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DAIRY ST R
Volume 23, No. 20
December 11, 2021
“All dairy, all the time”™
A different start in the industry Brothers operate dairy as own By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
BROWERVILLE, Minn. – For twin brothers TJ and John Becker, owning and operating a dairy farm is all they ever thought of doing. With the help of veteran dairy farmer Loren Vetsch, the Beckers are nearly there. The brothers operate Vetsch’s second farm site with long-term plans of purchasing the entire herd and establishing their own dairy. “After high school, we knew we wanted to farm,” John said. “We went to college and met all these dairy kids who had plans to farm, and we thought, ‘Why couldn’t we?’” Since Dec. 15, 2020, John and TJ, 21, have managed Vetsch’s 56-cow herd in rented facilities near Browerville.
Vetsch’s main farm site is nearby, where he milks about 200 cows. “I knew (the Beckers) wanted to do it, and we had the cows to do it,” said Vetsch, who doubled his herd size in less than six years. “We didn’t have that much out of pocket to get them set up, so it was an easy decision to make.” Vetsch and the Beckers have a history of working together. TJ began working at Vetsch’s dairy in the fall of 2015, and John became an employee a year later. The brothers maintained a working relationship with Vetsch while attending Ridgewater College for their associate degrees in dairy and farm management. Following graduation, TJ and John made plans to begin dairy farming at a rented facility in Todd County; they even planted a spring crop for fall harvest. “We had everything lined up and were just hoping to get a loan from the bank,” TJ said. Unfortunately, nancing never came Turn to BECKERS | Page 7
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
John and TJ Becker manage a 56-cow herd for established dairyman Loren Vetsch in a rented facility near Browerville, Minnesota. The Beckers have longterm plans to purchase the herd and begin farming on their own.
Borsts receive naƟonal FARM award for stewardship Family commits to caring for livestock By Kate Rechtzigel kate.r@dairystar.com
ROCHESTER, Minn. – Caring for livestock is what the Borst family knows best, and doing so with the utmost attention to detail has garnered them national recognition. Borst Family Dairy LLC was recognized as a winner of the inaugural National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management program’s Excellence Award for Animal Care and Antibiotic Stewardship Nov. 16 in Las Vegas, Nevada. “We’ve always felt that it’s a privilege not a right to produce milk and beef,” said Dr. Lindsey Borst. “Prioritizing animal care every day is a necessity in order to keep that privilege.” KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR Borst and her husband, The Borsts – (from leŌ) Lindsey, Kevin, Kyle, Larry and MaƩ – are recognized with their NaƟonal Kevin, accepted the award on FARM award for animal care and anƟbioƟc stewardship on their 230-cow dairy near Rochester, behalf of those who make up the Minnesota. Lindsey and Kevin received the award Nov. 16 in Las Vegas, Nevada. dairy – dad Matt, uncle Larry and brother Kyle. The honor recog-
nized the Borsts’ commitment to the FARM program. “As a veterinarian, I’ve always had a passion for producing safe food and using antibiotics responsibly,” Borst said. “We have a lot of extra steps in place on our farm to make sure any food product or cull animal leaving our farm is safe for human consumption. I think being recognized for animal care and antibiotic stewardship validates our social license to care for animals and produce food for a living.” This fourth-generation dairy farm family milks 230 registered Holsteins in a double-10 herringbone parlor near Rochester. They raise all their youngstock, nish out steers and run over 1,000 acres of corn, alfalfa and soybean. On the farm, Larry and Kyle are the crop experts and do all the feeding. Matt is the parlor and employee manager, and his wife, Julie, does all the accounting for the farm. Kevin manages the animals, and Borst is the herd’s veterinarian. They also have 6 part-time employees who milk, clean the barn, water calves and clean calf feeding equipment.
Turn to BORST | Page 6