Are you or someone you know a veteran? We’d like to honor those who served our country by featuring them in our Nov. 12 issue.
DAIRY ST R
Please contact Krista at krista.k@dairystar.com, 507-259-8159.
Volume 18, No. 17
“All dairy, all the time”™
October 22, 2016
What’s next for dairy? Basse dissects the 2017 market outlook By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
With the end of 2016 in sight, many in the dairy industry are watchful for what the new year will bring – Will prices stabilize? Will production continue to rise? Will world trade improve? On Oct. 12, Dan Basse, president of AgResource Company in Chicago, Ill., addressed those concerns with “Global Markets: The Impact,” a webinar hosted by Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin. The latest reports by the USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) indicates projectDan Basse ed Class III milk AgResource prices at $15.80 Company to $15.90 per hundredweight (cwt.) for the remainder of 2016 and $15.55 to $16.45 per cwt. for 2017. Unless dairy policies change, the U.S. dollar further strengthens or cow numbers continue to grow, Basse is hopeful the industry could see a ceiling of $17.50 per cwt. for the upcoming year. “We wouldn’t make much, but it would be enough to stay in business,” Basse said. “We have to talk about reliable measures to make it to the ag prot cycle, which is still two or three years away.” Basse discussed three elements of the industry that will impact the plausibility of reaching the forecasted milk prices – the slumping U.S. beef industry, world trade opportunities and current structure of the U.S. dairy industry. Beef industry falls to largest yearover-year market decline From 2013 to 2015, the beef industry boomed with calf market prices reaching upwards of $500 per head; however, 2017 predictions indicate a drop to merely $100 per head. Yet packers have the largest margins on record, Basse said. “The margins are exploding and they’re not willing to pass along savings to the consumer,” Basse said. “Generally speaking, the price of a tenderloin is not much different today that it was a year ago.” Turn to MARKETS | Page 5
A Cinderella story
Sheeknoll Farms wins reserve supreme champion at WDE By Missy Mussman missy@dairystar.com
ROCHESTER, Minn. – It was a fairytale ending to a perfect show season for Sheeknoll Farm’s 6-year-old cow, Sheeknoll Durham Arrow, also known as Thomas. “After my grandpa, Vernon Hupf, passed away this summer, Thomas won grand champion at the Minnesota State Holstein Show and the Midwest Fall National Show at the Minnesota State Fair,” said Andy Sheehan. “She never lost. There was some divine intervention happening.” Grandpa Hupf must have helped Thomas nish her show
season in the same fashion, earning champion bred and owned, senior champion, grand champion and best udder of the International Holstein Show, and reserve supreme champion on Oct. 8 on the colored shavings at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. Andy, his wife, Juliana, and his parents, Robert and Jeannette, along with other Sheehan family members are part of Sheeknoll Farms where they milk 300 cows on two farmsites near Rochester, Minn. “I said a little prayer before I went in the showring,” Jeannette said. “I said, ‘Dad, get on my back, and lets have Turn to SHEEKNOLL | Page 6
A solid difference
Bowe switches from sand bedding to recycled manure By Cassie Olson
cassie.o@dairystar.com
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. – Soon after expanding his herd from 40 cows to 200 in 2009, Tony Bowe knew it was only a matter of time before he made changes to his manure handling. Seven years and another expansion later, Bowe is now bedding his 375 cows on recycled solids through the use of a solid separator he installed in June 2015 on his dairy near Chippewa Falls, Wis. Although Bowe said he is more than satised with the solid separator, he acknowledges that bedding on sand was equally benecial in regards to cow comfort. Turn to BOWE | Page 10
CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Tony Bowe milks 375 cows in a partnership with his brothers, Tom and Ted (not pictured), in Chippewa Falls, Wis. In June 2015, he installed a solid separator to benet his farm’s manure handling.
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC
General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Amanda Thooft 320-352-6303 amanda.t@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Andrea Borgerding - Managing Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Krista Kuzma - Assistant Editor (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Missy Mussman (320) 429-1084 missy@dairystar.com Ron Johnson (608) 874-4243 ron.j@dairystar.com Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048 cowlady@centurylink.net Jennifer Coyne (320) 352-6303 jenn@dairystar.com Cassie Olson (715) 245-6848 cassie.o@dairystar.com Brittany Olson (320) 352-6303 brittany.o@dairystar.com Advertising Sales Main Ofce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication
Sales Manager - Jeff Weyer (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-8505 (cell) jeff.w@dairystar.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 fax: 507-634-4413 laura.s@dairystar.com Jerry Nelson (SW MN, NW Iowa, South Dakota) 605-690-6260 jerry.n@dairystar.com Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Lori Menke (Eastern Iowa, Southern WI) 563-608-6477 • lori.m@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute nal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters. The views and opinions expressed by Dairy Star columnists and writers are not necessarily those of the Dairy Star LLC.
The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Dairy Star, LLC, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sauk Centre, MN and additional mailing ofces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
North America dealers. A glance at what’s inside
Dairy Prole brought to you by your
After harvest this fall, many dairy farmers will have the ag plastic remnants from bags, piles or bales after using their crop throughout the year. In the past, it’s been a hassle to dispose of, but now there is a free solution for dairy farmers who live in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa or Illinois. Solution Plastics based in Madison, Wis., offers a free dumpster to dispose of recyclable ag plastic. Look for the story on page 3 and 5 in second section. In a constant search to eliminate operating costs, some dairy farmers are turning towards variable frequency drives By Mark Klaphake (VFDs) to increase energy efciency on the farm. Read about Editor how the Landsverk family incorporated the technology on their dairy, and the benets and challenges of doing so on pages 12-13 in rst section. Harvest is a busy time of year. We asked dairy farmers in the “From our side of the fence” feature about how roles on the farm change during the fall, and what their favorite and easy go-to meal is for their family. Check out their answers on page 16 in rst section. Along with harvest to keep the Herzog family busy each fall, the football season adds another element to their hectic schedule. One of Allen and Diane’s sons, Matt, is the starting center for the Upsala Area High School football team. We followed the family on Oct. 14 for our “Day in the life” feature while they milked cows in their two tiestall barns, combined soybeans and attended Matt’s game that evening. Read about the Herzog family on pages 16, 18-19 in second section. World Dairy Expo was an exciting time for many families in the dairy industry. For the Riebes’ Meadow Ridge Farm, the week in Madison, Wis., was a memorable one, to say the least. In addition to receiving premier exhibitor and breeder of International Jersey Show, Roger Riebe was also recognized as the 75th recipient of the Klussendorf Award. To read their story, turn to page 11 in rst section. The farmers featured in our crop feature are in the midst of a busy fall harvest. Each of the reports from across our coverage area are quite different; some farmers are saying it’s the best soybean harvest they’ve ever had, some are leaving soybeans in the eld because it is too wet while others are in the middle of a great corn harvest. Read about it on pages 26-27 in second section.
Favorite quotes from this issue:
“I miss my cows, but I prepared myself for this. I’m just glad they went to a good home, and I hope they get a good start. I gave him my whole life’s work.” – Leonard Geske, Pages 2-3,6 Third Section
“I have gone to Expo for a lot of years to see the supreme champion drive. I never thought I could be a part of that. There were so many people watching and the spotlight was on me and my cow; it’s an experience I will not forget, that’s for sure.” – Cora Carpenter, Pages 2829, Second Section
90:
By the Numbers The percentage of Denmark herds used for the commercial industry. Page 10 Third Section
Feed Quality value 289.86: Relative of Luebkes’ award-winning forage. Pages 7,9 Third Section
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 3
It’s all inside... FIRST SECTION Pages 1, 5 What’s next for dairy? Pages 1, 6-7 Sheeknoll Farms wins reserve supreme champion at WDE Pages 8-9 Ag Insider Pages 12-13 A way to save on energy Pages 18, 20 Fricksons focus on nutrition, good footing to get cows bred Page 26 FSA News & Notes Page 27 Dairy in the Suburbs Page 29 Rural Roots Page 30 Ramblings from the Ridge Page 31 Saving Penelope Page 32 Just Thinking Out Loud Page 33 Dairy Good Life Pages 34 - 35 A new approach to evaluating corn silage Page 36 Women in Jeans
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:
SECOND SECTION Pages 3,5 Midwest farmers encouraged to sign up for free plastic recycling Pages 4,9
Todd Oppriecht
How do you balance farm and family time during harvest? Page 16
Clayton
Sollman repairs, sharpens blades for cattlemen all over U.S.
First Section: Page 11
First Section: Pages 1, 10
Second Section: Pages 20-21
Bayeld
n hb
ur Genoa, Wis.
Polk
Kids Corner: The Weidmeyer family
Third Section: Pages 14 -15
Barron
Taylor Chippewa
Dunn
Pierce
Pepin
Jon Raethke Pepin, Wis.
Buffalo
Argyle, Wis.
Dairy Prole: Casey Flannery
Pages 26-27 Crop & Weather Report Pages 30 - 31 Dairy Recipes
Darlington
Page 39
Carpenter wins International Junior Jersey Show
Clark
Eau Claire Trempealeau
St. Croix
A day in the life of the Herzog family Page 25 Mid-American Hay Auction Results
Classieds
Norwalk
Price
Rusk
Pages 16, 18-19
Page 19 Some Udder Stuff Pages 20-26
Lauren wins Expo Grand Champion Guernsey again after ghting for her life
Iron
Sawyer
W as
Burnett
Hendrickx balances managing organic dairy, herdsman job
Second Section: Pages 28-29
Jackson Madison
Goeser predicts 2016 Midwest corn silage could produce more milk
La Crosse Monroe
Third Section: Pages 4 -5
Vernon
Worth
Mitchell
Cerro Hancock Gordo
Floyd
Howard
a
ick
Ch
w sa
Bremer
Zone 2
Black Hawk
Bu
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
ford
Craw
Dane
Iowa Grant
Fayette
Clayton
n
are
na
a ch
Richland
Allamakee
Winnebago
Winneshiek
THIRD SECTION Pages 2-3, 6 Geske sells 125-year-old herd to young farmer Pages 7, 9 Luebkes win grand champion forage producer at WDE Page 10 Pine Shelter Farms welcomes dairy industry representatives from Denmark for tour Page 13 Star Youth: Kjersten Veiseth Pages 16-17 Dairy Calendar Page 18 Celebrating 50 years of World Dairy Expo
Bowe switches from sand bedding to recycled manure
Ashland
Pages 6-7
Pages 14-15 Dairying Around the World
Tony
Douglas
Pages 14 - 15 Second Section
Kuballs named Rice County Farm Family of the Year Pages 10-11 The “Mielke” Market Weekly Page 12 Dairy Markets Page 13 Area hay auction results
Chippewa Falls
Riebe wins Klussendorf, premier exhibitor and breeder, junior Jersey show
First Section: Page 28
Eau Claire
Children Museum of Eau Claire hostsTjo June Paul at Dairy MonthWis. activities Ettrick,
Cumberland
w ela
D
Linn
Lafayette Dubuque
Jones
Jackson
Green Decorah
Mother-daughter duo team up with Red-Roxy Quilt Company First Section: Page 37
When they breathe easy, so do you No matter the weather outside, GEA keeps your cows comfortable, healthy and productive inside. Comfortable cows are the most productive. Just like
to provide ideal barn temperature, air quality and
you, they perform their best when they are cool, calm
humidity levels. With our total ventilation solutions,
and content. GEA’s industry-leading curtains and fan
your cows will breathe easier — and so will you. Contact
systems can be integrated with automation technology
your GEA barn equipment representative today.
Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
NEW EQUIPMENT
MORE CHOICE S. MORE S AV INGS.
SAUK CENTRE
TRACTORS NH TS6.130, Cab, FWA, Pwr. Shuttle ..... In Stock! NH Boomer 37 & 47 with Loader ............. In Stock! NH Workmaster 33 & 37 tractors............. In Stock! NH T4.90, T4.100 and T4.110 ... 5 to choose from! NH T6.165 Plus & T6.180 Plus......................In Stock! SKID LOADERS NH L218, L220, L228 .............................. In Stock! HAY TOOLS NH SpeedRower 220 & 260.... ................ In Stock! NH Procart 819, 1022, 1225 Rakes......... In Stock! NH Dura-Vee 1020, 1225, 1428 Rakes ... In Stock! Kemco Inline Bale Wrappers ................... In Stock! NH H7230 & DB313R Discbines ............. In Stock! NH ProRotor 3223 Rotary Rake, 23’ ...........In Stock! BALERS NH RB450, RB460, RB560 ..................... In Stock! TILLAGE Salford 8208 Plow, 8 Bottom ................... In Stock! Salford I-2218, 18’ Vertical Tillage........... In Stock! Salford 9809, HD Ripper, 9 Shank .......... In Stock! GRAIN HANDLING Art’s Way 6530 Grinder Mixer, 165 Bu Tank ........................................ In Stock! Parker 505 Gravity Box...... ..................... In Stock! FORAGE Miller Pro 5300 18’ Forage Box, 14T ....... In Stock! NH FP240 & FR500 Forage Harvesters .. In Stock! MANURE SPREADERS NH 195 .................................................... In Stock!
PIERZ
TRACTORS NH TS6.120 & TS6.140 ........................... In Stock! NH T4.75 Powerstar, Cab, Loader .......... In Stock! NH T4.90, T4.100 and T4.110 ... 4 to choose from! NH T6.180 Plus & T7.230 Classic ........... In Stock! SKID LOADERS NH L218, L220, L230 .............................. In Stock! HAY TOOLS NH SpeedRower 220 & 260 .................... In Stock! NH H7220 & H7330 Discbines .....................In Stock! NH H5420 Merger, 9’ with 4’ Ext. ............ In Stock! NH ProCart 819 and 1022 Rakes ............ In Stock! NH Dura-Vee 1225 & 1428 Rakes .......... In Stock! Kemco Inline Bale Wrappers ................... In Stock! NH ProRotor 3114 & 3226 Rotary Rakes ........ In Stock! NH H7230 & DB313R Discbines ..................... In Stock! BALERS NH RB450, RB460, RB560 ..................... In Stock! NH BC5070 Small Sq, 72 Thrower .......... In Stock! TILLAGE Salford I-4124, HD Vert. Tillage, 24’ ........ In Stock! GRAIN HANDLING Parker 605 Gravity Box ........................... In Stock! FORAGE NH FP240, Crop Proc., Tandems..................... In Stock! MANURE SPREADERS NH 185 and 195 Spreaders ........................... In Stock! MISCELLANEOUS Messer Attachments and Rock Wagons ............................................... In Stock!
USED EQUIPMENT SAUK CENTRE
0% FINANCING OR CASH BACK! During this year’s Value Bonanza sales event, take advantage of more ways to save, including 0% FINANCING* or choose cash back on select New Holland products. You’ll find the best savings of the year on that New Holland tractor and equipment you’ve had your eye on. But time is not on your side—Value Bonanza ends October 31, 2016 so hurry into your New Holland dealer today or visit nhvaluebonanza.com
SAUK CENTRE, MN
320-352-6543 • Hwy. 71 South
PIERZ, MN
320-468-2161 • Hwy. 27 West
Store Hours: Monday-Friday 8-5, Saturday Seasonal
www.modernfarmequipment.com *For Commercial use only. Customer participation subject to credit qualification and approval by CNH Industrial Capital America LLC. See your participating New Holland dealer for details and eligibility requirements. Down payment may be required. Offer good through October 31, 2016 at participating New Holland dealers in the United States. Not all customers or applicants may qualify for this rate or term. CNH Industrial Capital America LLC standard terms and conditions apply. Taxes, freight, set-up, delivery, additional options or attachments not included in price. Offer subject to change or cancellation without notice. © 2016 CNH Industrial Capital America LLC. All rights reserved. New Holland Agriculture is a trademark registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or affiliates. CNH Industrial Capital and New Holland Construction are trademarks in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or affiliates.
TRACTORS NH TG255, 3350 Hrs, 3 Rmts, Consigned ...$97,000 NH 8770, 2WD, 20.8x42 Duals ....................$49,000 NH T7000 Front PTO/3 Point Kit ...................$6,500 NH TD5050, Cab, FWA, Loader ...................$34,500 JD 4055, 2WD, 1650 Hrs, Sharp ..................$36,900 SKID LOADERS NH L230, Cab Heat, A/C, Air Seat ...............$36,900 NH L220, Cab, Heat, AC, 2 Speed ...............$31,500 HAY TOOLS NH 166, Extension, Dual Drive & Pickup Wheels............................................$6,500 NH 1475, 14’ Haybine ..................................$13,500 BALERS NH BR7070, Crop Cutter ..............................$28,900 NH 664, Auto-Wrap, Twine, 540 PTO ..........$11,900 NH RB560, Specialty Crop ...........................$36,000 JD 469 Premium, Net, Mega Wide P/U ........$34,500 NH BR7090, Net Only, Wide P/U .................$27,900 NH BR780A, Twine/Net, Wide P/U................ Just In! JD 568, Net/Twine, Wide P/U ........................ Just In! TILLAGE Salford 8214 Plow, 14 Bottom ......................$55,500 JD 3710, 10 Bottom Plow. ............................$42,500 FORAGE Krone EC7500 ..............................................$29,500 NH 365W Hay Head, 15’, Off FX25. ...............$5,900 NH 919A4 CH, 4R-36”, Fits 1915 ...................$1,750 MANURE SPREADERS NH 195, Hydraulic Drive .................................$8,900 MISCELLANEOUS Berti TA-220 Offset Flail Mower. ....................$4,500
Sauk Centre, MN 320-352-6543
Pierz, MN 320-468-2161
Store Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8-5, Sat. Seasonal
www.modernfarmequipment.com
PIERZ
TRACTORS NH TV140, Loader, New Tires .....................$57,500 NH Boomer 35, Loader, FWA, Hydrostatic, 1 Remote, R4 Tires ...................$19,250 SKID LOADERS NH L230, Cab, Heat, A/C, Perf Pkg .............$34,500 NH L225, Cab, Heat, AC ..............................$31,500 NH LS170, Cab, Heat, Hyd. Q-Tach ............$19,700 HAY TOOLS NH 166 Inverter ............................................. Just In! NH H7220, 9’ Discbine, 540 PTO .................... Just In! NH 1411, 10’ 4” Discbine............................... Just In! NH 1465, Hyd. Lift & Swing, Nice ...................$9,800 (2) NH 499, 12’ Haybines, 540 PTO ....................................Starting at $5,500 (2) NH 1475, 14’ Haybines ............Starting at $3,500 BALERS NH BR780, Net/Twine, Bale Command ......$17,500 NH BR740a, Auto-Wrap, Wide P/U, Monitor ...$15,400 NH BR740, Bale Slice, Net/Twine ................$17,500 NH BR7060, Roto Cut ................................... Just In! NH 640, Auto-Wrap, Wide P/U .......................$7,800 JD 327, 30 Thrower, 540 PTO........................$3,900 JD 435, Twine, Bale Kicker ............................$5,800 JD 547, Twine, Bale Ramps, 540 PTO...........$8,200 TILLAGE Krause 8200, 25’ Disc, Cush. Gang .............$35,500 GRAIN HANDLING Sudenga 8”x61’, 540 PTO Drive.....................$2,900 FORAGE NH FP230, 27P HH, 3PN CH, KP ....................$39,500 Miller Pro 5200, 16’ Rear, 12T Tandem .........$7,800 NH 824 Corn Head, 38”, FP Adapter..............$4,500 MANURE SPREADERS NH 155, Splash Guard, New Tire ...................$7,900 MISCELLANEOUS Hiniker 5610, RH Discharge Stalk Chopper ...$7,900 NH 918 Flail Mower ........................................$2,600 Grouser Skid loader tracks .................................Call!
KEMCO BENEFITS: Reduce the amount of waste at feeding time, improve your hay harvest efficiency and reduce loss in harvest and storage.
Eliminate the rush of baling hay for threat of an oncoming storm!
Wrap up to 4 bales per minute - 240 per hour! Wraps round bales up to 6’6” or square bales to to 6’6” Increase protein content by up to 8% by wrapping balage Simple & easy to use - one person operation Heavy Built unit - 5,500 lbs.
Check out the video at:
www.br-equipment.com
SAUK CENTRE, MN
Optional Self-Propel Drive Unit Available
320-352-6543 • Hwy. 71 South
PIERZ, MN
320-468-2161 • Hwy. 27 West
www.modernfarmequipment.com
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 5
ConƟnued from MARKETS | Page 1 Cattlemen are also losing, at roughly $300 per head – a substantial loss estimated at $3 billion. “There’s a lot of equity loss in the feedlot industry,” Basse said. “They’re bleeding cash.” Despite these troubles, the fourth quarter of 2016 and the rst quarter of 2017 are expected to improve and create opportunity for dairy producers due to the quantity of cattle and current grain prices. This also comes at a time when China is now allowing U.S. beef into the country without duty, improving the export market. “That’s a big deal and will be helpful,” Basse said. “The market is getting better.” Basse suggests dairy producers move cattle in the middle of November through January to capitalize on this short uptick in the market. European Union, Oceania create opportunity for U.S. dairy Across the globe, there are 141 million head of cattle – a value that has not been seen since 1993. This growth in the industry is credited to inexpensive feed costs and a surge in cattle numbers in notable countries such as India, Brazil and Argentina. “We like what we’re seeing throughout the world,” Basse said. “There are big expansions happening and countries worth watching.” While global industry growth is certain to pressure the U.S. market, global trade contingencies arise with a high demand for dairy imports in Southeast Asia and the world’s top exporters’ diminishing supply and increasing costs. Oceania – Australia and New Zealand – which accounts for 46 percent of all dairy exports, has both decreased cow numbers and exports. “They’re not as aggressive in the market,” Basse said. “Demand should ow in our favor or the EU’s, depending on price and transportation.” The European Union (EU) is positioned to be the greatest competition with 2018 production levels expected to reach amounts that were similar to those in 1992 when the quota system was put in place, Basse said; coupled with projected 25 million tons in exports this coming year. “They’ve been very aggressive to date,” Basse said. “Countries like Germany and the Netherlands have stopped growing their herds, which will help continue to stabilize the market.” However, in favor of the U.S. market, butter prices in both the EU and Oceania have skyrocketed. “For the rst time, their butter is more expensive than the United States,” Basse said. “This is an opportunity.” Additionally, dairy demand in Russia is also encouraged for non-sanctioned countries; and at the same time,
demand is rising in China as povertystricken individuals are encouraged to move to the cities, resulting in a larger consumption of dairy. “There will be an opportunity to export [to China], but it won’t be a structural change. China will not be a big importer, month-to-month partner,” Basse said. For these various reasons, the United States is positioned well to benet greatly from the export market. “We’re up 17 percent in exports and that’s primarily from cheese,” Basse said. “I believe we’re building a process to stabilize the milk outlook.” U.S. milk production, cow numbers reach record values September was a record month for milk production as August led cattle inventory up 45,000 head across the nation – resulting in herd sizes at a 20year high. With the markets expected to rise seasonally, Basse sees the growth trend continuing into 2017. “Grain and the beef market are our biggest problems,” Basse said. “A farmer’s neighbor and himself are not going to liquidate the herd with these markets.” With ush season – a natural increase in milk production during the spring and early summer months – not far away, a solution must be found. “When it’s ush time, we’ll be above capacity with record production,” Basse said. “Farmers will be dumping milk.” Part of the solution could be found in the aisles of grocery stores, as uid consumption is approximately 152 pounds per year per person, according to Basse. “That’s not a lot of milk. We’re at a record low,” he said. “At the same time, beer now exceeds per capital consumption of milk. This is concerning.” Unfortunately, that trend is expected to persist into 2017 as dairy alternatives become more popular amongst consumers, but stabilize near 140 pounds of uid milk consumption per year per person. “We are seeing craft milk products that contain greater protein content and appeal to consumers,” Basse said. “As we move forward, I believe we’ll see the structure of protein and fat rearranged to create more craft products for better consumption.” Ultimately, the dairy market outlook is promising with few challenges that loom in the future. Paying attention to the U.S. beef industry, international markets and potential future weather patterns, dairy producers are nearing a time of protability. “Our problem is the cow numbers and production,” Basse said, “but I really do like what the world market looks like.”
Trust the experts Future success starts with today’s nutrition At Famo Feeds, we strive to provide the best support for your operation and work to accommodate your specific needs.
Programs and support for every stage... from calf to cow and everything in between! Our full lines of feed include: •Complete feeds •Starter feeds •Supplements •Concentrates •Vitamins •Minerals •Pre-mixes •Base Mixes •Milk replacers •Animal Health •Preservatives/Inoculants •Tubs •Pet Foods •Specialty and custom feeds to meet your specific needs
320-836-2145 or 800-450-2145
Check out our newly redesigned website to ½nd a Famo Feeds dealer near you!
www.famofeeds.com
Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
ConƟnued from SHEEKNOLL | Page 1
MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR
Part of the Sheeknoll crew – (from leŌ) Andy Sheehan, holding daughter, Haƫe, Krista Kuzma, Robert Sheehan and Loren Olson – cheer on as Sheeknoll Durham Arrow was named Grand Champion of the InternaƟonal Holstein Show on Oct. 8 at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis.
FEED BUNKS
• H-Bunks • Fenceline Bunks • 115 Bu. Steer Stuffer • Individual Yard Bunks • Bunker Silo Backed by over 40 years proven experience!
PRECAST SYSTEMS Hwy. 12, Darwin, MN 55324
1-888-693-8440 • www.darwinconcrete.com
RENEW YOUR TRACTOR CAB! 1” Black Vinyl Upholstery At Wholesale Prices! WE SHIP DAILY JD Sound Guard Cabs & Sound Guard Cab Parts BUY - SELL - TRADE
KIESTER IMPLEMENT KIESTER, MN
www.midwestfarmsales.com
507-294-3387
A G IL E P R E M I U M T R A C T O R S
W I T H O U T T H E P R E M I U M P R I C E TA G.
A N E W W O R L D D E M A N D S N E W H O L L A N D.
some fun. I never thought he would make sure we had this much fun.” Going into Expo, the Sheehans did not set their sights high. “You can’t go down there thinking you’re going to place in the top ve or you’ll get humbled quickly,” Robert said. “We knew some of the cows in her class, like last year’s supreme champion. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy.” The Sheehans hoped to place in the top half of the class. But little did they know, they were about to have the day of their lives. It all began when Jeannette and Thomas participated in the 6-year-old and older class. However, Thomas did something very uncharacteristic that day. “We hit the door of the arena and she just stopped,” Jeannette said. “Usually she is off and running, but she didn’t want to move. She just planted herself. I felt like a novice showperson. She was unbelievably stubborn.” Thankfully, the ringman lent a helping hand. “The judge even had to nudge her to get her to walk a little,” Jeannette said. Despite her unusual mood, the judges pointed at Thomas and Jeannette to be pulled into rst place out of 18 cows. “When they did that, the whole place cheered,” Jeannette said. “All I could think was, now I really got to get her going. It was amazing.” Thomas never moved from the top spot in her class.
“It didn’t take the judge long,” Andy said. “In his reasons, he said that she easily won.” However, not everyone in the stands knew who Thomas was because she was not in the catalog. “But word spread fast, and she became a crowd favorite,” Andy said. After winning her class, Thomas competed for and won champion bred and owned. “All the class winners were in there except the 4-year-old winning cow,” Andy said. “We knew that whoever won it was in strong contention for senior champion.” After that, Thomas was named senior champion. “The place went crazy,” Andy said. “I just couldn’t believe it.” But the excitement was not over with grand champion yet to be determined. Jeannette stood in line with Thomas and the other champions and reserve champions near the judge. When he went to select the grand champion, he walked out front and then to the middle toward the intermediate champion. But, he immediately turned away and dropped the microphone. “Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him walk towards me,” Jeannette said. “My heart was pounding and I said, ‘Oh my gosh,’ out loud over and over. He came running up to me with his arm up and I jumped up to take his hand. It was amazing. We did it. I was so emoTurn to SHEEKNOLL | Page 7
T6 Series tractors are now available ilable in 2WD, allowing you to take advantage of the comfort and deluxe features of these premium tractors the expense of FWD. With 2WD, you maneuver easily in tight ors without w quarters with a loader or mixer/feeder wagon, and make quick headland turns while haymaking. Your visibility is superior from the Horizon™ cab, and the Electro Command™ push-button semi-powershift transmission makes operation easy. Learn more about these 95 to 125 PTO horsepower tractors at www.newholland.com/na © 2016 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. New Holland is a trademark registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or affiliates. Equipped For A New World is a trademark in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or affiliates.
NH BR7070, twine/net - $21,900
New Great Plaines 1800TM Turbo-Max vertical till w/rolling harrow - $42,880
‘11 NH BC5060,
fewer than 800 bales - $22,875
‘98 NH 8870 4wd, loader, 96” bucket, 3,718 hrs - $79,900
New Wil-Rich 657 DCR11 Disc Chisel Plow 11’3” - $26,850
New ‘14 Brent/ (3) Harvest ‘05 NH LS160 14 NH BR7070 RB, Unverferth 730 w/ 72” Virnig bucket International A1062 silage special Tremor Ripper - $11,850 10” X 62’ auger - $8,990 ea. $22,875 $31,550
WERNER IMPLEMENT
VERMILLION, MN • 651-437-4435 • WWW . WERNERIMPLEMENT . COM
MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR
JeanneƩe Sheehan leads Sheeknoll Durham Arrow, also known as Thomas, during the Supreme Champion Ceremony on Oct. 8 at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis.
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 7
ConƟnued from SHEEKNOLL | Page 6 tional. The judge hugged me so hard, I thought he would crush me.” Even though Andy was not on the halter, the moment will live in his mind forever. “When the judge started walking toward Mom, it was like watching a slow motion movie,” Andy said. “I saw my friends that tied with us jumping up with their sts in the air yelling at the top of their lungs. It was totally crazy.” Finally, the big nale came with supreme champion at the end of the night. “It was really cool how they introduced Thomas and talked about Grandpa,” Andy said. After much anticipation, Thomas was named reserve supreme champion of World Dairy Expo. “When the spotlight hit me, it was magical,” Jeannette said. “It was so amazing to accomplish this. I had tears in my eyes.” Since Expo, Thomas has become a well-known name; however, she had humble beginnings. She was rst shown as a novice calf by Robert and Jeannette’s nephew, Dylan Tate. “We always took their novice calves to Grandma and Grandpa Hupf’s farm so they were close,” Jeannette said. “Thomas was the last calf Dad fed on the farm.” But, when Dylan learned his novice calf’s name was Arrow, he decided a new name was in order. “He was big into Thomas the Tank Engine,” Jeannette said. “He named her Thomas, and it just stuck.” Since then, Thomas has made multiple appearances at several other shows. “We showed her as a junior 2-yearold at the Minnesota State Fair,” Andy said. “The judge from Quebec told us, ‘She’s going to be an awesome cow someday, you just watch.’”
MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR
The Sheeknoll Farms crew – (front row, from leŌ) Jasenko Gavranovic, Luke Olson, Elena Sheehan and Connor Kendall; (back row, from leŌ) Loren Olson, Jared Tessmer, Adam Johnson, Andy Sheehan, holding Haƫe Sheehan, Juliana Sheehan, JeanneƩe Sheehan, Robert Sheehan, Krista Kuzma, Kelly Kendall and Dan Kendall, holding Alex Kendall – gather together aŌer Thomas won reserve supreme champion on Oct. 8 at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. Thomas proved that judge right this year at Expo. Before this year, Thomas has made two other trips to World Dairy Expo, in 2013 and 2014 placing 14th in her class both years. Outside the showring, Thomas is just another one of the Sheehan cows. “She doesn’t slough off in the barn,” Jeannette said. “She had a 305-day milk yield of nearly 30,000 pounds.” Thomas is in her fth lactation and has had ve calves in April each year using only ve units of semen. “The judge said in his reasons during senior champion that she appeared that she does it all herself and doesn’t have to be babied,” Andy said. “That’s
true for our cow. She’s not high maintenance.” After their Expo success, the Sheehans plan to start an IVF program with her and classify her in the next month. “We’ve had recent demand for females and embryos out of her,” Jeannette said. For the Sheehans, winning Expo was not just about Thomas. It was about all the work they have accomplished as a family. “We work together to develop cows that pay the bills by milking well, but look good, too,” Jeannette said. “We’re proud of the fact that we bred her, fed her and showed her. This success shows that we are rst and foremost breeders.”
Robert felt the same way. “The National Holstein president came up to me and said, ‘Do you realize what you did for all the small dairy farmers out there? You gave them hope that things like this can happen for them, too,’” he said. And for the Sheehans, it was a dream come true. “She looked good on the right day for the right judge,” Andy said. “She ew under the radar. She was the underdog.” Jeannette agreed. “Never in my wildest dreams did we think we would do this well at Expo,” Jeannette said. “It was amazing. It was like a Cinderella story.”
GRAND CHAMPION
Overall Forage of the Forage Superbowl!
BYRON SEED DOES IT AGAIN at World Dairy Expo 2016
• Grand Champ First Time Entrant and Runner-Up to the Grand Champ Over-all! - And guess what? Both are nearly PURE GRASS! • Byron had the over-all 3 top Milk per Ton (MPT) in the hay crop categories and the MPT in both Corn Silage categories. • Byron had 7 of the Top Ten Standard Corn Silages (SCS) including 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9. Three of these and 5 in the SCS were ranked higher than the best BMR! • Grand Champ Baleage and Nos. 1, 2, 3 & 5 Great Forage Means Healthy Cows! • Grand Champ Grass Hay and Nos. 1, 2, 3, & 5 See your Byron Dealer for your • In Dairy Hay, Byron had Nos. 2, 3 & 5
Great Forage.
Burkholder Seeds
For more info or dealer inquiries - please call:
Rick Tamm
NW Territory Manager
320-267-5021
Larry Hawkins
NC Territory Manager
608-516-0101
Claremont, MN Dwight 507-279-0292 Justin 507-456-0006
Gerard Becker
Long Prairie, MN (320) 290-9261
Hy View Feeds 507-493-5564 Mabel, MN
Valley View Ag Russ Funke Dyersville, IA (563) 590-6939
Schueler Farms
Greenwald Elevator
Sherman Schueler 330-987-3159 Willmar, MN John Dockendorf (320) 894-4808 Greenwald, MN (320) 290-1240
Jack Stamschror
Altura, MN
Crop & Livestock Nutrition Atwater, MN (320) 212-3190
Cleeson Mill
(507) 458-5907 Luxemburg Feed Service
Luxemburg, MN (320) 252-1513
Winscher Seeds Mike Winscher 320-282-6748 Shawn Winscher Royalton, MN (320) 420-4516
Timberline Dairy Service Joe Graber Kalona, IA (319) 656-3527
Kellogg, MN (507) 259-0269
Dale Ommodt, CCA
Jason Mickelson Frazee, MN 218-849-3137
Lee Kurtenbach
Mechanicksville, IA (319) 241-5105
Peak Forage Products LLC
Benjamin Arlt
Natures Best
Tim Huffman 608-574-7918 Nelson Horst Adam Decker 608-988-6855 Canton S.D. Kevin Zimmerman (605) 359-0765 608-574-7918
Natures Best
Mervin Beachy St. Ansgar, IA (641) 381-0054
Big Stone City S.D. (651) 331-8865
DJ Cattle Co.
Daryn Yoder Leon, IA (641) 344-6002
Chad Tesch Canton S.D. (605) 759-5622 Dan (Boone) Uphoff, Sioux Falls S.D. (605) 321-1862
Natures Best Roger TeSlaa
Inwood, IA
(605) 370-2249
Dealing with record cheese supplies Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has an- they are in that $14 or $15 range and for a lot of nounced plans to purchase $20 million of surplus farms, that is below their cost-of-production.” Milk prices are at levels not seen since 2009. cheese for food banks and other govAg Insider ernment nutrition programs. Cheese Praise for USDA intervention supplies are at all-time record highs, Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwhich has brought the milk price lower. win described the new dairy assistance USDA made a similar announcement in as positive news, but more action is August, but it failed to support the marneeded. “I will continue to work with ket. Vilsack expects different results dairy farmers to update and improve with this dairy purchase. “It was anthe dairy safety net so it works for Wisnounced at the end of the scal year. It consin.” The National Milk Producers was a small window of time for procesFederation also commended USDA for sors to take advantage of the program,” the $20 million cheese purchase. In a Vilsack said. “The full $20 million that statement, NMPF President/CEO Jim was authorized was not fully utilized. By Don Wick Mulhern said more work needs to be Only about $7 million was. That’s why done in Congress to improve the Marthis announcement has greater signiColumnist gin Protection Program. cance, because you have 12 months, not just one month to give the industry the ability to utilize all $20 million of authority.” At a dairy Milk supplies increase for ’16 and ‘17 According to USDA’s supply/demand report, roundtable event in Westby, Wis., Vilsack also released results of new USDA report that highlight’s dairy cow numbers are increasing faster than exthe impact exports have on the dairy industry. The pected. That, in turn, resulted in more milk producstudy claims the Trans-Pacic Partnership could tion in the forecasts for this year and next. Class III create $150 million to $300 million in annual U.S. milk prices are now projected at $14.30 to $14.40 per hundredweight for 2016. That’s down from dairy exports. $14.75 to $14.90 last month. October 2017 Class III milk is expected to be in a range of $14.20 to AFBF: More help is needed The American Farm Bureau Federation said the $15.10. cheese purchases announced by USDA should help to lower inventories and provide support to dairy Rabobank issues dairy forecast Globally, milk production has declined in refarmers. AFBF market intelligence director John Newton said the purchases, along with more than cent months. Rabobank dairy analyst Emma Hig$11 million in Margin Protection Program pay- gins said that should support milk prices into 2017. ments to dairy producers, are helping, but dairy However, those price increases will be limited by farmers need more assistance. “Dairy farmers un- weak demand. derstand that milk prices are very volatile; they go up and go down like a roller coaster. This past year Cheese consumption on the rise Americans consumed 35 pounds of cheese in has been more like death by a thousand cuts because prices have come down and stayed down. They are 2015. The growth in per capita consumption was not catastrophically low in that $9 or $10 range, but the highest since 1999, up nearly 3 percent. Con-
sumption of cheddar totaled 10 pounds per person in 2015, up 3 percent from 2014. Mozzarella consumption grew 1 percent and ‘other cheeses,’ which includes Swiss, Hispanic and cream cheeses, grew by nearly 4 percent. Top 100 ag co-ops In its annual report on cooperatives, USDA reports agricultural co-ops posted a record net income of $7 billion in 2015. That’s up 14 percent from 2014. CHS remains the largest co-op in the country with revenues of $34.7 billion, down $8 billion from the previous year. Dairy Farmers of America is the second largest U.S. cooperative, followed by Land O’Lakes. California Dairies is ranked sixth and Northwest Dairy Association/Darigold is tenth. Associated Milk Producers, Incorporated at 12th. Select Milk Producers, based in New Mexico, and Foremost Farms USA are ranked 14th and 15th. Twelve other dairy cooperatives made the ‘Top 100’ list. New rule proposed for livestock haulers A new proposal from USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service would make livestock haulers responsible for the welfare of livestock. Currently, the farm operator or slaughterhouse are the ones being held accountable. USDA gave an example, saying if a trucker hauling livestock drove too fast and the animals slipped and fell, action would be taken against the driver. Deere Partners with Scherer Deere & Company announces a joint development agreement with Scherer Design Engineering, Inc. to develop and commercialize kernel processing solutions for self-propelled forage harvesters. Scherer has manufactured aftermarket rolls and kernel processors since 1999. Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
www.fullersmilkercenter.com
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 9
ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8
Interim associate dean selected Jed Colquhoun has been named the interim associate dean for extension and outreach at UW College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the UW-Extension program director of Agricultural and Natural Resources. Colquhoun is the Extension fruit and vegetable production specialist at UW-Madison. Colquhoun lls the spot that was held by John Shutske. Shutske left the associate dean position earlier this year and returned to the faculty. The search committee working to ll the vacancy suspended their efforts, pending the reorganization planning within Extension. Nowak moves to NCFC Mary Nowak is joining the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, where she will serve as the director of government affairs. For the past seven years, Nowak has been on the House Agriculture Committee staff. Farm Bureau Young Farmer Committee adds three Three new individuals have been appointed to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Agriculturalist Committee. Charlie Oberhaus of Waukesha County is a farmer and trucker. Julie Wadzinski of Barron County is an instructor at Wisconsin
Indianhead Technical College and Tammy Wiedenbeck of Grant County works for Equity Livestock. USFRA nalist hails from Wisconsin Katie Roth is one of eight nalists for the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance Faces of Farming and Ranching program. Roth is the herdsman for the family dairy farm in Darlington and is a program technician for the Farm Service Agency. The USFRA will announce the winner next month at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting convention. Trivia challenge For the 50th anniversary World Dairy Expo, the shavings in the Coliseum were gold in color. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, how much does a gallon of milk weigh? We’ll have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is a partner and 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 Wick.
“Each cow has a recorded history...” How has testing with DHIA benefitted your dairy? Being on test means each cow has a recorded history. This helps with management decisions. What are some of the different tests you use through DHIA? We haven’t done much of the extra testing, just the basics. When you get your DHIA reports, which information do you Ànd most useful? Explain. Individual SCC scores and action lists for preg checking and dryoff dates, etc. Tell us about your farm. We currently have 65 Holstein cows, along with youngstock. Oren Olsen Nicollet, MN • Since 1958 - 58 years Minnesota Dairy Herd Improvement Association 307 Brighton Avenue South Buffalo, MN 55313 1.800.827.3442 www.mndhia.org
“I didn’t even think we had stray voltage!” Roger Lange milks 100 head on his family dairy at Crofton, Nebraska. Until recently he was often forced to sell his fresh heifers because they wouldn t let down their milk. “We called Stray Voltage Consulting, and Jerry found the problem within half an hour.” Roger said. “I was very impressed with Jerry. He’s a former REA guy, so he understands both the farmer and the electric company. Being able to work with both sides is a key component to his success.” “I haven’t had a single problem with our fresh heifers since Jerry corrected our stray voltage problem. I would highly recommend Stray Voltage Consulting to anyone who thinks they might have stray voltage!”
STOP THE SHOCKS
Stray Voltage Consulting Over 30 years of experience
605-695-3328 •
1. Increases milk production 2. Maximizes milk components 3. Minimizes feed refusals 4. Properly roasted at the correct temperature 5. Soybeans are steeped for 30+ minutes 6. Soybeans are roasted to the core 7. Energy 8. Protein 9. Amino acids 10. Bypass protein
KLC Farms
BY OCT OBE R 31, 201 6
2,600 600 lbs. capacity apacity
Rebates and Competitive Trade offer expires 10/31/2016. Available at eligible and participating authorized Gehl dealers in the United States and Canada. Offer not available to government accounts, national accounts, and municipal/utility bid customers. Some restrictions apply. Competitive Trade Rebate requires a trade-in of a competitive skid loader brand to qualify. Offer valid only on purchases of a Gehl R260 or Gehl V270 GEN:2. See dealer for more details. Manitou Americas, Inc. reserves the right to extend or discontinue any of these programs at any time without notice.
2,700 lbs. capacity
gehl.com
CALL YOUR LOCAL GEHL DEALER FOR MORE DETAILS!
0 1 t c e f Per
Roasting, Inc.
WH EN YO U SW ITC H TO GE HL
www.strayvoltageconsulting.org
Do the math when choosing roasted soybeans
The
STE ER, AND REC EIV E UP TO TRA DE YOU R CUR REN T SKI D
• Arnolds St. Martin, Willmar, Kimball
KL roasted soybeans ... KLC b bovines everywhere preferred by
1-877-738-2326 Visit www.roastedbeans.com
Quality
Consistency
• Jungclaus Implement Glencoe • KLS Implement Inc. Elrosa • Northland Farm Systems Inc. Owatonna • United Farmers Cooperative Lafayette
Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
ConƟnued from BOWE | Page 1
Safety-Lock Panels
Quality t Heavy-Duty t Quiet
(800) 800-5824 www.agromatic.net
MN Sales Rep - Matt Bendert - (605) 670-2213 WI Sales Rep - Erik Niemeier - (608) 574-6046
Barn Floor Groovers s
NOT
Protect Your Cows From Injuries and Slippery Concrete
• Free Stalls • Stalls • Feed Lots • Pens
• Holding Areas reeas • Walkwayss
DIAMOND SAWED 1/2”, 3/4” OR 1-1/2” WIDE W GR GROOVES ROO OOVES O OVES
Dick Meyer Company, Inc.
1-800-228-5471 www.barnÁoorgroovers.com
Water ‘em Right
OmniFount
Depend on the superior, impact resistant construction of Ritchie Waterers, even under the most rugged condtions.
“Sand actually worked really well for us; we were getting the sand from the frac sand mine when it rst got up and going,” Bowe said. The farm expanded from a 40-cow stanchion barn to a 200-cow freestall barn in January 2009. For the six years that followed, Bowe and his crew would daily haul up to three loads of manure a day. When Bowe and his brothers, Ted and Tom, decided to expand the herd once more, Bowe knew their manure storage situation had to change. With 175 new stalls going in over the winter, Bowe began looking into options for manure storage on his farm. “The way the ground is in this area, we knew we were looking at an above-ground pit. With sand and a pit, everything wears out in a hurry,” Bowe said. During a Genex meeting in the Twin Cities, Bowe began talking to a salesman about the possibility of constructing a solid separator system as a solution to his problems. Initially, Bowe admits, he was not too enthusiastic about the idea. “I went over to the Cities about four more times, looking at different setups. Most farms were using green bedding, and I just was not too keen on that,” Bowe said. Green bedding is the resulting product of manure that enters the separator and exits as fairly dry solids. With concerns about bacteria and its potential effects on the cows, Bowe was not ready to commit to the idea. That was before he heard of the bedding recovery unit. “I saw a farm with a bedding recovery unit; that tipped the scales a bit,” Bowe said. The same setup was soon introduced on Bowe’s farm, which was installed in June 2015. Getting the separator up and running on his farm didn’t take much time, but getting the sand out of the stalls was denitely a challenge. “It was about a week’s process to get the holding room and separator up and running,” Bowe said. “We had to clean out about 120 yards of sand by hand; sand and the separator don’t mix, so we put compost bedding in the stalls to start us out.” On Bowe’s farm, the manure is scraped three times a day into a ve-foot deep receiving pit. The manure is slightly agitated before being pumped into the separator. There, the manure solids are pressed into the green bedding and wastewater is pumped into
CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Once through the separator, the bedding consists only of solid material. Bowe top dresses the stalls twice a week, cleans out the stalls a couple Ɵmes a day, and uses a mechanical arm to level the bedding.
CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Bowe demonstrates how the control center alerts him of every step in the separaƟng process. a settling pit before being pumped into the manure pit. From there, the green bedding is augered into a large rotating drum. The drum is naturally heated to 150 degrees by the manure solids inside it. The drum tumbles the solids for 24 hours before it is dispensed onto a conveyor back into the bedding storage area where it is held until it is used in the freestalls. Bowe said the additional heating process makes him feel more secure about what his cows are resting on.
“It doesn’t matter how much bedding gets kicked out; we just recycle it again.” TONY BOWE, DAIRY FARMER
“When the solids come out the other end of the conveyor, the bacteria is killed,” Bowe said. Bowe said the solids act much like a litter box for cats. Both liquid and solid waste clumps together, making it much easier to clean out the stalls. This also means much of the bedding gets recycled back into the system for further use. “Ninety percent of solids that go through the system get pushed out as bedding,” Bowe said. “We top dress the stalls usually twice a week, clean out the stalls by hand a couple times a day and use a mechanical arm to move the bedding around and level it off once a day. It doesn’t matter how much bedding gets kicked out; we just recycle it again.” In the last year, Bowe said he hasn’t seen any signicant changes in the herd’s comfort or performance. The recycled solid bedding has continued to do what sand was doing for the herd, while adding benets in other areas on the farm. “Our pit is 216 feet across and 12 feet high. Since the pit is mostly liquid, it holds about eight months of storage and doesn’t need to be agitated,” Bowe said. While the bedding works great for his farm, Bowe said it might not be the wisest, most economical decision for every farmer. He recommends, however, keeping solid separating systems in consideration when expanding or remodeling. “It has to work into your system,” Bowe said. “Recycled manure works for us; for others it doesn’t. You have to research and do what’s best for you.”
• Easy to maintain • Large access panel • Heating elements directly under trough for exceptional performance • Tough 304 stainless steel for long life • Mounts securely to concrete pad • Fast reÀll, reliable Ritchie valve All Ritchie waterers are backed by a industry leading 10-year warranty.
Call D&D Ag Supply for more information
133 Atlantic Ave. NE • Pennock, MN
320-599-4466
CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Cows lie on the separated solid bedding in the freestall barn. The solids have been equally benecial to cow comfort as the sand was.
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 11
A World Dairy Expo to remember
Riebe wins Klussendorf, premier exhibitor and breeder, junior Jersey show By Brittany Olson
brittany.o@dairystar.com
CUMBERLAND, Wis. – Tucked away in the gently wooded hills north of Cumberland, Wis., is the Riebe family’s dairy, Meadow Ridge Farm, home to a herd of Jerseys with award-winning cows. Roger Riebe, who milks 150 cows with his wife, Darice; daughter, Tamala; son, Mike, and his wife, Tanya; son, Mark, his wife, Jaime; and brother, Doug, was named the 75th winner of the prestigious Klussendorf Award at World Dairy Expo. The Klussendorf Award, named for late dairyman Arthur Klussendorf, is the highest award given to an American dairy cattle showman. The Riebe family has a long list of showing accomplishments with their Jerseys. For example, they have been named premier breeder of the International Jer-
sey Show at World Dairy Expo four times and have had tremendous success at other shows, such as the Minnesota State Fair, Wisconsin State Fair and the AllAmerican Jersey Show at the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE). “We have been named premier breeder at the Minnesota State fair 12 out of the last 13 years,” Roger said. Last year at NAILE, Meadow Ridge Spring won her class as a senior 2-year-old cow. Spring went on to be selected as the show’s reserve intermediate champion, and was also named the champion bred and owned cow of the All-American Jersey Show. In addition to winning the Klussendorf Award at this year’s World Dairy Expo, the Riebes were also successful in the Jersey showring. They swept the junior Jersey show, and Roger
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Roger Riebe was named the 75th winner of the Klussendorf Award at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. Riebe milks 150 cows with his family near Cumberland, Wis.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Riebe family – (front row, from leŌ) Tani Riebe, Lexi Anderson and Kaity Riebe; (back row, from leŌ) Mark Riebe, Tanya Riebe, Tamala Anderson, Alleah Anderson, Emma Anderson, Roger Riebe, Darice Riebe, Mike Riebe and Jaime Riebe – celebrates Roger winning the Klussendorf Award at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis.
was named premier exhibitor and breeder of the open heifer show – a feat they also accomplished in 2014. “We went down there with hopes of winning junior champion [of the junior show] and premier breeder,” Roger said. Their show string accomplished just that – and more. Meadow Ridge Bang Bang Dory, a winter calf sired by a homebred bull, won junior champion of the junior show, and Meadow Ridge Gentry Angie, a fall yearling, followed behind her herdmate as reserve junior champion. Not only were the Riebes named premier breeder of the open heifer show, they were also named premier exhibitor, which Roger did not expect. “There are a lot of very nice cattle down there, so getting pre-
Whole milk: Make a good thing better. THE SERVICE YOU NEED. WHEREVER YOU NEED IT. We are specially trained and equipped to meet your on-farm, in-field tire service needs. Call us night or day for repairs and replacement.
Unique product options for consistent and complete nutrition in every feeding to maximize calves’ lifetime productivity potential.
FORT IF Y
BAL ANCE
EX T END
We’ll deliver and mount your new tires quickly so you can get back to work. Specially trained maintenance and repairs minimize downtime. Inventory of most tire types and sizes.
DALE’S FARM REPAIR INC. ON-FARM TIRE SERVICE Dale Saehr - Owner
P R OD U C T S Learn more about the complete product line. CalfSolutions.com
Hwy. 25 between Pierz & Genola
320-468-6886
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8-5, Sat. 8-Noon
© 2016 Milk Products LLC. Calf Solutions™ is a trademark of Milk Products LLC.
mier exhibitor was a surprise,” Roger said. During the week of World Dairy Expo, Roger had actually gone home when Mike learned his father had won the Klussendorf Award. Mike and his mom both tried to keep it a surprise for Roger while giving him a reason to make the drive from Cumberland to Madison. “Mike told me that Mark Rueth, a past winner of the Klussendorf Award, said that Roger had to get back down there right away,” Darice said. Darice tried to think of excuses to entice Roger into going back down to Expo so the award was still a secret, but Roger would not budge. “Eventually I told him he won an award and said he had to go to Madison right away,” Darice said. When Roger arrived at Expo, he did not know which particular award he was receiving until they gave him the Klussendorf trophy, a large silver trophy designed by famed jeweler Tiffany and Company in New York. “Winning the Klussendorf was quite an experience. It’s quite the trophy,” Roger said. The Klussendorf Award is given to a deserving showman based on the following character qualities: ability, sportsmanship, endeavor and character. At Meadow Ridge Farm, no outside help is used to prepare the cattle for the show ring. All hoof trimming, clipping and tting is done by Roger and his family. “It’s a family affair,” Darice said. As Roger and his family prepare for the next big show on the tanbark – NAILE, often referred to by Jersey breeders as the big dance – they’re optimistic about doing well at the show. After all, as proven by their success in the show ring, character, ability and sportsmanship go a long way.
Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
A closer look by Jennifer Coyne
Industry news addressed with help from your neighbors
A way to save on energy
Variable frequency drives create on-farm efciency
FOSSTON, Minn. – Nearly 20 years ago as computers became more affordable, the use of on-farm technology slowly grew; with that, variable frequency drives (VFDs), too, increased in popularity. “Overall, VFDs have been very helpful on our farm,” Bryan Landsverk said. “It was an easy way to save energy.” Landsverk milks 300 cows on his family’s organic dairy near Fosston, Minn. Landsverk Dairy, Inc., is a partnership between Landsverk, his father, Robert, uncle, Donny, and cousin, Ronn. Over a ve-year period, the Landsverks have incorporated VFDs onto their farm to improve energy efciency, but also milk quality and cow comfort. The computerized electronic devices convert single or three-phase power sources to three-phase modulated electrical power to vary the speed of a motor, essentially limiting
the amount of power given to a motor so that it does not run at full capacity unless needed. “On a dairy farm, the main uses are variable speed vacuum pumps, milk pumps, fans and, sometimes, well pumps,” Scott Sanford said. “VFD vacuum pumps usually make econom-
ic sense when milking three times per day or more than six to eight hours each day.” Sanford is an outreach specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, focusing his efforts in energy efciency in agriculture. Through his work as a specialist, and previ-
ously as an engineer, Sanford has used VFDs in the design of new products and on research equipment. VFDs can reduce power consumption on equipment with varying loads such as vacuum pumps or used to control environmental conditions with
DAIRY STAR FILE PHOTO
The Landsverks (from leŌ) – Bryan, Robert, Donny – milk 300 cows near Fosston, Minn. Over the course of ve years, the family has incorporated VFDs onto their farm. Not pictured Ronn Landsverk.
We’ve Got You COVERED!
fans. Temperature, pressure or level sensors can be used as inputs to the VFD’s computer to automatically control the motor speed in fractions of a second. In 2011, when Landsverk and his family were milking in a double-12 parlor, their local electrical company evaluated on-farm energy use and suggested implementing VFD technology to lower energy costs. Reviewing the most expensive areas, the vacuum and milk pumps were of top concern. “They walked through a list of suggestions and what the paybacks would be. It didn’t take long to realize what we should do,” Landsverk said. “Anytime we can pump the milk slower, we get better quality milk. The solids are not separated as easily.” Payback on the two devices was immediately noticed. “They’re like LED lights with a quick return on investment,” Landsverk said. “It’s nice our company wasn’t pushing us to use more energy. They were helping us out.” The VFDs were only runTurn to ENERGY | Page 13
By Bag Man LLC
We Know Happy Feet! Quatro®
The World’s Most Comfortable Rubber Boots!
Protect against hail, birds and animal damage Reduce spoilage
NEW! Quatro Extreme -60°F
Reusable
World’s Longest Lasting Boots on the Market!
Dunlop Thermo -58°F
10-year Warranty Neoprene Styles for Men, Women & Youth
BUNKERS Ɣ PILES Ɣ SILAGE BAGS Ɣ BALES Ɣ GRAIN BAGS &DOO RU YLVLW RXU ZHEVLWH WR ¿QG \RXU ORFDO 6HFXUH &RYHU GHDOHU
800-796-5333 www.Secure-Covers.com
Glacier now in 12” &16”!
The perfect mix of fashion and functionality!
Insulated ŏ Non-Insulated ŏ Safety Toe ŏ Camo ŏ Over Shoes Find Your Local Dealer or Shop Online!
800-796-5333
www.ChoreBootCentral.com
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 13
ConƟnued from ENERGY | Page 12 ning in the parlor for a short time before the Landsverks incorporated six robotic milking systems onto the dairy in 2014. Each robot is equipped with two VFDs. In addition, the freestall barn was redesigned into a cross-ventilated system with 36 54-inch fans, operating under one VFD. Monitoring the speed of the fans cut one-third of the Landsverks’ electrical use on the dairy. “The fans are only running one-tenth slower, but energy costs are one-third less,” Landsverk said. VFD vacuum pumps will typically reduce electrical costs by 50 to 65 percent, according to Sanford, similar savings are noted with VFDs on variable speed fans. “For barn fans, the control is set to ramp up speed if the temperature starts to rise and increases the speed if the temperature continues to rise,” Sanford said. “If the temperature drops, the fan slows down, maintaining a steady temperature. If a standard thermostatic controller is used, the fan turns on, draws in fresh air, cools the barn down, and then shuts off; the barn warms up and the cycle is repeated.” The Landsverks also have two VFDs connected to the manure separator, as well as two in the water holding tank, for a total of 17 devices on the dairy. “We’re running a lot of motors,” Landsverk said. “[VFDs] have been a huge upgrade. It’s been a good thing.” However, VFDs were not always a good thing for Landsverks Dairy, Inc. Once the technologies were installed in the new facilities, problems with programming arose and resulted in distress within the herd, causing an increase in mastitis cases. “I learned a lot about electronics. It really makes a difference where the VFD is placed and what they are controlling,” Landsverk said. “The incorrect programming was creating the wrong frequency for motors. Once we reprogrammed the VFD, although it looked identical, you could hear a change in the way the fans sounded.” VFDs emit radio frequency noise that has the potential to interfere with cow ID systems and computerized equipment, Sanford said. “Noise is often mistaken for stray voltage, but it’s not the same,” Sanford said. “It causes static on a ra-
Over 159 New & Used to Choose From
EVENT www.drivecourtesyauto.com
DAIRY STAR FILE PHOTO
VFDs are known to cause interference with acƟvity monitors if not programmed properly and within close proximity to the motor. dio, but doesn’t have enough power to shock cows.” To avoid potential issues, Sanford suggests putting lters on the electrical inputs and outputs, and ensure the setup is properly wired. “VFDs are very reliable, but are prone to failure from lightening or power surges like other electronic equipment,” Sanford said. Landsverk agreed, adding that the VFD should be housed near the motor in a dry location. “And don’t forget to ask too many questions to the programmer,” Landsverk said. Despite the few possible hindrances, VFDs have served Landsverk Dairy, Inc. well. Seeing how the dairy farm has improved because of VFDs, Landsverk envisions this technology gaining popularity across the industry in years to come. “We’re enjoying the benets,” Landsverk said. “The cows are happy and the employees are, too.”
OPTIONS YOU ASKED FOR...
FEATURES YOU NEED!
99 Suzuki Grand Vitara ................................... $2,966 / $109 mo. 01 Ford Windstar LX............................................. $700 / $79 mo. 02 Chevy Monte Carlo Sport ........................... $3,466 / $129 mo. 02 Chevy Impala LS ........................................ $1,800 / $109 mo. 03 Ford Focus ZTS.......................................... $1,999 / $109 mo. 04 Ford F150 R/C XLT .................................. $11,979 / $259 mo. 04 Nissan Quest Van ....................................... $8,988 / $179 mo. 05 Mercury Grand Marquis LS ........................ $5,988 / $140 mo. 05 Kia Rio 5-speed .......................................... $3,988 / $130 mo. 05 Chevy K1500 E/C, Plow ............................. $8,933 / $199 mo. 06 Mazda 6, Auto............................................. $3,488 / $129 mo. 07 Ford F150 Crew XLT ................................ $17,988 / $299 mo. 07 Ford F250 Crew V10 XLT ......................... $18,933 / $309 mo. 08 Ford E350, 15 pass .................................. $15,799 / $294 mo. 08 Chevy Cobalt, 2-door, auto ......................... $6,933 / $147 mo. 08 Chevy Uplander LS .................................. $10,988 / $259 mo. 10 Chevy Malibu LT ......................................... $8,974 / $199 mo. 12 Ford F250 Crew, 6.7T, 4x4 ....................... $38,977 / $599 mo. 12 Ford Taurus SEL....................................... $11,955 / $259 mo. 12 Ford Edge SEL ......................................... $16,934 / $399 mo. 13 Ford Explorer XLT .................................... $26,834 / $429 mo. 13 Ford Escape SE ....................................... $14,988 / $284 mo. 13 Ford Taurus SHO, AWD............................ $24,666 / $471 mo. 14 Ford Mustang GT, 302, Coyote ................ $36,744 / $597 mo. 14 Dodge Grand Caravan, 30th Anniversary $19,766 / $379 mo. 16 Subaru Legacy AWD, only 8,900 miles .... $23,941 / $399 mo.
DEAL OF THE WEEK
‘13
10060C
Easy to Find Just Off Hwy. 29, Thorp, WI
Ford Taurus Limited $16,766 / $349 mo.
~ Sales ~ 715-669-5517
Mon.-Thurs. 8:00-6:00; Fri. 8:00-5:30; Sat. 8:00-12:00; or call for an after-hours appt. 811885_8-3-16
Don’t Fiddle Around With Your Advertising Dollars! 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. • Sauk Centre, MN 56378 (320) 352-6303 • Fax: (320) 352-5647
Square Cut Auger
Higher quality mix, faster, using 20% less HP
Mixer Level Ensures the mixer is parked at level
Shaker Box Test to achieve maximum digestion and reduce sorting
Discharge Undercarriage 5 configurations for every application
Processing Knives
Designed for maximum cutting efficiency and uniform processing
Over 14 configurations for fast, even unloading
The New 5000 Series • Schedule a demo today! VISIT YOUR LOCAL DEALER FOR MORE INFO
Phone (608) 524-9958 www.forwardfarmlines.com
K&R Equipment - Fountain, MN AMPM Livestock Supply - Essig, MN Bag Man, LLC - Hammond, WI
www.JAYLOR.com
Page 14 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
Moov Feed Pusher
The Moov feed pushing robot is a fully automatic robot so there is no need for wires or steel strips set into the floor.
CF1000A Calf Feeders
BY
Having full control of your calf feeding can reduce health issues and increase feed intakes creating bigger, framier replacements for your future herd.
• Increases feed intake • Labor-saving • Contributes to higher milk production • Feed available 24/7 for all cows • Better performance by low ranked cows • Calmer cattle stock • Clean feed passage • Simple & user-friendly • Better efficiency of milking robots
DeLaval calf feeder CF1000A features the most powerful computer available for calf feeding - the ALPRO® computer.
THE MOST UNIQUE AND EFFICIENT LOADER ON THE MARKET The Harvestore XL™ Series UNLIKE ANY PREVIOUS UNLOADER Six main operational factors: 1. Direct variable speed drive system 2. Power capacity more than double the previous Goliath® and Alliance® unloaders 3. Series 400-30 HP and Series 200-25 HP use three phase motors. Both can connect with 1-ph or 3-ph power sources using a new advanced phase inverter control system. 4. Six unloader speeds that can be switched during operation 5. Direct arm drive system with load sensor 6. The new XL Unloader 400 and 200 chain design has almost double the previous chain strength.
• So easy to install, you can do it yourself! • Durable enough for the rigors a tiestall barn presents • Superior traction • Unaffected by moisture • Very affordable price!
Have you ever seen a cow smile?
SEPARATOR
can make your manure handling easier and more proÅtable!
D DeLaval Swinging C Cow Brush
D Designed to improve cow health, comfort and welfare – and delivers even more!
“BIG JOHN” PSS3.3-780HD
• Increased milk production • Decreased incidence of clinical mastitis • Helps promote trafÀc Áow • Energy-saving automatic on/off feature • Stands up to heavy use • Helps save money and promotes cow safety.
BEDDING SEPARATOR 36 - 40% DRY MATTER • SMART control panel technology • Automatic weight control arms • New HD basket with screen • Reduce bedding costs • Increase liquid storage capacity • Environmentally friendly assis • Readily available bedding materials on a daily basis • Improved cow comfort & cow health
DeLaval Mini NEW Swinging Brush MSB Healthy calves make healthy heifers
Systems from 90 cows to 6,000 cows Over 80 local installations XC260 Screen cost 63% less than original HD260
Automatic Weight Control Arms
Genex Farm Systems
A subsidiary of Cooperative Resources International
ENGINEERED FOR PERFORMANCE
Over 4,000 working installations worldwide
Milking
1-800-636-5581 Farmstead
1-800-247-0012
usand Five Tho ing g in w S shes Cow Bru orth N in Sold America!
• Promotes healthy growth and development • Skin health is increased through improved cleanliness and removal of dirt and debris • Calves are more comfortable • Promotes social behavior among calves
Montgomery, MN Melrose, MN Sioux Falls, SD Menomonie, WI
When you really stop and think – We’re selling EfÀciency
®
GREENFREESTALLS
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 15
From Our Side Of The Fence
Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
How do you balance farm and family time during harvest? Paul Tjoat Ettrick, Wis. Trempealeau County 125 cows
Wendy and Ben Rysavy Owatonna, Minn. Steele County 190 cows How long does harvest last for your farm and what jobs does this entail? Harvest can take anywhere between six to eight weeks if everything goes well; however, with the 11 inches of rain in September, it’s going to probably take longer. Everything is so wet this year, so we may have to wait until it freezes to get some of the crop out. We usually start with corn silage, then high moisture corn, beans, then corn with tillage in between and after. How do you get the extra work done? Roles change slightly. We try to get everyone in the eld as soon as we can each day. I (Ben) usually do most of the daily chores of mixing feed and feeding during harvest time. Wendy helps with morning milking before she gets the kids off to school, and she heads to her full time job as a hair stylist. Our kids, Hailey and Marcus, and Ben’s younger sister, Katelyn, do the calf feeding. Also, Ben’s dad, Joe, brother-in-law, Dan Kaplan, brother, Jake, uncle, Jerry, and a good buddy, Racey Underwood, are here so we don’t have to hire anyone extra during harvest time. How do you balance farm and family time during harvest? Trying to balance dairy farming and family alone is hard to do. But when it’s harvest time, it’s even more of a challenge. Everyone has a job on the farm to do, so we have that time together. But, getting away is difcult. Wendy gets the kids to where they need to be or arranges a ride for them from either Ben’s mom, Cheryl, or her mom, Joan Robbins. And I (Ben) try to get to what I can. Wendy and I get about an hour or so each morning together milking cows. What is your family’s favorite, easyto-make meal during harvest and what is the recipe? Wendy has a fulltime job on top of the farm so meals are tricky. She does a lot of crockpot meals, or orders pizza. Here is a favorite of ours: Meatball sliders 1 large onion, chopped 1(12 oz.) pkg. frozen cooked Italian style meatballs 1 jar pasta sauce 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper akes Put in crockpot on low setting for four to ve hours, then high for two to 2.5 hours. Serve on slider buns with a slice of cheese. What do you enjoy about the harvest? When I (Ben) get to be in the tractor doing tillage. Describe a favorite memory from a past harvest. As a kid I (Ben) used to like to get out of school to help pick ear
How long does harvest last for your farm and what jobs does this entail? Most of our corn gets made into silage. On average, we get that taken care of in about three days. We have custom work done, so a lot of my job is overseeing everything and making sure we are getting the quality and length we want. How do you get the extra work done? Our acres are custom chopped, but we still have to be sure to have ourselves readily available and to have enough help on the farm when the custom guys come around. How do you balance farm and family time during harvest? We have been a farm family for a long time. My ancé is also from a farm background, so it is a lot easier on me knowing that she understands the commitment. From making sure we all get a good meal to making sure we have what we need, we’re all there for one another during harvest season. Even though our acres are custom harvested, it is still crazy and hectic. What is your family’s favorite, easyto-make meal during harvest and what is the recipe? Seriously, a frozen pizza is about as good as it gets. Otherwise, carryout burgers for the whole crew from Beaches Corner in Ettrick. What do you enjoy about the harvest? I enjoy reaping the reward of what we have worked for all year long. We have focused on the crop all year long and we always hope to get the best feed for the cows and herd as a whole. Describe a favorite memory from a past harvest. When I was a kid, we would ll a trench silo. It is long gone now, but my chore was to get it covered and I remember being excited about it. Another favorite was generally being around when the chopping crew was hard at it and seeing it all happen. Tell us about your farm. We milk 125 cows on our third generation farm here in Ettrick, Wis. We raise most of our forages and all of our own youngstock. We raise Holsteins and a few crossbred animals. We milk in a double-8 parallel parlor and our cows are in a sand-bedded freestall barn. We raise 250 acres of alfalfa and corn.
corn and ll the cribs. Tell us about your farm. We farm with Ben’s parents, Joe and Cheryl, brother Jake, and brother-in-law, Dan Kaplan. We have about 450 acres of corn, 200 acres of beans and 180 acres of alfalfa. We raise all our youngstock and the steers to feeders. We recently added 160 beef cow/calf pairs to our farm. We milk twice a day in a double-8 parallel parlor.
Jon Raethke R Green Acres, Inc. Pepin, Wis. Pepin County 205 cows How long does harvest last for your farm and what jobs does this entail? Fall harvest consists of harvesting corn silage and snaplage. We normally harvest six, 9- by 300-foot bags of corn silage, taking about one day per silage bag, and three, 9- by 300-foot bags of snaplage, also taking about one day per bag. We do our own harvesting with a Claas 830 harvester, and do our own hauling and bagging. How do you get the extra work done? Like for everyone else, days get longer at harvest time. The cows still need milking and feeding and youngstock all need feeding and cleaning. Everyone pitches in extra so time can be spent in the eld, and keeping equipment running and maintained. People are pulled from milking chores early so harvest can continue. This means that milking times get longer and days end later. How do you balance farm and family time during harvest? It’s a balancing act for sure. If there is a special event during harvest, it needs attending, and somehow, things seem to always come together. This year, we hosted a kids conservation eld day for parts of three days, and we were able to speed up harvesting and get things cleaned up and ready to host 60 students and teachers for a full farm tour. What is your family’s favorite, easyto-make meal during harvest and what is the recipe? How do you spell S-A-N-D-W-I-C-H? What do you enjoy about the harvest? We all take pride, joy and satisfaction in bringing in the harvest and making certain that we have adequate inventory of feedstuffs. We live in a great place, and even though our hills and small elds complicate eld operations, it also adds to the beauty, and we take time to enjoy the scenery. Describe a favorite memory from a past harvest. A favorite memory was from probably 40 or more years ago, and we knew we had a large crop when we had to make a snow fence corn crib. It was inefcient, but required everyone to pull together to make it happen. Looking back to simpler times brings great memories. Picking corn with the mounted JD picker during deer season sometimes offered a chance at a hiding buck Tell us about your farm. Besides our milking herd, we have 230 head of youngstock, including 50 dairy bulls. We have three brothers actively involved in ownership and operation of our dairy, along with two employees. We crop approximately 600 acres, with about 300 going to corn, and 250 to 300 acres of alfalfa including seedings. Some years, soybeans are grown as well. The cows are milked in a double-10 Germania herringbone parlor, and cows and most youngstock are
Todd Oppriecht Genoa, Wis. Vernon County 120 cows How long does harvest last for your farm and what jobs does this entail? The harvest usually lasts about a month. We harvest most of our corn at as high moisture to feed the cows, with hopefully, a little left to sell. Soybeans are custom harvested and sold. Fourth crop hay and corn silage are done at the same time. This year, the rain has been a challenge. If you weren’t ready to go, the window of opportunity closed before you could even start. How do you get the extra work done? Harvest affects our regular chore schedule by having days become much longer, and my wife does a lot of milking and chores by herself. We do not hire seasonal employees. We rely a lot on family help. How do you balance farm and family time during harvest? During harvest, family time is combined with harvest. We all work together. What is your family’s favorite, easyto-make meal during harvest and what is the recipe? One of our go-to meals is most likely summer sausage sandwiches with water – easy to eat on the run. A sit-down meal we enjoy during harvest would be chili in the crockpot. We use a secret family recipe. What do you enjoy about the harvest? I enjoy being outside working in a beautiful landscape and knowing I am harvesting the fruit of my labor. Describe a favorite memory from a past harvest. I was combining corn a while back with my young son, Michael, who was mesmerized by the corn going through the head. He eventually fell asleep at my feet in the cab. It was so peaceful and satisfying, knowing I am able to combine work and family in my career. Tell us about your farm. My wife, Paulette, and I operate a 120-cow dairy farm. The farm consists of 110 acres of corn, 75 acres of beans, and roughly 200 acres of alfalfa. The farm has been in my wife’s family for over 100 years, and we plan to continue to keep the family farm running. Family help consists of my son, Michael, and daughters, Rachel and Katherine, and their signicant others. We milk in a tiestall barn with a pipeline. The history of the farm includes a devastating barn re in 1989, resulting in losing our milking herd and the facilities. We rebuilt in 1990 and continue the farming tradition to this day. Paulette and I purchased the farm from her father in 2008.
housed in sand bedded freestalls. Dairy bulls are marketed to area dairymen as well as bull studs picking up a few most years. Our family has owned some of our land for 70 years.
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 17
HYDRA-SPREAD
Put Some Real Muscle Into Your Spreading reading Better Sp e of the or Utilizes M utrients N Manure
DELIVERS PERFORMANCE
0 $2,000 IN E D A TR S U N O B GOING ON NOW!
With
Factory Rebates e! Availabl
Choice of Heavy Duty Vertical or Horizontal Beaters
CE OI
www.dairyl supply.com www.dairylandsupply.com SAUK CENTRE ENTRE
SLC 141 Protwin® S Side-Discharge Spreader
FA S
E BL
T
SE
OFF I-94 O ON THE E CORNER HW 28 8 & 71 OF HWY. SOUTH S H
Manufactured by M
RV IC E
M
OR
E
320-352-3987 • 1-800-338-6455 800-338-6455
A ND
PE
DE
7300 Tank w/VTI FOR RENT
DAIRYLAND SUPPLY INC.
TS
Built in Redwood Falls, MN
• Choice of Heavy Duty Vertical or Horizontal Beaters • Dual Endgate Cylinders • Replaceabl Replaceable Bang Boards • Poly Floo Floor/Sides Won’t Rot or Rust • InÀnite Speed Adjustment • Hea Heaviest Frame In The Business •T Two Bolts Remove Beater Assembly • Replaceable 3/8” Beater Paddles
R PA
CH
E
•P Plastic lastiic Áoo oorr • Inset guillotine guiillo gu l tiine gate gat ate e with wiith h lift-up lififtt-up t-up door doo oor • 5/8” thick ighting thick ÁÁighti ting ng on vertical vertica al beater • Horizontal or vertical beaters • 3/8” thick tube construction on reach • Remote grease banks • Underslung spring suspension • Inset and angled vertical beater with bottom pan
OR M
S
HYDRA-SPREAD IS THE RECOGNIZED LEADER IN HYDRAULIC PUSHOFF TECHNOLOGY
FACTORY TS DISCOUN
SIGNIFICANTLY FASTER APPLICATION REDUCED FUEL CONSUMPTION WORKS WITH CROP RESIDUE
The redesigned ed K Kuhn uh hn Kn K Knig Knight night h SSLC ht LLC C 1100 00 SSeries 00 e ProTwin Slinger Commercial manure spreaders set the standard for fast, efficient spreading to give you maximum return for your equipment dollars.
Powerful P PTO Pum Pumps & Agitators To H Handle Liquid Manure
Alley A lley Scrapers Scra apers Ask Dairyland Supply about the GEA® product line, the right choice when it comes to manure handling.
CHECK OUT OUR USED!
www.dairylandsupply.com
Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
Repro Leaders
Fricksons focus on nutrition, good footing to get cows bred Bonnie and Brett Frickson Dakota, Minn. Winona County 83 cows What is your herd’s pregnancy rate average for last year? Our herd’s average pregnancy rate was 26 percent. What is your herd’s reproduction program? How do you get cows pregnant? We
don’t breed any cows until they hit 70 days in milk. They could be in heat at 68 days and we still wouldn’t breed them. At 70 days, we start watching for a natural heat to breed them. I (Brett) watch them in the cow yard everyday. I sit in the ofce and look out the window, so I stand right outside the ofce and watch the cows. If they get out to about 100 days in milk, we will give them a shot
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
BreƩ and Bonnie Frickson’s herd had an average pregnancy rate last year of 26 percent. They milk 83 cows on their dairy in Winona County near Dakota, Minn.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Cows rest in the sandbedded freestall barn on the Fricksons’ farm near Dakota, Minn.
of Lutalyse, but it depends on the cow and how much she is milking. If she is still milking a lot, we will let her go a little longer before we breed her.
We try to avoid having calves at the end of December, January and the beginning of FebDo you use seasonal breed- ruary, especially heifers. We ing or avoid certain months? dread having heifers calve in Turn to FRICKSONS | Page 20 We want cows to have enough condition on them.
Quality Equipment That You Can Trust!
Used Parts • Replacement Parts
FREE NATIONWIDE PARTS LOCATING We Buy Salvage Tractors
HP Manure Spreaders are available in 425 and 550 bushel sizes with your choice of vertical or horizontal beaters.
The 135 bushel GM 170 offers the convenience of a self-contained hydraulic system that controls the intake auger and the unload auger.
www.panningbrothers.com
25060 651 Ave., Gibbon, MN Toll Free: 1-800-635-0993
The hydraulically driven 7+4 Feeder Box is available in 16' or 18' models with an optional scale system, and can be either truck or chassis mounted.
Contact your H&S Dealer for FANTASTIC PRICING!
H&S Manufacturing 715.387.3414 www.hsmfgco.com
605-886-2228 mortonbuildings.com
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 19
Sharing commitment to comfort and quality!
We are humbled and honored to continue tradition as unanimous Choice of Champions at the 2016 World Dairy Expo, marking nearly a decade of all 14 Grand Champion exhibitors telling us they appreciate Udder ComfortTM ‘cause comfort matters! Congratulations to all exhibitors and caretakers of dairy cattle. We love cows! And we share with our customers the commitment to quality and excellence that begins with comfort at shows and at home!
Congratulations to Grand Champion exhibitors (Open top, Jr bottom): AYRSHIRE: MARGOT PATAGONIE, Ferme Margot of Ste Perpétue, QC (Open). CEDARCUT BURDETTE CLOVE COLATA, Erin Curtis-Szalach, Cazenovia, NY (Jr) BROWN SWISS: BROWN HEAVEN GLENN FANTASY, Ferme Brown Heaven Vercheres, QC (Open). CUTTING EDGE T DELILAH, Kyle Barton, Ancramdale, NY (Jr RES. SUPREME). GUERNSEY: FLAMBEAU MANOR RO LAUREN-ET, Gary & Steve Van Doorn, Tony, WI (Open). KNAPPS REGIS TAMBOURINE-ET, Austin and Landen Knapp, Epworth, IA (Jr).
“We use it a lot, especially fresh cows!”
- Robert & Jeanette Sheehan, Sheeknoll, Rochester, MN
“It has done wonders for Lauren.”
- Steve Van Doorn, Flambeau Manor, Tony, WI
“Amazing. Kept her udder pliable.”
- Curtis family, Cedarcut Farms, Cazenovia, NY
“Best thing for fresh cows and show cows.”
- Ferme Brown Heaven, Vercheres, Quebec
“Yes! We use a lot of it!”
- Austin and Landon Knapp, Epworth, IA
“Three calves and a youthful udder to show for it.” -Kenny Stambaugh, Westminster, MD
HOLSTEIN: SHEEKNOLL DURHAM ARROW, Sheeknoll Farms, Rochester, MN (RES. SUPREME Open). SILVERMAPLE WINDHAM CAMILLE, Christian Cunningham & Miles Price, PennGrove, CA, (Jr SUPREME). JERSEY: MUSQIE IATOLA MARTHA-ET, Milk Source Genetics, Kaukauna, WI (SUPREME Open). RED ROCK VIEW CARI, Cora Carpenter, Darlington, WI (Jr). MILKING SHORTHORN: CATES RUBEN TULSA-TIME-EXP, Peter Cate, NH (Open). MAPLE FUDGE OF 12 OAKS, Ashley Brandel & Carley Krull, Lake Mills, WI (Jr). RED & WHITE: PHEASANT ECHO’S TURVYRED-ET, Kenny Stambaugh, Westminster, MD (Open) MILKSOURCE DTY TAMMY-RED-ET, G & L Wendorf and D & K Nickels, Ixonia, WI (Jr).
Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
ConƟnued from FRICKSONS | Page 18 the middle of the winter. How often do you do pregnancy checks? We mostly pregnancy check through the milk when we DHIA test, so every month; however, if a cow is not responding, then we have the vet check her. That’s not very often. We don’t see the vet very much. 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 leave that up to the experts. I use all Accelerated Genetics bulls, which are picked for our herd by our A.I. Technician, Andrew Horn-
berg. He chooses bulls that are high in milk, have a good daughter pregnancy rate and have quality type. Since we sell a lot of our heifers, we want them to be quality when they go to another farm. We just don’t have much room to keep them and raise them on our farm. Then, we buy a few heifers when we need replacements. This year from about April until the beginning of September, we used sexed semen on our whole herd – both heifers and calves. After that, we switched to using all Angus. That way we could sell the calves at the salesbarn. When we’ve used Angus in the past, you can’t tell that the calves are out of Holsteins. They look no different than the beef calves. What percentage of your herd is bred through A.I. or a bull? Our herd is bred using 100 percent A.I. If you use A.I., who breeds your cattle? Our A.I. technician, Andrew Hornberg. Do you have a different philosophy when breeding heifers vs. cows? Not really. We might use a bull that is a little better in calving ease for heifers, but nothing drastic.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
A.I. technician Andrew Hornberg prepares to breed a cow at the Fricksons’ farm.
What do you do to settle hard breeders? How many times do you try to breed a cow before you sell her? After awhile, I will use GnRH. I will breed a cow up to six times, as long as she is pulling her weight in milking. Once I see her consistently dropping in milk and gaining weight, I will decide whether to breed her again or sell her. It just depends on each cow, how fast she drops in milk and her history.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
BreƩ Frickson takes Ɵme each morning to watch cows for heat while they are eaƟng in the cow yard. What is your target size/weight/age for breeding heifers? We breed heifers at 1 year 3 months. We tried to do it by weight or an earlier age (like 11 months and 1 year) but they just don’t seem mature enough. It seems like they are all ready by 1 year and 3 months. Is there anything you have done or changed that brought about a signicant improvement in your reproductive program? Andrew Hornberg has been breeding our cows for the past two years, and we have a good nutritionist. Nutrition has a lot to do with reproduction, especially the dry cow program. We also put lime down in the cow lots and the sandbedded freestall barn. It helps the cows have sure footing. They’re not scared to move and we
can see heats better. Tell us about your farm. We have been here since we moved here in 1994. This was Brett’s dad’s place, which was used as a trading site for cattle. Brett’s dad, Freddy, has been an auctioneer for 62 years at the salesbarn in Lanesboro, Minn. The family started keeping a herd of cows to milk in 1985. At the time, they created a at barn parlor, which is what they still use today. There are 22 stalls with 12 units. We each take six units and a side, and get milking done. We have ve adult children, Chad, Mark, Adam, Jennifer and April, who help on the farm when they are able. A family friend, Ryan Daley, also helps with crops when we need it. We also have seven grandchildren.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
The Fricksons put lime down in the cow yard to ensure cows have good fooƟng, which allows them to show beƩer heats.
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 21
1.9% for up to
60 MONTHS
See our complete inventory with pictures and descriptions at:
on 70-Series & S-Series combines
www.mmcjd.com
0%
Visit one of our 13 locations in Central Minnesota!!
for up to 48 months on qualified fall tillage
(1) = GLENCOE 800-558-3759 4561 Hwy. 212
(2) = HOWARD LAKE 866-875-5093 5845 Keats Ave. SW
(3) = STEWART 800-827-7933 78412 Co. Rd. 20
(4) = ST. CLOUD 800-645-5531 1035 35th Ave. NE
(5) = GLENWOOD 888-7999-1495 1710 N. Franklin
(6) = SAUK CENTRE 888-320-2936 1140 Centre St.
(7) = ALEXANDRIA 888-799-1490 5005 State Hwy. 27 E
(8) = PAYNESVILLE 866-784-5535 725 Lake Ave. S.
(9) = PRINCETON 800-570-3453 3708 Baptist Church Rd.
(10) = LITTLE FALLS 800-655-5469 16069 Hwy. 27 E.
(11) = WADENA 888-631-2311 62505 US Hwy. 10
(12) = AITKIN 800-732-1129 1120 2nd St. NW
(13) = BAXTER 800-568-4338 7045 Foley Rd.
‘14 JD S660
253 hrs., #107228
60,000
$
39,900
‘10 JD 2700 #116633
39,900
‘12 JD 2700, #118104
$
$
Over 1200 items with pictures updated daily • Go to www.mmcjd.com ARTICULATED 4WD TRACTORS 5 Versatile 946, 1991, #130975 .......... $32,500 4 JD 8450, 1984, 12344 hrs., # 125922 .......................................... $22,900 4 JD 8560, 1989, 9900 hrs., #127263............................................ $26,500 6 JD 8760, 1990, 8737 hrs., #121544............................................ $43,500 10 JD 8770, 1995, 7638 hrs., #119125............................................ $64,500 5 JD 9300, 1997, 4445 hrs., #132726............................................ $79,000 1 JD 9300, 2000, 3045 hrs., #124837.................................................... $85,900 2 JD 9520, 2006, 5016 hrs., #110315..................................................$141,500 6 JD 9530, 2008, 3260 hrs., #131676..................................................$165,000 6 JD 9630, 2010, 1746 hrs., #123341..................................................$235,000 7 JD 9370R, 2015, 657 hrs., #133030..................................................$229,000 2 JD 9460R, 2012, 1123 hrs., #129309..................................................$239,000 3 JD 9460R, 2012, 869 hrs., #130519..................................................$245,000 7 JD 9460R, 2014, 575 hrs., #125963..................................................$265,000 3 JD 9560R, 2013, 780 hrs., #127237..................................................$275,000 3 JD 9560R, 2014, 1355 hrs., #132069..................................................$275,000 3 JD 9560R, 2013, 153 hrs., #123386..................................................$295,000 4 JD 9560R, 2014, 409 hrs., #132390..................................................$309,000 2 JD 9620R, 2015, 402 hrs., #125913..................................................$399,000 CHISEL PLOWS 6 JD 2410, 2008, #133188 ..................... $32,000 3 JD 2410, 2011, #118151 ..................... $40,000 2 JD 2410, 2011, #113416 ..................... $43,000 11 Summers 32’, 2014, #132426 ............ $64,900 COMBINE PLATFORMS 2 JD 615P, 2016, #133554 ..................... $26,000 2 JD 615P, 2016, #133555 ..................... $26,000 3 JD 630F, 2005, #124289...................... $17,500 8 JD 630F, 2006, #102082...................... $19,500 6 JD 630F, 2009, #132322...................... $19,500 6 JD 630F, 2011, #133185...................... $27,000 11 JD 630F, 2012, #130583...................... $27,500 9 JD 630F, 2013, #132633...................... $28,000 4 JD 630F, 2011, #113753...................... $28,500 7 JD 630F, 2012, #126623...................... $29,900 9 JD 630F, 2012, #114693...................... $34,500 2 JD 630F, 2015, #130970...................... $35,000 2 JD 635F, 2006, #132043...................... $15,000 3 JD 635F, 2008, #124215...................... $15,995 5 JD 635F, 2009,#131606 ....................... $24,500 4 JD 635F, 2008, #132156...................... $25,000 5 JD 635F, 2011, #125837...................... $25,000 7 JD 635F, 2011, #103780...................... $29,000 4 JD 635F, 2012, #118150...................... $38,900 7 JD 640FD, 2013, #127498................... $64,000 3 JD 640FD, 2013, #127499................... $64,000 1 JD 640FD, 2013, #125673................... $75,000 4 JD 640FD, 2015, #125237................... $86,000 COMBINES 5 Case 2388, 2001, 3975 hrs., 3240 sep., #125799.................................................... $75,000 10 Case IH 8010, 2006, 2117 hrs., 1506 sep., #132086..................................................$109,900 4 JD 9500, 1989, 4400 hrs., 3300 sep.,
260,000
$
‘12 CIH 870 #118569
#132034.................................................... $32,500 9 JD 9500, 1990, 4239 hrs., #126219.................................................... $39,500 10 JD 9510, 2001, 3073 hrs., 2049 sep., #132942.................................................... $53,900 1 JD 9550, 2003, 3007 hrs., #132427.................................................... $69,000 2 JD 9610, 1998, 3600 hrs., 2400 sep., #133475.................................................... $60,000 2 JD 9560 STS, 2011, 2645 hrs., 1771 sep., #132194..................................................$105,000 3 JD 9560 STS, 2005, 1481 hrs., 907 sep., #130053..................................................$125,000 9 JD 9570 STS, 2008, 1563 hrs., 1084 hrs., #115868..................................................$145,000 7 JD 9570 STS, 2010, 831 hrs., 637 sep., #122037..................................................$190,000 3 JD 9650 STS, 2000, 3293 hrs., 2189 sep., #126187.................................................... $69,500 5 JD 9660 STS, 2004, 2242 hrs., 1525 sep., #132570.................................................... $89,000 1 JD 9670 STS, 2010, 1055 hrs., 737 sep., #132428..................................................$182,500 6 JD 9760 STS, 2004, 2642 hrs., 1763 sep., #107702.................................................... $98,900 7 JD 9770 STS, 2009, 2388 hrs., 1828 sep., #124372..................................................$130,000 6 JD 9770 STS, 2010, 1835 hrs., 1314 sep., #132065..................................................$159,000 4 JD 9770 STS, 2009, 1799 hrs., 1248 sep., #117362..................................................$165,000 2 JD 9770 STS, 2010, 1466 hrs., 1080 sep., #118492..................................................$180,000 11 JD 9870 STS, 2009, 1600 hrs., 1230 sep., #106732..................................................$160,000 7 JD 9870 STS, 2011, 2005 hrs., 1526 sep., #132674..................................................$169,000 6 JD S660, 2012, 421 hrs., 221 sep., #96947 ....................................................$229,000 4 JD S660, 2014, 253 hrs., #107228..................................................$260,000 9 JD S660, 2014, 339 hrs., 450 sep., #132631..................................................$260,000 4 JD S660, 2014, 158 hrs., 89 sep., #116531..................................................$285,000 11 JD S660, 2015, 310 hrs., 196 sep., #117457..................................................$295,000 2 JD S660, 2015, 197 hrs., 120 sep., #125946..................................................$315,000 1 JD S670, 2012, 2239 hrs., 1628 sep., #128689..................................................$165,000 5 JD S670, 2014, 662 hrs., 488 sep., #133494..................................................$292,500 8 JD S670, 2015, 331 hrs., 200 sep., #124831..................................................$305,000 4 JD S670, 2015, 230 hrs., 140 sep., #125750..................................................$325,000 5 JD S680, 2012, 1374 hrs., 918 sep., #120199..................................................$230,000 1 JD S680, 2012, 548 hrs., 357 sep., #118623..................................................$305,000 3 JD S690, 2013, 1275 hrs., 1003 sep., #131692..................................................$240,000 7 JD S690, 2013, 970 hrs., 685 sep., #119306..................................................$265,000 3 JD S690, 2014, 766 hrs., 550 sep., #127495..................................................$319,000 CORN AND ROW CROP HEADERS 11 JD 693, 1996, #131820 ........................ $15,900 9 JD 893, 2001, #127232 ........................ $19,500 6 JD 893, 1998, #133187 ........................ $20,000 4 JD 893, 1996, #126995 ........................ $21,500 4 JD 893, 1999, #124555 ........................ $21,500
‘12 JD S660 421 hrs., 221 sep., $ #96947
229,000
6 4 6 6 7 8 2 8 2 6 4 8 2 5 9 6 10 1 4 2 6 6 3 4 7 6 1 7 4 3 8 5 3 8 5 10 1 10 5 6 10 1 10 10 5 3 6 10 10 11 5 5 4 2 11 7 1 11 7 2 2 11 6
JD 893, 2005, #133533 ........................ $21,500 JD 893, 2003, #131470 ........................ $25,000 JD 1293, 2007, #132423 ..................... $18,900 JD 1293, 2005, #116503 ..................... $26,500 Geringhoff 1622, 2007 # 132675 .................................................. $47,900 Harvestec 4112C, 2009 # 127253 .................................................. $35,000 JD 606C, 2013, #132993 ..................... $56,500 JD 606C, 2013, #132413 ..................... $57,500 JD 606C, 2014, #132193 ..................... $59,900 JD 606C, 2013, #115136 ..................... $61,500 JD 606C, 2013, #116470 ..................... $63,500 JD 606C, 2014, #125557 ..................... $64,900 JD 606C, 2014, #126181 ..................... $65,500 JD 608C, 2009, #133557 ..................... $49,500 JD 608C, 2013, #132632 ..................... $65,000 JD 608C, 2012, #125869 ..................... $67,500 JD 608C, 2013, #125707 ..................... $67,500 JD 608C, 2012, #131793 ..................... $68,000 JD 608C, 2013, #126457 ..................... $68,000 JD 608C, 2012, #118668 ..................... $71,000 JD 608C, 2014, #118946 ..................... $76,000 JD 612C, 2008, #127007 ..................... $55,000 JD 612C, 2009, #128688 ..................... $55,000 JD 612C, 2009, #126839 ..................... $57,000 JD 612C, 2009, #103694 ..................... $58,000 JD 612C, 2013, #122102 ..................... $65,000 JD 612C, 2013, #125221 ..................... $79,900 JD 612C, 2012, #106737 ..................... $83,000 JD 612C, 2012, #125992 ..................... $84,000 JD 612C, 2014, #125736 ..................... $95,000 JD 612C, 2014, #126047 ..................... $98,000 JD 612C, 2014, #125927 ..................... $98,500 JD 612C, 2014, #126845 ...................$102,000 JD 612C, 2015, #126164 ...................$105,000 JD 618C, 2013, #107764 ...................$139,000 Drago N8TR, 2003, #132087 .............. $18,400 Geringhoff RD830B, 2004 #132061.................................................... $18,900 Geringhoff ROTA-DISC 1200B, #127038.................................................... $24,500 Geringhoff ROTA-DISC 1222, 2007, #118082.................................................... $48,900 Geringhoff ROTA-DISC 830B, 2006, #107701.................................................... $27,500 DISKS JD 637, 2000, #130806 ........................ $20,900 JD 637, 2005, #131583 ........................ $29,000 JD 637, 2011, #129347 ........................ $33,000 JD 637, 2010, #126287 ........................ $33,500 JD 637, 2013, #116113 ........................ $58,000 JD 650, 1999, #126844 ........................ $18,000 JD 2623, 2013, #126778 ..................... $39,900 JD 2623, 2012, #126300 ..................... $41,500 JD 2623, 2014, #126286 ..................... $47,500 JD 2623, 2013, #108452 ..................... $52,900 JD 2623, 2013, #111788 ..................... $58,500 JD 2623, 2014, #121336 ..................... $58,500 JD 2623, 2013, #108855 ..................... $59,000 JD 2623, 2013, #107046 ..................... $86,500 JD 2623, 2015, #118461 ..................... $92,900 EZEE-ON 4600, 2009, #126167.................................................... $34,900 Krause 8200, 2013, #131061 ............. $36,000 SunÁower 1444-40, #118477 ............. $38,900 Salford 570RTS, #131148..................... $43,900 Wishek 842T, #126450 ......................... $21,000 Wishek 842T, #126451 ......................... $23,900 Summers 9K4727, 2015 #129015.................................................... $92,900 RIPPERS Case IH 870, 2011, #130393 .............. $51,000
JD S670, 2015, 230 hrs., 140 sep., $ #125750
325,000
9 3 1 2 5 1 5 6 6 7 8 7 8 6 5 2 5 5 9 10 1 1 12 13 6 10 6 4 11 5 11 6 3 5 4 4 4 8 10 1 10 12 8 2 2 4 8 5 12 8 12 2 9 4 1 10 7 10 4 4 4 5 4 8 6 6 8 3 2
Case IH 870, 2012, #118569 .............. $60,000 JD 2700, 2008, #132458 ..................... $19,000 JD 2700, 2005, #132186 ..................... $19,500 JD 2700, 2006, #130972 ..................... $19,500 JD 2700, 2004, #132727 ..................... $19,900 JD 2700, 2008, #123762 ..................... $32,900 JD 2700, 2012, #132672 ..................... $33,500 JD 2700, 2009, #118932 ..................... $34,000 JD 2700, 2013, #116881 ..................... $34,000 JD 2700, 2013, #133495 ..................... $35,900 JD 2700, 2011, #116015 ..................... $36,500 JD 2700, 2012, #126875 ..................... $36,900 JD 2700, 2010, #116633 ..................... $39,900 JD 2700, 2012, #118104 ..................... $39,900 JD 2720, 2013, #132369 ..................... $70,000 Krause 4800, 2015, #133515 ............. $23,200 Case 9300, 2003, #126950 ................. $29,500 Salford 9813, 2012, #108447 ............. $49,000 Case 530B, #125613 ............................. $18,900 SKID STEER LOADERS JD 250, 1999, 725 hrs., #129148....... $18,500 JD 315, 2014, 27 hrs., #113452 ......... $28,900 JD 315, 2014, 42 hrs., #113451 ......... $28,900 JD 320, 2005, 2931 hrs., #126912 .... $18,900 JD 320, 2007, 580 hrs., #126492....... $24,900 JD 325, 2008, 3338 hrs., #126849 .... $21,500 JD 332, 2005, 6900 hrs., #131737 .... $16,500 JD 318D, 2010, 285 hrs., #126439 .... $32,900 JD 318E, 2015, 45 hrs., #118133 ....... $41,500 JD 320D, 2012, 5072 hrs., #126926 . $18,900 JD 320D, 2012, 1579 hrs.,#124756... $24,900 JD 320D, 2013, 681 hrs., #133492 .... $32,900 JD 320D, 2012, 402 hrs., #127483 .... $33,500 JD 320D, 2013, 210 hrs., #126841 .... $37,000 JD 320E, 2014, 1748 hrs., #125994 .. $32,000 JD 320E, 2015, 142 hrs., #127651..... $33,900 JD 320E, 2015, 160 hrs., #115882..... $38,465 JD 320E, 2014, 175 hrs., #118329..... $38,500 JD 320E, 2015, 29 hrs., #116484 ....... $39,900 JD 320E, 2014, 115 hrs., #121065..... $40,900 JD 320E, 2014, 429 hrs., #125588..... $41,900 JD 320E, 2015, 30 hrs., #126180 ....... $41,900 JD 320E, 2015, 40 hrs., #121127 ....... $43,900 JD 320E, 2015, 115 hrs., #130568..... $43,900 JD 326D, 2011, 2209 hrs., #132158 . $33,000 JD 326E, 2014, 1951 hrs., #126744 .. $33,500 JD 326E, 2014, 860 hrs., #127652 ... $37,500 JD 326E, 2014, 430 hrs., #125552..... $41,500 JD 326E, 2014, 210 hrs., #131457..... $42,900 JD 326E, 2015, 141 hrs., #118077..... $42,900 JD 326E, 2014, 490 hrs., #128883..... $43,500 JD 326E, 2013, 177 hrs., #104177..... $43,900 JD 326E, 2015, 150 hrs.,#128590 ...... $44,000 JD 326E, 2015, 136 hrs., #118578..... $44,900 JD 326E, 2015, 154 hrs., #130571..... $46,000 JD 326E, 2015, 200 hrs., #127008..... $46,000 JD 328E, 2014, 561 hrs., #123437..... $40,900 JD 328E, 2014, 830 hrs., #125591..... $43,900 JD 328E, 2013, 155 hrs., #104185..... $45,900 JD 328E, 2014, 561 hrs., #124407..... $46,900 JD 328E, 2014, 531 hrs., #127230..... $49,500 JD 328E, 2016, 200 hrs., #131549..... $51,000 JD 332D, 2011, 2749 hrs., #117927 . $30,900 JD 332D, 2012, 612 hrs., #127231 .... $46,000 JD 332E, 2014, #132664...................... $42,900 JD 332E, 2014, 710 hrs., #132327..... $49,900 JD 332E, 2015, 227 hrs., #131496..... $51,900 NH LS185B, 2005, 2425 hrs., #126189.................................................... $19,700 NH LS185-B, 533 hrs., #130952 .......... $19,900 Bobcat S590, 2013, 757 hrs., #131472.................................................... $35,900
‘12 JD S680
548 hrs., #118623
305,000
$
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
Wood
Shavings BULK
OR
BAG
S&S Wood Products
35335 Green Street | Independence, WI 54747
800-234-5893 | 715-985-3122
I F A
Roller-Grinder
More milk less feed with uniform Àne-grind Solid cast rolls All belt-electric drive Single or double mills USA & International sales Replacement rolls available for most mills Used mills and tumble mixers on hand Hammer Mills
A farmer in the press box
Phone: (319) 634-3849 • Toll Free: (800) 426-0261 web: www.ifamill.com • email: ifamill@netins.net
The next issue of the Dairy Star is published November 12th. Advertising and news deadline is Friday, November 5th.
Put the PLUS+ in your farm
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Randy Koller (right) announces a basketball game during the WIAA playoffs in 2009. Koller has been announcing basketball games for Durand High School since 1988. He milks 35 cows near Rock Falls, Wis.
™
™
Milk Quality
Koller a longtime announcer for high school sports By Brittany Olson
brittany.o@dairystar.com
Productivity
Herd Health
www.delaval-us.com
Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: IOWA Kramer Bros. Monticello, IA 319-465-5931 Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290 United-Suckow Dairy Supply West Union, IA 563-422-5355 Postville, IA 563-864-7417
WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bob’s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201 Ederer Dairy Supply Plain, WI 608-546-3713 Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Waunakee, WI 608-849-5043
Mondovi Dairy Systems Inc. Mondovi, WI 715-926-5777 West Salem, WI 608-769-2113 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470 MINNESOTA & SOUTH DAKOTA D&D Ag Supply Pennock, MN 320-599-4466
East Central Dairy Supply Mora, MN 320-679-1029 Genex Farm Systems Melrose, MN 320-256-3276 Watertown, MN 605-886-7401 Sioux Falls, SD 800-284-0015 S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Professional Dairy Systems Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB. © 2016 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296
ROCK FALLS, Wis. – Even though Randy Koller did not play any sports in his youth, he has found his way to the basketball court. Since the mid 1980s, Koller’s voice became a staple over the airwaves with the play-by-play for the high school sport for Durand High School and other school districts in the area. Koller ts in announcing with the 35 cows he milks on his family’s dairy west of Rock Falls, Wis. “Durand had a terric girls’ basketball team in the 1980s, and I had some connections to the team,” Koller said about how he got connected to the sport not long after graduating from Durand High School in 1982. In 1984, Koller was asked to take care of team statistics for the Durand Panthers girls’ basketball team and took over during the 1984-1985 season. The next fall, he began doing statistics for the Durand High football team as well. Soon afterward, he took on the additional role of providing commentary on the radio with Tom Pattison, sports director of the Durand radio station, WRDN FM 95.9 and AM 1430. “I got to know Tom and provided some statistics with color commentary, and I had the opportunity to announce with Tom on a few games,” Koller said. When Pattison took on a new position as the sports director at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s radio station in 1988, Koller was asked if he would be interested in lling the role as play-by-play announcer. “The station owner wanted to know if I’d be interested in football. While football and dairy farming don’t mix due to clashing with harvest season, I’d always loved basketball and I jumped at the opportunity to be the ofcial announcer for Durand basketball on WRDN,” Koller said. While covering games on the radio for his alma mater brought Koller a lot of joy, he also knew many people in the nearby town of Mondovi, Wis. So, he announced games for the Mondovi Buffaloes basketball team in conjunction with his duties at Durand. “I knew boatloads of people in both towns because the school districts border each other near Rock Falls,” Koller said. After Koller married his wife, Carma, and the arrival of their two children, Marissa and Jon, in the 1990s, he jumped at the opportunity to announce women’s basketball games for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugolds. “A couple of girls from Durand played for the Blugolds, so I announced games for them from 1998 to 2000,” Koller said. “I even went down to St. Louis, Mo., with them to announce the game on the radio for the NCAA Division 3 Final Four.” Because their children were quite young at the time, Carma helped with many milkings while her husband was traveling to Blugold games at home and Turn to KOLLER | Page 23
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 23
ConƟnued from KOLLER | Page 22 away. “I can’t thank her enough for keeping things going while I’ve been gone, and as my kids have gotten older they’ve stepped up to help out as well,” Koller said. When asked how he balances dairy farming with his broadcasting hobby, Koller said basketball was easier on his schedule due to largely being played after harvest season. But his family gets his praise for going the extra mile to get him to the games on time. “On game nights, we feed cows before chores and milk at 4:30. Carma feeds calves and washes the pipeline, and Jon does a little of everything. We just try to get stuff done earlier,” Koller said. The number of games announced by Koller has uctuated throughout the years as WRDN changed hands several times. “The station was sold in 2001 and moved north to Menomonie, Wis., in 2002,” Koller said. Mike Sullivan, the sports director of Clear Channel Broadcasting – a conglomerate of radio stations in Eau Claire, Wis. – asked Koller if he would announce games for Durand and Mondovi on WATQ 106.7, also known throughout the region as Moose Country. While Moose Country mainly covers games in the Dunn-St. Croix athletic conference, including Mondovi, Durand was in the Middle Border conference for the Wisconsin
BRITTANY OLSON/DAIRY STAR
The Kollers – (from leŌ) Jon, Carma, Randy and Marissa – milk 35 cows near Rock Falls, Wis. Interscholastic Athletic Association, or WIAA. “Because I knew boatloads of people in both Durand and Mondovi, it made pregame preparations much easier. I announced a couple of games with teams like Colfax and Boyceville for Moose Country, but because I didn’t know the teams at all, the amount of work doubled,” Koller said. Eventually, Brian Winnekins, a farm broadcaster who formerly worked at WCOW 97.1 based in Sparta, Wis., bought AM 1430 and moved it back to Durand. Koller began announcing games with Winnekins, lling in when Winnekins wasn’t available or his
duties as the current National Farm Broadcasters Association president took him out of the area. “The past few years, I’ve done about half a dozen girls’ basketball games every season,” Koller said. “I’ve also done 12 to 15 football games through the decades as well.” While not broadcasting as many games in recent years, Koller has kept just as busy with positions on several boards of directors, including the Dairy Farmers of America’s Central Area Council and a three-year appointment to the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board. As his daughter, Marissa,
got older, she began playing basketball with the Durand team. This worked out well for Koller because he could announce the game and watch Marissa play, eventually leading to one of the most memorable games of his broadcasting career. “It was her last game as a senior in 2015, and they were playing against Hayward in the WIAA girls’ sectional nals. Durand was beating the Hurricanes 42 to 41, but with eight-tenths of a second left Hayward shot a buzzer-beater right over Marissa. It was nothing but net,” Koller said. Two other memorable games were played in 1996
and 2000, in addition to announcing games at the state girls’ basketball tournament in 1994, 1996, 1997 and 2009. “In 1996, Durand came from a double-digit decit – they were 40 to 27 at halftime – to win by one point in the state seminals. Four years later, I was announcing a boys’ basketball game in Madison during the state tournament, and it was their rst trip to state since 1969,” Koller said. Now that Marissa has gone off to college to study accounting and agricultural business at University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Koller’s son, Jon, has begun to follow in his father’s footsteps with broadcasting even though he is still in high school. While Jon plans on returning to the family farm in the future, he helps with broadcasting Durand games on TV and the Internet through his mass media and video production class, and has begun announcing football and volleyball games as well. “Dad helped out with my mass media class, doing some games with students when the class started in 2007, too,” Jon said, giving a nod to his father’s versatility in sports broadcasting. Even though he did not play ball as a teenager, Randy Koller lives and breathes sports as much as he does dairy farming. As long as he gets his chores done on time, Durand can count on having a farmer in the press box at tip off.
Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
M60 Series
MX Series
Shift Into Savings
KUBOTA SALES EVENT
M6 Series
M5 Series
The deals are in overdrive on all new Kubota M Series tractors! Offer ends 12/31/16.
See one of these authorized Kubota dealers near you! Iowa DUBUQUE Roeder Implement 2580 Rockdale Road (563) 557-1184 (800) 557-1184 FARLEY J.P. Scherrman, Inc. 1350 1st Avenue NW (563) 744-3393
Minnesota ALEXANDRIA Alex Power Equipment 111 50th Avenue West (320) 763-4994 www.alexpowerequipment.com
ANOKA Lano Equipment, Inc. 6140 Highway 10 NW (763) 323-1720 GLENCOE Arnold’s of Glencoe 655 Lindbergh Trail (320) 864-5531 www.arnoldsinc.com HASTINGS Niebur Tractor and Equipment 14380 East 240th Street (651) 437-3531 (888) 559-9492 www.nieburtractor.com
KIMBALL Arnold’s of Kimball 701 State Highway 55 East (320) 398-3800 www.arnoldsinc.com
NORTH MANKATO Arnold’s of Mankato 1715 Howard Drive (507) 387-5515 www.arnoldsinc.com
ST. MARTIN Arnold’s of St. Martin 374 Industrial Drive (320) 548-3285 www.arnoldsinc.com
LORETTO Lano Equipment, Inc. 23580 State Highway 55 (763) 479-8200 (888) 479-4342 www.lanoequip.com
SHAKOPEE Lano Equipment, Inc. 3021 West 133rd Street (952) 445-6310 (877) 753-6100 www.lanoequip.com
South Dakota
NORTH BRANCH Olson Power & Equipment 38560 14th Avenue (651) 674-4494 (800) 657-5198 www.olsonpower.com
ST. CLOUD Arnold’s of St. Cloud 2995 Quail Road NE (320) 251-2585 www.arnoldsinc.com
SIOUX FALLS Pfeifer Implement 5301 West 12th Street (605) 338-6351
*20% down, 0% A.P.R. financing for 84 months on new Kubota M (excluding M59/M62) Series Equipment is available to qualified purchasers from participating dealers’ in-stock inventory through 12/31/2016. Example: An 84-month monthly installment repayment term at 0% A.P.R. requires 84 payments of $11.90 per $1,000 financed. 0% A.P.R. interest is available to customers if no dealer documentation preparation fee is charged. Dealer charge for document preparation fee shall be in accordance with state laws. Inclusion of ineligible equipment may result in a higher blended A.P.R. 0% A.P.R. and low-rate financing may not be available with customer instant rebate offers. Financing is available through Kubota Credit Corporation, U.S.A., 3401 Del Amo Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503; subject to credit approval. Some exceptions apply. Offer expires 12/31/2016. See us for details on these and other low-rate options or go to www.kubota.com for more information. Kubota Tractor Corporation Markets a Complete Line of Tractors, Performance-Matched Implements, Construction Equipment, Lawn and Garden Equipment, Hay Tools and Spreaders, Commercial Turf Products and Utility Vehicles Through a Nationwide Network of Over 1,000 Authorized Dealers. Optional equipment may be shown.
kubota.com
© Kubota Tractor Corporation, 2016
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 25
Bringing home the top trophy NICC places rst in Post-Secondary judging contest at WDE By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
The judging team from Northeast Iowa Community College knew they had potential to do well at the International PostSecondary Dairy Cattle Judging Contest on Oct. 3 at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis.; however, they did not expect to bring home the top trophy. “We were all shocked, surprised and ecstatic,” said Aaron Houdek about the moment his team was announced as winning the contest. “We put in a lot of time and it paid off.” Houdek, who is the son of Kris and Wayne of Caledonia, Minn., was joined by teammates, Carley Vinkemeier, daughter of Jeff and Tina of Norwood, Minn.; Ellis Frank, son of Tammy and Bob of New Richmond, Wis.; and Chelsey Jensen, daughter of Trent and LeAnn of Amery, Wis. Megan Kregel and Dave Lawstuen coached the team. Along with its rst place nish, the team also came in second in reasons, and won the practical contest. “It was a proud moment for all of us,” Vinkemeier said. “We were all so excited and smiling.” Individually, all four teammates placed in the top 10 – Houdek taking second, Vinkemeier following in third, Frank earning sixth and Jensen placing 10th. For individual reasons, Houdek placed fourth with Vinkemeier taking fth. “I was nervous. I had never judged at World Dairy Expo before,” Vinkemeier said. “But it was really exciting being on the colored shavings. It was really different being down there with the animals.” Challenging classes made for a good
MANCHESTER Livestock Auction, Inc.
(40 miles west of Dubuque, Iowa on 4 lane Highway 20)
DAIRY SALES 2nd Fridays Monthly at 11:00 AM Selling 150 to 250 Head
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The team from Northeast Iowa Community College – (from leŌ) coach Megan Kregel, Carley Vinkemeier, Aaron Houdek, Ellis Frank, Chelsey Jensen and coach Dave Lawstuen – placed rst in the InternaƟonal Post-Secondary Dairy CaƩle Judging Contest on Oct. 3 at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. contest, Houdek said. “The quality of the animals was insanely good. You had to stick to your gut and what you know,” he said. “To be out there judging some of the best cattle in the world was awesome.” Frank said the Holstein yearling class tripped him up a bit. “I didn’t place it until the last two seconds,” he said. Following the contest, the team members compared their placings.
Precision Hoof Care, LLC Sauk Centre, MN
320-333-6618 Bret Illies
Sheep and Goats sell at 9:30 AM
563-927-2540
www.manchesterauction.com
Corrective & Maintenance Trimming
712-722-3626
SERVICE AFTER THE SALE
“We were all really consistent, so we knew we either bombed it or we did really well,” Frank said. That did not surprise their coach. “We had four extremely strong individuals who wanted to put in the time and effort,” Kregel said. Their team chemistry also helped, too. Jensen said this year’s team gets along pretty well. “It’s a really easy, fun team to get along with,” she said.
Houdek agreed. “We really built good team chemistry,” he said. “We’re always pushing each other at practice.” The team practiced every weekend from August until the contest at World Dairy Expo. Kregel said during that time, they visited 16 farms and judged at least two to three classes at every dairy. “We thank those producers for opening their doors,” Kregel said. Along with practical dairy farming knowledge, judging helps build communication skills and condence. “There’s so much more to dairy judging than examining and placing a class,” Kregel said. To encourage the team members to dedicate time to dairy judging, the Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation created a $1,000 scholarship for each of the students if they attended a certain number of practices, and participated in both of the national contests in Viroqua, Wis., and at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. “They are giving up free time,” Kregel said about the students being on the team. “It’s a bit of a commitment, so we wanted to reward them.” But the team was rewarded with more than just money with their Expo win. “I just felt such a huge amount of joy,” Kregel said about the moment she found out the team had won. “I couldn’t be more proud of them. They applied themselves, and put in the time and effort. They deserved the win.” Because of their rst-place win, the team has the opportunity to travel abroad for an international contest in Scotland. The trip also includes tours of other dairy farms around Europe. “I’ve never been to a dairy farm outside of the U.S. so it will be interesting to see how the dairy industry is run over there,” Vinkemeier said. “It will be a fun experience.”
Fall tillage, drainage items
Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
Do you see a Robotic Milker in your future?
Not sure how to Ät it in your barn? Contact these local Lely centers for help on laying out your barn to make room for a Lely robotic milker. WE OFFER FREE QUOTES!
Coulee Ridge Robotics 24548 Hwy 13 • Elkader, IA Fitzgeraldincdairy.com
563-245-2560
2401 S Black River St. • Sparta, WI aolerud@couleeridge.com
608-632-1688
USED EQUIPMENT FROM A NAME YOU CAN TRUST!
‘13 NH T9.615,774 hrs., 4WD, 535 hp - $260,000
‘10 H7450, 13’ cut, 2 Point Swivel Hitch - $22,900
USED TRACTORS
‘13 NH T9.615, 775 hours..................................$260,000 ‘96 NH 9682, 4646 hours, Reman engine at 425 HP ...............................................................$79,500 ‘09 N-H TV-6070, 750 hours, Loader, 3 point both ends ...............................................$99,900 ‘05 N-H TC-29DA, Loader ....................................$13,500 ‘55 Ford 900...........................................................$4,000 ‘12 J-D 7330 Prem, MFD, IVT, 1500 Hours ........$106,900 ‘13 J-D 6140M, MFD, Cab, 1980 Hours ...............$69,500 ‘76 A-C 7040, 7000 Hours .....................................$6,000 ‘74 A-C 185 ............................................................$7,250 ‘08 Case IH Farmall 60, Cab, MFD, Loader, 506 hours ..........................................................$31,500
Used Tillage
(2) ‘14 W-R Quad X2, 60’ with Rolling Baskets......................... Starting at $43,600 ‘14 W-R Quad X2, 40’ with Rolling Basket ...........$55,000
‘10 NH FP230, Crop Processor, Metal Alert, 824 2R corn head, 29P hay head - $36,500
‘15 W-R XL2 34’, 4 bar harrow ............................$36,500 ‘97 W-R Quad 5 32’, 4 bar harrow .......................$14,950 ‘98 W-R 2800, 27’, 4 bar harrow............................$8,500 ‘14 W-R 513 Soil Pro, 9 Shank, Harrow ...............$42,500 ‘09 W-R 957 Ripper, 5 shank, Harrow..................$17,500 ‘01 DMI 730B, Levelers........................................$10,900 JD 2800 Plow, 6 Bottom, Onland Hitch ..................$5,950 Oliver 548 Plow, 4 Bottom ....................................$1,250 White 253 Disk, 10’9” ...............................................$750 ‘10 Wishek 862NT, 16’ Disk, 30” blades ..............$23,000
USED MISC
‘05 J&M 1075 Grain Cart, Tarp, Scale, 35.5x32 Tires .....................................................$20,500 Brent 472 Grain Cart, Scale ....................................$9,900 ‘08 N-H 185 Spreader ............................................$7,950 Artsway 5165 CattleMax Roller Mill .....................$18,900
Equipment of Norwood LANO A family business since 1946 with the Lanos: Jack, Paul, Bob and Andy 952-467-2181
USED SKIDSTEERS ‘12 T-770, Glass Cab with A/C, Hi Flow Aux, 1100 Hrs .............................................. $49,000 ‘14 T-650, 1 Million Ed, SJC Controls, 900 hours ............................................. $47,000 ‘13 T-590, Glass Cab with A/C, 917 hours ............................................ $38,500 (3)’12 S-750 Glass Cab with A/C, 730 hours and up................Starting at $30,900 ‘09 S-300, Glass Cab with A/C, 2190 hours .......................................... $27,500 ‘07 S-220, Glass Cab with A/C, ............. $23,500
(3) ‘12 S-650, Glass Cab with A/C ..............................Starting at $31,900 ‘14 S-590, Glass Cab With A/C, 2 speed, 1875 hours .......................................... $32,500 ‘99 753, Glass Cab & Heater, 750 hours $12,500 ‘14 N-H L-225 Glass Cab with A/C, 890 hours ............................................ $31,900 ‘00 J-D 250, 4100 Hours.......................... $7,900 (7) Bobcat Snow Blowers .......Starting at $1,750 (2) Warrior wood splitters.......Starting at $1,750
Fall has made its presence known with the changing color of leaves and cooler day and evening temperatures. Those changes signify busy times for agricultural producers. Soybean harvest is well underway with corn harvest not far behind. Visiting with producers, hopes are high for a good harvest yielding a nice crop. Once harvest is complete, the next step in the process is tillage and addressing drainage needs as identied over the growing season. Before heading out to the eld producers are encouraged to take note of the following reminders: FSA News & Notes • Fields with Highly Erodible Land (HEL) determined soils are required to apply tillage, crop residue and rotational requirements as specied in their conservation plan. • Notify FSA as a rst point of contact prior to conducting land clearing such as removing any trees to create new cropland. • Notify FSA when considering drainage type projects to ensure the proposed actions meet compliance criteria. These areas will need to be reviewed to ensure such work will not risk your eligibility for benets. By Ryan Brunn As well, agricultural producers are reminded to consult with FSA and NRCS before breaking out new Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. ground for production purposes as doing so without prior authorization may put a producer’s federal farm program benets in jeopardy. This is especially true for land that must meet HEL and Wetland Conservation (WC) provisions. Landowners and operators need to complete the form AD-1026 - Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certication to identify the proposed action and allow FSA to determine whether a referral to Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for further review is necessary. 2015 ARC and PLC payments The nal payments for 2015 ARC-County and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) payments are being processed throughout the area. The farms that are enrolled in PLC did receive a $0.09 payment (per base acre x PLC yield) on corn. Oats had a $0.28 payment and wheat had a $0.61 payment for PLC as well. However, ARC-County payments were not earned in all counties for 2015. For example, due to Stearns County having a higher Actual Revenue compared to the Stearns County Benchmark Revenue there will be no ARC-CO payment on corn or soybeans for the 2015 year for Stearns County. The calculation for Stearns County corn looks like this: Benchmark Revenue = Yield (132 bu/acre based on Stearns data from 2010 – 2014) x Price ($5.29 based on National marketing data from 2010 – 2014) = $698.28 x 86 percent (program payment factor) = $600.52 (payment trigger for 2015 ACR-CO corn) Actual Revenue = Yield (172 bu/acre based on 2015 Stearns NASS yield) x Price ($3.61 based on 2015 National marketing year average) = $620.92 Since the Actual Revenue of $620.92 is larger than the 86 percent Benchmark Revenue of $600.52 no payments will be received. A calculation similar to this was completed for each county and each crop throughout the nation. Some counties did receive a payment while others did not. I hope this helps explain the calculations behind ARC-County payments. We hope everyone has a safe and bountiful harvest season. 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.
USED EQUIPMENT SPECIALS
Tractors ‘01 NH TM150, MFD, 5200 hours ...............................$49,000 ‘15 CIH Farmall 85C, MFD, new....................... Call for pricing ‘99 CIH MX220, 4037 Hours .......................................$69,000 ‘06 CIH MX285 w/Front Duals, 3 Pt Hitch & PTO, 5000 hrs....................................................................$86,000 ‘93 CIH 9250, 4WD, 6700 hrs, very nice .....................$59,000 ‘07 CIH STX480, 4WD, 3800 hrs, exc. tires...............$149,000 ‘09 CIH STX485 Quadtrac, 2850 hrs .........................$219,000 ‘11 CIH STX535 Quadtrac, 2860 hrs .........................$229,000 ‘13 CIH Steiger 500 Quadtrac, 780 hrs ......................$295,000 ‘12 CIH Steiger 550 Quadtrac w/guidance & PTO, 3500 hrs..................................................................$249,000 ‘12 CIH Steiger 550 Quadtrac w/guidance .................$239,000 ‘12 CIH Steiger 550 Quadtrac, 2300 hrs ....................$259,000 ‘13 CIH Steiger 550 Quadtrac w/ PTO, 1160 hrs .......$279,000 ‘12 CIH Steiger 600 Quadtrac w/PTO, 1700 hrs ........$285,000 Case 75XT Skidsteer ...................................................$18,000 Tillage CIH 4300, 35’ Field Cultivator .....................................$11,500 CIH 4700, 30’ Field Cultivator w/3 Bar Mulcher ............$5,900 CIH 4700, 36’ Field Cultivator w/3 Bar Mulcher ............$7,900 ‘07 CIH Tigermate-200, 47’ Field Cultivator ................$39,500
‘15 McFarlane Incite 5032, 32’ Vertical Universal Tillage Machine, New Demo Unit..........................................$72,500 ‘11 JD Plow 10 Bottom............................................... $34,000 ‘04 JD 512, 22’ Disc Ripper.........................................$14,500 Sunflower 4411, 12’ Disk Chisel .................................$10,500 Flexicoil 340-36’ Chisel Plow w/Drag .........................$21,000 DMI 730 Ecolotiger, 18’, Nice......................................$15,000 ‘10 Case-IH 870 - 22’ w/o Drag, nice ......................... $42,000 ‘12 Case-IH 870 Ecolotiger, 22’ w/o Drag.................. $52,000 ‘13 Case-IH 870-22’ w/ Spike Harrow, Nice ............... $59,000 CIH MRX 690 Ripper (7 Shank) ..................................$17,000 Ezee-On 4600 38’ Disk ................................................$32,750 ‘13 Summers 2510 DT 38’ Diamond Tillage Disk w/baskets & Caster Hitch S/N: M1574 - Rental Unit .$89,000 ‘14 McFarlane Reel Disk 4135, 36’ w/ Baskets, New Demo Unit .........................................................$68,500 Combines CIH 2166 combine, 2692E/2123R...............................$55,000 ‘09 CIH 7088 combine, 987E/715R ...........................$190,000 ‘08 CIH 8010 combine ..............................................$149,000 ‘11 CIH 8120 combine w/tracks,1207E/908R ............$269,000 ‘11 CIH 9120 combine, 1379E/984R .........................$265,000
WE ALSO RENT SKIDSTEERS, SHREDDERS & RIPPERS
PEDERSON’S AGRI-SERVICE, INC. 320-677-2255 • 101 3rd St. E, Herman, MN
E-mail: pedersonsag@runestone.net • Web site www.pedersonsag.com
LANO EQUIPMENT OF NORWOOD 952-467-2181
One Tough Animal
www.bobcat.com
© 2015 2007 CNH America LLC. All rights reserved. Case IH is a registered trademark of CNH America LLC. CNH Capital is a trademark of CNH America LLC. www.caseih.com
We stock parts for older model IH tractors
A new tank
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 27
Our old, 400-gallon bulk tank was so ancient that Installation began as soon as our route driver when our former milk truck driver heard that we were picked up our milk after morning chores. The time putting in a new one, he said that our allowed to install a new bulk tank on old Zero tank should be put in a museDairy in the Suburbs a dairy farm is only from one milking um. to the next. The crew from the dealer Our tank was already used when worked hard to get everything set up my father-in-law installed it so long ago before evening chores. All Kurt had to that Kurt can’t remember. Even so, it do was man the skid loader to lift the served us well – reliably cooling Steinold tank out and the new one in. Evke milk all those years. It was small erything went smoothly and the benthough, and as our herd production ďƒ&#x;uceďƒžts of the new tank were immediately tuated, we were constantly switching obvious. Not only do we have a much back and forth between every day and roomier milk house and spiffy new aualternating day milk pickups. We knew tomatic tank washer, but whereas our we should ďƒžnd a tank with a larger caold compressor usually ran for at least pacity, as well as an effective cleaning two hours after evening chores to cool By Susan Steinke system that would grant us a more preour milk, our new Mueller tank and Columnist dictable and stable bacteria count. compressor had the milk cooled to unA year ago we picked out a shiny, der 40 degrees in about 15 minutes. The new-to-us used 700 gallon tank. Our increased efďƒžciency should be reďƒ&#x;ected milk house is tiny, so almost doubling the size of our bulk tank meant taking out a wall and reconstructing it around the tank, which would stick outside. This would be no small project. The project suffered holdups from wet conditions that delayed the earth work, trouble ďƒžnding someone to do the cement work, the arrival of harvest time, and then snow. Winter put the tank on the back burner. It stayed on the back burner throughout spring and mid-summer, the myriad of other farm duties taking precedence. Late summer, though, knowing that we would be adding a fair number of fresh heifers to our herd come fall, the new bulk tank started making its way to the forefront of our minds again. A wet end to the summer kept us out of the ďƒželds, so we had time to turn our attention back to the bulk tank venture. A call to the dealer conďƒžrmed that the tank we wanted was still there. A date was set for installation. The week prior, Kurt dug into our driveway, which slopes in a hill along the milk house. After
A wet end d to the h summer k kept us out of the fields, so we had time to turn our attention back to the bulk venture. exposing the wall that needed to be removed, he started building a retaining wall that would curve around the tank. He also made a nice cement shelf at the top of the wall for the new (to us) compressor. It was a nice cement shelf, anyway, until Tate decided to see if it was dry by poking it in numerous spots with a stick. It wasn’t dry. Oh well. Two days prior to the installation, Kurt and my brother carefully removed the milk house wall, constructing a header to hold up the weight of the roof. He tacked a tarp over the opening to keep out leaves and water.
HOOF TRIMMING
Call today to get your cows tuned up for more milk production! • I use the 5 Step Functional Hoof Trimming, which is the Gold Standard. 10 ft. Foot • Gentle with cows Baths For Sale • Large Dairy Experience • Over 100,000 cows trimmed in the last 10 years! • Professional Hoof Care in the Midwest since 2003 • Lifetime of dairy knowledge • Graduate of Dairyland Hoof Care Institute Drink Milk We offer foot bath systems with a money back guarantee! Drink Milk
as a savings on our electric bill. The dealer we worked with commented that the one piece of equipment dairy farmers keep updated is their milking units, and the piece that is usually the last to be replaced is their bulk tank—mostly because they last and last. This was pretty much the case with us; a new bulk tank had been a nice thought for a long time, but even when we started to seriously hunt for one, we didn’t rush to update what we had. Now we wonder why we waited so long. I have just one complaint about our new tank: even with the included step, the tank’s so tall and deep that I can’t dip milk out of it anymore. I guess the next project is to ďƒžnd a way to extend my reach. Susan and her husband, Kurt, milk 40 cows in Greenďƒželd, Minn. They have three little farmhands: Lily, 8, Tate, 4, and Gemma, 2. Just two miles east of their farm, on a clear day you can see the Minneapolis skyline. Susan can be reached at kurt.susan@ hotmail.com.
Turbocharge your herd with genetically superior sexed semen for the
ULTIMATE IN PERFORMANCE Our Best Are Sexed: Elite Young Sires Unrivaled. . . Genetic Levels Availability Selection
PLUS improved conception. . .
Technological advancements over the last 10 years have resulted in less trauma to the sorted semen. Conception rates of Select Sires semen is now about 80% to 85% of conventional, or even higher with some sires!
Congratulations to SheeKnoll Farms The Sheehan Family, Rochester, MN
SheeKnoll Durham Arrow
Champion Bred & Owned, Best Udder, Senior & Grand Champion 2016 International Holstein Show Reserve Supreme Champion of World Dairy Expo (7Ho5157 Durham daughter out of a 7Ho8175 Pronto)
Code # 507Ho12600 507Ho12788 507Ho12671 507Ho13250 507Ho12811 507Ho12797 507Ho13373 507Ho13403 +R 550Ho13267
Name Modesty Frazzled Bandares Jedi Lopez Legendary Flagship Kaminsky 6XSHUĂ \ Duke
Code # 507Ho11351 +R 507Ho12165 507Ho11839 507Ho11708 507Ho11525 507Ho11752 507Ho11383 507Ho11585 507Ho11314
Name NM$ Supersire 895 0D\Ă RZHU Montross 765 Monocerotis 761 Rookie 756 Donatello 734 Bob 713 Morgan 705 Sterling 692 Mogul 689
Elite Proven Sires
NM$ 978 970 900 899 898 888 881 855 842
gender SELECTed™ semen processed by Sexing Technologies for Select Sires shall be used only for the single insemination of one female bovine during natural ovulation with the intent to produce single offspring unless VSHFLÀFDOO\ DSSURYHG RQ DQ LQGLYLGXDO FXVWRPHU EDVLV E\ Sexing Technologies in writing. This semen is produced using the proprietary technology of XY LLC and Inguran LLC, as partially represented by U.S. Patents: 6372422, 7094527, 7208265, 7371517, 6357307, 7723116, 7758811and 7799569. Patents pending in US and foreign markets. XYŽ is a trademark of XY LLC. All gender SELECTed semen is processed using SexedULTRA™ technology. ™SexedULTRA is a trademark of Inguran LLC.
JUSTIN ADDY’S BOVINE HOOF CARE Avon, MN Covering MN, SD, IA, & WI
320-200-1221
SPECIALIZING IN JD CABS Over 120 JD Sound Guard parts cabs and an unmatched supply of new & used replacement parts available. From a simple upholstery recondition, to a complete cab rebuild, we have what you need!
KIESTER IMPLEMENT • 507-294-3387 www.midwestfarmsales.com
In IA and IL, call 888-464-5282 In MN and ND, call 800-795-1233
Backed B acked bbyy a tteam eam ooff pprofessional rofessional ttechnicians echniciians ttoo ensure success
Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
Sparks fly at Clipper Parts and Repair Sollman xes, sharpens blades for cattlemen all over U.S. By Brittany Olson
brittany.o@dairystar.com
CLAYTON, Wis. – It was 1988 when Tim Sollman went into business sharpening clipper blades. Sollman, who lives near Clayton, Wis., recalled how his foray into that particular adventure began. “I wasn’t satised with the way someone sharpened my blades, so I decided to sharpen my own after that,” Sollman said, chuckling. The rest, as they say, is history. Ever since, Sollman’s clientele has grown from a few neighboring farmers to farmers, tters and showmen all over the country. “So far this year, I’ve done about 900 sets of blades, and there are typically two blades in a set,” Sollman said. Sollman, who also milked cows for 35 years, found that it was difcult to try juggling the demands of dairy farming with a successful and rapidly growing enterprise. While his nephew, Todd Nelson, often lled in for him in the shop so he could tend his duties in the barn, Sollman made the decision to sell the cows in 2015 so he could better serve his expanding customer base. “The clipper blade business grew so much that it was either the blades or the cows,” Sollman said. “I broke Todd into helping me while I was still farming.” Sollman’s skill with sharpening and repair caught the attention of large industry players. He began a distributorship
for Aesculap, a German manufacturer of clippers, in 2008 and is now the master repairman for Aesculap clippers and blades in North America. “Aesculap also manufactures clippers for pet groomers, so I x pet clippers, as well,” Sollman said. While Nasco is also known as a major dealer of clippers, they also rely on Sollman to make those repairs, as well. “A lot of people think we’re in competition, Nasco and I, but we work together because I x their clippers, too,” Sollman said. Sollman can usually be found in his ofce or shop sharpening, xing or cleaning blades from dawn until long after dark. To begin the sharp-
BRITTANY OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Top, a freshly sharpened blade gleams under a bright light. Right, sparks y as Sollman moves the blade back and forth over the grinder. BoƩom, Sollman brushes the blade to remove any burrs that may have been leŌ behind aŌer the sharpening process. ening process, he cleans his rotary 600-pound grinder and disperses an oil evenly over the surface of the grinder. Then, he takes some pulverized grit, which sharpens the blades, and smooths the nely ground powder over the grinder before setting the blade to the grinder. “I can usually get about 12 to 14 sets of blades done before I need to reapply grit,” Sollman said. After sharpening the blades, Sollman rubs them with
BRITTANY OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Tim Sollman has been sharpening clipper blades since 1988 near Clayton, Wis.
a brass brush to remove any burrs, or small metal obstructions that can damage the blade or pull on the hair of an animal. When he is certain that all burrs have been removed, Sollman demagnetizes the blade because any material from the sharpening process will cling to the blade and prevent cleaning. “Between rubbing them with the brushes and holding them in place with a magnet, they become magnetized, so I demagnetize all the blades,” Sollman said. After sharpening, cleaning and demagnetization, Sollman wraps each set of blades in thin wax paper to keep them free from any dirt or dust that might set in between the teeth of the blades. Now that World Dairy Expo is over, Sollman’s shop is full of clippers that need to be xed. “I’ve got about 50 clippers that need repair,” he said. Sollman said his toughest repair jobs often happen when people try to x the clippers themselves. “That, or when they come in with a box full of parts,” said Sollman, chuckling.
Sollman also makes and sells custom, ground-down blades for tters so they can get a closer clip on their cattle. He works with a local machine shop with specially made vises to create the blades, and then grinds them down under a coolant. He also makes thinner blades to be used on Jersey cattle. “The custom Jersey blades sold out at Expo this year,” said Sollman. Because fall is the capstone season of the dairy cattle show year, Sollman has had a very busy past few weeks. While he is a regular at World Dairy Expo with a booth, and conducts simple repairs at trade shows, this was his rst year with a booth at the All-American Dairy Show in Harrisburg, Pa. “After coming home from Pennsylvania, I was home for 10 days, then gone for another week,” Sollman said. Now that show season is on the downswing, Sollman has been catching up on sharpening and repairs, and sparks are often ying off the grinder late into the night. “I work until the job is done,” Sollman said.
IS THERE UNCERTAINTY WITH THE DIRECTION OF YOUR CURRENT LENDER? Are you worried about how a merger may affect your business? Jackson County Bank has been a stable, reliable source of ag credit, with local decision making since 1877. We continue to provide ag services to a variety of enterprises - from the small family farm to the large agri-business.
Our experienced lenders can assist you in all types of ag lending.
7KH\ ZLOO SURYLGH \RX DVVLVWDQFH ZLWK ¿QDQFLDO DQDO\VLV DQG RIIHU ORDQ RSWLRQV WDLORUHG WR PHHW \RXU VSHFL¿F EXVLQHVV needs. Brad Rahmlow - NLMS#504106 715-284-5341 Ext. 1361
Jayme Thompson - NMLS#504108 715-284-5341 Ext. 1302
Will Peasley - NMLS#1385094 715-284-5341 Ext. 1355
JACKSON COUNTY BANK 8 MAIN STREET, P.O. BOX 490, BLACK RIVER FALLS, WI 54615 PHONE: 715-284-5341 jacksoncountybank.com MEMBER FDIC
What will we get: Trumpschweiger or Clintonwurst? Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 29
What’ll it be, folks? Trumpschweiger Shriver, whose name never fails to make me or Clintonwurst? What’s your choice, come think of The Beatles and “Sergeant Pepper’s election day? Lonely Hearts Club Band.” I’m using a sausage analoNixon’s vice president running Rural Roots gy because I feel like I’ve seen mate was Spiro Agnew, he of sausage being made, these last the infamous “effete corps of several months. There’s an impudent snobs…” remark, old saying that goes like this: aimed at the war’s opponents. “Laws are like sausages. It’s Agnew’s speeches also better not to see them being gave us such memorable terms made.” as “nattering nabobs of negaThis election, I’ve obtivism.” And he provided this served that the word politics lasting gem: “pusillanimous can easily be swapped in for pussyfooters.” laws. Thus, we get this new I haven’t heard anything saying: “Politics is like saunearly that good and creative sages. It’s better not to see it in from either of the major candithe making.” dates this time around. By Ron Johnson But, many of us have had In looking back 40-plus Staff Writer what practically amounts to years, I’ve been reminded of butcher shop seats for 2016’s more election goings-on and political action. That’s thanks to the new- shenanigans that I either forgot happened and-improved news that includes television, or hadn’t paid much attention to at the time. radio, the internet, blogging, tweeting and They illustrate the reality that things really plain-old making things up and lying. haven’t changed much. Here’s a sampling: I’ve been voting in presidential elec• In 1968, vice-presidential nominee Ed tions since 1972. (No, please do not do the Muskie, a Democrat from Maine, fell vicmath). That year brought the rst election tim to a letter claiming that he had spoken that the Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the badly about French Canadians. The letter, United States Constitution was in effect. The published by a New Hampshire newspaper, amendment, passed in 1971, established the turned out to be fabricated by Nixon’s sovoting age for national elections at 18. called dirty tricks folks. The lower voting age came about partly • The same paper, the Manchester due to the activism against the Vietnam War. Union-Leader, later attacked Muskie’s wife. The war in Southeast Asia dragged on when It said she drank and used naughty language. I graduated from little Seneca High School • In 1972, McGovern got skewered by here in Crawford County in 1971. an unnamed senator who told a journalist I didn’t turn 18 until that fall. I doubt that the candidate was for “amnesty, abortion whether I realized, at the time, the impor- and (the) legalization of pot.” tance of it all. But, I was one of the rst wave • Agnew, having been re-elected, along of young people to be allowed to vote at age with Nixon, resigned as vice-president in 18 instead of 21. 1973. He’d been investigated on charges of Well, as you might recall, in 1972, Rich- blackmail, accepting bribes, conspiracy and ard Nixon, a California Republican, trounced tax fraud. So, maybe I’m not surprised to be George McGovern, a South Dakota Demo- reminded that some historians think of Mr. crat, by carrying 49 states and winning more Agnew as one of the worst vice-presidents than 60 percent of the popular vote. we’ve ever had. McGovern’s running mate was Sargent I could beat the proverbial dead horse to
a pulp by recalling Nixon’s transgressions. But I won’t. We have an interesting enough cast of characters and plot twists to pay attention to right now. My rst time voting? I’m sure I voted for McGovern. Why? For one thing, he just seemed so much more likeable than the man who came to be known as Tricky Dick. My perception was reinforced when, in 1984, I got to interview McGovern in person. It was at a dairy farm in Clark County, Wis. McGovern seemed to not be in one bit of a hurry, so we talked an hour or more, seated at a picnic table in the farm’s front yard. He was kind and patient - the total polar opposite of the candidates who are making sausage this year. My vote for McGovern, in 1972, was self-serving, I’ll admit. But don’t we all vote for whomever we think will do the best job of giving us what we want? After all, we do want something from our presidents and vice-presidents, whether it’s a chicken in every pot, two cars in every garage or something as trivial as national security. Forty-four years ago, I wanted the war to end. I’ll not dare to claim that I owned any great philosophical or moral ground about the conict. Rather, I did not want to go to war. My
FIBERGLASS FENCING GATES • FREESTALLS FEED RAIL • FEED LOTS NEW PRODUCTS:
Hoop Barn Super Sale! www.silverstreamshelters.com 30’ X 72’ single Galvanized Gatorshield Pipe and Ratchet
$5,790 Limit 5
38’ X 100’ Black Truss Pipe and Ratchet
$11,900 Limit 2
42’ X 100’ Black Truss Pipe and Ratchet
$14,250
Limit 1
SILVER STREAM SHELTERS
1-877-547-4738 • WWW.SILVERSTREAMSHELTERS.COM
draft number was quite low - 70 - meaning the odds of me being chosen were guite high. And, my older brother had already been halfway across the world in Vietnam. Having him there nearly broke my father’s heart, I’m sure. My dad, 73 at the time, had already lost two sons to various causes, so seeing my older brother brought home in a ag-draped casket might very well have killed him. Thankfully, early in 1973, Nixon announced that offensive actions against North Vietnam were suspended. Had that not happened, my future might have been far, far different. I guess that true story illustrates how elections - and politics and sausage making - can and do matter. Most of the farm folks I’ve spoken informally with about the 2016 campaign and election expressed their dissatisfaction with both major candidates. But they indicated that they would vote for someone - and that they would be probably be holding their noses while doing so. So what do you think? When the meat grinders and sausage stuffers have fallen silent, sometime late on Nov. 8 or early on Nov. 9, will we have four years of Clintonwurst on our plates, or will we face four years of Trumpschweiger? Or will it simply be more baloney?
Fiberglass freestalls offer a heightened level of comfort which can lead to an increase in milk production!
• All solid rail fencing is UV coated, 3 colors available • Show Fencing & Pasture fencing • Cattle Panels & Continus Fencing • 1’’ & 1-1/4 Electric Fence Post UV Protected •13% Chrome Post for Head Locks & Feed Rail
WE OFFER THE MOST COMPETITIVE PRICES ON THE MARKET!
Ron & Ellen Hartman Farms, Dubuque, IA Fencing and freestalls Hwy. 76 • Harpers Ferry, IA
563-586-2023
www.tjsfencingcompany.com Email: tjfence@acegroup.cc
Heifer homecoming 2016 edition Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
I admit, heifers on pasture tend to be out of sightout of mind. Only one of the pastures is visible from the road, the others are too far off to see what the heifers are up to – more importantly, if their udders are lling out. A year when we have no calves born on pasture, and all heifers come home easily is considered a miracle. Let’s just say that this year was denitely not that year. Peter parked the truck and trailer in the pasture, to inspire some curious sniffs from the heifers, and hopefully make them calmer when it came time to load them. On a whim one afternoon while Peter was busy hauling corn silage, Daniel ran down to check on the heifers and managed to load most of them by himself. Melanie was on her way home and stopped in to help with the last few – just by pure happenstance. Heifers were on the trailer, now we just had to get them out of
the soggy pasture. With a cake in the oven, some kids snacking, some kids napping – I drove Peter down to the pasture to help with the operation. Log chains, payloader, driving forward to back up easier, just to make sure there was enough room to swing the big gooseneck trailer out and onto the road. We started with four sets of eyes manning the gate opening and hooking and unhooking chains; by the time we nished – Don the milkman had stopped to patrol trafc, Don the neighbor came to see that we made it out with the fence unscathed, and one of our other employees pulled over to help direct. No calamities, no calves until the week after they arrived home, so Round 1 was a success. Round 2 didn’t happen until after all the ooding, and the pasture was still a squishy sponge. Don the neighbor had mentioned that he was pretty sure some
of the heifers were bagging up, and a quick check of the due dates put us in a panic. They were due to calve any day. On a sunny day when we had plenty of extra legs around for pasture walking, we set off with the truck and trailer, two pails of corn, and the hope that we didn’t nd any calves. We were met with a tiny Ramblings from the Ridge Jersey heifer that had already freshened, but with no calf anywhere in sight, and a still-wet 90 pound Holstein calf born up on the hill. The other heifers weren’t far behind as far as calving goes, and we considered ourselves slightly lucky that we only had two fresh. Stacy was the muscle to get the By Jacqui Davison calf across the swamp, over the creek, and unColumnist der the fence to safety. The others started walking the heifers across the hills to bring them down to the trailer. We pushed the rst six on the trailer, then started pushing the other three on. Then we counted, and counted, and counted again. Weren’t we supposed to have 10? How did one get lost on the way? The one that had calved had doubled back and seemed to have disappeared. Another search of the pasture proved fruitless, this heifer had some serious hide and go seek skills. We locked the nine heifers we had on, dumped the rest of the corn out for our lonely only, and headed for home. Five days later, our escape artist had yet to come up to the gate to eat the corn. Peter and I decided on a plan. We would take a couple overweight, calm, dry cows out there with us to help bait her onto the trailer. We couldn’t have been luckier. The two cows we took were incredibly helpful. They walked around near the trailer and bellowed, and as one put herself back on, the other waited patiently for the heifer to be guided down the fence to her. Just as we thought the heifer was going to bolt again, that big behemoth 4858 must have spoken something in the language of moo. She turned around her and slowly guided her onto the trailer. Much like proud deer hunters, we locked the trailer and stood by the gate marveling at our luck, and retelling the tale of how incredible that just was. Round 3 took place on a drizzly, windy, Saturday morning. We enlisted our neighborhood Amish cowboys to help once again, and by the time Peter and Ira made it to the stop sign, they had the heifers out of the pasture and ready to cross the road. Melanie, Shelby, Dane, Henry, and I hopped into vehicles and made it out to fence off the neighbor’s lawn and direct the heifers into the eld. They were coming at a fast pace, and the four horse riders were doing an excellent job of keeping them in check. Henry and I zoomed back to the farm ahead of the herd to get the gates ready and cover the open spots in between buildings. The entire process took less than an hour. We were so thrilled to know that the last of our ladies were home, all 43 of them. Didn’t the computer say there were 45 out there? Oh well, maybe it was wrong. We fed the crew apple pie, and extended our many thanks for their skillful riding. Thomas and Abby were out checking trail cameras on the pasture when we got the text:‘There are two more heifers out here.’ Uffda. Peter’s excitement of being done grinding corn and having all the heifers home on the same weekend disappeared. Back to the ridge we went; Thomas and Abby pushed them up and out of the gate, and with the help of Peter, got them to the road. Shelby, Ira, and I buzzed out to help them. Our extra bodies did nothing to calm the lunatic heifer down; one was calm, one was a nut-job. She slid down the road as if it were ice, then high-tailed it back to the pasture. We tried a second time, but this time she decided it was better to just turn around and jump the fence to get back in. Currently, the last two heifers are still in the 100 acre pasture. We may be nding our trusty dry cows to bait them home. Jacqui, her dad, sister, and brothers milk 550 cows and run 1,000 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wis. Her children – Ira (9), Dane (6) and Henry (2) – farm with her while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. She loves to cook, quilt and garden and wishes there were more hours in the day to get it all in. Farming and teaching others about farming are her passions.
Saving Penelope
Just the other weekend before traveling to World Dairy Expo, I spent a semirelaxing weekend with my family at home in Owatonna. Although we had a baby shower in the morning, my dad, made sure to make me feel like I was home in the best way possible – coming to the barn and helping with chores. Dad’s back was giving him ts after a long day of chores and chopping corn, so my main job that night was to help chop straw and bed the cows. Of course, I went to the barn to help dear old Dad. After nishing the task, feeding calves was the only task left. But since Dad had to milk a fresh cow to feed the lone bull calf, he told me to wait until he milked the cow. While I waited, I went to the house to switch laundry. In the dark evening – it getting darker earlier and earlier now – on my way back to the barn, I heard a moo coming from the direction of our younger group of heifers. But something about that moo didn’t seem right. It sounded much, much younger than the group of heifers. I went into the barn to talk to Dad about what I heard. By Missy Mussman He told me that little Penelope, his name for almost evStaff Writer ery heifer calf we have right now that’s not named yet, might have gotten out of her pen and made her way outside. “She’s done this before,” Dad said. “When you nd her, just pick her up and carry her back in.” So, I grabbed the headlight and went outside to see if Dad was right. Low and behold, I saw a very tiny calf lying in a pile of leaves without a care in the world between the garage and the heifer shed. I knew that was our little Penelope. Even though she was not where she should be, I couldn’t help but smile and laugh to myself at how cute she was in this situation. It brought me back to one of the main reasons I loved growing up on a dairy farm – taking care of the calves. As a child, I would follow my grandma Nancy out to the hutches with bottles of milk, buckets of water, grain and hay to take care of the little ones. It was my favorite thing to do. Calves were not near as big as the cows. They were more my size. But, I think the biggest reason I loved taking care of them was because they are always so cute. As I got older, I realized that cute doesn’t always mean easy. There were times those young calves I loved feeding so much didn’t always want to drink their bottles of milk. I can’t count how many times I became frustrated while doing calf chores, or dreaded feeding the one calf I knew wouldn’t drink. On top of that, cleaning calf pens and hutches, until the last 10 years, meant pitching everything by hand instead of taking the skid loader to clean them. But, what was always the most challenging is when the calves decided to get out. There was one time we didn’t know if we would get one group all back in. It was during fall harvest about six years ago and the younger group of calves in the shed was spooked by an empty corn wagon Dad was taking back out to the eld. The calves jumped the cattle paneled fence and took off through the front yard, across the road and into the neighbor’s plowed eld. After nearly an hour of ve of my family members chasing them back to the farm and nearly losing them in a corneld a mile away, they ended up back safely in their pen just before dark. Of course, going to sleep that night was a tful one, worrying they would escape and run off again. Thankfully, the calves were still safely where they were supposed to be the next morning. Despite the fact that calves are not always easy to deal with, they are still my favorite animals on the farm to take care of. So, even though Penelope didn’t make my night easy, I bent over, picked her up, carried her into the barn and put her back in the pen. Although this time I suggested to Dad that maybe we should put something across the head gates so the calves can still eat, but cute little Penelope wouldn’t be able to escape again.
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 31
HARVEST SPECIALS!
Case 2090, Power shift, 4400 hrs. $14,500
NH 8870, 200 HP, Supersteer, w/duals - $32,500
Sunflower 33 ft. #1434 rock disc, w/harrow, very sharp!
JD 4240, Power shift, local and nice! $21,500
Supreme 600 vertical mixer, w/scale, rough paint but runs good - $6,250
Knight 3142 Reel Auggie, 420 cu. ft., 3 auger discharge, like new! $24,500
HURKES IMPLEMENT COMPANY Sales: 605-886-3817 • Parts: 605-882-3420 North Hwy. 20, Watertown, SD
The Most Dependable Waterers on the Market!
WaterMaster Series
EcoFount 1 OmniFount Series
EcoFount 2
For more info or the name of your nearest dealer, call 800-669-4038 or visit www.carlsonwholesale.net
Fresh water on demand, F 24 hours a day.
“OUR SOMATIC CELL COUNT DROPPED WITHIN TWO WEEKS. OUR STALLS ARE CLEANER AND THE MACHINE SAVES US TIME.” - ADAM McCARTHY STONEY SPRINGS FARM APPLETON, WI
The color arrangement on Ritchie fountains is a registered trademark of Ritchie Industries. U.S. patent numbers: 5174245, 4646687, 4739727. Register number 2,009,625.
www.carlsonwholesale.net
Housing the Future When you buy Calf-Tel, you can be confident it will last a lifetime... and then some. For decades, Calf-Tel® has set the standard for superior durability and efficiency, making your investment in calf housing systems one that grows with each generation of calves it protects. Backed by success and people that know how to raise healthy calves, Calf-Tel promises – and delivers – a wise investment. Outdoor Hutches
Indoor Pens Group Housing
• Saves both time and labor • Cleans stalls more thoroughly than doing it by hand • Can clean stalls, add new bedding and apply lime all in one pass!
of M
t
G
ay & Dairy Equi pm r’s Cl e t en or innesota, Inc.
(507) 825-3271
P.O. Box 786, E. Hwy. 30, Pipestone, MN 56164 Fax (507) 825-4052 • E-mail: gorters@iw.net
www.gortersclayanddairy.com
MILKING EQUIPMENT • MANURE EQUIPMENT FEEDING EQUIPMENT • HOUSING • ROUTE SUPPLIES
www.carlsonwholesale.net Dealer logo
Call 1-800-669-4038 and contact here for more information
Like us on Facebook
Potential possibilities Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
Can a single cow create a career you are passion- tion in 1977 when he was still in high school. She had ate about for a lifetime? Yes. I have seen it happen for the type and production he was looking for in a founthree generations on our farm. In the 1950s, Mark’s dation cow. He paid just over $800 for her. Fifteen dad purchased his rst and only registered cow on generations later, every cow in our barn can be traced the St. Cloud Children’s Orphanage Sale. He made back to this single purchase. a point to breed her and her For our son Michael, it was offspring to registered bulls, developing and showing his You are willing illi to take k a risk i k 4-H cow named Crystal. Over but didn’t keep up the pa- Y perwork. Almost 20 years on the potential possibilities the years, those two spent a later, he was able to identify lot of time walking together the descendents of this cow of these special animals around the farm or through and create RALMA Hol- to generate a return for the showring. Michael besteins when the association came intrigued with the poopened up the herd book. generations to come. tential possibilities of mating He still has the sales catalog selections on Crystal. He and of the original purchase. his dad would study the bull Mark can still remember the moment he spotted book looking at linears and pedigrees to nd the right a big black cow at a registered breeder’s farm auc- mating. Now he works as a genetic analyst for a bull
POWER UP FOR FALL! #46229 2001 JD 8210, MFWD, P.S., 3 SCV 1176 HRS DYS $119,000
#42709 2002 JD 8120, MFWD, P.S., 3 SCV 2830 HRS OEL $106,500
#42727 2009 JD 8130, MFWD, P.S., 3 SCV 2803 HRS ROW $129,000
#41647 2000 JD 8410, MFWD, P.S., 3 SCV 4100 HRS CRE $99,000
#46641 2015 JD 8295R, MFWD, ILS, P.S. 4SCV 239 HRS DEC $245,000
#46145 2012 JD 8360RT, IVT, 4 SCV, HID LIGHTS 1605 HRS MON $190,000
#38301 2004 JD 9320, P.S., 4 SCV, ACT SEAT 4071 HRS DYS $95,500
#40200 2010 JD 9330, SYNCRO 1163 HRS ROW $149,500
#42538 1997 JD 9400, P.S., DIFF LOCK 5671 HRS CRE $79,500
#40075 2013 JD 9410R, P.S., 5 SCV 459 HRS MON $229,000
#39197 2012 JD 9460R, P.S., BIG PUMP 509 HRS ROW $229,000
#46425 2012 JD 9560RT, 4 SCV, DLX CAB 781 HRS ELK $275,000
2 YEARS INTEREST FREE
#46128 2009 CIH 435 STEIGER, PTO 2509 HRS MON $135,000
2 YEARS INTEREST FREE
#46502 2014 CIH 580 STEIGER, P.S., PTO 700 HRS ROW $329,000
2 YEARS INTEREST FREE
#39760 2006 CIH STX480, 4SCV, NO PTO 4646 HRS NH $99,000
2 YEARS INTEREST FREE
#45888 2009 MF 8670, MFWD W/SUSP. 3386 HRS DYS $105,000
For complete information on all our used equipment log on to bodimp.com
Bodensteiner Implement Co. Elkader • 563-245-2470 Clermont • 563-423-5206 Cresco • 563-547-2152 Decorah • 563-382-2961
Dyersville • 563-875-2724 Monticello • 319-465-3515
New Hampton • 641-394-3061 Oelwein • 319-283-4371 Rowley • 319-938-2222 Waukon • 563-568-3463
www.bodimp.com
Your Northeast Iowa John Deere Dealers
stud company during the day and in his spare time works to develop a red heifer named Trixie that he purchased with a couple of buddies. Registered cattle can create these lifetime moments. It is not only an investment of money, but also of you. You are willing to take a risk on the potential possibilities of these special animals to gen- Just Thinking Out Loud erate a return for generations to come. Registered breeders take great pride in nding the right combination of genetics to create a better animal in type and production. It is a burning passion in some breeders that makes getting up early every day worthwhile. Talking with Linda By Natalie Schmitt at the MN State Fair Columnist 4-H Show this summer, we were discussing the roadblocks in selling cattle. We both have good solid producing herds of registered cattle. Both our families love to discover the potential possibilities in a mating to help develop family lines. We both love to sell cattle out of our barns to other dairymen as either a potential foundation cow or a cow to ll the bulk tank. We recognize there are two types of buyers, the production buyers and the registered buyers. Both buyers have different goals, but they both want to make a purchase to improve their herd through production, genetics or both. The only difference is one will keep up the paperwork while the other one won’t. The great thing about registered cattle is that you don’t need to keep up on the paperwork to take advantage of all of our work to document the history of the animal you purchased. You can rest assured you are buying a solid foundation to build upon. I think there are some misconceptions out in the elds about the value of registered cattle. Not every registered cow is going to bring – or is worth – ve to six gures. These elite cows make up less than 1 percent of the population. Their greatest return potential is in genetics and not in the bulk tank. The majority of registered cattle t in a different category. They are the everyday cows. They are sound, solid cows that put milk through the pipeline and put some fun in your day. Their value is based on simple economics. They will bring what the market will bear. We, as breeders of quality dairy animals, are thrilled when we can help young people with a passion for dairying get started on a solid footing. Last fall, we had a young man come into our barn to buy cows to build his herd. He selected 15 head of cows ranging in ages and production levels. Some were just for milk and others were potential building blocks for his future herd. He saw possibilities with each of his cows. He was making a long term investment in his dairy career. His goal is to develop cows good enough to have fun with in the showring and still pay bills in the barn. As we invest in the latest technologies and new buildings to upgrade our businesses we need to keep in mind the ability to pay off these bills is with milk owing through the pipeline from good cows that we have either developed or purchased. Natalie, Mark and his brother, Al, Schmitt farm together near Rice, Minn. They milk 100 registered Holsteins under the RALMA prex. Their four children are great help around the farm and are pushing Natalie out of several jobs. Therefore she is thankful to have something else to do. For questions or comments please e-mail Natalie at mnschmitt@jetup.net.
Lindell Sales & Service
37236 County 56 Blvd., Cannon Falls, MN 651-258-4311 • Mark’s Cell 651-764-4084
We carry... HOULE
Fifth graders, football BUNKER SILOS and dairy farmers
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 33
What happens when you combine fth graders, football, and dairy farmers? A whole lot of fun. That’s what happened during Minnesota’s Fuel Up to Play 60 event at a Vikings home game earlier this month. Fifth grade students from around Minnesota earned a trip to US Bank Stadium to watch a Vikings game through their schools’ Fuel Up to Play 60 programs. These students help lead their local programs as Dairy Good Life FUTP60 ambassadors. They qualied for the trip by implementing wellness activities that promote good nutrition and getting 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Fuel Up to Play 60 was started by a partnership between the National Football League and America’s dairy farmers (through the National Dairy Council). In Minnesota, Midwest Dairy Association coordinates the program and provides nutrition education to participating schools. To help students make the connection back to dairy farming, Midwest Dairy invited the dairy farmers serving on the Minnesota Dairy Growth Alliance By Sadie Frericks Steering Committee to participate in the FUTP60 Columnist event at the Vikings game. Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Haley Hinrichs, was also there to connect with students. We – meaning students, parents, school staff, and dairy farmers – spent an hour visiting together outside before the game. Dairy farmers got to tell students about their farms and students got to tell dairy farmers about their schools’ Fuel Up to Play 60 programs. Then we all ventured into the stadium. Part of the event was presenting the Fuel Up to Play 60 ag on the eld during the pre-game ceremony, so our rst stop in the stadium was the eld itself. It was really cool to watch the students’ excitement as they stepped onto the eld. I couldn’t help but feel proud that dairy farmers are helping to make this opportunity possible for these student leaders. After the Fuel Up to Play 60 recognition on the eld, we watched the theatric introduction of the teams. Then, the students got to line up with the Vikings players for the national anthem. Again, an incredibly exciting opportunity for these students – made possible, in part, by dairy farmers. Following our appearance on the eld, we found our seats to watch the game. Even though we were, as Glen put it, sitting with the air ducts, we had a great view of the eld. I didn’t really care that we were so high up, because I got to sit between Glen and Haley (aka Princess Kay). Whether she’s six or 96, every dairy girl dreams of getting to sit next to Princess Kay. I greatly enjoyed getting to know Haley better and she said it was great for her to meet more of the dairy farmers she represents. We all had a lot of fun watching the Vikings win, 24-10, over the New York Giants. The atmosphere inside the new stadium was electric. And really loud. I was grateful that Glen remembered to bring earplugs for both of us. Like the Vikings’ victory, Fuel Up to Play 60 is a win for students, schools, communities, dairy farmers, and the NFL. As the nation’s largest in-school health and wellness program, FUTP60 benets more than 38 million students in 73,000 schools across the country. Even better, the program is free for schools. Dairy farmers and the NFL are just two of several partners that help fund the program, which includes providing grants to schools that are committed to making healthy changes. For me, the event was an incredible opportunity to learn more about Fuel Up to Play 60 and to see several of my interests – good nutrition, physical activity, and leadership development – show up together in the same place. I have always been interested in human nutrition – and now I’m trying to encourage my own children to make good decisions about the foods they eat. I’m equally interested in keeping kids active and, especially, encouraging physical tness through play. (They’ll have the rest of their lives to exercise.) I also fully believe that leaders are made – not born – so we need programs that help students develop the condence and skills they need to lead their peers. It’s quite remarkable that Fuel Up to Play 60 brings all of these benets – and a whole lot of fun – to students across America. All because the National Dairy Council and the NFL sat down ve years ago and decided to work together. Incredible things happen when we form strong partnerships and pool our resources. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 75 cows near Melrose, Minn. They have three children – Dan, 9, Monika, 6, and Daphne, 3. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at gsfrericks@meltel.net.
PRECISION HOOF CARE INC.
MICHAEL WOLLMAN
PH: 605-951-2524 EMAIL: MICHAELSCOTTWOLLMAN@GMAIL.COM
AL’S
AVAILABLE IN ONE OR MULTIPLE BAY DESIGN • 8-1/2’ or 12’ high bunkers available • Panels are bolted together and moveable
CONCRETE PRODUCTS 1-800-982-9263 Serving Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin Since 1965
www.alsconcreteproducts.com
LELY RED BARN DISCOUNTS Promotion ends November 30, 2016.
Order now to get the best deals. Calm $500 Discount
Luna $100 Discount
BIGGER
discounts Discovery $750 Discount
for multiple items. Call Dairyland now!
Juno $750 Discount
DO YOU HAVE AN UPCOMING AUCTION? Advertise It In The
DAIRY ST T★R Call 320-352-6303 6303 for more information.
Dairyland Equipment Services, Inc. Plainview, MN
Montgomery, MN
800-548-2540
Dairyland Services, LLC Woodville, WI
866-467-4717
A new approach to evaluating corn silage Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
In 1876, Francis Morris made the rst corn silage in America (1908 Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 129). The Experiment Station Bulletin states he put whole corn plants in a pit and covered it with dirt. After an unknown period of fermentation, he dug up the silage and found it fairly well preserved and stated stock ate it well. Since that time in 1876, there seemingly has been a challenge in making and/or feeding corn silage every year. Comments such as the quality of silage is not as good as last year or cows are not milking on this year’s silage are commonly heard every fall. Corn silage should be one of the By Jim Linn easiest forages to harvest and feed, but it seems like Nutritionist there is either a quality or a harvest issue with corn silage every year, and this year was no exception. Storms and excess rainfall during the growing season and especially at harvest plagued many Midwest dairy producers. In assessing the quality and feeding value of corn silage, consider both the grain and stover content. Grain (starch) content of this year’s corn silage is generally very good, but delayed harvest has resulted in the corn grain becoming too mature and decreasing digestibility. I heard reports from several farms that the corn was at or near black layer before they could get into the eld to harvest. Digestibility of mature kernel starch is lower than when kernel milk line is 50 percent and as a result, there will likely be more starch in the manure this year. A short chop length and/or processing helps increase digestibility of the dry corn silage starch, but does not bring it back to the higher digestibility of corn silage harvested at a total plant dry matter (DM) of 32 to 35 percent. Similarly, digestibility of ber decreases as plant stover matures and dries with no effective way of substantially reversing lost digestibility. Over the years, there have been many methods
and nutrient analysis put forth as a means of evaluating corn silage quality. Most all have some relevance to the milk production value of corn silage in lactating cow diets, but none are perfect. Some rely on grain or starch content while others focus on the ber digestibility. At this year’s Minnesota Nutrition Conference, Dr. Larry Jones from American Farm Products proposed another method of evaluating corn silage and its potential use in dairy diets. What I liked about his approach to evaluating corn silage is it is logical, simple and easy to do along with using the ber digestibility measures now reported on forage test reports. I do not have extensive experience using his method, but the Corn Silage Feeding Guide does separate corn silages giving a good indication of their nutrient strength and weakness.
Corn silage composition Dr. Jones suggests the rst step in evaluating corn silage is to review the forage analysis report and determine the total carbohydrate (ber and nonber) content. In his evaluations, he found the total carbohydrate content, which is composed of ber, starch and sugars, to be rather consistent at 86 percent of the DM. For example, the average Midwest corn silage has 3.3 percent (± 0.72) ash, 7.8 percent (± 1.1) CP and 3.1 percent (± 0.34) fat on a DM basis. Adding up the ash, CP and fat (DM basis) equals 14.2 percent leaving 85.8 percent (100 – 14.2 percent) as total carbohydrate. In looking at several forage test reports, I have been quite surprised how close most corn silages are to the 86 percent (± about 1 percent) total carbohydrate. When they do vary more than 1 percent from the 86 percent, I check ash and CP values on the test report. Some corn silages are high in ash this year because of ooding and/or harvested from muddy elds. A high CP value indicates immature corn or a hybrid other than a traditional grain or silage hybrid may have been harvested for silage. The fat content of corn silage is relatively constant in most corn silage hybrids and not greatly affected by growing conditions. Values below 86 percent total carbohydrate generally indicate nonber carbohydrate (NFC) or grain portion of the silage has decreased and not NDF ber.
Rumen Fermentable Carbohydrate – Fill Index (RFC-Fill Index) Dr. Jones and his wife, Dr. Siciliano-Jones, who is the director of the FARME Institute, have proposed an index for a quick evaluation of corn silages based on digested ber and starch. The index is calculated from values found on the corn silage test report. Add the NDFD30 (percent of DM) to the Starch (percent of DM) and divide by NDFD30 (percent of DM). For example, a corn silage has 18.5 percent NDFD30 and 39.5 percent starch resulting in an index value of 3.1. Index values between three and ve are considered normal and good. Values below three indicate the corn silage is high ber and low in digestible ber resulting in less DM intake because of gut ll. Values above ve indicate high starch and rapidly digestible corn silage that may lead to problems of low rumen pH and/or low milk fat test. Most of the corn silages I have looked at have been between 2.5 and 3.5 on the RFC-Fill Index scale.
Corn silage feeding guide The third way of assessing corn silage quality is to look at how it contributes to the total forage content of the diet. Drs. Jones and Siciliano proposed the following amounts of undigestible ber (uNDF), digestible ber (NDFD) and NFC (starch and sugar) for lactating dairy cow diets; ve pounds of uNDF30, seven pounds of NDFD30 and 13 pounds of NFC. The amount of corn silage as the sole forage in the diet or the amount and type of forage needed to compliment corn silage in meeting the guidelines can be determined with the Corn Silage Feeding Guideline. For example, a corn silage test report shows 15 percent uNDF30 (percent of DM), 19 percent NDFD30, (percent of DM) and 54 percent NFC (percent of DM). The table below shows the calculations and deciencies in ber and nonber carbohydrate resulting when only 20 pounds/cow of corn silage DM is fed per day. See Table on next page. The negative values for undigestible ber (uNDF), digestible ber (NDFD) and NFC in the above example indicate additional forage and grain are needed in the diet. If high quality corn silage is available, increased Turn to CORN SILAGE | Page 35
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 35
ConƟnued from CORN SILAGE | Page 34
Forage composition Nutrient item % of DM 15 uNDF30
Assume 20 lbs. of Nutrient corn silage DM is target Balance to be fed , lb lb of nutrient item 5 15 x 20 = 3.0 3.0 – 5 = -2.0
NDFD30
19
19 x 20 = 3.8
7
3.8 – 7 = -3.2
NFC
54
54 x 20 = 10.8
13
10.8 – 13 = - 2.2
amounts can possibly be fed to reduce the negative balances in all three nutrient categories. Another option would be to feed a high digestible forage such as high quality alfalfa to meet the NDFD and uNDF deciencies along with additional corn grain for NFC. The goal is to have a zero balance for all nutrient items. The target nutrient amounts are not absolute and probably vary slightly depending on DM intake and milk production of the cows. However, the concept of looking at how a forage meets the ber needs of cows and contributes to the NFC is logical and an easy way of quickly assessing forage quality. It is not intended to replace current ration formulation methods, but provide a
guide as to how much forage should be in the diet and identify forage ber and NFC limitations. Thanks for reading I have decided it is time to retire from writing the nutrition column in Dairy Star. It has been enjoyable and I want to thank Mark and all the others at Dairy Star for asking me to write this column many years ago and then allowing me to do so over the years. I also want to thank all of you who have read the columns over the many years. I hope I have provided you with some nutrition education and information along the way that has aided cow health, production and protability. Best wishes to all.
Don’t Fiddle Around With Your Advertising Dollars!
VERTICAL MIXERS
9 Different Sizes to choose from - 175 cu. ft. - 1,300 cu. ft. 5 yrs. on Planetary Drive • 3 yrs. on Scale • 5/8” AR200 Auger Flighting • 1/4” A50000 Side Wall
Trailer Mixer Sizes 285-1,300 cu. ft. Stationary Size 175-500 cu. ft. Single Phase and 3 Phase
5 YR. WARRANTY ON MIXING TUBS AND AUGER
CALL US AT
(715) 223-3361 OR VISIT US ON-LINE AT N13835 County Rd. E - Curtiss, WI 54422
www.cloverdaleequip.com
DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME!
WE HAVE A GREAT ASSORTMENT OF GRAVITY BOXES
522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. • Sauk Centre, MN 56378 (320) 352-6303 • Fax: (320) 352-5647
EQUIPMENT ON HAND THE NO COMPROMISE FABRIC STRUCTURE DAIRY, MACHINERY & HAY STORAGE
Commercial Agri Buildings
Single and Truss Arch available from 20’-120’ wide Flo-Coat® Galvanized Steel Tubing Supplied by Allied Tube & Conduit Heaviest gauge steel in the industry Pre-engineered truss buildings
CALL FOR S WINTER DISCOUNT
WE ALSO SELL REPLACEMENTTARPS!
NELSON’S AGRI STRUCTURES
Dean Nelson • Central and Northern Minnesota • Grove City, MN • 320-857-2633, Cell 320-699-3297
RIVERSIDE HOOP BARNS, INC.
US Hwy. 75 At IA/MN Stateline • Steen, MN • 507-392-2870 • Fred A. Tilstra & Sons
LANGE CONSTRUCTION & CONCRETE
Duke Lange • Swanville, MN • 320-290-0859
LAKESIDE HOOP STRUCTURES, LLC
Eastern Minnesota and Wisconsin • Harris, MN • 651-248-6302 • Craig Moline
ASK US ABOUT GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR HAY STORAGE
Cow Scout
ACTIVITY MONITORING SYSTEM ACT 3 Reduce Labor 3 Increase Pregnancy 3Decrease Days Open 3Limit Need For Hormones
CIH 530C lead shank, nice $32,000
USED TRACTORS
CIH MX 170, FWA, 3200 hrs. ....................... $60,000 CIH 9280, 4WD, nice.................................... $49,000 CIH 8940, FWA, 2200 hrs ............................ $90,000 CIH 8920, FWA, 5500 hrs ............................ $65,000 CIH 7240, FWA, 5300 hrs ............................ $55,000 CIH 7230, 3500 hrs., new rubber, nice......... $71,000 ‘96 CIH 7220, 2WD, 6000 hrs, nice..................... Call CIH 7220, 2WD, 2300 hrs, 18.4x42 ............. $71,000 CIH 7150, FWA, new motor.......................... $58,000 CIH 7140, FWA............................................. $60,000 CIH 7140, 2WD, 9000 hrs. .......................... .$36,500 CIH 7130, 2WD, 4500 hrs ............................ $45,000 CIH 7120, FWA, 5200 hrs ............................ $57,000 CIH 5240 Maxxum, FWA w/loader ............... $48,000 ‘84 AC 8070, new tires, new engine ............. $35,000 IH 5488, 2WD, 540 & 1000 pto ................... $21,000 IH 5088, nice................................................ $21,000 IH 1566 w/cab & AC, new motor, nice ........ $17,000 IH 856 .......................................................... $12,000 JD 4820, 3500 hrs., sharp ........................... $11,000 JD 4030 ....................................................... $15,500 JD 5075E, no cab w/ldr., FWA, 1,000 hrs. .... $32,000 AC 8070, PS, 2WD, 5100 hrs. ...................... $25,000
TILLAGE
CIH Tigermate II, 26.5’ w/4 bar harrow, walking tandems, gauge wheels................. $25,000 CIH 4800, 30’ ............................................... $10,500 CIH 4800, 28’ & 26’ ....................................... $8,500 CIH 4800, 28’ w/IH mulcher........................... $8,500 CIH 4300, 36’ ............................................... $14,500 CIH 3900, 25’ disc ....................................... $22,000 CIH 530B ripper w/lead shanks .................... $17,000
NEW MIDSOTA ROCK WAGONS ON HAND
1010 Hoeschler Dr. • Sparta, WI 54656
DAIRY EQUIPMENT INC. Celebrating 35 Years in Business
Phone: 608-269-3830 Toll Free: 1-888-863-0227 Email: prestonde@prestonde.com
IH 720 6 Bottom Plow, on land $5,500 CIH 530C...................................................... $22,000 CIH 496 21’ cushion disc .................................... Call White 435, 11 shank ..................................... .$8,500 Glenco SS7400, nice ..................................... .$9,500 DMI 500 5 shank ripper, 3 pt. mount ............. $6,500 JD 714 disc chisel, 9 shank ........................... $9,000 JD 712, 11 shank disc chisel ......................... $8,500
HAYING & FORAGE EQUIP.
QR12 12-wheel cart rake............................... .$7,500 Sitrex QR12 rake ............................................ $6,500 Many sizes of rakes available
GRAVITY BOXES
VARIOUS SIZES OF GRAVITY BOXES ON HAND Demco 550 .................................................... $8,200 2) Demco 450 ....................................$9,500-10,500 3) Demco 365 ....................................$4,500-$5,500 Demco 325 .................................................... $1,900 J&M 350 ........................................................ $2,200 Kilbros 325 Bu., with brush auger.................. $4,000 All sizes of used Demco gravity boxes avail.
GRINDER MIXERS
H&S GM170................................................ .$29,500 Art’s Way 6520, nice .................................... $29,000 Gehl 125 ...................................................... $12,500 Gehl 95 mixer................................................. $2,500
MISCELLANEOUS
Gehl 4640 .................................................... $36,000 Midsota 5510 rock trailers .......................... In Stock New Mandako land rollers in stock Various sizes of New Agrotrend snowblowers .... Call
We have NEW Sitrex 10 & 12 wheel Rakes Available FARM OYL PRODUCTS AVAILABLE
GREENWALD FARM CENTER Greenwald, MN • 320-987-3177
WWW.GREENWALDFARMCENTER.COM
Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
Badgerland Financial is proud to sponsor
Women In Jeans
Mary Holle Baldwin, Wis.; St. Croix County 120 cows Family: My husband, Joe. We farm with his parents, Janet and Steve. Tell us about your farm: We farm 600 acres where we grow alfalfa, corn, beans and wheat. Holle-Oaks Holsteins is our dairy where we milk 120 cows in a 94-cow tiestall. We have a pack for switch cows and a dry cow barn. We have 140 heifers housed in a cornstalk pack barn and on pasture. In 2014 we installed a heat detection/rumination system for the cows and heifers. This has signicantly helped herd health and preg rate. What’s the busiest time of day for you? Mornings – my husband and I milk together every morning. Then I feed calves (about 25 in hutches) followed by herd health tasks. In total my morning is about ve hours of just chores starting at 4 a.m. How much time do you spend doing farm work and how much time do you spend doing housework? I spend about 16 hours per day doing ©2016 Badgerland Financial, ACA. NMLS ID 458065. This Agency is an Equal Opportunity Provider.
farm work. I actually employ a cleaning lady, who is a good friend of mine. She cleans my house twice a month so I don’t have much house work outside of laundry. However I do have a large garden of broccoli, beans, zucchini, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, onions, cucumbers and spices that requires a lot of work in the spring, summer and fall. What do you do in your free time and why? I like to dairy judge. I work with the University of Wisconsin-River Falls judging team as an assistant coach. It is such a good time to be around people who are just as passionate about good dairy cattle as I am. I also like to garden. It is relaxing to me and helps me unwind. I like the feeling when I make a home cooked meal knowing I grew all the ingredients. That is such an accomplished feeling. What’s the best thing about farming? The feeling of accomplishment. It is very rewarding when all the hard work pays off, whether it is making the right conditions for a great crop or the right mating to create an excellent cow. It’s even the little daily battles of nursing a sick animal and having her look 100 times better after checking on her a few hours later. When you look back on your life, what do you want to be remembered for? Dedication, loyalty and work ethic. Do you have any ideas that could make life easier for you and other farming women? Don’t forget to take time for yourself. I try very hard to take a day off and do something I like.
If you haven’t already, get to know Badgerland Financial. Let us prove why we’re the better option.
Tell us your most memorable experience while dairy farming. I honestly cannot pick just one memory. Every day is an adventure, whether it is good or bad. I just try to enjoy it.
(877) 789-9058 badgerlandfinancial.com
Express Pressure Washers, Inc.
888.438.8683 UDDERTECHINC.COM
15880 SE 74th Ave. Blooming Prairie, MN 55917 507-583-2703
3M and Thinsulate are trademarks of 3M
PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT QUICK RELEASE
MACHINE WASH
BUCKLES-NO VELCRO TO GET MATTED
FOR WARMTH
AND DRY
Check out our Used Equipment at
www.expresspressurewashers.com PARTS * ACCESSORIES * SOAP REPAIR * ON-SITE SERVICE
ALL OUR MACHINES CARRY OUR 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE Open Monday to Friday 8:00 to 5:00 Saturday 8:30 to 12:00 / Fax: 507-583-2060 Email: service@expresspressurewashers.com Join us on Facebook!
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 37
Iowa farm women find time for cows, quilts
Mother-daughter duo team up with RedRoxy Quilt Company By Ron Johnson
ron.j@dairystar.com
DECORAH, Iowa – Some days are crazy quilts of activity for Jess Rediske. A recent October morning had her headed to the barn for milking. Then she dashed off to work at her quilt shop for several hours. On the way home, Jess picked up tires for the skid loader along with a pair of pizzas for Eric, her husband, John, her father, and herself. Home again, she pitched in with evening chores. That day sounds fairly typical for many farm women, except the part about the quilt shop. Jess and her mother, Roxanne Schnitzler, got into the quilt business Jan. 1 2013, when they bought a shop in nearby Decorah, Iowa. Roxanne retired as jail administrator for the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Department to devote much of her time to Red-Roxy Quilt Co. The name sounds much like a children’s playground game, but it’s really an amalgam of Roxanne’s rst name and Jess’ last. Jess decided to join her mom as coowner of the shop, which is on a busy corner in downtown Decorah. “I have just always loved to sew, and it was something I just wanted to do,” Roxanne said. “I was going to take the plunge, and Jess decided to come with me.” Sewing is an integral part of quilting. But Jess did not exactly inherit her mom’s interest in it. “I sewed in 4-H, but it was usually at gunpoint,” Jess said. “I’d rather have been outside on the farm.” Roxanne, however, has been known to sew up a storm. She made clothes for the family, including the dress Jess wore at age 10, when she was little miss squirt for the county, and a few years later, as the county dairy princess. Along with sewing, Roxanne dabbled in quilting and operated a machine embroidering business out of her house. So investing in a quilt shop wasn’t that much of a leap. The business that became Red-Roxy was purchased pretty much turn-key. That is, Jess and Roxanne bought not only the building, but also its inventory. “[Customers can nd] everything that goes into making quilts,” Jess said.
That includes upwards of 2,500 bolts of fabric, plus patterns, Swiss-made Bernina sewing machines, and the catch-all category of notions. That old-fashionedsounding term includes such quilting accessories as pins, needles, scissors, rulers and all the miscellany quilters eventually acquire. In addition, Red-Roxy Quilt Company offers quilting classes. Some are aimed at teaching beginners how to use the sewing machines, and how the various segments of a quilt – backing, batting and pieces – all t together to become more than separate ingredients, but a colorful work of art. For hard-core quilters, Roxanne and Jess sponsor a quilting retreat each January at a historic hotel in Decorah. The retreat draws roughly 50 people. “[They] bring their projects to work on and sit and sew for three days,” Jess said. Red-Roxy represents the modern way of quilting. There’s no cutting up old denim overalls or gingham aprons to make the hand-pieced coverlets of yesteryear that were borne more of necessity than of hobby. Neither Roxanne nor Jess has constructed a quilt entirely by hand. “‘Hand’ is a four-letter word,” Jess said. Even with the aid of a modern, computerized sewing machine, crafting a quilt can take up to 60 hours of patience and concentration. The steps include choosing a quilt pattern, choosing the fabric, cutting out the many pieces, arranging them just so in blocks, stitching the blocks together, adding the cotton or polyester batting and then fastening everything to a backing. Once that has been done, the quilt still isn’t nished. Next, the three layers of what Jess likes to call a quilt sandwich are stitched together. Roxanne and Jess send their quilts to a woman who does what’s called custom quilting using a long-arm sewing machine. Just because they’re not made by hand, doesn’t mean modern quilts are any less intricate or interesting. One that hangs on a wall of the store is called “Gravity.” Its vibrant colors that include various shades of red, orange, blue, green, and yellow, plus gray and black seem to explode as it’s viewed. Another quilt’s pattern is “Pine Tree.” This one, said Jess, is made of 26 blocks, each comprised of 60 pieces. That’s a total of 1,560 pieces. As a one-stop quilt shop, Red-Roxy attracts customers from beyond the im-
RON JOHNSON/DAIRY STAR
Eric Rediske (leŌ) and his father-in-law, John Schnitzler, handle the farm work while Jess Rediske (center) and her mother manage their quilƟng business in nearby Decorah, Iowa.
RON JOHNSON/DAIRY STAR
The mother-daughter team of Roxanne Schnitzler (leŌ) and Jess Rediske owns Red-Roxy Quilt Co. Jess splits her days between working at the shop and helping with morning milking on their 85-cow dairy farm near Decorah, Iowa. mediate area. “Women will travel miles,” Jess said when remembering the shops visitors who came from Kentucky and Texas. Without needing to travel at all, people can get a glimpse of the shop by visiting its website: redroxyquiltco.com. Two years ago, Jess found a way to tie dairying and quilting. To commemorate Iowa hosting the National Holstein Convention, she made an image of Bonnie Mohr’s “Ideal Holstein Cow” painting into a wall hanging. Much to Jess’ surprise and delight, it fetched $6,500, with half the money going to the Iowa Junior Holstein Association and half going to the Holstein Foundation. Jess, Eric and John own the 500-acre farm’s herd of 95 Holstein cows. The 85 milking head are averaging about 27,000 pounds of milk, with a 3.8 fat test and a
3.3 protein test on twice-a-day milking, according to Jess. Eric and Jess own approximately 60 registered cows and recently placed two bulls into A.I. Last year they sold one of their cows, Red-EJ Atwood Ohio, to Regancrest Holsteins, Waukon, Iowa, Jess said. This year, that cow won her 3-yearold class at the state show and was chosen as intermediate champion and reserve champion of the show. Roxanne shared her thoughts as to what attracts people to quilting. “It’s therapeutic. You can just get lost in it,” she said. “And it’s rewarding to see something that was made with your own hands that was just a piece of fabric before you started,” Roxanne added. “I can be tired and go to my sewing room at night, and the minute I start sewing, I wake up.”
SAUK CENTRE, MN www.mmcjd.com
Phone 320-352-6511 Ask for Ralph or Steve
Allllll h A hou hour ho hours ouurrs aar our ou are re cutt cut ccu cutter utt uut tttteerr h hours oours urrrss uurs
Large Selection of Used Self-Propelled Forage Harvesters 8700, RWA, 2016 .................................Coming In 8600, 2015, 330 Cutter Hours, RWA ...... $399,000 8600, 2016, RWA, Prodrive ..................Coming In 8100, 2015, 150 Cutter Hours, RWA ...... $279,000 7780, 2014, 259 Cutter Hours, RWA ...... $369,000 7780, 2014, 425 Cutter Hours, RWA ...... $349,000 7780, 2014, 845 Cutter Hours,RWA ....... $319,000 7780, 2013, 1126 Cutter Hours, RWA .... $299,000 7580, 2013, 610 Cutter Hours, RWA ...... $299,000 7580, 2013, 1009 Cutter Hours, RWA .... $265,000 7380, 2014, 590 Cutter Hours, RWA.......... $260,000 7950, 2012, 694 Cutter Hours, RWA ...... $299,000 7850, 2008, 1600 Cutter Hours, RWA .... $210,000 7750, 2012, 1019 Cutter Hours, RWA ... $265,000 7550, 2010, 1344 Cutter Hours, RWA .... $249,000 7550, 2008, 1359 Cutter Hours, RWA .... $219,000 7450, 2009, 1550 Cutter Hours, RWA .... $195,000 7350, 2010, 1100 Cutter Hours, RWA .... $219,000 7350, 2009, 1025 Cutter Hours, RWA .... $209,000 7250, 2009, 560 Cutter Hours, RWA ...... $196,500 7800, 2007, 1885 Cutter Hours, RWA .... $179,000 7700, 2007, 1570 Cutter Hours, RWA .... $185,000
7500, 2003, 2406 Cutter Hours, 2WD .... $149,000 7400, 2004, 2918 Cutter Hours, RWA .... $144,500 6950, 1999, 2328 Cutter Hours, RWA ...... $98,500 6850, 1998, 3120 Cutter Hours, RWA ...... $98,500 6850, 1998, 3100 Cutter Hours, 2WD ...... $78,500 6710, 1995, 2908 Cutter Hours, RWA ...... $78,500 5730, 1986, 4980 Hours, RWA................. $43,900 Claas 970, 2008, 4000 Hours, RWA ...... $199,000 Claas 960, 2013, 1312 Cutter Hours, RWA ............................................... $275,000.00 Claas 890, RWA...................................Coming In
7450
2009, 1550 cutter hours, RWA, Kernel Processor, AutoLube, ................. $195,000.00
C today for details on Call ! New o u Easy-Lease financing! our
Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
(pictured are front row left to right Kena, Evan, and Robert Strack, not pictured son Emanuel – New Day Dairy, back row Dale Budtke DSM and Dave Robison Forage and Cover Crop Manager, Legacy Seeds)
Congratulations to New Day Dairy, Athens,WI for being
GRAND CHAMPION In two categories* at theWorld Forage Analysis Superbowl DuringWorld Dairy Expo with Legacy HDTM Alfalfa! *GRAND CHAMPION – Haylage Category *GRAND CHAMPION – “Quality Counts” Category (for fastest rate of digestibility of all entries of Hay/Haylage)
For more information or to purchase Legacy alfafa contact: Legacy Seeds, Inc. 866-791-6390 or your Local Legacy Dealer www.legacyseeds.com
Dairy prole Casey Flannery Argyle, Wis. Lafayette County 55 cows How did you get into farming? I was born and raised on this farm. I am the third generation to farm here. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? I hope to see the milk prices get better. That is the main thing. Even if it could get up to $17 or $18, it would make a lot of difference. No, that wouldn’t make us tons of money, but it would be enough to get us by. The thing with farming is, while the milk price goes down, nothing else does. Gas, seeds, cost for equipment and land all stay the same I love being out there with the or go up, so when that milk cows and being my own boss. I price drops, it really hurts. just love everything there is with dairy farming. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? Milking cows.
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016 • Page 39
sponsored by Don’t shy away from good advice. Other farmers have been the best teachers for me getting in to this. I worked at two farms before coming here on my own, and I still work on those other two because you never know when you will need help or good, sound advice. What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? I would have to say my cows doing well. I have come a long way from where I started with production to where I am now.
What are your plans for your dairy in the next ve years? I am hoping to double my herd size. With that, I will need to nd a different facility to house my What advice would you give cows as I am locked for space other dairy farmers? My ad- where I am at, so I will probably vice is not to give up; your rst move the herd, too. year will be your hardest year, but you have to ght through it. What is your favorite thing to do on the farm? I love milking cows. It is the most relaxing part of my day when I get to be around the cows. They come in every day and I get that interaction with them. When something is wrong, I notice. When things are going good, I get to enjoy it. That’s the best part of dairy farming right there. What is your favorite dairy product? Milk. I could drink a gallon of it a day if I tried. What is your favorite tool? The skid loader; I use it for mostly everything on the farm – scraping the cow yard, feeding the heifers, mixing feed, watering heifers, you name it. If you could add one thing to your farm regardless of price, what would it be? I would want a heifer shed. I don’t have much for heifer facilities here so that would be nice.
Star Blends is a full service feed manufacturing facility. We provide custom complete feeds, supplements and minerals. We utilize modern technology to produce your needed products on demand with the highest quality feeds at the best cost. We also offer a wide selection of commodities, ingredients and additives. We are focused on dairy, efficiently delivering to farms in Western Wisconsin. Give us a call, we’d be happy to discuss our commodities or custom products and services with you and your nutritionist.
1919 Riley Road Sparta, WI 54656 | 800.462.4125
Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 22, 2016
FAST UNLOADING CAPABILITY
2044 & 2054 PROPUSH®
BOX SPREADERS
r Simple push-off design with no chains for fewer moving parts r Poly floor and sides promote self-cleaning to prevent material buildup r Wide, consistent, 25' to 30' spread pattern
INVEST IN QUALITY®
440 & 540 heaped cu. ft. capacities KuhnNorthAmerica.com
New Kuhn Knight Vertical Maxx VT 180, #2981 - Call
New Kuhn Knight VT156 #2993 - Call
New Kuhn Knight Primor 4270 M, #3496
Call
New Kuhn MM 300, #3319 - Call
New Kuhn Knight SLC126, #3313 - Call
New Kuhn Knight 2054 #3557 - Call
New Kuhn Knight 2044, #3437 - Call
New Kuhn SLC141, #3482 - Call
New Kuhn Knight 8124 #3455 - Call
New Kuhn MM300, #3320 - Call
New Kuhn Knight SL 114 #3558 - Call
New Kuhn Knight SL 124, #3480 - Call
Salesmen: Tony Steinhart (608) 778-3491 or Joe Ryan (608) 778-2900
4116 Hwy. 80 S. Platteville, WI
Office: (608) 348-9401 or Toll Free: 1(888) BUY-PATZ www.steinhartsfarmservice.com
4116 Hwy. 80 S. Platteville, WI