The Great Christmas “GRAND” PRIZE
GIVEAWAY
See pages 24 and 25 of this section for details!
DAIRY ST R
November 13, 2021
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 23, No. 18
Rising from tragedy Lundbergs return to dairy scene after battling stray voltage By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR
Members of Bert-Mar Farms – (from le�) Erica Lundberg’s ancé, Grahm Giese, Loveiisa Mackey, Erica Lundberg holding Aksel Mackey, Allan Lundberg, in-house breeder Ryan Nordahl and James Nordahl – pose with Josey LLC Duc Saber-Red EX94, one of their elite cows, on their farm near Osseo, Wisconsin. The Lundbergs are rebuilding their herd a�er suffering from years of stray voltage. The Mackeys are Allan Lundberg’s grandkids.
OSSEO, Wis. – Allan Lundberg and his daughter, Erica, have spent the last 11 years reintroducing elite genetics to their herd after the farm nearly fell apart because of stray voltage issues. “I probably should have quit, but I knew I was not a bad farmer and that there was something else going on,” Allan said. For more than a decade, Allan has worked to rebuild the Bert-Mar Farms herd where he and Erica milk 120 cows near Osseo. While the resolution began in 2010, the tragedy persisted for 20 years before the problem was rendered and the family was able to focus on their passion for elite genetics. “We lost it all with stray voltage,” Allan said. “We had nothing left, no pedigrees. That’s
why we bought the animals we did to start over.” Allan was in partnership with his dad for many years and nished buying the farm in 1993. They had success with a state record cow, class leaders, the top herd in the county and World Dairy Expo tours in the 1980s. They had contract cows and the rst embryo transfer cows in western Wisconsin, ying veterinarians in to do the work. One of the cows made 59 calves, with 29 of them being heifer calves. By the end of the stray voltage nightmare, there was not a single relative of that cow left. Problems began in the late 1980s when the power company replaced the original overhead service with an underground line. “At the time, I thought that Turn to LUNDBERGS | Page 8
Bartender becomes dairy farmer Madden trades in high heels for barn boots By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
NEW LONDON, Wis. – She can deliver a backward calf, drive a tanker full of manure, give vaccines, dehorn calves, treat a sick cow and operate any tractor on the farm. Just three years ago, these jobs were foreign to Lisa Madden, a former bartender. But she learned how to do all of this and more in short order when her husband, Dan, faced an employee shortage on the farm. “It was a sink or swim moment when I started working here,” said Lisa, who replaced two key people involved with herd health and management. “I had to come out and grab the bull by the horns and learn it all. It wasn’t easy, but Dan is a good teacher. I started out slow, and little by little, I took on more responsibility.” Lisa and Dan milk 400 cows and run 650 acres near New London. The
Maddens took over the farm in 2017 from Dan’s parents, Dan and Brenda, who continue to help on the dairy. Lisa came on board full time at the end of 2018. A party girl at heart, she traded in her high heels for barn boots and never looked back. “It was a welcome culture shock,” Lisa said. “I grew up in the country, but I didn’t grow up on a farm, so this was all new to me. I started at ground zero, not even knowing how long a cow was pregnant. It was a lot to take in, but it was also exciting. There was a lot of trial and error, but I was driven to do it and found the work really interesting.” Lisa received a crash course in dairy farming from Dan, the breeder and the veterinarian. “From learning the normal temperature of a cow to learning how to diagnose and treat an animal to the best of my ability, I was taught everything from A to Z,” Lisa said. “I wondered if I was getting in over my head, but you don’t Turn to MADDEN | Page 6
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Lisa and Dan Madden milk 400 cows and farm 650 acres near New London, Wisconsin. Lisa, a former bartender, became Dan’s right-hand man nearly three years ago when the farm was faced with an employee shortage.