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Volume 21, No. 15
Waconia schools make milk more accessible Dairy farmer, lunch manager install machines across district By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
WACONIA, Minn. – Students in Waconia Public Schools have more accessibility to fresh milk in their lunchrooms, and they are taking full advantage of it. During the summer, the district installed seven bulk milk machines in their schools – one in each of the three elementary buildings and two machines in both the middle and high schools. “The feedback has been fantastic,” Barb Schank said. “Kids love the avor. They love the independence of being able to take as much as they want, and we’re giving them a dining experience just like they get at home.” Schank is the nutritional service director at Café #110, the food service program within the Waconia School District in Waconia, Minn. She and her assistant, Tracy Braun, pursued the lunchroom investment after they received funding from the state, and Braun received funding from Midwest Dairy as a dairy farmer. Braun and her family milk 40 cows near Cologne, Minn. “Loan Oak Farms is very excited to support the milk project at Café #110 in providing fresh milk to students,” Braun said. Midwest Dairy awarded Braun $3,000 towards the purchase of bulk milk dispensers. Additionally, the district applied for another grant through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. They were awarded $4,500. Turn to SCHOOL | Page 5
September 28, 2019
A future on the farm
Keranen builds freestall barn, parlor t for dairy goals By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
OSAGE, Minn. – When Darren Keranen red back up his family’s farm site six years ago, he set goals that would push the dairy in a direction of longevity. To reach that status in the industry, Keranen made several improvements to the farm site, including a 120-stall freestall barn and swing-15 parlor. “This project fell into place with my goals; maybe even helping me reach them a year early,” Keranen said. “To me, dairy farming is something I take pride in, and even with the milk prices, I feel my future is here.” Keranen began using the new facilities last winter on his 120-cow dairy farm in Becker Turn to KERANENS | Page 6
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
The Keranen family – (from leŌ) Arnold, Darren, holding Charity, 3, and Sonya, holding Arber, 1 – stand in front of their newly built freestall barn and parlor at their dairy farm near Osage, Minn. Not pictured is MaƟx, 5.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Fritz Didier chops corn silage while Al Kral drives alongside with a box for Darla and Levi Dunn Sept. 23 near Osakis, MInn. The Dunns lled two silos, a 20- by 60-foot and 20- by 80-foot, that day. They milk 70 cows.
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (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 - Associate Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Krista Kuzma - Assistant Editor (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048 cowlady@centurylink.net Danielle Nauman (608) 487-1101 danielle.n@dairystar.com Danna Sabolik - Staff Writer (320) 352-6303 • danna.s@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Advertising Sales Main Ofďƒžce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Joyce Frericks 320-352-6303 • joyce@dairystar.com 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 Amanda Hoeďƒ&#x;er (Eastern Iowa) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Laura Seljan (Southern WI) 507-250-2217 • laura.s@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.
A glance at what’s inside Many producers in the Upper Midwest have harvest on their mind right now as they continue the process or plan to start. In this issue’s “From our side of the fenceâ€? feature, we talked to dairy farmers about their corn silage harvest. While some have started, not all have because of the later conditions this growing season. Read more about how the corn silage harvest is progressing on pages 15 and 16 in ďƒžrst section. The Kieffer family spent Sept. 19 chopping corn on their dairy near Hastings, Minn. We featured them in the “A day in the lifeâ€? section of this issue on pages 16, 18-19 in second section. But chopping corn was not the only item on their agenda for the day. Read about all the other chores they had to ďƒžt in to their 17hour day. Minnesota dairy producer Spencer Hackett is hoping to make a difference in the Holstein breed. He recently joined the board for the Holstein Association USA. The Rice, Minn., dairy farmer has been in local, state and regional leadership positions in the past, but saw an opportunity to run for a national position this year. Read on pages 12-13 in ďƒžrst section about what goals he hopes to while serving on the national board. In this month’s organic section, we have a feature about the three Byom brothers and their families that have separate organic herds of 45 registered Holsteins each, but work together on their crops near Ettrick, Wis. Organic dairy farming has been their management style long before they even became certiďƒžed. Read about their venture in organic dairying on pages 6-7 in second section. Garrett Nielsen is determined to make his dairying dream work even if he did not start out like he thought he would. The 19-year-old had planned to buy a family members farm in the upcoming years before starting his milking herd. However, an opportunity came about that Nielsen could not pass up. Read on pages 3-4 in third section about how the young dairyman started milking on a farm near Elroy, Wis.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Minnesota
Columnists Ag Insider
Pages 8-9 First Section
FSA News & Notes
Page 26 First Section
Harmony
Osage
Third Section: Page 9
First Section: Pages 1, 6 - 7
Dairy’s Star Youth: Morgan Wingert
Dear County Agent Guy Page 30 First Section
Keranen builds freestall barn, parlor t for dairy goals
Waconia
Waconia schools make milk more accessible First Section: Pages 1, 5
Something to Ruminate On Page 31 First Section
Just Thinking Out Loud
Rice
Hackett elected to national board of Holstein USA
Page 32 First Section
First Section: Pages 12 - 13
Princeton
Motley
First Section: Pages 18, 20
First Section: Page 23
Repro Leaders: Flying Cow Dairy
Barthel ready to carry on Tri County tradition
Dairy Good Life Page 33 First Section
The “Mielke” Market Weekly
Goodhue
Hastings
Third Section: Pages 10 - 11
First Section: Pages 16, 18 - 19
A day in the life of the Kieffer family
Kids Corner: The O’Reillys
Pages 10 - 11 Second Section
South Dakota
Iowa
Zone 1
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
Big Stone City
Crop and Weather Reports Second Section: Pages 26 - 27
Emery
From Our Side of the Fence First Section: Pages 15 - 16
Calmar
Maquoketa Valley FFA, Spring Grove FFA top Tri-State contest First Section: Page 25
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Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019 • Page 5
TRUST THE EXPERTS
ConƟnued from SCHOOL | Page 1
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Lone Oaks Farms dairy farmer Emily Hanson (from leŌ), Laketown Elementary School Principal Eduardo Navidad and Cafe #110 NutriƟonal Services Director Barb Schank have a milk toast near the school’s new bulk milk machine. The machine was one of seven installed throughout the district this summer.
In total, the grant covered $7,500 of the $26,000 project, which included the machines along with the glasses, racks, dollies and installation, as well. “District administration loved the concept and every school got on board from the beginning,” Schank said. “Before school started, an email was shared to all district staff introducing the idea. Everyone was in full support of the project. It got more buzz than what we ever expected. We were honestly shocked by all the positive feedback.” Café #110 is a food service program founded on a seed-to-table concept that educates students about sustainable food production and reducing waste. The goal of the program is to provide a nutritious and affordable meal that also expands children’s palates. Schank previously received grant funding to purchase a pasta machine for students to enjoy homemade pasta at mealtime. The district also uses locally sourced ingredients when possible. “We know we can’t get away from all processed foods, but we work hard to have the best options to compliment the menu,” Schank said. Over the years, both Schank and Braun have watched the district’s waste accumulate, particularly in milk dumped and cartons thrown in the trash. They knew providing students with fresh milk and allowing them to take what they wanted to drink was the place to start. “The waste was really disheartening,” Schank said. “We were encouraging kids to drink their milk, and for some that might’ve been only a sip before they tossed the carton. Especially those younger kids who just couldn’t drink a whole 8-ounce carton.” Braun agreed. “In our lunchrooms, we had kids empty their milk cartons before putting them in the trash,” she said. “The amount of milk going into buckets was staggering.” Now, not even a month into the new school year, Waconia schools have noticed a drastic change in milk waste and also children’s association with dairy. Previously, the district was wasting upwards of 90 gallons of milk every day. That number is zero with the
bulk milk machines. “Time will tell how effective this new program is,” Schank said. “We do know we don’t have any milk waste and it feels like we’re constantly lling up the machines.” The lunchroom improvements in Waconia schools reect the sentiments of American adults, according to a recent poll conducted by Morning Consult in partnership with the International Dairy Foods Association. Survey results revealed half of adults believe it is important public schools offer low-fat avored milk with school meals. Additionally, 53% of adults polled believe it is important 2% and whole milk are offered in schools. “There’s a literal hunger for dairy in schools,” said Matt Herrick, senior vice president of communications for IDFA. “Americans love milk, and dairy milk at that. It’s a great place for the dairy industry to be right now.” This year, the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act is slated for review by national policymakers. The act is looked at every ve years to ensure programs under the act meet the nutritional needs of children. “As fall gets underway, those in [Washington] D.C. are looking at the child nutrition law and what’s being served at schools,” Herrick said. “We want to ensure policymakers look at our survey and stay grounded in the reality of what American families prefer.” In Waconia, the excitement of milk options carries through in the students and community members. During the rst week of school, Schank and Braun invited local dairy farmers and princesses to the lunchrooms to advocate for dairy as part of well-balanced diets, as well as help students become familiar with the new dispensers. “There’s been such a buzz about being able to rell their milk glasses,” Schank said. “Everyone absolutely loves the new bulk milk the experience.” Braun agreed. “This is important to me,” she said. “We’re positively inuencing these students in a welcoming way and with a product that has good value in their diets.”
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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019
ConƟnued from KERANENS | Page 1
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A swing-15 parlor is aƩached to the south end of Darren Keranen’s 120-stall freestall barn at the dairy farm near Osage, Minn. Keranen constructed most of the parlor himself with the help of family and friends. County near Osage, Minn. The farmer works alongside his wife, Sonya, and three children – Matix, 5, Charity, 3, and Arber, 1 – as well as his father, Arnold. Keranen also works alongside his brother, Andrew, where they do eldwork together and share equipment. Over the last year, the new facilities have proven to be a good investment for Keranen. Not only has the freestall barn provided more comfort and cleanliness for the animals, but the parlor also maximizes the farm crew’s time. Every day, Keranen is in the barn feeding the cows their ration. At the same time, a full-time employee, Chance Jokela, milks the herd. The cows are milked twice a day, with each milking taking about 90 minutes. “Cow comfort and quick ow have been the biggest things we’ve noticed about this new setup,” Keranen said. “And, the cows didn’t skip a beat.” The tunnel-ventilated hoop barn has center lane feed bunks and sawdustbedded stalls located along the outer walls. On the south end of the barn, before the parlor entrance, a maternity and hospital pen is equipped with a side lane and headlock for breeding and health checks. Next to the maternity and hospital pen is the holding pen leading into the swing parlor. Once in the parlor, as one side of cows are being milked, the other side is released and a new group enters. Previously, the cows were housed in a 60-cow pack barn and would travel a short distance into the farm’s original tiestall barn where it was retrotted to a
12-stall at parlor. “Now, we’re not dealing with frozen pipes and water lines, no frozen teat ends,” Keranen said. “With everything essentially in the same building, the cows are ridiculously clean, and it’s way more efcient to be able to walk them in to the parlor and milk and put them back in the barn.” When Keranen began dairy farming at his family’s farm site, he put up the pack barn as a temporary housing solution. Within the rst six months of milking on this site, Keranen replaced the at parlor with a swing-10 parlor. “The at parlor was inefcient, and I knew all of that wasn’t our nal building,” Keranen said. “In my mind, I wanted a new barn and parlor eventually.” As the herd grew and Keranen envisioned his goals for the farm, he knew putting up larger facilities were necessary. The milking herd was housed in two groups – a high group in the pack barn and a low group out on pasture. “The economy made me question if building new facilities was the right decision, and I constantly wondered about that,” Keranen said. “It came down to the fact that I had to do it or get out. There was no future in what I had. I rst built [the pack barn and swing-10 parlor] as temporary facilities and that’s all they were.” The farm site includes 160 acres – half of which Keranen purchased six years ago from his father. Last summer, he purchased the remaining 80 acres Turn to KERANENS | Page 7
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The 120-cow herd is housed in a tunnel-venƟlated hoop barn on the dairy farm in Becker County near Osage, Minn. One of the reasons Darren Keranen chose the hoop barn design was for the natural light.
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019 • Page 7
ConƟnued from KERANENS | Page 6
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
A 120-stall freestall barn and aƩached swing-15 parlor are located to the west of the Keranen family’s original Ɵestall barn. and made plans to update his facilities. “When I bought the rest of the land, I could renance the farm and that allowed me to afford the freestall barn and parlor I am using now,” Keranen said. But renancing the dairy did not give way to ignoring a budget and putting up the buildings in the most costeffective way possible. “The cost of everything made it a no-brainer that if I wanted it, I would do it all myself,” Keranen said. Contractors put up the frame of the barn and parlor, but Keranen, his family and friends did all the plumbing, concrete and steel work. They also repurposed the milking equipment from the swing-10 parlor. Keranen went with the hoop barn design for three main reasons: He liked the natural light and quality of air; it was a design he was familiar with; and it was the most economical choice. The family has dealt with a small bout of mastitis that began this past
summer, but otherwise the new facilities have served them well and met all expectations. “Dad was really questioning my plans as I was putting it all together,” Keranen said. “We’re not unhappy with it. We really like the setup and Dad thinks it turned out awesome.” The old facilities are still in use. The pack barn now houses close up dry cows, which has only improved the health of fresh cows coming into the parlor. Additionally, the original tiestall barn now houses young calves. In Keranen’s time dairy farming on the farm site he grew up on, he has also put up commodity and calf sheds and a feed lane. “If you’re never moving forward, you’re moving backwards. New facilities can make life easier, but at the end of the day the same stuff still needs to get done,” Keranen said. “I can’t wait to be at the point where I stop building stuff, and I can just dairy farm.”
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USDA leaders voice support for USMCA Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue joined Canada Agreement before the end of the year. It may former agriculture secretaries Tom Vilsack, John no longer be a matter of if the USMCA is ratied, but Block and Dan Glickman to rally support of the U.S. when. Russell said there are positive developments in Mexico Canada Agreement. U.S. Dairy Export Council discussions. “The Trump Administration responded CEO Tom Vilsack said it could be a challenge for back to the Democrat’s request on the House side the U.S. dairy industry if the agreement of what they’re willing to do on key Ag Insider isn’t ratied. “Our Mexico market is still issues such as labor, environment and in good shape. The challenge though is pharmaceutical issues. I think we’re if we don’t get the USMCA through, starting to see differences narrow,” we’ll still face a very closed dairy market Russell said. “The other side of this is the in Canada.” One of the concerns from clock is ticking. It’s hard to see Congress House Democrats is labor provisions. vote on this past the end of the year.” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said there are enforceability consequences in Farmers, lawmakers rally for USMCA the USMCA to ensure labor concerns are ratication addressed. “We had the same fear when In a Farmers for Free Trade rally, we renegotiated the sugar agreement with House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mexico in 2017, but Mexico has lived up Collin Peterson said the U.S. Mexico to that. We think the same thing could Canada Agreement could come up for a By Don Wick happen here.” vote in the House in the next two months. Columnist “The (House) Speaker is working hard DMC enrollment deadline extended to build support in our caucus to bring Sign-up for the Dairy Margin Coverage program this to the oor. I think we’re on track, at least at this has been extended to Friday, Sept. 27. Farm Service point.” Agency Acting Administrator Steve Peterson explained the program. “The 2018 Farm Bill lowered Promoting USMCA the premium levels, but increased coverage levels. The Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation was on In the rst tier of ve million pounds, farmers could Capitol Hill earlier this month. President Kevin Paap have coverage levels up to $9.50. That is a signicant said the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is a priority. difference from the 2014 Farm Bill levels authorized,” “Our message is that we want a vote as soon as Peterson said. “Also, Dairy Margin Coverage is possible. We need certainty in agriculture right now.” the difference between the all-milk price and actual MFBF met with the entire Minnesota congressional feed cost. There’s a difference in comparing to those delegation and congressional leaders during its time coverage levels the producer will elect. It will allow in Washington, D.C. producers to get paid on the pounds of production they have, based on whatever percentage of production MFP 2.0: A welcome boost to farm income they want covered under the program.” Farm Credit Administration CEO Glen Smith said the Market Facilitation Program is a welcome Clock ticking for USMCA boost to farm income just as much this year as it was The trade agenda is starting to gain traction in last year. In the Northern Plains, Smith said MFP 2.0 Washington D.C. According to the Russell Group will make up about 22 percent of net farm income. President Randy Russell, there is a window of That varies of course, based on the farm. “We have opportunity for Congress to take up the U.S. Mexico a breakdown between states. It shows an average in
Minnesota of $55 an acre,” Smith said. Smith could not say if there would be additional MFP payments available in 2020. “Payments are on a year-to-year basis. Next year will be an election year. If the tariffs continue, we may have a strong chance of similar MFP payment levels.” A minimal increase in milk output August milk production in the 24 leading dairy states edged up 0.4%. In Minnesota, milk production went up .5%. That slight increase in milk output was seen despite a 4,000 head reduction in the state dairy herd. South Dakota’s milk production went up 2.6%. Acting USDA Ag Outlook Board Chairman Mark Jekanowski expects milk production to continue to grow. Jekanwowski is seeing a slight contraction of the herd, “Which has been offset by higher milk per cow and we expect that pattern to continue in 2020.” A boost in dairy exports is expected to keep a oor under these current milk prices. Cash accounting challenge An IRS decision could prevent some farms from using cash accounting. A coalition of commodity groups, the National Council of Cooperatives and Farm Bureau wants Congress to intervene. Since 2017, the IRS said a farm or ranch, set up as an LLC or S Corp, could lose the right to use cash accounting if less than 65 percent of the ownership is held by active farmers. 4-H caucus established Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson is one of four lawmakers forming a 4-H congressional caucus. “I look forward to growing this caucus so we can help ensure the next generation of young leaders have access to 4-H experiences that will help them succeed,” Peterson said. National FFA Organization hits record membership More than 700,000 student members are now part Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019 • Page 9
ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8 of the National FFA Organization. That is a record for student membership, an increase from the more than 669,900 members recorded in 2018. The top states for student membership include Texas, California, Ohio and Missouri. Trivia challenge There are more than 61,000 pizzerias in the United States. That answers our last trivia question. What is the largest pizza restaurant chain in
the world? 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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Brandon Stommes milks 75 cows on a rented farm site in Stearns County near Albany, Minn. Stommes focuses on the management of his herd to get through the years of low milk prices.
Farmer focuses on future to keep working through tough times By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
Editor’s note: In this series, “Dairying in tough times,” Dairy Star is catching up with dairy farmers who have milked through the last four years. These farmers are sharing how they have been able to weather the market conditions and why they see promise in today’s changing industry. ALBANY, Minn. – This has been Brandon Stommes’ second bout of low milk prices. The rst time was in 2009, and he was a fresh dairy farmer. “When I rst started, I was so excited to be milking cows I didn’t worry about the markets,” Stommes said. “But, they wear on you the longer you’ve been at it.” Stommes milks 76 Holsteins on a rented farm site in Stearns County near Albany, Minn. As a farm site renter, Stommes has had to make careful nancial decisions to remain aoat in the dairy industry, where the last four years brought plunging milk prices and a mass exodus of dairy farms. Having already been through one cycle of low milk prices, Stommes had an idea of how to set himself up this go-around. “When I set up this agreement, I was pretty conservative with intentions of paying ahead if I could,” Stommes said. “I set myself up for some leeway, because when I run out of money, I’m out of money and I don’t want to be a guy juggling bills.” While there was little he could do to the farm site itself, the dairy farmer has focused on maintaining quality care for his herd and optimizing expenses. He has put an even larger emphasis on being efcient in all areas of dairy management. For example, Stommes does most of the work himself, with the exception of a person who was
recently hired to help here and there. “I’m always looking at ways I can be more efcient,” Stommes said. “I do it all. I’m milking a lot of cows. I do all the breeding and herd health.” In Stommes’ rst experience with low milk prices, he offset the markets by diversifying his skill set. He milked cows, raised feeder steers and sold about 25 each month. He custom round baled and worked a full-time job off the farm. “Those times were terrible,” Stommes said. “Expenses were low, but milk was below $10. That was an eye opener that I had to do more.” That way of farming worked for Stommes at the time, but he has since realized the value of better managing certain aspects of the dairy rather than doing it all. “Throughout all of this, I’ve kept the mentality that I have to get as much out of my cows as I possibly can,” Stommes said. “I try not to short them, because when the milk price goes up, it takes too long to get them going again.” Stommes has added more cattle to his herd
“There have been more than a couple times I’ve asked myself what I’m doing. Hasn’t everyone?” BRANDON STOMMES, DAIRY FARMER
since he rst entered into the rental agreement. The barn was renovated to remove maternity pens and add a handful more tiestalls. More milk has helped, but Stommes is also driven by components and somatic cell count. In 2018, his average SCC was 70,000, and his cooperative continues paying a respectable premium for it, he said. He also values his time more. “If something can make me money or save my time, I’ll seriously consider it,” Stommes said. In working with the property owner, Stommes added onto the feed room. Now, he only mixes feed once a day as he is able to park his TMR Turn to STOMMES | Page 11
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019 • Page 11
Con�nued from STOMMES | Page 10
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Brandon Stommes explains the new design of the feed room at the farm site near Albany, Minn. Stommes worked with the landowner to expand the feed room, which made Stommes more efficient when doing chores.
mixer in the room, rather than using a stationary mixer. “I’m still renting, so I can’t take the feed room with me,” Stommes said. “It might’ve been a stupid business move, but what used to take me an hour and a half to run 1,000 pounds of haylage, I can now do 1 ton in 5 minutes.” While the industry is showing signs of a turnaround, Stommes said it has not been easy to get to this point and skepticism still weighs heavily on his mind. “There have been more than a couple times I’ve asked myself what I’m doing. Hasn’t everyone?” Stommes said. “The hardest part with the depressed prices is keeping a positive attitude and not trying to keep up with the Joneses. It drives you nuts, but you just keep doing chores and try to keep a decent mindset.” To help, Stommes continues par-
ticipating in an agriculture program offered through St. Cloud Technical College, which provides informational newsletters and educational meetings throughout the year. Stommes also appreciates conversations with his nutritionist and veterinarian, as well as long-time dairy farmers. With their insight and Stommes’ will to succeed, he is looking forward to better times in the dairy industry. “Dairy farming has always been this dream of mine, but it’s just like any other job. It’s my own problem if I can’t do it,” Stommes said. “I just hope if the day comes, say 10 years from now, and prices are low again, I’ll know when enough is enough to not ride a sinking ship. But this time around, I’m happy to have made it through.”
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019
Hackett elected to national board of Holstein USA Dairyman proud to represent Region 6 By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
RICE, Minn. – Spencer Hackett has reached the culmination of his leadership opportunities in the dairy industry. At the National Holstein Convention, June 24-27 in Appleton, Wis., Hackett was elected to represent Region 6 on the national board of directors for Holstein Association USA. He was sworn into the position Sept. 24 at the organization’s headquarters in Brattleboro, Vt. “I was involved with our Mid-Minnesota Holstein Club. I served nine years on the Minnesota Holstein board. I was slowly looking down the tunnel if I wanted to be at that next level,” Hackett said. “This was the next or nal step, so to be; if I wanted to take the journey or not.” Hackett milks 175 registered Holsteins with his family on their dairy, Melarry Farms, near Rice, Minn. For the next three years, Hackett will represent Holstein USA members in the Upper Mid-
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Spencer HackeƩ milks 175 cows with his family at Melarry Farms near Rice, Minn. HackeƩ was recently elected to represent Region 6 on the naƟonal board of directors for Holstein AssociaƟon USA.
west – from Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. He serves on the board with 11 other directors from across the country, as well as four ofcers. “I’m looking forward to serving on the board with
these people,” Hackett said. “We’re coming from all over, and that doesn’t mean we all think the same. That’s what makes a good board.” During Hackett’s time as a director, his responsibilities will reect the purpose of the organization: To help provide
the most productive animal to help farmers feed the growing population in the most efcient way possible. While the responsibilities are vast, the central Minnesota dairy farmer is most looking forward to his chance to be a voice for fellow dairy
farmers. “I am very, very proud. I will bend over backwards,” said Hackett about representing Region 6. “I can promise this area I’m going to voice my opinion and concerns or ideas people will have.” Hackett has long been a member of the national organization and strong advocate for genetic advancement in the dairy industry. He currently serves on the organization’s Genetic Advancement Committee, which provides insight to changes with the gTPI formula. “I am truly passionate about the registered Holstein business,” Hackett said. “Not just because she’s registered, but to make something that will help all dairymen stay in business longer.” Melarry Farms has created a market for its genetics through genomic technology. Last year, the Hacketts sold 27 bulls to A.I. companies, and they continue breeding for bulls that will propel the dairy industry forward. “Since [genomics came out], our purebred business has exploded,” Hackett said. “We’re always trying to make bulls that I feel, hopefully, Turn to HACKETT | Page 13
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019 • Page 13
ConĆ&#x;nued from HACKETT | Page 12
“I’ve had a dream of always making a postive impact in this profession I love long after I’m gone.� SPENCER HACKETT, DAIRY FARMER
outside-the-box thinker, so maybe I’ll come up with ideas that keep the [dairy farm] numbers up there; keep the excitement going,� Hackett said. One of the personal goals Hackett has for his term as a director is to create an interest in the organization and breed among younger dairy farmers. He wants those farmers to not only become more educated about the industry because they sell milk, but also because the public needs to become
more informed about agriculture and what dairy farmers do for a living. “I considered kicking it around – should I run? Shouldn’t I run?â€? said Hackett about the elected position. “If people like me don’t step forward and have a voice, that means someone else has to cover that much more ground on my behalf.â€? Hackett also encourages Region 6 dairy farmers to voice their opinions and ideas to him in hopes of creating effective change in the industry. However, no one thought may lead to immediate improvements, which is Hackett’s greatest foreseen challenge. “A lot of people have approached me already and giving them the results as quickly as they expect them will be tough,â€? Hackett said. “When President Trump got into ofďƒžce, it didn’t change overnight. It takes time; it may even happen after I’m gone, but it’ll be something I’ve helped put in motion.â€? As Hackett begins this next journey in his dairying career, whether at the organization’s headquarters in Vermont or at his family’s dairy farm in Minnesota, he will be doing so with a greater purpose in mind. “I’ve had a dream of always making a positive impact in this profession I love long after I’m gone,â€? Hackett said. “In serving on the national board, what can I do to help another small dairy farm, or large dairy farm, be more productive and stay in the business we are all so passionate about?â€?
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the business will want going forward. The commercial dairyman wants a moderate stature cow with plenty of strength; she’s going to have to be able to milk; a low somatic cell count; and an easy keeper. Those are the cows that make us the most money.� Hackett feels his new role as director marries nicely with his notable contributions in the industry, and his passion to continue learning about and developing dairy cattle genetics. In the next three years, Hackett wants to give back to the organization he has spent his whole life being a part of. “They always tell me I’m an
Page 14 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019 • Page 15
How is your corn silage harvest progressing?
Brad Johnson Fergus Falls, Minn. West Ottertail County 150 cows Describe corn silage harvest on your farm. We chop about 90 acres of corn for silage. My son, father and myself work together to get the job done. Grandpa will sit in the John Deere chopper, and my son and I will haul. When do you plan to start or how far along are you on corn silage harvest? We started opening ďƒželds Sept. 22 and are about 40% done. We have about 50 acres left. What kind of silage corn did you plant and when did you plant it? We planted Dekalb and Legend seed on May 11. Describe your storage. We have 10- by 250-foot bags. What are your biggest concerns with this year’s silage crop? Mud is the main concern. We have had some wetter ďƒželds but have been able to get through them all. Other than that, we have no concerns this harvest. What changes have you made to this year’s corn silage harvest due to the conditions of the growing season? We got the corn planted three weeks later than normal, so everything is later than usual. We are also checking the ďƒželds for mud before we chop. Those are the only changes. Tell us about your farm. I am the third generation working alongside the fourth with seasonal help from the second. We milk 150 cows in a swing-8 parlor and raise our own replacements. We also grow all our own feed and some cash grain.
Dennis Reuter Hastings, Minn. Dakota County 135 cows Describe corn silage harvest on your farm. We harvest about 1,500 tons of corn silage. We have about 440 total acres of corn with 90 of those being devoted to corn silage and earlage. I will harvest it along with my brother, Carl, and my two sons, Phil and Jacob. When do you plan to start or how far along are you on corn silage harvest? We started the afternoon of Sept. 16. We only went for an hour before we had to stop for afternoon chores. We bought a different chopper this year, so it’s a learning curve right now. Now we have our own machine and do not have to rely on other people to open ďƒželds for us. What kind of silage corn did you plant and when did you plant it? We planted Enogen 109. It was planted May 5. Describe your storage. It is stored in four bags and one silo. The bags are four different lengths: 250 feet, 200 feet, 150 feet and 100 feet. The silo is 20- by 70-feet. What are your biggest concerns with this year’s corn silage crop? I do not really have any. The yield has been good and the moisture is where we want it to be. Our ground is drier than other areas so we do not have the mud problems other people are experiencing. When we have the best crops, other people are drowning. Sand is nature’s drainage. What changes have you made to this year’s corn silage harvest due to the conditions of the growing season? Explain. We have not had any problems with the growing season. It is a little later – by about two weeks – than we usually are. We also did not have to irrigate as much as we normally have to. We only had to irrigate a couple times this summer. Tell us about your farm. My dad moved here in 1948. My brother, Carl, and I started our farming partnership in 1981. At that point in time we had 25 cows and have grown to our current size over the years. We
Joel Imdieke (pictured with daughter, Ava and son, Henry) Melrose, Minn. Stearns County 90 cows Describe corn silage harvest on your farm. We hire a custom guy to chop most of it and my hired hand and I haul loads. We have a person pack for us. We also chop some ourselves. We put up 1,800 tons total this year. When do you plan to start or how far along are you on corn silage harvest? We were done chopping Sept. 19. It is very wet out there and because of these conditions we could not do full loads, but the corn was a lot dryer than I thought. What kind of silage corn did you plant and when did you plant it? I plant a dual-purpose corn. We planted most of the corn May 15-16 and the rest we did June 10. Describe your storage. Everything we chopped went into the bunker. The bunker measures 60- by 200-feet and 14 feet high. What are your biggest concerns with this year’s corn silage crop? I really have no concerns with this year’s corn silage. What changes have you made to this year’s corn silage harvest due to the conditions of the growing season? Explain. We really haven’t made any changes due to the growing season. Tell us about your farm. I farm with my wife, Sarah, and we have four kids ages 6, 4, 3, and 1 year old. We milk 90 cows and farm 400 acres of land. We also custom raise 150 head of breeding heifers and feed out about 100 head of Holstein steers. farm 700 acres. My son, Phil, farms with us full-time. My other son, Jacob, has a fulltime job off the farm, but helps us when we need him. To help our farm during the last few years of depressed milk prices, we focused on components. We also saved while the price was good so we could get through the low times. We do not buy anything unless we have the money to pay for it.
Tyler Brockpahler Sebeka, Minn. Wadena County 55 cows Describe corn silage harvest on your farm. We will chop 45 acres. We work with a couple neighboring farms. We own all the chopping equipment: a pull-type chopper, boxes and an 8-foot bagger. When do you plan to start or how far along are you on corn silage harvest? We will probably start later this week (the week of Sept. 23). A lot of the corn is testing fairly wet. One of the farmers we chop with said it was 71 percent moisture. What kind of silage corn did you plant and when did you plant it? We plant Pioneer hybrids, and chop the wettest and combine the driest. We do not plant special silage varieties. Describe your storage. We bag it all. This year we will do ďƒžve 8- by 200foot bags. What are your biggest concerns with this year’s corn silage crop? If it keeps raining, we are concerned about getting the equipment through the ďƒželds and getting the corn silage out. It has been fairly wet up here. What changes have you made to this year’s corn silage harvest due to the conditions of the growing season? Explain. The only change is we will be harvesting it later than usual. Last year, we were ďƒžnishing up at this time. It depends on the year though. Tell us about your farm. I farm in a partnership with my father-in-law, John Malone. We milk our cows in a tiestall barn and raise our own heifers. I also have a small beef herd. We raise corn, alfalfa and have plenty of grass hay.
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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019
ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15 Peter McFarland Watertown, Wis. Dodge County 650 cows Describe corn silage harvest on your farm. We harvest 640 acres of corn silage in ve to six days, working with a custom harvester who uses a 12-row chopper head. The custom guy works until 11 each night, chopping and hauling the feed and running it across the scale, and then we do the rest. We use four to ve tractors for packing that we share with another farm. We keep track of incoming weights using an on-farm scale, which we track by eld. My wife, Cindy, does the moisture tests. We also make sure kernel processing is done right and send three samples to Rock River Labs so they can test the kernel score. We want corn at the right moisture and processed correctly. If the kernel is not right, the harvester will adjust his machinery. We spend a lot of time packing, which we do in stages, and we make sure we have enough help to do a good job. Also, safety is a big thing around here, so we wear uorescent clothing during harvest as an additional safety measure. We all work together to make sure the crop is done in a timely fashion. When do you plan to start or how far along are you on corn silage harvest? We plan to start harvesting corn silage at the beginning of October. We take corn silage harvest very seriously and spend a lot of time getting organized before harvest begins. We have to feed our silage all year so we want to make sure we do it correctly. We keep close tabs on moisture and start checking that ahead of time. We shoot for a moisture rate between 66-68%. We start at 68% with the ultimate goal being 67% moisture content. What kind of silage corn did you plant and when did you plant it? We have planted BMR varieties for the last three years. This year, we planted June 7-9. Describe your storage. We store 80% of our corn silage in a drive-over pile, and the rest is stored in a bunker. Our bunkers are 70 by 180 feet and the pile is 150 by 400 feet. We use Chr. Hansen inoculant and oxygen scavenger on top of the pile followed by Silostop oxygen barrier and black and white plastic. It is covered quickly, and we use tires on top of the pile and Silostop gravel bags to seal the edges all the way around the bottom. What are your biggest concerns with this year’s corn silage crop? I do not really have any concerns. I am pretty happy with it. It was a late season, but we got the corn planted in a short window, and it looks good. What changes have you made to this year’s corn silage harvest due to the conditions of the growing season? Explain. We sprayed fungicide on our corn this year because of the vomitoxins we had in our corn last year due to the wet weather. This year has not been nearly as bad, but we want to try to prevent as many issues as possible. Tell us about your farm. My wife, Cindy, and I farm with our daughter and son-in-law, Christine and Robb Bender, who we recently formed an LLC with. Christine is the sixth generation to farm here. We milk 650 cows three times per day and average over 100
David Jansen Emery, S.D. Hanson County 90 cows Describe corn silage harvest on your farm. We normally harvest about 100 acres of corn for silage. Everyone on our farm gets involved during silage harvest. We own a self-propelled John Deere chopper together with Adam Leitheiser, who is dairy farmer in our neighborhood, so Adam will pitch in, too. We do a little bit of custom chopping for our neighbors, but that mostly consists of opening up their elds for them. When do you plan to start or how far along are you on corn silage harvest? We plan to start whenever our elds dry up. It looks like that will take at least two weeks. In the meantime, we are trying to calculate how long our tow ropes will need to be. What kind of silage corn did you plant and when did you plant it? We planted both Pioneer and DeKalb silage hybrids. Some of it was planted in May, but most of it did not get planted until mid to late June. Describe your storage. We plan to ll our 20- by 70-foot upright silo. We will also make a big pile of silage on a concrete slab and cover it with plastic. What are your biggest concerns with this year’s corn silage crop? Our biggest concern is getting into the eld to get it out. We are also worried about mold and aatoxins in the corn. We had mold in our silage corn last year. That’s a situation we denitely want to avoid repeating. What changes have you made to this year’s corn silage harvest due to the conditions of the growing season? Explain. The timing of our silage harvest is off this year due to the unusually wet weather. We would normally be in the middle of silage harvest by now, but we have not been able to start yet thanks in part to the 10 inches of rain we received Sept. 11. On the plus side, our later-planted corn is still very green. All we can do is adjust to the conditions and make the changes Mother Nature is forcing us into. Tell us about your farm. This is a family farm in every sense of the word. My family farms with my brother-in-law, Brian Leitheiser, and his family. Brian’s mom, Delores, still helps all around the farm, doing calf chores and serving as our go-fer. Our family does all the work on our dairy without any hired labor. We work with members of our local farming community on the big jobs. We farm about 2,000 acres, raise our own replacement heifers and feed out all our steers.
pounds of milk per cow per day. We farm 1,100 acres of both owned and rented land. We raise our heifers until 6 months of age before sending them to a custom grower until one month before calving. Far-off dry cows are also kept offsite. We are also fortunate to have a great team of employees, many of whom have been here a long time.
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Stewart, Emma and Wesley Bartz Downing, Wis Dunn County 50 cows Describe corn silage harvest on your farm. We usually harvest between 40-50 acres of corn silage and do most of our own chopping. There are two to three people working on the chopping including myself, my dad, and depending on availability, a retired neighbor who helps with eldwork. When do you plan to start or how far along are you on corn silage harvest? We have not started any chopping yet; the corn is still over 75% moisture. I expect we will start chopping during the rst week of October. We typically start chopping after World Dairy Expo is done. What kind of silage corn did you plant and when did you plant it? We planted our silage corn the last week of May, after the grain corn was planted. Normally we plant a 107-day Pioneer BMR, but this year went with a 95-day dual purpose variety to allow for more exibility with our corn acres. Describe your storage. All our silage is stored in 9-foot bags on a gravel pad. What are your biggest concerns with this year’s corn silage crop? I am feeling pretty comfortable with this year’s harvest. Planting a shorter day corn worked well with the late cool spring and it does not look like frost is in the forecast through the end of September, so we should be able to get it off without much trouble. What changes have you made to this year’s corn silage harvest due to the conditions of the growing season? Explain. Our corn silage harvest plans have not changed from previous years. We lost most of our hay ground to winterkill this year, but used a summer annual mix to salvage those acres instead of planting extra corn silage. We seeded a Sorghum Sudan/Italian ryegrass/clover mix into the dead hayelds and are headed into the winter with a healthy forage inventory. Tell us about your farm. We milk 40 registered Holsteins on our family’s dairy. We purchased the cows in 2015 and farm 450 acres along with my father and one full-time employee. Besides the dairy, we also have a cash grain and forage operation. Emma works off the farm at WESTconsin Credit Union, and I also work at the Farm Service Agency in the farm lending department.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019 • Page 17
Women veterinarians on the rise
Three Waupun doctors persevere in large-animal medicine By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
WAUPUN, Wis. – Ever since she was a kid, Emma Schaffel knew she wanted to be a veterinarian. For Cassandra Gewiss, the realization came as a freshman in college when she was studying to be a history teacher. But for Jackie McIntyre, it was not until she had graduated college and spent three years working as a certied public accountant that she knew her calling in life was to be a veterinarian. All three veterinarians now practice out of Waupun Veterinary Service in Waupun, Wis. The clinic serves 300 dairy farms and has nine large-animal vets on staff – one-third of whom are women. The number of female veterinarians practicing on large animals – specically dairy – is on the rise. “My class in vet school was 80% female,” McIntyre said. “And in dairy/food production, it was more than 50% female.” According to a report by the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, this is a nationwide trend. The report stated that the vast majority of students enrolled in veterinary schools today are women. The last time enrollment was split equally between men
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Dr. Cassandra Gewiss goes over herd health results with Chase Harmsen of B&B Dairy in Waupun, Wis. Gewiss has been the Harmsens’ regular vet for the past six years. and women was in 1986. Women are taking over all facets of veterinary medicine – from small animal to large animal and everything in between. As a result, the dairy industry is seeing more and more women veterinarians. “We can do any job our male counterparts can do,” said Gewiss, who grew up on a 55-registered-cow dairy farm in northern, Illinois and is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. “We might do it differently, but we get to the same endpoint.” A veterinarian for seven years, Gewiss is a partner at Waupun Veterinary Service and also a mother of two boys – Pierce, 3, and Emmett, 1. “Dr. Gewiss has been coming to our farm for six years,” said Brent Harmsen of B&B Dairy in Waupun, who farms with his son, Chase, and milks 310 cows with robots. “She is the rst female vet we’ve had doing our herd health, and never once have I doubted her expertise. She does an excellent job.” Schaffel, who grew up in New Jersey, not far from New York City, but far from farm country, has been practicing veterinary medicine for about two years after graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. Growing up, she spent a lot of time around horses and envisioned herself becoming an equine vet, but instead, discovered a passion for dairy as an animal science major at Clemson University. McIntyre graduated from UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine in May 2018. She is a local, born and raised in Randolph, Wis. Although her parents did not farm, her babysitter, who is a current client, did, giving McIntyre plenty of exposure to farm life while growing up. Although they work in a profession formerly dominated by men, these ladies rarely have issues with farmers thinking they cannot get the job done. Rather, they nd farmers are more concerned with a veterinarian’s age and experience level than whether they are a man or a woman. “In the earlier days of my career, if farmers were
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Veterinarians Jackie McIntyre (from le�), Emma Schaffel and Cassandra Gewiss prac�ce out of Waupun Veterinary Service in Waupun, Wis. The clinic serves 300 dairy farms and has nine large-animal vets on staff – one-third of whom are women. skeptical, I found it was because I was young and inexperienced – not because I was a woman,” Gewiss said. “Being new in this eld is denitely harder than being a woman in this eld. When you’re fresh out of school, you don’t have much experience. You nd yourself in new situations all the time, plus every case is different. It’s only natural for farmers to doubt your ability.” Fiercely determined, Gewiss, Schaffel and McIntyre never quit until they get the job done and have proven their competence many times over, nding no situation too challenging to handle. “We never give up,” Schaffel said, “no matter what comes our way.” Just a few months into being a veterinarian, Schaffel was on call for the weekend by herself for the rst time when she got called to help with a difcult calving. “It took a long time, but I nished the job and never needed to call for backup,” Schaffel said. “The farmer later told me that when he saw me get out of my truck, he wondered who else he was going to have to call to get this done. When you get the work done successfully, you earn the farmer’s respect and trust.” Gewiss had a similar experience when she was 8 months pregnant. “I got called to help with a tough calving that turned into a C-section,” Gewiss said, “And I nailed it. The farmer admitted to me afterward that he was worried when he heard I was the one coming.” But he soon realized his worry was for naught, when the young, pregnant vet performed a successful operation. “It’s really rewarding to do things the farmer might think you can’t,” Gewiss said. “It’s fun to prove them wrong.” Schaffel said her height can sometimes pose a challenge, but she recties that by standing on a stool. On the ip side, her small arms, hands and ngers can be used to her advantage – giving her the capability to use two arms to assist in a calving and making her an expert pig puller. “When I shadowed at the clinic and watched the male veterinarians, I thought I might not be able to do what they were doing because they were much bigger than I was,” McIntyre said. “But then Cassandra started working here, and I could see she was so adept at doing things. I soon learned there are multiple ways to accomplish the same goal. You don’t need brute force.” Gewiss, Schaffel and McIntyre have special niche interests in addition to their dairy work. Gewiss performs laparoscopic articial insemination on small ruminants, such as sheep and goats. She also specializes in male reproduction and even works with a bull stud on assessing fertility. Schaffel also works with sheep and goats, along with pigs, horses and camelids. She is uent in Spanish and does on-farm training and translating as well. McIntyre’s focus is on herd health, specializing in calves and heifers. As much as they love animals, Gewiss, Schaffel and McIntyre said what they enjoy most about their work is the people. “I love animals and working with cattle, but it’s the people I love the most,” Gewiss said. “Farmers are
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Dr. Emma Schaffel listens for a displaced abomasum. Schaffel has been prac�cing veterinary medicine for a li�le over two years. great. They’re down to earth, hard-working and have a good sense of humor. Some of my closest friends are farmers.” The ratio of male to female vets in dairy is denitely changing. Chances are if a farm has not yet used the services of a woman veterinarian, it will one day soon.
Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019
Repro Leaders
Small details add to better preg rate for Becks Flying Cow Dairy Peter and Robyn Beck Princeton, Minn. Mille Lacs County 165 cows What was your average pregnancy rate last year? For 2018, our herd’s pregnancy rate was 26%. Our current 12-month average is 29%. What is your voluntary waiting period for cows? For heifers? For cows the VWP is 60 days and heifers are bred starting at 12 months. What is your rst service conception rate? 45% What is your reproduction program? Do you use a synchronization program? We use a presync to ovsync 56 program on the milking herd. Cows are bred off the second prostaglandin shot if they come into heat. If not, they go onto Ovsync 56. Our goal is to have everyone serviced by 75 days in milk. How do you observe for heat? We visually watch for heat twice a day. How do you conrm pregnant or open cows? We have herd check every four weeks. All eligible cows are checked by our veterinarian via ultrasound. 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 use bulls that have solid production, type (feet, legs, udders), positive components and positive daughter pregnancy rate. Lately, I have been selecting mostly A2 bulls and some polled bulls if I can nd ones that meet my criteria. Once I pick a pool of bulls, all cows and heif-
DANNA SABOLIK/DAIRY STAR
Peter Beck milks 165 cows near Princeton, Minn. Using visual observaƟons, Beck maintains a rst service concepƟon rate of 45%. ers are mated by Select Sires to make sure we get the right bulls for each cow and manage inbreeding. How are cows and heifers bred? Do you have a different philosophy for breeding both? Cow are bred 100% A.I. while the heifers are all started on A.I., but go in with a bull once checked pregnant just in case. I use the same bull selection criteria for both. We do use sexed semen in the heifers for the rst two ser-
vices when the weather is cool. We also use beef bulls exclusively on the bottom one-third of the milking herd, and third service and up. What do you do to settle hard breeders? Cows that are checked open and have not been showing heats or do not have much happening on their ovaries get a CIDR. Turn to BECKS | Page 20
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019 • Page 19
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He and his brother-in-law Reed Stepp (top) now has another way to apply the spray used the Udder Comfort Backpack Sprayer and achieve the results-especially for to spray udders of prefresh groups in headf2-year-olds. In fact, customer trials yield locks. “The backpack is slick, portable, no important new findings. air needed. It sprayed fast and easy, giving us cost-effective uniform coverage from Dairies tested the new Udder Comfort fore-udder to rear-udder,” Josh explains. Backpack Sprayer to spray udders “The 2-year-old groups we did prefresh of prefresh 2-year-olds in headlocks came in with udders full of milk, but so 1x/day for a week prior to calving, soft, no edema. We saw an average of comparing with groups getting it 2 pounds more milk from those heifers only after calving or not at all. at 14 days,” Josh reports. “The biggest thing Here is a sampling. is how it reduced fetching and improved At Lingen Dairy, Balaton, Minnesota, robot attachments. 240 cows milk robotically, and 90 cows “We were fetching fresh 2-year-olds the through the parlor. The herd averages first 2 to 3 weeks of lactation, but on the 87 lbs/cow/day, with SCC 150,000. Udder Comfort prefresh groups, we got For 5 years, Josh that down under a week. That’s huge,” Lingen (left) used he confirms. Udder Comfort “Our attachments are also faster,” Josh routinely on explains. “By softening those first-calf fresh cows after heifers right into calving, the udders went calving. through fewer changes in the first 10 days He then wanted after calving, and it took away that belly to see what edema, making the robots more efficient.” prefresh applications 1x/day for a week At Hard Earned Acres, Shippensburg, before calving would do for heifer Pennsylvania, Bob Keefer milks 700 cows groups calving into the robot barn. in a parallel parlor. RHA is 28,900, with SCC 135,000.
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“Both were improved after we started Udder Comfort on fresh cows 2 years ago,” Bob (right) reports. With headlocks in, he then alternated months for heifer groups to receive Udder Comfort 1x/day for a week prior to calving. The data in two comparisons averaged to show 2.5 pounds more milk. “But what impressed me is we had zero mastitis in the Udder Comfort prefresh groups, but treated 5 for mastitis in the group not getting prefresh Udder Comfort. That’s big,” Bob reports. “I can see the benefits when I line up my prefresh heifers every Friday. We’ll keep doing this.”
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To locate a dealer call 1.888.773.7153 &Žƌ ĞdžƚĞƌŶĂů ĂƉƉůŝĐĂƟ ŽŶ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƵĚĚĞƌ ŽŶůLJ͕ ĂŌ Ğƌ ŵŝůŬŝŶŐ͕ ĂƐ ĂŶ ĞƐƐĞŶƟ Ăů ĐŽŵƉŽŶĞŶƚ ŽĨ ƵĚĚĞƌ ŵĂŶĂŐĞŵĞŶƚ͘ tĂƐŚ ĂŶĚ ĚƌLJ ƚĞĂƚƐ ďĞĨŽƌĞ ŵŝůŬŝŶŐ͘
Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019
ConƟnue to BECKS | Page 18 How many times do you try to breed a cow before you sell her? It really depends on the cow, but it generally is based on how many days in milk she is more so then number of services. Once she gets over 160 days, she has to be pretty exceptional for me to keep breeding her. Is there anything you have done or changed that brought about a signicant improvement in your reproductive program? When I returned to the farm, we started using the presync to ovsync program and made regular herd checks a priority. These things helped us identify open cows faster and get them reserviced faster. We do not do anything overly special, but paying attention to small details pays. Shots are given on time and consistently, heats
or suspected heats are taken seriously and breeding gets done on time using the old a.m./p.m. rule. Sometimes we waste more semen on breeding a cow we only suspect is in heat, but I would rather waste the unit then miss a chance to get her pregnant. Tell us about your farm. Robyn and I milk 150 cows with my dad and sister. We have been transitioning into the farm for the last eight years and bought the animals and machinery last summer. Our herd is around two-thirds Holstein and one-third Jersey. The cows are housed in a sand-bedded freestall barn and milked in a swing-12 parlor. We farm about 250 acres of crops, all used for forage production. We also have a commercial ewe ock and raise our bull calves to 300 pounds. DANNA SABOLIK/DAIRY STAR
Peter Beck uses data stored on his smartphone to check if a cow is open and ready to be bred Sept. 24.
DANNA SABOLIK/DAIRY STAR
Peter Beck observes cows for heats Sept. 24 in his freestall barn. Beck milks 165 cows with his father and sister near Princeton, Minn.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019 • Page 21
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COMBINES 14 Case IH 2188, ‘95, 5500 hrs., 4300 Sep, #162258 ..........$27,900 7 JD 6620, ‘81, 4500 hrs., 4500 Sep, #156979 .....................$8,500 10 JD 9400, ‘97, Corn/Bean, 4412 hrs., 2855 Sep, #161326 $28,500 7 JD 9400, ‘89, Corn/Bean, 6793 hrs., 4198 Sep, #156978 $18,995 5 JD 9450, ‘01, Corn/Bean, 2855 hrs., 1938 Sep, #161067 $43,000 2 JD 9500, ‘95, Corn/Bean, 5018 hrs., 3321 Sep, #161886 $19,500 5 JD 9500, ‘89, Corn/Bean, 5533 hrs., 3741 Sep, #162356.$16,900 7 JD 9600, ‘90, 6778 hrs., 4605 Sep, #155273 ...................$29,500 4 JD 9570 STS, ‘11, Dls, 1333 hrs., 971 Sep, #154420 .....$139,500 7 JD 9650 STS, ‘02, Dls, 5002 hrs., 3459 Sep, #161213 .....$44,900 17 JD 9660 STS, ‘05, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Duals, 3538 hrs., 2331 Sep, #151601..........................................................$64,900 15 JD 9660 STS, ‘05, 3435 hrs., 2551 Sep, #155302 ............$56,750 14 JD 9750 STS, ‘00, 7685 hrs., 5021 Sep, #155851 ............$39,500 10 JD 9770 STS, ‘09, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Duals, 2153 hrs., 1649 Sep, #144243........................................................$117,900 6 JD 9770 STS, ‘08, Dls, 2570 hrs., 1508 Sep, #146342 ...$114,900 4 JD 9870 STS, ‘08, Corn/Bean, Dls, 3200 hrs.,#160885 ..$101,900 16 JD 9870 STS, ‘10, 2WD, Dls, 3242 hrs., 2400 Sep, #161419 $99,500 3 JD 9870 STS, ‘08, Dls, 2662 hrs., 1842 Sep, #143756...$117,900 7 JD S550, ‘12, 2WD, Dls, 1426 hrs., 1077 Sep, #161903 .$154,900 4 JD S660, ‘16, 2WD, Duals, 642 hrs., 473 Sep, #143510 $249,500 2 JD S660, ‘13, Corn/Bean, Dls, 992 hrs., 688 Sep, #154698 $209,500 17 JD S660, ‘15, 2WD, Dls, 786 hrs., 545 Sep, #157075 .....$229,500 17 JD S660, ‘12, 1342 hrs., 1025 Sep, #155239 .................$178,000 6 JD S660, ‘14, Dls, 672 hrs., 381 Sep, #142203 ..............$239,500 15 JD S660, ‘14, 1050 hrs., #155345 .................................$189,500 5 JD S660, ‘14, Corn/Bean, Dls, 990 hrs., 769 Sep, #155826 $230,500 4 JD S670, ‘15, PRWD, Dls, 1308 hrs., 1014 Sep, #143718 $234,900 2 JD S670, ‘12, PRWD, Dls, 2295 hrs., 1834 Sep, #143860 $149,500 7 JD S670, ‘13, 2WD, Dls, 1462 hrs., 998 Sep, #145812 ...$189,500 6 JD S670, ‘14, Dls, 1900 hrs., 1260 Sep, #153514 ...........$192,900 16 JD S670, ‘14, Dls, 1334 hrs., 979 Sep, #151692 ............$209,500 16 JD S670, ‘13, Dls, 1584 hrs., 1190 Sep, #161854..........$180,400 16 JD S670, ‘17, 2WD, Duals, 257 hrs., 186 Sep, #146346 .$349,500 11 JD S670, ‘14, PRWD, Dls, 1757 hrs., 1218 Sep, #144313.$167,000 11 JD S670, ‘17, 2WD, Duals, 773 hrs., 496 Sep, #146349..$234,900 8 JD S670, ‘16, 2WD, Dls, 548 hrs., 372 Sep, #148148......$279,500 8 JD S670, ‘14, Corn/Bean, Dls, 1660 hrs., 1265 Sep, #155388 .$210,000 14 JD S670, ‘14, PRWD, Dls, 969 hrs., 435 Sep, #144312 ...$239,500 17 JD S680, ‘13, PRWD, Dls, 1426 hrs., 1013 Sep, #144322 .$214,900 7 JD S680, ‘13, Dls, 2764 hrs., 1871 Sep, #161858 ..........$169,500 15 JD S680, ‘16, PRWD, Dls, 993 hrs., 718 Sep, #148150 ...$294,000 15 JD S680, ‘13 Corn/Bean, #1384 Sep, #161210 ..............$190,900 15 JD S680, ‘14, Corn/Bean, Dls, 1705 hrs., 1341 Sep, #156460 $205,500 16 JD S680, ‘15, Dls, 1770 hrs., 1133 Sep,#144328...........$239,500 16 JD S680, ‘14, Corn/Bean, Dls, 899 hrs., 671 Sep, #161645.$259,500 16 JD S680, ‘14, Corn/Bean, Dls, 1781 hrs., #159509............$187,400 5 JD S680, ‘14, PRWD, Dls, 1857 hrs., 1248 Sep, #147716.$209,500 5 JD S680, ‘14, Dls, 1804 hrs., 1212 Sep, #158103 ...........$219,500 11 JD S680, ‘12, Dls, 2277 hrs., 1529 Sep, #152167 ...........$149,500 14 JD S680, ‘13, Dls, 2111 hrs., 1391 Sep, #162070............$196,400 3 JD S680, ‘13, PRWD, Dls, 1335 hrs., 967 Sep, #140845...$176,000 3 JD S680, ‘12, Dls, 2262 hrs., 1680 Sep, #154637 ...........$184,000 14 JD S690, ‘14, Corn/Bean, Dls, 1902 hrs., 1422 Sep, #153332 $194,000 14 JD S690, ‘14, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1475 hrs., #161532 .....$217,400
101,900
JD 9570 STS, 2011, $ 1333 hrs., 971sep hrs., #154420
3 JD S690, ‘14, Duals, 1742 hrs., 1303 Sep, #145222 ........$224,900 17 JD S770, ‘18,, Dls, 304 hrs., 228 Sep, #156063 ...............$329,500 14 JD S770, ‘18, 248 hrs., 190 Sep, #155380.......................$389,500 7 JD S780, ‘18, Corn/Bean, Dls, 390 hrs., 268 Sep, #159539 $421,900 15 JD S780, ‘18, PRWD, Singles, 334 hrs., 241 Sep, #157785 .$430,000 16 JD S780, ‘18, Corn/Bean, Dls, 14 hrs., 204 Sep, #161651$425,000 16 JD S780, ‘18, Corn/Bean, Dls, 15 hrs, 283 Sep, #157911 $420,000 16 JD S780, ‘18, Corn/Bean, Dls, 345 hrs., 279 Sep, #154461 $425,000 16 JD S780, ‘18, Corn/Bean, Dls, 402 hrs., 327 Sep, #154560 $425,250 10 Pickett Twin Master, ‘14, #159226 .............................$148,500 COMBINE PLATFORMS 4 JD 620F, ‘12, 20’, Flexible, #152753 ................................$23,900 4 JD 620F, ‘09, 20’, Flexible, #162055 ................................$14,900 7 JD 625F, ‘08, #155436 ....................................................$19,900 6 JD 625F, ‘12, 25’, Flexible, #142196 ...............................$23,900 1 JD 625F, ‘11, 25’, Flexible, #162247 ................................$22,900 5 JD 625F, ‘14, #155236 ....................................................$25,900 17 JD 630F, ‘14, #155241 ....................................................$31,000 7 JD 630F, ‘15, 30’, Flexible, #161556 ................................$33,900 1 JD 630F, ‘06, 30’, Flexible, #143427 ................................$21,500 16 JD 630F, ‘04, 30’, Flexible, #157864 ................................$11,000 5 JD 630F, ‘14, 30’, Flexible, #154411 ...............................$33,900 8 JD 630F, ‘17, #155371 ....................................................$38,900 8 JD 630F, ‘18, #155372 ....................................................$39,900 3 JD 630F, ‘04, 30’, Flexible, #159502 ..................................$9,900 4 JD 635F, ‘08, 35’, Flexible, #150767 ................................$18,900 10 JD 635F, ‘05, 35’, Flexible, #151340 ................................$13,500 17 JD 635F, ‘12, 35’, Flexible, #144268 ................................$18,900 17 JD 635F, ‘10, 35’, Flexible, #157461 ................................$22,600 7 JD 635F, ‘06, 35’, Flexible, #140683 ................................$11,900 7 JD 635F, ‘11, 35’, Flexible, #3161859 ..............................$22,900 7 JD 635F, ‘09, #156903 ....................................................$20,900 6 JD 635F, ‘10, 35’, Flexible, #148646 ................................$21,900 1 JD 635F, ‘13, #155656 ....................................................$28,900 1 JD 635F, ‘12, 35’, Flexible, #143927 ................................$18,900 1 JD 635F, ‘08, 35’, Flexible, #145292 ................................$14,900 15 JD 635F, 35’, Flexible, #153335 ......................................$27,500 15 JD 635F, ‘04, 35’, Flexible, #150449 ...............................$12,900 15 JD 635F, ‘11, 35’, Flexible, #147914 ................................$23,650 15 JD 635F, ‘12, #155553 ....................................................$24,200 16 JD 635F, ‘12, 35’, Flexible, #161644 ................................$33,500 5 JD 635F, ‘10, 35’, Flexible, #142787 ................................$21,900 5 JD 635F, ‘10, #155411 ....................................................$21,500 5 JD 635F, ‘11, 35’, Flexible, #153865 ................................$22,900 14 JD 635F, ‘09, 35’, Flexible, #161084 ................................$18,900 14 JD 635F, ‘14, 35’, Flexible, #161782 ................................$27,900 3 JD 635F, ‘09, 35’ Flexible, #161840 .................................$14,900 3 JD 635F, ‘05, 35’, Flexible, #161856 ................................$17,500 16 JD 635FD, ‘14, 35’ Flex/Draper, #145209 ........................$59,500 16 JD 640FD, ‘14, 40’, Flexible, #144272 .............................$64,900 5 JD 640FD, ‘13, 40’, Flex/Draper, #153979 .......................$58,500 14 JD 640FD, ‘14, 40’, Flex/Draper, #144274 .......................$64,900 16 JD 645FD, ‘17, 45’, Flex/Draper, #154190 .......................$89,500 10 JD 920F, ‘91, 20’, Flexible, #161327 ..................................$4,500 2 JD 925F, ‘97, 25’, Flexible, #161887 ..................................$5,000 CORN & ROW CROP HEADERS 7 JD 893, ‘95, 8R30”, #146709 .......................................... $15,900
139,500
JD S690, 2013, 1318 hrs.,967 Sep $ Hrs., #140845
14 Case IH 1083, ‘94, 8R30”, #161429 .................................$5,900 6 JD 1291, ‘05, 12R22, #152339 ...................................... $15,900 4 JD 1293, ‘96, #156056 .................................................. $17,500 10 JD 606C, ‘13, 6R30”, #151339 ....................................... $45,900 15 JD 606C, ‘13, 6R30”, #161186 ....................................... $45,900 16 JD 606C StalkMaster, ‘11, 6R30”, #162357 ................. $37,900 4 JD 608C, ‘14, 8R30”, #153953 ....................................... $62,000 2 JD 608C, ‘13, 8R30”, #149199....................................... $54,500 17 JD 608C, ‘11, 8R30”, #145585........................................ $44,500 17 JD 608C, ‘14, 8R30”, #154118 ....................................... $62,000 1 JD 608C, ‘09, 8R30”, #143428 ....................................... $35,900 5 JD 608C, ‘12, 8R30”, #148141........................................ $49,500 5 JD 608C, ‘16, #156127 .................................................. $72,500 11 JD 608C, ‘12, 8R30”, #143875........................................ $49,500 8 JD 608C, ‘16, #155387 .................................................. $72,500 14 JD 608C, ‘11, 8R 30”, #149076 ....................................... $45,900 7 JD 612C, ‘15, 12R30”, #145281 ..................................... $82,900 1 JD 612C, ‘13, 12R30”, #151998 ..................................... $52,800 15 JD 612C, ‘14, 12R30”, #151308 ..................................... $83,500 16 JD 612C, ‘09, 12R30” #144257 ...................................... $41,900 8 JD 612C, ‘13, 12R22”, #151723 ..................................... $77,500 8 JD 612C, ‘14, 12R22”, #153843..................................... $87,500 17 JD 612C StalkMaster, ‘11, 12R30”, #151602............... $46,325 7 JD 612C StalkMaster, ‘10, 12R22”, #162069 .............. $53,500 14 JD 612C StalkMaster, ‘09, 12R30”, #162072 ............... $41,900 6 JD 618C, ‘13, #157033 ................................................ $109,500 16 JD 618C, ‘13, 18R22”, #161699 ..................................... $94,500 16 JD 618C, ‘13, 18R22”, #157585 ................................... $109,500 5 JD 618C, ‘13, #156664 ................................................ $109,500 14 JD 618C, ‘14, 18R22”, #160535.................................... $116,900 3 JD 618C, ‘14, 18R22”, #154665...................................... $95,900 8 JD 708C, ‘18, 8R30”, #154389 ....................................... $83,900 8 JD 708C, ‘18, #155386 .................................................. $84,900 8 JD 712C, ‘18, 12R22”, #158176 ................................... $123,900 16 Geringhoff RD 600, ‘06, 6R30”, #161526 .................... $17,500 RIPPERS 6 JD 512, ‘12, #162033..................................................... $15,900 14 JD 512, ‘99, #151026 .................................................... $12,900 5 Case IH 870, ‘12, #160721 ........................................... $43,900 14 Case IH 870, ‘13, #160533 ........................................... $46,400 14 Case IH 870, ‘14, #157580 ........................................... $39,750 15 Case IH 875, ‘14, #150892 ........................................... $62,900 8 Case IH 875, ‘15, #162067 ........................................... $50,400 17 JD 2700, ‘07, #151561 .................................................. $17,900 5 JD 2700, ‘12, #162338 .................................................. $20,900 1 JD 2720, ‘13, #162185 .................................................. $29,900 8 JD 2720, ‘14, #155362 .................................................. $37,900 8 JD 2720, ‘13, #161404 .................................................. $34,900 4 JD 2730, ‘16, #143847 .................................................. $59,500 7 JD 2730, ‘15, #152025 .................................................. $87,205 15 JD 2730, ‘15, #162189 .................................................. $59,400 11 JD 2730, ‘15, #143523 .................................................. $79,500 8 Kuhn 4850, ‘15, #154000 ............................................ $34,900 10 Krause 4850-18, ‘07, #152120 ................................... $19,500 3 Case IH 730C, ‘08, #161896 ......................................... $18,000 17 Summers Disc Chisel, ‘09, #161842 ........................... $12,900 3 Tebben DT7M24, ‘16, #155258 ................................... $10,995
176,000
JD S780, 2018, $ 337 hrs., 279 Sep Hrs., #154461
425,000
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019
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Technology Tour Wednesday, October 2nd
Knowledge Nook Session
Showcasing two VMS V300 farms and PR3100 HD Rotary farm with TSR Teat Spray Robot
Tuesday, October 1 at 11:30am Growing your Business
Knowledge Nook Session Saturday, October 5 at 10:30am 360° Interactive Virtual Facility Tours
Minnesota Dairy Research and Promotion Council seeks candidates
The Minnesota Dairy Research and Promotion Council is seeking candidates to run for board positions in 11 districts. Elected board members represent dairy farmers in their respective districts and make decisions regarding the expenditure of dairy check-off funds. Candidates should be active dairy farmers who are well-informed members of their community and interested in check-off promotion programs. Those interested in running for a seat on the board should contact their local nominating chair by September 30, 2019. After the nomination deadline, a list of the candidates will be available from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA). Mail requests should be sent to Promotion Councils, 625 North Robert Street, St. Paul, MN 55155-2538. Election ballots will be mailed early January. Please contact Ruth White at 651-201-6494 with any questions. Districts by county and township: District 1: Beltrami, Clearwater, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Marshall, Mahnomen, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau. Nominating Chair Al Grunhovd District 3: Becker, Cass, Clay, Hubbard, Wadena. Nominating Chair Bruce Richter District 5: Todd. Nominating Chair Kraig Kruse District 7: Douglas, Grant, Pope, Stevens, Traverse. Nominating Chair Bette Paulzine District 9: Stearns County Townships: Albany, Avon, Brockway, Collegeville, Eden Lake, Fair Haven, Farming, Holding, Krain, Le Sauk, Luxemburg, Lynden, Maine Prairie, Munson, Paynesville, Rockville, St. Augusta, St. Cloud, St. Joseph, St. Martin, St. Wendel, Wakeeld, Zion. Nominating Chair Victor Uphoff District 11: Big Stone, Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Renville, Swift, Yellow Medicine. Nominating Chair David Stelter District 13: Carver, McLeod. Nominating Chair Jick Jeurissen District 15: Dakota, Le Sueur, Rice, Scott. Nominating Chair Nate Kuball District 17: Wabasha. Nominating Chair Brian Yotter
MDA grants available for crop improvement research
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Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: IOWA Kramer Bros. Monticello, IA 319-465-5931 Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290 United-Suckow Dairy Supply West Union, IA 563-422-5355 Postville, IA 563-864-7417
WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bob’s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201 Ederer Dairy Supply Plain, WI 608-546-3713 Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Waunakee, WI 608-849-5043
Mondovi Dairy Systems Inc. Mondovi, WI 715-926-5777 West Salem, WI 608-769-2113 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470 MINNESOTA & SOUTH DAKOTA D&D Ag Supply Pennock, MN 320-599-4466
East Central Dairy Supply Mora, MN 320-679-1029 Farm Systems Melrose, MN 320-256-3276 Watertown, MN 605-886-7401 Sioux Falls, SD 800-284-0015 S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Professional Dairy Systems Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2019 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296. www.delaval.com
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now accepting grant applications for applied crop research that promotes economic growth and environmentally sustainable practices. The MDA anticipates awarding up to $1,050,000 in February 2020 for proposals that will improve agricultural product quality, quantity, or value in Minnesota. Research projects are preferred that support communities of farmers that have experienced inequities or disparities. In addition to underserved agricultural producers, preference will also be given to applicants researching crops that have limited access to other research funds and those that have nancial support from participating partners. Minnesota-based organizations with agricultural research capabilities may apply for funding to improve the state’s $10 billion crop production industry. Grants reimburse the total cost of a project. Applicants can apply for a maximum of $250,000 per project. Applications for the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Program Crop Research Grant will be accepted until 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26. The online application is available at the AGRI Crop Research Grant website. Funding for the competitive grants was established through the AGRI Program to advance Minnesota’s agricultural and renewable energy industries.
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019 • Page 23
Barthel ready to carry on Tri County tradition Perham Stockyards owner purchases sale barn in Motley By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
“As a livestock auctioneer and operating a market, it ts in my plans to do more of the same sales and keep the tradition of Tri County going.” MITCH BARTHEL, TRI COUNTY LIVESTOCK AUCTION
thel also owns Perham Stockyards in Perham, Minn. Barthel auctioneered and managed the rst sale as owner at Tri
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Mitch Barthel points out bidders Sept. 23 while doing a sale at the Perham Stockyards. He recently bought the Tri County Livestock AucƟon in Motley, Minn.
County on Sept. 11. “It was surreal, and I couldn’t believe it was happening,” Barthel said about auctioneering the rst sale in Motley. “It was different and exciting.” The biggest change will be in the name. Although the signs still read Tri County Livestock Auction, Barthel has plans to rename the sale barn Tri County Stockyards LLC to be more consistently branded with Perham Stockyards. While Barthel will serve as auctioneer for the sales, the rest of the approximately 18-person staff will stay the same. Former owner Joe Varner will also stay on the payroll
and continue working at the sale barn. “It’s a great livestock auction, and I get to carry on the tradition,” Barthel said. “It’s a great, great honor. I think it will be good for me and good for the people. It will be a great coalition and really take off.” For now, most other aspects of the sale barn, including the time of the auction each week, will stay the same. All classes of cattle sell on Wednesdays, and there will be special cow sales once a month on Saturdays during the season from December to May. Barthel said nearly 100,000 head of cattle pass through the sale ring
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MOTLEY, Minn. – Mitch Barthel is ready and excited to take on a new venture. He is the new owner of the Tri County Livestock Auction. “As a livestock auctioneer and operating a market, it ts in my plans to do more of the same sales and keep the tradition at Tri County going,” Barthel said. At the beginning of September, Barthel purchased Tri County Livestock Auction in Motley, Minn. Bar-
each year at Tri County, with about 1,500 to 2,000 each week. About 10% of the sales are dairy. “It is heavily beef,” Barthel said. “It’s a very good market, it has a great tradition and has a solid foundation. It’s northern Minnesota’s largest feeder cattle auction. I think it will grow.” Business will continue to operate as normal at Perham Stockyards, where Barthel and his crew sell about 50,000 head of cattle annually. About half of those animals sold are dairy. Barthel is condent in the services his two sale barns can and do provide. “We’re good livestock market operators,” Barthel said. “We provide a good service with top auctioneers and great marketing experience to provide for the customers in Motley and Perham.” Auctioneering has been a part of Barthel’s life since the age of 16 when he attended auctioneering school. Now, 28 years later, Barthel still loves the auctioneering part of his job. “It’s fast paced and a passion for me,” he said. “Auctioneering is all I wanted to do since I was little.” But he also likes the business aspect as well. “We have two really great markets in Minnesota, and I am certainly pleased with both of them,” he said. “I certainly appreciate all our customers, buyers, sellers, employees and truckers. They all do a great job. I’m looking forward to a great future, and any new customers we can gain, we sure would be happy to help them as much as we can.”
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Maquoketa Valley FFA, Spring Grove FFA top Tri-State contest Nearly 400 FFA members from 27 Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin high schools participated in the annual TriState Ag and Dairy Expo held on Thursday, Sept. 12, at Iowa’s Dairy Center in Calmar. The expo featured dairy judging and dairy products contests where students enhanced their evaluation skills on dairy cattle and products. Maquoketa Valley FFA chapter of Delhi, Iowa was named the champion dairy judging team. Team members included Lane Domeyer, Amber Engelken, Carter Kruse and Mason Kruse. Brooke Courtney, of Decorah FFA chapter, was the high-scoring individual of the contest. Maquoketa Valley FFA chapter also topped the non-reasons dairy judging contest. The team consisted of Courtney Geodken, Sarah Goedken and Tara Goedken. Courtney was also the highscoring individual of the non-reasons contest. Spring Grove FFA chapter of Spring Grove, Minn. was named the champion dairy products judging team. Team members included Liz GarciaHolty, Jacine Johaningmeier, Marie Petersen and Kendal VanMinsel where Jacine was also the high-scoring individual of the dairy products contest. Additionally, the Tri-State Ag and Dairy Expo presented an annual award in memory of Dennis Rud, a former FFA instructor and longtime employee of Nelson Dairy Consultants. The award is given to an individual who has
FFA 3. Kelsey Biel, Fillmore Central FFA 4. Payton Olson, St. Charles FFA 5. Kaylea Gossnell, Crestwood FFA Top Teams 1. Maquoketa Valley FFA 2. Fillmore Central FFA 3. St. Charles FFA
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Team members of the Maquoketa Valley FFA chapter inlcude – (from leŌ) Amber Engelken, Lane Domeyer, Carter Kruse and Mason Kruse. The team, of Delhi, Iowa, was rst in the dairy judging contest. had a signicant role in the success of the expo. The recipient of the second annual award was Roger Lenius, who was recognized for his dedication to the expo. The Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Dairy Science Club and agriculture students helped with the preparation of cattle, contests and seminars. In addition to a competition for students, the expo offered seminars on agriculture topics which included linear dairy cattle evaluation, dairy products evaluation and robotic technology.
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Dairy Judging without Reasons Top Individuals 1. Courtney Geodken, Maquoketa Valley FFA 2. Sarah Goedken, Maquoketa Valley FFA 3. Sydney Matthias, Wapsie Valley FFA 4. Austin Hesse, Wapsie Valley FFA 5. Hailey Swanson, Vinton-Shellsburg FFA Top Teams 1. Maquoketa Valley FFA 2. Vinton-Shellsburg FFA 3. Turkey Valley FFA Dairy Products Contest Top Individuals 1. Jacine Johaningmeier, Spring Grove FFA 2. Maci Hummel, Edgewood-Colesburg FFA 3. Jaden Schwarting, Independence FFA 4. Tyson Cota, Eastern Allamakee FFA 5. Luka Schulte, Edgewood-Colesburg FFA Top Teams 1. Spring Grove FFA 2. Edgewood-Colesburg FFA 3. Eastern Allamakee FFA
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Higher limits now available on USDA farm loans
Higher limits are now available for borrowers interested in USDA’s farm loans, which help agricultural producers purchase farms or cover operating expenses. The 2018 Farm Bill increased FSA News & Notes the amount producers can borrow through direct and guaranteed loans available through USDA’s Farm Service Agency and made changes to other loans, such as microloans and emergency loans. Key changes include: – The Direct Operating By Ryan Brunn Loan limit increased from $300,000 to $400,000, and Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. the Guaranteed Operating Loan limit increased from $1.429 million to $1.75 million. Operating loans help producers pay for normal operating expenses, including machinery and equipment, seed, livestock feed and more. – The Direct Farm Ownership Loan limit increased from $300,000 to $600,000, and the Guaranteed Farm Ownership Loan limit increased from $1.429 million to $1.75 million. Farm ownership loans help producers become owner-operators of family farms as well as improve and expand current operations. – Producers can now receive both a $50,000 Farm Ownership Microloan and a $50,000 Operating Microloan. Previously, microloans were limited to a combined $50,000. Microloans provide exible access to credit for small, beginning, niche and nontraditional farm operations. – Producers who previously received debt forgiveness as part of an approved FSA restructuring plan are now eligible to apply for emergency loans. Previously, these producers were ineligible. – Beginning and socially disadvantaged producers can now receive up to a 95% guarantee against the loss of principal and interest on a loan, up from 90%. About farm loans Direct farm loans, which include microloans and emergency loans, are nanced and serviced by FSA, while guaranteed farm loans are nanced and serviced by commercial lenders. For guaranteed loans, FSA provides a guarantee against possible nancial loss of principal and interest. For more information on FSA farm loans, visit www.fsa.usda.gov or contact your local USDA service center. 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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Commodity collaboration builds consumer trust Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019 • Page 27
With an overwhelming majority of consumers removed from agriculture, yet more connected than ever to information and misinformation, it’s no wonder consumers are confused about farming and food production. To help clear up the confusion and build consumer trust in agriculture, Midwest Dairy works closely with ag coalitions – groups made up of ag community members and commodity organizations including dairy, soy, corn, pork and beef – to connect consumers to the farm and equip them with facts to inspire condence in the foods farmers grow and By Jennifer produce. The unied approach Voegele VP, Dairy Experi- to reach consumers is paying off: ence–Marketing Consumers recognize a shared Communications, set of values across commodity Midwest Dairy groups, which helps them build a belief system across all types of food production. Here’s a snapshot of how Midwest Dairy collaborates with ag coalitions throughout the region to reach a variety of audiences. To help Kansas Farm Food Connection (KFFC) reach more suburban women with children in the home, Midwest Dairy and other KFFC commodity members worked with Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead – an agritourism site in Overland Park, the largest Kansas City suburb – to create an art mural display in the Farmstead’s dairy barn. The mural, which highlights modern agriculture’s contributions to Kansas, tells the farming story to more than 400,000 annual visitors, helping build trust in Kansas food production, including dairy. As a member of Iowa Food and Family Project (IFFP), Midwest Dairy collaborated with IFFP on a dairy-themed summer issue of Fresh Pickings, a quarterly magazine that celebrates food, family and farming in Iowa. With June being National Dairy Month and July being National Ice Cream Month, content featured seasonal dairy-based recipes as well as a snapshot of a 2019 U.S Dairy Sustainability Award-winning dairy farm, Cinnamon Ridge Farms, giving 15,000 readers the chance to experience dairy’s farm-to-table journey. Through its involvement with Illinois Farm Families, Midwest Dairy co-coordinated a visit to Mackinson Dairy as part of a joint dairy and beef farm tour for registered dietitians attending the Illinois Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics annual meeting. The experience helped nearly 60 nutrition professionals see rsthand how dairy foods and beef contribute to a healthy diet and a sustainable food system. Collaborative efforts also provide opportunities for farmers to support their communities. Through its work with Ag United’s South Dakota Farm Families, Midwest Dairy has organized numerous on-farm events to connect nearly 2,000 consumers to agriculture. In return for free admission provided by members and local businesses, guests are encouraged to make on-site donations to Feeding South Dakota. Through CommonGround North Dakota and CommonGround Nebraska, which are part of a national movement of farm women working to dispel farming myths and build consumer trust in farm families, Midwest Dairy provides support for on-farm dinners during which consumers and farmers dine together. In North Dakota, more than 100 community
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leaders and health professionals enjoyed a Dinner on the Prairie and an opportunity to participate in a farmer panel discussion which included a North Dakota dairy farmer who shared how dairy is responsiblyproduced, locally-driven and nutrient-rich. In Nebraska, 75 family and consumer science (FACS) teachers attended a Banquet on the Farm, where they uncovered important and truthful information about on-farm food production, which they can include in their classroom curriculum. Coalitions are effective in reaching students, too. Midwest Dairy’s involvement with Missouri Farmers Care has made “Agriculture Education on the Move,” a 10-week hands-on education program geared toward
third graders, available to schools across Missouri. The program engages students – more than 700,000 to date – with a curriculum that covers crops, livestock, soil and water conservation, nutrition, and agricultural careers. Students gain a greater understanding of agriculture and food production, which helps cement a belief in farming practices and healthy eating they can carry into the future. As Midwest Dairy’s relationships with coalitions deepen and efforts evolve based on the ever-changing consumer, it’s exciting to think about how the ag community will continue to reach consumers in the month and years to come.
Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019 Joe Armstrong armst225@umn.edu 612.624.3610 Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130 Hugh Chester-Jones chest001@umn.edu 507-835-3622
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Biting black, lth ies managed differently
Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391
Several dairy professionals reached out this spring and It’s a bit more difearly summer saying they were having y issues. In general, cult to manage black ies at the ies that come to mind as being problematic on the dairy a specic location, such as a are our standard lth ies like house ies, face ies and stable livestock operation, because ies, which can persistently pester cattle it’s too small scale to probut can be pretty well mitigated with propvide long term control. Miner feed and manure management practices. nesota entities such as cities, This year, it seems the majority of comagencies or professional pest plaints are about a different kind of y: The control companies hired by PHOTO SUBMITTED black y. the state, county or city aim Adult black y Many of the ies causing issues this for controlling black ies and year are black ies, commonly known mosquitoes at a large scale by targeting the larval stage when as biting gnats. Black ies are small but they are living in fresh water. Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis mighty feeders. They feed on domestic (Bti) is a toxin derived from a soil bacterium that is effective at By Claire LaCanne animals and humans, and can leave behind killing black y larvae in waterways. Our wet spring contribU of M nasty welts. The species found in Minneso- uted to our increased populations of black ies. Because of the ta are not known to carry or spread any dis- consistent rain and some ooding, cities and agencies were not eases, but they do bite humans and livestock for bloodmeals, able to apply the larval treatments as effectively as usual. therefore, they are more than irritating; they can be a severe On your operation, you can manage black ies like you pest. would manage mosquitoes. Using repellents such as DEET There are about 30 species of black ies in Minnesota, and wearing light-colored clothing can help deter adult black with four species being most prevalent. A few of the species ies from biting humans on the farm. When it comes to livemost often found affecting cattle can be active throughout the stock, you can use permethrin or ivermectin ear tags, and apspring and summer, staying active as late as October. Other ply petroleum jelly inside the ears to reduce bites. Be sure to species of black ies are primarily active in the spring and follow the directions according to the product label. early summer. The black y problem this year highlights the importance Filth ies are mostly just a nuisance, but can cause trou- of correctly identifying your insect pest issue. You could waste bles on the farm. They can transmit pathogens that affect live- time attempting to manage this bugger like you’d manage a stock, be an irritant to the point of stressing livestock and some lth y and likely have limited success. Or, you could work species can bite. Black ies are more closely related to mos- to get the pest properly identied and make informed, more quitoes and have a painful bite, which can disturb cattle and effective, management decisions from there. Black ies are other livestock. The female biting gnat cuts a small chunk of quite small – remember, they’re what many of us consider skin from its victim and applies an anticoagulant that helps gnats – ranging from approximately a one-sixteenth of an inch the spot continue to bleed. Then she feeds on the blood that to one-eighth of an inch, while lth ies are generally larger. ows into the bite. This anticoagulant is part of what causes It is important to note the different species of so-called lth such an intense reaction. They are determined feeders; black ies behave differently from one another, as well, making it ies don’t leave until they have consumed their own weight in important to know what kind of lth ies are causing your host’s blood. The females take bloodmeals to help them form woes, too. their eggs, while the males rely on plant nectar for their energy I cannot reiterate enough that it is worth your time and source. money to accurately identify any pest you are attempting to The distinction between lth ies and black ies may not manage on your farming operation. The University of Minseem especially important, but management differs consider- nesota Extension is one resource you can use to aid in pest ably depending on which insect you’re targeting. Where many identication and recommendations for pest management. of our lth ies can be managed with improved silage, hay, For more information on identifying black ies go online to and feed storage, as well as proper manure management, we https://extension.umn.edu/biting-insects/black-ies. must consider black y biology and life history to better manage these buggers.
Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177 Joleen Hadrich jhadrich@umn.edu 612-626-5620 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711 Nathan Hulinsky huli0013@umn.edu 320-203-6104 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu 612-625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435 Kota Minegishi kota@umn.edu 612-624-7455 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093 Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205 M. Scott Wells mswells@umn.edu 612-625-3747 Emily Wilmes krek0033@umn.edu 320-255-6169
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Armstrong is new U of M Extension Educator Most of the time, I do not tell farmers where I grew up when I rst meet them. I like to get to know producers rst so they are truly surprised when they nd out I grew up in the suburbs of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Often, the rst question they ask is, “How in the world did you end up working with cows?” My cattle background started with family trips to Montana to visit relatives who live on a ranch. The beef industry was something new to me, and the intricate nature fascinated me. Each farm was completely different, with each production system having a unique set of skills due to the different challenges associated with their specic farm. This individualism and lack of cookiecutter design is what drew me to the cattle industry. I attended college at the University of Minnesota-Morris still undecided on where my career would go. What decided my career path was an amazing experience with someone I can’t thank enough. Dr. Jamison lives in southwest Iowa in the small town of By Joe Armstrong Sydney. A general practitioner working mostly with beef cattle, Dr. DVM Jamison opened his home and business to me. I lived with him and worked for the clinic for three summers. Seeing how involved Doc was in the community and the impact he had with his producers convinced me I wanted to go to veterinary school to earn my DVM. As it turned out, learning all I could and earning my degree were the least important aspects of veterinary school because school allowed me to meet my wife, Alexandra. Alex is also a veterinarian. She works as a boarded anatomical pathologist with the University of Minnesota and is currently working towards her Ph.D. OK, back to cows. Veterinary school at the University of Minnesota allowed me to spend time working with dairy and cemented for me that it didn’t matter if I worked with beef or dairy as long as it was bovine. After earning my DVM, I practiced at Anderson Veterinary Service in Zumbrota, Minn., and split my time evenly between beef and dairy. As a general practitioner, I was most thankful for the variety of my experiences. I was able to work with all sizes of dairies, heifer growers, calf raisers, feedlots, cow/calf operations, stockers and auction markets. Most of all, being in general practice gave me a valuable perspective of the real world. My No. 1 goal in my new role at the University of Minnesota is to maintain the grounded perspective I developed by working with producers every day in practice. My ofcial title is Cattle Production Systems Regional Extension Educator. Overall, I have decided this means my position is to develop educational materials and assist with research that arms producers with the information they need to make positive and impactful choices for their system(s). I have state-wide responsibilities in this task for both beef and dairy. I will be working as a team member of both the beef and dairy Extension teams to address educational topics in the industry. Additionally, I will be working closely with industry representatives to identify and work towards common goals. What does this mean for producers, industry representatives and veterinarians? It means I want to hear from you, and it means I need your input. I am in this position to help producers be more successful and to do this effectively I need to know what producers and the industry want. An open dialogue and interaction will allow my research and educational materials to be meaningful to producers and the industry as a whole. Currently, I am getting settled at the university and trying to get used to not palpating cows every day. On my radar right now are several topics including parasite resistance, alternatives to feed-grade antibiotics, vaccination protocol review, the national cattle identication system and traceability. Of course, there are many more topics I am interested in related to health and management, but there are too many to list here. As a veterinarian, I am aware of the relationships developed between the producer and their veterinarian. As a result, I will not be practicing veterinary medicine in a traditional sense in my position in Extension. Rather, I will be working in more of a consultant role when on-farm. In addition, if I visit any farms as a consultant I will notify the veterinarian that holds the veterinary client-patient relationship (VCPR) and work with them to make any recommendations. I hope to serve the industry and the producers of Minnesota in an impactful way. I am excited to work together to move our industry forward with evidence-based knowledge. Please reach out with questions, comments, concerns or ideas. You can reach me by phone at 612-624-3610 or by email at armst225@umn.edu. I look forward to hearing from you.
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Camping calamities Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019
Camping has become an extremely popular that I was already experiencing as much of the Great activity. Look at any given highway on any given Outdoors as I could stand. summer weekend and you will see an endless parade “But wouldn’t you like to wake up to a change of campers, ranging from a tarp and some sticks to of scenery?” she might ask. I’d reply that I could luxurious mobile mansions. You could probably walk rearrange the bedroom while she’s asleep if that the entire length of this great would make her happy. land of ours on the roofs of How did I come to IIt was glorious l i to watch h the h travel trailers. hold camping in roughly the Here’s what I think: you sun sink slowly in the west as I same esteem as hemorrhoid can have them all. surgery? To answer that, we I often share this settle into my outdoor digs. must travel back in time to sentiment with my wife, when I was 7 years old and much to her dismay. This was bitten by the camping is because she actually likes camping. She has even bug. tried to talk me into partaking in outdoorsy outings. One summer afternoon Mom was hanging the “C’mon,” she would say, “Wouldn’t it be fun to wash out on the clothesline. She had laundered experience the Great Outdoors?” I would point out bedding, and I couldn’t help but notice how the sheets that the Great Outdoors is a farmer’s workspace and nearly touched the lawn. With a bit of nagling and
some help from a few sizable rocks, I was able to secure a sheet to the ground on both sides. Ta-da! Instant pup tent. By the time Mom came back to retrieve the laundry, I had settled into my new digs. I had Dear County Agent Guy pillaged the kitchen, ransacked my bedroom and had lain in a supply of food, blankets and my favorite pillow. I pleaded with Mom to leave the sheet, telling her that the makeshift tent was my new permanent residence. It was glorious to watch the sun sink By Jerry Nelson slowly in the west as I Columnist settled into my outdoor digs. But then I began to notice some spooky shadows out in the grove. The same benevolent trees that had been my playground during the day began to look rather ominous. The darker and dimmer the world became, the harder my imagination worked. A peculiar rustling sound reached my ears. Just the wind, I told myself. Or was some deranged axe murderer skulking about, searching for his next victim? And what was slinking around out there in the deepening gloom? That looked a lot like a tiger. I quickly decided that I’d had enough of the rugged outdoor life and headed for the house. I was calmly strolling along when I suddenly noticed that a ravenous wolf was close at my heels. I made a mad dash for the house, shattering the land speed record for sprinting 7-year-olds. I breathlessly burst through the front door of our farmhouse. Only then did I notice that the wolf was our happy-go-lucky farm dog, Skippy. She had thought that we were playing tag. That terrifying experience plus the fact that I had to spend an entire night without my favorite pillow soured me on camping. I didn’t try camping again until I was an adult. My wife, our two young sons and I were visiting my wife’s aunt and uncle in California. We were offered the use of their camper to help save on lodging expenses. By the time it was over, I would wish that we had ponied up for a nice hotel. The travel home wasn’t especially spacious. Its main bed, where my wife and I slept, took up much of its middle portion. Our boys were assigned to a bunk located above the main bed. That evening, my childhood nighttime terrors revisited me. I was snoozing soundly when, without warning, a heavy something-or-the-other whumped me on the chest. My wife was startled awake by my loud OOF. She and I both assumed that I was being attacked. My wife leapt up in alarm, switched on a light and discovered that our slumbering 6-year-old son had rolled off the top bunk. “Good thing you were there to break his fall,” she said. “Otherwise he might have gotten hurt.” “Yeah,” I replied, rubbing my bruised sternum. The boy didn’t even wake up. The next morning, he was highly embarrassed to learn that he had slept between Mom and Dad. And that’s why I have such a low opinion of camping. Although maybe I would feel differently if I were allowed to bring along my favorite pillow. Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, S.D. He and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry currently works full time for the Dairy Star as a staff writer/ad salesman. Feel free to E-mail him at: jerry.n@ dairystar.com. PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT!
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Corn silage conundrums
This growing season presented a wide variety of challenges for corn silage growers and producers across the Midwest. Delayed planting, cooler temperatures and a lack of sunlight dramatically slowed growing degree Something to Ruminate On days. In addition, heavy rainfall throughout the season and into harvest has presented another layer of challenges. Corn silage often receives praise for the consistency it brings to a dairy ration. But with the multiple variables listed above, many producers may see signicant variation By Barry Visser across their elds. Nutritionist For many, corn silage harvest is in full swing or already completed. For others, it has yet to begin. Harvesting immature corn silage Harvesting and feeding immature corn silage is a likely potential for many producers this fall. As harvest is delayed, the risk for frost becomes more likely. Do everything you can to harvest corn silage at the right dry matter content. The target range for harvest is 30 to 38%, depending on the storage structure. If immature corn silage is harvested with less than 30% dry matter, kernel processing may not be needed. In addition, you may need to extend chop length beyond your normal target. After a frost, immature corn silage will most likely be too wet to harvest and may need to stand in the eld for several days for further drying. The leaves will brown and give the appearance of rapid dry down. However, since most of the moisture is in the stalk and ear, the plant will look drier than it actually is. Use whole plant dry matter to determine when to harvest. Milk line is not a good indicator of harvest time with immature or frosted corn silage. Feeding immature or frosted corn silage Immature corn silage is higher in crude protein, sugar and neutral detergent ber (NDF), and lower in starch than mature corn silage. NDF digestibility is often higher with immature corn silage, but environmental conditions at different phases of plant growth can inuence these results. Energy value of immature corn will typically be 80 to 95% of the normal maturity corn silage. If you are challenged with feeding immature corn silage, work closely with your nutritionist at adjust for these differences. Corn silage harvest is ready, but the elds are not Recent rains on already saturated elds have created conditions where elds are simply impassible. By the time equipment will carry, silage dry matter may be above our target range. If you are faced with chopping corn silage above 40% dry matter, it is recommended to reduce chop length for better fermentation and packing. Roll gap clearance will likely need to be tightened to ensure maximum kernel processing. Adding water to silage that is too dry is not very effective due to the large quantity needed to have an impact. If you have the option to blend immature corn with this high-dry-matter corn silage, this can help. At least try to position your wettest forage on the top layer of the pile or bunker. In a few cases, the option to shift from corn silage to snaplage or earlage may be a partial solution when dealing with muddy elds. Remember the basics Regardless of the harvest challenges you may face, always employ the best harvest management practices possible. My August column listed several options for maximizing packing density. With the excessive moisture comes greater potential for molds and mycotoxins. A well-researched bacterial inoculant will enhance fermentation and improve dry matter recovery. Covering piles and bunkers with a proven oxygen barrier plastic will further reduce the potential for spoilage in the top several feet of forage. Most importantly, keep safety at the forefront of your harvest goals. Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019 • Page 31
Rain delay
Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019
This year’s harvest season has been placed on of stats and maybe play bits of a song to pass the a rain delay. I hope it is just a temporary break. It time, farmers are left to nd other things to do as seems we can’t put together at least four days of well: Fix, grease and tighten chains on everything. clear skies, sunshine and Analyze options of which drying winds. Just as the elds to take out rst and rain puddles start to recede Y how you’re going to get in You would ld think hi k a rain i d delay l and we’re not slipping and out of them. Make a list sideways with feed carts would be a good thing, but of all the things you would across the yard, another like in baseball, it is just like to get done but will weather system barrels never complete. Slowing through leaving us to another way of killing time down, twiddling your twiddle our thumbs as we until you can get back to the thumbs and enjoying the wait to dry out again. reprieve in action doesn’t You would think a rain action. seem to cross anyone’s delay would be a good mind as an option to all the thing, but like in baseball, rushing chaos which will it is just another way of killing time until you can soon be our normal state of mind. get back to the action. As announcers rehash piles Mark has been so anxious to be doing something
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that he hooked up the haybine and mowed down the dried sweet corn stalks in the garden. He wanted to clean up his view from the barn window. He was tired of looking at the dead corn. It kept reminding him of how quickly the corn is drying down and is ready to chop. But we are in a holding Just Thinking Out Loud pattern until the rains have moved out of the forecast. The elds are holding too much moisture to be traveling down dirt roads without leaving deep ruts from stuck tractors and boxes. I would hate to create new jobs to add to the list of things that By Natalie Schmitt have to be done before Columnist it freezes. Since Mark has to be doing something, we went cruising on a Sunday afternoon in his dad’s old truck. Ralph bought a ‘52 black Ford pickup truck in 1954 to haul milk cans to town with a family of ve kids and Mom tucked in every available space of the cab. Good thing they were all little. Over time, the truck became obsolete and too slow for a fast moving farmer. Ralph didn’t want to part with the truck, so he moved it to the weeds behind a shed. With teenage sons in the late ‘70s, the truck was resurrected and updated with shag carpeting stuck everywhere – the dash, the ceiling, the doors – to make it look cool. Then as quickly as it was brought back to life, it was returned to the weeds once again. When Ralph retired, he needed something to do. He couldn’t just twiddle his thumbs. He needed a project. He pulled the old truck out of the weeds once again, but this time he xed her up right. Many summer days, the truck would be seen cruising around with Ralph and Mary Lou enjoying the cab to themselves as they checked out the crops and fall colors. As we head down the road for a Sunday afternoon drive, Mark settles in at 40 miles per hour, a speed which is just perfect to get somewhere but nowhere in particular and still enjoy the view. The view at 40 mph is so different than at 60-plus mph on the same road. We always seem to be running late and in a rush to get some place that we miss the simple beauty along the way. With the slower speed, your eyes have a chance to focus in on small things you missed before. You notice a small silo hidden behind a dilapidated barn. We gure today’s chopper boxes could ll it to the top in just three loads, but it was just the right size back in the day when it was new. At cruising speed you can enjoy the landscape of yards as you pass by noticing the different colors of mums and tinges of red in the maple leaves. With the slower speed and no radio, you lose yourself in thoughts as your head nods in sync with the breaks in the pavement. The only sounds heard are the purr of the engine and the rush of wind past the cab. I never realized how quiet our vehicles are today. Sound proong and shock absorbers are great additions! As we slurp up the last of our root beer, we pull back into the yard. What a great slow and lazy Sunday afternoon. We haven’t done this in a long time and all it took was a rain delay in the harvest season. I know sitting around and twiddling your thumbs isn’t something you want to be doing, but it might be the thing you need to be doing to stay on track. There are really only a few things we have control over and the weather is not one of those things. The only thing we can control with the weather is how we deal with the events. If you’re in a rain delay, take it as an opportunity to get other things done and checked off the list because once the delay is over, the action in the eld will pick up once again. Be safe out there! Natalie, Mark and his brother Al, farm together near Rice, Minn. They milk 100 registered Holsteins under the RALMA prex. Their four children are grown up and all involved in agriculture with hopes of someone returning to the farm. For questions or comments, please e-mail Natalie at mnschmitt@jetup.net.
Perfect summer getaways
We started the summer with a family road trip to Wyoming. The decision to head West for my second-niece’s graduation party was fairly last-minute, but it was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. We literally hit the road the minute school got out. The van looked like a scene out of a National Lampoon’s movie; with all of our gear and luggage, we could hardly see Daphne in the back seat. A few miles into the trip, we started our rst book on tape. We didn’t pack any movies along for Dairy Good Life the adventure or any electronic devices. We also did the majority of our driving during the day. Glen and I wanted the kids to see the sights of the trip; not have their eyes glued to screens. By the time the trip was through, we nished ve audio books. And, indeed, they were able to take in all the geographical wonders of the Badlands and the Rocky Mountains. When I tell people the trip was nearly perfect, the sentiment comes from the feeling of balance. We spent two nights in a hotel and two nights camping in our tent. (Four nights in a tent, sleeping on the ground might have done me in.) We spent two days of the trip By Sadie Frericks visiting with family at my cousin’s, while the kids ran Columnist wild in the Wyoming wilderness with their cousins and second-cousins. We spent two days together with just our family – one of which was touring Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone was amazing. We marveled at the snow-covered mountains and the switchback highways – and the lack of guardrails. We hiked. We explored meandering streams, waterfalls, and geysers. We saw moose, pronghorns, grizzly bears, and countless other creatures. (The kids were actually counting, but I lost track.) We had a close encounter (from safely inside our vehicle) with a herd of bison. We were close enough to answer the question we had been pondering: do bison cows have four teats or two teats? All in all, Yellowstone was magical. I learned later that the magic might just be the trees. According to research done in Japan, when we spend time in the forest, we are “undergoing an invisible reaction with phytoncides – active chemical substances given off by plants. [These] compounds do our body good.” Maybe this is why folks who live in the city are drawn to wilderness activities like camping and backpacking. As Labor Day approached, signaling the end of summer and the start of the school year, Glen decided we should sneak in one more camping trip. I agreed that a little getaway would be wonderful. We packed our gear into our little green sh house – affectionately known to us as Casa Verde. We bought the sh house a couple years ago so our employees would have a place to nap between shifts or change clothes after coming from school. We have actually used it to go ice shing and deer hunting, as well. We had planned to use it for camping last summer, but it ended up storming that weekend, so we canceled the trip. It turned out to be perfect. We had a spot nestled in amongst a stand of old oak trees. We were a stone’s throw away from the water. The night was still enough to hear the wildlife around us. The temperature was cool enough to make the warmth from our campre cozy and welcoming. There were no bugs, so it didn’t matter if the kids left the door open on Casa Verde. We roasted hotdogs over the re and treated the kids to s’mores and campre pies. Over and over, the kids declared that this camping trip was the best idea ever. Where did we go camping? In our pasture. One of the paddocks by our big pond was vacant at the time, so Glen pulled Casa Verde out there. We didn’t spend half of a day packing, we didn’t have to drive 1,400 miles to get there, we didn’t have to hire a relief milker, and we didn’t spend an extra penny for the experience. I’ve been saying for years now that we should offer a camping site in our pasture as an agri-tourism venture. But we’d never actually camped there ourselves. Plus, it’s not always easy for us to take off for a week or weekend, so Glen gured, “why not take full advantage of what we have right here?” With great certainty, I can say there will be many more perfect summer getaways right here in our pasture. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minn. They have three children – Dan, 11, Monika, 8, and Daphne, 5. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019
The timing was right for a win Malone embraced chance to show favorite cow
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“I’ve been wanting to show this cow at the state fair since I showed her as a fall calf four years ago,” he said. Every year when county By Danna Sabolik fair time came along, his danna.s@dairystar.com prized cow was dry. “I’m glad I nally had a OTTERTAIL, Minn. – chance to show her again,” Blake Malone was born to Malone said. As a fall calf, she did be a showman. His father and mother, Justin and Mar- well, but not as well as she ea, both showed before him. has done this year. Malone exhibited her at Although his mom showed beef cattle, his dad’s prefer- an open show in Wadena, ence for dairy won him over. Minn., in June and won sec“I really like showing ond place overall. “That made me excited cattle,” Malone said. for county fair,” he said. He is good at it, too. At the Ottertail County This year, Malone won the 4-year-old Red and Fair in late July, she won White cow class at the Min- overall dairy animal. That nesota State Fair, as well made Malone even more exas champion cow for that cited to compete in St. Paul, Minn. Throughout “I’ve been wanting to PHOTO SUBMITTED the summer, Malone Blake Malone wins the 4-year-old and overall Red and White cow class at the Minnesota State show this cow at the worked with his Fair Aug. 24 in St. Paul, Minn. Malone’s parents, JusƟn and Marea, milk 300 cows near OƩertail, cow to get her lookstate fair since I showed ing her best and pre- Minn. for the show her as a fall calf four pared As for his prize cow, by clipping and especially when trimming on what I’ve learned from Malone hopes to breed her my parents,” he said. grooming her me- the udder.” years ago.” The Malones milk 275 soon so she will not be dry at ticulously. Malone is sharing his cows in a swing-15 parlor. county fair time. “I always try love of showing with his BLAKE MALONE, “I have two years of 4-H Justin manages morning STATE 4ǧH DAIRY SHOW PARTICIPANT to be careful when siblings. He is the oldest of left, so I hope I can show her milking with two helpers I’m clipping,” he eight children, with twins on again at least once,” Malone and Blake is responsible for breed. He also received sec- said. “I really take my time the way. said. “I have high hopes for evening milking with two ond place for the Net Merit because one kick and you “Five of them show now, this cow.” competition. could really ruin something, so I try to help them and pass other helpers.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019 • Page 35
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DAIRY STAR FILE PHOTO
AƩendees of the Minnesota Milk Conference and Expo take in an educaƟonal seminar at the 2018 event. This year Minnesota Milk Producers AssociaƟon is partnering with Midwest Forage AssociaƟon and Upper Midwest Dairy Industry AssociaƟon for the conference and expo.
Collaboration to benet other sectors of industry By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
BUFFALO, Minn. – Minnesota’s dairy industry will convene this December for a conference unlike any other event of its kind. Minnesota Milk Producers Association recently announced a collaboration with Midwest Forage Association and the Upper Midwest Dairy Industry Association for the annual dairy conference and expo set for Dec. 3-4 in Welch, Minn. “The purpose of the expo is to connect the farmer side of the industry with people in the industry,” said MMPA Education Director Jenna Davis. “Each organization has a niche part of the industry that can benet from this partnership.” The conference will function similarly to events in the past, but with educational sessions also catering to
“This is our chance to be one big cohesive group that connects the dots of different segments of the industry.” JENNA DAVIS, MN MILK PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION
forage producers, eld representatives and Minnesota Department of Agriculture inspectors. During this event, both MMPA and UMDIA will host their annual meetings, while MFA will use the conference as the second leg in their Tour de Forage educational series. In 2018, roughly 500 farmers and vendors convened for MMPA’s annual conference at Treasure Island Casino. This year, Davis expects atten-
dance to be boosted with the addition of two organizations and their members. MFA and UMDIA typically attract 100 and 70 attendees to their yearly events, respectively, said Davis. “Most importantly, this event will let people network and expand their opportunities,” Davis said. “Maybe they’ll talk to someone they’ve never talked to before and take home a solution or idea that will help their farm.” Such collaboration is something MMPA has been looking for to create greater value for its producer members. In speaking with the other organizations, Davis found the interest was reciprocated. While both MMPA and UMDIA are evidently reliant on each other, as dairy farmers, MFA also holds value in the industry. Plus, the forage organization is looking to garner more interest from livestock producers, Davis said. “It all ties together so nicely,” Davis said. “We’re able to bridge the gap and combine all aspects of the dairy industry.” With board members’ approval of the partnership, Davis and her coworkers set to develop a conference catered to each industry organization. Although, hosting a larger conference in the same location as previous shows has been Davis’ greatest challenge. “The biggest thing we’ve had to gure out is the logistics and ow of the agenda,” Davis said. “We want to make sure there’s something for everyone and everyone has the opportunity to listen to whatever session they want.” With just over two months until the new conference, Davis is looking forward to offering an educational networking opportunity for dairy farmers unlike any other in the state. “We all want to be here for dairy farmers,” Davis said. “This is our chance to be one big cohesive group that connects the dots of different segments of the industry.” For the full agenda and registration details, visit www.mnmilkexpo. com.
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019
Women In Dairy Karen Mallow Ixonia, Wis. Jefferson County 40 cows Family: My husband, Joe, and I have one daughter, Ann. Tell us about your farm. We milk in a double-4 at barn parlor and house our cows in a freestall barn. We raise our own dairy replacements and farm 250 acres of land. We also rent a separate freestall barn to our daughter for her own herd whose milk goes into a separate bulk tank. I help with milking by being in the holding area, I feed calves with Ann, help with eld work and do the farm books. What’s the busiest time of day for you? It depends on the day and the seasons, but morning and night milkings are usually the busiest.
When you get a spare moment what do you do? I like to craft, read and spend time with my family. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. Watching our daughter milk her separate herd of cows the rst day she started in her own business.
What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I enjoy working side by side with my husband and daughter every day. I like working with the cows and also doing eld work. I really enjoy unloading feed at the bagger. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? I am part of the Dairy Girl Network and also enjoy visiting with other farmers in the area. Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? Why? My parents and my in-laws, who both farmed, and many farmers in the community have inspired me to farm. Everyone was so supportive when I quit my veterinary technician job to work on the farm with Joe 21 years ago.
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If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be and why? Pam Jahnke, the “Farm Babe,” because she does so many wonderful things to promote the dairy industry. What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? Explain. We took our rst and only family vacation in 2012. We went to Dubuque, Iowa, and Moline, Ill., to see the John Deere combine being built. It was a wonderful getaway. We try to take day trips every summer to see different parts of Wisconsin. What are some words you like to live by? The devil whispered in my ear, “You’re not strong enough to withstand the storm.” Today I whispered in the devil’s ear, “I am the storm.”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019 • Page 37
Adding value to their milk
6$8. &(175( 01 3KRQH $VN IRU 5DOSK RU 6WHYH
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7780, 2014, 1301 Hrs, RWA $239,000 7550, 2008, 1442 Hrs, RWA $132,900 7700, 2007, 1570 Hrs, RWA $169,500 6810, 1996, 4925 Hrs, 2WD ..$29,500 5830, 1990, 4569 Hrs, RWA ..$35,900 5460, 1978, 4542 Hrs, RWA. .$16,500 Claas 890, 2002, 2290 Hrs .. $96,000 NH FR9090, 2008,1998 Hrs $139,000 All hours listed are “cutter hours�.
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Amber McComish displays a freshly made container of McComish Family Farms Fresh Bourbon Jersey Caramel Gelato. McComish and her family make gelato on their 200-cow dairy farm near Shullsburg, Wis.
McComishes begin producing gelato By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
SHULLSBURG, Wis. – A desire to add diversiďƒžcation to their family’s dairy farm, along with the desire to do something new and different, led Joe and Amber McComish to enter the world of gelato making. The McComishes along with their three children, Hunter, 6, Killian, 5, and Meara, 1, and Joe’s parents, Tim and Kim, milk 200 dairy cows on their 2,000acre family farm near Shullsburg, Wis. “We started researching doing valueadded for about three years,â€? Amber McComish said. “We ďƒžrst started out looking at cheese, which is kind of the natural product. It takes a lot of time and money to do that, business-wise and to get all the licensing for myself to be able to do that.â€? With the state of milk prices, the McComishes wanted to start their journey in creating a value-added product as soon as
possible. “The whole reason we are doing this is for our kids. We just don’t want them to have to worry about milk prices in the future,â€? McComish said. “We want to be self-sufďƒžcient, and not wait for any laws or the government to ďƒžx things.â€? While they were searching for the value-added product that would best suit their needs and ďƒžt their business, a friend suggested they look into making gelato. “Once we started looking at gelato, the more we looked, the more we liked it,â€? McComish said. “It’s a product that can be made from our own milk. There is no by-product; it’s just our milk and ingredients.â€? Gelato is an Italian frozen dairy dessert that McComish said is denser and creamier than American-style ice cream. It contains more whole milk than cream, and is typically served warmer than ice
$132,900
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Amber McComish measures ingredients for gelato. An accurate measurement of ingredients is key to keeping the ďƒžnal product consistent from batch to batch.
Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019
ConƟnued from MCCOMISH | Page 37 cream. It has a fat content of about 5 to 7%, compared to ice cream which can go as high 18%. “Gelato tends to have a stronger avor because there is not as much fat or as much air. The avor is more intense,” McComish said. The McComishes began searching for a creamery to work with, making gelato from the milk produced on their farm. They were unsuccessful locating a creamery to work with, so McComish made the decision to start making gelato on her own, using purchased whole milk, in March. “I literally started with a countertop freezer, an ice cream maker, and started putting stuff together,” McComish said of the beginnings of her gelato making. “It was a challenge; things like nding a place to get avors and things like that because I was so small. They didn’t take me seriously.” After working with the process of making gelato in her own kitchen, McComish decided it was the right product for creating a value-added business for their farm, and she set out to begin to create the new business. She worked with the Center for Dairy Research and the Southwest Wisconsin Small Business Association, learning how to launch the business. Eventually she located a business incubator in Platteville, Wis., with a certied kitchen she could rent space and time in, and began making McComish Family Farms Fresh Gelato in earnest. “The help I’ve received
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Joe and Amber McComish and their three children – (from leŌ) Meara, 1, Hunter, 6, and Killian, 5 – milk 200 cows with Joe’s parents, Tim and Kim, near Shullsburg, Wis. The family started making gelato last March. from those entities has helped me quite a bit, to get started and get going this fast,” McComish said. From a recipe standpoint, McComish started perfecting her own style of vanilla, which serves as the base for the other avors she has developed. “Once you have the base avor, it’s a matter of just adding ingredients to it to create new avors,” McComish said. “It’s not necessarily a science, but an art. You just have fun with it because it is a dessert, a treat.” The avors McComish has developed to date include her original Classy Cow Vanilla,
Highly Calf-enaited, Irish Mint, Amaretto Cherry, Over the Moon, Bourbon Jersey Caramel and French Cow Pie. McComish keeps detailed records of her recipes and the ingredients used in each batch of gelato she creates. She has been working to get her gelato into area restaurants and stores, and she has also been catering events, providing her gelato as a special dessert. One local restaurant that serves McComish Family Farms Fresh Gelato has been creating frozen cocktails with the gelato, in addition to serving it as a dessert. She packages her gelato into
6-ounce, 8-ounce and pint-sized containers for sale in stores and for restaurants. She also uses steel trays to prepare the gelato for her catering events. During her three-year research period, McComish began to build a social media presence for her family’s farm to help build name-recognition. “I’ve developed a Facebook page, getting people to follow us, as advocates in the industry to practice getting myself out there,” McComish said. “You literally have to put yourself out there as a business to be successful.” In addition to creating an
IMPROVING AGRICULTURE!
image for the family farm, McComish began to work on the creation of a logo that would be used for marketing the gelato. “I found I have a niche for marketing and branding, which is kind of fun,” McComish said of her work to create the valueadded business. Within the next year, the McComishes plan to bring the production of their gelato on to their farm by creating their own certied kitchen in a refer trailer. This will allow them to transition from using purchased whole milk to using milk produced by their own cows. “It’s been fun to showcase our cows in the marketing,” McComish said. “We are hoping to use the Jersey milk with the higher fat content, which is perfect for gelato.” In addition to creating an on-farm processing facility, McComish hopes to have a food truck in the future to help facilitate the catering events. This winter, McComish hopes to travel to Italy, the home of gelato, to attend the Gelato University near Bologna, Italy. She hopes to learn more of the intricacies of gelato making, particularly how to make gelato incorporating fresh fruits, with an eye on being able to use local fruits next summer. McComish is excited for the future of her family’s dairy farm and said the creation of the gelato business has added a new layer to that excitement. “I really like telling our story and that is what this spanned from,” McComish said. “We took a problem, and found a way to solve it.”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019 • Page 39
with Josh and Sarah Moga and Ben Wojcik
Josh and Sarah Moga, Ben Wojcik Marshland Dairy LLC Spencer, Wis. Marathon County 135 cows How did you get into farming? We started in 2007 with a small herd of 13 cows. In 2013 we moved to Spencer and started Marshland Dairy. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? We are worried about trade and the instability of the milk markets. What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? We have started genomic testing so we can raise fewer heifers and in the future do more in-vitro fertilization. What is the management practice you changed in the past year that has beneted you? We updated our vaccination program. What cost-saving steps have you implemented during the low milk prices? We have purchased more of our own farm equipment so we can do more ourselves without having to custom hire it. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. Persistence and drive when faced with an obstacle; we continue to push through until we overcome it. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? We enjoy working with animals and our family every day. It is also nice being your own boss.
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Ben Wojcik (from leŌ), along with his sister, Sarah Moga and her husband, Josh, operate Marshland Dairy near Spencer, Wis. What advice would you give other dairy farmers? If you like what you’re doing, keep moving forward. It can only get better. What has been the best purchase you’ve made on your farm? A new vacuum pump for the parlor. It was a large cost savings on the electricity bill.
What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? In the creation of Marshland Dairy, the remodel of the whole farm was quite an accomplishment.
How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? We are active in 4-H and Boy Scouts. We also enjoy showing cattle, hunting and watching football.
What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? In the next year we have no plans for change, but in the next ve years we plan to double our herd size.
An injectable aqueous supplemental source of zinc, manganese, selenium and copper KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN CAUTION: FEDERAL LAW RESTRICTS THIS DRUG TO USE BY OR ON THE ORDER OF A LICENSED VETERINARIAN. ACTIVE SUBSTANCES PER ML: Zinc .................................................................. 60 mg/mL Manganese ..................................................... 10 mg/mL Selenium ........................................................... 5 mg/mL Copper .............................................................. 15 mg/mL
DIRECTIONS: This product is only for use in cattle. MULTIMIN® 90 is to be given subcutaneously (under the skin) ONLY. It is recommended to administer the product in accordance with Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) guidelines. Minimum distance between injection sites for the MULTIMIN® 90 product and other injection sites should be at least 4 inches.
OTHER SUBSTANCES: Chlorocresol 0.1% w/v (as preservative).
Inject under the loose skin of the middle of the side of the neck. Max volume per injection site is 7 ml.
PRECAUTION: Selenium and copper are toxic if administered in excess.
Subcutaneous injection in middle of side of neck.
Store Between 15°C and 30°C (59°F and 86°F).
Always follow recommended label dose. Do not overdose.
DOSAGE RECOMMENDATIONS: CALVES: Up to 1 year ......... 1 mL/per 100 lbs. bodyweight CATTLE: From 1-2 years ... 1 mL/per 150 lbs. bodyweight CATTLE: Over 2 years ........ 1 mL/per 200 lbs. bodyweight
It is recommended that accurate body weight is determined prior to treatment. Do not use concurrently with other injectable selenium and copper products.
SUPPLEMENTATION PROGRAM
Do not use concurrently with selenium or copper boluses. Do not use in emaciated cattle with a BCS of 1 in dairy or 1-3 in beef. Consult your veterinarian. CAUTION: Slight local reaction may occur for about 30 seconds after injection. A slight swelling may be observed at injection site for a few days after administration. Use standard aseptic procedures during administration of injections to reduce the risk of injection site abscesses or lesions.
BULLS
3 times per year
BEEF COWS
4 weeks before breeding 4 weeks before calving
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CALVES
at birth at 3 months and/or weaning
HEIFERS
every 3 months – especially 4 weeks before breeding
(program gives planned dates that can be varied to suit management programs) DOSAGE TABLE ANIMAL WEIGHT (lbs) 50 100 150 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400
CALVES UP TO 1 YEAR 1 ml/100 lb BW 0.5 ml 1 ml 1.5 ml 2 ml 3 ml 4 ml 5 ml 6 ml 7 ml -
MANUFACTURED FOR:
MULTIMIN NORTH AMERICA, INC.
CATTLE 1 - 2 YEARS 1 ml/150 lb BW 5.3 ml 6 ml 6.6 ml -
CATTLE > 2 YEARS 1 ml/200 lb BW 5 ml 5.5 ml 6 ml 6.5 ml 7 ml
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 28, 2019
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