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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 19, No. 19
November 25, 2017
Christensons happy to put down roots
New dairy center symbolizes end of moving By Ron Johnson
ron.j@dairystar.com
WESTBY, Wis. – Jordan and Kassandra Christensons’ dairy center is a symbol. It represents the culmination of the Vernon County couple’s journey to their own place in the dairy industry. Over the past nine years, the husband-wife team of Jordan, 30, and Kassandra, 28, has rented three places and bought and sold one more. Now, they intend to put down permanent roots. Their new facility welcomed the Christensons’ 50 registered Holsteins, Jerseys and Brown Swiss on Sept. 9. “We’re done moving,” said Jordan. “I’m back home. This is where I always wanted to be.” The freestall barn and milking Turn to CHRISTENSONS | Page 5
RON JOHNSON/DAIRY STAR
Kassandra and Jordan Christenson, of Westby, Wis., are happy to be puƫng down roots. They moved their 50 cows into this new dairy center three months ago.
Harsdorf appointed New IVF collecƟon facility DATCP secretary available to producers
Dairy farmer rst woman in state history to oversee agency By Brittany Olson
brittany.o@dairystar.com
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin governor Scott Walker announced his decision to appoint state senator Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls to oversee the state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Nov. 10. Harsdorf, who previously represented the state’s 10th Senate District composed of portions of Burnett, Polk and St. Croix counties as well as the Township of River Falls in Pierce County, will replace outgoing secretary Ben Brancel, who retired from the agency on Aug. 13. Harsdorf named longtime DATCP legislative and policy advisor Keeley Moll as her deputy secretary. “Serving as secretary of DATCP is truly Sheila Harsdorf an honor. This is a wonderful opportunity DATCP Secretary to continue to serve Wisconsin’s producers, businesses and rural communities,” Harsdorf said. “I am excited to work together to promote and build a strong agricultural economy.” In an ofcial statement from the governor’s ofce, Governor Walker thanked Secretary Harsdorf for her hard work and willingness to keep serving the public. Turn to HARSDORF | Page 5
Midwest Embryo Transfer Service offers procedure at Mondovi location By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
MONDOVI, Wis. – Midwest Embryo Transfer Service (METS) opened the doors to their in-vitro fertilization (IVF) collection facility located at Rooney Farms near Mondovi, Wis., to interested producers at an open house Nov. 15. METS is based out of Osceola, Wis. and was founded by Dr. David Duxbury in 1989. Dr. Ashley Swenson joined the practice in June 2016. The two work along side Nancy Vitalis. Vitalis is an integral member of the practice serving as a veterinary technician and practice manager. In addition
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Midwest Embryo Transfer Service (METS) provides IVF services at their facility located at Rooney Farms in Mondovi, Wis. METS works with the Trans-Ova GeneƟcs laboratory for ferƟlizaƟon and incubaƟon of IVF oocytes. to providing conventional embryo transfer services, in July of 2016, METS partnered with Rooney Farms, a beef production facility near Mondovi, to build an IVF collection facility. METS is certied to produce exportable embryos
to the European Union, China, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Mexico and several other countries. More countries are putting protocols in place for accepting IVF embryos as well as conventional embryos, Turn to FACILITY | Page 7