our cows at home. He always encouraged me to watch each showmanship competition at the shows we went to in order to seek out ways to make animals appear better than they were. I learned to hold the head up high, pull excess esh away from under the throat to hide it, walk slowly, set up quickly, use paint to hide blemishes and blow the topline hair up perfectly to make the cow look awless. All of these strategies paid off and I nally received blue ribbons at the state fair and placed in the middle of my classes. My dad’s breeding continued to improve our show cows and my very lucky younger siblings never placed last in their class like I had. Looking back, our 17 years showing at the county fair taught us kids so many lessons. The most important lesson was certainly how to get along with each other, as we all had different attitudes about getting up early to be at the fair and we always had to be nice to whoever was holding the hose on the wash rack.
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I learned to have patience for animals, determination that I would get a high-strung cow to lead, developed motivation to improve each year, and ambition to get more involved in the dairy industry. I am grateful I took advantage of all the opportunities to give milking demonstrations and connect with fairgoers by answering their questions. Besides this, the friendships built with other 4-Hers have lasted well beyond our 4-H days. In fact, two of my bridesmaids were girls I met showing cows. Plus, my husband and I met at the county fair when he was showing beef cattle, and both our dads and grandparents attended the same county fair and were in 4-H together. Now, we will enjoy a few years break before the rst granddaughter, Ava, is ready to start her adventure. Laura Scholtz farms with her father, John Rosenhammer, and uncle, Greg, on Roseview Dairy near Sleepy Eye, Minn. They milk 200 Holsteins and run 580 acres of cropland.
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I was proud, but my sweet corn took the fall Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
“Pride goeth before a fall.” The truth of that ancient saying was hammered home to me the night of July 19. That’s when a storm boasting rain, thunder, lightning and wind blasted parts of southern Wisconsin. Here, between Eastman and Wauzeka, my tall Rural Roots sweet corn that I was so proud of took the fall. My rst planting – Peaches and Cream – caught the brunt of the storm. The second patch – Northrup King 199 and planted June 2 – handled the southwesterly blast a bit better. Ah, the optimism in my heart and mind on May 26 when I carefully dropped the red seeds of that rst corn into the ground. One overriding question began to nag: When would I spot the rst, tiny, brave, green spears poking through the spring soil? Every evening I prowled past the corn patch, watching and waiting. I knew it could take a week, 10 days, even two weeks or longer, depending on the By Ron Johnson conditions. And, I most assuredly knew nothing cornStaff Writer like would be up in the rst few days. But that knowledge did nothing to deter me from my daily garden rounds. Then it happened. On June 3, I thought I spotted a bit of bright green in the brown ground. Yes, there it was. The rst corn seedling had broken through the soil. From there the corn patch changed rapidly. On the next morning, I counted 32 plants in four rows. Later that same morning, I counted 51. In the mid-afternoon,
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there were 76. And that evening, 105 seedlings lled in the rows. Bye and bye, some 80 plants occupied each row. Thanks to plenty of heat and moisture, the corn soon stretched skyward. On June 18, it approached the benchmark knee-high height. Three days later, I scattered a few stfuls of 10-10-10 fertilizer between the rows, careful to not place it next to the tender plants. By July 2, the corn in that rst plot measured a waist-high 36 inches tall. Curious as to how fast that corn might grow, I picked one particular plant on July 3 and measured the height where the top leaf began to curl downward. That measurement came in at 36 inches from the ground. That evening, I measured the same plant at the same point once again. At 7:30 p.m., the height was 39 inches. The corn grew an amazing three inches in 12 hours. As that corn and the second planting continued their march toward maturity, the rest of the garden changed, too. On July 5, I plucked the rst ripe cherry tomato from a plant in a pot on the deck. Let me tell you, after months without a good tomato that marble-sized, orange Sun Gold was mighty juicy and tasty. My July 8 notes remind me that some of the corn in the rst patch then stood ve feet, three inches tall. In the later planting, it stood almost all above knee high. Also, the tangled plot of cucumber, squash, melon and pumpkin vines was dotted with splashes of yellow and orange blooms. July 10 brought the rst tiny cucumber and the rst small summer squash. Two more days passed and I spotted the rst sweet corn tassel from a plant that stretched more than head high. Nine more days ticked past. My journal entry for the morning of July 19 is: Thought we’d get a storm last night, but, nothing. Then, from that evening: We made up for it tonight. Wind, rain, lightning, thunder. I watched the storm roll in as I grilled brats over a wood re in the driveway. After a few gnarly ngers of lightning crackled across the southern sky, I remembered reading about people getting socked by thousands of volts of electricity even though being far from the storm. So, discretion being the better part of valor, I left my re and scurried into the house. There, I took shelter under the three-foot-wide roof overhang in a chair on the back deck. Dry, but close to the raindrops, I enjoyed the pat, pat, pattering of the drops as they pounded before me. Then the wind came; gently at rst, then building to a wild crescendo. Before that occurred, I carried my canvas chair into the safety of the A-frame and watched the wild weather from behind the glass door. Tree branches bounced and swayed. Trees themselves bent before the tempestuous wind. Rain came driven in sideways sheets that I could not see through. The next morning, I dumped 2.6 inches of water out of my rain gauge. Here’s my sad journal entry from July 20: My sweet corn is pretty much attened. Don’t know whether it will recover. Some tops of trees broken off. And the next day: I hold little hope for my corn that stood seven feet tall. Maybe the four-foot corn will recover. More storms around. Fast-forward almost a month to Aug. 18 and this joyous journal entry: Picked 10 ears of corn. Yes, my corn did recover. It wasn’t as tall and proud as before the storm. Many of the stalks are goose-necked and some lean at a severe angle. But they did, indeed, live. Their tassels produced pollen aplenty that landed on the silks. The kernels lled out on the ears, growing juicy and plump in the process. I’ve picked dozens of ears this summer with an abundance more waiting. I learned from this incident. I learned to not be too proud of an accomplishment, for it wasn’t much of an accomplishment at all. I merely tilled the soil, dropped and covered the seeds, and provided a little water and fertilizer. Others did the rest. Someone else developed the corn varieties. Other hands grew the corn that made the seed. Someone else packaged and marketed it. Nature – or the hand of God, if you will – provided the earth, sunshine and rain. All in all, my sweet corn was a team effort of the nest sort. For me, the thing to remember from this event is that there is no “I” in s-w-ee-t c-o-r-n.
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While doing chores, I climbed into a pen over a calf panel and managed to get a scratch from the end of the fence on my arm. I washed it and didn’t think much more about it until it started to get red and swollen as an infection was brewing. Thinking back to my past vaccinations, I couldn’t remember when I had my last tetanus shot. I thought it might have been a few years ago, but when I contacted the clinic, it hadn’t been since I was pregnant with my twin daughters – 19 years ago. I was told to go to the urgent care clinic. While I waited to be seen by a nurse, there was a woman who was vomiting and crying in pain, a small infant who was also crying, a young man with an ice pack on his head and an older gentleman in a wheel chair who looked very pale. I sat thinking my infected scratch wasn’t much to worry about, and less important than the others who had also come to be seen by a medical professional. What a busy place. On the other side of the waiting room, families were waiting for baby check-ups and physicals for their school age kids. Time passed, I was seen and got my vaccination. I was handed a sheet of paper which informed me all By Tina Hinchley about the shot I had just received. Most of the time I Farmer & Columnist will admit I don’t read the information the nurses hand out, but they had me wait to see if I had a reaction to the shot. As I read, I learned about what a Tdap vaccination is and the very serious diseases it prevents. Tetanus is known for lockjaw, causing painful muscle tightening and stiffness all over the body. Tetanus kills about one out of 10 people who are infected. On our farm, we vaccinate sheep and goats annually for tetanus and sometimes calves, too. The DA part of the vaccination is for diphtheria, which can cause a thick coating to form in the back of the throat leading to breathing problems, heart failure, paralysis and death. The P is for pertussis or whooping cough. The coughing spells are so severe that they cause difďƒžculty breathing. Pertussis can also cause pneumonia and even death. All of these diseases are caused by bacteria. Diphtheria and pertussis are spread from person to person, while tetanus enters the body through cuts, scratches or wounds. I have always been a believer in having my children vaccinated, and also the animals on our farm. Because I didn’t realize my tetanus vaccine was expired, I looked to see if I was missing anything else. Sure enough. I have never had a ďƒ&#x;u vaccination, and the ďƒ&#x;u season is right around the corner. I was reading that the ďƒ&#x;u vaccine can protect me and others around me. Even if I don’t have any ďƒ&#x;u symptoms, I can be a carrier of the ďƒ&#x;u and infect others around me. This is very important if I am around elderly, small children, pregnant women and others with medical conditions such as asthma. Giving many tours throughout the season, I have many people I could give the ďƒ&#x;u to. I learned that I could prevent spreading the virus by sneezing and coughing into my elbow rather than into my hand. The material advised to avoid rubbing your eyes, mouth or nose with your hands. This will also help prevent spreading the virus to yourself. It is important to wash hands often throughout the day. It isn’t enough to just wash hands after using the restroom. The ďƒ&#x;u virus can stay active on a surface for up to two hours. Door knobs, hand rails and other common place areas where others are touching are often places where the virus gets picked up. Even with all of the precautions, it is still possible to get the ďƒ&#x;u. Many of us farmers don’t have the option to call in sick. If you have the symptoms of sore throat, sneezing, headache, high fever and extreme exhaustion, you will need to rest, stay hydrated and take time to for your body to heal from the virus. If you come down with the ďƒ&#x;u, make sure you are aware that it is very contagious and can be spread to others. Stay home and give yourself time to recover and get well again. Tina Hinchley, her husband, Duane, and their daughters, Anna and Catherine, milk 120 registered Holsteins and farm 2,500 acres of crops near Cambridge, Wis. They have been hosting farm tours for over 18 years.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 29
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Routines
Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
The feeling is in the air. I noticed a few red leaves ďƒ&#x;uttering around on the lawn this week. Fall and school are just around the corner, meaning routines for so many of us will be adjusted to get children to bed earlier, to keep up on homework and book reading, and to survive the fall harvest and start the school year successfully. Summertime farming means late nights, despite our best efforts. And, children trying to learn from a desk and concentrate is too exhausting due to lack of sleep. My boys all have different morning personalities. Ira is a beast to wake up, and he can roll over in seconds and go right back to sleep. Dane moans and groans, then pops up and gets downstairs. Henry is by far the easiest most days. He’s generally chipper if he’s had enough sleep, and as long as Pa is the one waking him up. When we were kids, if we didn’t wake up on the ďƒžrst attempt, Dad brought a glass of cold water to douse us with. Then he upgraded to a ďƒžre alarm system that had the buzzer upstairs outside our bedrooms. It was a horrendous, loud contraption that’s only off/on switch was in the basement, mean-
ing you had to get out of bed to turn it off. It worked until Thomas and Tony had enough and dismantled it. I often threaten the cold water treatment to Ira. I may have to get over that this year, as the school bus doesn’t wait for boys who move at a snail’s pace. I wake the boys up as late as possible in the mornings, and while they are eating, I read aloud to them. This is part of our school routine. It helps motivate them to eat (because I won’t read if they aren’t eating) and is some quality time for Ira, Dane and I. I greet the school year with mixed anticipation. For as chaotic as summer seems to be on the farm, it’s so quiet when school starts. Henry, Finley and Cora will be our only lunch time entertainment. Most days, there are the two little boys, three big boys, Cora, three grown men, whoever is hungry from Stacy’s calf feeding posse and I. When you are accustomed to that amount of buzzing in the kitchen, having only two little boys seems like you are missing something. Now my kitchen routine changes because I need to make sure I always have plenty of food ready for the boys when they get off the bus. I remember
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when Mom would have snacks ready for us as we stumbled off the bus, brains tired, and only wanted to eat and watch television before we got scooted out to do chores. Nowadays, mine and Stacy’s boys are in the minority when Ramblings from the Ridge it comes to chores after school. When they discuss nighttime routines at school, Ira said he had the latest bedtime in his class. He’s also the only child on a farm. Ira has shot up a few inches this summer, which makes me think he will tower over me in no time at all. He’s also beBy Jacqui Davison come quite a young man; Columnist helping Peter in the shop, picking up Cora without being asked to and guiding the little boys to different play areas to avoid ďƒžghting. He’s also one of my favorite people to sort cows with. This is partly because it amazes me that he is so skilled at it. I like to watch him in action, marveling at how he has such a way with the cows at 10 years old. He has been my extra man when Carmen and Melanie are off doing something else, and has honed his skills weaving in and out of cows this summer. I will miss his help. Our overall cow routines will stay the same; Mondays are for moving dry cows, Tuesdays for foot bath or hoof trimmer and vaccinating cows, Wednesdays for drying cows off and graduating cows out of post fresh, Thursdays for moving more post fresh and vaccinating, and Fridays are for whatever else we didn’t get done like cleaning water tanks. The cows may miss the boys riding through the barns at the speed of light on bikes, and the yelling and squeals of delight. Our cows are tolerant of those noises, but add some new sounds like seven screeching 6-year-old girl scouts and they aren’t impressed. They certainly don’t appreciate a change in routine. As I take a few of my misďƒžts out to their grass pasture at night, I’m always amazed at how in love with routine a cow is. The two cows that know where to go steered the others in the proper direction. I loved bringing the cows in from pasture when we were young. It always ďƒ&#x;abbergasted me that they would know what time to be laying on the hill waiting for me to come and open up the gate. Our dry cows and heifers get to go out daily on the pasture, and are not too happy if it has rained and they don’t get their door opened up. It may take a few weeks to get used to our school routine with older boys, new teachers, a more mobile Cora and two active little boys. Henry and Finley will miss the older boys from time to time when they aren’t busy farming in the sandbox. Before we know it, we’ll have fourth crop, corn silage and high moisture corn harvests all put away and our new routine will seem old. Jacqui and her family milk 700 cows and run 1,200 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wis. Her children, Ira (10), Dane (8), Henry (3) and infant, Cora, help her on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little boys, or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos-and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.
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Vacation at the fair
For only the second time since I can remember, I will not be attending the Minnesota State Fair. The rst was a matter of circumstance – living hundreds of miles away. This time, however, was an oversight on my part, as Willie and I planned our much-anticipated summer vacation during the Minnesota holiday. As we plan for our getaway, I can’t help but think of all the young 4-H members preparing their animals for the livestock encampment weekend and the memories that will last long after the barn doors close. After we moved to Minnesota and were living in the country, Dad encouraged my siblings and I to join 4-H. I was nine years old at the time and overly enthusiastic about the vast possibilities of projects to present at the fair – from poultry to dairy to photography to sewing … the list goes on. By Jennifer Coyne Emily was our rst dairy animal on our hobby Staff Writer farm. She was my brother, Nick’s, and in our opinion a promising fall calf – a colorful personality, friendly and could walk like a dog. The judge thought otherwise and politely pointed out that maybe we shouldn’t have housed her with the steers, following the same diet as her male counterparts. Emily was our rst lesson learned. The next teaching moment came a few years down the road, when I was eligible for a state fair trip. That year, I had shown a pen of Buff Orpington pullets in an egg production class. I had just missed the state fair cutoff and was beside myself as all my friends moved on to the state competition without me. As luck would have it, a spot in the state fair lineup opened and I proudly took my pen of birds to the state fair. But as quickly as luck arrived, it too dissipated when the show ring clerk handed me a red ribbon. My rst state fair trip was another lesson learned. Throughout the years, the lessons continued and with each fair I gained a greater appreciation for my work throughout the year that led up to those pivotal weeks of summer, but also my self respect as I improved upon each project. Fairs were also a time to foster relationships between people who share the same values as me and knew how to make fun of being in the barn on those early mornings and late nights. Recalling those times, the most comical moments were found on the day of our dairy show. We had a friendly rivalry with the neighboring 4-H club to see who could make it out to the wash rack rst on show day. For a few years, we were in the barns rst, washing our cows in the morning darkness. It was bittersweet when my time in 4-H ended, and the fairs no longer guaranteed a vacation of sorts. But this year has been different, and in a good way. I’ve had the chance to return to my 4-H roots and volunteer my time at county fairs in central Minnesota as a judge for various events. Willie is probably tired of me coming home from the fairs, giddy with excitement for the youth who are developing their passion in agriculture – but I can’t help myself. Like many in agriculture, the 4-H organization shaped my future – my understanding of responsibility, fortitude and success, but also failure. It was through my years in 4-H that I created the strongest of friendships and a path towards my career today. And while I may be missing the greatest days of summer, I’m content in knowing there are hundreds of youth across the state taking part in an event where, for them, the work feels like vacation.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 31
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Summer shift Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
I heard on the radio the other day that Minnesota is 10 inches above normal precipitation for the last 12 months. I’m sure these rst weeks of August have helped push the average upwards. I can’t complain. The August rains have been great for our crops and farm checkbook. The pivots have stood still while storm systems delivered the needed moisture for the crops to grow. The corn is green from top to bottom with very little stress as the cobs begin to ll out. After the third cutting, the alfalfa elds have lled back into a lush green carpet. It has us wondering if we should take a fourth cutting and where we would store it. My lawn mower seems to be the hardest working piece of equipment. Once I nish mowing around buildings, calf domes and apple trees, it looks like I need to start over. What happened to dry, dormant yards to mark the back end of summer heat?
The recent monsoon season has made me nervous about hosting farm camp this year. We were scheduled to host the event on Aug. 15. We thought this was a perfect time to squeeze in something extra. It is after third crop hay and baling straw, between county and state fairs and during the dry part of summer. What could go wrong? As raindrops dripped off my baseball cap on my last lap around the garden with the lawn mower, I was beginning to wonder if it was a sin to pray for the rain to stop in August. I mentioned this to Austin, and he reminded me we should always be thankful for rain, even when it is too much at the time because when it doesn’t come, we would have nothing without it. The rains moved out Monday afternoon and the sun rose on a beautiful dry Tuesday morning as the helpers started to arrive to set up for farm camp. It turned out to be a perfect day for over 100 kids from
third through sixth grade to explore life on the farm. They were intrigued by the giant black and yellow garden spider which has strung a web between the grape vines. They dug hills of red potatoes out of the moist, sandy soil. They tasted green, yellow and purple beans which they found hidden among the leaves. They learned about all of the different things made out of corn, soybeans, beef and pork. I didn’t know corn was used in batteries. At the dairy station, Mark and Austin took the Just Thinking Out Loud kids on a tour of how milk is produced. They climbed a ladder to peer into the empty bulk tank as Mark explained that our milk would be on their table by Thursday. He started up the milking system to let the kids experience what a cow feels when she is being milked. Every one of them stuck a nger into By Natalie Schmitt a milking unit to feel the Columnist gentle vacuum massage. Austin taught the kids about nutrition and how a cow’s stomach works to break down feed. He used his favorite show cow, Fawn, as his live demo. Some of the kids remembered this big gentle black cow who stood at the cross walk just basking in all of the attention. She was standing in her same station again waiting for all of the attention to be lavished upon her. Libby, Greta, Ingrid and I demonstrated how to make instant ice cream. They shrieked with excitement as I poured liquid nitrogen in a cream mixture and Libby started to stir. The cream bubbled up over the edges of the large Styrofoam cup like a mad science experiment. The girls set up the serving cups and spoons so the kids could sample fresh nitro-cream. Then it was off to see the baby calves. They held out their hands for the calf to smell. As the calf wrapped its rough tongue around their hand in search of something to drink, the kids pulled back with a quick jerk and wide eyes. They were not anticipating that. It was so much fun having a yard full of laughter, learning and life. Looking around, I don’t know who learned more – the kids or the adult helpers. I think everyone discovered something new on the farm. I hope this experience planted seeds of curiosity to explore new opportunities surrounding them. They will be our future customers and workers who help us produce the food and fuel to keep our world moving. We had perfect timing with camp. Once the kids loaded up on the buses and returned to town, and the tents, tables and chairs were loaded on the rental trailer and the extra animals returned to their farms, the clouds decided it was time to wring out the extra moisture and rain again. We literally squeezed camp in between the rains. Perfect. Now as I continue to mow my yard in August, I’m starting to see a shift in the seasons as summer slides into the back half. The oak trees are dropping acorns for the squirrels to store. The geese are starting to ock together as they settle down in the wet spots. I heard on the radio that the Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a good old-fashioned Minnesota winter with lots of snow. I hope the rst freeze waits until the corn has matured, and we can reap a bountiful harvest. I’m not quite ready for summer to shift into fall. Natalie, Mark and his brother, Al, Schmitt farm together near Rice, Minn. They milk 100 registered Holsteins under the RALMA prex. Their four children are great help around the farm and are pushing Natalie out of several jobs. Therefore she is thankful to have something else to do. For questions or comments please e-mail Natalie at mnschmitt@jetup.net.
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Coyotes attacked our calf
My version of this story started with a blurry, ip-phone photo. I was sitting in the stands alongside the arena at the county fair, watching Dan show his funny chickens, when my phone buzzed. The message was from Glen, who was at home nishing up morning chores. Dairy Good Life The picture in his message showed what looked like black hair and bright pink esh. I stepped out of the arena and pressed send to call. “What is that?” I asked, brimming with concern, when Glen answered. “It’s a calf,” Glen replied. Shortly after I left for the fair with the kids, a gentleman drove into our yard and told Glen that there was a newborn calf in one of our remote pastures. The remote pasture is adjacent to a shed and yard used by a masonry company; it was one of the masons who saw the calf and came to let us know. Glen said he shook his head and thought, “What the By Sadie Frericks heck?” Two days before, we had brought home all of the dry cows and heifers that were due to calve in the next Columnist three weeks. Glen made a special effort to squeeze that task into the pre-fair craziness so that we wouldn’t have to deal with remote calvings during the fair. Still in disbelief, Glen drove over to the pasture, but couldn’t nd a calf anywhere. After tracking down the mason’s phone number and calling for clarication, the mason said the calf was lying next to the shed. Glen didn’t nd a calf there, so he went home to get the 4-wheeler, knowing he could search the 30-acre pasture a lot faster on wheels than he could on foot. His second search of the pasture yielded not one, but two newborn heifer calves. Hera, one of our Holstein cows, was with one of the calves. Glen quickly deduced from the petite size of the calves – and the fact that Hera wasn’t due for another 22 days – that we had our rst set of twin heifer calves of the year. Twin heifer calves are usually an exciting event, but in this case, the excitement was tempered with concern. One of the calves had a gaping wound on her ank, right where the hind leg meets the body wall. Pieces of hide and esh, including part of the calf’s knee joint, were missing. Glen said he could have t both hands inside the hole if he tried. Glen was torn between staying with the calf until our veterinarian arrived to assess the damage and making it to the fair in time for the dairy show, which was scheduled to start immediately after the poultry show. In the end, he left the calf and came to the show. We decided over the phone that our vet would call if she needed help or if she had concerns about the wound. We returned home from the fair that afternoon to nd the heifer calf alert, hungry, and all stitched up. I couldn’t believe how long the line of sutures was. It didn’t take long at all to come up with a name for her: Stitch. At the direction of our veterinarian, we started Stitch on a course of antibiotics to keep the wound from getting infected. We also gave her a daily dose of meloxicam to help control pain. One of the questions that we had been asking each other was, “How in the heck did this happen?” But when we took a closer look at the wound, after it was cleaned up and sutured, we could see bite marks surrounding the area. In theory, it made sense that this calf could have been left unattended while Hera was with the other twin. A coyote found the calf, took a couple bites, the calf bellowed in response to the pain, and either Hera or the rest of the herd rushed over, chasing the coyote away. We’ll never know for sure, but we can’t think of any other plausible explanation. Whatever happened to Stitch, she wasn’t letting it bother her. She drank her bottles vigorously and romped around afterwards like a normal calf. Unfortunately, all of that romping around pulled her stitches out a couple days later. Seeing the wound wide open gave me a new appreciation for what this calf had endured. Amazingly, the body wall and peritoneal cavity hadn’t been punctured. Most of the leg muscles were intact. Like Glen had explained, there was a chunk missing from the front of her knee joint, but obviously not enough to impair movement. We called the vet back to re-suture the wound. But, it turned out, that wasn’t an option. Even with the antibiotic treatment, the wound was draining from inside, due to the sheer amount of empty space inside. The seepage had weakened the skin along the edges of the wound. Our vet explained that because of the skin condition and the fact that the wound was in a high movement area, a new set of stitches would most certainly pull out as well. She said our only option now was to allow the wound to heal by second intention. “By what?” I asked. Healing by second intention is medical/veterinary speak for healing from the inside out. It would take much longer for the wound to heal and the chance of the wound getting infected was much greater, but, with daily cleansing of the wound and daily antibiotic therapy, our vet thought Stitch had a good chance. Truth be told, I had trouble believing her. But our vet was right. Stitch is a month old now and the wound is closing up well. I expect it will be a couple weeks yet before it heals up completely, but I think the worst is behind us. It will be a joyous day when Stitch rejoins her twin, Hitch, in the calf pen. (For now, Stitch is living under a spruce tree in our yard. We decided, and our vet agreed, that sod would be the best environment for keeping the wound clean; the wound was so deep that it would have been impossible to keep straw and shavings out of it.) Once again, I am amazed by the resilience of the bovine species and thankful for the good veterinarians who help us take care of our cows and calves. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 75 cows near Melrose, Minn. They have three children – Dan, 10, Monika, 7, and Daphne, 4. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife. com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 33
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
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Prepare for corn silage harvest
Fewer daylight hours and cooler nights remind us corn silage harvest will be here soon. Identifying and achieving harvest goals has huge production and performance implications along with economic impacts on your dairy. Corn silage must Something to Ruminate On be ensiled at optimum dry matter (DM) to maximize packing density and fermentation. For bunker and piles, the optimal DM range is 30 to 35 percent. Bags are similar, but may tolerate a couple points drier. Note tasseling dates of elds. Silage By Barry Visser harvest usually begins Nutritionist 42 to 47 days after tasseling; however, this is dependent on several factors, such as rainfall, temperature, corn hybrid and fertility. As harvest nears, monitor whole-plant moisture for a more accurate harvest date. Collect some representative stalks (manually or mechanically) and dry them to obtain a whole-plant DM. The range of dry-down is typically 1/2 to 1 percentage point per day. Kernel processing is critical, especially as DM and milk line progress. Pre-harvest is a good time to check processing roll condition and gap setting. Roll gap clearances are generally measured in millimeters (mm) with a normal opening of one to four mm. This setting is dependent on kernel maturity, hardness and size. Settings ideal for harvest in previous years may be signicantly different for the current crop. Once the chopper is rolling, evaluate kernel processing and adjust accordingly. The rst method is to use a 32-ounce cup of corn silage before ensiling and spread it on a at surface. You should see no whole or undamaged kernels. The second option it to use a bucket of water. Place a couple handfuls of corn silage in the bucket, skim off the oating plant material, pour off the water and evaluate the corn particles that remain in the bucket. Theoretical length of cut (TLOC) determinations for corn silage are dependent on factors such as harvest DM, percentage of ration contribution and storage structure. Typical TLOC ranges from 5/8 to 1 inch (16 to 25 mm). As DM increases, considerations need to be made to shorten the TLOC. Consider your inoculant strategy. Adding a research-proven silage inoculant has been shown to increase DM recovery by three percent and energy by two percent as the fermentation is optimized. Now is a good time to determine if you will have adequate weight and time of packing equipment on the storage structure to achieve a packing density of at least 15 pounds per cubic foot DM. Calculate the rate of delivery to the structure in tons per hour and multiply by 800; that’s how many pounds of packing equipment need to be on the bunker or pile. Oxygen barrier plastic is always recommended in combination with conventional plastic for covering. Have supplies on hand to avoid delays in covering. Although uncovering and recovering a bunker or pile is a tedious chore, layers of spoiled feed due to soaking rain will have long-term consequences. As a general rule, cover a pile if the rain delay is more than 12 hours and expected rainfall is more than one-quarter inch. Finally, be safe. Corn silage harvest brings an increase in machinery trafc and long hours. Make safety your top goal this corn silage season. Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 35
Hahn family establishes A2A2 Guernsey herd
In what is serving as a large feed and utility area for the Hahns, there is an outline HIGHLAND, Wis. – A of the old parlor pit, which life-long dream for Amanda has since been lled in. The Hahn and her parents, Bob and milk house area of the barn Linda, is nding fruition in the was an existing structure they rich cream of golden Guernsey renovated to meet their needs. While the Hahns are new milk. The Hahns recently moved into their new 28-stall to their facility, they are not tiestall barn, milking their new to the dairy industry or small herd of 28 registered the trials and tribulations that Guernsey cows near Highland, come with the ever-changing economic landscape. From Wis. “This has been a dream for 1989-1999, Bob and Linda had a herd of registered Holsteins all of us,” Amanda said. on a farm near Cambria, Wis. Bob agreed. “That was a good herd,” “At our age, we are nuts,” said Bob, of the involvement said Bob, adding that they he and his wife, Linda, have marketed a lot of heifers, many in the herd. “But this is what to foreign markets. “We hosted many tours we’ve wanted to do for 40 years. I’m not going to sit in a during World Dairy Expo,” Linda said. retirement home.” During the years Bob has At the end of July, the Hahns moved their herd from not been dairy farming, he has a rented barn near Cobb, Wis., always been involved in the into the new barn, which they industry, working as a milk built using parts of a horse hauler, a eld man and also barn that had been renovated working with milk marketing on a regional and national from an old dairy barn. “Before it was turned into scale with several companies. More recently, the Hahns a horse barn, there was an 80cow herd milked here, in one worked with a herd of Jerseys of the rst parlors in the area,” owned by their daughter, Amber, and her husband, said Linda. By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Amanda, Linda and Bob Hahn are working together on their farm to develop a herd of Guernseys, specializing in A2A2 geneƟcs. The Hahns milk 28 cows on their dairy near Highland, Wis. Brian. The dispersal of that herd brought them to the Guernsey breed, and the beginning of a third herd of high-quality dairy cattle. “I’ve always liked Guernseys,” Amanda said. “They are gentle and have good dispositions. I became interested in them through the Hoards’ Dairyman Farm.” Since developing that
initial interest in the Guernsey breed, the Hahns have become interested in focusing on the A2A2 genetics of the breed, after they learned about it from the national breed association. “We sort of fell into the A2A2 gene,” Amanda said. “We’ve been lucky to have a lot of help in beginning the herd from the U.S. Guernsey Association, and mentors
like Brent Clements and Deb Lakey.” Clements is a founding member of the Global Guernsey Marketing Group, which is focused on expanding the prevalence of the Guernsey breed, while Lakey is the secretary-treasurer of the Wisconsin Guernsey Breeders Association. Turn to HAHN| Page 37
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
Women In Jeans Laurie Orth Winona, Minn. Winona County 60 cows
Family: My husband, Jim, and I have two daughters. Katelyn and her husband, Zane Ziebell, have two children, Kenzie and Zeke. Eryn is marrying her ancé, Andrew Hornberg, this fall. Tell us about your farm. We own a 156-acre dairy farm. We milk 60 cows, which are mostly Jerseys. I do most of the calf chores. I also help make hay and with corn harvest. What’s the busiest time of day for you? It depends on the season. The morning is my busiest time of day. But during harvest season, it is busy all day. When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I love ower gardening, baking, cooking, embroidering, reading and pretty much anything crafty. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. When our family hosted Family Night on the Farm in 2006. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I enjoy working side by side with my husband, Jim. I think we make a good team. He is patient with me. I did not grow up on a farm, so he had to teach me about farming. Also, I loved when the girls were still in school. Jim and I made a point to be in from morning chores to have breakfast with them before they went to school. We also always tried to eat supper as family. After we are done with evening chores, we make a point to have family time. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? Jim and I are on the Winona County American Dairy Association board.
In your opinion, what’s the importance of women in today’s dairy industry and how have you seen that change over the years? I think women and wives help keep a farm a family farm. Being able to work side by side with your husband and children is a great family moment. But, I know rst hand how hard it is to be a one-income family and to nd affordable insurance. I hear a lot of families say that is the main reason for spouses to have to work in town – for the benets. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? No one in particular, but we love to give tours of our farm to children. I love the look on their faces when they let a calf suck their ngers or when Jim shows them how to put the milker on a cow. What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? We do not take long vacations, but we get away for a weekend a few times a year. Every year, we go to World Dairy Expo. These vacations to Madison, Wis., were some of my favorite when the girls were both still home. We would go to World Dairy Expo and stay at a hotel with a waterpark in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. We loved seeing old friends and seeing what is new in the industry. We liked to stay to see who would win supreme champion. It was always a great family getaway.
FARM INFORMATION STATION Joe Gill • Farm Director
SERVING CENTRAL MINNESOTA FOR OVER 50 YEARS Catch the Dairy Star’s Mark Klaphake with Joe Gill at 6:45 a.m. the 2nd & 4th Fridays of the month on KASM!
PO Box 160, Albany, MN • (320) 845-2184 • Fax (320) 845-2187
What are some words you like to live by? Stay positive and have fun.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 37
Contunued from HAHN| Page 35
6$8. &(175( 01 ZZZ PPFMG FRP
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DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
These heifers represent the future of the Hahns’ breeding program, which is focused on breeding for type with the presence of the A2A2 gene. “People already know that Guernsey milk is premium,� Clements said “The A2 gene makes it even more valuable. We want Guernsey herds to be selling their premium milk at a premium price.� Clements said a goal of the US Guernsey Association is to help more members work to direct market Guernsey milk, particularly A2A2 milk, and take that milk out of the federal milk marketing orders. Currently, nearly 90 percent of the breed carries the A2A2 gene, Clements said. Clements doe not foresee A.I. companies will have much, if any, interest in taking bulls that are not A2A2 in the future. Studies have found that A2A2 milk is easier for people to digest. The Hahns have been investing in top Guernsey genetics throughout much of the past year, purchasing foundation stock from top breeders throughout Wisconsin and the United States, with cows coming from as far away as Texas and Oklahoma. While not every animal in the current herd carries the A2A2 gene, the Hahns are breeding to have a 100 percent A2A2 herd as soon as possible, using that as the primary selection trait when considering service sires for their herd. While the Hahns use genomics in their sire selections, they have done minimal testing on the females in their herd. “We are looking to start testing more of the females from our top families,� Amanda said. “Our goal is to develop to the point where we are able to sell breeding stock carrying the A2A2 gene to other Guernsey breeders. We want to help improve the Guernsey breed,� Amanda
said. “The association and the breed have helped us, and we want to be able to help back.� “We’d rather be in the front of the parade than at the back,� Bob said about their dedication to developing top type genetics that carry the A2A2 gene. As they develop a herd carrying the A2A2 gene, the Hahns are keeping a variety of milk marketing options open, including the possibility to someday direct market A2A2 milk. The Hahns would also focus on breeding for type, with the desire to participate in showing their herd as well. “We haven’t been able to do much showing this year because it’s been so hectic,� Amanda said, citing the building process taking up much of their spare time. Before settling on the type of facility they would pursue, the Hahns looked at building a freestall and parlor. After a great deal of family discussion and debate, they decided to pursue the tiestall barn. “We broke ground in April, and then May was so wet, not much got accomplished,� Linda said. “But once the walls got poured, then things started moving pretty quickly.� Being relatively new to their new home, the Hahns have marveled at how easy the cows took the transition from the rented barn in Cobb to the new farm. “It was like they ran to get on the trailer,� Amanda said. The Hahns are pleased with their new facility and with the changes they are already seeing in their herd, after just a few short weeks. They are well on their way to achieving their goal of a breeding a top Guernsey herd and successfully marketing the premium milk the breed is known for.
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THE NEXT GENERATION OF DNA TESTING Biogenetic Services, Inc. is offering a new DNA biomarker technology test(beyond SNP’s) that determines whether certain high milk regional biomarkers are present, as well as the expression of the biomarkers in individual heifer calves, pre-lactation heifers, ďŹ rst lactation heifers or adult (two or more calves) milking cows.
The Penn State Research Foundation has noted that â€œâ€Śthis technology is very important for the milk producers because there is a need in the art for a method capable of identifying milk producing animals (ungulates) with high performance that cannot otherwise be identiďŹ ed with current genetic and genotyping methods alone. Thus, there is a need in the art for a method capable of identifying dairy cows and other dairy producing livestock with high milk, fat and protein that cannot otherwise be identiďŹ ed with genetics alone. This technology addresses this unmet need for increased milk production. To initiate a biomarker test(s), a blood sample is collected by the milk producer and mailed to Biogenetics for analysis. A report of the results is provided for each shipment of samples in a format that is easy to understand and to use. The results also are entered into a proprietary dairy or farm database maintained by Biogenetic Services, Inc. This test provides a great opportunity for dairy producers to signiďŹ cantly increase milk production of their dairy cows and thereby to increase proďŹ ts from their dairies.
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PHOTO SUBMITTED
The 28-stall, Ć&#x;estall facility was designed by the Hahn family to house their Guernsey herd, and is focused on cow comfort.
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Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
Introducing the New Monobox
The Monobox at first sight Have a look at our new Automation Family Member! The open, animal-friendly design with its wide entrances and exit ways ensures safe, easy and fast access to the box. Adjustable place dimensions allow for optimal positioning of every cow, even in mixed herds. Thanks to the modular assembly and safely embedded servicefriendly actuation, installation can be done very quickly and maintaining the system becomes highly simple and secure.
The Monobox allows us to implement the platform strategy for our DairyProQ milking stall module for the first time!
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 39
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Jessica and Trevor Hintzman New York Mills, Minn. Ottertail County 60 cows How did you get into farming? My wife was married into it, and I was raised on a dairy farm. I bought my rst herd of 12 cows when I was 16 years old. After high school I went to Central Lakes College in Staples, Minn., for Farm Business Management for six years. In that time I met my wife, and in 1998 we purchased my uncle’s cows. In 2000, we purchased my parents’ 65 cows and had about 120 total. We milked for four more years and got out of farming in 2004. We worked off the farm until 2008 when we got back into farming with all Jerseys where we are today with 60 cows. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? It is a hard business to get into now days with varying prices between commodities, milk, livestock, supplies, parts and labor. You really need to be a jack-of-alltrades and manage all expenses very well to make it work. We would like to see newer small farms, but without heavy nancial support it is very hard. What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? We have been using Milk Pregnancy Testing for almost a year. Now we can check one or two cows at a time instead of clumping more cows together to make it worthwhile for a vet call. We now have a tighter grip on our reproduction cycles and keep our cows on schedule. What is a management practice you changed in the past year that has beneted you? We purchased a newer round baler with a crop cutter and started putting up all our hay in balage. It’s very fast, easy, and better feed. The cows absolutely love it and have seen a huge increase in milk production. How do you retain a good working relationship with your employee(s)? My wife, son, and I do all the chores along with working off the farm. We have no employees. I manage the vet, nutrition and breeding needs based mostly on what my cows are telling me.
Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. My ability to read my cows. If you pay attention to your cows they will tell you what they dislike and their needs. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? Being your own boss, and the ability to try new things and see the outcome of it. This is especially true with the genetics. Breeding for better cows and more milk is the most fun.
What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? In the next year, I would like to nish upgrading my livestock facilities to make moving and working with the livestock easier and more efcient. I also want to improve my feed storage by building a bunker for silage. Within the next ve years I want to be debt free, keep improving my cow’s genetics, and continue to push my land management for more tonnage of better feed and quality.
How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? During the summer, we like to ride motorcycle, go to county fairs and show in the open livestock class. During the winter months, we watch our son wrestle. We also like spending time with family and friends.
What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Watch your cost of production and keep your debt low. Dairying is much more enjoyable if you are making a prot on your milk and having a margin of room to move with the milk and commodity price uctuation. It helps you to see the light at the end of the tunnel. What has been the best purchase you’ve ever made on your farm? It’s a toss-up between a skid steer and the TMR mixer. They both make dairy farming a lot more consistent and less effort in everyday work. What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? The ability to make it work to stay in the dairy business, seeing the farm grow into the vision we planned and raising a family in it.
Star Blends is a full service feed manufacturing facility. We provide custom complete feeds, supplements and minerals. We utilize modern technology to produce your needed products on demand with the highest quality feeds at the best cost. We also offer a wide selection of commodities, ingredients and additives. We are focused on dairy, efficiently delivering to farms in Western Wisconsin. Give us a call, we’d be happy to discuss our commodities or custom products and services with you and your nutritionist.
1919 Riley Road Sparta, WI 54656 | 800.462.4125
Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
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