Last Chance
See pages 4 and 5 in the second section for end of the year specials!
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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 18, No. 21
Fixing bottlenecks
Jones shares strategies to achieve 95 pounds of milk By Missy Mussman missy@dairystar.com
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – An average of 95 pounds of milk per cow per day may seem near impossible to achieve, but Dr. Gordie Jones, a DVM who owns Central Sands Dairy near De Pere, Wis., feels otherwise. “There are cows being milked twice daily giving more than 100 pounds of milk in a 50-cow herd,” Jones said. “It can happen.” Jones shared strategies to accomplish that during his presentation, “Achieving Excellence: Simple things you can do to achieve 95 pounds plus” Dec. 1 at the Minnesota Milk Dairy Conference and Expo in St. Cloud, Minn. Although the industry has changed over the last 25 years, Jones said the rules of achieving high milk yields still apply: cow comfort comes rst, dry cow programs stop early fresh cow losses, pregnancy rates mean farmers keep their cows, milk quality is everything, forage is king and better forages are better. “You take care of her, she’ll take better care of you,” Jones said. Regardless of herd size, Jones said producers have to nd where the bottlenecks are happening to obtain 95 pounds of milk. “Sometimes we need someone outside of our farm to look at things because we’ve gone barn blind,” Jones said. “What is abnormal becomes normal for us.” To know what is normal while looking for bottlenecks, there are three things a cow should do – stand to eat and drink, stand to be milked and lie down. Knowing this, farmers should look at the number of times cows are milked and/ Turn to MILK | Page 5
December 24, 2016
A gift in the barn Nus wins grand prize for Great Christmas Heifer Giveaway By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
ARLINGTON, Iowa – This year, one of the Nus family’s Christmas presents can be found in the barn rather than under the tree. Jody Nus is this year’s grand prize winner of the Dairy Star Great Christmas Heifer Giveaway, taking home Sheeknoll Kingboy 2615, also known as Henny, a year-old heifer from Sheeknoll Farms in Rochester, Minn. Nus and her husband, Nathan, milk 40 cows on their dairy in Fayette County near Arlington, Iowa. “I’ve never gotten a heifer for a Christmas gift so this is a great present,” Nus said.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Jody Nus won the Dairy Star’s Great Christmas Heifer Giveaway grand prize, Sheeknoll Kingboy 2615, also known as Henny. Nus and her husband, Nathan, milk 40 cows near Arlington, Iowa.
Turn to NUS | Page 6
Jonathon’s wish come true
Ten-year-old wins Brown Swiss heifer calf By Missy Mussman missy@dairystar.com
FREEPORT, Minn. – For the last couple years, Jonathon Job has wanted a brown cow. “We have all Holsteins on our farm, and I wanted something different,” Jonathon said. This Christmas, that wish nally came true. Jonathon won the Brown Swiss calf, Eachibon Jessa R Jamaica, in the Dairy Star’s Great Christmas Heifer Giveaway. Jonathon is the 10-year-old son of David and Alice Job, who milk 55 cows near Freeport, Minn. “I was so surprised,” Jonathon said. “All I could think was, ‘Did I really get this?’” Jonathon registered three times, once at the Freeport State Bank and twice at Leed-
MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR
Jonathon Job pets his new Brown Swiss calf on the evening of Dec. 20. Jonathon was the youth winner for the Dairy Star’s Great Christmas Heifer Giveaway. Job is the son of Alice and Dave, who milk 55 cows near Freeport, Minn.
stone. “I wanted to register more than once, because it gave me a better chance of winning,” Jonathon said. “I’ve tried the last couple of years. It’s fun trying to win it.” On Dec. 16, Jonathon’s persistence paid off as he was drawn as the youth winner in the contest from Freeport State Bank. That same day while Jonathon was at school, David came in the house from chores to hear a message from Dairy Star. “When I called back, they told me Jonathon had won. I thought they were kidding,” David said. “Then it dawned on me that the drawing was that day. I never thought this would happen.” Alice agreed. “We feel very lucky,” she said. Although David and Alice Turn to JOB | Page 7
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC
General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofďƒžce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Amanda Thooft 320-352-6303 amanda.t@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Andrea Borgerding - Managing Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Krista Kuzma - Assistant Editor (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Missy Mussman (320) 429-1084 missy@dairystar.com Ron Johnson (608) 874-4243 ron.j@dairystar.com Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048 cowlady@centurylink.net Jennifer Coyne (320) 352-6303 jenn@dairystar.com Cassie Olson (715) 245-6848 cassie.o@dairystar.com Brittany Olson (320) 352-6303 brittany.o@dairystar.com Advertising Sales Main Ofďƒžce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication
Sales Manager - Jeff Weyer (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-8505 (cell) jeff.w@dairystar.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofďƒžce) 320-248-3196 (cell) Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 fax: 507-634-4413 laura.s@dairystar.com Jerry Nelson (SW MN, NW Iowa, South Dakota) 605-690-6260 jerry.n@dairystar.com Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Lori Menke (Eastern Iowa, Southern WI) 563-608-6477 • lori.m@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute ďƒžnal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters. The views and opinions expressed by Dairy Star columnists and writers are not necessarily those of the Dairy Star LLC.
The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Dairy Star, LLC, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sauk Centre, MN and additional mailing ofďƒžces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
North America dealers. A glance at what’s inside
Dairy Proďƒžle brought to you by your
Dairy farming requires a large amount of time to dedicate to the many roles in the career. But Greg Walz decided to add one more job in the mix – lawyer. In between milking his 50-cow herd, Walz runs his own law ďƒžrm in St. Cloud, Minn., but still makes enough time to milk his cows morning and night on his farm near Richmond, Minn. Since both careers are time consuming, Walz has help from his family. Read more about how he gets it all done on pages 10-11 in ďƒžrst section. It’s a trend many in the industry know: Dairy farm By Mark Klaphake numbers have been dropping since the 1930s, but dairy cows numbers have steadily increased. The past year’s low Editor prices haven’t helped, but the decline is less than expected in Midwest. It may have something to do with feed and location. Read more about dairy farm and cow numbers on pages 12-13 in ďƒžrst section. Farm transition can be a timely, sensitive, difďƒžcult or even challenging process. The Rosenhammers have just recently started the process with the next generation returning to the farm. The father-daughter duo of John and Laura Rosenhammer will discuss how things are done on their farm and how the transition process is going over the next year in Dairy Star’s newest column, called The Transition Pen. Follow their journey every issue on page 27 in ďƒžrst section. For the past 102 years, a 160-acre farm has been home to the Rylaarsdam family. The farm was started by the Rylaarsdams’ Dutch ancestors who immigrated to America in the early 1900s. Now, the family’s third, fourth and ďƒžfth generations live on the 250-cow dairy near Chandler, Minn. The Rylaarsdams recently received a Century Farm Award. Read about their farm’s history on pages 2-3 in third section. As the year comes to a close, we can reďƒ&#x;ect on the past year. In this issue’s “From our side of the fenceâ€? farmers from the Dairy Star coverage area talk about the highlights of 2016, what they are planning in 2017 and their holiday traditions. Read about it on pages 15-16 in ďƒžrst section. The Mursu family was in for a surprise when their robotic milkers won them $10,000. A ďƒžlmmaker approached them about making and entering a video about their automated system to the AT&T Real Stories Contest. Read about how they made the video and what they plan to do with their prize money on page 4 in third section.
Favorite quotes from this issue:
“It was an emotional day when we adopted the girls. When we adopted Cole, it was just pure joy. Our family was complete. We could celebrate.â€? - Jessie Westho, Second Section Pages 3-4
“Everyone has a place in this world. I believe I’m here to be a farmer.� - Josh Carpenter, First Section Pages 23, 25
59:
By the Numbers First service conception rate percentage for SunBurst Dairy (First Section, Pages 18, 20)
pounds-per-day 13,632: The production goal for SÊrgio Costa’s Brazilian farm by 2025.
(Second Section, Pages 16, 18-19)
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016 • Page 3
It’s all inside... FIRST SECTION
Pages 20 - 22 Some Udder Stuff Pages 23 - 26 Classieds
or n
Kingsbury
Douglas Charles Mix
n nso
Brookings
Lake
Moody
McCook Minnehaha
Carver Scott
Redwood
Nicollet Brown
Nobles
Third Section: Pages 14 - 15
sey
Washinton
Hennepin McLeod Sibley
Rock
Kanabec
Wright Ra m
Meeker
Renville
Yellow Medicine
Murray
Isanti
Anoka Kandiyohi
Chippewa
Lyon
Faribault
Kids Corner: The Ernste Family
Dakota
Rice
Goodhue Wabasha
Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted Jackson
Martin
Faribault
Freeborn
Mower
Winona
Winona
Fillimore
Houston
Ha
Da
vis
on
Sa nb
Miner
Deuel
Lincoln
Hamlin
Stearns
Pope
Swift Lac Qui Parle
Codington
Benton Sherburne
Grant Clark
Mille Lacs
Morrison
Douglas
Stevens
Second Section: Pages 26 - 28
Pine
r
Roberts
Day
Big Sto Stone
Carlton
Crow Wing
eu
Third Section: Pages 2 - 3
Kieffers win Dakota County award
Aitkin
Todd Grant
Second Section: Page 8
Hastings
Cass
Su
Marshall
Hubbard
Ottertail
Wilkin rse
Rylaarsdam family marks 102 years on their farm
Gambling with milk price
Itasca
Wadena
Becker
Clay
Chandler
en
nom
Mah
Clearwater
Polk Norman
St. Cloud
Koochiching St. Louis
Red Lake
First Section: Page 36
First Section: Pages 10 - 11
go
Page 5 Bentley discusses factors for building a new facility Page 7 Dr. Ruark discusses science behind soil health Pages 8 - 9 Farmer panel discusses cover crops at UW Discovery Farms conference Pages 10 - 11 Raddatz switches focus from crop farm to dairy Page 12 Marker named this year’s WI Farm Bureau Excellence in Ag winner Pages 17 - 19 Dairy Calendar
Beltrami
Pennington
Women in Jeans: Sarah Holtkamp
First Section: Pages 1, 7
Walz manages dairy farm, works as attorney
Lake of the Woods
Marshall
Kerkhovem
Richmond
isa
THIRD SECTION
Third Section: Page 4 Kittson Roseau
Freeport
Ten-year-old wins Brown Swiss heifer calf
First Section: Pages 23, 25
Le
Third Section: Page 13
Pages 16, 18 - 19 Dairying Around the World Page 25 Mid-American Hay Auction Results Pages 30-31 Dairy Recipes
Meant to be farming
Mursu family wins AT&T’s Real Stories Contest
Ch
Page 3 - 4 Westhoffs’ family complete in time for Christmas Pages 5, 7 Annual Minnesota conference to be held Jan. 12-13 in St. Cloud Page 6 Fernholz shares tips for organic farmers Pages 10 - 11 The “Mielke” Market Weekly Page 12 Dairy markets Page 13 Area hay auction results
Menahga
New York Mills
Dairy’s Star Youth: Morgan Paulson
Pipestone
SECOND SECTION
Atwater
Tra ve
Pages 1, 5 Jones shares strategies to achieve 95 pounds of milk Pages 1, 6 Nus wins grand prize for Great Christmas Heifer Giveaway Pages 8 - 9 Ag Insider Pages 12 - 13 More milk, more cows, less farms Pages 18, 20 Variety of factors help SunBurst Dairy achieve 36 percent preg rate Page 22 Is your calf barn ventilation ready for winter? Page 26 FSA News & Notes Page 27 Sharing our farm transition experience Page 28 Calf thoughts today Page 29 Who makes the decisions on your farm? Page 30 Dear County Agent Guy Page 31 Looking on the DSO horizon Page 32 Just Thinking Out Loud Page 33 Dairy Good Life Pages 34 - 35 Rostvolds revive family dairy farm Page 37 Farmland values show historic third year of decline
Hutchinson
Turner
Bon Yankton Homme
Lincoln Clay
Union
Lyon
Osceola Dickinson Emmet
Sioux
O’Brien
Clay
Palo Alto
Kossuth
Thesings keep goal of passing on love for dairying to future generations
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE: What will you remember about 2016? Pages 15-16
Plymouth
Lake City, Minn.
Zone 1
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
Dairy Prole: Keith Kohrs Page 39
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Second Section: Pages 14 - 15
Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016 • Page 5
ConƟnued from MILK | Page 1
or how long the cows are in the parlor. “Cows shouldn’t be away from feed, water and their stalls for longer than four hours each day,” Jones said. “They need 20 hours of cow time. Anything under that, farmers will lose four pounds of milk.” When the cows are fed is another factor to consider for potential bottlenecks. According to Jones, historically cows are a slow moving, prey species with natural instincts to avoid predators, so they ate at dawn and dusk. “If you’re feeding them at 11 a.m., they’re hungry, and you should never have hungry cows,” Jones said. “Anything we do to change a cow’s behavior, we lose.” Jones suggested farmers feed cows at dawn and dusk with 50 percent of the average dry matter intake (DMI) fed in the morning after milking. “If we deliver less than half of the average DMI, half of the cows will not have enough feed in front of them. We never want to have bare mangers or be able to see concrete before noon,” Jones said. One way to ensure that does not happen is by pushing feed as often as needed. “Non-dietary factors – when
“If we x the bottlenecks, we’ll make money tomorrow through improved milk production.” GORDIE JONES, DVM
and how feed is delivered and if it is pushed up – account for 56 percent of milk yield variation on the same TMR,” Jones said. “We want to keep feed in front of them because it’s worth nine more pounds of milk.” Along the same lines, farmers should observe how long cows are locked up in the feed lane. “There should never be a time the whole group isn’t eating,” Jones said. “At least 30 percent should be eating, and their lock up time shouldn’t exceed the time they’re in the parlor or one hour.” The reason Jones wants cows to eat following milking is so they can lie down with a full stomach as soon as possible. “If they get an extra hour of rest, but don’t have any food in their stomach, they won’t produce more milk,” Jones said. “But if they have a full rumen and spend an extra hour resting, they can produce 3.7 more pounds of milk.” Stall management and design play a big role in getting cows to lie down. “One of the biggest reasons cows don’t lay down is because the stalls aren’t soft enough,” Jones said. “They need plenty of cushion. If you can’t drop to your knees in the stall, it’s not soft enough.” There are several usable types of bedding, but Jones said sand makes six pounds more milk than solids. The neck rail placement is just as important.
“If 15 percent or more of the cows are perching in the stalls, the neck rail needs to be moved forward,” Jones said. Ideally, Jones said neck rails should be 46 inches high off the rear curb and 66 inches from the end of the usable curb. Lunge space limitations also deter cows from lying down. “If cows don’t have enough space to do that, they aren’t as likely to lie down,” Jones said. Lack of vision can also cause issues. “Cows can’t see anything if they’re facing a wall, which goes against their natural instincts,” Jones said. “They won’t lay down if they can’t see.” Air quality is another factor for cow comfort with the ideal temperature for cows being 40 degrees. “Anytime the temperatures are above freezing, half the curtains or doors should be open,” Jones said. “That’ll increase the amount they eat, making you money.” It is equally important cows lie straight in the stall instead of at an angle. That is where wider stalls can be an issue, as cows tend to lie to the side instead of forward. “If they lay straight, they don’t contaminate the bedding, which reduces mastitis and somatic cell counts,” Jones said. “If the stalls are correctly managed and designed, you’ll get six to 10 pounds more milk. You’ll make the most money on full, clean, dry, comfortable cows in stalls.” The number of group changes cows make in a year has an impact on production, too. “It’s stressful for them to introduce themselves to the group, and you’ll lose six pounds of milk each time,” Jones said. “That’s why we want to limit it as much as possible.” Each group has a social order, which is why having enough waterers is very important. According to Jones, a group of 120 to 140 cows needs four watering spots equaling 18 to 20 feet of water space with a mid crossover, especially in a six-row barn. “This doesn’t allow the boss cows to cover the waterers,” Jones said. “If there are less than 100 cows, there should be at least two waterers.” Even changing the ration can affect milk yield. “Sometimes, it needs to be changed, but every time you do, you lose milk,” Jones said. Although farmers try to feed low rations to save money, Jones cautioned against the practice. “Most farmers believe low rations will save them money, but it has the opposite effect,” Jones said. “Farmers lose more money in milk than they’re saving in feed costs.” After identifying the bottlenecks, Jones said they should be xed as soon as possible. “If we x the bottlenecks, we’ll make money tomorrow through improved milk production,” Jones said. By doing that, Jones said farmers can improve the lives of cows and their own. “Milk is the absence of stress,” he said. “Let’s get it right, reduce the stress and make more milk.”
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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
ConƟnued from NUS | Page 1
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Nus initially signed up her husband for the drawing at their local co-op, Viaeld. “I thought it would be a nice surprise for him if he won,” she said. About a week later when she was back at the co-op, she decided to put her own name in the box. “I was just hoping I would win a Dairy Star mug or something. I didn’t think I would win the calf,” she said. The day of the drawing, her nutritionist called her down to the co-op. “He told us to be there in 10 minutes because someone wanted to meet us,” she said. It was a representative from the Dairy Star to share the good news about her big win. “I was very surprised,” she said. Henny will join the Nuses’ herd, which consists of two Holsteins and four Jerseys with the rest being Milking Shorthorn, which they call Gold Mine Milking Shorthorns. All of their animals are registered and classied. “Milking Shorthorns have been milked by our family since 1887,” Nus said. Nus grew up as the fth generation on her family’s dairy in Clayton County. After graduating from Iowa State University with a dairy science degree, she dairy farmed with her grandparents until she and Nathan were married in 2004. At that time, Nus moved her cows to Nathan’s farm to join him. The couple works together with Nathan’s dad and brother, who also milk 40 Milking Shorthorn and Holsteins in a separate barn; however, they run their 500 acres together. Quality genetics is important to the Nuses. “We believe in a balanced, wellrounded pedigree,” Nus said. “Grandpa liked cows that milked and had high type so we try to follow that philosophy.” This year they sent three bulls to A.I. and currently have the No. 1 expansion type cow in the breed. They have also had many cows on the PPR list and own the No. 1 PPR Genetic Expansion cow along with being the breeders of the No. 1 PPR Herdbook cow that is owned by a breeder in Wisconsin. “I do all the mating and breeding,” Nus said. “I take that job very serious-
ly.”
Milk production is also a big factor in their breeding decisions. In the past, they have also been top in the country for production for the Milking Shorthorn breed. Their rolling herd average is usually between 21,000 to 22,000 pounds of milk. “My husband is very meticulous with the nutrition, crop and forage details. He values high quality forages and every aspect of the ration is scrutinized. We work well together. Attention to herd health and cow-side practices are high priority,” Nus said.
“But I love white Holsteins with black spots. I love Henny’s speckles.” JODY NUS, HEIFER WINNER
In addition to production, Nus said in the Milking Shorthorn breed they are also starting to focus on components. Nus’ experience with the Holstein breed is slim and focuses mainly on Red and Whites. “But I love white Holsteins with black spots. I love Henny’s speckles,” Nus said with a smile. Winning Henny and adding her to their herd will be learning experience for Nus. “This is helping me expand my genetic knowledge of the breed,” Nus said. She has already started contemplating bulls for mating options and thinks Henny will make a good show heifer next season. If that’s the case, Henny will spend the summer at the Henkes family’s farm in Luana, Iowa. The Henkes family and the Nuses are good friends. “We’re a closed herd and we don’t show, but we sell a lot of high prole animals that do show,” Nus said. Regardless if Henny shows or not, Nus is excited to have her join their herd. “I think she’s great. I love her pedigree and it will be very complementary to our breeding philosophy,” Nus said. “She will be well loved.”
Kapsner wins custom pedal tractor
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Kruz Kapsner, pictured with his grandmother, Mary, and Mo Durheim from the Farmers & Merchants State Bank of Pierz, Minn., was the winner of the pedal tractor in the Dairy Star’s Great Christmas Heifer Giveaway contest. Kruz is the son of Nick and Jolene, who milk 60 cows with Nick’s parents, Mary and Darvin. The Kapsners had registered at the bank.
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016 • Page 7
ConƟnued from JOB | Page 1 knew, they kept it a secret from Jonathon until the calf was at home. “We wanted it to be a surprise,” David said. On Dec. 20, Alice left for Melrose, Wis., at 8:30 a.m., to pick up the calf with David’s parents, Louis and Mathilda Job, and family friends, Loren and Jane Scherping, while David stayed home to do chores. “We told Jonathon that I was picking up decorations for a meeting we were hosting to keep him in the dark,” Alice said. As evening chores rolled around, Jonathon got ready to feed the calves like he normally does, but David stalled him until the calf arrived. “I told him to wait since I had cleaned the pens earlier that day and hadn’t fed the calves their hay until later,” David said. Thankfully, Jonathon believed him. “I didn’t think anything of it,” Jonathon said. But when the truck pulled in the driveway and backed up to the calf barn with a box in the back, Jonathon knew something was up. He waited in the calf barn with his brother, Philip, 12, to nd out what was going on. Once the Brown Swiss calf came out of the back of the truck, Alice told him he had won.
MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR
The Jobs – (from leŌ) David, Alice, Jonathon and Philip – have a new Brown Swiss calf on their farm. Jonathon is the youth winner of the Dairy Star’s Great Christmas Heifer Giveaway. The Jobs milk 55 cows near Freeport, Minn. “My heart was beating so fast,” Jonathon said. “I couldn’t believe it.” During school the rest of the week, Jonathon told his friends about his prize animal
and his plans to spend time with Jamaica in the future. “I might take her to the fair at some point, and I’m just going to take really good care of her,” Jonathon said.
But for now, he is enjoying the moment with his very own Brown Swiss calf. “This is going to make calf chores a lot of fun for me now,”
Jonathon said. “This is the best Christmas present because I’ve always wanted to have a brown calf and now, I have one and it is mine.”
& Happy New Year!
from the Minnesota Milk Producers
Association Board of Directors
DAIRY MANAGEMENT WORKSHOPS Wednesday, January 25 Rochester Tuesday, February 7 Perham Wednesday, February 8 Sauk Centre Thursday, February 9 Hutchinson Thursday, March 2 Owatonna
Front, left to right: Bob Dombeck, Marianne Peterson, Kristine Spadgenske, Shelley DePestel, Dave Buck, Kindra Carlson. Back, left to right: Roger Peters, Pat Lunemann, Garrett Luthens, Craig Roerick, Michael White, Jerry Jennissen, Rick Smith. Not pictured: Cassie Czech.
We look forward to seeing you in 2017!
www.mnmilk.org
More power than expected Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
When reviewing the 2016 election, Cook Political Report analyst David Wasserman said rural America has more power than many thought. “Hillary Clinton forgot to campaign through half of the country. Her bus tour through rural Pennsylvania lasted one day. She never advertised in Wisconsin and Michigan until the very last minute. She paid the price for it.� Wasserman is looking ahead to the mid-2018 elections, saying Democrats have lots of seats to defend in very red territory.
Fasten your seatbelt Change is a constant on Capitol Hill. That’s particularly true with the new Trump Administration. Agri-Pulse president Sara Wyant is making that point. “There is a lot to watch with the Trump
transition. We also have a lot of new members coming in at the House and a couple new ones in the Senate. With a White House controlled by a Republican, as well as both chambers of Congress, it has a lot of Republicans optimistic and Democrats scared about the next four years.� Pruitt picked for EPA Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt has been selected as the next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. In the past two years, Pruitt has gone to court to challenge the Obama Administration’s Waters of the United States rule. American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said Pruitt should help ease the regulatory burden coming from EPA.
Vilsack shows support for Branstad Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack supports the nomination of his fellow Iowan, Governor Ag Insider Terry Branstad, as the nation’s ambassador to China. “There’s probably no better person in America today that’s better suited for that job than Terry Branstad, because he’s tenacious, he understands trade and has a relationship with Chinese leaders.â€? By Don Wick 2017 projections Columnist U.S. milk production is expected to increase in 2017. At the same time, demand is strong. World Agricultural Outlook Board Chairman Seth Meyer said domestic sales of butter and cheese are forecast to rise. “Expectations for cheese is higher so despite large stocks of cheese, strong demand is putting some support underneath those prices.â€? Export demand is also expected to increase for products, like nonfat dry milk. CoBank report offers optimism for dairy industry The outlook for dairy farmers is improving. According to a new report from CoBank, milk prices will beneďƒžt from new export opportunities and gains in processing and production efďƒžciency. Processing capacity has not kept pace with the growth in milk production, but new plants and plant expansions are expected in the next couple years. Global milk supplies decline Rabo AgriFinance said milk supply from dairy export regions has fallen sharply, declining by 2.6 million tons in the second half of this year. Milk volumes in Europe are down. Domestic demand is also up in the United States and Europe. Most of the domestic demand growth is for cheese and butter. Rabo AgriFinance expects the spread in prices across the dairy complex stocks will remain wide, with demand for butterfat driving the market and surplus protein weighing on the market.
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Alfalfa checkoff begins next month For the ďƒžrst time, an alfalfa checkoff program will be implemented in 2017. The $1-per-bag of alfalfa seed assessment will be used to fund research initiatives. The National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance is seeking input through its website to determine research priorities.
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A different approach for Fabian The start of the Minnesota legislative session takes place in the ďƒžrst week of 2017. With this session, Representative Dan Fabian will take over as chair of the House environment and natural resources committee. The Roseau Republican is taking a reform-minded approach. “When you look at the election results, there’s a strong sentiment we are over-regulated and the regulations are so burdensome,â€? Fabian said. “I’ve talked to agencies and I told them I recognize you have to put together a budget, but it will be a lot easier to put together a budget when I see the reform ideas you bring forward.â€? Fabian would like to see a different tone coming out of the Governor’s ofďƒžce. In Fabian’s view, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has taken a combative approach with agriculture. “I think it will take a lot of work to try and ďƒžgure out a way to partner with agriculture and listen to the concerns of agriculture.â€? BWSR seeks input on buffer law The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources is seeking feedback on the state’s buffer law. In particular, BWSR wants input on its jurisdiction policy, enforcement procedures and the model county and watershed district rules. Comments will be accepted through January 9. Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016 • Page 9
ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8
Watching neonics One year ago, Minnesota farmers were up in arms over the buffer bill, which was considered one of the most contentious bills ever for the state’s farmers. Legislative changes have been made to affect only public ditches and give soil and water districts the power to implement and enforce the law, rather than the state. Bruce Kleven, who lobbies for Minnesota agriculture groups, said the biggest concern for farmers now is Governor Mark Dayton’s executive order on neonicotinoid insecticides. Kleven said the “verication of need” language is unprecedented. “Once the product is registered, you’re required to follow the label and follow the law. This concept of verifying the need to the government or another third party is something we’ve never seen before.” Dairy merger Prairie Farms Dairy and Swiss Valley Farms are working on a merger. The deal needs approval from co-
operative members. If approved, the merger should be nalized by mid2017. Prairie Farms is based in Illinois and has 35 processing plants. The headquarters for Swiss Valley Farms is at Davenport, Iowa and the co-op has plants in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. Trivia challenge The average U.S. dairy herd has 187 cows. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, what state does Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Pat Roberts represent? We’ll have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is a partner and broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.
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It's Christmas Everywhere!
On the farm and in the town, Goodwill and cheer are all around, In the mountains and the valley too, Signs of the season are on view So wherever you are, North, south, east or west... We’re sending you our very best And hope glad tidings come your way To brighten up your Christmas Day!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Minnesota Dairy Herd Improvement Association 307 Brighton Avenue South Buffalo, MN 55313 1.800.827.3442 www.mndhia.org
Merry Christmas!
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
A passion consistent with his practice
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MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR
Greg Walz goes over a client’s le at his law office. Walz is a lawyer at Walz Law Office in St. Cloud, Minn., and milks 50 cows on his dairy farm near Richmond, Minn.
Walz manages dairy farm, works as attorney Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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RICHMOND, Minn. – It is not uncommon for Greg Walz to wear dress pants and a suit coat, as well as barn clothes and work boots on the same day. Although they are on complete opposite spectrums, Walz needs both wardrobes as a dairy farmer and an attorney at law. Walz is a lawyer at Walz Law Ofce in St. Cloud, Minn., and milks 50 cows with his wife, Sandy, and their children, Nicole Luhr, Joseph, 23, Jacob, 21, Jessica, 19, Ali, 17, and Andie, 13, near Richmond, Minn. “It keeps me engaged in life,” Walz said about balancing both careers. Walz is in the ofce ve days a week by 8 a.m., but his day starts in the barn each morning by 5 doing chores with his son, Jacob. With legal hearings being part of the job, Walz adjusts schedules with his family and employee, Steve Burg, to make sure chores are done on the farm. “I try to have a system in place, so we’re well prepared,” Walz said. “We make sure there is someone
around.” Most days, Walz is back on the farm by 5 p.m. for chores with his daughter, Jessica. For the past 29 years, Walz has been a licensed attorney and now runs his own law rm. “When I was young, I read about every single supreme court case,” Walz said. “I enjoyed those cases where it was difcult to distinguish the winners and losers.” Eventually, Walz pursued a career as a lawyer. “I saw a lot of injustice being done around me to people I loved,” Walz said. “I wanted to have the tools to deal with injustice as an adult.” Although he represented clients in a wide variety of cases over the years, Walz began to focus on workers’ compensation cases with his skills and expertise. “I didn’t have to re-educate myself when a new case came through,” Walz said. “I specialized and became more efcient.” But, Walz still dedicates his time to his clients. “I don’t treat it like a one time thing,” Walz said. Turn to WALZ | Page 11
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Greg Walz and his daughter, Jessica, get ready to do evening chores on Dec. 5.
MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016 • Page 11
ConƟnued from WALZ | Page 10 “That person is putting their life in my hands, and I want to earn their respect and trust. I want to do something to make things better in the end.” Ironically, that mentality along with specialization and efciency has bled over to how he has managed his dairy for the past 10 years. “My passion is consistent with my practice,” he said. “I try to bring some of my thought processes and implement them on the farm.” Walz and his family milk their cows in a 28-stall tiestall barn he built in 2006 with a bedded pack area attached to house fresh cows and older cows in milk. During milking, Walz monitors the cows to help with his breeding decisions. “I want to do more than just milk cows,” Walz said. “I want to preserve genetics for future generations.” Walz’s breeding decisions are based on the cows’ pedigrees and choosing traits that make things more efcient down the line, like his law practice. One trait in particular is A2A2 milk, which is milk free of the A1 betacasein. “It’s easier to digest with a lot of health benets,” Walz said. The A2A2 milk, according to Walz, does not cost as much to dry down and the creameries can make more cheese and by-products out of that milk. “By breeding for it, the plant is able to make more cheese out of milk faster with less costs,” he said. “It also takes less effort from the cow.” Walz also tries to get the most milk with the least amount of input and waste. He accomplishes that by keeping his milk urea nitrogen (MUN) levels at 11 instead of 15. “It’s more efcient that way,” Walz
MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR
Greg Walz looks at the pedigree of one of his cows during evening chores on Dec. 5. said. “The research I’ve seen has shown that for every two points of MUN you increase, you lose a half a pound of protein in the milk. I may not have the most milk, but the quality is there.” Walz is able to maintain those MUN levels through his ration, which consists of 60 percent forages. Walz has 400 tillable acres of land where he grows alfalfa, corn, soybeans and small grains. “I hire most of my eldwork done,” Walz said. “I don’t have a lot of ma-
chinery with the nancial pressure, and we have a farmer nearby that’s willing to do it.” With Walz’s job off the farm, having someone else take care of the eldwork works to his advantage, especially when it comes to harvesting forages. “I don’t have to nd time to harvest it by a certain time with my schedule and I get consistent, quality forages,” he said. “That is No. 1. I want to get the most protein in my forages as I can to reduce the amount of commodities I’ll
need for my ration.” Although it costs money to hire the work done, Walz feels it is well worth it. “That cost is virtually nothing if I get the quality of feed to improve my milk production and components,” Walz said. “I don’t have the time invested or the equipment and repairs.” The harvested forages are stored in bags. “I don’t do any vertical storage,” Walz said. “The bags are easily accessible, there’s less spoilage and there’s no depreciation on the stave silos.” Even his high moisture corn is stored in bags at 30 percent moisture. “We started using that because we don’t have to pay for drying costs and it’s more palatable and efcient for the cows to use,” Walz said. “We are using the same commodity with no additional cost.” Walz tries to be efcient with his TMR mixer, especially in the winter months. “Since the feed doesn’t spoil due to temperatures, we ll the mixer to the top in the morning,” Walz said. “I run the machine less often, saving wear and tear on the mixer. It also saves on tractor fuel and labor. I cut my costs just by using the machine to its full capacity.” By focusing on efciency, Walz feels he is optimizing his return on investment. “I’m taking advantage of the skill I have from my law practice,” Walz said. “It’s like investing in stocks, but it’s something I can touch.” Despite having to balance both his law ofce and the dairy farm, Walz would not have it any other way. “I’m doing something I enjoy,” Walz said. “It keeps me young, and I am taking advantage of a gift and opportunity I’ve been given.”
Remember Merry Christmas! We’d like to take this opportunity to present our sincere thanks for the loyal support our producers and advertisers have shown us in 2016. Your trust in us is truly a gift.
the Reason for the Season DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
Industry news addressed with help from your neighbors
A closer look by Jennifer Coyne
More milk, more cows, less farms
2016 solidied industry trends
Location of Dairy Cows—2011. One Dot = 1,500 Cows.
For decades, the dairy industry has developed a trend of fewer farms and more cows – and 2016 proved to be no different. As the year comes to an end, it is estimated that Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin harbor more than 2 million milking cows – 7,000 Leo Timms more cows than in ISU 2015 – throughout 14,000-some licensed farms, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). “We’re down farms, but nothing more than we’ve ever been,” said Leo Timms, dairy specialist with Iowa State University. “That trend has been going on forever.” A mirror of years past Since the early 1900s, the U.S. dairy industry has seen its bouts of highs and lows as the number of farms has decreased yet production and aniTurn to TRENDS | Page 13
Produced by Mark Stephenson University of Wisconsin
The locaƟon of cows has shiŌed to certain pockets in the U.S., including the Midwest, as depicted in this graph produced by Mark Stephenson, University of Wisconsin.
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313 S Main St. Inwood, IA 51240
For more info, contact Rick Tamm, 320-267-5021 Greenwald Elevator
Jack Stamschror Kellogg, MN (507) 259-0269
Timberline Dairy Service Joe Graber Kalona, IA (319) 656-3527
307 7th Street SE Freeport, MN
Thursday,
All seminars start at 10:00 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. Lunch is provided
Sherman Schueler 330-987-3159 Willmar, MN John Dockendorf (320) 894-4808 Greenwald, MN (320) 290-1240 Cleeson Mill Travis Schlosser Altura, MN Miltona, MN (507) 458-5907 218-639-1727
Luxemburg Feed Service
Wednesday
Dale Ommodt, CCA Crop & Livestock Nutrition Atwater, MN (320) 212-3190
Winscher Seeds Mike Winscher 320-282-6748 Shawn Winscher Royalton, MN (320) 420-4516
Lee Kurtenbach
Mechanicksville, IA (319) 241-5105
Peak Forage Products LLC
Benjamin Arlt
Natures Best
Tim Huffman 608-574-7918 Nelson Horst Adam Decker 608-988-6855 Canton S.D. Kevin Zimmerman (605) 359-0765 608-574-7918
Natures Best
Big Stone City S.D. (651) 331-8865
Jason Mickelson Frazee, MN 218-849-3137
Mervin Beachy St. Ansgar, IA (641) 381-0054
DJ Cattle Co.
Daryn Yoder Leon, IA (641) 344-6002
Chad Tesch Canton S.D. (605) 759-5622 Dan (Boone) Uphoff, Sioux Falls S.D. (605) 321-1862
Natures Best Roger TeSlaa
Inwood, IA
(605) 370-2249
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016 • Page 13
ConƟnued from TRENDS | Page 12
mal units continue to increase. “The number of farms in the U.S. in every state peaked in the 1930s,” said Mark Stephenson, University of WisconsinMadison. “We’ve been losing farms since.” Whether it’s because of age, business nances or the lack of interest from the Mark Stephenson next generation, UW-Madison producers exit the industry each year. Marin Bozic from the University of Minnesota said the industry’s exit rate was greater during the dairy crisis in the 1980s than it has been in recent years. “In the ‘80s, that percentage was 10; in the ‘90s it was 6 to 8 percent,” he said. In 2006, there was an estimated 22,765 dairy farms in the Marin Bozic Upper Midwest University of MN between Iowa (2,230), Minnesota (5,295), South Dakota (600) and Wisconsin (14,640); that value fell to 18,445 ve years later. The current exit rate of the industry is roughly 4 percent, Marin said. “This has been a long-term trend and it’s not going to change,” Stephenson said, “but it’s not going to speed up either.” Historically, the choice to discontinue dairying has been two-fold – market conditions either entice a producer to leave the industry, but continue farming the land, or there are no interested individuals willing to take on the operation. “This is a double-edged sword,” Timms said. “Older facilities do not entice younger generations, but also farmers don’t want to lose their equity.” Despite the loss of farms, those remaining in the industry continue to grow. “The question is, ‘Can the people who are in and those coming in match those going out?’” Timms said. Factors contributed to 2016 With 2016 numbers solidifying the direction of the industry, there were notable factors that contributed to those changing values. Unlike in 2009 when many producers left the industry due to low milk prices and high feed Dave Weinand prices, the last MN Dept. of Ag 12 months were workable with the poor milk market but low cost of feed. This allowed producers who chose to stay in the industry maintain or grow their operation. “I actually anticipated the cow numbers to remain stable, but they grew this summer,” said David Weinand, who works with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. “We continue to see consolidation in the industry and increasing herd sizes over time.”
Weinand said 84 farms left Minnesota’s industry in 2016. But the Midwest remains an attractive dairy region in the U.S. with tillable lands and weather conditions suitable for dairy farming; capitalizing on these traits has helped the industry prosper. In South Dakota, the industry has grown with the available resources and eager producers. “South Dakota has put effort into recruiting family farms that are looking to grow their business for the next generation,” said David Skaggs, South Dakota Department of Agriculture. This year, South Dakota is home to 115,000 David Skaggs milking cows, with SD Dept. of Ag more than 30,000 that are permitted waiting for constructed facilities in the coming year. As a whole, this trend has been recognized throughout the Midwest. “We’re going through a growth spurt,” Stephenson said. “We’re using our resources more intensively to meet the needs of dairy farming.” Timms agreed. “Years when the feed is cheap, producers make more silage,” he said. “During tough times, these dairies can use those acres as swing land for cash.” All in all, the past year left the industry in stable condition with opportunity to prosper. “We’ve been through a couple tough years, but we’ll be ready to go when the prices go up,” Stephenson said. Opportunities on the horizon A much-needed change in the industry could be close. With 2017 nearing, many are hopeful for improved milk production, markets and a surge in farm transitions, particularly in the Upper Midwest. “Unfortunately, we’re still in a valley, but dairy travels in a cycle,” Weinand said. “We’re expecting to see milk prices improve in the next six months.” State governments and organizations are aiding dairy producers through grants and initiatives to facilitate in further developing the industry in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. “The Midwest is always going to have farms,” Timms said. “We’re a pocket where people come and build and always will stay here.” Bozic agreed. “We have a few cow islands across the nation where we see a surge in milk production,” he said. “This includes the I-29 Corridor, western Minnesota and eastern Wisconsin.” Additionally, the industry continues to evolve with a growing demand for niche markets, including goat milk production and specialty dairy products. “We’ve never been more diverse in terms of size, input, all of it. There’s tremendous opportunity in the industry for anybody,” Timms said. Skaggs agreed. “I see continued growth in new farms, some expansion of existing dairy farms and more cows,” he said. “We all produce a tremendous, wholesome protein that everybody needs.”
YOUR Annual Dairy Checkoff Meeting is Coming Up!
Date
Time
Locations
District Director
1/4/17
11:30 a.m.
Falls Ballroom, Little Falls
Ron Rinkel
Greenwald Pub, Greenwald
Corrine Lieser & John Merdan
American Legion, Montgomery
Barb Liebenstein
1/18/17 11:30 a.m.
Zumbrota VFW, Zumbrota
Keith Knutson
1/27/17 11:30 a.m.
Browerville Community Center, Browerville
Debi Clasemann
1/13/17 11:30 a.m. 1/16/17
Noon
Extended Program Yes 1
1/28/17
Noon
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm
Paul Fritsche
2/3/17
11:30 a.m.
Pizza Ranch, Alexandria
Suzanne Vold
2/7/17
10:30 a.m.
The Cactus, Perham
Kristine Spadgenske & Ken Herbranson
Yes 2
2/9/17
10:30 a.m.
Crow River Winery, Hutchinson
Charles Krause & Kevin Buss
Yes 2
2/14/17 11:30 a.m.
The Oaks, Willmar
Tom Walsh
Yes 3
Armed Forces Reserve Community Center, Cambridge, MN
Kathy Skiba
Lewiston Silo School, Lewiston
Rita Young
2/15/17
Noon
2/24/17 11:30 a.m. 3/2/17
10:00 a.m.
Cabela’s, Owatonna
Karen Kasper
3/6/17
Noon
Stewartville Legion, Stewartville
Chris Sukalski
3/7/17
11:30 a.m.
McIntosh Community Center, McIntosh
Dan Grunhovd
3/9/17
11:00 a.m.
Pizza Ranch, Slayton
Dave Schwartz
3/11/17
Noon
Tobies Big Kettle Room, Hinckley
Peter Ripka
3/13/17
7:30 p.m.
American Legion, Millville
Jim Dose
4/1/17
7:30 p.m.
Good Times, Caledonia
Carolyn Freese
Yes 4 Yes 5
ADDITIONAL COUNTY ADA LOCAL MEETINGS 3/16/17
7:00 p.m.
Branding Iron, Preston
Carolyn Freese
EXTENDED PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
1. Guest Speaker: Lucas Lentsch, Midwest Dairy CEO 2. 2017 Dairy Outlook: Marin Bozic, University of Minnesota Selective Dry Cow Therapy - We Can Do this! Dr. Erin Royster, UMN Vet Med. 3. Guest Speaker: Kindra Carlson, MMPA Director 4. Preparing for the next $12 milk, Gary Sipiorski, Vita Plus Utilitizing puts, calls, futures, and options; Jason Vavra, AMPI 5. Guest Speaker: Dr. Brad Heins, University of Minnesota
Producers may attend the meeting closest to them. At some locations, County ADA business may be conducted so please contact your county leadership to learn more.
MidwestDairy.com
Also, visit MidwestDairy.com or call 1-877-577-0741 for more meeting locations and dates!
Page 14 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
O Night Divine
May the warm light of our Savior’s love illuminate your path at the holidays and all year.
We wish you all the blessings this special season holds.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV)
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From Our Side Of The Fence
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016 • Page 15
What will you remember about 2016?
Kevin Makos Argyle, Wis. Lafayette County 65 cows
Henry Burkholder Jr. Thorp, Wis. Clark County 45 cows
David Jansen Emery, S.D. Hanson County 100 cows
Curt Banach Pierz, Minn. Morrison County 55 cows
What will you remember about 2016? The almost-perfect growing season and the tremendous yields for everything.
What will you remember about 2016? The low prices. Something good I’ll remember from this year, though, is the crops. Our crops turned out excellent, so I’m hoping they balance out the low milk price.
What will you remember about 2016? We were terribly dry throughout the summer, but somehow managed to grow a crop on nothing but sprinkles and dew. The fall regrowth of alfalfa that’s out in the eld now looks better than all of the cuttings we took this year.
What will you remember about 2016? In August, lightning struck a shed which burned down. I plan on rebuilding when the milk prices get better.
What was the highlight of the year for you – farming and family? We have enjoyed getting the boys interested and involved with showing cattle at the county fair and getting to go to most of their baseball games during the summer. Describe a challenge you overcame in the past year. Other than the obvious, too much rain and low milk prices, we had a period of several months where we experienced a lot of fresh cow problems. Ketosis and LDA surgeries haunted us. It took a lot of discussions with veterinarians and our nutritionist, but we have made changes to the dry cow ration that have made a huge difference. What plans do you have for 2017? No big plans or changes are in the works. What are your holiday traditions? We like to go as a family every year to pick out a Christmas tree. Basically, we spend time Christmas eve and Christmas day with family. Tell us about your farm. My wife, RaeAnn, and I bought our farm from my parents in 2012. We farm 270 acres of corn and alfalfa. We built a new freestall barn in 2014 and installed a Lely robotic milker. We milk 65 cows and raise all of our bull calves to nish out as steers.
What was the highlight of the year for you – farming and family? We had two daughters out of school this year, which has been nice to have extra help around the farm. The cows did good this year, too. This summer we put in a new barn oor for us to store hay on. Describe a challenge you overcame in the past year. The biggest challenge was making enough money to get the bills paid with the low prices. What plans do you have for 2017? We have plans to nish the new barn oor. We have started on construction projects around the farm, such as building a new garage. What are your holiday traditions? This year, we are planning to have my wife’s family here, weather permitting. Otherwise, we do not do any special trips; just a big family dinner. Tell us about your farm. We started the farm in 1996 with our rst batch of 24 cows. My family moved here from Pennsylvania to a farm just down the road. When I bought this farm, I wasn’t married and the house had just burned down, so I rebuilt. We raise 152 acres of corn, beans, grass hay and alfalfa and milk in a 45-stall tiestall barn.
What was the highlight of the year for you – farming and family? Managing to get a crop despite the dry weather. Our oldest son graduated from college with a master’s degree in public accounting and landed a job with an accounting rm in the Twin Cities. Describe a challenge you overcame in the past year. Taking care of the cows when it was hot and humid. We didn’t lose anyone, and it looks like everything will turn out all right. What plans do you have for 2017? We don’t plan on expanding. Hopefully, Mother Nature will be kinder to us, and we’ll have a better crop growing season. Next spring, our second oldest son will be graduating from South Dakota State University with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture engineering. What are your holiday traditions? Our family gets together and has a big meal and opens presents on Christmas Day. Then we will all go to church as an extended family. New Year’s Day is another day in that the cows still need to be milked and fed. We will spend the afternoon together as a family watching a movie. Tell us about your farm. We are a 100-cow dairy and do everything ourselves. My wife, Lori, works off the farm. Our two youngest sons, twins Brooks and Brandon, are in eighth grade and are my main help.
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What was the highlight of the year for you – farming and family? In February, I wasn’t feeling well and it wound up being that I was low in Vitamin D. They gave me pills to take for three months, and it was a 180 degree turnaround. I’ve felt great ever since. Describe a challenge you overcame in the past year. I added hydrogen peroxide to my water. It kills the bacteria that was infecting my cattle. It also reduces or dissolves manganese in the water. What plans do you have for 2017? I plan to maintain and try to keep the bills down. Hopefully, the milk and beef price will come up. What are your holiday traditions? My sister and her three kids and I get together at Mom and Dad’s on Christmas day for dinner. For New Year’s Eve, I usually get invited to a friend’s place. Tell us about your farm. I own 240 acres and milk cows. I plant corn and alfalfa. My dad and I each own our own land, but we work together on eldwork. I also have 50 beef steers every year that I feed out. My nephew, Jordon Przybilla, helps on the farm part time.
Turn to FENCE | Page 16
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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
ConƟnued from FENCE | Page 15 at Kimball Area High School. She also had a good year in cross country and track and eld. We love to watch the girls run as much as the cows allow. Describe a challenge you overcame in the past year. It was tough to get the corn and small grains planted because of the rains. It was also hard to get the corn cultivated and hay made. What plans do you have for 2017? We are going to down size cow numbers. Anna is planning on joining her sister Emily at SDSU next fall. We will be the only ones around to do the chores.
John and Chris Donnay Kimball, Minn. Stearns County 45 cows What will you remember about 2016? We will remember that God blessed our family with good health and plenty of rain for our pastures and crops. The hay and corn were outstanding. The fall turned out to be really nice. What was the highlight of the year for you – farming and family? Organic farming was good this year because of the rains. We always had pastures for the cows to graze and never ran out of grass. The cows milked well. The overall health of the cattle was great. Our daughter, Maria, moved to Washington to attend Washington State University for the master’s program in animal science. Our son, Matthew, recently got engaged and works for Backyard Reections in Annandale. Emily is attending South Dakota State University in Brookings, S.D., and runs cross country and track and eld. Anna is a senior
What are your holiday traditions? Christmas with our children is celebrated Dec. 23 with a meal and gifts. After dinner, we drive to Clearwater to see the Christmas light display. On Dec. 24, we see Santa at my sister’s house. For Christmas, we travel to John’s side for more food and gifts. New Years Eve is always celebrated with friends. First, we go out for pizza in Cold Spring. Then after pizza, we play a dice game called Mexican train. Tell us about your farm. We have a 300-acre organic dairy. We were certied organic in 2005. Rosie and Florian Donnay, John’s parents, bought the farm in 1965 and we bought the farm in 1986. We raise a few pigs and chickens for our own use. We also sell eggs. Our daughters, Emily and Anna, have three gardens where they grow all organic vegetables.
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Scott Otte Randolph, Minn. Dakota County 400 milking cows
Tim Sondag Appleton, Minn. Swift County 38 cows
What will you remember about 2016? Getting to use the new barn addition for the rst full year. The new addition houses about 90 lactating cows in a freestall pen on slatted oors, and also includes our transition/calving pen on a bedded pack.
What will you remember about 2016? Denitely the crops – the yields have been good, especially the soybeans. Considering the dry weather we had May through June, and our rst rain in July, my soybean yields were excellent. They yielded 55 bushels per acre or more on sandy soil. That’s better than I’ve ever seen. I also missed the tornado that came through this summer by three miles. I think that’s pretty lucky.
What was the highlight of the year for you – farming and family? For the farm, the highlight was seeing total cow numbers increase and having a very good year with reproduction numbers. The highlight of the year on a family level was getting married to my wife, Ashley, in early November. Describe a challenge you overcame in the past year. Besides the obvious low milk prices, we have been trying to increase cow numbers, so that’s a little bit of a challenge. Finding good cows/heifers to buy to help that increase can be a challenge lately, too. What plans do you have for 2017? Once we get to the herd size we want to be, we can focus on increasing production next year. As far as family goes, this past year has been very eventful, so were hoping to maybe just take the upcoming year as a year to relax and enjoy the little things. What are your holiday traditions? Every Christmas eve, my dad’s side of the family gets together to exchange gifts, eat and have our annual euchre tournament. On Christmas day, my mom’s side of the family comes to my parents’ house for dinner and gifts. We don’t have any traditions for New Year’s other than spending a portion of it with the cows. Tell us about your farm. We are a fourth generation dairy farm, and we milked in an old barn that is now a calf barn on the farm until 1994. That’s when the parlor that we are currently in today was built, and when Triple O Dairy was formed. My dad, Jay, my uncle, Kerry, and my grandpa, Bill, started Triple O Dairy together. All three had equal ownership in the farm until my grandpa passed away in 2010, and now my dad and uncle own it together. I came back to the farm full time about three years ago, and have taken over a portion of the management on both the dairy and crop sides of the farm. Along with milking around 400 cows, we raise our heifers and steers, which totals about 1,100 animals on the farm. We also run a little over 1,700 acres of corn, soybeans, alfalfa, wheat and canning crops.
KNOW WHERE TO GO FOR YOUR DAIRY NEWS
What was the highlight of the year for you – farming and family? I was able to get ve crops of alfalfa and two crops of meadow grass hay – and it was good hay. We had timely rains July through fall that helped with that. We had a low-key year with the family, no weddings or anything. Describe a challenge you overcame in the past year. These last few years, I’ve been nding more twins on the farm. In the last year, I’ve had three sets and am expecting two more sets, one after the rst of the year and another in February. For the size of my farm, that’s rare and I don’t know why it’s happening. It’s always a challenge changing from summer to winter. We got 12 inches of snow in November, then rain and muddy yards. Now we have snow. That can be rough. Overall, the year’s been good, and I can’t complain. What plans do you have for 2017? I’m not changing anything on the dairy. I’m just going to take one day at a time and see what happens. What are your holiday traditions? My family comes to my house for Christmas dinner. We have the meal at noon and then sit around and visit for the rest of day. My sister and I both milk, so we have to start dinner early so we can do chores at night. For New Years, we don’t do anything special – it’s just another day. Tell us about your farm. I own 360 acres of land, 240 of which is tillable for alfalfa, corn and soybeans. I feed out all of my Holstein steers and milk the cows in a tiestall barn. My dad bought the farm in 1972, and I’ve transitioned into the owner from Mom. I started in 2007, so 2017 will be 10 years dairy farming on my own.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016 • Page 17
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
Repro Leaders
Variety of factors help SunBurst Dairy achieve 36 percent preg rate SunBurst Dairy Brian, Yogi and Cory Brown Belleville, Wis. Dane County 493 milking cows What was your pregnancy rate average last year? Our herd’s pregnancy rate is 36 percent.. What is your rst service conception rate? The rst service conception rate is 59 percent.
What is your reproduction program? How do you get cows pregnant? Cows are set up with double ovsync. Before pregnancy checking, cows are set up so if declared open, they are inseminated three days later. Do you use seasonal breeding or avoid certain months? No, with cooling systems (fans and sprinklers) in place, heat is not as much of a concern as it used to be.
CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Brian Brown (right) and his family, along with their herdsman, Alfonso, milk 493 cows on their farm, SunBurst Dairy, near Belleville, Wis. SunBurst Dairy has a current preg rate of 36 percent and a rst service concepƟon rate of 59 percent. How often do you do pregnancy checks? Weekly. CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR
The Browns do not overcrowd pre-fresh, post-fresh and milking pens in order to maintain a high level of cow comfort and reduce cow stress.
What is your breeding philosophy? How do you select bulls? What traits do you focus on? Does fertility play a role in bull selection? I like
to use good genetics. It’s an in- If a sire has a bad trait, chances vestment you don’t start to see are we will not use that bull. a return on for three years. We Fertility traits are noted and if use a mating program. I like to poor, we probably won’t use visually evaluate 2-year-olds. those bulls much, especially Everything is pedigree mated. on a hard breeder. We also reI like medium sized cows with fer to fertility information from respectable milk and good legs. Dairy Comp. Turn to REPRO LEADERS | Page 20
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016 • Page 19
Merry Christmas The Gift of Love The Gift of Peace The Gift of Joy, from that humble stable to all mankind.
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We thank you, our customers, for sharing your stories with us in 2016, and we look forward to seeing you at these upcoming 2017 shows and others throughout the year... Keystone Farm Show, York, PA-Jan. 10-12, 2017 PA Dairy Summit, Lancaster, PA-Feb. 8-9, 2017 World Ag Expo, Tulare, CA-Feb. 14-16, 2017 NY Farm Show, Syracuse, NY-Feb. 23-25, 2017
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
ConƟnued from REPRO LEADERS | Page 18 What percentage of your herd is bred through A.I. or a bull? Our herd is bred using 100 percent A.I. If you use A.I., who breeds your cattle? Brian and our herdsman, Alfonso, breed our cows. If we need a backup, Jason Goke from Accelerated Genetics helps. Mark Wallace from Accelerated Genetics breeds heifers. Do you have a different philosophy when breeding heifers versus cows? Heifers are chalked and bred. If there are no signs of estrus, the vet will check them and decide what direction to take. What do you do to settle hard breeders? We don’t have any
certain protocols. We evaluate each situation, and if they have a history of difculty breeding they may be marked as do not breed (DNB). How many times do you try to breed a cow before you sell her? We may go to 250 days in milk versus times bred. Each cow’s status is evaluated individually. What is your target size/ weight/age for breeding heifers? The heifers are bred by age. We target 23 months at rst calving. Is there anything you have done or changed that brought about a signicant improvement in your reproductive program? Through the years,
CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Brian Brown looks through a sire booklet. The herd at SunBurst Dairy is bred using 100 percent A.I.
CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Fans and sprinklers help maintain cow comfort on SunBurst Dairy.
as we have learned more about animals and facilities, we have made adjustments to what we do on the farm. We don’t overcrowd pre-fresh, post-fresh and milking pens. Cooling systems, nutrition, double prostaglandin the week of breeding and keeping animals calm have helped with our breeding pro-
THE SPIRIT BUILDINIS G!
gram. We keep a close watch on our nutrition program, too. Tell us about your farm. SunBurst Dairy is owned by Brian and Yogi Brown. There are three generations actively involved. Our son, Cory, is involved with all aspects of the farm. He is transitioning
into the operation and his ancé, Katy, helps feed calves on weekends. Brian’s father, Gerald, helps with cropping and maintenance. We operate 750 acres of owned and rented land, with half of the acres for corn and half for alfalfa. We have nine employees.
MASTITIS – a good thing??? The goal for monthly new infection (mastitis) rates used to be under 2%. Dr. David Reid (past Director of Milk Harvest at BouMatic) stated in a recent Progressive Dairyman issue “I tell people 7 percent or less”. It was further noted that the mastitis profile at the featured dairy was consistently 6 to 7 percent with Reid stating “that’s a good thing”. Are you really ok with BouMatic, DeLaval, GEA and Dairymaster robbing you of your profits? Is a 7% per month mastitis rate a good thing to you?? We believe that you should be under 1% - stop the theft and milk your cows with the only milking system proven to deliver the results you expect!
University research proven to achieve a 94% reduction in new infections!
Call Us Today! 18508 1 1850 8508 08 Co C County oun unty ty Rd Rd 130, 130 13 0 Paynesville, MN 56362 • 320-243-7815 Visit our website for more buildings www.borklumber.com
Need to see it to believe it? Try our demo unit at your farm today! CoPulsation™ Milking System LR Gehm, LLC 607-849-3880 Dealers Wanted!
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016 • Page 21
Recently repriced equipment for year end
See our complete inventory with pictures and descriptions at:
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Price Reduced
269,000
2012 JD 9460 RT $ # 125925
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888-320-2936 1140 Centre St.
(7) = ALEXANDRIA 888-799-1490 5005 State Hwy. 27 E
(8) = PAYNESVILLE 866-784-5535 725 Lake Ave. S.
(9) = PRINCETON 800-570-3453 3708 Baptist Church Rd.
(10) = LITTLE FALLS 800-655-5469 16069 Hwy. 27 E.
(11) = WADENA 888-631-2311 62505 US Hwy. 10
9 11 5 4 5 4 6 1 2 2 7 4 8 2 1 4 3 2 8
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2 3
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1 5 6 10 6 9 11 1
ARTICULATED 4WD TRACTORS JD 8560, 1989, 9900 hrs., #127263 .................................................. $26,500 JD 9300, 1997, 4445 hrs., #132726 .................................................. $79,000 JD 9400, 1996, 6200 hrs., #134367 .................................................. $79,000 JD 9520, 2006, 5016 hrs., #110315 ................................................$141,500 JD 9630, 2010, 1746 hrs., #123341 ................................................$209,000 JD 9560R, 2013, 2226 hrs., #127914 ................................................$235,000 JD 9460R, 2014, 617 hrs., #125963 ................................................$249,000 JD 9460R, 2013, 550 hrs., #134628 ................................................$259,000 JD 9560R, 2012, 1661 hrs., #133796 ................................................$269,000 JD 9560R, 2013, 208 hrs., #123386 ................................................$279,000 JD 9520R, 2015, 211 hrs., #124593 ................................................$329,000 JD 9620R, 2015, 455 hrs., #125913 ................................................$399,000 COMBINE PLATFORMS JD 630F, 2004, #134110..................... $16,500 JD 630F, 2006, #133946..................... $18,000 JD 635F, 2009, #131606..................... $24,500 JD 635F, 2008, #132156..................... $25,000 JD 635F, 2011, #125837..................... $25,000 JD 630F, 2011, #113753..................... $25,900 JD 630F, 2011, #133185..................... $25,900 JD 635F, 2010, #134267..................... $25,900 JD 615P, 2016, #133554 .................... $26,000 JD 615P, 2016, #133555 .................... $26,000 JD 630F, 2012, #126623..................... $27,900 JD 635F, 2012, #118150..................... $33,900 JD 635F, 2013, #133692..................... $37,500 JD 630F, 2016, #134347..................... $38,900 JD 640FD, 2013, #125673 ................. $75,000 COMBINES JD 9500, 1989, 4400 hrs., 3300 sep., #132034 .................................................. $32,500 JD 9500, 1995, 4340 hrs., 3091 sep., #134360 .................................................. $39,500 JD 9600, 1995, 5000 hrs., 190 sep., #133728 .................................................. $39,500 Case 2388, 1999, 4479 hrs., 3309 sep., #134648 .................................................. $45,000 Case 2388, 1999, 4446 hrs., 3233 sep., #133693 .................................................. $49,500 JD 9650 STS, 2000, 3293 hrs., 2189 sep., #126187 .................................................. $58,500 JD 9550, 2003, 3115 hrs., 2153 sep., #132427 .................................................. $69,000 JD 9660 STS, 2004, 2242 hrs., 1525 sep., #132570 .................................................. $89,000 JD 9760 STS, 2004, 2642 hrs., 1763 sep., #107702 .................................................. $98,900 Case IH 8010, 2006, 2125 hrs., 1506 sep., #132086 ................................................$109,900 JD 9770 STS, 2009, 2597 hrs., 1919 sep., #124372 ................................................$130,000 JD 9570 STS, 2008, 1563 hrs., 1084 sep., #115868 ................................................$145,000 JD 9870 STS, 2009, 1722 hrs., 1293 sep., #106732 ................................................$152,900 JD S670, 2012, 2360 hrs., 1711 sep., #128689 ................................................$165,000
4 8 7 2 9 1 5 8 9 9 7 11 5 2 8 8 3 2 3 13 12 4 12 13 12 13 4 2 4 4 13 8 5 7 13 13 13 11 10 1 6
JD 9770 STS, 2009, 1861 hrs., 1289 sep., #117362 .........................................$165,000 JD S660, 2012, 1765 hrs., 1385 sep., #133738 ................................................$175,000 JD 9570 STS, 2010, 908 hrs., 682 sep., #122037 ................................................$179,000 JD 9770 STS, 2010, 1466 hrs., 1080 sep., #118492 ................................................$180,000 JD S680, 2012, 1910 hrs., 1275 sep., #134377 ................................................$224,000 JD S670, 2013, 1230 hrs., 904 sep., #134165 ................................................$229,000 JD S680, 2013, 1860 hrs., 1318 sep., #134536 ................................................$231,000 JD S690, 2013, 1362 hrs., 1051 sep., #131692 ................................................$240,000 JD S660, 2014, 545 hrs., 420 sep., #132631 ................................................$260,000 JD S660, 2014, 396 hrs., 89 sep., #116531 ................................................$265,000 JD S690, 2013, 1255 hrs., 855 sep., #119306 ................................................$265,000 JD S660, 2015, 578 hrs., 196 sep., #117457 ................................................$269,000 JD S670, 2014, 662 hrs., 488 sep., #133494 ................................................$285,000 JD S660, 2015, 386 hrs., 245 sep., #125946 ................................................$295,000 JD S670, 2015, 383 hrs., 290 sep., #124831 ................................................$305,000 JD S670, 2015, 290 hrs., 168 sep., #125750 ................................................$325,000 JD S680, 2015, 500 hrs., 380 sep., #134530 ................................................$359,000 JD S670, 2016, 185 hrs., 150 sep., #133717 ................................................$369,000 JD S690, 2016, 443 hrs., 350 sep., #134554 ................................................$392,000 COMPACT TRACK LOADERS JD CT322, 2006, 2100 hrs., #133832 .................................................. $24,995 JD CT322, 2006, 3290 hrs., #131411 .................................................. $26,900 NH C227, 2011, 982 hrs., #133181 .................................................. $27,900 JD 319D, 2010, 463 hrs., #130278 .................................................. $36,900 JD 323D, 2011, 1050 hrs., #134454 .................................................. $41,900 Case IH TR270, 2016, 17 hrs., #132330 .................................................. $47,000 JD 317G, 2016, 147 hrs., #133454 .................................................. $47,900 JD 333D, 2012, 690 hrs., #130565 .. $51,900 JD 323E, 2015, 282 hrs., #129368 ... $52,900 JD 323E, 2015, 147 hrs., #134295 ... $56,300 JD 323E, 2015, 165 hrs., #130570 ... $57,000 JD 329E, 2013, 424 hrs., #121156 ... $57,900 JD 329E, 2014, 419 hrs., #128337 ... $59,500 JD 329E, 2014, 240 hrs., #131459 ... $61,900 JD 333E, 2014, 550 hrs., #133945 ... $63,900 JD 333E, 2016, 293 hrs., #134167 ... $70,900 JD 333E, 2015, 180 hrs., #134320 ... $71,500 JD 333E, 2016, 205 hrs., #134366 ... $71,900 CORN AND ROW CROP HEADERS JD 693, 1996, #131820 ...................... $15,900 Drago N8TR, 2003, #132087 ............ $18,400 JD 693, 2005, #134028 ...................... $18,900 JD 1293, 2007, #132423 .................... $18,900
1 4 6 1 10 2 7 6 8 4 7 5 6 4 4 2 7 7 6 1 11 7 1 2 3 8 2 5 3 10 6 1 10 1 10 6 7 10 11 4 11 11 2 2 5 5 11 1 5 8 1 6 4 10 4 4 9 9 2 8 7 5
Geringhoff RD830B, 2004, #132061 .................................................. $18,900 JD 893, 1996, #134171 ...................... $19,000 JD 1293, 2005, #116503 .................... $21,900 Harvestec 4308C, 2006, #133685 ... $22,500 Geringhoff ROTA-DISC 1200B, #127038 .................................................. $23,000 Drago N6TR, 2010, #133807 ............ $23,000 Fantini 6R30, 2010, #133739 ........... $25,900 Geringhoff ROTA-DISC 830B, 2006, #107701 .................................................. $27,500 Harvestec 4112C, 2009, #127253 ... $35,000 Geringhoff ROTA-DISC 1200B, 2007 #134621 .................................................. $39,900 Geringhoff 1622, 2007, #132675 .... $47,900 Geringhoff ROTA-DISC 1222, 2007 #118082 .................................................. $48,900 JD 612C, 2008, #127007.................... $49,500 JD 612C, 2009, #126839.................... $52,900 JD 606C, 2013, #116470.................... $53,900 JD 606C, 2013, #132993.................... $53,900 JD 612C, 2009, #133911.................... $57,500 JD 612C, 2009, #103694.................... $58,000 JD 612C, 2013, #122102.................... $59,500 JD 608C, 2013, #126457.................... $59,900 JD 608C, 2013, #125707.................... $60,900 JD 612C, 2012, #106737.................... $74,900 JD 612C, 2013, #125221.................... $79,900 JD 612C, 2014, #134078.................... $85,000 JD 612C, 2014, #126845.................... $98,900 JD 612C, 2015, #126164.................... $99,500 JD 612C, 2016, #134111..................$109,000 JD 618C, 2013, #107764..................$119,000 DISKS JD 650, 1999, #126844 ...................... $18,000 JD 637, 2000, #130806 ...................... $20,900 Landoll 6230, 2008, #134260........... $20,900 JD 637, 2005, #131583 ...................... $29,000 JD 637, 2011, #126287 ...................... $33,500 Krause 8200, 2013, #131061 ........... $36,000 JD 2623, 2013, #126300 .................... $38,900 JD 2623, 2014, #126778 .................... $39,900 Salford 570RTS, #131148 ................... $43,900 JD 2623, 2014, #126286 .................... $45,900 JD 2623, 2013, #108452 .................... $49,500 JD 2623, 2013, #108855 .................... $51,900 JD 2623, 2016, #118461 .................... $83,900 Summers 9K4727, 2015, #129015 .. $89,500 FIELD CULTIVATORS JD 985, 1995, #130971 ...................... $18,000 Case TIGER MATE II, #129749 .......... $25,000 JD 2210, 2005, #119916 .................... $32,900 JD 2210, 2006, #119500 .................... $37,900 JD 2210, 2007, #102810 .................... $37,900 JD 2210, 2005, #120515 .................... $39,500 JD 2210, 2009, #131140 .................... $44,900 JD 2210, 2011, #106313 .................... $52,900 JD 2210, 2010, #102073 .................... $54,900 Case IH 200, 2011, #129150............. $55,000 PLANTERS: DRAWN JD 1750, 2004, #127953 .................... $19,500 JD 1750, 2007, #134453 .................... $19,900 JD 1750, 1998, #123390 .................... $20,000 JD 1750, 2001, #127462 .................... $20,500 JD 1780, 1997, #127222 .................... $28,500 JD 1750, 2013, #131524 .................... $36,500 JD 1780, 2001, #134553 .................... $42,500 JD 1770, 2004, #120099 .................... $42,900 JD DB44, 2008, #131589 ................... $58,500 JD 1790 CCS, 2004, #124998 ........... $61,900
8 2 10 2 10 4 4 1 5 2 4 3 7 4 7 6 1 5 8 4 2 8 10 12 8 7 1 1 1 9 7 5 3 6 6 2 4 2 8 4 4 11 10 4 1 1 10 8 5 8 8 8 6 2 12 1 4 4 6 4 6
JD 1770NT, 2008, #106973 ............... $65,900 JD 1790 CCS, 2004, #125700 ........... $67,900 JD 1790 CCS, 2007, #118810 ........... $67,900 JD 1760, 2014, #114182 .................... $69,500 JD 1770NT, 2010, #120512 ............... $71,500 JD 1770, 2011, #132629 .................... $72,500 JD 1770NT, 2010, #131019 ............... $75,000 JD 1770NT, 2010, #123272 ............... $77,500 JD 1770NT, 2012, #117386 ............... $89,500 JD 1770NT, 2014, #120447 ............... $89,500 JD DB44, 2005, #134620 ................... $89,900 JD DB58, 2008, #131528 ................... $92,500 JD DB44, 2007, #127876 ................... $93,900 JD 1770NT CCS, 2013, #125129 ....$115,000 JD DB44, 2013, #131588 .................$145,000 JD DB66, 2009, #101972 .................$149,000 JD DB44, 2014, #114004 .................$169,000 JD DB44, 2014, #114081 .................$169,000 JD DB44, 2014, #132329 .................$169,000 PLANTERS: INTEGRAL JD 7300, 1997, #126928 .................... $16,000 JD 1720, 2006, #120108 .................... $35,000 JD 24R22, #127252 ............................. $39,000 SKID STEER LOADERS JD 332, 2005, 6900 hrs., #131737... $16,500 JD 320, 2005, 2931 hrs., #126912... $18,900 JD 260, 2002, 2279 hrs., #134262... $20,500 Bobcat S185, 2008, 5666 hrs., #134431 .................................................. $20,900 JD 315, 2014, 27 hrs., #113452 ........ $28,900 JD 315, 2014, 42 hrs., #113451 ........ $28,900 JD 318D, 2013, 245 hrs., #134270... $29,900 JD 318D, 2011, 389 hrs., #134073... $30,900 JD 332D, 2011, 2749 hrs., #117927 .................................................. $30,900 JD 320E, 2014, 1748 hrs., #125994 .................................................. $32,000 JD 318D, 2012, 95 hrs., #134617 ..... $32,450 JD 318D, 2010, 317 hrs., #126439... $32,900 JD 320E, 2015, 1551hrs., #134169 .. $32,900 JD 326E, 2014, 1951 hrs., #126744 .................................................. $33,500 JD 320E, 2015, 142 hrs., #127651 ... $33,900 Bobcat S590, 2013, 757 hrs., #131472 .................................................. $35,900 JD 318E, 2014, 612 hrs., #125356 ... $36,900 JD 326E, 2014, 860 hrs., #127652 ... $37,500 JD 320E, 2014, 175 hrs., #118329 ... $38,500 JD 320E, 2014, 115 hrs, #121065 .... $40,900 JD 328E, 2014, 579 hrs., #123437 ... $40,900 JD 318E, 2015, 45 hrs., #118133...... $41,500 JD 326E, 2014, 430 hrs., #125552 ... $41,500 JD 320E, 2014, 429 hrs., #125588 ... $41,900 JD 320E, 2015, 30 hrs., #126180...... $41,900 JD 326E, 2015, 375 hrs., #134033 ... $42,000 JD 326E, 2014, 210 hrs., #131457 ... $42,900 JD 332E, 2014, 1345 hrs., #132664 .................................................. $42,900 JD 326E, 2014, 490 hrs., #128883 ... $43,500 JD 320E, 2015, 115 hrs., #130568 ... $43,900 JD 328E, 2014, 830 hrs., #125591 ... $43,900 JD 326E, 2015, 150 hrs., #128590 ... $44,000 JD 326E, 2015, 136 hrs., #118578 ... $44,900 JD 326E, 2015, 200 hrs., #127008 ... $46,000 JD 332D, 2012, 612 hrs., #127231... $46,000 JD 328E, 2014, 531 hrs., #127230 ... $49,500 JD 332E, 2014, 748 hrs., #132327 ... $49,900 JD 328E, 2016, 200 hrs., #131549 ... $51,000 JD 332E, 2015, 274 hrs., #131496 ... $51,900
Price Reduced CIH 8010, 2006, 2117 hrs., 1506 sep., #132086 $
109,900
JD S690, 2013, 1362 hrs., 1051 sep., $ #131692
240,000
JD S670, 2015, 230 hrs., 140 sep., #125750 $
325,000
‘09 JD 9870 STS, 1722 hrs., 1293 sep., $ #106732
152,900
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
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is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB. © 2016 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296
Is your calf barn ventilation ready for winter?
Having good and adequate ventilation for your calves is crucial for overall health and prevention of respiratory disease. With fall turning to winter, it’s a good idea to review your ventilation now so you can avoid problems down the road. A component of ventilation that is sometimes overlooked is the stocking density of your calf pens. Just like cows, calves of all ages have space requirements that need to be met in order to keep them comfortable and healthy. Simply measure your pens and calculate total square footage, then divide by the numBy Dan Martens ber of animals in the pen. Do U of M Extension your numbers match up with the following suggestions? According to the Dairy Housing and Equipment Handbook, baby calves aged 0-2 months need a minimum of 30 square feet per animal. Weaned calves aged 2-4 months also need about 30 square feet. Heifers aged 4-8 months require 40 square feet of space per head, and heifers aged 8-12 months require 50 square feet. These square footage measurements are for a bedded pen or pack area, and do not include feeding area. For weaned calves, feeding area requirements are 18 inches with slant bar dividers. For 4-8 month old heifers, it’s 15 inches per animal and for 8-12 month old heifers, it is 17 inches per animal. Another important component of ventilation and the one we probably think of the most often is ventilating rates. Ventilating rates vary based on the age of the animal and the current weather conditions. The following rates are given in CFMs, which is Cubic Feet per Minute and measures the velocity of airow. This information can also be found in the Dairy Housing and Equipment Handbook. For baby calves aged 0-2 months, the CFM requirements are 15 in cold weather, 30 in mild weather, 65 in warm weather, and 100 in hot weather. Note that this requirements are per calf, so if you have 15 calves in your barn at this age during cold weather, they would require 225 CFM all together. For calves and heifers aged 2-12 months, CFM requirements are 20 in cold weather, 40 in mild weather, 90 in warm weather, and 130 in hot weather. So if you have 15 older calves in hot weather, their CFM requirement is 1,950 CFM. Calf ventilation plays an important role in keeping your calves healthy, and knowing what your calves’ space and ventilation requirements are, are the rst steps in making sure ventilation is adequate. I’ll add that ventilation and space needs are equally important for older animals. Aim for uniform distribution of air to reduce drafts or pockets of stale air. Condensation in livestock facilities and a noticeable ammonia smell can indicate that ventilation is not adequate. This also points to the need to maintain adequate and dry bedding. This helps to keep animals dry, warm and comfortable as well as reducing moisture and ammonia in the air. Getting wet bedding out of pens when the weather allows also gets moisture out of buildings. As the weather turns cold, it’s also important to remember that livestock of all ages and sizes need more energy. Young calves need 1 percent more energy for every degree colder than 50 degrees in their hutch or shed. For calves primarily on milk or milk replacer, that means 30 percent more when they are in an environment at 20 degrees compared to 50 degrees. Calves use 25 to 35 percent of their energy for immune system function – their defense mechanism against health issues. Pen space also means having room at the feed bunk. Cattle that are shy or smaller and crowded at the bunk will start to drop behind the bunch, especially with colder weather. Hunched-up cattle with rough hair coats can be headed for more serious problems, and not growing efciently. Check waterers frequently. I’d guess most of us have been digging out the lined coveralls, and putting an extra blanket on the beds as winter has delivered some cold and windy weather. Emily Wilmes, Stearns County Extension, provided information for this article.
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016 • Page 23
Meant to be farming
Carpenters honored as Wadena County Farm Family of the Year By Missy Mussman missy@dairystar.com
MENAHGA, Minn. – Around Menahga, people know the Carpenter family for putting in robotic milkers and for their involvement in the community. The combination of those two is what earned the Carpenter family the 2016 Wadena County Farm Family of the Year Award. Rodney and Janet along with their son and daughter-in-law, Josh and Erin, and their children, their sons, Ryder, 9, and Nash, 1, and Rodney’s brother, Dean, milk 140 cows near Menahga, Minn. “We appreciate being recognized for what we do everyday,” Rodney said about receiving the award. Josh agreed. “We don’t look to get recognized,” he said. “We just do what we do.” The Carpenters were notied about the award this spring. “We were surprised,” Josh said. “We didn’t think we were doing anything special to receive it.” But in fact they had, especially over the last three years with Josh serving on the local FFA alumni board as vice chair. “I wanted to be an advo-
cate for farming in our local community,” Josh said about joining the board. “I also wanted there to be an FFA chapter around for my kids when they’re old enough.” Josh felt this board has been instrumental in keeping the program at the school. “If the alumni board wouldn’t have been started, the people in the school district may have thought we wouldn’t need the program anymore,” Josh said. “We need to keep making our voice heard.” Josh and his board members provide scholarships to students going into the agricultural eld or are involved in the FFA program. As the vice chair on the board, Josh has some goals he hopes to set for the upcoming years. “I want to be more pro active with younger kids in the schools,” he said. Josh is also a local administrative area representative for the Farm Service Agency in the Menahga area, is active in his church with his family, plays on the local baseball team and has served as coach and manager. “Our family has been part of it since 1956, including my dad, uncle Dean, grandpa and
MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR
The Carpenter family – (from leŌ) Josh, holding Nash, Erin, Ryder, Rodney, Ruth and Janet – are the 2016 Wadena County Farm Family of the Year. The Carpenters milk 140 cows on their farm near Menahga, Minn. my great uncles,” Josh said. county dairy princess. class, which has a mixture of His mom was also active “They were very accom- farm and non-farm students. off the farm volunteering in plished,” she said. “We try to do that every Josh’s and his sister’s activities Josh is providing that op- chance we can,” Josh said. “It’s when they were younger. portunity for his adopted son, something they don’t always “She was our advocate,” Ryder, by helping with his get to see. It gives them a conJosh said. “We were able to wrestling team. cept of what we do everyday.” do what we wanted because of “I go to every practice and Josh, Rodney and Dean her.” give rides to kids that need farm together in partnership. Janet would not have had one,” Josh said. Most cows are milked in it any other way with Josh The Carpenters also open Turn to CARPENTERS earning FFA’s Star in Place- their farm to the high school’s | Page 25 ment award and Rachel being a introduction to agriculture
Merry. Bright. Magical. Joyous. Healthy Happy. Lucky. Blessed. Here’s hoping your Christmas and New Years is all that and more! From Your Friends at Sunrise Ag! LITTLE ROCK, MN 320-584-5147
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Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016 • Page 25
ConƟnued from CARPENTERS | Page 24 the Galaxy Astrea 20.20 robot, which milks two cows with one arm, while 30 cows are milked in the old double-6 herringbone parlor. “We milk the cows that struggle with the robot in the parlor along with our lower producing or late lactation cows,” Josh said. “It’s more efcient use of the robot. They’re fed different in the parlor than they are in the robot, too. The feed in the parlor is way cheaper than what’s fed in the robot.” The lower producing and late lactation cows are housed in the freestall portion of the barn containing stalls bedded with mattresses and straw. The higher producing cows and fresh cows are usually housed on the bedded pack portion of the barn. “But we move some of those higher producing cows to the freestalls as there is room,” Josh said. “If we have a fresh cow coming in, someone gets moved into the freestall barn.” Each day, Dean milks the cows in the parlor, Janet feeds the calves and takes care of four grandchildren, and Rodney and Josh take care of the cows in the robot. Josh manages the nutrition and herd health, while Rodney takes care of the nances. While Josh is busy on the farm, Erin is busy working two different jobs off the farm and taking care of the kids. “She’s very understanding when it comes to some of the long days we have,” Josh said. The farm has seen a lot of changes since Warren and
MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR
The Carpenters – (from leŌ) Janet, Rodney and Josh – go over projects that need to be completed on the farm on Dec. 20. Emma Carpenter, Rodney’s grandparents, started the farm in 1943. Rodney’s parents, Calvin and Ruth Carpenter took over the farm in 1951 and ran the farm until Calvin passed away in 1982. “I came back to farm when my dad died,” Rodney said. “I didn’t want the farm to be sold, and I told my mom I would farm for a year to see how that works out.” Rodney stuck with it from then on. “I wanted more of a challenge than being an electri-
cian,” he said. “Dairy farming provided that.” Shortly after taking over the farm, Rodney nished what his dad had planned. He nished building the 30-cow stanchion barn to replace the old one. “We grew the herd at an average of 7 percent each year after that,” Rodney said. “So, when it took two and a half turns through the tiestall barn to milk, it was time to make a change.” By 2000, the family built a 90-cow freestall barn and a double-6 herringbone parlor,
the one still used today. “The cows came to us and we started doing drive by feeding with the TMR,” Rodney said. Josh graduated from Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar, Iowa, with a major in dairy science in 2005, and returned home to farm with his dad and uncle. “When I was in ninth grade, I was set on coming back to the farm,” Josh said. “Dad never forced me into it. It just evolved in me. I enjoyed it.” Over the next 10 years, the
herd continued to grow internally. “We were too crammed for what we had,” Josh said. “We had to do something different for the cows we were milking.” The Carpenters looked at several options before landing on the robots. “We either had to go to three milkings and hire more people or we could do the robots,” Josh said. “The robots looked best on paper, so we went that route.” The Carpenters took out a few stalls in the freestall barn to make room for the robot and added a 67- by 160-foot bedded pack barn. “It made things easier to enjoy time with our family,” Josh said.”We had a more exible schedule, while still spending the same, if not more, time with the cows.” But it has not been all smooth sailing. “It hasn’t been the easiest of transitions,” Josh said. “The cows transitioned well but there have been a few complications.” Despite the challenges, the Carpenters are continuing on with the technology. “We’re going to keep trying to progress and move forward,” Josh said. And the Carpenters are continuing to do what they love – dairy farming. “There are days that are frustrating, but I wouldn’t be as happy as I am doing anything else,” Josh said. “Everyone has a place in this world. I believe I’m here to be a farmer.”
TO ALL OUR CUSTOMERS
“Working with Bill in the design and planning phase of the barn was great. Bill was very helpful and informative. The curtains got scheduled at the right time in the project, and the crew was efÀcient. The curtains handle the strong winds well on top of the hill. It is great to be able to manage the barn environment to keep it comfortable for the cows. The curtains are so easy to use, as my cousin said, ‘Wow, anyone can run them’.”
Beef Barn 642’ of curtain
“The curtains are easy to use. They are a durable, heavy curtain & they are holding up well. In the winter they don’t Áop around in the wind. We are happy with our purchase, and will be adding additional curtains. The installation crew did a good job. They worked late when they needed to, and did a great job cleaning up afterwards.”
Matt Strief • Farley, IA
New Day Dairy, Daniel & Lynn Bolin • Clarksville, IA Randy Greidanus, Farm Manager for Snudden Farms Lake Geneva, WI
Ron Carpenter, Lamont, IA
E&M Farms Ossian, IA
540’ of curtain
“Most of the curtains were put in over the last 3 years. We’re happy with our investment, the curtains are durable and easy to manage. The installation crew did an excellent job.”
Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
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Livestock losses due to extreme cold temperatures
We at FSA want to wish all of our producers and agricultural partners a happy holiday season. We realize time is precious with snow piling up, frigid temperatures and much work to be done, but hopefully you can nd some time to relax and enjoy with family and friends. With the recent frigid temperatures, I wanted to remind farmers of the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) FSA News & Notes which provides assistance to eligible producers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather and attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law. LIP compensates livestock owners and contract growers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather, including losses due to hurricanes, oods, blizzards, wildres, extreme heat or extreme cold. For extreme cold, we look at the temperature and wind speed from multiple weather reporting sites in the county to determine if there is an extreme By Ryan Brunn cold weather event that would qualify for payments. Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. Eligible losses must occur no later than 60 calendar days from the ending date of the applicable adverse weather event or attack. A notice of loss must be led with FSA within 30 days of when the loss of livestock is apparent. Participants must provide the following supporting documentation to their local FSA ofce no later than 90 calendar days after the end of the calendar year in which the eligible loss condition occurred: • Proof of death documentation • Copy of grower’s contracts • Proof of normal mortality documentation • Management decisions implemented to prevent livestock losses USDA has established normal mortality rates for each type and weight range of eligible livestock, i.e. adult beef cow, 1.5 percent, and non-adult beef cattle (less than 400 pounds), 5 percent. These established percentages reect losses considered expected or typical under normal conditions. Producers who suffer livestock losses in 2016 must le both of the following: • A notice of loss the earlier of 30 calendar days of when the loss was apparent or by Jan. 30, 2017 • An application for payment by March 30, 2017. Additional information about LIP is available at your FSA ofce or online at www.fsa.usda.gov. Farm Service Agency is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Visit the Farm Service Agency Web site at: www.fsa.usda.gov/ for necessary application forms and updates on USDA programs.
You’ve been so kind and generous, and we’re so very grateful. Thank you for making 2016 an outstanding year for us.
Your Cow Comfort and Barn equipment Specialists
Our journey of transitioning the farm
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016 • Page 27
Yes, it is possible for a Gopher and a Jackrabbit to work together. Despite our different collegiate experiences, my dad and I get along. My name is Laura Rosenhammer, and I am working towards fullling my goal of owning my family’s dairy farm. In upcoming columns, my dad and I will take turns sharing our dairy farming transition experiences over the next year. We will elaborate on how we’ve been able to compromise on aspects such as which cows to breed, which animals to cull, whether or not to invest in rumination collars, deciding between By Laura sand and mattresses, when to call Rosenhammer the vet and much more. The Transition Pen Our farm, Roseview Dairy, is located in Sleepy Eye, Minn. My grandparents started farming in 1959 with just a few cows, and in 1998, my dad and uncle, Greg, formed a partnership and took over. We currently milk 200 Holsteins and run 580 acres of cropland. We grow our forages and sell the excess grain. On the farm, we each have our own By John area to manage. I am in charge Rosenhammer of herd health, record keeping The Transition Pen both with cows and nancials, working with veterinary consultants and creating and implementing protocols. My dad does all the breeding, takes care of the calves, assists with herd health as needed, schedules employees, does maintenance and xing, and is the source of new ideas and projects. Greg is in charge of working with the nutritionist, mixing feed, morning scraping, purchasing seed, selling grain, planning crop rotations and organizing eldwork. My dad attended SDSU for dairy science and then returned to the farm. He is involved in the Brown County Holstein association, is the 4-H dairy superintendent, serves on the County ADA board and volunteers for 4-H and FFA events. He is driven to breed cows that stay in the herd for several lactations and are nice to look at. At 55, he has more energy than most 18 year olds. He spends lots of time coming up with new ideas for renovating our barns and making improvements. I grew up a typical 4-H dairy kid, which included activities such as dairy judging, dairy knowledge bowl, showing at county and state fairs, and, of course, many dairy related conferences and workshops. All of the contacts I made through 4-H and FFA led me to my decision to attend the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities. As a Gopher, I studied animal science-dairy production and applied economics. I was involved with Gopher Dairy Club, Agricultural Education Club and my sorority. During my senior year of college, I debated job opportunities, but always talked myself out of them because I knew I wanted to be at home on my farm where I was very eager to implement my new knowl-
E-EDITION
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edge. However, after a tour of Gar-Lin Dairy I talked ment was best for her. Each day brought cows with to my roommate, Rachel Friese, about applying for different challenges, which allowed me to continue their internship. Thankfully she put her foot down and learning from each experience and make better deciwouldn’t allow me to pass up the opportunity. sions. Following graduation, I set out for what I thought It’s now been an entire year at home where I’ve would be three months of been an employee who is working at Gar-Lin; howallowed to make decisions. ’ now b been an entire i year at I’ve reformed our vaccine ever, that turned into a year, IIt’s and then into a year and a home where I’ve been an protocols, reproductive half before I felt condent programs, record keeping enough with my herdsman employee who is allowed to and am looking forward to skills to head home and try make decisions. tackling nutrition this year. things on my own. Working We hope you follow on another farm taught me along on our journey starthow to be an employee, not ing the transition process. just one of the owner’s kids. I worked with two very Laura Rosenhammer farms with her father, John, experienced herdsmen, who taught me to examine on Roseview Dairy near Sleepy Eye, Minn. They milk each cow, analyze her situation and decide what treat- 200 Holsteins and run 580 acres of cropland.
Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Betty Berning bberning@umn.edu 320-203-6104
Calf raising thoughts
Rafael Bisinotto rbisinot@umn.edu 612-625-3130
I recently attended and presented at the University of Wisconsin-Extension 2016 Calf Management Seminar event in Altoona and Kimberly, Wis. Tom Earleywine from Land O’Lakes Milk Products discussed nutritional impacts on calf health and helped the audience understand myths and truths about calf management. One of the myths is that reducing failure of passive transfer will stop all calf health problems. Although excellent colostrum management is critical, just doing this would By Marcia Endres not be sufcient to improve calf health. High U of M Extension plane of nutrition with consistent milk or milk replacer at the right temperature is also essential (among many other factors). Some operations are now feeding three quarts three times a day. The amount of energy a calf consumes needs to be calculated correctly and it is a combination of volume and concentration of nutrients. Equations used to convert brix percentage to solids are not correct because brix does not measure fat well. Each milk replacer will have a different concentration of fat and level of fat encapsulation which makes the measurement difcult. One aspect that hit home with me which Earleywine emphasized during his talk was water quality. Calves can’t tolerate high levels of sodium, for example, and many farms use water softeners which add sodium to the water. Something to pay attention to along with other minerals that might be present in the water. In addition, bacterial contamination of the water can cause health problems, but water bacterial analysis is not routinely done on farms. Earleywine gave an example of a farm in California having many sick calves and not being able to identify the problem as he was doing his best to clean equipment, give calves electrolytes, etc. Their water source was contaminated with Cryptosporidium – this water was being used to prepare the milk replacer, mixed with the electrolytes, mixed with the disinfectants and fed to the calves. Testing the water for standard plate and coliform counts would be a good practice to make sure the best quality water is being used for your most susceptible cattle age group. Some of the other factors Earleywine mentioned necessary for optimum calf performance included excellent cleaning and sanitation, adequate housing and good ventilation.
Hugh Chester-Jones chest001@umn.edu (507) 835-3622 Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu (612) 624-5391 Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu (320) 589-1711 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu (612) 625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu (320) 732-4435 Kota Minegishi kota@umn.edu 612-624-7455 Randy Pepin pepin019@umn.edu (320) 333-1369 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu (320) 203-6093 M. Scott Wells mswells@umn.edu 612-625-3747 Emily Wilmes krek0033@umn.edu (320) 255-6169
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David Kammel, extension dairy engineer specialist at UWMadison, discussed key aspects of designing or remodeling group housing facilities for preweaned calves. There are many details to consider such as group size, pen design, ventilation, bedding management and resting space. Kammel said a group system reduces isolation and weaning stress for the calves, allows for automated feeding, protects workers from weather and improves labor exibility, individual calf computer records can be available and a good environment can be provided to the calves. Some of the limitations of group housing include increased risk of disease transmission, compromised ventilation, varying age ranges of calves and the need for large amounts of bedding. Some of the keys for success in group housing include excellent ventilation design; bedding management to maintain a clean and dry pen; adequate resting, milk, starter and water access; small groups (12 to 15 calves appear to be manageable); limited age range within groups (ideally no more than 21 days); if possible manage as all-in all-out system to break disease cycle; and identify and treat sick calves quickly. Kammel prefers natural ventilation, but well-designed mechanical systems can work. Positive pressure ventilation tubes are supplemental and help especially when there is less natural air movement. The barn should be designed for 130 percent of the average calving rate in order to prevent overcrowding of calf groups. Kammel suggests 35 to 50 square feet of resting area per calf (this does not include feeding and watering areas) depending on bedding management. Calves lie down 17 hours per day, so the area where they rest should be kept as clean and dry as possible. Drainage in resting and feeding areas is very important. Feeding calves in groups can be done with gang feeders milk bars (mob feeders), ad lib acidied milk feeders or automated feeders. The milk feeder station space is a wet area; Kammel recommends a 6 to 8 foot elevated and/or drained platform made of concrete that provides condent footing. The water space should be separate from the milk and starter grain feeder area and provide two inches per calf perimeter; water should be free choice and a frost proof and an easy to clean waterer should be used. Starter grain feeder space should be 12 inches per calf. On the specic topic of automated calf feeders, keys to success include excellent colostrum management; clean, dry, comfortable bedding; adequate resting space per calf; excellent ventilation; quality and quantity of milk; small group sizes; clean and calibrated feeder equipment; and clean nipples and feeder hoses.
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Who makes the decisions on your farm?
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016 • Page 29
It seems like a simple question, really: Who makes the decisions on your farm? Your response is likely yourself, you and your spouse, you and your siblings, your parents, or something similar. What if the question was rephrased to say: Who inuences the decisions on your farm? Would you answer the same way? Or would the answer change? It is important to know how decisions are made on your farm, and inuences By Emily Wilmes what them. U of M Extension Think back to my last Dairy Star article about farm teams. I came up with a large list of people to include on your team, such as herdsmen, nutritionist, veterinarian, breeder, lender, and FBM instructor, among many others. You likely look to these people for guidance or when you have questions, and it is likely some of them also serve as inuencers on your decision-making process. Want to know how or what they inuence? Map it out. Oreszczyn, Lane and Carr (2010) conducted research with farmers in the United Kingdom about webs of inuencers. The researchers conducted interviews with farmers, and at the start of each interview, farmers completed a mapping exercise (Figure 1). Farmers wrote the inuencers on their farm business on sticky notes. Next, they placed each of those inuencers on a circular grid. The grid was made of concentric circled labelled one through six moving
outward. The center circle was labeled running the farm as a business/farm decision making. Individuals or groups the farmer felt had a larger inuence on the farm were placed closer to the center of the circle. Those with less impact were placed on one of the outer circles (see Figure 1). The researchers took all of the maps created by the farmers and placed the inuencers into one of three categories: foreground inuencers, mid-ground inuencers and background inuencers. Individuals as well as organizations were included in this breakdown. Some foreground inuencers included family members, employees, agronomists and research organizations. Mid-ground inuencers included contractors, other farmers, vendors and media. Background inuencers included mostly groups like government agencies and the community. An exercise like this provides a visual aid for farmers to see the inuencers on the farm and their inuence level. In addition, this is something that can easily be done on any farm, at any time. It can be benecial for farms that have several family members or other partners involved, as these people usually manage different areas of the dairy, and you may not know who they work with regularly. Start by asking everyone to contribute to the list of inuencers you are going to include on your map. Think about any person or organization you have had contact with (or has had contact with you) in the last year. This should provide a sufcient list of individuals and groups. It may be especially helpful to complete an inuence map before a big decision is made or during farm transition planning. Knowing who your fore-
Congratulations Jody Nus on winning the Dairy Star Great Christmas Heifer Giveaway! Harold Buhr
HAROLD BUHR AGENCY 9 1st Ave. NE • Oelwein, IA 50662 (319) 283-4579 • hbuhr@amfam.com
Figure 1. An example of an inuence map from Oreszczyn et al (2010). ground, or biggest inuencers, are can be useful. Those are the people you should seek out most often with questions or if you need help. Why is it important to know who are your inuencers? It all goes back to my original question. Understanding how decisions are made, and that it is not usually by a singular person, can help make the process easier. Knowing your inuencers can help you understand who impacts your farming practices, and who impacts your views and attitudes. Knowing who to seek for different issues leads
Congratulations Jody Nus on winning the Dairy Star Great Christmas Heifer Giveaway! wood Livestock Commission Edge 300 North Washington Street Ph: 563-928-6612 Edgewood, Iowa 52042 C: 563-920-9500
Congratulations Jody Nus on winning the grand prize heifer in the Dairy Star Great Christmas Heifer Giveaway
to quick, well thought-out decisions. Knowing who makes the decisions on your farm is important, but knowing who inuences those decisions is just as important. Reference Oreszczyn, S., Lane, A., and Carr, S. (2010). The role of networks of practice and webs of inuencers on farmers’ engagement with and learning about agricultural innovations. Journal of Rural Studies, 26, 404-417.
Congratulations Jody Nus!
2016 Dairy Star Great Christmas Heifer Giveaway Winner
Baumler Implements, Inc. 1306 Hwy. 150 South, West Union, Iowa 52175 (563) 422-3835 • baumlerimplements.com
Congratulations Jody Nus! From all of us at
Elkader Veterinary Clinic Her name was drawn from Viafield in Arlington, IA Pictured: Mike Kirby, ViaÛeld, Jody and Nathan Nus, and Dave Adams, ViaÛeld.
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s n o i t a l atu r g n Co Jody! All of us at United-Suckow Dairy Supply would like to congratulate Jody Nus on winning the Dairy Star Great Christmas Heifer Giveaway.
United-Suckow Dairy Supply 563-422-5355 West Union, IA
563-864-7417 Postville, IA
A greased cat Christmas Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
I will never forget the Christmas that followed the Coolidge clamored to try the gun; I relented only summer of greased cats. after he swore he wouldn’t exact revenge. We had great That was the summer when my brother, Coolidge fun as we explored the grease gun’s range and accura(his siblings had transmogried his real name, Kev- cy, launching numerous salvos at trees and the baler’s in, into Calvin, and then to tires. Coolidge pointed at a Calvin Coolidge, but that barn cat that was saunterWe greased d our b barn cats seemed too formal, so we W ing nonchalantly across the mostly called him Coolidge), often from then on, especially farmyard. Could I hit a movand I discovered a marveling target? Ha! Just watch. ous property of our grease our mangy gray tomcat. It must have been gun: it actually shot grease. surreal from the cat’s point It all began innocently of view. You’re walking enough. We had just nished greasing the baler when I along thinking catlike thoughts when without warnpointed the grease gun at Coolidge and, in an imitation ing a gob of grease streaks down from the heavens and of the Rieman, speed pumped the handle and said, smites your haunch. As you puzzle over this bizarre “Kerpow!” Both of us were taken aback when a gob of development, another gob lands on your head. Enough grease burst from the gun and hit Coolidge in the giz- of this. You tear off like a greased cat while a nearby zard. pair of boys laugh like maniacs.
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We greased our barn cats often from then on, especially our mangy gray tomcat. Mom caught us once and lectured us on how we were wasting good grease and that what we were doing was just plain mean. This had a huge effect on our behavior in that from then on we always made sure Mom wasn’t watching. Dear County Agent Guy Summer slouched into fall and I entered seventh grade. The cooler weather stiffened up our ammo and our grease howitzer fell silent. The cats gradually became less jumpy. The holiday season was soon upon us, and we began to practice for our school’s ChristBy Jerry Nelson mas pageant. Miss Columnist Widmer, our choir director, embarked upon the biggest challenge of her teaching career, namely, cajoling a bunch of junior high boys into singing. Like many of my compatriots, I detested choir, mainly because it involved singing. And like most of my buddies, I tried to blend into the sea of faces while silently mouthing the words. None of us could have imagined anything worse than being forced to sing a solo. One fateful day, Miss Widmer was trying to wring “O Come All Ye Faithful” out of us. “Louder,” she said, “Louder; I can barely hear you!” Miss Widmer was only 30, but already had the gure of a middle-aged woman. As she directed us I became hypnotized by the dangly esh beneath her upper arm, which jiggled with its own separate rhythm. Disgusted by our feeble performance, Miss Widmer stopped us and launched into her, “you guys are going gave to sing” lecture, gesticulating powerfully for emphasis. I was trapped inside my twisted fascination; I couldn’t quit staring at her upper arm. I was yanked out of my reverie by the sound of my name. Miss Widmer was calling me to the front. Would I be forced to sing a solo? Should I run? How could this happen? As I trudged to the front of the assembly, I noted with bitter irony that this must be how it felt to be a greased cat. But, I wasn’t forced to sing a solo. Instead, Miss Widmer held me up as an example to the others, pointing out that I paid real attention. As a reward, she bestowed me with the title of wise man in the school pageant. My unexpected promotion changed many things. For one, I was no longer required to practice Christmas songs and only had to memorize a single line for the pageant. It went, “Hey Mary, let’s have a look at that baby,” or something to that effect. I also got to spend choir practice goong off in the wings with other cast members. An eighth-grade Magi taught me some alternative lyrics to “We Three Kings.” We three kings of orient are / Trying to smoke a rubber cigar / It was loaded and exploded / Now we are seeing stars. When the Christmas pageant was over and I had delivered my single line successfully, I took a portion of the Hershey bar the school had given me down to the barn and fed it to our mangy gray tomcat. He purred appreciatively as he ate, and I couldn’t help but notice how sleek his coat had become. Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, S.D. He and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry currently works full time for the Dairy Star as a staff writer/ad salesman. Feel free to E-mail him at: jerry.n@dairystar.com.
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Looking on the DSO horizon
It’s that wonderful time of year again. The feeling of anticipation lls many hearts and homes as we prepare for Christmas. I am equally excited in anticipation for Christmas, but I’m also anticipating a big change for the Dairy Star website. I have recently received the go-ahead to redesign and launch a brand-new site. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time, but other projects always were put ahead of this one. The Dairy Star site is a project I initially started in June 2007. It was my rst online project and it was a steep learning curve for me, but I was denitely up for the challenge. Dairy Star had not had a web presence prior to 2007, and we were looking for an avenue to get information out to our readers in a digital format. We also wanted the website to serve as a network to connect dairy producers – perhaps even provide a link to By Andrea Borgerding the next generation of farmers. Online Editor It worked. News spread fast of our new site and many producers began to seek out www.dairystar.com to read our articles and columnists from the paper, check the online classieds for items to purchase and even catch news briefs of breaking news in the dairy industry. Dairy Star website became an important part of what we do. As writers, it gave us an opportunity to put more urgency on the information we were gathering. Suddenly, what we compiled could be posted almost instantly to our readers. We could expand our horizons and become not only skilled photographers but videographers. It changed everything we had been doing at Dairy Star since it’s inception in 1999. Dairy Star as we knew it had changed forever once the website went live on Oct. 25, 2007. And so, we begin a new chapter for Dairy Star online. I realize change is not always good. There’s something wonderfully secure about staying with something that has worked for so long. But, I feel the change will be good for us, for our readers and, of course, for the businesses advertising on the website. My goal is to make the site streamlined and consistent. Content will remain the same – visitors will still have access to articles and other content for free. The classieds will still be posted, as usual, the Saturday of publication date. Many of the improvements will be to benet our advertisers. The upgraded software will allow us to see better what our visitors nd interesting on our site. We can give more accurate numbers to our advertisers. The website continues to be an important and necessary compliment to our print edition. I hope you nd our upgrade helpful. As always, I welcome feedback. I truly wish everyone a blessed and merry Christmas this year. Thank you to all of our faithful followers. Each one of you has made Dairy Star what it is today – a way to connect all Midwestern dairy producers.
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016 • Page 31
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Christmas barn carols Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
The radio in the barn has been playing Christ- you sneak into the barn, you are startled as the door mas songs for the past month and it is great. It slams shut behind you with a fresh gust of wind. seems to be the only time when I sing along with The cattle all snuggled down in their stalls have the radio throughout the no reaction to the sudden barn because every song sounds echoing throughout in a classic. In fact, just the IIt seems to b the barn. They are grabbe the h only l time i mere mention of the title or bing a quick nap before it a lyric activates the song to when I sing along with the is time to eat again. A holiplay in my head. See how radio throughout the barn day rhythm of eat, sleep, many songs you hear in because every song is a classic. eat, eat, sleep as you work this week’s column. your way through the holiThis is the most wonday season. derful time of the year ‌ I love listening to to be in the barn. As the cold north winds whip Christmas music in the barn. I know the words across the open farm yard, we scurry between sheds to every song I hear. In fact, I can recognize most and outside jobs trying to escape the bitter cold. As songs in three notes or less. Every song is familiar
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and the voices are recognizable. “Silver and Goldâ€? sung by Burl Ives is one of my favorites. Every time I hear his raspy, baritone voice, I can see his face as the vested snowman sliding around Christmas town in the Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer movie. Or see Andy Williams singing “White Christmasâ€? in a turtle neck on his 1970s Christmas special. So Just Thinking Out Loud many of these songs are tied to the simple and special moments in life. One of my ďƒžrst Christmas solos in church was, “I wonder and I wander out under the sky.â€? Today, I wonder as I wander around the barn on the feed cart ‌ which comes ďƒžrst. By Natalie Schmitt Do cows eat more because they milk more Columnist or do they milk more because they eat more? Now that’s something that will tie your brain up in knots for a while as you ponder the possibilities. It is the dairy version of the chicken and the egg question. The reason I bring it up is that I read it in a brochure about increased barn lighting. Their theory is that the cattle are milking more because they are eating more, but can’t it also be said they are eating more because they are milking more? Mind boggling. “Away in the Mangerâ€? is close to my heart. I would sing the third verse as a lullaby to the kids as they fell off to sleep in my arms snuggled in their footed pajamas on a cold winter’s night. The scene in the manger is one we live every day as we look down the barn and notice the cattle nestled in their stalls, chewing their cud as their heads nod to an invisible beat of peace and serenity. The scene melts away the tension and anxiety you have collected throughout the day as you take a moment to enjoy the peaceful sight. If you want a white Christmas, then you have to let it snow, let it snow. The weather outside is frightful, but the ďƒžre is so delightful. The lights of our Christmas tree shine through the living room window beckoning us to come in out of the cold. It feels like a mini vacation as we relax with a mug of hot chocolate and warm blanket underneath the mistletoe. But as the song says, since we have no place to go, except back out to the barn, let it snow, let it snow. Of course, a good dairyman doesn’t want two front teeth for Christmas but four good teats. Oh how I’m going to miss these songs once Christmas day has passed, but just like Frosty the Snowman, they’ll be back again next year. The spirit of Christmas is peace. The miracle of Christmas is hope and the heart of Christmas is love. From my family to yours, merry Christmas and a happy New Year! Natalie, Mark and his brother, Al, Schmitt farm together near Rice, Minn. They milk 100 registered Holsteins under the RALMA preďƒžx. Their four children are great help around the farm and are pushing Natalie out of several jobs. Therefore she is thankful to have something else to do. For questions or comments please email Natalie at mnschmitt@jetup.net.
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In search of Christmas
Perhaps by the time this issue of the Dairy Star shows up on your kitchen table (or wherever else you happen to read it), I will have found Christmas. But, as of today, my Christmas is still missing. I haven’t set out a single Christmas decoration. Our Christmas tree is up, but only because the kids hauled it from the basement and, impressively, gured out how to put it together. Despite their tornadic searching, the kids couldn’t nd the lights and ornaments, so the tree remains unDairy Good Life adorned. Every night I hear the question, “Mom, when are we going to decorate the tree?” This morning before school, Dan added extra urgency to his request: “Mom, it’s the 19th of December. We only have a few more days to decorate the tree.” “I know, Dan,” I said, calmly. But inside of me, the looming deadline of Christmas and the resulting anxiety are wreaking havoc on my happiness. I don’t commit to a lot when it comes to Christmas, but Christmas doesn’t feel like Christmas without some decorating and baking. Yet, I haven’t baked a single Christmas cookie. By Sadie Frericks We already had our rst Christmas gathering Columnist – and we all had a wonderful time – but I felt like I skidded into it in an unprepared rush. Yes, I am an incurable procrastinator, but a decade with kids and cows has taught me to work ahead at least a little. Not this year. Between chores and kids’ activities and meetings and deadlines, Christmas shopping and cookie baking and house decorating have been scheduled and then postponed multiple times. And, it has left me feeling rather grumpy. I subscribe to the line of thought that our happiness equals reality minus our expectations (happiness = reality – expectations). When something exceeds our expectations, it tends to make us happy. Conversely, when we have certain expectations and fail to meet them, we’re more prone to unhappiness. My Christmas expectations aren’t outrageous – and they’re denitely exible. Some years, we only decorate the tree with lights and LEGOs; some years, we hang all the ornaments. Some years, I bake one or two different Christmas cookies; other years I nish a dozen varieties. Some years, I give thoughtful, carefully selected gifts; some years, I give gift cards. I gave up mailing Christmas cards several years ago and now just publish a Christmas letter on my blog. I will ill d do what h I can to make k So, my expectations Christmas as joyful as possible aren’t grand, but this year my reality is not even close to for my children. meeting them. I tried to tell myself that it’s OK to have a minimalist Christmas, but my kids have certain expectations, too. (Plus, we have two birthdays to at least recognize this week.) Letting my kids down makes me feel even worse. Some happiness experts recommend lowering expectations to increase happiness. But I’m not going to alter my expectations. They’re already low enough as it is. Instead, I believe it’s important to know when to expect and when to accept. At this moment, I still have six days left to bring my Christmas reality closer to my Christmas expectations, so I can still expect to have a festive Christmas. And, because I’m a glass-overowing optimist, I truly believe that – and will keep working on it – until the kids go back to school after Christmas vacation. So what if we only hang the stockings on Christmas Eve? So what if we only decorate cookies on New Year’s Eve? I know my kids won’t care. Thankfully, my own exibility has taught them to have exible expectations, as well. And, if my Christmas expectations remain unmet, I will do my best to accept that this year was crazy. I will do what I can to make Christmas as joyful as possible for my children. More importantly, I will remind them that Christmas isn’t all about decorations and cookies and gifts – it’s about opening our hearts and celebrating together with family. Perhaps next year, we’ll decorate the whole house and bake oodles of cookies. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 75 cows near Melrose, Minn. They have three children – Dan, 8, Monika, 6, and Daphne, 2. Sadie also writes a blog at www. dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at gsfrericks@meltel.net.
“I didn’t even think we had stray voltage!” Roger Lange milks 100 head on his family dairy at Crofton, Nebraska. Until recently he was often forced to sell his fresh heifers because they wouldn t let down their milk. “We called Stray Voltage Consulting, and Jerry found the problem within half an hour.” Roger said. “I was very impressed with Jerry. He’s a former REA guy, so he understands both the farmer and the electric company. Being able to work with both sides is a key component to his success.” “I haven’t had a single problem with our fresh heifers since Jerry corrected our stray voltage problem. I would highly recommend Stray Voltage Consulting to anyone who thinks they might have stray voltage!”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016 • Page 33
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
Back in business
Rostvolds revive family dairy farm By Cassie Olson
cassie.o@dairystar.com
MELROSE, Wis. – Even from a young age, Joe Rostvold knew he was meant to farm. After his family’s dairy was sold in the early 1990s, the barn located near Melrose, Wis., sat empty for nearly 20 years. With the hard work of both Joe and his wife, Billie Jo, the Rostvolds renovated and resumed milking with 40 cows on Joe’s family farmstead in August 2014. Cows rst graced the farm’s 43-stall barn in 1987, when Joe’s father and grandfather began farming together. In the late 1980s, the passing of Joe’s grandfather brought the farm’s production to a halt. Of the farm’s 120 acres, 80 were sold along with the cows and the barn was rented out in the early 1990s before the barn sat totally idle. Despite these challenges, Joe said he never doubted he would one day farm in the same barn his grandfather had. “I always wanted to begin here,” Joe said. “Even as
CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR
The Rostvolds – (from leŌ) Lyric, Joe, Ella and Billie Jo – milk 40 cows on their farm near Melrose, Wis. The Rostvolds began farming in 2014 aŌer remodeling Joe’s family farm that sat idle for nearly 20 years. young as 2 or 3 years old, I knew I wanted to farm like my dad and grandpa had.” Joe spent years working on different farms, ultimately leading him to a herdsperson position working for Byron Kruger near North Bend, Wis. It was a position, which taught him a lot, but his dreams of
owning his own herd never wavered. “At Byron’s, I was working with 400 cows and learning so much during that time,” Joe said. “But I was determined to farm on my own.” Three years ago, in August 2013, Joe and Billie Jo moved to the farm in Melrose. Joe
quit his job in North Bend and soon began milking cows for his neighbor, Roger Kaufman, while working to renovate the barn. Billie Jo, who grew up on a 50-cow dairy in Manorville, Minn., said the work that needed to be put into the barn was considerable.
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“The rst time I saw the barn, I never thought we would be milking cows in it,” Billie Jo said. She added, however, that the following year was rewarding albeit stressful. “We moved in August, were married in September and spent three months to get the farm up to pass inspection,” Billie Jo said. “I was working two jobs; Joe was working one. It was a very busy time in our lives.” The Rostvolds got hard at work, putting in a pipeline, lling in the barn’s gutters, cementing the milkhouse oor, installing a new bulk tank, painting and adding a new roof. After a year of hard work and buying used equipment, the barn was ready and passed inspection, allowing the Rostvolds to begin their herd. The rst milking cows entered the parlor Aug. 11, 2014. The farm’s rst 10 cows were purchased from farms near Melrose and the following weeks were lled with attending cattle sales as the couple continued to raise their herd numbers. “Nearly every weekend we were going to a sale. We bought everything when the Turn to ROSTVOLDS | Page 35
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016 • Page 35
ConƟnued from ROSTVOLDS | Page 34
CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR
The Rostvolds milk in a 7-stall at barn. Before purchasing the farm, Joe and Billie Jo poured cement, added a new bulk tank, installed a new roof, repainted and installed a pipeline to get the barn ready for operaƟon. market was high, so we bought a lot of cows that others might have culled at the time,” Joe said. Despite a challenging market, Joe said there is not an ideal time to start farming. “We got in when the market was high; you can never know when it will be a good time to start, though,” Joe said.
“We got in when the market was high; you can never know when it will be a good time to start, though.” JOE ROTSVOLD, DAIRY PRODUCER
There are ways to make it easier, however. Joe said cutting out non essential spending and saving money where it was possible is what ultimately made it possible for the couple to farm. “My advice [for young farmers] is to do all the work yourself; we have never taken a day off or hired a milking,” Joe said. “We aren’t paying for that burden and that will help us out in the long run.” Billie Jo agreed, adding that
simplicity is best. “We kept things simple and cost effective,” Billie Jo said. “Since I work as a medical assistant, I would also say having an off-farm income while you are getting started is important, too.” The Rostvolds said there are a lot of people who helped them get to where they are today. “Having good relationships with neighbors and older farmers is important,” Billie Jo said. “They are the ones you can depend on when you have questions or need help.” Joe also said the couple’s past experiences gave them the foundation to succeed on their own. “One of the reason’s we’ve been able to make it is because we both have previous experience,” Joe said. “With Billie Jo growing up on an active dairy farm and me working for farmers in the area, we both had strong mentors over the years that we were able to learn a lot of different things from.” Despite the hard work and challenges the couple had to overcome to get here, the Rostvolds said they are proud of where they are today and said raising their two daughters – Lyric, 1, and Ella, 3 months – on a farm is a privilege they are most proud of. Billie Jo said, “It’s been quite the ride and we wouldn’t change that.”
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CASSIE OLSON/DAIRY STAR
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DAIRY ST R
Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
Women In Jeans Sarah Holtkamp Kerkhoven, Minn. Swift County 230 cows
Family: My husband, Karl, and I have been married for 11 years. We have four children, Abby, 9, Jake, 8, Emily, 5, and Libby, 2. Tell us about your farm. We are in a partnership with Karl’s parents, Roger and Mary Ann, and his brother, Mike. We own 600 acres of land and rent another 600 for corn, soybeans, oats and hay. We raise all of our replacement heifers and steers. Karl’s nephew helps with chores in the mornings before going to school. I also have 30 laying hens. What’s the busiest time of day for you? Afternoons. The kids get off the bus at 3:30 p.m., and Karl and I start milking at 3:45 or 4. Our oldest watches the younger ones in the house when it’s cold outside. Between homework, supper and getting ready for bed, there isn’t much time left. Luckily, Karl will nish up when I have to take the kids into town for their events. When you get a spare moment what do you do? I love to bake and sew. I do graduation quilts for close family, quilt tops at church in the winter and other sewing projects. In the summer, I like to garden. I freeze and can most of it. Abby and I are going to try selling produce and baked goods next summer, again, at Kerkhoven’s farmers’ market. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. A big milestone is when we built a parlor, in 2011. We went from milking 180 cows in a 68-stall tiestall barn to a double-12 parallel parlor. In December 2013, we moved to the main farm. We loved
not having to drive back and forth, and the kids loved to be able to help out more. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I love being able to work alongside my husband and raise my kids at home. It feels good to see what you have accomplished. The kids learn how to be hard working, responsible, loving people. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? Some of our close friends are or were dairy farmers. It’s fun to talk and let the kids play together. Karl and I also go to a Young Cooperative meeting in Alexandria every winter. Our creamery lines up speakers for all-day Saturday who are very informative, with entertainment the two nights. We also go to local ADA and DHIA meetings. In your opinion, what’s the importance of women in today’s dairy industry and how have you seen that change over the years? I think women are good at working with social media and reaching out to people and kids. We can communicate well with consumers. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? I would like to do tours of our farm to local schools and clubs. I think it’s important for kids to know where their food comes from and to get a positive image of farming. What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? In 2013, we went to the Wisconsin Dells with Karl’s brother, sisters, nieces, nephews and parents. The best is when Karl and I took the kids to Hunts Resort by Glenwood, Minn. We stayed for four days and three nights. We had fun shing, swimming and building a campre. I am still trying to get Karl to take me on a big trip for our tenth wedding anniversary.
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Farmland values show historic third year of decline ISU Land Value Survey shows 5.9 percent decrease statewide since 2015 Average Iowa farmland value has shown a decline for the third year in a row — the ďƒžrst time this has happened since the 1980s farm crisis — and is now estimated to be $7,183 per acre. The statewide per acre value declined $449, or 5.9 percent, since November 2015. Farmland values hit a historic high in 2013, but have steadily declined since then. The statewide average value for an acre of farmland is now about 17.5 percent lower than 2013 values. Land values were determined by the 2016 Iowa State University Land Value Survey, which was conducted in November by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at Iowa State University and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Results from the survey are consistent with results by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the Realtors Land Institute and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wendong Zhang, assistant professor of economics at Iowa State University, led the annual survey. The $7,183 per acre, and 5.9 percent drop in value, represents a statewide average of low, medium and high quality farmland. The survey does also report values for each land quality type, crop reporting district (district hereafter) and all 99 counties individually. Average farmland values hit a historic peak of $8,716 per acre in 2013, but declined 8.9 percent in 2014, 3.9 percent in 2015 and have now fallen an additional 5.9 percent. “The golden era of phenomenal, yet abnormal growth in farm income and land values, as we saw from 2006 to 2013, is already behind us. The land market is going through an orderly adjustment while the U.S. agricultural sector, a competitive industry, is trying to adjust to the old normal of zero industry-wise net proďƒžts,â€? said Zhang. “For a pessimist, there are reasons to worry, especially for landowners and/or producers who are over-leveraged. For an optimist, this decline is still modest, and the probability of a replay of the 1980s farm crisis is low.â€? Zhang said the likelihood of another farm crisis is low due to steady farm income accumulation before the downturn, a stronger government safety net and an overall lower debt level in the agriculture sector. Starting in 2004, several factors, including the ethanol boom and historically low interest rates, drove ďƒžve consecutive years of double-digit growth in average farmland values. By 2008, average values were almost 70 percent higher than 2004, and by 2013, average values were over 230 percent higher than 2004 values. While they have declined three years in a row now, average values are still 173 percent higher than 2004. The decline didn’t come as a surprise for some — in November 2015, over 75 percent of ISU Land Value Survey respondents thought land values in their territory would continue to decline in 2016. The majority predicted the decline would be either less than 5 percent or between 5 and 10 percent, which is consistent with the 5.9 percent decrease reported by the 2016 ISU survey. “Looking ahead, land values might continue to adjust downwards in the next year or two,â€? said Zhang. “This is consistent with the stagnant corn and soybean futures prices and potential rise in interest rates; however, many respondents to the ISU survey are hoping for the market to rebound in three or four years.â€?
Land values by county All 99 counties reported a drop in average land values this year. For the fourth year in a row, Scott and Decatur counties reported the highest and lowest farmland values, respectively. Decatur County reported a value per acre of $3,443, a loss of $71, or about 2 percent, from last year’s report. Scott County reported a value of $10,335, a decrease of $583 per acre, or about 5.3 percent, close to the statewide average decline of 5.9 percent. Plymouth and Sioux counties reported the largest dollar decrease in values, $747 per acre, and Monona County reported the largest percent decline in values, 8.4 percent. Decatur County reported the smallest dollar decrease, $70 per acre, and Decatur, Appanoose, Wayne, and Lucas counties all reported the smallest percent decrease in average values, at 2 percent. Land values by district All nine districts reported a loss in average land values in 2016. The highest average land values were reported in the Northwest district, at $9,243 per acre. The lowest average values were reported in the South Central district, at $4,241 per acre. The largest district-wide decrease in value was in West Central Iowa, which reported a drop of 8.7 percent, bringing farmland values there down to $7,358 per acre. The smallest decrease was reported in the Southeast district, 2.6 percent, bringing values there to $6716 per acre. Values by land quality Low-quality land in the Southwest and South Central districts were the only areas to show an increase in average values, reporting gains of 2.9 and 5.2 percent, respectively. Zhang says that the increase is due to strong recreational demand and high Conservation Reserve Program payments. Statewide, low quality land declined the least, $169 per acre, or 3.5 percent. Medium quality land declined $422 per acre, or 5.9 percent. High quality land statewide declined the most per acre, losing $606, or 6.5 percent, of its value. The statewide averages per acre for low, medium and high quality land are now $4,665, $6,705 and $8,758, respectively. Factors inďƒ&#x;uencing land values The most common positive factors inďƒ&#x;uencing land prices noted by survey respondents were low interest rates, strong crop yields, limited land supply and strong demand. The most commonly cited negative inďƒ&#x;uences were lower commodity prices, high input prices, livestock losses, weak cash rental rates and a weakening global economy and stock market returns. The ISU Land Value Survey was initiated in 1941, the ďƒžrst in the nation, and is sponsored annually by Iowa State University. The survey is typically conducted every November while the results are released every mid-December. Only the state average and the district averages are based directly on the ISU survey data. The county estimates are derived using a procedure that combines the ISU survey results with data from the U.S. Census of Agriculture. The ISU Land Value Survey is based on reports by agricultural professionals knowledgeable of land market conditions such as appraisers, farm managers and agricultural lenders, and actual land sales. It is intended to provide information on general land value trends, geographical land price relationships, and factors inďƒ&#x;uencing the Iowa land market. The 2016 survey is based on 518 usable responses providing 711 county land values estimates. Fortyeight percent of respondents answered the survey online.
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016 • Page 37
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Keith Kohrs Lake City, Minn. Wabasha County 115 cows How did you get into farming? I was born and raised here. I started farming right after high school. I worked for my dad, Emery, and for a few neighbors. In 1994, my dad quit farming so I rented the farm from him for a year before purchasing it in 1995. My son, Jeremy, has been working with me since 2007. He worked for a few other dairy farmers before returning home. We are in the process of transitioning the farm. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? The low milk price – it would be nice if it rebounded. Also, I think we need to nd more places for our milk, maybe nding more places to export. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? I like working with cattle everyday and seeing calves grow to become cows. What advice would you give other dairy farmers? If you expand, go slow. It’s best to do everything in bits and pieces. We put in a double-10 parallel parlor in 2008. It is retrotted into a 46-stall stanchion barn, which was shot. the automatic takeoffs. We try to have two people milking, but one person can milk if needed because of the takeoffs. We put them in when we What has been the best purchase you’ve ever made on your farm? Our put in the parlor in 2008. 946 John Deere haybine. It’s 15 years old and still works like new. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? How I do all the A.I. work on our farm. I started doing that in 1984. It’s nice to did you achieve this? Being able to raise our family on the dairy. It pro- be able to do it myself. About two years ago, Jeremy started the herd on vides a good life. My wife, Deb, works at the clinic in Lake City. We have a presynch/ovsynch program. It works great for us, and the cows’ days three grown children: Jessica, Jeremy and Jennifer. The milk price wasn’t in milk has gone down because they are getting bred back faster. When always good, but the farm provides a good living. choosing bulls, we look for production with a little bit of good type. We also use good fertility bulls for the hard settlers. What are your plans for your dairy in the next ve years? I will be 60 years old next year, so we plan to start transition of ownership to Jeremy. If you could have a celebrity help you with chores for a day who would We would also like to get a new TMR mixer to be able to mix one batch it be? Any sports athlete who complains about how much money they of feed for the milking cows instead of two. make. I would want them to work with us so they can see how hard we work for the pay we make. What is your favorite thing to do on the farm? I like to cut hay. That’s my job, and Jeremy makes round bales. What is your favorite dairy product? Vanilla ice cream. What is your favorite tool? The cordless drill. I don’t have to drag the cord through the manure. I can just grab it and go. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? Deb and I have 10 grandkids. We like to do things with them and attend their sporting events. We also like to go out to eat on Sundays. Every fall, we take a trip to Duluth. What is your favorite technology? It’s not particularly new, but I like
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 24, 2016
Oh, What Fun It Is to Celebrate With Good Folks Like You! To our friends near and dear, thanks so much for stopping here. We wish you all a merry Christmas and a very happy New Year!
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