The Great Christmas “GRAND” PRIZE
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See pages 24 and 25 of this section for details!
DAIRY ST R
December 7, 2019
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 21, No. 20
Building a farm in phases
Farming step-by-step adventure for Mayer By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
BELGIUM, Wis. – He may not have called a farm his home while growing up, but a love for dairying was etched into Mark Mayer’s heart from the time he was a boy. The son of a plumber and a nurse, Mayer’s career aspirations were handed down to him from his grandparents, Joe and Regina Reockl. Mayer spent many summers alongside his grandpa, and in high school he milked cows at a neighboring farm, gaining knowledge that would ensure his future success as a dairy farmer. Mayer farms with his brother and business partner, Jeff Mayer. The two STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR own Double M Dairy in Belgium Mark (le�) and Jeff Mayer own Double M Dairy where they milk 450 cows and where they milk 450 cows and farm 750 acres near Belgium, Wisconsin. Mark bought the farm in 2006 a�er farm 750 acres. The rst-generation ren�ng other facili�es for seven years.
farmers worked their way into farm ownership in phases. Mayer bought his rst 30 cows from his grandpa in 1999, one year after he graduated from high school. He rented his grandpa’s farm for two summers and milked in the 30-stall stanchion barn. During this time, he grazed the cows and bought feed from his uncle. In September 2000, Mayer moved to a larger facility which gave him the opportunity to grow Milking in a double-4 at barn parlor, he rented the buildings and bought his feed. During this time, Mayer bought one tractor, a manure spreader and a skid loader and increased cow numbers to 130. In 2005, Mayer’s landlord told him his son was going to start milking, so Mayer started looking for a new farm that fall. In April 2006, Mayer bought his current farm which included the Turn to MAYER | Page 38
Breeding for elite genetics Bauers focus on high genomics, outstanding production, type By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
The Bauers – (from le�) Frank, Danae and Greg – stand in their freestall barn at Sandy-Valley Farms near Scandinavia, Wisconsin. The Bauers focus on breeding for elite Holstein gene�cs and have bred two No. 1 daughter proven bulls, a No. 1 CTPI cow and a No. 1 genomic female.
SCANDINAVIA, Wis. – Breeding Holsteins of high genetic caliber is the trademark of Sandy-Valley Farms. This central Wisconsin dairy has developed a trifecta of No. 1 index animals including two No. 1 daughter proven (TPI) bulls, a No. 1 CTPI cow and a No. 1 genomic (GTPI) female. The Bauer family of Scandinavia specializes in breeding animals of high genetic value and has sent more than 1,200 bulls to stud. Sandy-Valley Farms was established in 1963 and is owned by brothers David, Patrick and Frank Bauer. These third-generation dairy farmers bought the farm from their father, Frank Sr., in the early 1990s. The trio of brothers is joined by yet another brother, Greg, who manages the farm’s breeding and marketing programs. “We’re passionate about more than numbers,” Greg said. “Cows also have to look the part and thrive in a free stall environment.” The Bauers have bred two No. 1 daughter proven bulls: Sandy-Valley Bolton and Sandy-Valley Saloon. Bolton sold over 1 million units of semen, and, in August 2006, he became America’s rst bull to achieve a TPI over 2,000. A third No. 1 proven bull that comes from Sandy-Valley breeding is EDG Rubicon whose dam the Bauers sold as a virgin female. Notable young sires from Sandy-Valley currently being Turn to BAUERS | Page 6
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019
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 Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Krista Kuzma - Editor/Wisconsin (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Andrea Borgerding - Associate Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman (608) 487-1101 danielle.n@dairystar.com Stacey Smart - Staff Writer (262) 442-6666 • stacey.s@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 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 - Joyce Frericks 320-352-6303 • joyce@dairystar.com 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 Amanda Hoeďƒ&#x;er (Eastern Iowa) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Julie Barnes (SE WI and Northern IL) julie.b@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Ashley Curry (Northeast WI and Upper MI) 920-539-7268 • ashley.c@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.
A glance at what’s inside With the way the dairy industry has been lately, there have been dairy farmers who have taken off-farm jobs or needed to disperse their herd and move into a different career. Although the idea can be scary, three former dairy farmers said their time on the farm gave them many skills that cannot be learned anywhere else. Chris Smith, from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, gave his perspective about how he transitioned from dairying to trucking while Todd Pollema shared how he and his wife sold their herd and he started working at the research farm at Central Lakes College in Staples, Minnesota. Mary Lou Graf, of Hokah, Minnesota, also talked about her jobs after farming. Read on pages 12-13 in ďƒžrst section about how they feel dairying gave them the advantage in their job interviews. One dairy farmer made a big change in dairy farm scenery after selling his dairy and farm in Pittsville, Wisconsin, and moving to New Zealand to be a dairy farm manager. John Urban has been able to use his Wisconsin dairy experience to help him in this new venture, but there has been a learning curve to adjusting to farming in a new country. Read more about how Urban is dairying Down Under on pages 14-15 in second section. Farm transition can be a big part of dairy farming, and knowing how to navigate the steps to do it are not always clear. To give more perspective about the topic, lawyers answered questions about transitioning a dairy farming in this issue’s “From our side of the fenceâ€? feature. Find their answers on pages 15-16 in ďƒžrst section. While dairy farming keeps the Schatz family busy, they also squeeze in time to run a custom chopping business along with owning a restaurant in Cresco, Iowa. All three of these family businesses help dictate their daily schedule, and allows them to help each other out in each areas. Read more about the challenges along with the joys of juggling three enterprises on pages 3-4 in third section. Crossbreeding was the topic of discussion at the recent I-29 Moo University dairy ďƒželd day in Viborg, South Dakota. While the day included dairy farmers talking about their experiences with crossbreeding, researchers from the University of Minnesota shared results from a 10-year crossbreeding study. Read more on pages 4-5 in second section about the results and of the study what farmers had to say about crossbreeding on their farms. Christmas is almost here and so is our drawing for the Great Christmas Giveaway. Make sure to check out the information about the giveaway on pages 24-25 in ďƒžrst section to see where you can register and what you could win. Your time to register is quickly dwindling so make sure to get your name in for your chance to win!
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Columnists Ag Insider
Feltz Family Farms embraces retail, agritourism
First Section: Pages 34 - 35
Zone 1
d
Richland
Dane
Jo Daviess
When should families start the process of developing a transition plan?
Carroll
Rock
on
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Jefferson Waukesha Walworth go
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n Win
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Lafayette Green
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:
Do or
Ke w
Green Lake Fond Du Lac
Columbia Dodge
Sauk
Iowa
Grant
Third Section: Pages 6 - 7
Zone 2
e nn Wi
for
Weaning calves with clean lungs a passion for Ollivett
Page 22 Second Section
go ba Calumet
Waushara
on
Country Cooking
Vernon
Fennimore
Ou
aw
Pages 10 - 11 Second Section
Juneau
e mi Brown
a tag
Adams
Monroe
Cr
The “Mielke” Market Weekly
Shawano
Wood
Jackson
te
Oconto
Portage Waupaca
La Crosse
Page 33 First Section
Menominee
Bo
Tenacity, gratitude, faith
et
ton S he bo Milwaukee Ozauk M yg ee an anito wo c
Buffalo
in
Langlade
Marathon
Clark
Eau Claire
ar
Menominee
ing
Pepin
Chippewa
Forest
Lincoln
Taylor
M
ce
Wa sh
Pierce
Dunn
Oneida
Rusk
Barron
ren
ett e
Second Section: Page 3
St. Croix
Price
qu
UW-River Falls dairy plant renovation underway
Flo
Sawyer
Delta
Dickinson
Vilas
Ma r
Page 32 First Section
River Falls
Iron
aun ee
n Polk
Veterinary Wisdom
Making Cents of Dairy
First Section: Pages 37 - 38
Ashland
ur Burnett
Page 30 First Section
Page 31 First Section
First Section: Pages 1, 6 - 7
Showstopper from Shawano County chosen to represent breed
Bayeld
Douglas
Ramblings from the Ridge
Cecil
Trempealeau
Page 27 First Section
Stevens Point
hb
Thankful
Scandinavia
Bauers focus on high genomics, outstanding production and type
Wa s
Pages 8-9 First Section
DeKalb Whiteside
Farming step by step adventure for Mayer First Section: Pages 1, 5
Kenosha
McHenry
Ogle
First Section: Pages 15 - 16
Racine
Belgium
Kane
Lee
Rock Island
Hen de
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
rson
Mercer n
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Scandinavia
Dairy Prole: David Peterson
First Section: Page 39
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Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019 • Page 5
ConƟnued from MAYERS | Page 1
buildings and 50 acres. His brother started working for him at this time as well. Mayer rented the farm equipment for two years and then purchased the equipment he wanted on a land contract and started cropping 400 acres. The farm had ve silos, but Mayer chose to store his feed in bags instead, although he still uses four of the silos for high-moisture corn. “I wanted my corn silage wetter,” said Mayer, who used bags for six years before switching to drive-over piles. “We built feed pads which was a better t for us.” Mayer milked in a stanchion barn for six weeks while his parlor was being built. He put in a swing-12 parlor in the farm’s heifer barn and built a 160-stall freestall barn. Mayer continued to renovate, turning the 82-stall stanchion barn into drycow housing. He removed stanchions and put in 60 free stalls, freshening pens and drive-by feeding. He also redid the heifer barn, adding free stalls and drive-by feeding. The calf barn was converted into the farm’s ofce, employee changing room and milk house. “Every barn here has been revamped,” Mayer said. In 2009, Mayer completed his rst addition
to the freestall barn, adding 60 stalls, and also dug the rst pit of his two-stage manure pit. The rst pit holds 1 million gallons, and the second holds 3 million. “We grew into the bigger barn naturally,” Mayer said. “We did not purchase cows to ll it.” In 2012, Mayer decided to expand again and wanted to incorporate Jeff into the business. In 2013, they began using sexed semen on heifers to gear up for the expansion which occurred during 2014-15, starting with the formation of an LLC in 2014. “We built onto the freestall barn again, this time adding 210 stalls,” Mayer said. “We bought a neighbor’s herd and went from 270 to 400 milk cows.” They changed the barn into a ush barn that cleans aisles by ushing with water rather than scraping. Each group is cleaned three times per day when cows are getting milked. The ushing system runs yearround. When temperatures fall below 10 degrees, they scrape the remaining water to prevent ice. The Mayers bed with sand and installed a sand lane to reclaim the sand. “We’re really happy with the sand separating lane,” Mayer said. “We can
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
The Mayers built their 430-stall freestall barn in three secƟons over a nine year span. The barn is cleaned via a ushing system.
reuse the sand from March through January and collect about 85% of the sand back. Last year, we only had to buy sand in March. Cows do great on the reclaimed sand. With virgin sand, our cell count always jumps up temporarily.” Cow comfort is a priority at Double M Dairy which has produced a number of long-
lasting cows on their sixth or seventh lactation. Mayer’s oldest cow had her 12th calf and will break 400,000 pounds of lifetime milk this year. In 2014, Mayer purchased the farm he rented back in 2000 where he now houses 250 heifers from 6 months old to breeding age. Calves are raised at the main farm, and heifers come back home when conrmed pregnant. All heifers receive sexed semen, and rst-lactation animals get conventional semen. The rest of the herd is bred to beef. “We want 16 heifers a month for replacements,” Mayer said. “There’s no bull on the farm. We’ve done all A.I. breeding for the last 18 years.” Mayer put in a heat detection system in 2012. “We do a pre-synch protocol on fresh animals and rely heavily on the system to catch repeats,” Mayer said. Mayer’s ve-year goals include building a calf STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR barn and dry cow facility. Calves are housed indoors during the winter in the haymow of the barn. The barn also houses Currently, calves are housed older heifers and the milking parlor.
in hutches outdoors during summer and moved indoors for winter. Cold weather housing is in the haymow of the barn that houses older heifers and the milking parlor. Mayer said his best investment was a pasteurizer. “We started using one in 2010, and calves seem a lot healthier,” Mayer said. “They’re doing great.” With 20 years of farming under his belt, Mayer said every year brings a new challenge. Over time, he has collected advice from farmers and determined what would work best on his operation. “I took it step-by-step, focusing on cows rst which is what I would recommend to anyone looking to start farming,” Mayer said. “Don’t expect to have everything right away and stick with what you’re good at. If it’s cattle, then focus on cows. If it’s equipment and machinery, then focus on that. Renting is a good way to start.”
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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019
ConƟnued from BAUERS | Page 1
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STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Sandy-Valley Eternity, a former No. 1 CTPI cow, stands in the freestall barn at Sandy-Valley Farms Nov. 22. She scored EX-91 with a 92-point udder and Excellent feet and legs.
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marketed include such bulls as Batman, Pharaoh, Challenger, Creamer, Fullmarks and Eisaku. “All of these bulls have Excellent dams,” Greg said. “We like the dam of a widely used bull to look the part.” Frank’s children, Danae and Ethan, also work on the farm full time. Danae is in charge of calves and works with Greg on the breeding and marketing programs. Ethan feeds cows and runs equipment. His wife, Courtland, also helps in between caring for their 1-yearold son, Brantley. The family provides the bulk of the labor along with help from a hired hand, Dave Bergen. The Bauers milk 400 cows twice a day and farm 1,800 acres of corn, alfalfa, soybean and oat. Sandy-Valley has bred many Excellent, Gold Medal Dam and Dam of Merit cows. Producing quality milk is also high on this farm’s list of priorities. Somatic cell count hovers between 30,00050,000 on a rolling herd average of 28,000 pounds of milk, 4.1% butterfat and 3.3% protein. Cows average 90 pounds of milk per day. One of the farm’s most special cows is Sandy-Valley Eternity – a former No. 1 CTPI cow and third place cow in the 2019 Global Cow of the Year contest. Scored EX-91 with a 92-point udder and Excellent feet and legs, she is the dam of several popular young sires, including Eisaku, Emerald, Fullmarks and Embellish. Wide and strong, with great mobility and picture-perfect udder attachments, Eternity epitomizes the type of cow the Bauers strive to breed.
The farm began its venture into high-end Holsteins in 1987 when they purchased a yearling from Pennsylvania for $27,000. Unfortunately, her time with the Bauers was short-lived as she died promptly after her rst calving. “It was very disheartening,” Greg said. “However, her death did not dispel our desire to work with genetically elite animals. When you get excited about the challenge of creating something that can benet your farm, and the breed in general, those feelings don’t evaporate quickly.” Over the next 15 years, the Bauers aggressively pursued top genetics, buying into many high-end families – a total of 30 bloodlines. “The superior ones lasted,” Greg said. “Others died out. We haven’t bought many cattle in the past 10 years. Instead, we’ve been working with and developing our own animals and cow families.” The Sapphire, Cosmopolitan and Rudy Missy families have thrived at Sandy-Valley. The Sapphires run deep at the farm with eight generations of homebred dams. Eternity and Saloon are members of this family which Greg said is Sandy-Valley’s best for production and type. The Cosmopolitan family, or Cosmos as they are also called, goes back four generations at Sandy-Valley and the Rudy Missy, ve generations. “The Cosmo family has worked well here,” Greg said. “They are strong, hardy cows with good conrmation and Turn to BAUERS | Page 7
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019 • Page 7
ConƟnued from BAUERS | Page 6 high fat test. The Rudy Missy family consistently turns out uniformly nice animals with good health traits.” S a n d y - Va l l e y Cokisncream comes from the Cosmo family and scored EX91 with a 93-point udder as a second-calf cow and is the dam of Challenger and Creamer. Sandy-Valley BL Paradise is a member of the Rudy Missy family. This EX-93 cow with a 93-point udder is the dam of Pharaoh and granddam of Batman. Known as SandyValley’s components queen, Paradise produced 33,430 pounds of milk with a 5.7% butterfat test for 1,908 pounds and 3.9% protein for 1,306 pounds in her second lactation. The Bauers prefer functional correctness over show-type fancy; therefore, it is unlikely you will nd these breeders in the show ring.
“We like cattle that the commercial breeder can respect and the type enthusiast can admire,” Greg said. “Strong, correct, functional cows with good feet and legs, and great udders are what we love. All of our cows are housed together. We do not have separate housing for certain cows, so show animals don’t work for our farm. They do not do well in our free stall situation.” Sandy-Valley transitioned from a tiestall barn to a freestall facility in 2002. In recent years, they added a recipient heifer barn as well as an on-farm in vitro fertilization facility. The farm’s newest addition is a heating room for newborn calves. The farm’s main focus is producing high-level bulls to sell to AI stud and developing high-level females to work with. The Bauers send about
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Sandy-Valley Farms specializes in breeding animals of high geneƟc value and has sent more than 1,200 bulls to stud.
60 bulls to stud each year. They do not sell many females, however, as they prefer to work with and develop those animals at Sandy-Valley. Embryos are sold internationally but are of secondary importance. “An outstanding goal we still have is to breed the No. 1 genomic (GTPI) male some day,” Greg said. “The highest we have had so far is No. 3 – a son of Eternity named Supercharge.” The farm has also bred the rst animal to obtain a GTPI over 3,000 – Sandy-Valley Modesty Highlight – who achieved this record in 2013. Greg said they have to work the youngest animals in order to stay current and competitive in selling genetics. Therefore, the majority of the farm’s IVF work is conducted on virgin heifers. The Bauers transfer embryos into both virgin females and their milking herd. Sexed semen and their own young sires are used on their highest-level cows. When doing IVF, they use conventional semen with the goal of producing top-end males and females. Known for producing high-prole cows backed by deep pedigrees, Sandy-Valley Farms attracts up to 200 visitors during World Dairy Expo. Focused on superior genomics, the Bauers strive to develop animals that will leave a lasting impression on the breed.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Sandy-Valley Eternity EX-91 is a former No. 1 CTPI cow and dam of several popular young sires, including Eisaku, Emerald, Fullmarks and Embellish.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Sandy-Valley BL Paradise EX-93 is the dam of Pharaoh and granddam of Batman – two notable young sires currently being marketed.
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More optimism for the year ahead Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019
An improvement in milk prices A turnaround year for the dairy and other economic signals has brought industry USDA is reporting net farm income renewed optimism for the dairy industry in 2020. “I think we’ve had a difďƒžcult will total $92.5 billion this year. Direct government payments and time maybe experiencing Ag Insider crop insurance beneďƒžts optimism in the industry, represent more than but prices are more than 30% of that total. Most a dollar higher today than commodities will see they were the same time increased earnings this of year last year,â€? said year. One of the biggest Mark Stephenson, dairy increases is with the dairy policy analyst, University industry with average of Wisconsin. Stephenson net income projected to said he believes the be up 47% from 2018. U.S. dairy industry is The improvement in on the backside of those milk prices was cited as a economic challenges. consideration. Domestic demand for dairy By Don Wick products is also strong. Columnist Trade deal depends on “A report recently from tariff cuts the Economic Research The Chinese newspaper, Global Service showed that we have a higher per capita consumption of all dairy Times, is reporting there will not be products that we’ve had since 1965, so a trade deal with the United States unless the United States’ tariffs are that’s a good thing.â€? cut ďƒžrst. This news story quotes a Farm assets are one driver in a tough former Chinese commerce minister, saying China will purchase U.S. farm economy Farmers are starting to meet with products, but the amount must be based their bankers as the end of the year on market demand. The two sides were approaches. “Currently, the farm reportedly very close to ďƒžnalizing a economy remains soft,â€? said American trade deal at the end of November, but Farm Bureau Federation economist that momentum stalled when President Veronica Nigh. Just this year alone, Trump signed legislation supporting farm bankruptcies were up 24% Hong Kong protesters. China’s compared to the same time frame in foreign ministry said that is a serious 2018. “I get asked a lot ‘Are we back interference in an internal issue. in the 1980s?’ For comparison, during the 1980s farm crisis there were 4,800 Making capital available to ag farms closing per year. Last year we businesses Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers lost 480 due to bankruptcies.â€? Nigh adds one underlying driver is farm has signed legislation providing access assets. The total value of land, buildings to capital for rural business owners. and equipment is signiďƒžcantly higher The pilot project takes funds from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic compared to the 1980s. Development Authority’s Agribusiness
Guarantee Program. This program will guarantee up to 25% of a loan or $750,000, whichever is less. NMPF seeks support on labor bill Farm labor legislation has been approved by the House Judiciary Committee and is on its way to the ďƒ&#x;oor. The National Milk Producers Federation said this bill would reform the guest-worker visa program to allow year-round agriculture to participate. That is described as a crucial need for the dairy industry. NMPF is asking dairy farmers to contact lawmakers and ask for support of the bill. Labeling issue addressed in FDA conďƒžrmation hearing Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin pressed FDA Commissioner nominee Dr. Stephen Hahn on food labeling issues during his conďƒžrmation hearing. Baldwin quizzed Hahn, asking if the FDA would begin enforcing its own labeling standards. Hahn said he supports “clear, transparent and understandable labeling for the American people.â€? The National Milk Producers Federation praised Baldwin for her advocacy on labeling integrity, especially with the labeling of plantbased dairy imitation products. Online cheese sales surge Online cheese sales are seeing massive growth. The 2019 sales are expected to top $440 million. That represents a 54% annual growth in online sales over the past four years. According to Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, cheese is a trending food preference. The Christmas holiday is a peak season for cheese sales.
Conservation grant funds awarded Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has awarded 27 producerled watershed protection grants. Grants range from $7,500 to $40,000 for conservation practice incentives, education and outreach and water quality testing and monitoring. This is the ďƒžfth round of grant awards since the program began in the 2015-2017 budget. Deere releases quarterly ďƒžnancials Deere and Company is reporting ďƒžscal year 2019 fourth quarter earnings of $722 million on gross income of $9.9 billion. That is down 8% from the fourth quarter of 2018. Fiscal year 2019 full year net income is reported at $3.3 billion, a 5% increase year-overyear. Net sales of equipment operations for the year are reported at $35 billion, also up 5% year-over-year. Net sales for Deere’s Agriculture and Turf division is up 2% to $23.7 billion. RCI takes over Ag-Bag RCI Engineering has bought the operating assets of Ag-Bag. Business operations for Ag-Bag will be relocated to the RCI facilities in Mayville. The company products will now be marketed with the name Ag-Bag by RCI. Land O’Lakes hires Daniels Michael Daniels is the new director of federal government and industry relations for Land O’Lakes. Most recently, Daniels held a similar position with NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association. Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
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ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8 Ag in the Classroom Award The Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom program has recognized Cindy Barber with its outstanding teacher award. Barber is a middle school teacher at Random Lake. Barber’s students hosted a farmers’ market at their school. WI 4-H wins national competition Wisconsin won the North American Invitational 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl. The team members are Katherine Elwood, Courtney Glenna, Grace Haase and Courtney Stream.
Trivia challenge In the United States, butter must include 80% butterfat. That answers our last trivia question. For this week, how much butterfat is required in European butter? We’ll have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is owner/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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We thank our customers, and congratulate our field and lab staff for achieving this milestone. IDEXX, the company that developed the Milk Pregnancy test provided a $500 gift card to the owner of “578”, the 400,000th cow.
Pictured are member P Mark Ainali and DHIA’s Dan Ellering. M Many dairy producers now also send samples to the DHIA Lab between sample days.
Please Pl l call ll for f more details. d t Minnesota Dairy Herd Improvement Association 307 Brighton Avenue South Buffalo, MN 55313 1.800.827.3442 www.mndhia.org
Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019
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SLEEPY EYE, Minn. – Throughout the last nine years, Jill Nelson has had trouble sleeping because of a reoccurring nightmare of cows dying. “There were times I would get up in the middle of the night to check the barn because the dream would be so RUTH KLOSSNER/DAIRY STAR real,” she said. However, there were Jill Nelson and her husband, Brian (not pictured), have reached a seƩlement out many times when Nel- of court aŌer suing the Brown County Rural Electrical AssociaƟon for stray voltson felt like she was liv- age damage on their 150-cow dairy near Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. ing the nightmare, although not as extreme, because The issues only increased after the Nelsons exthe cows on her family’s farm suffered effects from perienced a brownout due to an issue at the substastray voltage. This summer, Nelson and her hus- tion which served their farm in April 2011. band, Brian, agreed to a settlement out of court after “From that point on, problems that are often suing the Brown County Rural Electrical Associa- associated with stray voltage reared up with a vention for damages to their herd from stray voltage on geance,” Nelson said. their 150-cow dairy, Olmar Farms, near Sleepy Eye. The behavioral issues in the parlor got worse. The couple suspected they had stray voltage in The cows were lapping water instead of drinking it. late 2008 in their previous milking parlor and barns, Milk production, which had been around 95 pounds although a test from the power company showed per cow per day, decreased nearly 20 pounds. The they did not. Other than installing a blocker, the herd’s health also deteriorated. Cows were aborting Nelsons did not invest further time and money to calves, the pregnancy rate dropped, and there was research possible stray voltage as they were in the an increase of early embryonic death, despite an agplanning stages for a new facility. gressive vaccination program and ruling out medi“We just gured the issue would go away once cal or genetic reasons. we built our new barn,” Nelson said. “Anything and everything reproductively you In March of 2010, the Nelsons moved the herd could imagine went wrong,” Nelson said. into the new sand bedded, tunnel ventilated and inMastitis also became an issue. sulated freestall barn. One quarter of the barn is the “At times, almost 10% of our milk went down double-8 milking parlor. This facility had been test- the drain because we had so many treated cows,” ed negative for stray voltage before moving in, but Nelson said. the Nelsons also had the electrical company install a Although the barn had a capacity of 150, they blocker to insure they would be protected. could not keep the stalls full. “The cows transitioned amazingly well,” Nel“We couldn’t keep cows healthy, and we son said. “Older cows that were struggling in the couldn’t keep them alive,” Nelson said. old facility came back to life. Two-year-olds were Nelson described what she saw when a cow peaking at 120 pounds [of milk per day] or more.” would slip and fall. However, the Nelsons still had issues in the par“Normally if a leg isn’t sticking out a funny way, lor – cows were hesitant to enter the milking area, a cow gets up,” Nelson said. “I would bet 90% of the they frequently kicked and had increasing cases of cows that fell down never got up again. They lost mastitis – that kept the idea of the stray voltage in muscle strength from the stray voltage. We would the back of their minds. lift them and oat them, but they didn’t have the
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Cows drink water out of fountain at Olmar Farm near Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. The Nelsons saw their cows lapping water when they drank in the freestall barn, which is a common sign for stray voltage.
strength and would just give up.” Prior to 2008, Nelson said they had a low death rate – maybe one or two a year. “There were times we were putting down four cows a week,” Nelson said. Their vet bill showed it, with typical cost of $4,000 each month. “We were doing everything in our power to save these cows,” Nelson said. This included contacting experts to help solve the problems. There were dairy equipment dealers to check the parlor units, nutritionists to check the rations, veterinarians to Turn to NELSONS | Page 11
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019 • Page 11
ConĆ&#x;nued from NELSONS | Page 10 look over the reproductive side, along with other dairy industry specialists. Although the Nelsons made changes to the already well- managed dairy, none of them ďƒžxed the issues. “Our consultants were as frustrated as we were,â€? Nelson said. “We spent nine years with a parade of people with Ph.D.s, veterinarians, electricians and other really smart people coming to our farm to try to help. They could only address the symptoms and not the underlying problem. As time went on, we were more conďƒždent that this was stray voltage, but continued to be told by our power company that we didn’t have it,â€? Nelson said. Then a friend pointed the Nelsons in the direction of a Wisconsin master electrician who specializes in stray voltage. This specialist spent three days testing at a much higher sensitivity than the electrical company. Because of this, the specialist concluded the Nelsons did have stray voltage. Using Ohm’s law, the power company had based its testing on cows being resistant to electrical voltage at 500 Ohms which follows the information in the Minnesota Stray Voltage Guide. However, the specialist disputes this guide and the electrical company’s ďƒžndings and said cows, including ones on the Nelsons’ farm, can feel electrical voltage at 200 Ohms, Nelson said. The specialist said the only way to ďƒžx the problem was to bring threephase electricity to farm and use an isolated transformer. He also suggested installing an electrical monitor with a light that ďƒ&#x;ashes whenever there are any electrical currents in the ground. “We were frustrated, out of money, and we weren’t sure how we were going to pay for this ďƒžx,â€? Nelson said. The power company installed the three-phase electricity in early February 2017; however, in April the Nelsons and the electrical consultant discovered the company had installed a non-isolated transformer rather than an isolated one. During the two weeks it took to ďƒžx the problem, Nelson said the cows were subjected to even higher stray voltage. “The effect on the cows was just awful,â€? Nelson said. After the problem was ďƒžxed May 1, 2017, they saw immediate improvement in the cows, although it took about two months for the cows to readjust behaviorally. Over the next four months the cows increased 22 pounds of milk per cow per day. “Milk production increased during the summer, which generally doesn’t happen, and at a time when we had to wean the cows off rBST,â€? Nelson said. “That conďƒžrmed stray voltage had been our problem.â€? Two years later, the Nelsons are still putting their farm back together. “We will never be recovered until we have a whole new herd of cows because the cows physiologically were changed, and the longer they were exposed, the more their bodies took a beating,â€? Nelson said. “Stray voltage does a lot of damage to the cardiovascular, muscular and nervous systems, and especially the immune system. And, you can’t see those things. The older cows are the most likely to show the long-term effects this has taken on their bodies, and we know we have to do everything we can to help them through stressful periods. Who knows how many cows are walking in the barn with irreversible damage.â€?
They are starting to milk 2-yearolds that had never been subjected to stray voltage. “These [2-year-olds] are peaking with 120 pounds at 30 days in milk or less on two times a day milking,â€? Nelson said. “It’s crazy how good they’re doing. So, I’m really excited about the future.â€? About half of the herd is 2-yearolds. The Nelsons used to pride themselves in their cows’ longevity, often having cows live to be 13 or longer. The oldest cow now is 7 with a handful of 4- and 5-year-olds. “It’s really sad,â€? Nelson said. “There are just no old cows. Those are the fun ones to have around. Those are the ones you’ve made a connection with and the ones that get you to the barn in the morning. Many mornings I did not want to go, and the only thing that kept me going was my faith and the fact that Brian kept going, too.â€? While the stray voltage affected the cows, it also impacted Nelson’s health. “When I’m milking – milking 8 hours a day – I rested my pelvis against the metal plate which is connected to the equipotential plane which was full of electricity,â€? Nelson said. Because of this, Nelson said she has had signiďƒžcant pain and muscle loss. “I know what those older cows were feeling because I felt it, too,â€? she said. The family is also hurt emotionally. “It tore us apart,â€? Nelson said. “Our kids (Isaac and Josh) endured a lot because we were always stressed and upset. At a time when we should have been enjoying the last years of our kids’ youth, we were often unable to be there for them. We couldn’t shield them from this. But I am conďƒždent that God will use these trials for his good in some way.â€? Financially, it also was stressful for the Nelsons. “Knowing the position we were in and the position this put our lender and vendors in was hard. We are thankful for the people we worked with,â€? Nelson said. “These folks believed in us. We never could have kept going without their support.â€? “We had big marketing goals before all this,â€? said Nelson, whose herd is all registered Holsteins. “It was a big income stream for us. But during the period of stray voltage we were unable to sell any cows for dairy because we didn’t have cows to spare.â€? Although they do not have a clear future for their farm, one thing is clear for Nelson. She wants to advocate for better stray voltage testing and teaching farmers about it. “I want people to know this is real,â€? she said. “You can feel really alone when you’re going through this because there are so many people who think you’re just a bad farmer.â€? Nelson hopes people do not have to feel that way. “If a farmer thinks they have stray voltage, they need to educate themselves, contact multiple resources and not rely solely on the utility,â€? she said. “A farmer knows their cows best, and they need to believe in themselves and not settle for anything less than a solution.â€? Nelson wants to spare other dairy farmers the nightmare her family has lived the past decade.
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019
Dairying sets up farmers for success off the farm
Skillsets make for desirable job candidates By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
STAPLES, Minn. – Finding a job off the farm is daunting, especially if milking cows and working the land have been a farmer’s mainstays. Yet, when another source of income is necessary, farmers have a resume unlike any other in the pool of candidates for a job. “The bottom line is dairy farmers are the desirable candidate for hiring because of their work ethic,” said AgCentric Director Todd Pollema Olander. Former dairy farmer Keith “Their work ethic goes beyond 9-5, and that’s a key piece.” Two years ago, Todd Pollema and his wife, Jean, were considering a herd dispersal at their farm near Browerville. But, the dairy farmers wanted to secure jobs before the cows
left. “We kicked around selling the cows, but my wife and I were always apprehensive,” Pollema said. “I have no college education. What job could I get?” The couple’s farm business management instructor told Pollema about the open position. Within 30 days of interviewing, Pollema sold his cows and became an employee of the Central Lakes College and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture in Staples. In his job, Pollema works as a farm technician at the college’s research farm and also manages the Manure Analysis Prociency Program, a laboratory prociency program for manure testing in the United States and Canada. The program, overseen by MDA, has 70 labs enrolled. “I was scared to work outside the farm. … It was the only thing I knew for 20-plus years,” Pollema said. “But what I’ve realized is dairying teaches you a lot that you can’t learn in the classroom, and in the workforce, [dairy farmers] are an asset. There are a lot of people that can’t do all that we know how to do.” Brad Schloesser agreed. “Dairy farmers know and have experience in agriculture, and 98% of the population does not have this experience,” he said. “It is special and not easily created or replicated.” Schloesser is the executive di-
rector at the Southern Minnesota Agriculture Center of Excellence in Mankato. He is also the dean of agriculture at South Central College. In Schloesser’s experience, he encourages dairy farmers to look at their social and professional networks and connect with individuals who have needs for talent and experience. “Be intentional … zone in on what you nd motivating and satisfying,” Schloesser said. “Reach out to people you developed a relationship with over time and be open to discussing potential futures.” For Chris Smith, of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, landing his job as an overthe-road trucker was the result of reconnecting with the right individual. After Smith and his wife, Lori, sold their dairy cows in June 2016, he came across an opportunity to deliver milk to schools in the Oconomowoc area. That job led Smith to get his commercial drivers license, where he now travels from Wisconsin to Colorado putting on nearly 3,500 miles a week. “Every job I’ve ever had, I told them I grew up on a farm and the job was mine,” Smith said. “Some people think just because you don’t have a college degree you can’t do more, but, work ethic and experience goes a long ways.” When Smith dairy farmed, he was always looking for cost-saving
measures and did much of his own maintenance and repairs. He carries that same philosophy with him on the road. “They trusted me with this job and trust me to take care of their equipment as my own,” he said. Having been a truck driver for three years, Smith is hoping to one day transform his career and become
“Every job I’ve ever had, I told them I grew up on a farm and the job was mine.” CHRIS SMITH, FORMER DAIRY FARMER
the owner and operator of a truck. He is still humbled in knowing that getting to this point was not easy. “I was scared to death to start something knew,” Smith said. “But, I have a family, and as a husband and father, I have people who rely on me.” Mary Lou Graf felt the same way when she began looking for a job off the farm. “There was so much apprehension about nding a new job,” she said. “It came down to a matter of survival more than anything. I had to do something.” Turn to OFF FARM | Page 13
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019 • Page 13
ConĆ&#x;nued from OFF FARM | Page 12
Graf, of Hokah, sold her family’s milking herd in December 2018, 11 years after her late husband, Darrell, was killed in a farming accident. She is working as a classroom aid for the area school’s kindergarten class and will be working at a law ďƒžrm through tax season. Graf also has worked at a seasonal landscaping business and will return there this upcoming season. The dairy farmer’s array of jobs came from an unlikely encounter. “I was working part time for the
“Recognize you have solid experience that can be valuable to other occupations, pathways and possibilities.� BRAD SCHLOESSER, SOUTHERN MN AGRICULTURE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
city of Brownsville as the city clerk when Allison Wagner (from Workforce Development) came in to the ofďƒžce,â€? Graf said. “I asked if she could
go through my resume and give me pointers. I didn’t think I was qualiďƒžed, but she looked at my resume and knew I was overqualiďƒžed.â€? Schloesser has worked with many farmers who do not realize how their work as dairy farmers can prepare them for jobs off the farm. “Recognize you have solid experience that can be valuable to other occupations, pathways and possibilities,â€? he said. Graf’s work in the landscape business keeps her active much like her dairy farming career did – overseeing paperwork and using the same bookkeeping software. Likewise, at the law ďƒžrm she assists with ďƒžling of agriculture work. In working with her local workforce development organization, Graf found jobs that ďƒžt her skillset. She encourages others to do the same. “They helped me with my selfesteem, practice for interviews and looked at my interests to see what I was really interested in,â€? Graf said. “You can’t be afraid to ask for help.â€? Work ethic, experience and knowledge go a long way. Whether in the barn or in the workforce, the need for dairy farmers is ever present.
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Page 14 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019
We are Here to Keep Your Operation Running Smoothly Whether it’s
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Mwyer’s VB750 Twister Manure Spreader, 615 Cu. Ft. Capacity, Dual Floor Chain, 1000 RPM
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Balzer 4200 Magnum Manure Tank, w/ Injectors, 4,200 Capacity, 5 Shank Injector System
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Roto-Mix 720-16 TMR Mixer
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019 • Page 15
Lawyers: When should families develop a transition plan?
Shayna W. Borakove Borakove Osman LLC Madison, Wisconsin 14 years of experience Tell us about your ďƒžrm’s experience with farm transitions. We have worked on estate planning, farm succession and transition, and business formation and planning matters for hundreds of Wisconsin farmers. We often serve multiple generations of the same farm family which allows for a more complete and holistic view of the farm family and farm business. As a published author and frequent lecturer on the subject of farm transition planning, I regularly am a consult for other attorneys. I have spent the majority of my life either living on a farm or planning to ensure farm families continue living on theirs. When should families start the process of developing a transition plan? The time is now for anyone contributing to a farm that makes decisions, owns things, leases things, have family members they love (or dislike), or cares enough about him or herself to preserve, protect and/or pass on what he or she has built. From a practical perspective, I suggest reaching out to an attorney at the start of either the slowest or most predictable part of their farm year to allow a couple months to complete the baseline steps. How should families prepare for their ďƒžrst meeting? Should family members prepare for an individual meeting with you? Farm transition planning can be as straightforward as determining who can pay bills and sign tax returns if the farm owner cannot because of an unexpected illness or injury, or as involved as determining who has the right to purchase the farm or inherit the farm at death. The family should ask themselves: If there were no rules, no taxes, no restrictions or judgment of any kind, what would we want to happen with the farm if we couldn’t make the decision? Second, having a sense of the time horizon as to when a transition could or should happen, from the farm owner’s perspective, as well as the farm successor’s perspective. We send a questionnaire for prospective clients to complete in advance of our ďƒžrst meeting. The questionnaire walks through important foundational information as to their family, their farm and their assets. How many times do you visit with a family going through a farm transition? On average, I have a three-meeting process to develop a plan and implement the ďƒžrst stage of that plan. With any planning engagement, at least two thorough meetings are needed to reach a foundational understanding of the plan. Often, clients want me to walk through the plan with their children or farm successors. Not only can this family meeting help with the next generation’s understanding of the plan, it can help bridge the communication gap between all generations. We may have other meetings dependent on certain benchmarks being hit by the successors. What suggestions would you make for families who have children not a part of the farm? I have seen clients experience a certain bit of freedom in determining how the farm can supplement and/or support their steady retirement. I have also seen the farm pass on to kids who have no idea what to do with the land but tear it apart. Leasing the farm’s tillable acreage is helpful to create a stream of income from the land which can be passed on in a manner that the kids can manage, continue and keep. If kids are not the answer, there may be many young farmers who wish to get more involved with farming (and loan programs that help motivate such entry). There are various possibilities; it is all about discussing these possibilities and learning about the legacy that family desires to leave. What are two common pieces of farm transition often overlooked? Separating the farmland from the farm operations is an overlooked strategy I use to help bring farm successors in as owners earlier and, in some cases, balance out the equities between on-farm and off-farm heirs when the transition happens upon a death. The failure to address and anticipate family dynamics in the planning. The cracks and breaking points of the family and the farm should be weighed and considered. What is the importance of working with an attorney or outside third party for a farm transition? Perspective, objectiveness and experiential wisdom. You don’t know what you don’t know. The outcome of planning one’s own farm transition without the advice and counsel of their attorney, certiďƒžed public accountant, ďƒžnancial
Scott Miller Miller Legal Strategic Planning Centers, P.A. Tyler, Minnesota Tell us about your ďƒžrm’s experience with farm transitions. We practice exclusively in the areas of estate planning with 95% of our clients owning a farm business. We have approximately 1,100 farm families that we have done the planning for and meet with them regularly, most annually, to keep their plans up to date for their current circumstances, the laws and the changing of their farm business. When should families start the process of developing a transition plan? The family has to be ready both mentally and emotionally to make this step. If they have a child or children entering the farm business, it is best to get them integrated earlier than later from an ownership and responsibility stand point. Most of our clients are beginning the transition when their children have been in the business full time for 3-5 years and the parents are usually in their 50s to 60s. How should families prepare for their ďƒžrst meeting? Should family members prepare for an individual meeting with you? They need to think about their hopes, dreams, goals and aspirations. They need to think big picture because they generally don’t have the experience to identify all the small issues that need solving. They need to think about the timeframe for the transition, what are their speciďƒžc exit planning goals, what retirement income they will need, general cash ďƒ&#x;ow of the farm business, and how and what would make things equitable for the non-farming heirs. Equitable does not necessarily mean equal. How many times do you visit with a family going through a farm transition? To design a plan for farm transition, it will involve 3-4 meetings of about two hours each, plus them preparing for each meeting such as sending them items to consider prior to the meeting to direct them to certain issues that need to be solved. Once the plan is complete, we generally meet with our farm business clients annually to keep up all of their farm business legal matters and to keep their plan up to date. What suggestions would you make for families who have children not a part of the farm? The main issue will be how to treat those heirs equitably while still making sure the farm business can succeed during both good and bad farm economies as we know the next generation will experience both ends. What are two common pieces of farm transition often overlooked? The No. 1 issue we see with most plans is there is no plan dealing with the conďƒ&#x;icts that could and do exist between the farming heirs and the non-farming heirs. The clients assume their children will always get along and that the inďƒ&#x;uences of spouses of children have no impact. There is no planning for bad facts such as a child getting divorced, an untimely death of a child after the death of the parents, and a bankruptcy or creditor issue of one child affecting the other children if assets are owned together. We preach to our clients to plan for bad facts and your plan to still work, and pray for good facts. What is the importance of working with an attorney or outside third party for a farm transition? The experience and focus of the attorney or outside third party. I use the medical model in that you want to work with a specialist or someone that spends at least 70% of their time working in estate planning and farm transition. It’s that professional’s experience seeing many ďƒžles that will help that client make a successful plan that is individually designed for their goals and facts. And, for that attorney to have some form of annual maintenance or follow up to make sure the plan will continue to work once it is designed.
advisor and/or other farm transition advisor would be about as predictable as a game. An attorney’s experience, wisdom and objectivity are important in achieving a transition plan that helps ensure the continuation of the farm as the farm family ultimately intends and needs.
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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019
ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15 Matthew Berger and Kaitlin Pals Gislason & Hunter LLP New Ulm, Minnesota Years of experience: More than 10 years Tell us about your rm’s experience with farm transitions. Our rm represents a wide variety of farmers and farm-related businesses, from small crop and livestock operations to large, integrated livestock farms. Regardless of the size or complexity of the farming business, all farmers need to plan for the future of the business. Our rm has worked with countless farmers to help facilitate the best transition of the farm based on each person’s unique circumstances and desires. When should families start the process of developing a transition plan? Immediately. While most people don’t like thinking about deaths or injuries that may happen and require a transition of the farm, all farmers should have a plan in place to make sure their family and their farm will be taken care if the need arises. These transition plans will undoubtedly change as time passes and circumstances change. It is also very helpful to the next generation – both on- and off-farm adult children – to get a clear understanding of their parents’ goals and expectations. How should families prepare for their rst meeting? Should family members prepare for an individual meeting with you? The three most important things we need to know when starting a farm transition are who are the people involved, what assets we are dealing with, and what are the family’s main goals and concerns. The family should not feel they need to walk into the meeting knowing what kind of legal structure they want. Our job as attorneys is to take in that raw material of people, assets, hopes and fears, and translate it into a legal framework. How many times do you visit with a family going through a farm transition? Our rm approaches farm transition planning as an ongoing relationship with clients. We may spend a lot of time creating a plan and getting the initial phase implemented, then check in periodically to address any changes until the senior generation is ready to retire or take another big step in the transition process. When the transition plan involves a child coming back to farm, as well as non-farming children, we generally start with an individual meeting and increase the number of participants as the process moves forward. The rst meeting would typically be with the senior generation couple or individual. There has to be an opportunity for those who have built the operation to be candid with the attorney, which may mean sharing information or opinions they might not feel comfortable saying in front of their children. The next step is usually to bring in the farm successor with the senior generation, because no plan is going to work unless the farm successor buys in and believes it can succeed. Then, we would typically meet with the family as a whole to explain the plan and make the senior generation’s wishes and decisions clear. What suggestions would you make for families who have children not a part of the farm? Open communication is critical. Families need to sit down together and talk about the transition plans for the farm. Parents who are currently farming need to be open and honest with all of their children about their goals and desires for the farm and how they plan to achieve those goals. Because farm transitions often involve the transfer of high-value assets, transition planning often requires creative strategies for transferring farming assets to those who will continue to farm while also treating other, non-farming children fairly (although not always equally). What are two common pieces of farm transition often overlooked? The basic “everything to my children in equal shares” estate plan can cause unintended consequences. Under Minnesota law, no one is required to co-own real estate with someone else. This means if all parcels are left to children as co-owners, a child who wants to sell can usually force a sale of everything, even if all the other siblings want to keep the land in the family. There are techniques to give each child an equal share without also giving each child the power to break up the farm, but they require thoughtful succession planning while the senior generation is living. Also, it is common for succession plans to overlook property tax consequences of transitioning ownership of the operation or the physical assets to the next generation. In particular, we want to make sure a transition plan does not inadvertently convert real estate from homestead to non-homestead property. Agricultural homestead classication has a signicant impact on the property tax bill and can also have a big impact on Minnesota estate tax; the special $2 million deduction for qualied agricultural property is only available for property classied as agricultural homestead the year before the decedent’s death. What is the importance of working with an attorney or outside third party for a farm transition? Working with an attorney will help identify and consider all available options and facilitate a discussion so that the right solution can be found for each individual based on his or her unique circumstances and desires.
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Amy E. Ebeling Ruder Ware, L.L.S.C. Wausau, Wisconsin 10-plus years of experience Tell us about your rm’s experience with farm transitions. We pride ourselves on our unique collaborative approach to succession planning that contemplates both the ongoing success of the business and the health of family relationships. We also believe it is important to involve other advisors, including bankers/lenders, accountants and other trusted advisors. Many of our clients take comfort in knowing they have a trusted legal advisor who knows their operations and can help them navigate other legal issues. When should families start the process of developing a transition plan? Well thought-out transition plans take time, so the earlier a family can start planning, the better the end result. Not everyone lives to be as old as they envision. Too many people delay putting a plan together which results in confusion and hardships. How should families prepare for their rst meeting? Should family members prepare for an individual meeting with you? The only requirement is to be ready to speak openly and honestly about you, your family and your farm operation. Sweating the details is our job, and we do not want any roadblocks preventing you from having the rst meeting. First meetings should also be reserved for the current owners. After the rst meeting, we are happy to meet other members of your family, host and facilitate family meetings, and even visit the family farm at a convenient time. It is helpful to bring with you any entity or organization documents if the farm is owned by a limited liability company, a corporation or another legal organization. It would also be helpful to bring the recently led tax returns, any recent nancial statements, information on current bank loans or other long-term debt. How many times do you visit with a family going through a farm transition? The number of meetings and the length of time it takes to put together a transition plan depends on each situation. Generally, the more complicated the family and/or farm operation, the more meetings and more time is required. Some families require multiple individual meetings as well as family meetings to discuss communication issues, nancial concerns and other issues before a plan can be put together. What suggestions would you make for families who have children not a part of the farm? Farming is a family business, and doing what is best for both the farm and the family requires difcult decisions to be made, and sometimes those decisions, while fair, do not result in equal value going to on-farm children and off-farm children. If farm assets are distributed equally to on-farm children and off-farm children, the consequences can be disastrous for everyone. Thoughtful consideration should be given to the transfer of farm assets and non-farm assets well in advance of such transfers. Key operational farm assets should be left to on-farm children, and non-farm assets should be left to off-farm children. A combination of trusts and entities may be used to own farm or other recreational land that allows on-farm children to control the management of the land but allow off-farm children to benet nancially from the land. What are two common pieces of farm transition often overlooked? The two most over looked items in creating a farm succession plan are cash ow and family relationships. Usually, owners need ongoing nancial support from the farm after they transition their ownership to the next generation. The next generation may have other ideas for the cash generated by the farm. Careful consideration needs to be given to the current cash ow and the nancial needs of the family members supported by the farm as well as the nancial needs of the farm. Owners or parents often have one idea about the transition of the family farm to their children, and the children have other ideas. This causes challenges that need to be discussed and overcome so the farm has the best chance of surviving the transition. What is the importance of working with an attorney or outside third party for a farm transition? .You know your farming operations, and we know how to gure out your transition goals and accomplish those goals in the most efcient manner. Attorneys and other trusted advisors can help analyze your current situation, gure out your ultimate transition goals, and guide you through the pros and cons of various methods to accomplishing your goals.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019 • Page 17
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019
Top Performers
Genetics key in repro for Houdeks’ herd Wake up Holsteins Wayne, Kris, Aaron and Andy Houdek Caledonia, Minnesota Houston County 480 cows What is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? Our rolling herd average is 29,424 pounds of milk with 1,133 pounds (4.46%) of butterfat and 891 pounds (3.35%) of protein. Our somatic cell count stays around 60,000-80,000.
How many times a day do you milk? If you do not milk 3X a day, have you tried it in the past? We have been milking three times a day for about four years. Milking times are at 4 a.m., noon and 8 p.m. Do you contract your milk? Has it been successful for you? No, we do not contract our milk. We tried it a few times, and it was a win-lose situation. It did not work for us.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
The Houdeks – Wayne, Kris and Andy – milk 480 cows on their dairy, Wake-Up Holsteins, near Caledonia, Minnesota. The herd’s rolling herd average is 29,424 pounds of milk with 1,133 pounds of buƩerfat and 891 pounds of protein.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Cows on the Houdek family’s dairy have orange CowManager tags in their ears. The Houdeks use the program to help nd cows in heat and those that have low acƟvity and may be sick.
Describe your housing and milking facility. Cows are milked in a double-12 parallel parlor. About one month ago, we put a new front on it with a vertical lift. It will help cows exit easier and not get caught on the individual posts that used to be in the ground. Cows are housed in two sand
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bedded freestall barns. The parlor and rst freestall barn were built starting in 1998, and we started using them in April 1999. Before that, we had been milking 129 cows in 29 stanchions. What is your herd health program? Our veterinarian
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comes every other week to pregnancy check by ultrasound. Every time is alternated between cows and heifers. We use a presynch/ ovsynch program. Wayne and Andy breed all the cows. Usually we have a contest to Turn to HOUDEKS | Page 20
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019 • Page 19
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“But what impressed me is we had zero mastitis...” — Bob Keefer
HARD EARNED ACRES Bob and Barb Keefer SHIPPENSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA 700 cows, RHA 28,900M SCC 100 to 135,000 “We try to do a lot of things right and always look to get better. After starting fresh cows on Udder Comfort™ 2 years ago, I was impressed with how our SCC and production improved. So I’m sold on this product even before the pre-fresh trial,” says Bob Keefer, milking 700 cows at Hard Earned Acres, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, with RHA 28,900M and SCC 100 to 135,000. With headlocks in, Bob alternated months for groups of heifers to get Udder Comfort mostly before they calved: 1x/day 5 to 7 days pre-fresh and 2x/day 1 to 2 days post-fresh. “We averaged more milk across groups getting it pre-fresh, and I could see the benefits when I lined up my heifers every Friday. “But what impressed me is we had zero mastitis in groups getting Udder Comfort pre-fresh, and treated 5 cases in groups that did not,” Bob reports. “That’s big. We’ll keep using Udder Comfort on the pre-fresh and include the mature cows.”
Quality Udders Make Quality Milk To locate a distributor and learn more about the new Backpack Sprayer, call 1.888.773.7153 uddercomfort.com @uddercomfort For external application to the udder only, after milking, as an essential component of udder management. Always wash and dry teats thoroughly before milking.
Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019
ConƟnued from HOUDEKS | Page 18
see who can get more cows pregnant. We use Cow Manager for heat detection. We can check it right from our phones. It also catches sick cows. For vaccinating, we use Virashield, ScourBoss and Salmonella Newport Bacterial Extract at dry off. For close up cows, we give ScourBoss, Salmonella Newport Bacterial Extract and a multimineral. What does your dry cow and transition program consist of? The dry cows and close up cows receive the same ration. It includes straw, corn silage and a generic mineral balance. We built our dry cow freestall barn three years ago. That was a good investment for us, since before that
we did not have consistent housing for all the dry cows. It has headlocks, sandbedded free stalls and good ventilation. Since building it, we have not had any milk fever and the cows seem to be healthier. At dry off, every cow is dry treated with Quartermaster and sealed with Orbeseal. The close up cows are moved to a pen next to the parlor and the calving pen which is bedded with straw. After they calve, they are moved to the special needs pen which is a bedded cornstalk pack. They stay there a few days to make sure they have cleaned and are well enough to be put in with the rest of the milking herd. The free stalls for the dry cows and heifers are bedded with river sand which is more coarse,
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
This 2-year-old is one of the highest producing young cows on the Houdeks’ dairy.
so it is less expensive. The lactating herd has free stalls bedded with bluff sand which is more ne.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
A double-12 parallel parlor is used to milk the 480-cow herd at Wake-Up Holsteins near Caledonia, Minnesota.
What is the composition of your ration? What has been one of your most recent changes that has been successful for you? Forage is split evenly between haylage and corn silage. The ration also includes high moisture shelled ground corn, cottonseed, and a mineral mix that includes corn gluten, soybean meal and amino acids. Two months ago, we raised the amino acids to get more protein from the cows. We saw it
jump right away from 3.3% to 3.4% We are getting a premium from our cooperative for protein, so we feel it is worth it. Through the years you have been farming, what change has created the biggest jump in your herd average? The rst one was when we started using a total mixed ration in the mid 1990s. Our herd average jumped about 3,000 to 4,000 pounds. Another jump came when we started milking three times a day. When we switched, Turn to HOUDEKS | Page 22
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ARARTICULATED 4WD TRACTORS 11 JD 9570R, ‘18, PS, Duals; PTO, 246 hrs, #147190 ...... $389,500 15 JD 9560R, ‘14, PS, Duals, 4495 hrs., #158665 ........... $179,500 15 JD 9560R, ‘14, PS, Duals, 5142 hrs., #158666 ........... $165,000 16 JD 9560R, ‘14, PS, Duals, 2831 hrs., #159510........... $217,400 14 JD 9620R, ‘15, Triples, HydraCushion Axle, 2344 hrs., #161422 . $283,900 15 JD 9620R, ‘16, PS, Duals, 2604 hrs., #161527........... $279,900 14 Ford Versatile 9680, ‘95, Syncro, Duals, 6873 hrs., #161602 ... $49,400 15 JD 9530, ‘07, PS, Duals, 4340 hrs., #161774 ............. $152,400 1 JD 9630, ‘11, PS, Duals, 4220 hrs., #162597 ............. $141,900 16 JD 9620R, ‘17, PS, Duals, 1409 hrs., #163225........... $319,500 17 JD 9530, ‘09, PS, Duals, 3073 hrs., #163522 ............. $149,500 5 JD 9400, ‘99, Partial PS, Duals, 6460 hrs., #163523 .....$69,500 5 JD 9570R, ‘17, Duals, 705 hrs., #163754 .................. $319,900 1 JD 9560R, ‘12, Duals, 3000 hrs., #163796 ................ $197,500 CHISEL PLOWS 14 CIH Flex Till 600, ‘11, 61’, 5-Section Folding, #160261$46,400 8 JD 2410, ‘10, 28’, 3-Section Folding, #161403 .............$34,900 17 Krause 4814, 17’ Rigid, #161625 ................................$10,900 7 White 445, ‘95, 14’ Rigid, #163317 ...............................$9,500 5 Wil-Rich 657 DCR, ‘13, 28’, 3-Section Folding, #163557 $32,900 16 Sunflower 4233-23, ‘10, 23’, 3-Section Folding, #163583$28,500 COMBINES 4 JD S660, ‘16, 2WD, Dls, 657 hrs., 478 sep hrs., #143510 $199,500 4 JD S670, ‘15, PRWD, Dls, 1410 hrs., 1014 sep hrs., #143718 $234,900 2 JD S670, ‘12, PRWD, Dls, 2319 hrs., 1834 sep hrs., #143860 $149,500 11 JD S670, ‘14, PRWD, Dls, 1759 hrs., 1218 sep hrs., #144313 $164,900 17 JD S680, ‘13, PRWD, Dls, 1426 hrs., 1013 sep hrs., #144322 $169,500 15 JD S680, ‘15, PRWD, Dls, 1954 hrs, 1153 sep hrs., #144328 .194900 3 JD S690, ‘14, PRWD, Dls, 1913 hrs., 1317 sep hrs., #145222 $189,500 7 JD S670, ‘13, 2WD, Dls, 1462 hrs., 998 sep hrs., #145812 . $18,500 16 JD S670, ‘17, 2WD, Dls, 257 hrs., 186 sep hrs., #146346 .$349,500 11 JD S670, ’17, 2WD, Dls, 979 hrs., 496 sep hrs, #146349 .$269,500 5 JD S680, ‘14, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 2004 hrs., 1248 sep hrs., #147716 ....................................................$209,500 8 JD S670, ‘16, 2WD, Dls, 633 hrs., 422 sep hrs., #148148 $279,500 17 JD 9660 STS, ‘04, 2WD, Duals, 3731 hrs., 2670 sep hrs., #150873............................................................................ $49,500 17 JD 9660 STS, ‘05, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Duals, 3538 hrs., 2331 sep hrs., #151601 ...................................................... $49,500 11 JD S680, ‘12, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Duals, Yield Monitor, 2371 hrs., 1529 sep hrs., #152167 ....................................................$149,500 14 JD S690, ‘14, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 2101 hrs., 1446 sep hrs., #153332 ....................................................$194,000 6 JD S670, ‘14, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 1903 hrs., 1260 sep hrs., #153514 ............................................. $192,900 16 JD S780, ‘18, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 406 hrs., 295 sep hrs., #154461 ............................................... $425,000 16 JD S780, ‘18, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Spreader, Yield Monitor, 547 hrs., 327 sep hrs., #154560 .......... $419,500 1 JD S680, ‘12, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Spreader, Yield Monitor, 2262 hrs., 1739 sep hrs., #154637 ...... $184,000
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17 JD S660, ‘12, 1342 hrs., 1025 sep hrs., #155239 ....... $178,000 15 JD S660, ‘14, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Singles, Spreader, Yield Monitor, #155345 ............................................ $189,500 14 JD S770, ‘18, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Singles, Chopper, 335 hrs., 199 sep hrs., #155380 ................................. $389,500 8 JD S670, ‘14, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Spreader, 1665 hrs., 1265 sep hrs., #155388 ............................. $210,000 5 JD S660, ‘14, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, 769 hrs., #155826...................................................... $230,500 14 JD 9750 STS, ‘00, 7685 hrs., 5021 sep hrs., #155851 ...$39,500 17 JD S770, ‘18, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Duals, Chopper, 243 hrs., #156063...................................................... $329,500 15 JD S680, ‘14, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, 1745 hrs., 1361 sep hrs., #156460 ............................. $205,500 7 JD 9400, 1989 hrs., Corn/Bean, 2WD, Singles, Chopper, 6793 hrs., 4198 sep hrs., #156978 .................$18,995 7 JD 6620, ‘81, 4500 hrs., 4500 sep hrs., #156979............$8,500 17 JD S660, ‘15, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Duals, Chopper, 788 hrs., 545 sep hrs., #157075 ................................. $229,500 1 JD S780, ‘18, PRWD, Dls, 324 hrs., #157910 ............. $425,000 16 JD S780, ‘18, PRWD, Dls, 546 hrs., 283 sep hrs., #157911 $420,000 10 Pickett Twin Master, ‘14, Chopper, #159226...........$148,500 16 JD S680, ‘14, PRWD, Duals, Spreader, 2431 hrs., 1781 sep hrs., #159509 ............................................. $187,400 7 JD S780, ‘18, Corn/Bean; PRWD; Duals; Chopper, 600 hrs., 268 sep hrs., #159539 ............................................... $421,900 4 JD 9870 STS, ‘08, PRWD, Duals, 3262 hrs., #160885 $101,900 7 JD 9650 STS, ‘02, PRWD, Duals, 5002 hrs., 3459 sep hrs., #161213 ................................................$44,900 16 JD 9870 STS, ‘10, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Duals, Chopper, 3242 hrs., 2400 sep hrs., #161419 ................................$99,500 14 JD S690, ‘14, PRWD, 2106 hrs., 1480 sep hrs., #161532 $217,400 16 JD S680, ‘14, PRWD, Dls, 12 hrs., 671 sep hrs., #161645 $259,500 16 JD S670, ‘13, PRWD, Dls, 1584 hrs., 1190 sep hrs., #161854 .................................................................... $180,400 10 JD S680, ‘14, PRWD, Dls, 1640 hrs., 1251 sep hrs., #161855 .................................................................... $209,500 7 JD S680, ‘13, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, 2818 hrs., 1871 sep hrs., #161858 ............................. $169,500 7 JD S680, ‘13, PRWD, Dls, 2112 hrs., 1391 sep hrs., #162070 .................................................................... $196,400 4 JD 9770 STS, ‘09, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Duals, Spreader, 1878 hrs., #162933.......................................................$95,000 6 JD 9670 STS, ‘08, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Duals, 2668 hrs., 1748 sep hrs., #163474 ................................................$81,400 5 JD 9610, ‘99, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, 4965 hrs., 3424 sep hrs., #163535 ................................$29,900 1 JD 9660 STS, ‘04, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Duals, 2309 hrs., 1562 sep hrs., #163577 ................................................$74,000 6 JD 9610, ‘98, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Singles, Chopper, 4619 hrs., #163581.......................................................$17,900 11 JD 9600, ‘96, 2WD, Duals, Chopper, #163655 ..............$19,400 1 JD 9500, ‘92, 2WD, 4246 hrs., 2850 sep hrs., #163670 $19,500
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3 JD 9870 STS, ‘09, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, 2360 hrs., 1580 sep hrs., #163675 ............................. $109,500 15 JD S680, ‘12, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 2486 hrs., 1881 sep hrs., #163765 ............................................. $159,400 4 JD S760, ‘18, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Duals, 572 hrs., 500 sep hrs., #163861 ............................................... $289,500 7 JD 9760 STS, ‘05, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, 3753 hrs., 2497 sep hrs., #164199 ..............................$67,900 1 JD S680, ‘13, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Yield Monitor, 1150 hrs., 815 sep hrs., #164375 ............................... $209,000 5 JD 7720 Titan II, 1988 hrs., Corn/Bean, 2WD, Singles, Chopper, #164617 ..........................................................$9,500 DISKS 16 Wishek 862NT, ‘12, 30 ft, #144471 ............................$49,500 14 EZEE-ON 8700, ‘10, 42 ft, #145714 .............................$21,900 4 JD 2623, ‘13, 33 ft, #149511........................................$39,500 5 JD 2625, ‘13, 42 ft, 11” spacing, #151841 ....................$38,500 9 Sunflower 1434, ‘02, 35 ft, 9” spacing, #157886 ........$22,000 11 Sunflower 1830, ‘12, 30 ft,, 11” spacing, #161784 .....$29,400 14 JD 862NT, ‘09, 16 ft, Rigid, #162924............................$21,900 3 Wishek 862-NT, ‘09, 33 ft, 3-Section Folding, #163465 .$30,000 15 JD DH1176, ‘15, 6 ft, Rigid, 11” spacing, #164612.........$1,100 RIPPERS 11 JD 2730, ‘15, #143523 ................................................$79,500 4 JD 2730, ‘16, #143847.................................................$59,500 15 Case IH 875, ‘14, #150892..........................................$51,900 17 JD 2700, ‘07, #151561.................................................$17,900 1 JD 2730, ‘15, #152025 ................................................$87,205 10 KRAUSE 4850-18, ‘07, #152120 .................................$16,900 8 KUHN 4850, ‘15, #154000 ..........................................$34,900 3 TEBBEN DT7M24, ‘16, #155258 ................................$10,995 8 JD 2720, ‘14, #155362.................................................$37,900 14 CASE IH 870, ‘13, #160533 .........................................$46,400 5 CASE IH 870, ‘12, #160721 .........................................$43,900 8 JD 2720, ‘13, #161404.................................................$34,900 1 JD 2720, ‘13, #162185 ................................................$29,900 5 JD 2700, ‘12, #162338.................................................$20,900 11 CASE IH 9300, ‘03, #162470 .......................................$18,900 7 CASE IH 870, ‘12, #163215 .........................................$40,400 1 KRAUSE 4850-15, #163794 ......................................$15,900 TRACK TRACTORS 5 JD 9510RT, ‘14, 36-inch tracks, 1735 hrs., #142684 .... 229500 2 JD 9520RX, ‘16, 36-inch tracks, 1348 hrs., #143518.....359500 16 JD 9570RX, ‘17, 36-inch tracks, 596 hrs., #150666.......439500 3 JD 9560RT, ‘14, 36-inch tracks, 2191 hrs., #153954 .....229500 17 JD 9520T, ‘02, 6337 hrs., #155678..................................89500 16 Case IH Steiger 620 Quadtrac, ‘17, 36-inch tracks, PTO, 425 hrs., #161650 ..................................................409500 15 JD 9570RT, ‘17, 36-inch tracks, 1777 hrs., #162060 .....329900 7 Case IH STX450Q, ‘02, 36” tracks, 5918 hrs., #162188 .$95,900 14 JD 9630T, ‘10, 760mm/30” tracks, 3730 hrs., #163509$153900 4 JD 9520RX, ‘18, 36-inch tracks, 916 hrs., #163838.......374900 4 JD 8320RT, ‘18, 450mm/18” tracks, 869 hrs., #163845 $269,500 16 JD 9570RX, ‘18, 36-inch tracks, 397 hrs., #164362... $485,000
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Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019
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KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
The Houdeks feed a mineral mix that includes corn gluten, soybean meal and amino acids in their raƟon.
production increased 7-10 pounds of milk per cow per day. Genomics has helped our production jump, although we probably cannot measure that directly. What role does genetics play in your production level, and what is your breeding program? It is very important. Using genomics has made an amazing difference in our production. It helps us reach production goals at a faster rate. Without genomics, our genomics would have plateaued. About 85% of the herd is bred based on genomics and 10% is bred based on type. The rest – hard breeders or older cows that will soon be culled – are bred to beef. We mainly look at net merit, butterfat and protein, and health traits, especially productive life and daughter pregnancy rate. Even in tough times, it pays to use the good bulls.
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What type of improvements would you like to make that would increase your rolling herd average even higher? Tunnel ventilation in the barn. To get to the next level, we always have to focus on feed quality, both tonnage and quality. We have our own chopper so we do not have to wait for someone else to chop for us. That helps us try to get the best quality we can.
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List three management strategies that have kept you protable and explain. The rst is to be efcient. We try not to waste time and money. The second is to be as clean as possible. Healthy cattle live longer. The third is investing in technology. We have the philosophy that we have to always be moving ahead in some way. We cannot be afraid to try something new. Cow Manager and our automatic calf feeder we installed eight years ago have both been good investments. The calf feeder helps grow our calves well.
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*0% interest for 30 months, DeLaval equipment only, on approved credit. 1.90% interest for 46 months, zero down. DeLaval equipment only, on approved credit and minimum deal amount of $30,000 is required to qualify for these rates. Subject to special conditions’ and cannot be combined with other promotional offers. 1Estimate monthly charges in connection with the financing of one VMS to a qualified buyer on approved credit on a 7 year term. Includes a residual to be paid in order to obtain full ownership at the end of the term. Offer good until December 31, 2019. Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc., doing business as Umpqua Bank Vendor Finance, is a subsidiary of Umpqua Bank. Products offered by Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc., are not FDIC insured. is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2019 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296. www.delaval.com
Tell us about your farm. We (Wayne and Kris) started milking cows on another farm in April 1992, the same year we were married. We started with 47 cows. In 1999, we moved to our current site after we bought 68 acres, and built our parlor and freestall barn. We now milk 480 cows and own over 1,100 acres. Two of our sons, Andy and Aaron, have returned to the farm. Andy returned in the spring of 2016, and Aaron returned in the spring of 2017. Our son, Eric, will be nishing graduate school and taking a job with a genetics company in December. He helps us with our genetic mating. Another son, Jacob, also works off the farm.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019 • Page 23
Stender creates career fair to boost interest in ag Dec. 13 event to highlight industry jobs By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
NORWOOD YOUNG AMERICA, Minn. – Working in agriculture comes in many forms – as a farmer, agronomist, geneticists, news broadcaster and more. As a dairy farmer, Tim Stender wants young people to realize their potential in the industry with his career fair set to take place Friday, Dec. 13, at Central High School in Norwood Young America. “I want kids to go home to their parents and tell them there are careers out there,” Stender said. “Even if they don’t go get a college degree, there are real careers out there that use math, science, social skills and more.” Stender milks 130 cows in Carver County near Norwood Young America. The farmer is also a participant in the Holstein Foundation’s Young Dairy Leader Institute Class 11. As part of YDLI, Stender had to create an event that promoted the dairy industry in a unique way. For more than a decade, Stender and his family have worked with high school students on their farm. Pairing an interest for dairy and educating youth seemed like the right t for a YDLI project. “I am so passionate about the kids
who work for us,” Stender said. “I see myself as a mentor to these kids as they learn values and work ethic, and then leave our farm as good people. I knew I wanted my project to reect that.” The career fair will begin at 8 a.m. that Friday and last for two hours. The district’s 368 high and middle school students will attend with an open invitation for other area agriculture instructors to bring their students, as well. Stender has worked with the school’s agriculture instructor, Jim Mesik, to coordinate the event. Together, Stender and Mesik will bring nearly 50 business professionals to the school to
“When I rst told the school about my idea, they approached it with open arms.” TIM STENDER, DAIRY FARMER
share career opportunities in agriculture. “When I rst told the school about my idea, they approached it with open arms,” Stender said. “They gave me days and times that would work and were ready to set something up and see how it works.” While Stender’s initial plan was to bring awareness to the jobs available in the dairy industry, he quickly decided
the career fair would encompass agriculture as a whole. “I really have lofty goals, and overall, I hope this impacts someone … to help them nd perspective,” Stender said. The dairy farmer’s goals stem from his childhood. Stender was surrounded by adult mentors who helped guide him Tim Stender towards his current Dairy producer lifestyle. However, he grew up in a time when farming was discouraged. “People would say, ‘The worst thing you could do is let your child farm,’” Stender said. “That was always in the back of my mind, even as I went off to college. I knew I wanted to farm, but I also knew the importance of other trades.” Then, when the YDLI program took Stender on a four-day trip to Phoenix, Arizona, he formed a connection that solidied his desire to help youth see the potential in the agriculture industry. Stender met Tyler Ribeiro, of Tulare, California, who is an advisor to the YDLI program and a Class 9 participant. Ribeiro created a career fair for his project. “Tyler saw the need in his community,” Stender said. “And, he was see-
ing the same things I’m seeing here.” The idea was further reafrmed when Stender attended his college program’s 25th year anniversary. “The program was developed in the mid ‘80s when the urban economy was booming and rural America was struggling,” Stender said. “There are still so many [people] going to fouryear schools with no direction. We need to talk to them about other options.” Now, in the position to help a younger generation, Stender is eager to be a role model and showcase the possibilities in agriculture. Amidst the troubles of fall harvest, Stender contacted businesses he works with on the farm to participate in the career fair. “This is really a grassroots effort,” he said. “I’ve reached out to agronomists, genetics companies, machinery shops, dealerships and vets, plumbers and electricians. I’d love for this to be as dairy focused as possible, but I’m open to all trades because they all contribute to the industry.” With an array of professionals on site to share their careers with students, Stender is hopeful his YDLI project will not only educate students about the agriculture industry but more importantly show them the vast opportunities the industry presents. To present at the career fair, contact Stender (952-607-6297 or tstender30@ yahoo.com) or check out the event’s Facebook page: Agriculture Career Fair.
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Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019
+
DAIRY ST R
The Great Christmas “GRAND” PRIZE
GIVEAWAY 2019
Grand Prize Drawing Will Be Held Thursday, December 12, 2019 THE WINNERS WILL BE POSTED ON WWW.DAIRYSTAR.COM, MILK BREAK NEWSLETTER AND ON FACEBOOK.
ADULT “GRAND” PRIZE
2) $1,000 CASH GIFTS! 17 & UNDER “GRAND” PRIZE
“Grand” Prize Heifer Calf:
JAZZY DOX DOT 8330 Born: September 8, 2019 Dam: Jazzy Cruiser 7336 Sire: JX Pine-Tree Dox Granddam: Jazzy Meridian 5839 Grand P Calf come rize s Jazzy Jers From ey owned by s, Dave Endr es Lodi, Wis. in
V Vinny Endres pictured with the Jazzy Dox Dot 8330 h heifer calf that will be given away in the G Great Christmas Giveaway drawing.
REGISTER FREE AT ANY OF THE PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019 • Page 25
REGISTER AT THESE PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES: WISCONSIN BARRON COUNTY
• Equity Livestock Barron • 715-537-5618
CHIPPEWA COUNTY
• Associated Milk Producers Inc. Jim Falls • 715-382-4113 • Chippewa Valley Dairy Supply Stanley • 715-644-2350
CLARK COUNTY
• Cloverdale Equipment Curtiss • 715-223-3361
DANE COUNTY
• Argall Dairy Systems, Inc Belleville • 608-424-6110 • Yes JCB- A Division of YES Equip. & Service Madison • 888-276-4365
DODGE COUNTY
MARATHON COUNTY • Equity Livestock Stratford • 715-687-4101
MONROE COUNTY
• Compeer Financial Monroe • 608-328-5934 • Equity Livestock Sparta • 608-269-3104 • Preston Dairy Equipment Sparta • 608-269-3830
PEPIN COUNTY
• Anibas Silo & Repair Arkansaw • 715-285-5317
PIERCE COUNTY
• Ag Partners Grange Hall • 715-647-5002 • Western Wisconsin Farm Store Ellsworth • 715-273-5066
RICHLAND COUNTY
DUNN COUNTY
• Advanced Dairy Solutions Richland Center • 608-647-4488 • Equity Livestock Richland Center • 608-647-6151
EAU CLAIRE COUNTY
• Tri-County Dairy Supply Inc. Janesville • 800-822-7662
FON DU LAC COUNTY
• Equity Livestock Bonduel • 715-758-2125
GRANT COUNTY
• Associated Milk Producers Inc. Blair • 608-989-2535
• Equity Livestock Lomira • 920-269-4351 • Midwest Livestock Systems Menomonie • 715-235-5144 • Equity Livestock Altoona • 715-835-3104
• Redeker Dairy Equipment, Inc. Brandon • 920-346-5576 • Argall Dairy Systems, West Platteville • 608-348-3385 • Fuller’s Milker Center, Inc. Lancaster • 608-723-4634 • Innovative Ag Services Cuba City • 608-744-2287 • J. Gile Dairy Cuba City • 608-744-2661 • Scott Implement Platteville • 608-348-6565
GREEN COUNTY
• Equity Livestock Monroe • 608-328-8344 • Monroe WestfaliaSurge/Koehn, Inc. Monroe • 608-325-2772
JACKSON COUNTY • W.H. Lien, Inc. Hixton • 715-963-4211
JEFFERSON COUNTY
• Equity Livestock Johnson Creek • 920-699-3588
LAFAYETTE COUNTY
• Center Hill Veterinary Clinic Darlington • 608-776-4083 • Ruf’s Farm Service Fayette • 608-776-4048
MANITOWOC COUNTY • Equity Livestock Reedsville • 920-7544361
ROCK COUNTY
SHAWANO COUNTY
TREMPEALEAU COUNTY VERNON COUNTY
• Koon Kreek Feeds Coon Valley • 608-452-3838
WALWORTH COUNTY
• Complete Feed Services LLC Sharon • 262-736-3333 • Triebold Outdoor Power Whitewater • 262-473-2464
WAUPACA COUNTY • Equity Livestock Marion • 715-754-5227
IOWA
ALLAMAKEE COUNTY • Bodensteiner Implement Waukon • 563-568-3463 • Equity Livestock Waukon • 563-568-4501 • Innovative Ag Services Waukon • 563-568-3455 • Waukon Veterinary Services Waukon • 563-568-2487
CLAYTON COUNTY
• Bodensteiner Implement Elkader • 563-245-2470 • Innovative Ag Services Elkader • 563-245-1230 Monona • 563-539-3501
DUBUQUE COUNTY
• Bodensteiner Implement Dyersville • 563-875-2724 • Brunkan Equipment Worthington • 563-855-2434 • Cascade Livestock Auction Cascade • 563-852-3533 • Eastern Iowa Dairy Systems Inc. Epworth • 563-876-3087 • Helle Farm Equipment Dyersville • 563-875-7154 • Innovative Ag Services Cascade • 563-852-7245 Farley • 563-744-3337 • New Vienna Ag Automation New Vienna • 563-921-2896 • Skip Breitbach Feeds Balltown • 563-552-2393 • Scherrmann’s Implement Dyersville • 563 875-2426 • Ungs Shopping Center (IAS) Luxemburg • 563-853-2455
JACKSON COUNTY • Innovative Ag Services Andrew • 563-672-3228
MINNESOTA DAKOTA COUNTY
• Werner Implement Vermillion • 651-437-4435
GOODHUE COUNTY
• Ag Partners - Grain Site Bellchester • 651-923-4453 Wanamingo • 507-824-2231 Wanamingo-Agronomy Location 507-824-2215 • Ag Partners Farm Store Cannon Falls • 507-263-4651 Goodhue • 800-732-1439 Pine Island • 507-356-8313 • GB Feed and Supply Bellechester • 651-923-4425 • Midwest Livestock Systems Pine Island • 507-356-8349
HOUSTON COUNTY
• Farmers Win Coop Caledonia • 507-725-3306 Houston • 507-896-3147 Spring Grove • 507-498-5321
WABASHA COUNTY
• Ag Partners Farm Store Lake City • 651-345-3328 Plainview • 507-534-2531 • Beck Implement Elgin • 507-876-2122 • Leedstone Plainview • 507-534-3161 • Wingert Sales & Service Plainview • 507-534-2285
WINONA COUNTY
• Benson Farm Service Lewiston • 507-523-2188 • Elba Coop Elba • 507-796-6571 • S&S Dairy Systems St. Charles • 507-932-4288
To view a complete list of participating businesses, log on to www.dairystar.com
*Enter as often as you like. One entry per store visit, please. Winners must be 18 years or older and a Grade A or B dairy farmer for heifer, or 17 years or younger and a son or daughter of a Grade A or B dairy farmer for heifer calf. Winners must also live in the Dairy Star circulation area to be eligible and are responsible for transport of animal.
Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019
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Gerard Becker Long Prairie, MN 320-290-9261 Hy View Feeds 507-493-5564 Mabel, MN Jack Stamschror Kellogg, MN 507-259-0269 Luxemburg Feed Service Luxemburg, MN 320-252-1513 Mark Titera Bagley, MN 218-694-2413 Masters Seeds Dan Mast 44454 120th Ave. SE Bertha, MN 56540 Mike Schimming Princeton, MN 763-370-3715 Schueler Farms Sherman Schueler Willmar, MN 320-894-4808 Winscher Seeds Mike Winscher 320-282-6748 Shawn Winscher Royalton, MN 320-420-4516 SOUTH DAKOTA Benjamin Arlt Big Stone City, SD 651-331-8865
Natures Best Chad Tesch Canton, SD 605-759-5622 Dan (Boone) Uphoff Sioux Falls, SD 605-321-1862 IOWA Clearview Ag Mervin Beachy St. Ansgar, IA 641-381-0054 D J Cattle Company Daryn Yoder Leon, IA 641-344-6002 Natures Best, LLC Roger TeSlaa Inwood, IA 712-753-4651
Brendon Blank Ixonia, WI 920-285-4640 Daniel Olson Lena, WI 920-676-2516 Rock Creek Ag Irvin Garman Loyal, WI 715-316-1072 Narrows Valley Supply Levi Troyer E4561 Stoney Ridge Rd., Loganville, WI Dean Wrightsman 608-495-4134 Summit Seed LLC Jim Webb Plymouth, WI 920-377-1152
Herman Mast 3192 180th Ave. Redding, IA 50860 Timberline Sales & Service Joe Graber Kalona, IA 319-656-3527 Valley View Ag Russ Funke Dyersville, IA 563-590-6939
Eberly Ag Thorp, WI Matthew Witmer 715-773-1093 Daryl Danner 715-773-2719 Andrew Miller E10094 Andy Miller Rd. Westby, WI 54667 Hefty Resources Edwin Leid Athens, WI 715-316-1888 Beachy Seed Supply Joe Beachy Bonduel, WI 715-758-8116
WISCONSIN Hillside Acres, LLC Silke Ford Hillsboro, WI 608-489-4720
This is the nal reminder that enrollment for 2020 DMC ends on Friday, Dec. 13, 2019. All producers that locked-in for ve years are still required to sign the contract and pay the $100 administration fee prior to this deadline. Producers that did not lock-in have until this date to decide if they want to participate and at what coverage levels. Please contact your local FSA News & Notes FSA ofce to take care of this task.
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Jerian Holsteins Mike Jackson Barron, WI 715-418-0876 Jacob W. Miller S2285 Role Lane Chaseburg, WI 54621 Steven Beachy Denmark, WI 920-615-6337 Thomas Kearns Gays Mills, WI 608-734-3416 Mark Smith Glenwood City, WI 320-232-5244 Howard Miller 24252 H M Lane Hillsboro, WI 54634 Garden Valley Genetics Juston Daniels Hixton, WI 715-299-9199 Will Boeder Luxemburg, WI 920-371-0381 Gerald Hochstetler W4260 Grand River Rd. Markesan, WI 53946 Prairie Ag Supply Robert Kistler Menomonie, WI 715-235-2425 David Stutsman N370 W CR ) Mondovi, WI 54755 Mike Plucinski Monroe, WI 608-558-2711
Greg Schieldt New Glarus, WI 608-712-5981 Rosedale Seeds Mark Rueth Oxford, WI 920-988-3070 Al Schellinger Mayville, WI 920-382-1176 Grass Ridge Farm, LLC Paul Lippert Pittsville, WI 715-459-4735 S L Sales Eli Stoltzfus 19900 Sunny Lane Platteville, WI 53818 Aaron Barclay Seymour, WI 920-606-1460 Scenic Valley Coop Daryl Magolski Seymour, WI 920-370-5206 Golden Grains Edwin F. Knoll Sparta, WI 608-269-5150 Eli Borntreger 28885 Co. Hwy. A Tomah, WI 54660 Goehl Farms Hay & Forage Michael Goehl Whitewater, WI 262-325-1363
The Farm Loan teams across the state are already working on operating loans for spring 2020 so it is important that potential By Ryan Brunn borrowers submit their Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. requests early so they can be timely processed. The farm loan team can help determine which loan programs are best for applicants. FSA offers a wide range of low-interest loans that can meet the nancial needs of any farm operation for just about any purpose. The traditional farm operating and farm ownership loans can help large and small farm operations take advantage of early purchasing discounts for spring inputs as well expenses throughout the year. Microloans are a simplied loan program that will provide up to $50,000 for both Farm Ownership and Operating Microloans to eligible applicants. These loans, targeted for smaller operations and non-traditional operations, can be used for operating expenses, starting a new agricultural enterprise, purchasing equipment, and other needs associated with a farming operation. FSA loan staff can provide more details on farm operating and microloans and provide loan applications. Loans to beginning farmers and members of underserved groups are a priority. Other types of loans available include: Marketing Assistance Loans allow producers to use eligible commodities as loan collateral and obtain a 9-month loan while the crop is in storage. These loans provide cash ow to the producer and allow them to market the crop when prices may be more advantageous. Farm Storage Facility Loans can be used to build permanent structures used to store eligible commodities, or for storage and handling trucks, or portable or permanent handling equipment. A variety of structures are eligible under this loan, including bunker silos, grain bins, hay storage structures and refrigerated structures for vegetables and fruit. A producer may borrow up to $500,000 per loan. Please call your local County ofce if you have questions about any of the loans available through FSA. 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.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019 • Page 27
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full semi down the road so Tony could pull up with from rain and snow. We all have the same story. 2019 the empty semi and back into the loading spot. I tried has been a very long, hard year. As I opened the door on the truck to get in, Tony to run back to the truck to get out of the way, but the waved hello to me while cut corn stalks and muddy he walked back to get into conditions made it imposThankful kf l ffor h health, l h that h we the full semi and return to sible to hurry much faster Th the farm. It was that wave, than a quick walk. As I was are all here together again the kind gesture, that made approaching the truck, I was me think about how lucky scolding myself for not pay- this harvest. and thankful I am for all of ing attention to the process the help we have this year. that was required to get the corn out of the eld and back to the farm. I was right Thankful for health, that we are all here together again in the way and slowing down the crew. I was sure one this harvest. Tina Hinchley, her husband, Duane, and their of the guys would mention it to me later. This year has been difcult on all of us. Wet, cold daughters, Anna and Catherine, milk 240 registered spring. Late planting. Difculty putting up hay and Holsteins with robots. They also farm 2,300 acres of corn silage. Immature corn at harvest, taking longer crops near Cambridge, Wisconsin. They have been drying time and only if you had fuel to dry it. Hay hosting farm tours for over 20 years. could not get baled. Corn silage trouble. Wet elds
G e nt
Last week, I took a photo of my husband in the combine unloading corn into the grain buggy that was unloading into the semi on the road. This is not normally how it happens with our harvest team lined up by the road. Duane was in the combine, Dave in the grain buggy and Tony in the semi, and corn went from one to the other. I had dropped off a late lunch for my husband, and I parked on the side of the road. The ditch was wet and slippery, and I did not want to get stuck. I left the truck and walked to the combine to hand up the bag from Culver’s and a soda. By Tina Hinchley Farmer & Columnist When I turned around, I saw our crew working around the problem I had caused. The next semi was coming in for pick up but could not get in the right spot between the electric poles and the ber optic box because I was parked in the wrong spot. The trucks had to stay on the road to be loaded all throughout this fall. With wet conditions and heavy corn, we do not have time to get stuck. Dave hopped out of the grain buggy to move the
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Come to learn about almost two decades of Discovery Farms research at this two-day Summit co-hosted by the Discovery Farms Programs in Wisconsin and Minnesota Jan. 7-8 at the Hilton Minneapolis St. Paul Airport Hotel. The rst-ever Discovery Farms Summit will bring together participants, partners, sponsors and highlight the successes and experiences from the programs. If you are looking for on-farm water quality data, this summit is the place for you. The Discovery Farms Programs have a combined 250+ site years of data to share from edge-of-eld surface runoff and tile monitoring on agricultural elds of all varieties. Whether you are a farmer, researcher, crop consultant, agency professional, educator or someone interested in water quality, the Discovery Farms Summit will have something for you. The Discovery Farms Program was founded in Wisconsin with the task to partner with farmers to collect on-farm water quality data around the state and extend that information so that others could understand the impact of practices, and, if needed, adapt and adopt specic solutions to water quality challenges. Discovery Farms Minnesota formed soon after in 2010. Programs in Arkansas and Washington are also active. Each Discovery Farms Program is built on three sound pillars including: – Farmer Leadership – On-Farm, water quality research – Communication of results Registration is open: https://discovery-farmssummit.constantcontactsites.com/
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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019 Joe Armstrong armst225@umn.edu 612.624.3610 Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130 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 Joleen Hadrich jhadrich@umn.edu 612-626-5620 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711 Nathan Hulinsky huli0013@umn.edu 320-203-6104 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu 612-625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435 Kota Minegishi kota@umn.edu 612-624-7455 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093 Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205 M. Scott Wells mswells@umn.edu 612-625-3747 Emily Wilmes krek0033@umn.edu 320-255-6169
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Bedding considerations Did the weather create a challenge in making quality straw or corn stocks bales this fall? Has the price of other bedding sources recently skyrocketed? If so, it may be time to research bedding options for your farm. Typically, a dairy cow will spend anywhere from 10-14 hours per day lying down. With that in mind, we must create the best environment possible for her overall health and well-being through our bedding selection. Proper bedding is essential to keep cows clean and dry. When managed correctly, cows have reduced injuries – hock lesions in particular – and fewer cases of lameness. There are many factors to consider when selecting the right bedding source for your facility. The rst and most critical is cow comfort and well-being. Bedding should be soft and dry for By Karen Johnson optimal comfort. Most barns are designed to handle a particular type of bedding University of MN and manure, such as compost barns, bed packs and sand bedded freestalls. Farmers must keep in mind what type of bedding their facilities and manure systems can handle. Another factor is storage. How do you plan to store the fresh and dirty bedding? Other considerations include price, availability and ease of use of the bedding source. – Corn stocks or stover. When harvested dry out of the eld, corn stocks or stover can be a relatively inexpensive bedding source produced on farm. Corn stover has a similar moisture holding capacity to straw. However, once they reach max capacity, the cell walls within the stocks rupture, releasing the moisture back into the environment. – Sand. Sand is a good inorganic choice for bedding to keep cows clean. It supports little bacteria growth and naturally drains moisture away which helps keep cows dry. Particle size matters for high quality sand. Particles that are too small result in compaction and poor drainage. All sand sizes provide valuable traction for cattle; however, particles that are too large can lead to hoof issues. Also, sand is noted to be hard on all types of facilities and equipment. – Sawdust or wood shavings. Overall, dry sawdust or wood shavings provide cows a dry, soft place to lie down. Due to the drying process, there is little opportunity for bacteria growth until manure/urine is added. Sawdust and
shavings are notably easy to use and can absorb 2.5 times their weight in moisture. Smaller particle size is preferred as it can absorb more and brakes down quicker than larger particle size shavings. However, the smaller the size, the faster pathogens can grow. Higher prices and availability shortages have been reported. – Green sawdust. In comparison to kiln dried sawdust, green sawdust has a higher moisture content which leads to higher bacteria growth potential before the product is used as bedding. The bacteria growth potential increases rapidly
T k time Take i to research h prices i and d availability of your bedding of choice in your area to determine which option will work best for you. once manure/urine is added. Due to the green cut nature of this product, it also has less moisture holding capacity. Some farmers frequently utilize lime to help mitigate the bacterial growth. Management with frequent removal of soiled material and addition of clean sawdust is key with this bedding source. – Straw. Straw creates a soft and comfortable environment for cows. It naturally provides thermal insulation during the coldest months of the year. Generally, straw has a lower pathogen load unless it is allowed to get heavily soiled. Another advantage to straw is that it can be produced on the farm. Higher prices and availability shortages have been reported. Variable prices and a tough harvest are making farmers wonder: What is my best option for bedding? Each farm is different based on their facilities and manure handling capabilities. No matter the material that works best for you and your facility, it needs to be dry and kept clean. Grooming stalls or bed packs multiple times a day is essential to keep the cows clean and reduce potential pathogen growth. Take time to research prices and availability of your bedding of choice in your area to determine which option will work best for you.
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Raising calves that will thrive in winter Winter presents extra challenges for raising calves in cold climates. Newborn calves’ thermal neutral zone is between 60 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit. The thermal neutral zone is the temperature at which an animal is the most comfortable and extra energy is not required to maintain normal body temperature. When environmental temperatures are below the thermal neutral zone, the calf uses energy just to maintain its body temperature. Even on a warm winter day of 40 degrees, the maintenance requirement for calves younger than 3 weeks old is 40% higher than temperatures within the thermal neutral zone. At zero degrees, the maintenance requirement is about double. Additional measures must be implemented during the winter to assure calves stay warm, healthy and continue to grow. Below are some items to consider: – Calves must be born in a very clean, dry environment. Calves are born with only 3-4% body fat. They are also born By Jim Salfer with a special layer of fat called brown fat. Brown fat’s only University of MN purpose is to release energy as heat. To prevent using all the fat within a few hours of birth, calves must dry off rapidly. The calving area should also be draft free. Warming boxes or rooms should be considered if calving in outside cold facilities. Four quarts of colostrum should be fed as soon as possible after birth to provide passive immunity and nutrients to the newborn calf. – In cold weather, calves need more energy just to maintain body temperature. This is particularly important during the rst three weeks after birth before calves consume more calf starter. Once calves consume starter and begin to ruminate, heat produced by feed digestion helps keep calves warm. Unless calves are already consuming 8 or more quarts of high quality milk replacer or whole milk per day, consider increasing the amount of milk offered up to these levels or higher. Research shows this will not result in scours, and the extra energy will allow calves to better ght off disease and stay warm. Accomplish this by increasing the number of feedings per day from two to three or increase the amount of liquid at each feeding. Do not just increase the amount of milk replacer powder in the same amount of water. This has the potential to cause dehydration, especially if water access is limited. – Feed milk at 105 degrees. Milk can cool rapidly during extreme cold. Adjust the initial temperature to achieve a milk feeding temperature of 105 degrees. – Consider calf blankets. Calves are no different than us. Wearing layers in cold weather helps keep us warm. Canadian research shows when calves were housed at a temperature of zero to negative 22 degrees, blankets provided a 52% increase in whole animal insulation. – Offer calves warm water daily. This can be a challenge in our winters. Drinking water stimulates consumption of starter that promotes rumen development. Consider offering warm water after calves are nished with their milk. After 10 minutes, empty water from the pail before it freezes. Another option is to offer warm water other times during the day. – Provide a lot of clean, dry bedding. Calves’ hair coats provide excellent insulation if they are clean and dry. Kneel in the bedding. If your knee gets wet, the calf will also get damp when lying down. Deep bedding allows a calf to nest down in it and provide a barrier of warm air around itself. Bed calves to a nesting score of three, where the calf is able to nestle deeply into the bedding material, and its legs are not visible. – Continue to ventilate the calf facility. Most hutches have openings or vents to keep air fresh for the calves. If no air is circulated within the facility, there is an increased disease risk because heat and moisture can create an environment conducive to pathogen growth. Well-designed air tubes keep small amounts of fresh air distributed throughout the calf building without creating a draft. – Delay weaning during extremely cold weather. Holstein calves can normally be weaned when consuming 1.5 to 2 pounds of starter for three consecutive days. However, since weaning is a stressful period, delay weaning during extremely cold weather.
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019 • Page 29
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Cold nights, hot reads Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019
Many people nd wintertime brings on more time to read; those cold nights lend themselves to being curled up in a blanket with a book that takes them somewhere else. Generally somewhere that doesn’t involve trying to stay upright on the ice or shovel snow. I’m always searching for a book for a new reading program, so I read a variety of genres and levels. Here are some of our favorites as of late, from books for the young ones to books for the parents and grandparents. “Otis and the Kittens” by Loren Long. “Tractor Mac and the Family Reunion” by Billy Steers. These two series of books both star a red tractor as their main character. Tractor Mac is denitely a Farmall tractor, while Otis doesn’t specify. These are the red tractor lovers alternative to Johnny Tractor (John Deere’s book series); they are wonderfully written and illustrated. The inside cover of all Tractor Mac books shows a detailed drawing of all the parts of the beloved tractor and one of his friends – the airplane, the steam engine, any number of other ones. Otis’ adventures usually involve saving one of his animal friends; a calf that loved his putt-puff-puttedy-chuff noise or a stuck kitten. Sure winners for a farm kid for Christmas.
“Escape from Baxters’ Barn” by Rebecca Bond. This book is an amazing read-aloud for children as young as 3 or 4, and could be read aloud or by themselves for an older child. It would be a perfect book for families that loved “Charlotte’s Web,” or books with farm animals in them. It begins when the one-eyed cat aptly named Burdock (seriously, how can you not want to read about a cat named Burdock?) is warming up under the stove in the house and overhears the two Baxter brothers ghting. The end result is hearing that Dewey plans to burn down the barn. Burdock takes it upon himself to warn the other animals, and they must hatch a plan. Tug and Pull, the work horses, Fluff, the sheep, Mrs. Brown, the milk cow, Figgy, the pig, and others devise an admirable plan to save themselves. The illustrations are beautiful, the wording describes the animals’ personalities in depth; the boys in my house all loved this book. I can’t wait to read it again to Cora. “An Elephant in the Garden” by Michael Morpurgo. I tend to read a lot of different WWII books, and this one caught my eye. It’s a young adult read, but I also read quite a few of those to be able to recommend them to teachers and
other children. It is based on two actual true accounts, and a worthwhile read to share with a child (fourth grade and up) or just read by yourself. In 1945, in Dresden, Germany, Lizzie and Karli’s mother worked at the zoo. The director of the zoo gave the orders that all large animals were to be shot if they were in danger of getting bombed. This was an effort to keep the animals from harming people on the streets (one of the true parts). Marlene, the baby elephant that Ramblings from the Ridge their mother had raised since birth was in danger. Their mother convinces the director to let her take Marlene home to live in their garden, and she becomes part of their family. When the bombs do start coming, their adventures traveling to safer ground become more interesting with their elephant family member. The By Jacqui Davison sweetest part of this book is that it’s told as a story to a Columnist little boy named Karl and his mother at the nursing home where Lizzie now lives. A very different kind of war story, and a very beautiful one; just try and not get attached to the elephant. “Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan. Another young adult novel, Ira’s teacher had read it aloud in class and Ira really enjoyed it, so I wanted to know what it was all about so we could start reading the entire series at home. It’s action packed, loaded with Greek Mythology references, and written well enough that it leaves you wanting to know what will happen next. The series itself has spawned a few movies, but like most adaptations of books, the book has more details and things were changed in the movies. Percy is labeled as a troublemaker by his schools, and nally his mother takes him to Camp Half-Blood, where he discovers that his dad is none other than Poseidon, the God of the Sea. His adventures are just beginning – being accused of stealing the very important Lightning Bolt, he and his friends must embark upon a quest to return it. “Call of the Wild (Can You Survive?)” by Jack London, adapted by Ryan Jacobson. Most of us remember the Choose Your Own Adventure books from our youth – this is whole new kind. In this version of “Call of the Wild,” you become Buck, the dog, and must make decisions throughout to survive. Dad got this for the boys for Christmas, they loved it; but turns out that thinking like a human when you are a dog is dangerous. A great read for boys. “A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman. Every one of us has a person like Ove in our lives. A curmudgeon that never appears to smile or enjoy life, Ove has a very sad past and you can’t help but want to love him. He appreciates order in his life and has very little tolerance for ignorant humans, much less an aggravating cat. Published rst in Sweden, it has moved here, and well worth the read. It will have you laughing hysterically one chapter, and the next will move you to tears. I promise you will relate Ove to a person in your own life and enjoy this book. “Lilac Girls” by Martha Hall Kelly. For those of you who’ve read “The Nightingale,” this book is a great addition to your WWII reading repertoire. Based on the lives of three women (two of which were actually real), it takes you from the French consulate in New York, to Poland as a young girl being drawn into the resistance, to Germany to see the world through the eyes of a young female doctor. Eventually their paths cross, and what happens will have you shaking your heads in utter disbelief as you remember that those things did indeed happen during the war. It will keep you awake and will denitely nd a place on your shelf next to “The Nightingale.” Stay warm and keep on reading. Jacqui and her family milk 800 cows and run 1,200 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wis. Her children, Ira (12), Dane (10), Henry (5) and Cora (toddler), help her on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones, or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos – and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.
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Septicemia in calves
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019 • Page 31
in rapid death because of the body’s inability to re- mouth, the respiratory tract, or occasionally, a penFirst, let’s dene some terms. Septicemia means invasion of the bloodstream spond correctly or quickly to infection. They all, how- etrating wound such as dehorning. The navel has a diby pathogenic organisms. In calves, these are usually ever, have common origins. They all are also com- rect connection to internal organs at birth. If the entry bacteria, though they could be viruses or parasites. monly misdiagnosed or attributed to incorrect causes is the mouth, however, the ingested organisms have Bacteremia is a subset of septicemia where the on farms. For example, sometimes farmers say the to get through the body’s defenses in the gut and asanimal was born with it or born that way. This seems sociated tissues. Fortunately, most of the time, bacteinfection is specically caused by a bacterium. Sepsis is often used interchangeably with septicemia. reasonable since these calves may only be a few days rial infections in the intestine or lungs will not breach Septic shock is another similar term. in some cases. Older calves may be these defenses and calves do not develop septicemia. Veterinary Wisdom old diagnosed with pneumonia because they Circulating IgG antibodies absorbed from maternal However the Society of Critical Care often breathe fast and have a fever. In re- colostrum are integral components of the body’s deMedicine denes sepsis as “a life threatening organ dysfunction due to ality, all cases start with bacterial infec- fense, too, and can be critically important in preventdysregulated host response to infection,” tion somewhere in the body, and progress ing the development of sepsis following septicemia. and septic shock as “a subset of sepsis … to a blood infection, and then possibly to Bacteremia needs to be treated immediately with with particularly profound circulatory, sepsis and septic shock. a broad spectrum antibiotic, copious amounts of (IV cellular and metabolic abnormalities that The rst farm was found to have a if possible) uids and aggressive supportive care. substantially increase mortality.” contaminated dip cup that looked like it Supportive care in colder months needs to include Thus sepsis and septic shock are had never been cleaned or washed. The a warm environment or calves may develop severe more severe conditions that develop from cup was thrown away and the problem hypothermia. Bacteremia can rapidly progress to septicemia. disappeared. The second farm, upon fur- sepsis and septic shock. These calves are much harder Why is this important in calves? Here ther investigation, was found to be only to save. By Jim Bennett are some examples from our practice. Septicemia is probably much more common in sporadically spraying navels and did not Columnist One farm had multiple cases of practice monitoring of blood total pro- calves than most producers appreciate. Proper prenewborn calves showing very high teins for the purpose of identifying fail- vention includes providing excellent hygiene in calvfevers, rapid breathing, extreme arching of the neck, ure of passive transfer of aning pens, calf housing, calf paddling of the legs and death. Calves were typically tibodies. The third farm did feeding and air. It also inSepticemia i i iis probably b bl much h cludes preventing failure of less than 2 days old. Another farm had several cases an excellent job of monitor- S of newborns found down and depressed with fevers in ing total proteins and sel- more common in calves than passive transfer. Prevention the rst 3 days of life. Calves were treated with a broad dom reported failure of pasis much more effective than spectrum antibiotic, an anti-inammatory and uids. sive transfer but had been most producers appreciate. treatment. Today’s dairy Some responded within hours, others died. A third using a variety of products veterinarians have many farm had 1 to 2 week old calves with swollen joints to dip navels. When they tools to help evaluate your and lameness. Often careful examination revealed switched back to strong iodine as a dip the problem farm’s prevention programs. Contact yours if you that more than one joint was affected. Most survived, subsided. The last farm did not dip navels or measure need help. Bennett is one of four dairy veterinarians at but some remained lame. They also had calves that blood total proteins. Only a couple of the farms had sluffed the tips of ears, toes or feet. Yet another farm bacteria isolated from tissues submitted to a labora- Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center in had multiple calves that appeared to be born unable tory. E. coli was isolated in both cases. It is not always Plainview, Minn. He also consults on dairy farms in to stand, though careful examination of history could possible to isolate an organism in the live or dead ani- other states. He and his wife, Pam, have four children. not rule out the possibility that calves were standing mal, but it may not really matter since septicemia in Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@gmail.com with in the rst day of life. Most died or were euthanized. calves is usually caused by common environmental comments or questions. These cases are all examples of septicemia, most organisms. There are some exceptions, however; Sallikely bacteremia. The severe ones are cases of sepsis monella Dublin is the most notable. The source of the infection may be the navel, the or septic shock. Sepsis and septic shock often result
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Corn stalk bales Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019
Bedding shortages around here became so bad that the attitude was, “Who cares about the corn, just get me the bedding.” We nally baled about two-thirds of what we needed hours before this last snowfall hit. We had many acres ready to bale about a month ago when we combined high moisture corn, but the custom baler was broken down. We had more acres of corn to combine after that, so we were not too worried. That was a mistake because we have had rain or light snow every 3-4 days since then. In hindsight, I should have found a different baler or bought my own. Not that I really had any spare bodies able to run a baler and do a good job. I was thinking back on how we bedded heifers years ago before round bales. Once again, I remembered small square baling up the slough bottoms in late summer and that reed canary grass was so rank we
used it for bedding. The good oat straw bales were reserved for the milk cows and the baby calves. The last 10 years, the slough bottoms have been full of water virtually all year around. We also only bedded the few heifers we had back then for only 90-120 days in the dead of winter, because they were on pasture or a dry lot that was actually dry. The last few years, the dirt dry lot has totally been a wet, muddy mess. Beside square baling reed canary grass for bedding, I also small squared corn stalks once I had a baler that could do it. It was a Massey 124 that ran plastic twine, and it could handle stalks quite well. We would go behind the combine with a side delivery rake to make a windrow. We made sure to do it on a sunny breezy day. Then we would quickly try to bale all the racks full before the early sunsets of late fall. If I was stacking bales on the rack, I had to wash the dirt out of my eyes so I could recognize my own kids. If
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we were short on oat straw, we would use those corn stalk bales in a little bedding chopper to bed the 80 tie stall cows. Talk about ying missiles of kernels, small rocks and cobs. The cows would get pretty excited the Making Cents of Dairy rst few days we did it, but after a bit they kind of liked chewing on something different. I will never forget the rst time I hired a guy to come and round bale stalks for me. Round balers were just getting popular. He had just bought his rst baler, and neither of us knew By Dave Vander Kooi what we were doing. At Columnist that time, I did not farm much ground and what I did farm was not the best ground. We had combined 70 acres of corn on some of the hilliest ground in Nobles County. It was a horribly windy, but sunny cold day when he came. The plan was I would rake about one windrow in front of the baler so the windrows would not have time to blow apart. I was on my little no cab 165 Massey, so I was in coveralls, mittens and a parka which made side and rear visibility a problem for me. He baled and released those bales on those hills in that wind, and I could not see them come rolling at me. We had a problem. We soon gured out we needed to quarter turn the baler before releasing the bales in certain locations. The last 10 years or so, we have baled enough corn stalk or bean straw bales to easily supply our needs for our two heifer lots. Soybean straw bales have worked excellent for us when we had those acres close enough to the feedlots. Sometimes I think soybean straw keeps the heifers a little cleaner. We like to bale elds close to the feedlots as it really cuts down on the labor and equipment needed to transport the bulky bales. This year we hardly grew any soybeans because of feed needs and low soybean prices. By having plenty of available bales, we also use them as windbreaks for the feedlots until early spring. In addition to the outside stacked bales, we always kept an old shed full of emergency bales in case we ran short. This past spring and this past fall were so wet that we used up all those emergency bales before this winter even started. The good part of that is we nally cleaned up some bales that were really showing their age and could not be called round bales anymore. They were totally egg shaped and barely held together with loose net wrap. To get through this winter with our limited supply of bedding will require money and extra effort. We have spoken for 400 bales of Prevent Plant oat straw that needs to be trucked in from 40 miles away. I also bedded the heifers one night last week when I was totally out of bedding with a poor quality hay bale. It went through my bedding chopper ne, but it was very dusty and too nely chopped for bedding, but it worked. Last night it was snowing heavily, and I bedded the heifer shed after dark with a fresh new bale of corn stalks. It was such a good feeling to watch those heifers run into the shed and immediately start laying down happy and contented. Vander Kooi operates a 1,800-cow, 4,500 acre farm with his son, Joe, and daughter-in-law, Rita, near Worthington, Minn. Send him feedback at davevkooi@ icloud.com. Follow him on Instagram, @davevanderkooi.
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Tenacity, gratitude, faith
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019 • Page 33
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How can it be December already? In the nick of time, the guys tucked the last corn stalk bale into the rows with the other 200 bales, cleaned up and parked the equipment in the machine sheds for the season, and wrestled sidewall curtains back into place on the north sides of the heifer and cow barns for the winter winds to come. Then, thankfully the kids made it home from college and a few days of appreciated extra help. The Thanksgiving holiday was celebrated with family and friends at Lois and Mike’s house, and much delicious food was eaten and enjoyed. Next came a big Gopher/Badger game (a Come Full Dairy Circle tough one for our family’s Gopher fans). Now, just like that, we are in the Advent season and the shortest days of the year. I am always happy to see November go. It is not a favorite month, with many gray days, winterizing tasks, too much to do to wrap up harvest and way too many calves to care for in not so nice weather conditions. Forty-three calves on milk taxes our facilities and my cheerful countenance. This year, the month was complicated by a hip replacement surgery for husband, Rolf. It was simply time for him to have that done, so he did, and By Jean Annexstad he is recovering nicely. We are taking care of the Columnist milking, manure scraping, cow feeding and countless other farm duties with employees, family and myself stepping up working many more hours outside. During these weeks of recovery and healing, Rolf gets to catch up on reading, farm paperwork, and do a lot of walking around the house to get his new hip and surrounding muscles back on track. When I go about the work outside, I sometimes like to listen to podcasts or other radio programming. On one recent day the topic was an interview with Henry Winkler, an actor, also known as The Fonz on a popular TV show of my era and now a character actor on other shows. While I was listening, we were struggling to move snow from the recent storm, get chores done, feed many calves, bed all of the heifers and dry cows because of the wet sloppy snow, and get people to the big football game at the University of Minnesota stadium. In the interview Winkler said, “I live by two words, tenacity and gratitude. Tenacity gets you where you want to go, and gratitude doesn’t allow you to be angry along the way.â€? His quote was on target for my struggles that day. It more than likely will be a nugget of inspiration for some of the tough winter days to come. Yes, it does take tenacity to power through a heavy workload on a dairy farm every day. Sometimes where I want to go is simply back into the house to get done for the day. I feel real gratitude for all of the help along the way from so many people who work with us on our dairy. Our employees have stepped up to put in extra hours to complete the things that need to be done. They sometimes sacriďƒžce their own family time to help us. Though we do not tell them enough, it is appreciated very much. None of us can make a go of it in this tough business alone. It also takes a lot of assistance from those who offer advice, drive the milk or feed delivery trucks, the veterinarian, the friend who brings a pie, a brother-in-law who plows out the mailbox ‌ just a few of the examples. I am sometimes reminded of the Laura Ingalls Wilder story of when Laura and her sisters moved the entire wood pile into the log cabin when her ma and pa were away. Laura did not want to run out of wood and freeze in the impending snow storm. Her pa told her admirably that she was as strong as a little French horse. That story has stayed with me since my childhood. As much as I try to emulate Laura, my little French horse skills are usually lacking, and it takes a great deal of help from others along the way to accomplish what needs to be done. It also takes a strong dose of faith. This is the season of Advent when we are focusing our thoughts on the coming of our Savior. It can be a quiet and reďƒ&#x;ective time to contemplate the wonder of God’s love for us in sending his son to earth. It is a time to renew our faith, to remember that we are not alone and to rejoice in our belief that the best is yet to come. Jean dairy farms with her husband, Rolf, and brother-in-law, Mike, and children Emily, Matthias and Leif. They farm near St. Peter, in Norseland, where she is still trying to ďƒžt in with the Norwegians and Swedes. They milk 200 cows and farm 650 acres. She can be reached at jeanannexstad@gmail.com.
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019
Feltz Family Farms embraces retail, agritourism By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
STEVENS POINT, Wis. – Feltz Family Farms dove into diversication three years ago and never looked back. Expanding into new areas of income potential is a business strategy that has allowed the entire family to return to the farm. From their onsite store and farm tours to the farm’s
Masters of diversication pumpkin patch, corn maze and petting zoo, the Feltz family welcomes the public with open arms. “The response to our efforts has gone beyond anything I ever expected,” said Ken Feltz, who owns Feltz Family Farms with his wife, Jackie. Feltz’s Dairy Store, which opened June 2017, is Jackie’s longtime dream come true. The family-oriented store provides a place to shop for dairy products, agricultural items and specialty goods. Closely connected to the farm, the store features
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
The Feltz family – (front row from leŌ) Jared holding Jack and Jenna holding Gracie; (back row, from leŌ) Taryn, Jackie, Ken and Jake – of Feltz Family Farms pose Nov. 21 inside the farm’s onsite store near Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The Feltzes milk 680 cows and farm 700 acres.
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Jenna Feltz assists a customer at Feltz’s Dairy Store on Nov. 21 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The store receives about 150 customers a day and up to 400 during the holidays.
viewing windows into the robotic milking barn, allowing visitors to observe the cows and see two of the farm’s four robots in action. Feltz Family Farms milks 680 cows and farms 700 acres near Stevens Point. Feltz is the fth generation on his family’s farm, which he and Jackie purchased from his parents in 1995. Their three children – Taryn, Jared and
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Jake – represent the sixth generation. Jared, who speaks uent Spanish, manages cows, robots and employees while Jake manages the store. Both graduated from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls with business degrees. Taryn left her job as a registered nurse to work on the farm full time as well. Jared’s wife, Jenna, is a
teacher and also helps in the store. The couple has two children, Gracie, 4, and Jack, 20 months, with a third child on the way. Jenna also heads up the farm’s tours. “There’s really no boss here,” Feltz said. “Everyone has their share of responsibilities.” Filled with locally Turn to FELTZES | Page 35
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Feltz’s Dairy Store opened June 2017 at Feltz Family Farms in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The store is stocked with a wide selecƟon of merchandise including food such as cheeses, meats, ice cream, milk and chocolates along with décor, candles, soaps and more. sourced products from Wisconsin, Feltz’s Dairy Store sells a variety of cheeses including blocks, fresh curds, spreads and cheese trays; beef sticks, sausage and steaks made from the farm’s Angus grass-fed beef cattle; ice cream served in homemade wafe cones, milk, coffee, honey, maple syrup, mushrooms, olives, jams, fudge, candy, baked goods, candles, soaps, décor, wine, beer, apparel and more. “It’s trial and error guring out what sells,” Feltz said. “We continually add new items and take others away. Cheese rules the roost around here. It’s 60% of our business by volume, and cheese curds are our No. 1 selling item. Everyone loves curds. They’re the calling card to get people in the store.” Feltz said milk in glass bottles and ice cream in the summer are big draws as well. Homemade frozen pizzas, which the family started making earlier this year, have also proven popular. The Feltzes take their store’s tagline – food, family and fun – to heart. Fun for the whole family, Feltz’s Dairy Store also includes a kids area with picnic tables, coloring pages, a cow carousel and cow statue featuring rubber teats for milking. “I was scared to death when we started this,” Feltz said. “We had no prior retail experience, and I didn’t think anyone would come. Or if they did, I thought they would only visit once. I lost a lot of sleep. But, I had faith in God and prayed we would get customers.” Feltz’s prayers were answered. Open seven days a week with shorter hours on Sunday, the store enjoys a constant ow of customers, averaging 150 people per day, many of whom are regulars. During the holidays, trafc jumps to about 400 customers daily. The farm’s close proximity to Stevens Point has benetted the store. “The store has been extremely successful,” Feltz said. “In fact, I predict the store is going to carry us someday and outpace the dairy in revenue. Being attached to the barn gives it more allure than if it were a standalone business.” On Nov. 1, 2016, the Feltzes began milking a portion of their herd with robots. The store and robotic barn share the same facility in which 100 cows are milked by two robots. “Robotic technology intrigued Jared,” said Feltz, who added two DeLaval robots to a second barn in October. “Cows love the robots.” In the future, Feltz plans to add four robots for a total of eight and cut down cow numbers by 100. Feltz started in a 25-stall tiestall barn,
which he later converted into a atbarn parlor where he milked up to 300 cows before building a freestall barn and double-12 parlor. Cows are milked four times a day, a practice started in 2009. “Peak milk went way up when we added a fourth milking,” Feltz said. “Cows did great, and it creates a rhythmic, even work schedule.” When Feltz began farming, cows were giving 40 pounds of milk per day and somatic cell count was 680,000. Today, Feltz Family Farms has a 34,000-pound herd average and 70,000 SCC. Cows in the parlor average 102 pounds of milk per day, and cows milked in the robot average 107 pounds. In 2014, the herd was one of the top in Wisconsin – the same year Feltz won the Master Agriculturist Award. Feltz Family Farms began giving tours in 2017 and hosted 1,500 school children this fall. The farm gives tours to the public at 1 p.m. every Saturday and any time by appointment Memorial Day through fall. “Tours are a big part of our business,” Feltz said. “There’s no overhead except what we pay our tour guide. People have so many questions, but, most of all, they want to meet the farmer. When they meet the farmer, they understand. We show them everything including the machinery, feed storage and manure separator. And, they love it. It’s good for people to know we are a real farm and a real family, and this is how we make our income.” Feltz Family Farms also offers various activities like a pick-your-own pumpkin patch, corn maze, hayrides, barrel train rides and a bounce house shaped like a barn. “The Culver’s Corn Maze was huge for us,” Feltz said. “We had 7,500 people go through the 10-acre maze designed by Culver’s restaurant. The weekend before Halloween, we transformed it into a haunted maze.” The Feltzes are always brainstorming ways to diversify and roll out something new each year. This year it was a petting zoo. Next year, they are going to start making cheese. And someday, Feltz would like to add a restaurant. “I started farming with 50 cows and one bull,” Feltz said. “… I wanted a better life for my kids. I sent them to college with the hopes they would do what they love and not worry about money. I never thought they’d all come back to the farm, but I’m so happy they did. Diversifying made that possible. Family is very important, and I feel blessed we’re all here working together.”
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What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I have enjoyed the values that the dairy farm has instilled in me, and I really enjoy my cows and calves. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? I belong to a lot of organizations in the dairy industry. Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? My parents. I’ve seen all of the sweat and tears they put into their farm, and all they have gotten in return for them. 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 show Ellen DeGeneres because of her recent comments about having no dairy in your diet and her remarks about how farmers care for their animals. I would like to prove to her that her thoughts are wrong. What is the best vacation you have ever taken? A trip my family took to Wyoming, Montana, and the Dakotas. It is awesome out there. What are some words you like to live by? Faith, love and farm.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019 • Page 37
Jersey claims Wisconsin cow of the year title
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PHOTO SUBMITTED
Mary Ellen Fischer (from leĹŒ), Roy Fischer, Kaila Tauchen, Colin, Nicolle and Ron Wussow are pictured with Milk-n-More Tequila Naomi EX-93 at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. Naomi was named the 2019 Wisconsin Cow of the Year. Not pictured is Tauchen’s husband, Joseph.
Showstopper from Shawano County chosen to represent breed By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
CECIL, Wis. – Ever since a calf, Milk-n-More Tequila Naomi has been special to the Wussow family. With her correctness and balance, she was destined to accomplish great things in the show ring. Earning allWisconsin and reserve all-American honors, Naomi turned heads wherever she went. Bred and owned by Ron and Nicolle Wussow of Milk-n-More Farms in Cecil, Naomi is an allaround solid cow touting a long list of showring accolades and an impressive production record, making her the ideal Jersey to represent the breed as the 2019 Wisconsin Cow of the Year.
“This is a once-in-alifetime achievement, and we weren’t expecting to win.� NICOLLE WUSSOW, DAIRY FARMER
The 7-year-old Excellent-93 Jersey received this special honor during a ceremony Oct. 2 at World Dairy Expo in Madison. “We were very honored,â€? Nicolle said. “This is a once-in-alifetime achievement, and we weren’t expecting to win. In fact, I wasn’t even going to ďƒžll out the application. My kids told me I should do it, and all of us were very surprised when Naomi won.â€? The Wisconsin Cow of the Year is selected every September to represent the state’s $43.4 billion dairy industry. The title rotates between the state’s seven major dairy breeds: Guernsey, Ayrshire, Holstein, Red and White Holstein, Brown Swiss, Jersey and Milking Shorthorn. To qualify, the animal must be
Wisconsin-born and exemplify the type and conformation regarded as highly desirable for that breed. A program organized by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, the winner is selected by the breed’s Wisconsin purebred cattle association. Naomi is sired by Tower Vue Prime Tequila-ET and is the daughter of Milk-n-More Counciller Neola VG-83. Naomi’s show career began in 2012 when she was named reserve junior all-American winter calf at the All-American Junior Jersey Show and reserve junior all-Wisconsin winter calf. As a senior 2-year-old in 2014, Naomi won reserve junior all-American and reserve junior allWisconsin. In 2016, Naomi was the ďƒžrst place 4-year-old cow at the Wisconsin State Fair Junior Show and honorable mention grand champion. In 2017, she was grand champion at the Wisconsin Spring Showcase Junior Show, and she placed ninth in the 5-year-old class at the All-American Junior Show. “Naomi was very docile ever since she was little and was a favorite 4-H project animal of our kids, Kaila and Colin,â€? Nicolle said. “She was easy to train and simple to show. She’s a laid back, easy-to-work-with cow.â€? The Wussows milk 110 cows and farm over 800 acres on their ďƒžvegeneration farm, which has been in the family for over 100 years. Ron and Nicolle purchased the farm from Nicolle’s parents, Roy and Mary Ellen Fischer, in 1999 and built the herd from 45 cows to 130 cows consisting of 85 Jerseys and 50 Holsteins. The Wussows also have a custom harvesting business covering 15,000 acres in the 100-mile vicinity. “We have a lot going on and are very fortunate to have many reliable Turn to NAOMI | Page 38
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Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019
ConƟnued from NAOMI | Page 37
employees,” Nicolle said. The Wussows got into Jerseys in 1997 when Ron and Nicolle bought a Jersey calf for 1-year-old Kaila. “It was something different,” Nicolle said. “The Jersey is a very petite cow, and we wanted something smaller. They t better in our tiestall barn. We were looking for more cows and found a good deal on Jerseys, so we bought a few more. We bought Naomi’s great-grandmother at a sale, and Jerseys took over from there. They have less health issues, and their higher component pricing is also advantageous.” The Wussows began showing Jerseys competitively in 2005 and have shown at all levels – local, state and national – winning numerous all-American awards. The animal that started it all was Naomi’s great-grandmother, Ri-Jul Deluxe Natalie. She was the rst heifer the Wussows took to World Dairy Expo and Louisville, Kentucky, and was named reserve junior champion of the All-American Jersey Show in 2005. The memorable heifer was born with a crooked nose and deed nature by her ability to reproduce even though she was a twin to a bull. Natalie scored Excellent-91 and left a trail of successful offspring at Milk-
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Trent Styczynski (from leŌ), Colin, Ron and Nicolle Wussow, Kaila Tauchen and Heidi Heller surround Milk-n-More Tequila Naomi as the supreme champion of the open class show at the Shawano County Fair in September 2017. Not pictured is Tauchen’s husband, Joseph.
n-More. Natalie’s daughter, Milk-n-More Golden Neala EX-91, was competitive at the all-American level and placed 10th in the 2010 National Jersey Jug Futurity. Neala’s daughter, Neola, was the mother of Naomi. “Naomi has been a special blessing to our family,” Nicolle said. “Starting with the cow that she goes back
to because Natalie getting pregnant was not supposed to happen. These animals have been a big show family for our farm.” Naomi works hard in the barn with a lifetime production record of 115,010 pounds of milk, 5,068 pounds of butterfat and 3,796 pounds of protein. Her top record was made as a 6-year-old when
she produced 28,560 pounds of milk with a 4.2% butterfat test at 1,208 pounds and 3.2% protein at 910 pounds, with a total cheese yield of 3,141 pounds. Naomi is dry and did not show at World Dairy Expo but did spend the week in Madison. “We go to shows as a family,” said Nicolle, who grew up showing cattle at the Sha-
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wano County Fair where she met Ron 33 years ago. “It’s like our vacation and a fun thing to do together. We’ve met so many people through showing. It’s a huge blessing to be a part of that world and have cows that can compete at that level. It’s brought us closer as a family.” A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Kaila is the assistant director of communications at the American Jersey Cattle Association and resides in Twentynine Palms, California, with her husband, Joseph Tauchen, a graduate of UWRF and member of the Marine Corps. Colin is a sophomore at UWRF majoring in agriculture business with minors in dairy science and crop science. Like her children, Nicolle also graduated from UWRF. The Wussows breed for functional type and exceptional production. In addition to a successful show career and the family’s recent cow of the year victory, the Wussows have also won production awards at the state and national levels. “We don’t dwell on our winnings much,” Nicolle said. “We’re just blessed to have very precious memories with our family and closest friends.”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 7, 2019 • Page 39
Dairy prole
with David Peterson, of Scandinavia, Wisconsin
David Peterson Scandinavia, Wisconsin Portage County 130 cows
What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? It’s never the same day to day. I like the variety of work and being my own boss. Of course, that can have its drawbacks, too, but I like being able to decide we’re going to do this chore tomorrow instead.
How did you get into farming? I grew up on a dairy farm. I spent four years working off the farm and then came back to help my dad for three years before buying my own farm in 1984. I am the oldest child of seven. Two of my brothers also farm nearby, and we share equipment.
What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Keep up the good work even during tough times and hang in there. What has been the best purchase you have ever made on your farm? Our tractors have held their value – specically my 8930 CNH tractor. It’s given me a lot of hours and not a lot of grief. It’s a big tractor that we use for spreading manure, chopping, disking and plowing.
What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? Low prices and products brought in from other countries – some countries use stuff that is banned in this country, so I wonder if dairy and meat products imported into the United States are up to our standards? What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? We’ve had auto takeoffs on our milking machines for 22 years, but we updated with new ones that tell us the weight, temperature and conductivity of the milk. We did this for health reasons, and it’s definitely worth the money. The new takeoffs tell us if a cow’s temperature is higher or lower than it should be and also alert us to mastitis issues. If a cow is dragging, I want to know her temperature. Or, a cow might have a high temperature without me even knowing, and then I can go check her out. What is a management practice you changed in the past year that has beneted you? With the low prices we’ve had, I watch things closer and question where products are coming from and try to make better buying decisions.
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
The Petersons – (from leŌ) Alaina, 2, Melissa, Eli, 4, Lenore and David – milk 130 cows near Scandinavia, Wisconsin. David plans to transfer the farm to Melissa. What cost-saving steps have you implemented during the low milk price? I am no longer loyal to specic vendors, and, as a result, I’m using more generic products. For example, I used to buy my teat dip and soap from the same vendor but not anymore. Whether it’s milk replacer, towels or anything else for the farm, the products come from multiple places – wherever I can get the best deal. Also, my brothers and I compare notes about where we’re getting certain products. Sometimes we go in on things together to get a quantity discount and reduced freight charges. For example, we’ve found a cheap alfalfa seed from Idaho that we purchase together.
How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? I try to be exible and treat them how I would want to be treated. I have a couple high school kids that help out who are busy with sports, and I do my best to work around their schedules. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. The knowledge I picked up working for other farmers before going out on my own has been helpful to me. I worked on some large farms which gave me the opportunity to see how other people did things other than just my dad.
What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? Being able to weather the storm. We started farming during the herd buyout program. It was a time when a lot of people were getting out of milking and a neighbor told me we should cash crop instead of dairy farm. But, we were able to make a go of it and be successful. What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? I’d like to retire and transfer the farm to my daughter, Melissa. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? I hunt, and we also like to travel. I’ve hunted in Utah, Montana and Colorado, and we’ve also traveled extensively as a family to places like Yellowstone, Niagara Falls and the Smoky Mountains.
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Your Local GEA Milking Equipment Dealers
Sioux Dairy Equipment, Inc. Fuller’s Milker Center, Inc. Midwest Livestock Systems Rock Valley, IA Lancaster, WI • 800-887-4634 Menomonie, WI • 715-235-5144 Fuller’s Milker Center, Inc. Monroe WestfaliaSurge 712-476-5608 • 800-962-4346 Pine Island, MN • 800-233-8937 Lancaster, WI • 800-887-4634 Monroe, WIColton, • 608-325-2772 SD J. Gile Dairy Equipment, Inc. Sioux Falls, SD • 800-705-1447 Service 800-944-1217 Cuba City, WILeedstone, • 608-744-2661 Beatrice, NE • 800-742-5748 Inc. Sioux Dairy Equipment, Inc. Edgerton, MN Baraboo, 608-356-8384 CentralWI Ag• Supply, Inc. Melrose, MN Rock Valley, Chemical IA Sales 507-920-8626 Juneau, WI • 920-386-2611 Leedstone, Inc. Monroe WestfaliaSurge / Baraboo, WI • 608-356-8384 320-256-3303 • 800-996-3303 712-476-5608 • 800-962-4346 Melrose, MN Koehn, Inc. Juneau, WI • 920-386-2611 Glencoe, MN Colton SDEquipment, Leedstone, Inc. Tri County Dairy Sioux Dairy Inc. Supply, Inc. Eastern Iowa Dairy Systems, Inc. 877-608-3877 • 800-996-3303 Monroe, WI • 608-325-2772 Janesville, WI • 800-822-7662 Melrose, CentralEpworth, Ag Supply, IA • Inc. 563-876-3087 Glencoe, MN MN Rock Valley, IA 320-864-5575 • 877-864-5575 Preston Dairy Equipment 320-256-3303 • 800-996-3303 Baraboo, WI • 608-356-8384 712-476-5608 • 800-962-4346 Inc. Plainview, MN MN Sparta, WI Glencoe, Juneau, Fitzgerald, WI • 920-386-2611 Colton, SD Elkader, IA • 563-245-2560 507-534-3161 • 800-548-2540 608-269-3830 • 1-888-863-0227 320-864-5575 • 877-864-5575 Service 800-944-1217 Centre Dairy Equipment and Supply Inc. Woodville, WI • 866-467-4717 Centre Dairy Equipment Sauk Centre, MN Advanced Dairy Solutions 320-352-5762 • 800-342-2697 Richland Center, WI 608-647-4488 • 800-772-4770 Central Ag Supply, Inc.
Sauk Centre, MN 320-352-5762 • 800-342-2697 Fitzgerald, Inc. Elkader, IA • 563-245-2560
Midwest Livestock Systems, Inc. Menomonie, WI • 715-235-5144 Owen, WI • 715-229-4740 Pine Island, MN • 800-233-8937 Sioux Falls, MN • 800-705-1447 Beatrice, NE • 800-742-5748
Edgerton, MN Chemical Sales 507-920-8626