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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 21, No. 17
October 26, 2019
Dairy has always New technology for been the answer the next generation for Swensons
Nicollet County Farm Family of the Year presses forward with sixth generation By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
NICOLLET, Minn. – Knowing their career path has never been a question for the Swensons. “I’ve never gotten up in the morning wondering why I was a dairy farmer,” Paul Swenson said. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. It’s a blessing I’ve been able to do it my whole life.” This commitment is just one reason his family – wife, Cindy, their daughter, Ashley, and son-in-law, David Hanson – were chosen as the 2019 Nicollet County Farm Family of the Year. “It’s a humbling experience to know people respect your family for what you’re doing,” Paul said. The Swensons milks 240 cows with four robotic milking units on their dairy near Nicollet, Minn. Everyone in the family has their area of expertise on the farm. Paul and David share the day-to-day operations of the dairy herd along with genetic selection and mating, while Cindy is in charge of calves and bookkeeping. Although Ashley works off the farm in her own practice as an embryo transfer veterinarian, she spends the rest of her time dedicated to the herd’s cow care and reproductive success. Ashley’s work in embryo transfer intertwines with her family’s dairy with registered cows. Although the Swensons have a strong tie to Holsteins – Forest-Lawn Holsteins is the oldest registered herd in the state and the oldest continuously registered herd in the country – they branched out to Brown Swiss about 15 years ago. Their herd also includes a few Ayshires owned by Ashley and David. It keeps them connected to the breed David grew up with, and his family still milks the red and white animals. Regardless of color, the cows on the Swensons farm must live up to certain standards, Ashley said. Cows with better genetic po-
Turn to SWENSONS | Page 5
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Paul and Cindy Swenson (leŌ) along with their daughter, Ashley, and her husband, David Hanson, milk 240 cows on their dairy near Nicollet, Minn. They were named 2019 Nicollet County Farm Family of the Year.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
The Reitsmas – (from leŌ) Joe, Carolyn, Paul, Mitchell and KaƟe – milk 220 cows with four robots on their dairy farm in Stearns County near Sauk Centre, Minn. Paul and Carolyn wanted to add the technology to allow their sons to return to the farm.
Reitsmas add robots to keep farm about family By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
SAUK CENTRE, Minn. – Paul and Carolyn Reitsma were at a crossroads in their dairying career. Their two sons expressed interest in returning home to the farm, but the dairy as it was – 100 cows in a tiestall barn – could not support three families. “We knew we had to add more cows,” Paul said. “And reality is the horror stories hired help can be. We wanted to do more, but keep it in the family.” The Reitsmas with three of their six children – Katie, 23, Joe, 21, and Mitchell, 20 – began milking cows with four DeLaval VMS milking system V300 robots May 20 on their Stearns County dairy farm near Sauk Centre, Minn. Today, the family runs 220 cows through the robots with the system having the capability to milk upwards of 300 animals. The cross-ventilated barn is designed with 265 free stalls; all of which have access to any of the four robots. On the northeast side of the barn, a 17-stall freestall area is designated for fresh cows. These cows must go through one robot and then are redirected to the fresh pen with activity collars and smart gates. “I feed three feedings of colostrum to ev-
ery calf, so it’s very important we collect that,” Carolyn said. “Each fresh cow is kept in that pen for two milkings.” A hospital pen is directly south of the fresh pen, and includes a bedded pack and headlocks for manual milking. Those cows, too, have access to one robot and then are redirected to the bedded pack. Every family member has an active role on the farm. Mitchell manages the milking herd while also nishing his last year at Ridgewater College in Willmar, Minn. He keeps track of animal health data and monitors the milking information coming from the robots. Joe takes care of all the feeding and works part time off the farm at Belgrade Co-op in Belgrade, Minn. Paul oversees the dairy and feeds the cattle when Joe is not available, and Carolyn works with all the calves and youngstock. Katie returned home following college graduation to help the family transition into the new facilities. On a day-to-day basis, she works with the cows and keeps them cycling through the robots. “We want to make sure everyone has a role here, and they take that role seriously and do their best at it,” Paul said. Turn to REITSMAS | PAGE 6
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofďƒžce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Amanda Thooft 320-352-6303 amanda.t@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Krista Kuzma - Editor/Wisconsin (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Andrea Borgerding - Associate Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman (608) 487-1101 danielle.n@dairystar.com Stacey Smart - Staff Writer (262) 442-6666 • stacey.s@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Advertising Sales Main Ofďƒžce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Joyce Frericks 320-352-6303 • joyce@dairystar.com Jeff Weyer (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-8505 (cell) jeff.w@dairystar.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofďƒžce) 320-248-3196 (cell) Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 fax: 507-634-4413 laura.s@dairystar.com Jerry Nelson (SW MN, NW Iowa, South Dakota) 605-690-6260 jerry.n@dairystar.com Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Amanda Hoeďƒ&#x;er (Eastern Iowa) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Julie Barnes (SE WI and Northern IL) julie.b@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute ďƒžnal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters. The views and opinions expressed by Dairy Star columnists and writers are not necessarily those of the Dairy Star LLC.
The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Dairy Star, LLC, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sauk Centre, MN and additional mailing ofďƒžces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
A glance at what’s inside Since our last issue, there have been several opportune days to be out in the ďƒželd harvesting. For this issue’s “From our side of the fenceâ€? we talked to former dairy farmers who are helping out current dairy farmers with their fall harvest. Read on pages 15-16 in ďƒžrst section about their duties, why they do it, and what kind of equipment would have been helpful to them while they were still dairy farming. Our organic feature for this issue comes from the Miller family who milks 375 cows on their dairy near Columbus, Wis. During a tour Oct. 2, the Millers shared the story of their farm that has been in their family since 1852. They also shared their switch to certiďƒžed organic in 1997 and what they have done on their dairy to uphold that certiďƒžcation since then. Read more about the family on pages 6-7 in second section. 2019 will go down as a memorable year in terms of weather and farming. In Dairy Star’s coverage area, the year began wet and has not let up as farmers are itching to ďƒžnish their harvests. Daryl Barfnecht, of Watertown, Minn., and Mark Zinke, of Brownsville, Wis., shared the challenges their respected areas have had to work through with the wetness. Turn to page 10 in ďƒžrst section to read about this year’s unusual weather and if it could be the new normal. Like many other families, the Callstroms spent Oct. 18 in the ďƒželd. The family is featured in our “Day in the lifeâ€? story on pages 16, 18-19 in second section. Soybeans were the focus for the day for the Callstrom family, who milks 40 cows on a diversiďƒžed farm in Goodhue County near White Rock, Minn. Because of MEA break, some of the kids were able to help in certain chores throughout the day. Overall, the day’s warmer temperature and drying winds made it a good day for the Callstroms to get more fall harvesting done. In a recent Progressive Dairy Producers’ webinar, agricultural economist Dr. David Kohl gave his predictions for the next decade of dairy farming and the factors that may inďƒ&#x;uence the market. Among the global and national trends in food production, technology and consumers will remain as the prominent inďƒ&#x;uencers of the dairy industry for 2020 and beyond, Kohl said. Read more about Kohl’s predictions on page 11 in ďƒžrst section.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Columnists Ag Insider
Pages 8-9 First Section
Albany
Bon Yankton Homme
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Lin
Clay
Lyon
O’Brien
Sioux Plymouth
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Dick
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Monona
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Woodbury
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First Section: Pages 15 - 16
Zone 1
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Fre
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Mills
Mon
Page
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Worth
Mitchell Howard
Hancock Cerro Gordo
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Floyd
Greene Guthrie
Bremer
Wright Franklin Butler
Boone
Black Hawk
Story
Polk
ll ha
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Ma
Tama
Jasper
Fayette
Clayton
an
e war Dubuque
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Bu
Benton
Dela
Jones
Linn
Iowa
Clinton n Cedar
Scott
Lewiston
Daleys excited for their future in dairy
First Section: Pages 12 - 13
n
Muscatine
Adair
Adams Taylor
Madison Warren Marion Mahaska Keokuk
Union R
g ing
old
Clarke
Lucas
Decatur Wayne
Monroe Wapello
A
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Davis
on
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Je
Van Buren
Louisa
Henry Des
Moines
Lee
Maquoketa
Zone 2
Crop and Weather Reports Second Section: Pages 20 - 21
Lester Prairie
Repro Leaders: The Krienkes
First Section: Pages 18, 20
For additional stories fromour other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
Jackson
so
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Jo
Po
Dallas
Houston
aw
as
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Ch
Grundy un Webster Hamilton Hardin
Au
Pottawattamie Cass
From Our Side of the Fence
go
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Kossuth
Fillimore
Mower
lho
Ca
Crawford Carroll
Harrison Shelby
Baltic
Washington
Hubbard
Osceola
Freeborn
Faribault
Martin
e
Turner
Jackson
iek
Hutchinson
Nobles
Third Section: Page 4
Winona
ake
Charles Mix
Rock
Brown
Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted
sh
Douglas
Gregory
McCook Minnehaha
Murray
Kids Corner: The O’Reilly Family
Wabasha
ne
Tripp
Moody
Rice
am
Todd
on
ns
Ha
Lake
Nicollet
All
Aurora
Miner
Redwood
Goodhue
gto
Brule Mellette
Sanborn
Brookings
Goodhue
Dakota
Scott
Sibley
Lyon
W in
Lyman
Jerauld
Kingsbury
Carver
hin
Pages 10 - Bennett 11 Second Section
Buffalo
Beadle
Hennepin
McLeod
Renville
Yellow Medicine
Wa s
The “Mielke” Jackson Market Weekly Shannon
Hamlin
Hand
Hughes
Deuel
Anoka
Wright
Meeker
Chippewa
Lac Qui Parle
Codington
Clark
Kandiyohi
Isanti
iek
Jones
Hyde
Spink
Sherburne
Swift
Grant
Pine
Mille Lacs
Benton
Stearns
Pope
Second Section: Pages 16, 19 - 18
Carlton
sh
Haakon
Sully Stanley
Faulk
Potter
Aitkin
Morrison
Douglas
Stevens
A day in the life of the Callstrom family
Crow Wing
Todd Grant
Big Stone
Day
Cass
eu r
Page 33 First Section
Dewey
Edmunds
Whiterock
Su
Walworth
Meade
Roberts
Marshall
McPherson Brown
Perkins
Dairy Good Life Ziebach
Richland
Sargent
Tra ver se
Campbell
Corson
Dickey
McIntosh
Otter Tail
Wilkin
Emmons Sioux
Becker
Clay
Ransom
LaMoure
Logan
M
Wadena
Cass
we
Fall River
Bames
Morton
Pennington Custer
Stutsman
Lincoln
Lawrence
Kidder
Itasca
go
Butte
Burleigh
en
om ahn
Cook Lake
isa Ch
Harding
Oliver
Adams Just Thinking Out Loud
Polk
Trail
Steele
Norman
Grant
Page 32 First Section
Griggs
Koochiching St. Louis
Pipestone
Bowman
Hettinger
Foster
Beltrami
Red Lake
n
Page 31 First Section
Wells
First Section: Page 10
Lake of the Woods
Pennington
Grand Forks
Eddy Sheridan
Roseau
Marshall
Benson
McLean
Something Mercer Dunn to Ruminate On
Kittson
Walsh
Nelson
Stark Slope
Pembina
Ramsey
McHenry
Ward
McKenzie
Billings
Cavalier
Towner
Pierce
Page 30 First Section
Golden Valley
Rolette
Wet weather continues to put farmers behind
First Section: Pages 23, 25
n
Bottineau
io
Dear County Agent Guy Mountrail
Un
Williams
Renville
Burke
Da vi so n
Divide
Third Section: Page 5
First Section: Pages 1, 6 - 7
Page 26 First Section
Watertown
Eichers couple turns hobby into business with milk byproducts
Clearwater
FSA News & Notes
Avon
Dairy’s Star Youth: Brooke Courtney
Reitsmas add robots to keep farm about family
Le
Sauk Centre
Nicollet
Dairy has always been the answer for Swensons First Section: Pages 1, 5
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Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019
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Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019 • Page 5
Con�nued from SWENSONS | PAGE 1
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The Swenson family’s Brown Swiss Cow, C&A Sweet Wonderment Ruth, placed rst in the component merit class this year at World Dairy Expo. The crew that helped them get the cow ready for the show ring included (front row, from le�) Morgan Wingert, Kelsey Pe�t, Ashley Swenson and Deb Houghton; (middle row) Diane Fjelstad and Cur�s Griffin; (back row, from le�) Mark Fjelstad, Keith Mahoney, Ryan Griffin, David Hanson and Phil Heydmann. tential will be ushed while cows on the lower end of the genetic spectrum will carry calves as recipients. Genetic potential is based on several factors including GTPI or parent average, TPI, actual production records and type conrmation. “One of our biggest goals right now is to improve our components,” Ashley said. “Overall that’s what we’re paid on.” Another standard and goal is healthy cows. “If they keep having recurring health issues like sore feet or if they continuously have calving issues, those extra things require extra time and resources,” Ashley said. Showing also ts into their genetics program. Their most recent success in the show ring came at this year’s World Dairy Expo when their Brown Swiss cow, C&A Sweet Wonderment Ruth EX 94 2E placed rst along with best udder and rst bred and owned in the component merit class. While showing and having registered cattle helps them diversify their dairy, the Swensons also like the social benets of it, too. “We all really cherish the friends that have become family through our connections and involvement in the dairy industry,” Ashley said. With the last few years of depressed milk prices, the Swensons have been extra vigilant about farm expenses.
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“In this economy, the biggest transition has been adjusting your brain to evaluate an animal for face value versus being a pet,” Ashley said. “If she’s the dud of the family from a reliable cow family, we end up taking a second look to see if she’s really meeting what her genetic potential is or what her family history has done.” Both Ashley and David became a part of the dairy over the past six years, during which they have seen milk prices jump from extreme highs to lows. Despite enduring the last few years of low prices, the couple knows they want to continue with dairy as their careers. “We’ve both seen how rewarding nancially farming can be,” Ashley said “And throughout our lives, farming has in one way or another been able to keep food on the table.” Paul and Cindy look at Ashley and David’s circumstances as a mirror to their own. They both joined the family farm during the 1980s when interest rates skyrocketed to the teens and ‘20s. “We struggled to get started,” Paul said. “The economics when we started were tough. Now we are in a similar situation with Ashley and David trying to start with us.” But the Swensons want to see the next generation succeed and hope they
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Turn to SWENSONS | PAGE 6
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Another cow that has been standout in the Swensons’ herd is their Red and White junior 3-year-old, Forest-Lawn Integral 2923.
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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019
ConƟnued from SWENSONS | PAGE 5
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can help them do so. “I’ve always been an optimist,” Paul said. “When it’s a bad time I always think it can get better.” The optimistic outlook helped during the last few years. Now the Swensons see more hope in their future as their milk price creeps close to $20. “It’s been nice to see the next milk check each time,” Paul said. Plus, it makes decisions on the farm a little easier. “It’s easier to take on new ideas from the younger generation if we’re making a prot,” Paul said. “Fresh ideas are good.” It is one reason they decided to switch to robotic milking in 2013. “Over the years it has always seemed like a good business decision to grow,” Paul said.
The growth has been constant since the family started the farm in 1857. While the fth and sixth generation are the ones to do the day-to-day chores, Paul’s parents, Howard and Jane, are still on the farm with the family. At the age of 89, Howard likes driving tractor, raking hay and running the eld cultivator. While Ashley enjoys many aspects of the dairy, she also loves being able to work together with her spouse, her parents and her grandparents. “We get to see each other more often,” she said. Paul agreed. “A lot of people go to work and hate their job,” he said. “I love mine.” Their career path has never been a question. Dairy has always been the answer.
ConƟnued from REITSMAS | PAGE 1
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Mitchell Reitsma explains the informaƟon each robot and acƟvity monitor collects Oct. 16 at his family’s dairy near Sauk Centre, Minn. Even Paul and Carolyn’s older daughters are at the farm when the family needs the extra labor. Both Renae and Christine frequently visit the dairy to help, and Michelle is the family’s veterinarian. With all hands on deck and the use of technology to milk the cows, the Reitsmas’ time spent dairy farming looks different. The robots provide more time for the family to complete eld work without being interrupted to milk the cows, put a greater emphasis on cow health and attend events off the farm. “Our time is a lot more exible, and
it’s more efcient work,” Joe said. “Dad doesn’t have to stop whatever he’s doing to start chores. We can all do more now.” Mitchell agreed. “This is a whole different approach to dairy farming,” he said. “We’re not as hands-on with the cows. It’s more troubleshooting based on what we see on the computer.” When the Reitsmas decided to upgrade their facilities to accommodate more cows, robots were a relatively easy decision. Turn to REITSMAS | PAGE 7
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ConƟnued from REITSMAS | PAGE 6 In reviewing their options, the nancial cost of a parlor and needing to milk three times a day did not vary much from putting in four robots. “We didn’t want the next generation to go through the wear and tear our bodies have been through [milking cows],” Carolyn said. “But, if at any point they said no they didn’t want to milk cows, this wouldn’t have happened.” Paul agreed. “We also could’ve updated the tiestall barn,” he said. “The reality was it was going to be too much for Mitchell, and Joe didn’t have an interest in milking cows in that facility. Plus, we would’ve stuck money into an old facility. There’s no looking back with what we’ve done.” The robots are the latest design from the company, and have the capability of milking 75 cows per day, with the use of 3D camera imaging for accurate and quick teat attachment. Paul especially likes the design of the robot rooms. The rooms are built similar to a parlor pit. The Reitsmas are at eye level with the machines and cows. “If we needed to, we can override the system and attach the units manually,” Paul said. “And, with us able to stand underneath the robot, working on it is easy as it’s all accessible.” But, arriving at such a uent workow did not come without hiccups for the Reitsmas. Before the barn was functioning, the family was already growing their herd. Last spring, they switched 60 cows in the 90-stall tiestall barn twice a day for milking. When the herd was introduced to the new milking system, the entire family and close friends pushed the animals
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
The freestall barn is designed for cows to use any of the four robots. The Reitsmas also put in a drovers lane which allows them to walk through the barn without disrupƟng the herd. through the robots; it took the cows about a week to adjust. To add to the chaos, Carolyn calved in 10 cows that same week. Over the past ve months, the herd has rebounded from the transition in terms of milk quality and pounds of milk, and the Reitsmas are looking forward to seeing the full potential of their dairy.
“The genetics are here. The facilities are here,” Paul said. “There’s no reason we can’t start to do better with the cows and reach 100 pounds.” As the proclaimed cowman of the family, Mitchell is grateful for the steps his parents took for him and his siblings to be able to dairy farm. “Our parents made this investment for us and our dreams,” Mitchell
said. “They’ve put in an unbelievable amount of work so we can have the opportunity to do what they have done for the past 30 years.” For the future of Reit-Way Dairy as a family farm, the Reitsmas could not be happier. Mark Klaphake contributed to this article.
Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019
Dairy supply/demand forecast released The USDA October World Agricultural Supply and Dean Foods exits IDFA Demand Estimates projects 2019 milk production at 218.2 Dean Foods is dropping its membership in the billion pounds, up 200 million pounds from the September International Dairy Foods Association due to a dispute estimate. Higher cow numbers and greater productivity per over the labeling of plant-based dairy alternatives. In a cow are credited for the bump. For 2020, USDA increased statement, Dean Foods said “it is wrong that many plantthe milk production total to 221.6 billion based products are currently marketed using Ag Insider pounds. The all-milk price forecast for 2019 milk’s good name.” IDFA has not been able is $18.40 per hundredweight and for 2020, it to get consensus on this issue amongst it is $18.85 per hundredweight. members and as a result, Dean Foods says it can no longer support the organization. New Zealand dairy exports decline According to a report from USDA, New Co-op 100 list released Zealand’s dairy industry is facing serious The National Cooperative Bank is out challenges due to debt and environmental with its list of the top 100 cooperatives in regulations. USDA expects whole milk America. CHS remains at the top of the list powder exports from New Zealand to top out with revenues of nearly $33 billion. Land at 1.48 million metric tons this year, dropping O’Lakes is ranked second at $15 billion. to 1.42 million tons in 2020. New Zealand is The list includes Dairy Farmers of America the world’s largest dairy exporter. at number three; California Dairies, Inc. is By Don Wick ranked 13th and Darigold is 17th. Select Milk Columnist Kudlow: USMCA could be ratied by Producers, Inc. is at 22, Foremost Farms is Thanksgiving 25; Associated Milk Producers, Inc. is at 27 White House Economic Advisor Larry Kudlow told and Organic Valley (CROPP) is 50. Other notable dairy coreporters he thinks there can be bipartisan backing on ops on the list include Bongards’ Creameries at 85; First the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement in the United States District Association is 97 and NFO is ranked at 99th. by Thanksgiving. “Political differences exist. I get that, but they can still come together on something,” Kudlow More cows going to slaughter said. “There’s almost a consensus view that USMCA is a According to USDA, dairy cow slaughter is up over good thing for America now and in the future. I remain last year. Year-to-date, nearly 2.5 million dairy cows have optimistic. I’ve spoken to leaders in the House and Senate been culled. That’s up 77,200 head or 3.2 percent from that say maybe we can get something by Thanksgiving.” 2018. Intergenerational changes announced for DMC USDA has announced a temporary change in the Dairy Margin Coverage program to provide more exibility for the next generation to join the operation. This new language allows the dairy farm to increase its DMC production history to account for dairy cattle purchased within 120 days of a family member joining the business. If a spouse, child or grandchild came into the dairy operation since 2014 and additional cows were added to the herd, the DMC production history can be updated to reect the increase in production. Dairy farm businesses have until mid-December to update the production history for intergenerational transfers at the county Farm Service Agency ofce.
Court intervenes on dairy permit decision The Minnesota Court of Appeals has directed the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to take animal methane emissions into account when reconsidering a previouslyapproved permit. That permit was for a planned dairy expansion of 1,500 to 3,000 milking cows and youngstock at the Daley dairy in Winona County Minnesota. Co-owner Shelly DePestel said there is concern activist groups will use this method to delay permits for other farms. “We’re farmers. We are trying to nish harvest and feed animals. They’re putting us back in the court room with litigation. The environment is our top priority.” DePestel said there is no place in the Environment Assessment Worksheet, a document used to outline the basic steps of a project, that
explains greenhouse gas emissions. The dairy is seeking further clarication. Grassroots policy development In preparation for next month’s Minnesota Farmers Union convention, policy issues have been heard in the county meetings. MFU Government Relations Director Stu Lourey said a lot of good resolutions have come forward. “Some of them we’ve seen before on things like healthcare, broadband or spending on state agriculture programs.”
New leadership for USDEC Larry Hancock, who is a dairy farmer from Texas, is the new chairman of the U.S. Dairy Export Council. Hancock succeeds Paul Rovey of Arizona, who chaired the USDEC for seven years. Hancock has been the treasurer of Dairy Management Inc. and was a board member for the United Dairy Industry Association. Kaehler makes a run for Congress A new candidate has joined the race for Minnesota’s First Congressional District. Ralph Kaehler is a fourthgeneration farmer with a background in trade and renewable energy. Kaehler said he’s not a politician, but decided it was time to take action. “I think everyone is tired of talk; let’s get something done.” In Kaehler’s words, it is about nding a common good, rather than a daily battle on TV and Twitter. “Instead of talking about trade and tariffs, two decades ago, we started writing contracts with Cuba. We went down with Governor Ventura, talked with (former Cuban President) Fidel Castro and wrote contracts for multiple things.” Similar success stories have been seen with Southeast Asia and Costa Rica. Dan Feehan, who ran for the seat two years ago, is also seeking the DFL nomination. The First District is currently represented by rst-term Republican Jim Hagedorn. Cooperative Network adds government affairs staffer Cooperative Network, which represents cooperatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin, has welcomed a new government affairs director for its St. Paul ofce. David Larson is a University of Minnesota grad. Larson’s most recent experience is with the Minnesota Senate Transportation Committee as its lead staff member. Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
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ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8 MSCA begins executive director search The Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association is beginning the search for a new executive director. Ashley Kohls, who has been in that role since 2014, is leaving the organization for another opportunity in the beef industry. Kohls’ last day on the job with the MSCA will be October 31. Trivia challenge Fuel Up to Play 60 is a joint project of the NFL and the dairy checkoff. That answers our last trivia question. How much
does a quart of milk weigh? We’ll have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.
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WATERTOWN, Minn. – As Daryl Barfnecht combined high moisture corn Oct. 16, the crop tested at 28% moisture – not ideal but better than expected. And unfortunately, he is one of the luckier farmers. “It’s wetter than what I’d like, but it’s time to do something,” Barfnecht said. “We ran out of high moisture corn two weeks ago, so we’ve been grinding dry corn, and we have to stop doing that.” Barfnecht runs 2,500 acres of alfalfa, corn and soybean with his family – mother, Betty; brother, Doug; wife, Michelle; and two sons, Brett and Tyler – on their 350-cow dairy in Carver County near Watertown, Minn. Across the Midwest, farmers have been plagued with wet harvest conditions; a continuation of Daryl Barfnecht the wet planting and growing seaDairy farmer sons. “Too much moisture is the story of the year,” Laura Edwards said. “There was too much snow and then too much rain in the growing season, which has slowed everything down. Harvest is going to go well into winter.” Edwards is South Dakota’s state climatologist. In the United States Department of Agriculture’s Oct. 13 crop and weather report, both corn and soybean harvests are well behind the ve year average across the country. In Iowa, 7% of corn is cleared from the elds, compared to 17% this time last year; both Minnesota and South Dakota have harvested 5%, compared to 17% and 18% last year, respectively; and Wisconsin at a mere 3%, from 18% in 2018. At this time last year, North Dakota was 11% completed with corn harvest. This year, no yields had been recorded at the time of the report. Likewise, soybean harvest has been slow. But, warm weather in the second week of October helped farmers make headway. In Iowa, 17% of soybeans were harvested as of Oct. 13, compared to just 5% from Oct. 6. Minnesota at 19% from 8% a week ago; North Dakota 16% from 8%; Wisconsin 15% from 3%; and South Dakota 13% from 5%. The year began with excessive moisture from record snowfalls in the winter which added to saturated soils and rising river levels, leading to detrimental ooding. “The Missouri River ooded into the basin this past March,” Edwards said. “We saw record ooding like that in 2011, and everyone thought that was going to be a 500-year ood. No one thought we’d see the same thing again in the same decade.” For Mark Zinke, the growing season started off slow because of the wet spring. “We were about four weeks behind this spring with planting delays,” Zinke said. “We’re blessed to have crops, but I was glad to put the planter away.” The farmer runs about 1,200 acres of corn silage and alfalfa on his 900-cow dairy near Brownsville, Wis., in Fond du Lac County. Across the Midwest, wet soil conditions forced many farmers to reconsider their plans for planting. Farming on heavy black soil, Barfnecht made the quick decision to switch crops. He planted corn on his soybean elds and soybean in the corn elds. “The soybean ground was drier and I had to get corn silage in,” he said. “We try to rotate our crops, but it just didn’t work out this year. We had to move on to plan B.” Claiming prevented plant acres was the alternative plan last spring for some farmers in the Upper Midwest. According to the
USDA, the average county indemnity payment for prevented planting claims in the Upper Midwest varied from $300 to more than $55 million. The areas most affected were eastern South Dakota and North Dakota, as well as western Minnesota and eastern Wisconsin. In South Dakota, nearly half the state led claims with the USDA’s Risk Management Agency. Those indemnities were over $10 million per county. “Those numbers tell the story,” Edwards said. “There are few pockets of dryness but a lot of excess moisture.” Over the course of the season, the USDA has reported Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin as part of the nation’s top 10 wettest land. Record setting rainfalls have been noted in Rochester, Minn., following an early October rainstorm. The city set an annual precipitation record of 48.74 inches Mark Zinke – more than 170% of normal preDairy farmer cipitation – breaking the previous record of 43.94 inches set in 1990. The Wisconsin farmer estimated his total rainfall was about 40 inches so far this year. “Honestly, I lost count,” Zinke said. “Recently, we were hammered with 6 inches. There was no place for it to go. It just ran off.” This year’s weather pattern is not surprising, although certainly more extreme than usual, said Edwards. Long run trends are indicating more precipitation and higher temperatures, although the warmth is more commonly noted in the winter months. However, it has yet to be proven if a year like 2019 will become the new normal. Edwards encourages farmers to be prepared for future unusual weather by ensuring good soil health principals and management practices, such as applying cover crops and doing minimum or no till. “If we can preserve the soil in any way and prevent erosion, all of that helps farmers better manage through these climate extremes, whether that’s excess moisture or drought,” Edwards said. In the meantime, farmers are scrambling to nish harvest despite the conditions. Zinke is about halfway done with his corn silage. “I’m praying the rain turns off or I can nd a dump cart,” Zinke said. “We’ve been using semi trucks with oat tires and hauling half loads.” Barfnecht agreed. “Our silage is done, but we need to nish grain corn and then hopefully get to soybeans,” Barfnecht said. “Nothing is drying down, and it can’t mature with the cold weather we’ve had.” Then, if there is time before the ground freezes, manure has to be hauled and eldwork has to be nished. And, farmers should anticipate more ooding next spring as the current moisture levels in the soil will not likely dissipate before winter, said Edwards. “It’s been tough,” she said. “Not to dwell on it, but we are not done with what 2019 has gifted us.”
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Dairy’s driving force Kohl digs into factors inuencing markets By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
As a new decade approaches, technology, a rapid rate of consumer change and consumer dynamics driven by social media will inuence the dairy industry over the next 10 years. Those were Dr. David Kohl’s predications during his webinar, “Get a Grip on Ag Economics,” Oct. 17. The presentation was a part of the Progressive Dairy Producers’ World Class Webinar series. “We’re going to see more change in the next decade than we’ve seen in the past 70 years,” Kohl said. On grand scale, Kohl predicts the next decade being represented as a time of high technology and high touch. As technology in the form of engineering, biotechnology and data becomes essential on dairy farms, so will people who have the skill set to work with such information. Not only will farmers be transitioning capital and business culture to newer generations but also human assets. “This whole technology thing takes control of our lives,” Kohl said. “[Because of that,] interpersonal skills and the ability to work interdependently will be very important.” Then, as formerly dependent countries become self-sustaining, the U.S. dairy industry has to reevaluate the consumer base and how to market to today’s dairy eaters. The key to reaching those with purchasing power is by relaying trust as 75% of purchases are made based on experience, said Kohl. “We really screwed up by allowing [dairy] substitutes to come in,” Kohl said. “Now, we have to line up with the future consumer and show them transparency, customization and personalization.” With the consumer in mind, the
“We really screwed up by allowing [dairy] substitutes to come in. Now, we have to line up with the future consumer and show them transparency, customization and personalization.” DR. DAVID KOHL
dairy industry should look towards the exitarians – those who are considering going vegan. “Some of those will come back if given a good reason,” Kohl said. For dairy farmers to compete in this changing market, Kohl encourages producers to look for small ways to make progress. In 2020, interests are projected to be low, milk prices should be higher and feed costs should also be less than in recent years.
“We’re relegated to a period of base hits rather than home runs,” Kohl said. “We have seen base hit prots are not all bad. Proactive managers are satised with base hits, while reactive managers have to have a lot of equity to wait for those home runs; 2014 was the worst.” In Kohl’s experience, the most productive work cultures to create a series of wins in the industry come from those that have a passion for dairying but are also Dr. David Kohl scally responsible. “As businesses get bigger, they tend to be managed by the spreadsheet and that tears the passion out of the business,” Kohl said. “Numbers count, but also the heart counts. And leaders of the future will have to think about that.” In the same breath, Kohl cautioned the industry from becoming too large. “It’s driven by the grocery industry. They take advantage of the dairy industry and producers pay the price. It’s disgusting,” he said. “The next issue in the next election is the concentration on bigness, and the dairy industry must be careful about this. It could be a game changer.” When Kohl reviews the farms that are doing well and those that are not, it does not necessarily come down to size of the operation, but rather the management culture. During Kohl’s presentation, he referenced FINBIN data, which found some young farmers are faring better than those who are 10-40 years into dairying. “Sometimes, young farmers are doing better than vintage, more experienced farmers,” he said. “They pick up on controlling costs and the right costs to increase revenue. They are very good at having diversication of income and are modest on family living.” One way farmers can evaluate their business is to consider the equation: P=O+C+L+M2. In Kohl’s formula, P interchangeably represents prots and people; O is overhead; C, costs; L, liquidity; and M2 for marketing and management. “Prots and people go together,” Kohl said. “I often see businesses that have a leadership culture and attract good people; they see prots. They often go hand in hand.” If dairy farmers want to progress over the next decade amidst the factors inuencing the industry as described by Kohl, they will need to know their cost of production, marketing and risk management strategies, and have a good handle on the farm’s capital and human assets. “Whether you’re milking 50 cows or 50,000 cows, or selling genetics, these are the things you’re going to have to be thinking about,” he said. These strategies will help the dairy community work interdependently as the industry enters into the next decade.
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019 • Page 11
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019
Daleys excited for their future in dairy Sixth generation hopes to join ownership of farm By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
LEWISTON, Minn. – Ben Daley is excited for the future of his family’s dairy. “There are a lot of new cuttingedge tools out there, not just robots, but milk analyzing tools that we don’t have on our dairy,” Daley said. “They’re really neat and would be very helpful.” Implementing new technology is one reason the Daley family is planning an expansion for their 1,426-cow dairy near Lewiston, Minn. Bringing in the next generation as new owners is another reason they are looking to up their cow numbers. Currently, the dairy has seven owners. These include fourth-generation brothers, Mike and Steve Daley. The ve fth-generation owners are Mike’s children, Mark, Brian, Neil and Ben Daley, and Shelly DePestel. The expansion would help the farm sustain another generation, bringing in Shelly’s sons, Dustin, Dylan and Dominick DePestel, along with Neil’s son, Gabe. Mark’s wife, Sonja, also works on the farm. “I appreciate farming with family,” DePestel said. “When things are going well we are able to share that joy with family, but when things are difcult we know we all have each others’ back.” The Daleys feel this expansion will
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Siblings Ben Daley and Shelly DePestel are two of the owners of their family’s 1,426-cow dairy near Lewiston, Minn. They hope to be able to add the sixth generaƟon to the farm through an expansion. keep their business progressing, which in turn helps their community. “Thriving businesses in the community are always a good thing,” DePestel said. “If they’re thriving, the feed stores are thriving, the hardware store thrives along with the vet clinic, the schools, the car dealerships and fuel companies. Main street thrives.” However, it has been a challenge to get to the point of starting the expan-
sion. After beginning the process in 2014, they have worked with engineers and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to design a plan that would work with their land and farm site. “The engineering and design took quite awhile,” Daley said. After being granted the state permit from MPCA in January 2018, they have since had their permit revoked. “Basically, the MPCA needs to
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show its work about methane and Greenhouse gasses,” Daley said. They also had a holdup at the county when applying for a variance for the number of animal units on their site. “We’re not putting more manure on a per-acre basis,” Daley said. “We’ll have more manure, but it will get spread out on more acres. If it’s not manure it will be fertilizer.” Daley also said the farm’s manure management plan is sent every year to MPCA for review and the farm’s soil is tested every four years. Manure is incorporated when put on elds and the family also plants over 600 acres of cover crops along with the permanent pasture and alfalfa they have on their 3,500 acres. The plan is to build a new facility to the northwest of their current fourfreestall barn and parlor set up. It will include a cross-ventilated freestall barn and an 80-stall robotic rotary parlor. It would replace the current 21-year-old carousel parlor. “[The parlor] is getting tweaked and xed and worked on all the time,” Daley said. “We have that issue, as well. It needs to be replaced.” The family built their current set up in 1998 after many members of the fth generation had returned home from college. It helped to have all cows in one location after previously milking in three tiestall barns on three farm sites. “All the barns needed quite a bit of work,” Daley said. “We thought it would be an opportune time to conTurn to DALEYS | Page 13
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Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019 • Page 13
ConƟnued from DALEYS | Page 12
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Milking cows are housed in one of four freestall barns on the Daley family’s dairy near Lewiston, Minn. struct this and put everything together.” After growing up on the dairy with their family and going to college to a pursue careers in the industry, the Daleys returned to help dairy thrive on their family’s farm and in their county. “I like the lifestyle,” Daley said. “I like working and setting your own schedule and seeing the progress you’ve made through the years.” His sister enjoys the people interaction side of the business. “I like sharing with people who aren’t familiar with agriculture,” DePestel said. “We have a lot of tours here. Busloads of people.” Every year, the Daleys host at least 60 tours ranging in ages, nationalities and knowledge of agriculture. This has
included daycares and early childhood education centers, elementary schools students, FFA chapters, college classes, community members and chambers of commerce members, along with legislative and congressional leaders. The Daleys like showing their family’s progress and sharing their philosophy of dairy. “I like the saying, ‘Leave the wood pile a little higher when you walk away,’” DePestel said. “You’ve done your due diligence to make sure things are better than they were when you arrived.” Going forward, the Daleys are waiting for the nal decision from MPCA to reinstate their permit and will work with Winona County to obtain a variance for a permit.
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Retired dairymen: How do you help with fall harvest?
John Selin Viroqua, Wis. Vernon County Who do you help with fall harvest and why? I help several friends and old neighbors with whatever they need in the ďƒželds. It helps pass the time, and they have been good friends and neighbors. I like helping when they are short-handed and crushed for time. Tell us about a typical day while harvesting. Usually I help them after my day job, so it is not a full day. Typically I help for four to ďƒžve hours a day. It includes chopping corn, hauling corn or helping haul manure. I also help with haying in the summer. What do you enjoy most about helping with fall harvest? I enjoy the time of the year, being outside and able to enjoy the colors. The air is clean and brisk, not hot and humid. Tell us about your former dairy farming career. I spent my life milking cows. I had a herd of registered Jerseys. We raised most of our own crops on the farm. What was the toughest part about fall harvesting during your time as a farmer? When relying on custom-hire and not having large acres of crops to harvest, you get pushed down the waiting list. Everyone wants to do the big jobs ďƒžrst. What is one piece of harvest equipment available now that you would have liked to have when you farmed? I would have liked to have had a bale wrapper or have someone in the area with a bale wrapper to wrap hay in the summer. It would have been less labor and during tough weather times, like this year, it would have meant a lot better quality feed. Tell us about the most memorable fall harvest you have been a part of. The most memorable was the most successful ones, where the work got done early, the yield was good, we were able to make winter bedding early and no one got hurt doing it. What do you do when you are not helping with fall harvest? I just try and ďƒžnd things I can do to help other people. I always look forward to the fall, visiting World Dairy Expo and the All-American Jersey Show in November in Louisville, Ky.
Gilbert Rauls DeForest, Wis. Dane County Who do you help with fall harvest and why? I help my daughter and son-in-law, Sue and Randy Langer, along with their children who farm with them, Darren, Justin and Jenna. I do this because I enjoy it, and I have been doing it all my life. Tell us about a typical day while harvesting. A typical day includes getting into the grain or silage truck in the morning and starting to haul corn or silage for the day. Sometimes I will also go for parts, take the fuel wagon out to the ďƒželd or give people rides to equipment. What do you enjoy most about helping with fall harvest? I like being outside, seeing the harvest each year and how it compares to the previous year. Tell us about your former dairy farming career. My family milked 80 cows in a stanchion barn. We had to switch groups to get them all milked. Sue and Randy bought into the herd and took over the farm fully in the late 1980s. I continued to help on the dairy when needed and raised corn and soybeans to sell as grain for the next few years before Sue and Randy also took over that part of the farm, too. What was the toughest part about fall harvesting during your time as a farmer? The weather seems to be the biggest challenge year after year. What is one piece of harvest equipment available now that you would have liked to have when you farmed? I would have liked to have had grain and silage trucks. They would have saved us so much time. We used tractors with gravity boxes. Also, the newer combines now are bigger and do a better job of harvesting. It would have been nice to have had those in my years. Tell us about the most memorable fall harvest you have been a part of. My most memorable harvest was last year, 2018. We had a lot of rain and it was muddy. We had to put tracks on the combine, which made a huge difference. We were able to get all the crops harvested without leaving any out in the ďƒželd. What do you do when you are not helping with fall harvest? From midNovember to the ďƒžrst part of April I live down in Green Valley, Ariz.
Curt Bekius Milaca, Minn. Mille Lacs County Who do you help with fall harvest? I still have my own crops to harvest along with helping my two oldest sons, Shawn and Ken, with their crops. I also help my dad when I can. He still crop farms and does custom harvesting of corn, soybean and small grains. Tell us about a typical day while harvesting. My day starts with mixing and feeding 300-400 head of Holstein replacement heifers that I raise for area dairy farmers plus caring for the 75 cow/calf pairs I own. I also mix feed for Ken’s dairy herd. Then, we start chopping, usually until dark. What do you enjoy most about helping with fall harvest? After the long hours and stress you deal with in the spring and summer (no rain/too much rain), enjoying the rewards of a bountiful harvest. Tell us about your former dairy farming career. My wife and I got married Feb. 23, 1991, and started milking cows March 14. We had purchased a small herd earlier in February and then moved them to the farm we also had purchased earlier. We milked for 20 years. We had an auction in March 2011 and sold our dairy herd. We then expanded our beef herd and a couple of years later started custom raising dairy replacement heifers. What was the toughest part about fall harvesting during your time as a farmer? Weather and breakdowns. What is one piece of harvest equipment available now that you would have liked to have when you farmed? Rear unload chopper boxes. They unload much faster when doing drive over piles and ďƒžlling bunker silos. Tell us about the most memorable fall harvest you have been a part of. This year’s harvest will probably win that prize. With all the rain we’ve had, we’ve needed two tractors to pull the chopper most of the fall, and we aren’t ďƒžnished yet. And to make it more memorable, Shawn broke his leg Oct. 21. What do you do when you are not helping with fall harvest? My regular chores and whatever needs to be done. Making sure cattle are taken care of and there is always manure to be hauled.
Steve Kral Osakis, Minn. Douglas County Who do you help with fall harvest? I help my son-in-law, and I also help the people who rent our land. They keep me busy in the fall doing the tillage work. Tell us about a typical day while harvesting. I like to start at daybreak, and when it gets dark out I head for home. I mostly run the ripper, and I run the grain cart when they need me there. What do you enjoy most about helping with fall harvest? Being in the ďƒželd early in the morning you get to see a lot of wildlife. It is always a good feeling to see crops harvested and ďƒželds turned black. Tell us about your former dairy farming career. My dad passed away in 1964, and my brother, Jim, and I took over the farm. We milked 42 cows. Back in the ’60s, that was an average size herd. We milked until 1991. That is when we sold the herd and started raising steers. What was the toughest part about fall harvesting during your time as a farmer? Dealing with wet falls. Usually, it also meant wet corn. What is one piece of harvest equipment available now that you would have liked to have when you farmed? The new corn heads that chop stalks. When we combined, we did not have a combine that chopped the stalks. On wet years, we had more trouble with the plow plugging up. Tell us about the most memorable fall harvest you have been a part of. In 2012, we were combing corn that was 15% to 16% moisture. We did not dry any of it. We put it in air ďƒ&#x;ow grain bins and ran the fans. That year corn sold for $7 a bushel. What do you do when you are not helping with fall harvest? My wife and I like doing things with the grandkids. I like to golf in the summer time and have coffee with the guys. I like watching the Twins, Vikings, Gophers and most of all the Osakis Silverstreaks.
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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019
ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15 Dave Haagenson Baltic, S.D. Minnehaha County Who do you help with fall harvest? I help Lynn Boadwine. I have been in the dairy business my whole life. I got out of dairy farming a few years ago, but I like to stay involved. Tell us about a typical day while harvesting. It can vary a lot depending on what we are doing. I usually start at about 7 a.m. and work until 7 p.m. We will go all night if we are especially busy or really need to get something done. I mostly drive trucks or run the manure applicator tractor. What do you enjoy most about helping with fall harvest? I enjoy being part of the rat race of getting everything done in the fall. There is something new to do and a different set of challenges every day. Tell us about your former dairy farming career. My parents, Gene and Janis, started a Grade A dairy operation in the mid 1950s. They began in a 30-cow stanchion barn and built a 72-cow tiestall barn in 1980. In 1991, we added a 70-cow freestall barn. We built a 400-cow freestall and parlor facility in 1994. I exited the business in 2012 and leased out our dairy facilities. Lynn Boadwine purchased our dairy facilities in 2017 and expanded them to 1,100 head. What was the toughest part about fall harvesting during your time as a farmer? There was never enough time to get everything done. We milked in the morning, and in the afternoon we had to try to get the harvesting done in between. It seemed like the combine would always break down way out in the farthest corner of our farm. What is one piece of harvest equipment available now that you would have liked to have when you farmed? The self-propelled silage chopper that takes 12 rows is really nice. Back in the day, we had a 2-row pull-type chopper and had to drag wagons behind it. The wagons unloaded slow, and we always had to worry about breaking their apron chains. We lled our upright silos, a process that took up a good deal of time. These days everything is hauled by trucks and dumped into a concrete bunker. Tell us about the most memorable fall harvest you have been a part of. This fall is by far the most memorable. We are constantly pulling trucks out of the elds and getting tractors stuck. I can’t think of any year that was like this. What do you do when you are not helping with fall harvest? I like to do shop projects and build things. Last winter, I built a garden shed for my wife. My wife and I like to travel and visit my sisters in Tucson, Ariz., and New York City. We also spend as much time as we can with our three daughters and our granddaughter.
Howard Nelson Hinckley, Minn. Pine County Who do you help with fall harvest? I help my son Nathan with the harvesting. He has taken over the farm from me and is the third generation. I help because I am needed and am physically able to do so. I continue to have interest in the farm and want to be supportive of my son’s operation. I also enjoy the harvest time, except for the intensity of it. What do you enjoy most about helping with the fall harvest? Being out in the elds and seeing the beauty of God’s creation around me, as well as the satisfaction of the culmination of another crop year in which time, energy and nances have been invested. Tell us about your former dairy farming career. In the fall of 1970, after I completed my military assignment, my wife, Diane, and I, along with our infant son, took over the farm my dad had homesteaded in the 1930s. The dairy herd was well established. My dad already had his herd enrolled in the DHIA testing program, and I continued on with that. In 1973, I built a tiestall dairy barn with the labor saving equipment of a milking pipeline and a barn cleaner. Eventually, a manure pump was added. The barn was built with a capacity for 52 cows. Our family grew to ve children. In addition to dairy, the early years of farming include a hog operation, which was replaced by a herd of beef cattle. What was the toughest part of fall harvesting during your years as a dairy farmer? The intensity of it. I was milking two times a day, and most of our calving took place in the fall so that demanded a lot of time and attention. I was disciplined to keep my milking schedule regular and could not handle late night milkings. Finding time mid-day to get in a few hours of harvesting was intense. There was always the weather to deal with, knowing the deadline was imminent. The demands of fall harvesting also impacted life beyond the farm such as children’s activities and community life. What is one piece of equipment available now that you would have liked to have when you farmed? I remember cutting hay with a sickle mower and then having to use a conditioner on it. It was a slow and tedious process. The haybine was a big improvement, but the discbine has been a major improvement because it can work more efciently on a variety of crop conditions. What is your most memorable fall harvest? The Halloween blizzard of 1991. Most of my corn was harvested, only 1-2 acres left to be picked. The
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Stan Diers Waverly, Minn. Wright County Who do you help with fall harvest? I help at the farm spring, summer and fall. My daughter and son-in-law own the farm. I like to help out because I am a farmer still at heart. Tell us about a typical day while harvesting. In the fall, the biggest harvest is corn silage. I haul wagons and sometimes pack bunkers. Tell us about your former dairy farming career. My wife and I operated a registered Holstein herd with help from the kids. What was the toughest part about fall harvesting during your time as a farmer? The toughest part about fall harvesting is rain and mud, just like this year. What is one piece of harvest equipment available now that you would have liked to have when you farmed? The piece of equipment the farm has now is a self-propelled corn chopper. It cut chopping time down by four days, and we are chopping more corn than we did. Tell us about the most memorable fall harvest you have been a part of. The most memorable fall harvests are those when we had all the work done before freeze up. What do you do when you are not helping with fall harvest? My wife and I spend two months in Florida. We are involved in church activities and attend as many grandchildren events as we can. We also like to travel and visit friends we have met through our travels. morning chores were done, and the forecast was for 6-8 inches of snow. I headed out to nish picking, and the snow started to come, forcing me to quit before very long. In the morning, I walked out to the barn in drifts up to my hips. I did not have a 4-wheel drive tractor. I had not yet weaned the calves from my beef herd, and the dairy and beef cattle were together for a short time. My wife told our three youngest sons – 12, 10 and 9 – that there was no school that day because of the snow storm. All three pairs of feet hit the oor immediately. As for the fall harvest, the rest of the corn had to wait until the spring of 1992. When you are not helping with the fall harvest, what are you doing? I take care of my huge garden and lawn. But most importantly, I get to spend more time with my children and grandchildren, and be of help to others around me. I am also active in my church.
Henry Thomforde Goodhue, Minn. Goodhue County Who do you help with fall harvest? I help the Buck and Huneke families. I do it because I have time, and I enjoy it. I sell hay to the Hunekes and raise young bull calves from the Bucks. Tell us about a typical day while harvesting. A full day of harvesting usually starts at 6:30 a.m. and goes until about 10 p.m. I mostly haul corn silage in a tractor with a wagon, but once in a while I help pack if I need to. I also help move equipment when they are emptying pits and lagoons. What do you enjoy most about helping with fall harvest? I like listening to the guys talk on the two-way radio. They like to crack jokes. I bust out laughing. It is serious work, but we still have fun doing it. Tell us about your former dairy farming career. My wife, Kathy, and I milked about 40 cows. We started in 1978 and sold the herd in 2012. We have 240 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa we still run. And, we raise between 75-100 steers from young calves on milk up until nishing. I liked the variety of the dairy and the eldwork. Milking morning and night was my calm, quiet time to relax. What was the toughest part about fall harvesting during your time as a farmer? Dealing with the wet ground and having to pull equipment through them or go around it. On years like this, those wet spots really show up. What is one piece of harvest equipment available now that you would have liked to have when you farmed? No question it would be the self-propelled chopper. They blow my mind. They can get 8 acres done in 1.5 hours. I could use a pull chopper and get 8 acres done in about seven hours. I would have been able to harvest so much faster. Tell us about the most memorable fall harvest you have been a part of. This year has been memorable with as wet as it has been. I have not gotten stuck in any tractors or equipment, but there has been lots of mud on the road and huge ruts in the eld. We have also had to run a lot of half loads to make it out of the elds. What do you do when you are not helping with fall harvest? We keep busy with helping other dairy farmers, our own crops and the steers. But, we also enjoy going to our 10 grandkids’ events. About twice a year, we also like to visit our youngest daughter who lives in Dallas, Texas.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019 • Page 17
Fuller’s Milker Center, Inc.
TO ALL THE YOUTH THAT PARTICIPATED IN SHOWING THEIR ANIMALS AT THE Q Grant Q Iowa Q Vernon Q Belmont Q Lafayette School
Ashley Denman September 14 at 8:26 PM
And that’s a wrap. Last Fair of the season and Max’s first time showing his own pig. He & Spot did awesome! A big thank you to (Mike Thousan) Fuller’s Milker Center for being the contending bidder & Schubert Farms (Angela Volenec Schubert) for purchasing our silly gilt.
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Brian Leix is with Morgan Leix September 3 at 10:34 AM
Huge thank you to Fuller’s Milker Center (Mike Thousan) for purchasing Baylee’s Barrow at the Iowa county fair and thank you to any other contending bidders. Also thanks to Jacob Yelinek for all his help along the way!
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019
Repro Leaders
Increasing VWP to 70 days boosts Krienkes’ average pregnancy rate to 36% Kraig and Rachelle Krienke Lester Prairie, Minn. McLeod County Number of cows: 465 milking What was your average pregnancy rate last year? Our 12-month pregnancy rate is 36%. What is your voluntary waiting period for cows? For heifers? For cows, our VWP is 70 DIM, non-negotiable. Previously, we waited until 60
DIM, but bumped it up to 70 which matches better with the heat cycle on our farm. Our current VWP for heifers is 425 days old. In 2018, we had been breeding heifers starting at 380 days of age, but were unhappy with both milk starts and milk peaks, as well as how much growing they still had to do at calving. With the increase to 425 days we are pleased with the increased performance of Turn to KRIENKES | Page 20
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Herdsperson Israel Reyes (leŌ), and Kraig and Rachelle Krienke maintain an average pregnancy rate of 36% on their dairy farm in McLeod County near Lester Prairie. The dairy’s reproducƟon improved when they began using a 70-day voluntary waiƟng period for their milking cows to beƩer match the herd’s heat cycle. JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Cows wear BoumaƟc RealTime AcƟvity collars to monitor heats.
Farmer’s Co-op Creamery has much to be thankful for during this Harvest Season!
HAY & STRAW BALES •WOOD SHAVINGS • WOOD PELLETS
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PLEASE BE SAFE During the Fall Harvest Season
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MEETING YOUR ANIMAL FEED NEEDS & MORE! FORES T ON, MN • 320-294-57 11 • M-F 8-5PM • S AT 8-NOON WWW.FORES TONCREAMERY.COM
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019 • Page 19
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Photo Rusty Herr
Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019
ConƟnued from KRIENKES | Page 18
the heifers when they join the milking herd.
What is your rst service conception rate? All rst service cows are bred to a double ovsynch protocol and their conception rate is 56%. What is your reproduction program? Do you use a synchronization program? All cows are enrolled in the double ovsynch through DC305 on Mondays. Enrolling on a Monday allows for all synch shots to be given on weekdays and all the double ovsynch timed A.I. breedings to fall on Thursday. During the last week of the program we administer an extra shot of lutalyse two days prior to
breeding. One week prior to herd check any cow eligible for a 30-day pregnancy check the following week receives a GnRH shot. Open cows at herd check that have a CL continue the resynch program. Open cows that do not have a CL are enrolled in the CIDR synch. Open heifers are given a lutalyse shot on Mondays in conjunction with an Estrotect patch. Five days a week cows are bred by Select Sires technicians Mark Bates or Kourtney Meister; the remaining two days they are bred by our neighbor, Joel Fasching, who is a retired A.I. technician. How do you observe for heat? A combination of Boumatic’s RealTime Activity
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Rachelle Krienke explains the farm’s walk list of eligible cows to breed Oct. 21 at the dairy near Lester Prairie, Minn. Pens are walked every day.
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Herdsperson Israel Reyes paints the tailhead of a cow Oct. 21 at the Krienkes’ dairy farm near Lester Prairie, Minn. The dairy paints tails every Monday and rotates colors each week to help detect heats. monitoring and tail spraying are our methods of heat detection. Cows and heifers that are in the 19 to 25 day range since last breeding are tail sprayed each Monday using rotating colors each week. After a cow or heifer has been bred twice in a row, we stop watching for visual heat and let her go to herd check. Additionally, RealTime generates a list each day with cows and heifers that show an abnormal amount of activity and we cross-reference that with visual heat signs and the tail spray. Using a walk list we
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generate every week containing eligible cows, the pens are walked every day to observe the tail spray and any coinciding activity monitoring alerts. How do you conrm pregnant or open cows? Every two weeks we have herd check with Dr. Andrew Wilke from the LPVC. He ultrasounds all eligible cows for both 30 and 60 day pregnancy checks. One advantage with ultrasound use is the ability to diagnose twins in a cow, which gives us the opportunity to provide that
cow with a slightly longer dry period and additional time in the maternity pen. For dry off pregnancy checks our herdsman, Israel, performs a palpation check. Previously, we had utilized DHIA’s milk test for this conrmation. What is your breeding philosophy? How do you select bulls? What traits do you focus on? Does fertility play a role in bull selection? We rely heavily on the expertise Turn to KRIENKES | Page 22
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Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019 • Page 21
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See our complete inventory with pictures and descriptions at at:
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Visit one of our 17 locations in Central Minnesota!
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JD S690, 2014, 1744 hrs., 1303 sep hrs., #145222
189,500
109,500
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$
$
2 JD 320E, ‘16, Cab w/AC, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, JS, Ride Ctrl, 2 Spd, Aux Hyd., 84” Bkt, Reversing Fan, 290 hrs., #153678 ..........................................................................$40,900 10 JD 320E, ‘14, Cab w AC, Foot Ctrls, 2 Spd., Aux Hyd., 72” Bkt., 850 hrs., #152334 .............................................$32,900 10 JD 325, ‘09, ROPS, Cab w/o AC, Cab Enclosure, Foot Ctrls, Hi-Flo, 2 Spd, Less Bucket, 6,795 hrs., #161494 ...............$16,500 10 JD 328D, ‘10, Cab w/AC, Foot Ctrls, Air Ride Seat, 2 Spd., Aux Hyd., 84” Bkt., 1226 hrs., #158311 ................$30,800 10 JD 320E, ‘16, Cab w/AC, Hand Ctrls, 2 Spd, Aux Hyd., 84” Bkt, Reversing Fan, 2516 hrs., #156901 .....................$27,500 10 JD 316GR, ‘16, Cab w/AC, Foot Ctrls, 2 Spd, Self-Leveling, Aux Hyd., 66” Bkt, 186 hrs., #156291...............................$33,000 17 JD 318E, ‘15, Cab w/AC, Foot Ctrls, Air Ride Seat, 2 Spd, 72” Bkt, Reversing Fan, 219 hrs., #148061 .......................$33,900 7 JD 332E, ‘15, Cab w/AC, EH Ctrls, JS, 2 Spd, Self-Leveling, Aux Hyd., 84” Bkt, Reversing Fan, 4620 hrs., #161694 .....$19,900 7 Mustang 2109, ‘08, Cab w/AC, Foot Ctls, 2 Spd, Aux Hyd., 2032 hrs., #161336 .........................................................$27,900 7 JD 324G, ‘18, Cab w/AC, 2 Spd, Aux Hydraulics, 78” Bkt, Reversing Fan, 81 hrs., #158283 .....................................$48,900 6 JD 320D, ‘12, Cab w/AC, Foot Ctrls, 2 Spd, Self-Leveling, Aux Hyd, 72” Bkt, Reversing Fan, 3420 hrs., #162650 .....$20,900 6 JD 326D, ‘12, Cab w/AC, Foot Ctrls, 2 Spd, Aux Hyd., Reversing Fan, 2700 hrs., #157643 ..................................$27,500 6 JD 250, ‘02, Cab w/o AC, Cab Enclosure, Foot Ctrls, 72” Bkt., 545 hrs., #157647 .............................................$13,500 1 JD 320E, ‘16, Cab w/AC, EH Ctrls, EH Ctrls, JS, 2 Spd, Aux Hyd., 76” Bkt., 645 hrs., #151636..............................$38,900 12 JD 326E, ‘16, Cab w/AC, EH Ctrls, Air Ride Seat, 2 Spd, Self-Leveling, 84” Bkt, Reversing Fan, 432 hrs., #126370 $45,900 15 JD 320E, ‘17, Cab w/AC, EH Ctls, JS, 2 Spd, Aux Hyd., Less Bucket, 2883 hrs., #158327......................................$28,900 15 JD 320E, ‘17, Cab w/AC, EH Ctrls, JS, 2 Spd, Aux Hyd., 2660 hrs., #159774 .........................................................$29,900 9 JD 320D, ‘13, Cab w/AC, Foot Ctrls, 2 Spd, Aux Hyd., Reversing Fan, 1426 hrs., #153614 ..................................... 22900 9 JD 324G, ‘18, Cab w/AC, Cab Enclosure, A/C, EH Ctrls, Air Ride Seat, Ride Ctrl, 2 Spd, Self-Leveling, Aux Hyd., 72” Bkt, Reversing Fan, 259 hrs., #162066 .......................$46,900 16 JD 320E, ‘17, Cab w/AC, EH Ctrls, JS, 2 Spd, Aux Hyd., Less Bkt, 2772 hrs., #148971 ...........................................$25,900 13 NH LS170, ‘01, Foot Ctls, 66” Bkt, 3335 hrs., #161834 ....$14,900 13 JD 332E, ‘14, 1001 hrs., #155014 ...................................$42,500 5 JD 332G, ‘16, Cab w/AC, Foot Ctrls, EH Ctrls, Air Ride Seat, JS, Ride Control, 2 Spd, Self-Leveling, Aux Hyd., Wts, 84” Bkt, Reversing Fan, 587 hrs., #153227 ....................................$52,900 5 JD 320E, ‘18, Cab w/AC, EH Ctls, JS, 2 Spd, Aux Hyd., 2 914 hrs., #159775 ...........................................................$28,900 5 JD 326D, ‘11, 1503 hrs., #156532 ...................................$25,500 5 JD 320D, ‘11, Cab w/AC, Foot Ctrls, Air Ride Seat, Aux Hyd, 76” Bkt, 5817 hrs., #157105..............................$15,500 8 JD 326E, ‘16, Cab w/AC, EH Ctrls, Air Ride Seat, Ride Ctrl, 2 Spd, 72” Bkt, Reversing Fan, 574 hrs., #142477 ............$40,900 14 Caterpillar 236D, ‘,17, ROPS, Cab w/AC, Cab Enclosure, EH Ctrls, Air Ride Seat, 2 Spd, 72” Bkt, 563 hrs., #161230 $33,400 14 JD 320E, ‘14, Cab w/AC, Foot Ctrls, 2 Spd, Aux Hyd., 72” Bkt, Reversing Fan, 3626 hrs., #153675 .....................$22,900
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ARTICULATED 4WD TRACTORS 1 JD 9410R, ‘14, 410 hp, 1609 hrs, #146677 ................$184,900 6 JD 9570R, ‘17, 570 hp, 905 hrs., #150670 .................$299,500 CORN AND ROW CROP HEADERS 7 JD 608C, ‘12, #143875 .................................................$41,900 3 JD 618C, ‘14, #154665 .................................................$79,500 6 JD 1291, ‘05, #152339 ................................................$15,900 COMBINE PLATFORMS 4 JD 620F, ‘12, #152753 .................................................$15,900 6 JD 625F, ‘12, #142196 .................................................$15,900 5 JD 630F, ‘04, #151382 ......................................................$8,900 17 JD 635F, ‘12, #144268 .................................................$17,900 5 JD 635F, ‘10, #142787 .................................................$15,900 COMBINES 4 JD S660, ‘16, 643 hrs., 473 sep, 143510.....................$199,500 6 JD S660, ‘14, 672 hrs., 381 sep., #142203 .................$179,500 11 JD S670, ‘,17, 776 hrs., 496 sep., #146349 .................$269,500 11 JD S670, ‘14, 1758 hrs., 1218 sep., #144313 .............$164,900 2 JD S670, ‘12, 2295 hrs., 1834 sep., #143860 .............$149,500 16 JD S680, ‘15, 1107 hrs., 859 sep., #144326 ................$204,900 16 JD S680, ‘15, 1770 hrs., 1133 sep., #144328 .............$194,900 3 JD S680, ‘13, 1337 hrs., 967 sep, #140845 ................$176,000 17 JD S680, ‘13, 1426 hrs., 1013 sep., #144322 ..............$169,500 3 JD S690, ‘14, 1744 hrs., 1303 sep., #145222 .............$189,500 4 JD 9570 STS, ‘11, 1333 hrs., 971 sep., #154420.........$109,500 7 JD 9600, ‘90, 6778 hrs., 4605 sep, #155273 ................$18,900 17 JD 9660 STS, ‘05, 3538 hrs., 2331 sep., #151601.........$49,500 17 JD 9660 STS, ‘04, 3731 hrs, 2670 sep., #150873..........$49,500 10 JD 9770 STS, ‘09, 2153 hrs., 1649 sep., #144243 ........$89,500 6 JD 9770 STS, ‘08, 2570 hrs., 1508 sep., #146342 ........$82,900 DISKS 14 JD 2625, ‘12, #144464 ................................................$25,900 14 EZEE-ON 8700, ‘10, #145714 ......................................$21,900 MOLDBOARD PLOWS 1 JD 3710, ‘06, #145343 ................................................$18,900 PULL-TYPE SPRAYERS 5 Hardi Commander 1200, ‘02, #150043 ....................$10,900 RIPPERS 14 JD 512, ‘99, #151026.....................................................$9,900 10 Krause 4850-18, ‘07, #152120 ..................................$16,900 15 Case IH 875, ‘14, #150892 ..........................................$51,900 ROW CROP TRACTORS 4 JD 6155M CAB, ‘16, 155 hp, 259 hrs., #142451 .........$109,500 14 JD 6175M, ‘17, 175 hp, 194 hrs., #142667 ................$119,500 4 JD 6175M, ‘17, 175 hp, 241 hrs., #139696 ................$109,500 3 JD 7210R, ‘15, 210 hp, 1351 hrs., #150804 ............$127,200 12 JD 7230R, ‘17, 230 hp, 262 hrs., #143269 .................$159,000 10 JD 8100, ‘96, 185 hp, 7950 hrs., #153955 ....................$39,500 15 JD 8295R, ‘15, 295 hp, 1538 hrs., #144541 ............$181,400 10 JD 8320R, ‘15, 320 hp, 1534 hrs., #143517 ...............$181,400 SHREDDERS 8 Balzer 2000, ‘14, #151862............................................$9,900 SELF-PROPELLED FORAGE HARVESTERS & HEADS 6 JD 770, ‘11, #138381 ..................................................$29,700 6 Claas JAGUAR 890, ‘02, 2749 hrs., #133756 ............$96,000 SELF-PROPELLED SPRAYERS 16 Case IH 4430, ‘13, 2655 hrs., #154198 .....................$179,500
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STEEL DEALS
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JD S680, 2015 1774 hrs., 1133 sep $ hrs., # 144328
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ROUND BALERS 4 JD 854, ‘10, Mega Wide PU, Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 pto, 5’ bales, 11,400 bales, #159849 .......................$20,900 2 JD 459, ‘13, Twine and Surface Wrap, 540 pto, 4’ bales, 9,000 Bales, #162030 ......................................................$25,500 2 Case IH RBX561, ‘02, Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 pto, 5’ bales, 9,000 bales, #160144...........................................$9,900 10 JD 375, ‘90, Twine Only, 540 pto, 5’ bales, #161836 ..........$6,200 10 JD 459 Silage Special, ‘14, Mega Wide PU, Twine and Surface Wrap, 540 pto, 4’ bales, 4,000 Bales, #161228 ....$31,500 10 JD 459, ‘16, Mega Wide PU, Twine and Surface Wrap, 540 pto, 4’ bales, 2,185 bales, #161765 ...........................$32,500 10 JD 854, ‘11, Mega Wide PU, Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 pto, 4’ bales, 8300 Bales, #160884 ..........................$29,500 10 Massey Ferguson 2846A, ‘12, 1,390 bales, #155473 ...$24,900 17 JD 567, ‘01, Mega Tooth PU, Twine Only, 540 pto, 5’ bales, 16,500 bales, #161325 ....................................................$10,900 7 NH Rollbelt 460, ‘17, Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 pto, 4’ bales, 9,300 bales, #160878 .........................$30,500 7 JD 569, ‘14, Mega Wide PU, Twine and Surface Wrap, 540 pto, 5’ bales , 5,500 bales, #160360 ..........................$38,500 7 JD 854 Silage Special, ‘16, Mega Wide PU, Surface Wrap Only, . 1000 pto, 4’ bales, 250 bales, #156233 ............................$42,900 6 JD 854 Silage Special, ‘16, Mega Wide PU, Twine and Surface Wrap, 540 pto, 4’ bales, 6000 bales, #151149 .....$31,300 1 JD 535, ‘89, Twine and Surface Wrap, 540 pto, 5’ bales, #151310 ............................................................................$8,325 12 NH BR7060, ‘09, Mega Wide PU, Twine Only, 540 pto, 4’ bales, 2,755 bales, #159902 .......................................$17,900 11 Vermeer 555XL, ‘05, Twine Only, 540 pto, 5’ bales, #160364 ............................................................................$9,900 11 Gehl 2580, ‘02, Twine Only, 540 pto, 4’ bales, #162341....$3,599 SKID STEER LOADERS 4 JD 320E, ‘17, Cab w/AC, EH Ctrls, JS, 2 Spd, 72” Bkt, 153 hrs., #144216 ...........................................................$39,500 4 JD 330G, ‘17, Cab w/AC, EH Ctrls, JS, Ride Control, 2 Spd, Self-Leveling, Aux Hyd., 84” Bkt., Reversing Fan, 761 hrs., #152399.............. $46,900 4 JD 324G, ‘18, Cab w/AC, Foot Ctrls, Air Ride Seat, 2 Spd, Self-Leveling, Aux Hyd., Beefy Baby Tires, 78” Bkt, Reversing Fan, 276 hrs., #161893 ....................................$44,500 4 JD 324G, ‘18, Cab w/AC, Cab Enclosure, A/C, EH Ctrls, Air Ride Seat, Ride Control, 2 Spd, Self-Leveling, Aux Hyd, 78” Bkt, Reversing Fan, 259 HRS., #162065 ..................................$45,900 4 NH L225, ‘14, Cab w/AC, Foot Ctrls, Air Ride Seat, 2 Spd, Aux Hyd., 72” Bkt., 1085 hrs., #161493............................$30,900 4 JD 330G, ‘18, Cab w/AC, EH Ctrls, Air Ride Seat, JS, Ride Control, 2 Spd, Self-Leveling, Aux Hydraulics, 84” Bkt, Reversing Fan, 560 hrs., #159949 ....................................$51,900 4 Bobcat S530, ‘16, Cab Enclosure, Foot Ctrls, 2 Spd, Aux Hyd., 66” Bkt, 1076 hrs., #157477.............................$26,900 4 Bobcat S510, ‘16, Cab Enclosure, Foot Ctrls, 2 Spd, Aux Hyd., 66” Bkt, 1037 hrs., #157476.............................$24,900 4 Bobcat S650, ‘13, Cab w/AC, Foot Ctrls, 2 Spd, Aux Hyd., 750 hrs., #155406............................................$37,900 2 JD 326E, ‘15, Cab w/AC, Foot Ctrls, , 2 Spd, Self-Leveling, Aux Hyd, 84” Bkt, Reversing Fan, 780 hrs., #153617 ..............$39,900 2 Case 1845, ‘82, ROPS, Hand Ctrls, 72” Bkt, 832 hrs., #162368 ............................................................................$9,400
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Over 1200 items with pictures updated daily • Go to www.mmcjd.com
(3) = STEWART (4) = ST. CLOUD
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JD 9660 STS, 2005, 3538 hrs., 2331 sep hrs., #151601
$
5845 Keats Ave. SW 78412 Co. Rd. 20
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JD 9770 STS, 2009, 2153 hrs., 1649 sep hrs., #144243
4561 Hwy. 212
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JD S670, 2012, $ 2295 hrs., 1834 sep hrs., #143860
149,500
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169,500
JD S660, 2016, $ 643 hrs., 473 sep hrs., #143510
199,500
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019
Blue Hilltop, Inc.
ConƟnued from KRIENKES | Page 20
Your Mixer, Spreader, Hay Processor Headquarters
877-394-1186
We carry:
• All Poly & Wooden Conveyors • Taper Board Feeders • All Poly Conversions for bottom unloader Priced better than steel • Shuttle Feeder Replacements • Replacement Chains
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Dana Berreau
Central Minn.
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DAIRYLAND SUPPLY 800-338-6455
Box 116, Lake Wilson, MN 56151
DeLaval OptiDuo
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
™
Open heifers are given a shot of lutalyse and an Estrotect patch on Mondays at the Krienkes’ dairy near Lester Prairie, Minn.
ROBOTIC FEED REFRESHER
of Russ Heckman, from Select Sires, to map sires focusing on producing a high net merit, productive cow that breeds back easily using sires that are at a minimum in the 80% of net merit ranking of the breed. He selects bulls that are high in conception, DPR and PL to make long lactating cows. Additionally, we are looking for a cow with a combination of milk and components.
Don’t just push feed
REMIX IT
How are cows and heifers bred? Do you have a different philosophy for breeding both? Our cows and heifers are bred using a different philosophy for each, but Shane Boettcher, of Select Sires, helps us develop a uid strategy for both that ts with the long-term goals of our dairy. The top 75% of our heifers, determined by parent average, are bred to sexed semen for the rst two services then conventional if they remain open. The bottom 25% are bred to conventional from the start. Heifers are only allotted four breedings before they go on the cull list. Approximately 60% of our cows, determined by lactation and number of breedings, are bred to conventional semen while the remaining 40% are bred to beef. Currently, we are breeding to both LimFlex and Angus. The goal is to not overproduce heifer calves but to source them from the top end of our herd to continue to improve our genetics.
Up to
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Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: IOWA Kramer Bros. Monticello, IA 319-465-5931 Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290 United-Suckow Dairy Supply West Union, IA 563-422-5355 Postville, IA 563-864-7417
WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bob’s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201 Ederer Dairy Supply Plain, WI 608-546-3713 Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Waunakee, WI 608-849-5043
Mondovi Dairy Systems Inc. Mondovi, WI 715-926-5777 West Salem, WI 608-769-2113 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470 MINNESOTA & SOUTH DAKOTA D&D Ag Supply Pennock, MN 320-599-4466
East Central Dairy Supply Mora, MN 320-679-1029 Farm Systems Melrose, MN 320-256-3276 Watertown, MN 605-886-7401 Sioux Falls, SD 800-284-0015 S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Professional Dairy Systems Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2019 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296. All facts and figures are the result of data collected on test farms and from scientific studies. Results may vary and are not guaranteed. www.delaval.com
What do you do to settle hard breeders? In order to settle a hard breeder, the rst option we try is a CIDR synch. If that is unsuccessful after two tries and her production performance warrants staying in the herd, we will use a Jersey sire. How many times do you try to breed a cow before you sell her? Every situation is unique, but as a general guideline we will breed cows up to 250 DIM. However, if we have a very high producing cow she is offered an extended period of time; usually until she starts to decrease in production. Is there anything you have done or changed that brought about a signicant improvement in your reproductive program? Over the last couple years we have made multiple changes to improve our pregnancy rate, but the most impactful was switching to the double ov-synch protocol. Previously, we had implemented a presynch into ovsynch program with cherry picking. Prior to the current protocol, our pregnancy rate was 22%. More incremental increases were achieved by bumping up the VWP to 70 days and using an A.I. warming gun to move all thawed semen up to our freestall barn year round. Tell us about your farm. Kraig and I are the coowners of our fth-generation dairy where we milk 465 Holsteins three times per day and achieve a RHA of 33,600 pounds. The cows are housed in sand freestalls in their naturally ventilated head-to-head four-row barn. With a lot of help from our sixth-generation dairy farmers, Elizabeth, Blake and Brodie, we also raise all our own youngstock, forages and most of our corn feed needs. We enjoy working side by side with our family and promoting dairy in our local community every opportunity we get. This past summer, we also enjoyed sharing our dairy story with fairgoers at the Minnesota State Fair while Elizabeth had her head carved in butter as a nalist for Princess Kay.
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019 • Page 23
Goats provide entertainment, income Eichers couple turns hobby into business with milk byproducts By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
AVON, Minn. – On any given day, Jerry Eichers is outside tending to the goat herd, while his wife, Theresa, is in the house making products from the goat milk. It is an arrangement the couple has had for many years on their dairy goat farm, Eichers Hobby Farm, in Stearns County near Avon, Minn. Jerry and Theresa are milking 22 does and use the milk to make all natural face and body creams, soaps, as well as cheese. They also sell milk and meat from the herd. “We want to get as many streams of income from these goats as we can,” Jerry said. “That’s just a good nancial plan.” The herd of Alpine, Boer, Kiko, Nubian, Toggenburg and Saanen is housed in a 30- by 70-foot pole shed and milked in a six-unit milking station. Jerry milks the herd twice a day, and then transfers the milk to the nearby milkhouse where it is strained and placed in containers. Then, whatever milk is not sold as uid milk, Theresa will process into goat cheese in the couple’s licensed cheese processing room or use in her homemade body and face creams, a wrinkle cream and lip cream, and variety of scented soaps. Creating creams and soaps from the milk was not Jerry and Theresa’s inten-
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Jerry and Theresa Eichers own Eichers Hobby Farm in Stearns County near Avon, Minn. The couple milks 22 does and uses the milk to make all natural face and body creams, soaps and cheese. tions when they rst purchased goats but came out of necessity when their milk volume exceeded what they could consume. “When we rst started, we milked the goats by hand and had so much milk,” Theresa said. “That’s when I started messing around with cheeses and creams.” The couple became dairy goat farmers in December 2011. Both Jerry and Theresa grew up in the agriculture industry, and Theresa was looking to return to those familiar roots.
“I begged Jerry for a goat,” Theresa said. “I saw a kid on Craigslist that looked like the same goat I had growing up.” While Jerry and Theresa did not purchase the young kid, they did come home with one milking doe and one due to kid. Not long after, their herd grew to 150 does and kids. All the while Jerry was operating a concrete business, and Theresa owned a salon. In realizing the herd was too large, they downsized to a more manageable
size of 61 total – a number they maintain today. “We didn’t need them all,” Jerry said. “We only kept as many as we needed for the demand of milk and other products.” For three years, the couple balanced their full-time careers while also establishing their hobby farm. They would wake early to milk the herd and then take turns leaving their jobs in the late afternoons to milk the herd at night.
Turn to EICHERSES | Page 25
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Theresa brought sample products to her salon clients and used their feedback to develop her product line. Then, in 2014, Theresa sold her business and gave full attention to the farm. “We knew we needed to purchase the pasteurizer for our milk, but it was too big of investment with both of us working full time. We knew we could only do one at a time,” said Jerry, who then joined Theresa at the farm full time in 2017. Both Jerry and Theresa have enjoyed establishing their goat herd and goat milk product line. Currently, the couple offers products in a variety of fragrances, including unscented, energy orange, lavender, black licorice
and peppermint, among others. Theresa travels to area craft sales to promote the farm business and has also worked with local storefronts to showcase the products. “It’s so cool to see what our products can do for people,” said Theresa, noting the health benets of goat milk. However, the greatest challenge Jerry and Theresa face is creating a brand for their product in an existing market. “Goat milk products are already out there,” Jerry said. “We’ve had to work really hard to create trust and support from people for our business.” Theresa agreed. “God has aligned everything perfectly,” she said. “It’s
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019 • Page 25
all falling into place. We know his mighty hand is working hard for us.” Jerry and Theresa put a large emphasis on transparency; how they raise their animals and how the products are made. The herd is fed a ration of oat, barley, pea and hay, and supplemented with vitamins and minerals. Jerry harvests the crops off the couple’s land near Bertha, Minn.; about an hour northwest of the farm. “We know this diet is better for the consumer,” Jerry said. The couple’s goats also only kid in the springtime. “Right now, I have a little exibility for milking times, but in March it has to be like clockwork,” said Jerry, who milks at 6
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Theresa Eichers pulls a bar of soap out of a mold in her home Oct. 17 near Avon, Minn.
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
A doe waits to be milked at Jerry and Theresa Eichers’s farm near Avon, Minn. The goats are milked twice daily.
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in the morning and night. During kidding season, the couple could welcome as many as 13 kids in a day or easily 50 in a week. Jerry and Theresa have found a niche market for their farming style, although they admit it is not a way for everyone to manage a farm. “We still have to feed the global population, and if everyone farmed like we do it couldn’t
be done,” Jerry said. “We can do it this way because we market to a certain type of people.” Since starting their second careers in the agriculture industry nine years ago, Jerry and Theresa have found purpose and reward as dairy farmers. “We never really planned for this, but now we’re not going to retire,” Theresa said. “We’re going to do this as long as God [wills us].”
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019
USDA continues signup for Market Facilitation Program
Signup is ongoing for the Market Facilitation Program, a United States Department of Agriculture program to assist farmers who continue to suffer from damages because of unjustied trade retaliation from foreign nations. Through MFP, USDA will provide up to $14.5 billion in direct payments to impacted producers, part of a FSA News & Notes broader trade relief package announced in late July. The sign-up period runs through Dec. 6. MFP payments will be made to producers of certain non-specialty and specialty crops as well as dairy and hog producers. MFP payments will be made to producers of alfalfa hay, barley, canola, corn, crambe, dried bean, By Ryan Brunn dry pea, extra-long staple Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. cotton, axseed, lentil, long grain and medium grain rice, millet, mustard seed, oat, peanut, rapeseed, rye, safower, sesame seed, small and large chickpea, sorghum, soybean, sunower seed, temperate japonica rice, triticale, upland cotton and wheat. MFP assistance for 2019 crops is based on a single county payment rate multiplied by a farm’s total plantings to the MFP-eligible crops in aggregate in 2019. Those per acre payments are not dependent on which of those crops are planted in 2019. A producer’s total payment-eligible plantings cannot exceed total 2018 plantings. Dairy producers who were in business as of June 1 will receive a per hundredweight payment on production history, and hog producers will receive a payment based on the number of live hogs owned on a day selected by the producer between April 1 and May 15. MFP payments will also be made to producers of almond, cranberry, cultivated ginseng, fresh grape, fresh sweet cherry, hazelnut, macadamia nut, pecan, pistachio and walnut. Each specialty crop will receive a payment based on 2019 acres of fruit or nut bearing plants, or in the case of ginseng, based on harvested acres in 2019. Payments will be made in up to three tranches with the second and third tranches evaluated as market conditions and trade opportunities dictate. If conditions warrant, the second and third tranches will be made in November and early January. MFP payments are limited to a combined $250,000 for non-specialty crops per person or legal entity. MFP payments are also limited to a combined $250,000 for dairy and hog producers and a combined $250,000 for specialty crop producers. However, no applicant can receive more than $500,000. Eligible applicants must also have an average adjusted gross income (AGI) for tax years 2015, 2016 and 2017 of less than $900,000; or 75% of the person’s or legal entity’s average AGI for those tax years must have been derived from farming and ranching. Applicants must also comply with the provisions of the Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation regulations. More information can be found on http://www. farmers.gov/mfp, including payment information and a program application. Farm Service Agency is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Visit the Farm Service Agency Web site at: www.fsa.usda.gov/ for necessary application forms and updates on USDA programs.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019 • Page 27
Building momentum to carry checkoff into the next decade As the new CEO of Midwest Dairy, I am humbled and honored to guide the work of checkoff to build demand for dairy, increase consumer conďƒždence and grow dairy sales. While I am new to the role, I am not new to the dairy industry. I have worked as a registered dietitian on behalf of dairy farmers for more than 35 years, most recently leading the strategy work at Midwest Dairy. I understand the valuable role promotion plays in ensuring success for the dairy industry, and my By Molly Pelzer commitment to maximizing Midwest Dairy this value remains steadfast. CEO In my position, I will build on the momentum Midwest Dairy has generated through its vision and mission to bring dairy to life and give consumers an excellent experience. Our staff has made signiďƒžcant gains in working with and through partners – including retailers, health professionals and school districts – to connect with consumers and move them along the continuum from dairy skeptic to dairy lover. To ensure relevance with today’s consumers, it is essential for us to stay nimble and ďƒžne-tune our messaging and approach. Our ongoing consumer trends research allows us to survey key characteristics among targeted populations, including an inďƒ&#x;uential group we have identiďƒžed as conďƒ&#x;icted health seekers. This group believes moderation is key to a healthy lifestyle. They make informed decisions which are guided by social conscience, and they are likely to announce their product and company loyalty to their peers. A recent study presented by International Food Information Council indicates two-thirds of consumers believe there is room for plant and animal-based foods in a healthy, sustainable diet.
featured in Discover Dairy from two to six. We have also increased classroom enrollment by more than 33%, reaching more than 81,000 students across the Midwest. To maintain an upward trend, we are heightening our marketing efforts to encourage even greater classroom participation. We will also build on our partnerships with retailers, including grocery stores, convenience stores and gas stations. In the past two years, through our dairy aisle reinvention programs, we have helped chains improve product selection and aisle appearance to ensure consumers have a more enjoyable shopping experience. One retailer noticed an increase of six percentage points in total milk units as a result. By helping retailers implement these programs, Midwest Dairy has earned credibility as a value-added partner. In 2020, Midwest Dairy will boost collaboration with retailers by weaving in social media and marketing
to drive demand even higher. Last, but not least, Midwest Dairy will continue to serve as a resource for dairy farmers, a group who has been proven a highly-trusted source of information for consumers and who possess the most authentic voice to tell dairy’s story. Through our ENGAGE trainings, dairy farmers, princesses and ambassadors gain values-based communication skills which help them establish an even stronger standing with consumers. In 2019, we have led 11 trainings, reaching more than 150 dairy advocates. Our goal in 2020 is to host at least 15 sessions, with intentional scheduling around other industry events to make it easier for farmers to participate. In the months ahead, I look forward to sharing more about Midwest Dairy’s ability to further our vision and mission. To learn more about the return on dairy farmers’ investment, see “Checkoff Successes� on http://www.midwestdairy.com.
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O work Our k to reach h students d in schools, where many food habits and beliefs are formed, remains a priority. This reinforces the signiďƒžcance in our work to reach conďƒ&#x;icted health seekers and secure their beliefs in dairy as a nutritious, responsibly produced food source. Midwest Dairy’s team of registered dietitians is dedicated to communicating the science which supports dairy as a sustainable source of nutrition. They are convening groups of food and wellness thought leaders to enhance the dialogue around dairy’s role in a sustainable food system. Our work to reach students in schools, where many food habits and beliefs are formed, remains a priority. In addition to our focus on keeping dairy front and center on the school menu, we work in the classroom. Through engagement with Discover Dairy and its Adopt a Cow program, classrooms virtually connect with dairy farm families and care for cows throughout the school year. The curriculum facilitates learning about dairy farming and nutrition and spotlights dairy farmers’ commitment to animal care. Compared to last year, Midwest Dairy has increased the number of Midwest dairy farms
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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019 Joe Armstrong armst225@umn.edu 612.624.3610 Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130 Hugh Chester-Jones chest001@umn.edu 507-835-3622 Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391 Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177 Joleen Hadrich jhadrich@umn.edu 612-626-5620 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711 Nathan Hulinsky huli0013@umn.edu 320-203-6104 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu 612-625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435 Kota Minegishi kota@umn.edu 612-624-7455 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093 Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205 M. Scott Wells mswells@umn.edu 612-625-3747 Emily Wilmes krek0033@umn.edu 320-255-6169
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Investment in polled genetics I am not a fan of keeping horns on dairy cattle. Previously, I worked with a dairy farm that chose to keep their herd intact. Granted, this did avoid the need to disbud or dehorn the calves and the resulting stress on the calves, but when that farm had issues with availability of feed, the cows were eager to weaponize their horns to better compete at the bunk. This resulted in cows with brutal injuries. On the other hand, disbudding and dehorning are not pleasant activities either. I fondly recall many dairy related activities on the home farm; dehorning was not one of them. Dehorning was a dreaded activity on the By Mike Schutz farm for people and calves alike. University of MN Around 1900, there was great and loud debate around the industry about the practice of dehorning, how it disgured the natural appearance of cattle and was barbaric. Fortunately, long term human and cow safety won the day. More recently, awareness of animal welfare has led to concerns about even the temporary pain of disbudding or dehorning. I am proud the dairy industry has started to tackle this issue with growing usage of anesthetics and analgesics for dehorning and disbudding. I am also eager to see what the future will bring with regard to selection for hornless dairy cows using polled genetics. The concept of polled genetics is not new, of course. Some breeds, especially beef breeds, have a very high prevalence of polled phenotypes. Given that the polled allele is dominant to horned, it is clearly possible to make rapid genetic progress through selection, if selecting directly for the polled gene. It is also very difcult to entirely eliminate the horned allele from the population, and matings of a carrier cow and carrier bull will still result in 25% of calves with horns. Nevertheless, with genomic testing, bulls can now easily be identied as homozygous for polled, and heterozygous or homozygous for horned. So selection of A.I. bulls with polled genetics is easy except for one problem. Polled genetics lags in total economic merit compared to the elite bulls readily available. As of March 2018, A.I. bulls in the top 50% of Holsteins had average Predicted Transmitting Ability for Net Merit (NM$) of 794, 717 and 620 for bulls with horned, heterozygous and homozygous polled genotypes, respectively. Average NM$ for Jersey bulls were 595, 540 and 390, respectively. At one time, it was speculated that there may be genes linked to the polled allele that inhibit other economic traits, but that largely has been disproven. As with the recessive red coat color gene, there are simply too few animals of the desired phenotypes to identify the truly elite
and rapidly advancing genetics of the Holstein or Jersey breed as a whole. Use of gene-editing technology is poised to create polled alleles in otherwise elite genetically horned bulls or cows which could accelerate the increase of the polled gene in the population. Time will tell whether consumers will accept that use of minor genetic modication. Recently, along with lead author Nathan Thompson and colleagues at Purdue University, Michigan State University and the United States Department of Agriculture, we tried to determine the premium that producers could pay for polled semen. We considered disbudding with caustic paste (with or without pain relief), hot iron dehorning (with or without anesthetics and pain relief) and selection for homozygous polled and heterozygous genomic tested bulls. For the disbudding and dehorning methods, we considered costs of materials, pain relief, labor and treatment costs for a small percentage of calves requiring it. For polled genetic costs, we considered additional semen cost and for heterozygous bulls, the costs above for the expected percentage of horned calves. We found average costs of disbudding or dehorning to range from a low of $11.90 per calf for hot iron dehorning with no pain relief to a high of $13.04 per calf for disbudding with caustic paste with an NSAID for pain relief. When considering the premium one can pay for semen with polled genetics, one must convert the per calf costs to value per dose of semen. Simply multiplying by herd conception rate gives an approximation. So, a herd using hot iron dehorning with pain relief ($13.20 per calf) with a conception rate of 40% could afford to pay a premium of $5.28 per dose of homozygous polled bulls or $2.64 per dose for heterozygous polled bulls. What is the bottom line? First, our work showed it will be difcult to make selection progress based only upon the costs of horn removal. For instance, if the semen value of a bull’s genotype was added to its value for NM$, this contribution would be swamped by all of the other traits included in the calculation and undervalue the true value of genetic selection for the polled gene. Note that index selection is also unlikely to work because of the low frequency of the polled allele, but that is a discussion for another time. Second, out of pocket costs of horn removal may pale in comparison to outside pressures in determining the real value of polled calves. In our work, we had no way to estimate costs of dissatisfaction with the dehorning task, consumer perceptions, market expectations or social license. But if tomorrow a large national co-op or the FARM program recommended elimination, reduction or more precautions in dehorning or disbudding, the relative economic advantage of polled over conventional genetics may increase sharply.
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Pair housing of dairy calves: advantages, pit-falls, best practices By Whitney Knauer University of MN
Dairy calf housing that allows socialization during the pre-weaning period has benets for the calf in terms of performance, animal welfare and consumer perception. Though the majority of calves in the United States and Canada are still housed individually, housing calves in group or pairs is becoming increasingly popular. This article describes advantages of pair housing, a group of two calves, over individual housing for calf performance and welfare, current best practices for implementation and what we still need to learn about this management practice. There are several reasons why making a change from individual housing to pair housing is a natural management transition to integrate social housing into a calf program. First, there is little need for high capital investment in new infrastructure (i.e., new barn, autofeeders) when pairing calves. Whether your calves are currently housed in hutches or in a barn, both systems can be adapted to facilitate pair housing for relatively little cost. In addition, there is little need for major changes in calf feeding management. Milk and starter delivery practices can remain relatively unchanged. Finally, the health and weaning challenges that can be present in large calf group feeding situations can be mitigated by reducing the group size to two. Many of the pre-weaning advantages of pair housing translate to an easier transition at weaning. Pair housed calves eat more starter through the pre-weaning period, especially around the time of weaning. This leads to a heavier calf that is aggressively eating starter which is essential for maintaining health and growth through the weaning phase. Pairing produces a more socially adapted calf that is better set up to withstand the social stresses of weaning. Individually housed calves spend a lot of time investigating, socializing and learning how to be a herd animal when they are grouped at weaning. Pair calves have already learned these social skills, meaning they are calmer and rest more in the days after moving to the weaned calf pen. Researchers in Canada have also showed that pair calves learn more easily than calves housed individually. We ask our dairy cows to learn many things throughout their lifetime; how to use a headlock, how to go through a chute, how to enter the milking parlor. Having behavioral exibility can potentially translate to a
better adapted heifer and milking cow. There are some challenges associated with successfully housing pre-weaned calves in a pair. For example, cross sucking can be observed in any socially housed pre-weaned calf. This can lead to heifers calving in with blind teats which is undesirable. Feeding from a bottle as well as an increased milk allowance (≥ 6 liters per day) can help decrease the occurrence of cross sucking by helping the calf fulll her natural need to suckle. Separation of pair calves at feeding time, in the form of a barrier or head-lock, can also work but can increase labor needs and cost. Calves at the University of Minnesota are bucket fed, so during a study last winter we separated calves at milk feeding time, which added approximately 1.25 minutes of labor per pair per feeding. This solution is not practical for most commercial dairies. The last concern producers may have is related to calf health – one sick calf may make the other calf in the pair sick. We still need more research into health and pair housing on commercial dairies before we can address this concern. Though several research groups are actively investigating solutions to common management pitfalls to pair housing, some best management practices have been dened. First, pair at birth or shortly thereafter and keep the age range to no more than 7 days between calves in a pair. This helps reduce size differences between calves, helping to reduce potential bullying of a large, older calf on a smaller, younger one. Second, feed from a bottle to help decrease the potential for cross sucking. Third, double the amount of space typically given for one calf (≥ 32 square feet per calf). For example, if one calf typically has one hutch and one outdoor run, two calves should receive two hutches and the equivalent of two outdoor runs. Of course, all of the other principles of calf rearing apply; timely colostrum administration, sufcient and dry bedding, adequate ventilation, timely disease detection and treatment. Socially housing calves has real advantages for the calf and for consumer perception of dairy management practices. Though there is still much to be learned about successful implementation on both a small and large scale, pair housing is a logical transition from individual housing of calves during the milk fed period. If you are interested in taking the leap, work with your veterinarian and Extension specialists to help facilitate success for your calf program.
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019 • Page 29
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A modied hutch pair setup is at the University of Minnesota-Twin CiƟes at the campus dairy in St. Paul, Minn. Calves are fed milk and starter from the side of the hutch.
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Homemade Halloween Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019
That spooky time of the year is upon us once again. That season when scary apparitions appear from nowhere and frighten the bejeebers out of the populace by leaping out and shouting such things as “Boo!” or “Trick or treat!” But enough about politicians and the next election. A very important holiday is also just around the corner, that excellent national celebration known as Halloween. Halloween is most juvenile boys’ favorite holiday. This is not just because metric tons of candy are involved, but also because Halloween is a holiday that tolerates and, yes, even encourages prankish behavior. In other words, for one glorious day of the year boys are totally free to be boys. Halloween is also cool because it entails disguises. Back when I was a stripling, participating in a Halloween party and wearing a Halloween
costume were required by our school. In my opinion, Halloween was way better than most other schoolmandated activities such as arithmetic or phonics. The nal day of October was highly anticipated by everybody in my grade school. Costume ideas were discussed at great length, at least amongst the town kids. We farm kids mostly listened at the fringes, trying to conceal our secret jealousy of the town kids. This was due to the fact that the majority of us country kids were poor, although we did not realize it at the time. This meant that most of us had to make do with homemade Halloween costumes. A common tactic for us farm boys was to don some of our fathers’ old work clothes – blue denim bib overalls were a recurrent theme – stuff the voids and the cuffs with straw and go as a scarecrow. Although nowadays, this character might be described as an Avian Affright Administrator.
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A common strategy for the farm girls was to don some of their mothers’ old clothes, apply enough makeup to supply a clown college, pile on mass quantities of cheap yet gaudy jewelry and go as a gypsy fortune teller. Although nowadays, this character would probably Dear County Agent Guy be described as a Peripatetic Providence Prognosticator. This stood in stark contrast to the town kids. We country kids theorized that the town kids whined and sniveled and begged until their parents purchased extravagant, commercially made By Jerry Nelson Halloween costumes for Columnist them. These storebought costumes came with plastic masks that had two microscopic holes that were supposed to allow the wearer to see and two pinholes that supposedly enabled the wearer to breathe. Not that any of this was a safety concern. The imsy rubber band that held the masks in place usually broke during its rst use. When the Big Day nally came, the town kids arrived at school toting department store sacks which held still-in-the-box store-bought Halloween costumes. We farm kids, on the other hand, clutched large, wrinkled brown grocery bags that smelled faintly of mothballs and sweat and cow manure and straw. When the time for the Halloween party nally arrived (the last hour of the school day), the teacher gave the word and my classmates and I became a blur of activity as we hustled into our costumes. Once we were thus attired, a strange stillness, like the quiet before a storm, fell over the classroom. It was a struggle to comprehend the sudden transformation that had just taken place. The town kids looked silly, dressed as they were as Superman or Batman or some other cartoonish character. We farm boys looked just as silly, appearing to be miniature, straw-stuffed versions of our dads. But we quickly forgot all about whether a costume came from a store or from a closet as we embraced the spirit of Halloween. The teacher soon had us playing games, and the classroom became a tableau of mass bedlam. Such behavior would have never been tolerated any other day of the year. The teacher would conjure up a supply of soda pop and candy, fueling our already high-spirited mood with a massive blast of rened sugar. We giggled and ran about, pinging off the walls like the silver ball in a pinball machine. It was wonderful. My pals and I agreed that Halloween was the best thing to have happened during the entire school year. When we returned to our homes that afternoon, we were primed and ready for a night of trick-or-treating. By the time Halloween evening was over, our blood sugars would attain levels commonly associated with maple syrup. And in the end, the town kids and the farm kids had all but forgotten about the origins of our respective costumes. But not entirely. Because some of us tended to leave ghostly trails of straw. Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, S.D. He and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry currently works full time for the Dairy Star as a staff writer/ad salesman. Feel free to E-mail him at: jerry.n@ dairystar.com.
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Days are shorter and nights are cooler. Winter is approaching. Many of you have already seen the rst snow of the season. It is time to get out your winter gear and re-establish your winter protocols. The thermal-neutral zone for a calf under 3 weeks of age is 55 to 78 degrees F. Within this range, the calf does not have to expend extra Something to Ruminate On energy to maintain body temperature. With lower temperatures, the calf experiences cold stress, needs more energy to stay warm and may not grow as efciently as possible. Cold weather can be tough on calves, but simple management and feeding strategies can make winter go more smoothly. By Barry Visser Combating cold stress Nutritionist starts in the maternity area. Clean, deepbedded straw for the calf to nestle in after birth prevents loss of heat to the environment. The calf’s hair coat works as an insulator by trapping air and creating a boundary between the body and the cool ambient air. Towel-drying calves aids in ufng this hair coat. Pay special attention to drying the ears as this will reduce the risk of frost damage. Many farms have warming pens to nish the drying process and keep calves warm during the rst 12 to 24 hours of life. Keep these pens clean and sanitize them between calves if possible as the warm environment is a great place for bacteria to thrive. If using heat lamps, safely secure them to prevent res. As the calf moves out of its warming pen and into its clean, dry space, provide an adequate amount of bedding that ensures good nesting such as straw. Bedding should be deep and uffy, allowing the calf to nest and conserve energy. Bedding condition should be monitored to make sure it is kept dry. Calf jackets also limit heat loss, but calves need to be dry before they are tted with jackets. A jacket on a wet calf holds the moisture and chills the calf. Make sure jackets are clean and in good condition. It is recommended to have enough jackets to cover all calves younger than 3 weeks. This may differ depending on the housing environment. A good rule of thumb is to keep the jacket on until the calf is consuming starter regularly. Do not forget to adjust the straps as the calf grows. As the temperature decreases, the caloric demand increases, which leaves fewer calories available for growth and immune function. Strategies to elevate caloric intake during cold stress include: - Boost milk feeding volume, typically by one-third. - Feed milk more frequently (three feedings daily). - Elevate energy intake by adding 2 to 6 ounces of supplemental fat per calf per day. Each of these options comes with pros and cons to evaluate with your calf management team and nutritionist. Pick the strategy that works the best on your farm. No matter which option you choose, consistency is the key to success. Monitor milk mixing and delivery temperatures at the beginning and end of the feeding to minimize variation. Milk temperature at feeding should be around 105 degrees F. Throughout the year, encourage starter grain intake by keeping it fresh and dry. In addition to providing supplemental calories, starter grain intake has a secondary benet. Heat from microbial fermentation in the rumen will also contribute to the calf’s energy needs during cold stress. Water intake is crucial to starter grain intake regardless of the temperature. Even though feeding water can be challenging in the winter, it is extremely important. A common practice in the winter is to feed warm water shortly after milk and dump the pails before they freeze. Warm water and starter consumption are positively correlated. The more starter the calf eats, the more water it will drink. Calf performance does not need to drop as temperatures decrease. Sticking to your cold weather calf care protocols will help the next generation of your dairy herd thrive throughout the upcoming months. Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.
Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019 • Page 31
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A harvest to remember or forget Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019
This has been a harvest season many would because we needed to take a fourth cutting on an like to forget but will probably always remember. old alfalfa stand. It is such a hassle to switch out It has been a year of challenges and sometimes chopper heads and reset knives between haylage even opportunities. There have been and silage. Once we could start decisions to make and directions to Just Thinking Out Loud chopping corn silage it took us three take. One thing is for sure, there will not weeks from start to nish. Jumping be another one like it. between elds to nd enough green In the 30 plus years we have been corn stalks on higher ground made farming, there is only one year I can for a long and drawn out job. Now vividly recall, 1988, the year of the we are combining high moisture corn drought and our rst year farming and soybeans at the same time. together. This is our benchmark year At least we did not get stuck with to compare against. I would rank the chopper and boxes. The only this current year as very interesting. thing we had to drag was a dead Maybe a top ve year with the gamut tractor blocking a eld road. I shut of weather conditions we have endured off the tractor waiting for Mark to from record amounts of torrential rain, meet me with a full load. When I By Natalie Schmitt hail, straight line winds and tornadoes. tried to start the tractor, there was Columnist The only thing missing was an August nothing. No power, no sound. Mark freeze. Thank goodness that did not had to tow me with the chopper to the happen. If we can survive our worst, we can survive yard through the muddy trenches on the eld road. this one, too. Luckily it was milking time, and we had to stop. I guess we could call this a strange year. It seems The tractor was xed quickly, and we were back in like seasons have been overlapping each other. This the elds the next day. spring, many were still planting corn while trying The only thing we have had to drag out of the to take the rst crop hay between weather systems. eld so far was the combine. Bill found a very soft This fall, we held off on starting to chop corn silage spot and down it went. None of our tractors would even begin to pull him out. Thank goodness for wonderful neighbors who loaned us their big fourwheel drive tractor. That combined with one of our tractors was slowly able to work the combine free and up to rmer ground. Since we were done chopping and they did not really need my help with combining, I thought I would pop down to Illinois to visit my family. I love The Dairy Star coming home in October. The smell of drying corn, is sent only to the crunch of fallen leaves and the taste of fresh DAIRY FARMERS! apple cider remind me I am home. As I scooted south on Interstate 35 into Iowa, I was suddenly If you would like to advertise in the DAIRY STAR, engulfed in what I thought was a heavy fog. I soon call 320-352-6303 for more information. realized there were three combines taking out a large eld of soybeans, and the fog was really just a
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large dust storm. It was nally dry enough to get in the elds, and it was all hands on deck. Every truck, tractor, wagon and combine was nally moving. The weather was nally on the farmer’s side. When I got home, I soon discovered my brother was experiencing his own strange year. He didn’t start planting corn until June. Straight line winds laid down a couple of his corn elds; they recovered but had crooked stalks. Now, here it was mid-October and he was just starting to chop silage. Perfect timing for me. He was short a driver, and I was able to drive around our family elds once again. It was so much fun, but I was a little concerned. Austin warned me not to get stuck. Since it has been several decades since I have driven these elds, I was not too sure where the soft, low spots were. I scanned the lay of the land looking for dark, wet spots where previous tractors had left a trail. I tried to follow those trails through waterways as a guaranteed way of safe passage. It was so much fun kicking up a plume of dust trailing my chopper box between eld and feedlot as I ew down the limestone gravel road. I felt like a teenager again helping my dad chop silage to feed the steers. Only the equipment is a bit bigger than in the old days, but it was still the same sense of freedom and achievement to be able to help. As we push through this harvest season, let us be thankful everyone is safe and we may get to try this again. This will be a year we will not soon forget, but as time polishes the sharp edges of our memories it will only be a benchmark to soften the blow of hard years to come. Natalie, Mark and his brother Al, farm together near Rice, Minn. They milk 100 registered Holsteins under the RALMA prex. Their four children are grown up and all involved in agriculture with hopes of someone returning to the farm. For questions or comments, please e-mail Natalie at mnschmitt@ jetup.net.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019 • Page 33
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It would be a massive understatement to say that this fall has been challenging. Nothing seemed to happen when it should. We had to bring the cows in from pasture way too early. The combination of several inches of rain and 1,360 hoof steps a day churned both of our pasture-access lanes into the nest mud in the county. For probably the rst time ever, I was the one who suggested we close the pasture gates. We chopped our corn way too late. Don’t get me Dairy Good Life wrong; I am thankful we were able to chop the corn at all. And I’m more than thankful that it’s all done. But the prospect of feeding corn silage that’s several percentage points too dry makes me queasy. And those couple weeks that we should have been chopping, but weren’t chopping due to rain, felt like some of the most tense ever. All of the extra rain lled our manure lagoon right up to the top and then some. And, of course, we couldn’t empty the lagoon until the corn was chopped. The manure overowed into our cow yard, which made keeping the yard clean a monumental challenge. Every day I walked around the back side of the lagoon to see if manure was spilling over into the adjacent wildlife pond. By Sadie Frericks One afternoon while cleaning the barn, I went to start Columnist the manure pump and found the hopper full of water. ‘Oh shoot,’ I thought. ‘The doors gave out and the lagoon water is backing up into the hopper.’ Well, it wasn’t from the lagoon; the water in the hopper was just the extra that had run in through the gutters during the daylong downpour. Whenever we get a good rain, water runs in the front of our barn and lls the gutters. I nd this incredibly ironic, because, as a kid, the same thing happened in our barn. The barn was located just downhill enough for the runoff from the driveway and yard to ow into the barn. Our reference for how much rain fell was whether it was a gutter ooder or not. I still get to use that euphemism today. We really need to look into better clean water diversion systems – for both our barn and our cow yard. And now that all of the ofcial fall eldwork is done, we’re going to Cozumel for a week. Just kidding. In all honesty, we’re just going to try to catch up on all of the other tasks that got postponed – either by eldwork or mud. Conditions like the ones we experienced this fall can be seriously stressful. A couple days ago, after the lagoon was nally emptied, I felt like I nally let out the breath I had been holding. But even though I had felt tense for several weeks, I didn’t have any major meltdowns during that time. I believe there’s something that helped me manage the stress better this fall than past falls – even drier, more timely falls: better breathing. A couple months ago, my physical therapist gave me a breathing exercise to do as a warm-up before my hip and shoulder exercises. I start by inhaling slowly through my nose and lling my lungs until I can’t t any more air inside. The goal is to let the air inside my lungs push my ribs out, like an umbrella opening up. Once my lungs are full, I exhale slowly through my mouth, using the kind of breath you would use to fog up a mirror (not blowing). I exhale until my lungs are completely empty, contracting my lower abdominal muscles to push the air out. Truth be told, a lot of my physical therapy exercises are boring. But I have come to absolutely love this breathing exercise. I started out doing this exercise on the ground, in fetal position, facing down. (This position keeps my belly from extending during the inhale, which helps stretch my lower back, ribs, and shoulders more.) Now I also do a couple breaths this way when I’m sitting in the tractor, when I’m standing up waiting for a milker to nish, and when I rst lie down in bed at night. Turns out, there’s a scientic reason why I love this way of breathing. Most people – myself included – don’t completely ll and empty their lungs on a regular basis. We only use a fraction of our lung capacity. This lower capacity, faster breathing never stimulates the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve, which runs from the brain and branches out to most of the major abdominal organs, is responsible for telling our bodies to chill out and relax. (No slow, deep breathing means no vagus nerve activity means no relaxation.) When we breathe fully and exhale slowly – even for just 30 seconds or a minute – we send the signal to our bodies to slow down our heart rate and relax. This slowing down helps us feel more calm and less stressed. If you’re feeling stressed, I encourage you to give this breathing method a try. It’s free, you can do it anywhere, and it doesn’t have any side effects. I hope you nd it works as well for you as it has for me. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minn. They have three children – Dan, 11, Monika, 8, and Daphne, 5. Sadie also writes a blog at www. dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019
On-farm creamery makes cheese from eight Jersey cows
Seasonal dairy sells its products directly to consumers By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
WALWORTH, Wis. – With only eight cows in its milking string, Higheld Farm in Walworth, Wis., may be the state’s smallest dairy farm milking in the state’s smallest parlor. But size does not diminish quality or passion for Terry and Denise Woods, who have been handcrafting farmstead artisan cheeses at Higheld Farm Creamery from their herd of grass-fed Jersey cows since 2015. All milk produced goes straight into making cheese for the farm’s onsite creamery. “I always wanted a cow,” said Terry Woods, who along with his wife, Denise, began milking cows as a result of their desire to make cheese. Terry decided on Jerseys, choosing the breed for its high components and small size. The cows at Higheld Farm produce a rich, 8% butterfat milk. “You can’t make good cheese without good milk,” said Terry, who is not only a cheesemaker but also a computer engineer, scuba diving instructor and pilot. Higheld Farm Creamery makes a dozen kinds of cheeses, including a variety of cheddars, premium cheese curds, washed rinds, bloomy rinds and blue
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Denise and Terry Woods make handcraŌed farmstead arƟsan cheeses from their herd of eight grass-fed Jersey cows at their farm, Higheld Farm Creamery in Walworth, Wis. Most of their cheese is sold at the on-farm store, which is open every weekend from Memorial Day through the end of the year. cheese – with names like Early Bird, Cabin Fever, Roundabout and Village Square. First frost is a cave-aged cheddar-style cheese made when cows are eating hay. Summer Breeze is a cheddarstyle cheese made when cows are eating
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fresh grass and blooming plants. Terry said hay produces a thick, drier cheese whereas grass-fed cheese is not nearly as thick and contains more moisture. “We change our cheesemaking tactics according to season and diet, and let people taste the difference,” Terry said. “We don’t want our cheese to always taste the same.” Cheese is made at Higheld Farm Creamery on Fridays and Sundays, and the on-farm store is open both those days as well as Saturday. Terry and Denise provide all the labor, but sometimes their daughter, Aubrey, and her husband, Kevin, help in the store. “We are seasonal farmers following the rules of nature,” Terry said. “We stop milking in early December and start milking again in April when our cows calve. Our cheesemaking season follows the same pattern.” Newborn calves stay with their mother and nurse for ve weeks while starting to eat grass. “We share the milk,” Terry said. “The calf gets some, and we get some – about 3.5 gallons per cow. We get 27-28 gallons total per day from our herd.” Cows are milked for about 7.5 months, as Terry said end-of-lactation
Turn to WOODSES | Page 35
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milk is not good for making cheese. Cows are milked once a day in a twostall step-up walk-through parlor. There is no bulk tank. Instead, milk is gravityfed from the parlor direct into the creamery. Cows roam on 30 acres of pasture and can go in and out of the barn as they please. Their diets are simple – grass in the summer and hay in the winter topped off with corn. Higheld Farm is a place where each cow has a name, such as Sparky, Judy, Suzanne, Ivy, Twinkle and Anne Marie. The farm’s 15 head of cattle all have horns as Terry does not dehorn his animals. He also does not believe in electric fences. “If you’re agitating cows and they always have to worry about what they’re going to touch, I think it puts adrenaline in their system and the adrenaline ends up in the cheese,” Terry said. Denise, a city girl from Cleveland, Ohio, and Terry, who grew up south of there, came to the farm in 1986 with no previous dairy farming experience. “We bought a place that had not been an operating dairy farm for at least 40 years,” Terry said. “I xed it up and put in a milking parlor and bought my rst cow in 2012 – the same year we built the creamery.” Terry xed computers for a living before switching his focus to cows and cheese. Living in Los Angeles, Calif., for six years, Terry said he moved west to teach scuba diving, but only did that for six months before opening a computer repair facility. When Aubrey was 6 months old, the couple moved back to the Midwest. The computer engineer-turnedfarmer-and-cheesemaker did plenty of homework before diving into his new career. He visited many farms not only in Wisconsin but also in Scotland, England and Wales. Terry spent time in Scotland learning the art of cheesemaking. When he returned, he worked at Cedar Grove in Plain, Wis., and Uplands Cheese in Dodgeville, Wis., to fulll the 240 hours required to earn his cheesemakers license. He also had the opportunity to learn how to make a variety of cheeses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison alongside cheesemaker Gary Grossen. Higheld Farm Creamery makes 6,000 pounds of cheese yearly, yielding 15.1 pounds from 100 pounds of milk – 50% more than the 10-pound average. Most of the creamery’s cheese is sold at
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Cows are milked once a day in this two-stall step-up walk-through parlor at the Woodses’ dairy near Walworth, Wis. Milk is gravity-fed from the parlor into the creamery for cheesemaking. its on-farm store, but they also sell 15 pounds of cheese weekly to a nearby restaurant and cheese curds to an apple farm and farmer’s market. Denise and Terry make the cheese buying experience a personal one, taking time to talk to customers about the cheeses Higheld makes and offering ideas for what to pair them with. They also help people decide what kind of cheese would be best for certain events and offer tips for the proper way to enjoy cheese. “We explain that cheese should be served at room temperature and never wrapped in plastic,” Denise said. “We wrap our cheese in paper from France, which allows the cheese to breathe. You can’t nd this paper in the U.S.” Customers are offered samples of all cheeses currently available which is usually 6-8 kinds. The creamery also sells Wisconsin products such as crackers and jams as well as coffee cups, T-shirts and ornaments. The store’s viewing window allows customers to witness the cheesemaking process rsthand, and guests of the store are also invited to see the cows. “It’s not just the cheese we’re selling,” Denise said. “It’s also the farm and how the cheese got here. People sometimes stop in just to watch the cows being milked.” The store is open from Memorial Day through the end of the year and welcomes about 50 customers per weekend. Located 4 miles south of Lake Geneva,
Higheld Farm Creamery is a favorite destination for many visitors of this resort city. “The majority of our customers come from Chicago and northern Illinois,” Denise said. “Many of them have cottages or houses in Lake Geneva. We also get a lot of tourists from the resorts. If you Google cheese and Lake Geneva, we are the only place that comes up.” The next closest cheesemaker is 55 miles away in Monroe, Wis. “There should be three or four of these operations around every major city,” Terry said. The creamery attracts many international visitors and has welcomed cheese lovers from South America, Poland, Italy and India. They also get a lot of local customers and regulars. Terry and Denise promote the creamery through their website, Facebook and Instagram. In the quiet winter months, the Woodses keep busy by offering cheese tastings, cheesemaking classes, birthday parties and other events at the creamery. “We’re a small cheesemaker and have no desire to get bigger,” Terry said. “There are other things we do instead to supplement.” The couple enjoys the interesting and interactive nature of their work and the personal connection with customers that a small-scale creamery provides. “If we can’t talk to people about our cheese, what fun is that?” Denise said.
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019
Women In Dairy Marlena Wagner Lena, Wis. Oconto County 500 cows
Family: Like the saying “Faith, family and farming,” family is important to me. I am the middle child of three. I have one older brother and one younger. Our farm has been in the family since 1907, and I feel fortunate to have grown up working closely with my parents, siblings and cousins. Tell us about your farm. Our farm was started in 1907 and is a partnership between my dad and two of my uncles. We milk 500 Holstein cows, farm 2,500 acres and raise our youngstock. Myself, my older brother and my cousin are the fth generation on the dairy. We do most of the work on the farm except the chopping and manure hauling. What is the busiest time of day for you? My mornings into the early afternoon are the busiest time of the day for me. We do all our herd work in the mornings, and most of our meetings are held in the morning. Typically, I see most of our employees then so I spend time with them in conversation, ne-tuning protocols and looking for ways to make things better. But, it also depends on the time of year. During harvest it is busy from sunrise to sunset. When you get a spare moment what do you do? In my spare time, I enjoy going for joy rides, and spending time in good conversation with those near and dear to me. I love good, black coffee and dark microbrew beer, so I also enjoy going to coffee shops and microbreweries. My Sundays are spent at church and watching football. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. In 2007, the farm celebrated its 100th anniversary. It was only right to throw a party. We invited friends and neighbors to help us celebrate. It was neat to be able to celebrate so many years and generations of hard work. To this day, I cherish all the family pictures we took that day because things can change in an instant. Since then both of my grandparents, who were the cornerstone of the dairy, have passed away. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? In the dairy industry, it is important to continue to be progressive. I am amazed at how far this industry has come and where it is heading. I enjoy the
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constant challenge of guring out ways to better our farm using new technology and the resources available. Each day presents a different challenge, and I am ready for it. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? I like to attend as many conferences and workshops that I can. Through GPS Dairy Consulting, I have been able to travel to events where I am able to meet and collaborate with other people my age. Social media has also been helpful to stay in touch and learn from others in the industry. But nothing has been more important than having conversations with close friends and neighbors who also farm. It is fun to share ideas and hear how everyone else runs their operation. Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? My dad has been a huge inuence on my decision to be involved in the industry. I have told him since I was the age of 4 that I wanted to be on the dairy. He has always worked closely with me and taught me, by example, his hard work ethic and commitment to this way of life. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? Melania Trump would be my rst pick because I think she is a classy lady. I would love to meet her, and I think she might appreciate a look into farming from a woman’s perspective. In a way, we share a similarity because we are both working in elds that have been historically dominated by men. What is the best vacation you have ever taken? My favorite vacation was when I went to San Luis Obispo, Calif., to tour Cal Poly. My parents, brothers and grandmother all came along. We toured the campus, surrounding area and up the coastline to the city of Carmel, Calif., where we ended up in a cool Packer themed restaurant to watch a Packer game. It was that trip that sealed the deal for me as to where I was going to attend college. The best vacation turned into the best place to live for a few years. I earned a bachelor’s degree in dairy science from Cal Poly in 2017. What are some words you like to live by? Keep your soul clean and your boots dirty. Faith, family and farming in that order.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019 • Page 37
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McCluskeys seek diversiďƒžcation on their dairy By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
HILLPOINT, Wis. – Shillelagh Glen Farms is a highly diversiďƒžed organic dairy farm operated by brothers Pat and Brian McCluskey in Hillpoint, Wis. The McCluskeys hosted a pasture walk Sept. 25 focused on that diversiďƒžcation of income and rotational grazing. “We do dairy, beef, maple syrup, our own specialty cheeses; we do a lot of different things,â€? Pat said. “We do a lot of direct marketing. We are at several different farmers markets, and we’re in several different stores. The direct marketing works great. We’ve been doing that for 10 or 11 years.â€? Pat said direct marketing and attending farmers markets requires an investment of time, but it is something he felt paid valuable dividends for the farm. “It’s a good way to get your name out there,â€? Pat said. “We’ve yet to have someone come and knock on the door and ask if we have cheese or syrup for sale. You’ve got to get out there. You’re going to get told no a lot more than you’re going to hear yes. Don’t take it personally. My wife has gone back to one store three different times and ďƒžnally they said yes. You just have to keep at it.â€?
Pat said one-third of the milk produced on their farm is used to produce the nine varieties of specialty cheeses they market. The cheese is made for the McCluskeys at Cedar Grove Creamery in Plain, Wis. Cedar Grove purchases the remainder of the McCluskeys’ milk. “Usually every Friday, they will come pick our milk up separately and make a vat of cheese,â€? Pat said. “It’s just made with our milk; we just hire them to make the cheese that we want. That’s what we take to market and send to the different stores.â€? The McCluskeys have been certiďƒžed organic since 1996, and both their dairy and beef herds are completely grass-fed. They have implemented rotational grazing for both herds of cattle. The McCluskeys tap the maple trees on their farm and make between 500 and 800 gallons of maple syrup each year. They distribute the syrup using the same direct-marketing plan as their other products. “We have about 1,750 taps out,â€? Pat said. “We run the sap down to the bottom of the hill and pump it back up to the top of the hill because we can’t get in and out of the valleys around here.â€? The McCluskeys process between
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Pat McCluskey talks about his experiences rotaĆ&#x;onally grazing his family’s grassfed herd of dairy cows. Pat and his brother Brian milk 19 cows, run a beef herd, produce specialty cheeses and make maple syrup on their highly diversiďƒžed Shillelagh Glen Farms near Hillpoint, Wis.
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Pat (leĹŒ) and Brian McCluskey share the story of their diversiďƒžed Shillelagh Glen Farms near Hillpoint, Wis. The brothers operate grass-fed dairy and beef herds, produce specialty cheeses and make maple syrup.
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Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019
ConƟnued from MCCLUSKEYS | Page 37
35,000 and 40,000 gallons of sap each spring, using reverse osmosis. They are able to make about 45 gallons of syrup an hour and burn about 13 gallons of fuel in that process. All the syrup is stored in barrels and bottled as they need it. The McCluskeys also bought a sawmill about 20 years ago. “We cut a lot of our own timber and sold it,” Pat said. “We didn’t know anything about sawing lumber. But, however little you know you can’t help but make money over what a logger will pay you. We had tremendous success doing that. An offshoot of that was we started doing custom sawing for people. We don’t do too much with that any more, but we will sell poplar logs for pallet lumber, too.” Looking for ways to increase their diversication has kept the McCluskey family busy, but it has become a successful way of life for them. “We have a lot of different plates in the air, is what my wife likes to say, and she asks me how many more I’d like to keep up there,” Pat said. “I don’t know the answer to that yet, but in a nutshell that is what we do.” The McCluskeys also began rotational grazing in 2018. “We put in 185 acres of fencing,” Pat said. “We can move our cows in a half hour. We have four different sets of cows we are moving so it takes approxi-
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Pat McCluskey explains the process used to produce maple syrup which they direct market as part the diversicaƟon on their dairy farm near Hillpoint, Wis. mately an hour and half to two hours, but we can move them and have them fed for the day. It has made our life a lot easier that way.” Before starting a rotational grazing plan, the McCluskeys had grazed their dairy herd using only a perimeter fence. “This stuff was way overgrazed,” Pat said. “There was a lot of thistles and everything. … We did some seeding
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across the road, but by rotating through it is coming back good. We’ll be starting our fth rotation through, and it’s been keeping up good for us, and we’re happy with what we do.” When the McCluskeys began their rotational grazing program last summer, they made the decision to reduce their herd size to 19 cows. “We were milking 60 cows, and
we decided we didn’t want to do that anymore,” Pat said. “So everyone else is saying milk more cows, and we said milk less cows. As soon as we put in the fencing last year, we dropped from 65 cows to 30 cows.” Pat said the reduction in labor requirements for the dairy herd has freed them to focus on the marketing of their products. “All we want to do is get enough milk for the cheese we want to make,” Pat said. “Our money is more where we can sell our cheese. That’s where we make our money.” When the McCluskeys reduced their herd size, they also implemented seasonal calving. “Last year, we quit milking the rst of January and didn’t start until May again,” Pat said. “If we do anything, we’ll probably quit milking earlier this year. We only make cheese when they are eating grass; it’s the only time we want to make cheese. We don’t want to make it any other time. Our goal is to graze as long as we can.” In November, the McCluskeys will go to once-a-day milking as production begins to drop naturally. “It’s kind of neat,” Pat said. “There is life after milking, and milking seasonally is one way to experience that without totally quitting.”
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Dairy prole
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How did you get into farming? I was born and raised on the farm. When I got my license, my dad told me if I milked cows in the morning I could take the car to school. I just kept doing it. I’ve always enjoyed working with the cows. I milk 30 cows in La Crosse County.
What advice would you give other dairy farmers? I would tell young people wanting to start out that they need to have a lot of heart and soul to come into this business. Patience is a must, and if you want to be a small, independent farmer you have to quit looking at what the big guys have and stay focused on what you can do.
What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? I’m concerned whether or not we’ll be able to rebuild our markets and bring prices up and make things look positive again. It’s not just milk prices; it’s calf prices, cull cow prices, everything that makes a dairy farm work. What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? We’ve started using milk and blood testing for pregnancy checking. I like that I can do it as I need it rather than having a group for the vet to do. It also gives the vet more time to do other things when he’s here for herd health. What is a management practice you changed in the past year that has beneted you? We made the decision not to grow any corn this year, so we didn’t have to hire any custom harvesting done. I was laid up in the spring from shoulder surgery. My kids and I gured that corn is cheap enough to buy, and that with the cost of putting it in and the reduced labor force, we would come out ahead seeding everything in for forages. We have beneted by having extra hay to sell this year.
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What has been the best purchase you have ever made on your farm? The best purchase we have ever made was building our freestall barn in 2006. The cows used to spend a lot of time tied up in the tiestall barn. I like the freestalls. They can eat, move around and lay down as they like. They stay a lot cleaner. The increase in cow comfort is a comfort to my own mind. What cost-saving steps have you implemented during the low milk price? I have cut the protein and other feed inputs that raise my cost of production. I set a base and stick with that, and top-dress the ones that might need it. You might think a cow could make more milk, but if you’re not sure, why spend the money trying to make her milk more? That, and forgoing planting corn this year have been the biggest cost-savings we’ve implemented. How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? I have part-time help, and he helped us a lot when I was laid up. We are a small
HAY & FORAGE, STALK CHOPPERS New Holland BR7090 Round Baler, 2500 bales Hesston 745 round baler, twine, nice shape Hesston 4755 Baler 3x3 53,000 Bales, Manual Preservative NH 330 big baler, 2013, 3X3, Manual Applicator, 6,200 Bales Hesston 8200 SP windrower w/14’ auger head Gehl DC2360 9’ Disc Mower Conditioner JD 936 Moco 11’ Mower Conditioner, 2002 w/ñail conditioner New Holland 1431 mower conditioner, 13’, 1998 New Holland 256 bar rake Artsway 240C Stalk Chopper, 2015, 20’ Width, Low Acres Vermeer CPX9000 Bale Processor, 2017, with Twin Blowers
herd, but we try to be exible and work to accommodate what he might have going on. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. I do my own breeding and a lot of the health work, so I don’t have to rely on the vet as much or an A.I. technician. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? I really enjoy the cows and have always enjoyed working with them.
What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? Being able to raise my family on the farm like I was raised. What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? It all depends on what comes down the roads with markets and prices and things like that. I’m taking one year at a time and not looking ahead as far as ve years. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? Right now my family enjoys Friday night high school football. My son plays and playoffs are coming up. We also enjoy going out for a good meal and going shing when we can.
The new DeLaval VMS V300 milking robot ™
ROW CROP, DRILLS & SPRAYERS
Hardi Navigator 4000, 2013, 90’ Boom, 120” Axle, ISO Hardi Navigator 4000, 2012, 90’ Boom,120” Axle, 5500 rate controler Hardi Navigator 3000, 60’ Boom, adjustable axle Great Plains 13’ solid stand grain drill Melroe 2120-286 14’ Grain Drill with Small Seeds & Fert. Box Top Air TA112 Sprayer 60’ Boom,ñush and rinse system, raven White 6900 11-Row Splitter Planter, Row Cleaners, Bean Meters
99.8% Attachment rate
GRAIN CARTS & WAGONS
Meyer 1500 Running Gear with 16.5-16.1 tires, nice shape Meyer 1500 Running Gear with 16.5-16.1 tires, nice shape Gehl 4-wheel gear, 11L-15 tires H&S LK-500 Forage Box, 14’ with P&H 4 wheel gear Parker Gravity Box, 400 bu. Pequea 918 Hay Rack With 10 Ton Pequea Running Gear. Nice
MANURE SPREADERS
H&S 5126 Topshot, 19LX16.1 tires, 2011 New Idea 3739 Manure Spreader, Hydraulic Drive., Consigned
Up to
7500 lbs milk per day
Up to
50% faster attachment time
10
GRAIN EQUIPMENT Good Selection Of Used Augers
Higher capacity
MISCELLANEOUS
Bush Hog RDTH84 3-Point Finish Mower 7’, 2012, good shape 1500 gallon round ñat bottom tank 1350 gallon round ñat bottom tank HLA 9’ Snow Pusher, Bucket Edge Mount, Steel Trip Edge Farm King 3-Point Blade, 7’ cat. 2., consigned Mensch M2100 Sawdust Shooter, 7’ w/cutting edge Buhler Fx8495 96” 540 PTO Snowblower w/manual deñector Virnig 96” hydraulic angle broom, new brushes. Berlon 3 prong bale spear Virnig 4 Prong Bale Spear, round tapered shaft, #101939
38241 County 6 Blvd. Goodhue, MN 55027
(651) 923-4441
%
Plain, WI (608) 546-3713
Waunakee, WI (608) 849-5043
www.delaval.com is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2018 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296. All facts and figures are the result of more than two years of data collection from more than 20 test and pilot farms, actual results may vary and are not guaranteed. www.delaval.com
Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, October 26, 2019
Used IH 1486, #4525 - $16,800
Used International 1086, #4128
New Dryhill DH-400, #4526 - Call
New Dryhill DH-480, #4598 - Call
New Dryhill DH-481, #4408 - Call
New Dryhill DH310, #4538 - Call
New Dryhill DH-230, #4284 - Call
New Dryhill DH-300, #4452 - Call
New Dryhill DH-150 Loadstand, #4484 - Call
New Dryhill DH-220, #4585 - Call
New Kelly Ryan 2W-19, #4550 - Call
Used Kelly Ryan 9’ bagger, #4575 -
Used Valmetal H5600, #3650 -
New Kuhn Knight 2044, #4506 - Call
New Kuhn Knight 2054, #4380 - Call
New Kuhn Knight SLC126, #4432 - Call
New Kuhn Knight SL124, #4334 - Call
New Kuhn Knight SLC 132, #4589 - Call
New Kuhn Knight SLC 141, #4590 - Call
Used Kuhn Knight 8114, #4421
$18,900
Used Kuhn Knight 8118, #4551 - $18,900
$9,800
Used Kuhn Knight 8124, #4079 - $11,500
Used Meyer 8720, #4052 - $19,900
$15,900
Used Kuhn Knight 2054, #4476 - $44,800
$15,900
New Kuhn Knight 3190, #4212 - Call
Salesmen: Shawn Martin (608) 778-4554 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