THE GREAT
See pages 24 and 25 of this section for details!
2 DAIRY ST 5R C E L E B R A T I N G
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Y E A R S
November 11, 2023
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 25, No. 18
Fully immersed in dairy Vine family contributes to the industry By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
NEILLSVILLE, Wis. — When Brian Vine completes his milk route and delivers the load to Grassland Dairy, he often has his youngest daughter Laura with him. While at the plant, he usually sees his 21-yearold daughter, Emma, who is there around the same time unloading her milk truck. Behind the scenes at that same dairy plant are Brian’s two older daughters, McKenzie and Samantha, who work in the processing department. The Vine family has been immersed in the dairy in-
dustry for a long time. They used to produce milk as dairy farmers, and now they are on the other side of the industry as haulers and processors. Brian said he enjoys relating to the farmers he hauls for. “I understand the happy times and the hard times and when things go wrong how stressful it can be,” Brian said. “I try to be compassionate with the farmers because we’ve been there and in the same situations.” Brian has been operating Vine Trucking, of Neillsville, since 2019. Brian started hauling milk when he needed a change from farming. When his employer wanted to sell his business, Brian took over the routes and bought a truck. At the time, Emma was in school and Brian operated the business as the only driver. Turn to VINE | Page 7
ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR
Emma (from le�), Laura and Brian Vine wait for milk to unload Oct. 13 at the Grassland Dairy Products plant in Greenwood, Wisconsin. Emma and Brian both run separate milk routes, and Laura rides with and helps with mechanics. Brian’s other two daughters, Samantha and McKenzie, work in the processing plant
Efficiently caring for the future Calves on swift track at Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Shawn Miller, calf manager at Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy, pauses for a photo Oct. 18 following a tour of the farm’s calf facility held as part of Professional Dairy Producer’s Calf Care Connec�on workshop near Kewaunee, Wisconsin. The calf facility houses 3,650 heifers from 1 day old to 11.5 months in 23 calf barns, ve bed-pack barns and two freestall barns.
KEWAUNEE, Wis. — Located 3 miles from Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy is the facility where all of the farm’s youngstock are raised. At this specialized site, heifers spend their rst year of life. These animals are the future of Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy, which milks 6,000 cows on three sites near Kewaunee. “We’ve grown a lot in the last 15 years,” said Shawn Miller, calf manager. The calf facility houses 3,650 heifers — from 1 day old to 11.5 months — in 23 calf barns, ve bed-pack barns and two freestall barns.
There are 900 calves on milk. “Everything is pail trained here; there are no bottles,” Miller said. “With pails, there is more refusal the rst day or two, but calves catch on pretty quick.” Waste milk is transferred from the dairy twice a day then pasteurized and mixed with a fortier blend. After pasteurization, milk is sent to a holding tank before being distributed into carts for delivery. For the rst two days, calves receive 2 quarts of milk. Day three through 13, calves are fed 2.5 quarts, and day 14 to 42, they receive 3.5 quarts. In wintertime, the oldest calves are bumped up by an extra pint in both the morning and evening feedings to provide additional energy. By day 43, calves are fed once a day, and by day 50, they are on water only and paired with
another calf. Between days 60 and 70, calves move into a bed-pack barn. Calves are weighed before moving on to each new barn. “We don’t promote as much milk as some people, and we move calves along pretty quickly,” Miller said. “We also look for good starter intake.” Grain is fed twice a day. For the rst 21 days, it is done by hand, and after day 21, grain is distributed by a cart. Calves are also given fresh water. “We only give them what they can drink — we don’t ll the pail full,” Miller said. “We try to do everything as needed.” Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy is a Holstein-Jersey crossbred herd, and the average daily gain for calves on milk is 1.6 to 2 pounds. Turn to PAGELS | Page 6