THE GREAT
See pages 24 and 25 of this section for details!
C E L E B R A T I N G
2 5
Y E A R S
DAIRY ST R 25
November 25, 2023
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 25, No. 19
Specialized Supporting the small family farm teaching From wheels to for farm blocks, Henning’s processes emergencies Cheese a niche from local milk
By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Agricultural Response Training par�cipants work to construct a cofferdam around the vic�m in a grain bin rescue simula�on Oct. 21 at Heiman Holsteins in Marsheld, Wisconsin. Nearly 60 emergency responders from departments and units in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado took part in ART.
Agricultural Response Training increases call success By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
MARSHFIELD, Wis. — Until farm accidents stop happening, Pittsville Fire Chief Jerry Minor said he will continue to advocate for training emergency response personnel in how to deal with those situations without becoming part of the problem themselves. “Farm accidents are very different from the typical things we deal with,” Minor said. “We don’t see them as frequently, so we aren’t as well versed in how to deal with those situations. That is why this training is so important.” Minor works hand-in-hand with the National Farm Medicine Center and the Rural Fireghters Delivering Agriculture Safety and Health program to facilitate the Agricultural Rescue Training event, which is in its third year.
Turn to ART | Page 6
KIEL, Wis. — For more than a century, Henning’s Cheese has made awardwinning artisan and specialty cheese from the fresh milk of local, small family farms. Through their steadfast devotion to the dairy farmer, four generations of the Henning family have carved a niche in the industry. “We handcraft small batches of cheese using timehonored, traditional methods,” Kert Henning said. “We make a limited supply, allowing stores to order exactly what they need from us.” Henning’s Cheese near Kiel was the rst of three stops Oct. 26 on the Professional Dairy Producers Dairy Proces-
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
The Henning family — Zachary (from le�), Kerry, Mindy Ausloos, Joshua, Rebekah Henschel and Kert — operate Henning’s Cheese where they use the milk of local farms to make 85,000 pounds of cheese per week in Kiel, Wisconsin. Kerry, a Wisconsin master cheesemaker, and Kert are third-genera�on owners; Joshua and Zachary are fourth-genera�on licensed cheesemakers; Mindy oversees the retail store, billing and sales; and Rebekah oversees na�onal and local sales, marke�ng and promo�ons. sor Tours. The family owned and operated company is a place where family values and respect for employees are wo-
ven into a commitment to ensure a livelihood for the farms it buys milk from. Henning’s Cheese pays
above-market prices for milk. By ensuring a minimum price Turn to HENNING’S | Page 8
Farm-kid work ethic Michels siblings are three-sport athletes, active on dairy By Amy Kyllo
amy.k@star-pub.com
STACYVILLE, Iowa — Upon rst look at the Michels family’s haymow, everything seems pretty normal. Hay is stacked on one side, and across the way, a plywood structure blends into the scene. However, when the door of that plywood room opens, it reveals a lighted, nished wrestling area covered in mats. When the Michels children nish milking in the parlor below, they can go up to the haymow and practice. AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR
Mariah (from le�), Heidi, David, Korben and Chris�an Michel stand in their freestall barn Nov. 8 on their dairy farm near St. Ansgar, Iowa. The Michels milk 140 cows.
Turn to MICHELS| Page 7