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DAIRY ST R If so, we want to hear from you!
Please call Andrea 320-352-6303, or email andrea.b@dairystar.com
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 18, No. 24
Freestall barn meeting led to love, marriage
Mumms raising family, farming By Ron Johnson
ron.j@dairystar.com
LANCASTER, Wis. – Love in the freestall barn. It sounds like the title of a pulp novel. But it’s really the rst chapter in the true story of Joe and Sarah Mumm. Joe, 38, and Sarah, 33, milk 50 registered Holsteins on their rented farm near Lancaster, Wis. Their story started Aug. 12, 2004. Joe remembers it as a Tuesday, because the farm he worked on – Majestic View Dairy, Lancaster – was doing herd health work that day. Meanwhile, Sara was touring the farm as part of an interview for the position of herdsman. At the same time, Joe was assisting a veterinarian as she determined the sex of unborn calves. It denitely was not a romantic scenario – no candlelight dinner, no wine, no soft music. Instead, Sarah found a cow poop-splattered Joe. Sarah did get the herdsman job. And Joe liked Sarah right off the bat and wanted to ask her on a date. But the situation got in the way. For one thing, he worked mainly with the farm’s crops.
“I didn’t see him (again) until the weather got cold, because he was busy in the elds,” Sarah said. “My rst impression of Joe was that he was a nice guy. But I gured, because of that, he had a wife and kids at home, because he was 27 at the time.” Bye and bye, Joe started helping with barn chores. So, Sarah and he began bumping into each other. Enter the three Cupids. That’s the trio of co-workers at Majestic View who never wearied of telling Joe about the positive attributes of Sarah, and reiterating to her the good aspects of Joe. “We never would have pursued the situation,” Sarah said, “without the aid of Matt Staner, Jeff Harper and Gale Knapp.” When Valentine’s Day arrived in 2005, Staner asked Joe if he’d bought owers for Sarah. Learning that Joe hadn’t, Staner made him get some, and fast. Armed with a dozen red roses tastefully arranged in a vase, Joe asked Staner for advice on the next step of his courtship. “‘Put the owers in her car,’” Joe said he was told. Trouble was, the doors were Turn to MUMMS | Page 7
RON JOHNSON/DAIRY STAR
A dozen years aŌer they met in a barn, Joe and Sarah Mumm are sƟll there. They met at MajesƟc View Dairy, Lancaster, Wis., where they both worked, and are now on their rented farm, milking 50 registered Holsteins.
February 11, 2017
Innovation provides family’s future
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Mike and Linda Hanson milk 102 cows near Goodridge, Minn., with their sons – David, and his wife, Ashley, MaƩhew (pictured) and Steven. This fall, the family installed two milking robots and a mixing and feeding robot.
Hansons automate milking, feeding on dairy By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
GOODRIDGE, Minn. – When Mike Hanson was a young boy helping on his family’s dairy, he was mixing and delivering feed to the milking herd with a shovel and pails. Now, Mike has not touched a shovel for feed in ve months. “Leave it to the farmers to get innovative,” Mike said. “They’re always thinking; there’s always someone pushing the envelope.” Mike and his wife, Linda, milk 102 Ayrshires and Holsteins near Goodridge, Minn., in Pennington County with their three sons – David and his wife, Ashley, Matthew and Steven. They also run 3,000 acres of cropland. This fall, the Hansons began milking with two Lely robots and feeding with a Lely Vector – one of the rst autoTurn to HANSONS | Page 5
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
A claw reaches down into a bale of dry hay to add to the raƟon. The robot mixes feed 15 Ɵmes in 24 hours for the Hansons’ lactaƟng and dry cows.
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC
General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofďƒžce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Amanda Thooft 320-352-6303 amanda.t@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Andrea Borgerding - Managing Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Krista Kuzma - Assistant Editor (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Ron Johnson (608) 874-4243 ron.j@dairystar.com Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048 cowlady@centurylink.net Jennifer Coyne (320) 352-6303 jenn@dairystar.com Cassie Olson (715) 245-6848 cassie.o@dairystar.com Brittany Olson (320) 352-6303 brittany.o@dairystar.com
Advertising Sales Main Ofďƒžce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication
Sales Manager - Jeff Weyer (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-8505 (cell) jeff.w@dairystar.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofďƒžce) 320-248-3196 (cell) Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 fax: 507-634-4413 laura.s@dairystar.com Jerry Nelson (SW MN, NW Iowa, South Dakota) 605-690-6260 jerry.n@dairystar.com Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Lori Menke (Eastern Iowa, Southern WI) 563-608-6477 • lori.m@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute ďƒžnal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters. The views and opinions expressed by Dairy Star columnists and writers are not necessarily those of the Dairy Star LLC.
The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Dairy Star, LLC, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sauk Centre, MN and additional mailing ofďƒžces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
North America dealers. A glance at what’s inside
Dairy Proďƒžle brought to you by your
As milk prices slowly climb, many dairy producers are noticing another market that is suffering. Over the last several weeks, Holstein steer prices have tumbled, in some cases bringing in a mere 70 percent of their beef counterparts. Dairy Star spoke with area sales barns and dairy producers who raise their steers. Read about their reaction to the price change on pages 12 and 13 in By Mark Klaphake ďƒžrst section. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, Editor Josh and Steph Dahl, of Rushford, Minn., reďƒ&#x;ect on how their relationship started with a click of a mouse. Through online dating, long distances traveled to spend time together, and surrogacy the Dahls have a heartwarming story of ďƒžnding love, which can be found on pages 10 and 11 in ďƒžrst section. Dairy Star caught up with couples willing to share their tips for ever-lasting love in “Our side of the fence.â€? Read about how the couples met, how they balance farm chores and personal time, as well as advice they have for other farming couples on pages 15 and 16 in ďƒžrst section. For four students in Neillsville, Wis., Amy Gerhardt is more than their agriculture teacher. She is their FFA adviser, but also their boss. Gerhardt and her husband, Marty, see the value in hiring high school students on their dairy to help with milking chores. Read how this unique relationship works on pages 5 and 8 in third section. In Holy Cross, Iowa, producers gathered to learn how to better manage their colostrum during the Iowa Dairy Days. During the seminar, Jennifer Bentley spoke of colostrum storing and feeding methods to maximize colostrum use in calves. Read more about these methods on pages 6 and 7 in third section.
Favorite quotes from this issue:
“I remember back when we were milking 80 cows and had a rolling herd average of 12,000. It took a lot of work to get here, but we climbed to the high top of the mountain.� -
Loren Wood (Second Section, Pages 14-15)
“Plain and simple, I’ve been fussy. I might milk slower, but I’m paying closer attention and being more consistent.� - Ryan Knisley (Second Section Pages 7-8)
By the Numbers
herd average 31,016: Rolling of Blue Horizons Farm. (Pages 18, 20 in First Section)
67 to 80:
Pounds of new forage growth per acre per day. (Page 18 in Second Section)
CLEAN, EVEN CUTTING VISIT US AT THE
CENTRAL MN FARM SHOW FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 2 • ST. CLOUD, MN
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KuhnNorthAmerica.com
5RHGHU %URV Bellevue, IA
'HH ,PSOHPHQW RI :DXNRQ Waukon, IA
/LQGVWURP (TXLSPHQW Mondovi, WI
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 3
It’s all inside... How does having a dairy make you a better couple? Pages 15 - 16
Ellsworth
Wilson
Coyne, Nelson sisters represent Pierce-Pepin Holstein Club
Kuhns marry, start dairy
Children Museum of Eau Claire Larry and Marie hosts June Dairy Hendrickson Month activities
Bayeld
Douglas
Blanchardville, Wis. Pages 14 - 15 Second Section
Gilman
Medford
Second Section: Pages 32-33
Third Section: Pages 14 - 15
Missouri native sells custom harvesting business to dairy
First Section: Pages 35, 37
Third Section: Pages 10, 12
Eau Claire
Iron
n ur hb
Burnett Graham Giese and Erica Lundberg
Polk
Osseo, Wis.
Sawyer
Price
Greenwood
Women in Jeans: Kathleen Nigon
Rusk
Barron
First Section: Page 36
Taylor St. Croix
Chippewa
Dunn
Pierce
Stewart and Emma Bartz
Buffalo Garnavillo, Iowa
Page 18 University of Missouri dairy specialist gives tips to grazing protability Pages 21 - 22
Dairy Prole: Dan Walther Page 39
Panel compares differences among grazing operations
Neillsville
High school seniors work on agriculture instructor’s dairy
Clark
Eau Claire
Pepin
Downing, Wis.
Page 16 Graziers gather for annual GrassWorks conference
Third Section: Pages 5, 8
Jackson Lancaster
Freestall barn meeting led to love, marriage
La Crosse Monroe
First Section: Pages 1, 7
Page 23
Freezing colostrum also an option
Page 25 Mid-American Hay Auction Results Page 29
Winnebago
Sweets for my sweetie Pages 38 - 39 Dairy Recipes THIRD SECTION Pages 2 - 3
Cerro Hancock Gordo
Page 37
Mitchell
Vander Wals named 2016 Pipestone County Farm Family of the Year Management tips for better colostrum Star Youth: Marissa Willenbring Pages 16 - 17 Some Udder Stuff Pages 18 - 19 Dairy Calendar
Pages 21 - 26 Classieds
a
ick
Ch
w sa
Bremer
Pages 6 - 7 Page 13
Floyd
Howard
Zone 2
Black Hawk
Bu
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
ford
Craw
Iowa
Dane
Grant
Fayette
Clayton
n
are
na
a ch
Richland
Allamakee
Worth
People in the Dairy Community Page 32 Making Cents of Dairy
Winneshiek
Vernon
October mailbox prices lower in all reporting areas
Page 30
Kid’s Corner: The Eckerts
Ashland
Trempealeau
Pages 14 - 15 Dairying Across America
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:
W as
FIRST SECTION Pages 1, 5 - 6 Hansons automate milking, feeding on dairy Pages 8 - 9 Ag Insider Pages 10 - 11 Dahls meet online, nd love Pages 12 - 13 Holstein steers lose battle at market Pages 18, 20 Milking 3X boosts production for Holtegaards’ herd Page 22 What’s my checkoff doing for me? Page 23 Fullling my need to know what’s happening in the world Page 26 FSA News & Notes Page 27 The Transition Pen Page 28 Avoiding slips, trips and splits Page 29 Best management practices for group housing of pre-weaned calves Page 30 Ramblings from the Ridge Page 31 What should you know? Page 33 Dairy Good Life Page 34 Veterinary Wisdom SECOND SECTION Page 3 Sextons deal with aftermath of blaze that burned their milking facility Page 4 Samac presents at Tour de Forage meeting Pages 7 - 8 Knisley recognized by DHIA for milk quality Pages 10 - 11 The “Mielke” Market Weekly Page 12 Dairy Markets Page 13 Area hay auction results
w ela
D
Linn
Lafayette
Green
Dubuque
Jones
Jackson
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your cows will breathe easier — and so will you. Contact
systems can be integrated with automation technology
your GEA barn equipment representative today.
Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017
NEW EQUIPMENT SAUK CENTRE TRACTORS NH TS6.130, Cab, FWA, Pwr. Shuttle ......... In Stock! NH T4.100 & 110 Utility, Cab & Loader4 to choose from! NH T6.165 Plus, Suspended Cab, Super Steer, LED Lights ........................................ Two In Stock! SKID LOADERS NH L218, L220 ........................................... In Stock! HAY TOOLS NH SpeedRower 220 & 260 ....................... In Stock! NH Procart 819, 1022, 1225 Rakes............. In Stock! NH Dura-Vee 1020, 1225, 1428 Rakes ....... In Stock! Kemco Inline Bale Wrappers ....................... In Stock! NH H7230 & DB313R Discbines ................. In Stock! NH H6740, 7’ 10” Disc Mower, 3 Point ....... In Stock! NH ProRotor 3114 & 3223 Rakes ......In Stock! NH ProTed 3417 .......................................... In Stock! BALERS NH RB450 Roto-Cut, RB560 Bale Slice ...... In Stock! TILLAGE Salford 8208 Plow, 8 Bottom ...................... In Stock! Salford I-2218, 18’ Vertical Tillage............... In Stock! Salford 9809, HD Ripper, 9 Shank............... In Stock! Salford I-4124, HD Vert. Tillage, 24’ ............ In Stock! GRAIN HANDLING Parker 505 Gravity Box ............................... In Stock! FORAGE Miller Pro 5300 18’ Forage Box, 14T........... In Stock! NH FP240 & FR500 Forage Harvesters....... In Stock! MISCELLANEOUS Messer Attachments and Rock Wagons ..... In Stock!
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 5
ConƟnued from HANSONS | Page 1
Trust the experts Future success starts with today’s nutrition At Famo Feeds, we strive to provide the best support for your operation and work to accommodate your specific needs.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The mixing and feeding robot delivers a batch of feed to the lactaƟng herd Feb. 2. mated mixing and feeding systems in the nation. Located at the end of the 116- by 276-foot, cross-ventilated freestall barn is an enclosed area, aptly named the kitchen, where dry hay, baleage and corn silage is stored. Throughout the day and night, a robotic claw picks up the appropriate amount of forage and places it in the top of the mixing and feeding robot. At the same time, corn and protein are added to the ration traveling through a pipe system from outside bins. The technology measures ration ingredients in kilograms (kg), allowing a maximum ration weight of 680 kg (1,500 pounds). The Hansons are currently mixing batches of 340 kg (750 pounds). Once the ration is properly mixed, the robot travels along a path down the feed alley, guided by metal strips and ultrasound technology, and provides feed to the milking and dry herds. A laser is used to detect how much feed to distribute and where. Currently, the Hansons are feeding their herd 15 times in 24 hours, with every third ration mixed for the dry cows. Also, every 45 minutes, the robot returns to the feed alley and pushes up feed. The frequent feedings result in feed that is always fresh. Cows clean the bunks and the Hansons have not dealt with taking away refusals. “I never have to take feed away or push it up again,” Mike said. “This is a no brainer.” The idea of updating the dairy was rst thought of in 1994 when Mike and Linda were milking 32 Ayrshires in a
40-stall tiestall barn and feeding a dry hay and corn ration. “In the early ‘90s, we had blueprints for a new barn,” Mike said. “But I’m a perfectionist, which also means I’m a procrastinator. I was always looking at blueprints and changing them.” As the years went on, the Hansons’ sons expressed interest in being involved on the family dairy for the long haul and the plans started to solidify – more land and cattle were purchased. “I love cows, and I knew if I wanted my boys to have a future in dairy we couldn’t be milking 50 cows,” Mike said. “We had to get bigger.” However, growing the herd and milking in the same facility was only a short-term solution. “On the last morning before we moved everyone into this barn, we milked 78 cows,” Linda said. “That got to be wearing, milking two full shifts.” With competition from area industries for employees, Mike and Linda knew they did not want to build a parlor and worry about nding reliable labor. Instead, they opted for automation. When the plans were in place, Linda and David traveled to Canada to view similar facilities. “I remember Mike asking us what we thought of the (feeding) system,” Linda said. “David said it was the way to go.” Mike agreed, who traveled north with Matthew on a later occasion. “I asked the farmer if he would Turn to HANSONS | Page 6
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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017
ConƟnued from HANSONS | Page 5
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rather give up milking robots or feeding robots, and he said the milking robots. That’s when I knew we were doing the right thing,” he said. “We didn’t feed TMR, so we were going to invest in equipment regardless of which way we went.” After more than a year of touring farms and researching different facilities, in January 2015, the Hansons began planing the construction on their barn, and began milking with robots on Sept. 23, 2016. Within a day, the feeding system was operable, as well. “I had no idea what to expect. We were feeding a single ration all my life,” Matthew said. “Now, I could be down in the cities and change the ration on my phone if I need to.” The barn can hold 120 lactating cows and 40 dry cows. The Hansons have the land availability to double their herd in the future. Additionally, the feeding system can mix up to 16 different rations and feed upwards of 350 cows. However, with only a few months under their belts, the mixing and feeding automation has been a learning curve for the Hansons and others involved in the project. When the cows were rst fed with the system, they had to adjust to the technology and its presence in the barn. “Cows were waiting in line to be milked, and then the Vector would go by with feed and the cows would head to the feed bunk,” Mike said. Linda agreed. “The cows were initially a little hungry and would rather eat than use the robot, but that’s something the guys worked through,” she said. “We’re learning as we go.” Matthew has worked with the farm’s nutritionist to perfect the amount of feed given and when throughout the day to optimize the cows’ time at the
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JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
bunk and also at the milking robots. Not having to milk or feed, the Hansons are able to more closely manage their herd. “We have more time, but we’re not spending that time on vacation,” Matthew said. “We’re taking better care of our animals.” Linda agreed. “Some would say, ‘I could put on ve milkers in the time it takes the robot to put on one,’” she said. “But the point is we don’t have to. We can focus our time elsewhere on the farm.” While the Hansons continually learn and adjust to their new set-up, they have one larger goal in mind. “We’ll look back and this will be great,” Linda said. “This is about the boys and their future – that’s why we built this.”
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
The Hansons can monitor their raƟons, and change them as needed, from their personal phones and electronic devices.
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 7
ConƟnued from MUMMS | Page 1 locked. Plan B was to stash the owers in Staner’s truck and make sure Sarah got the hint to look in. Sarah found the owers, along with a card that bore these simple and unromantic words: “From Joe.” A couple of hours later, Sarah telephoned Joe and thanked him for the roses. “I thought it was nice,” Sarah said. “But, honestly, I really didn’t want a relationship at work, because it distracts.” After Sarah thanked Joe, she did the next polite thing and turned down his request to have dinner with her. But an hour later, she called him and agreed to a dinner date. That romantic rst dinner consisted of meeting at Joe’s house and him serving as chef and waiter. On the menu was Joe’s specialty: venison steak and green beans. Because they shared a workplace and were interested in farming, there were no awkward, rst-date silences, Sarah said. Their relationship continued, but not without more bumps in the road. One of Sarah’s longterm goals was to have her own herd. In August of 2005, she found a barn to rent near Platteville, Wis., several miles from where Joe worked. Sarah completed the Farm Service Agency (FSA) paperwork and received a loan to buy cows, a skid loader, manure spreader and feed. In addition, she rented a tractor. Joe and a friend, Rob Block, updated her rented barn with cow mattresses
and tunnel ventilation. For Sarah, and Joe, too, that autumn brought nervousness and uncertainty. By the time Sarah gave her two weeks’ notice at Majestic View Dairy, she thought Joe wanted to break up with her. “I wasn’t sure,” Joe said. “I knew what farming on your own would take. But stubborn farm girl, 21 at the time, going to go farming on her own, chores and all, haul manure herself, the whole nine yards.” “I really wanted to farm, and I was going to do it on my own,” Sarah said. “There’s a lot of risk in farming on your own. But the reward is amazing.” Adding to the uncertainty of the situation was the fact that Joe was acting strange. “I wasn’t able to get hold of him a lot,” she said. Joe’s odd behavior, it turned out, had quite a logical explanation: He was working side jobs to accumulate money to buy Sarah an engagement ring. He tried to put the ring to use in late September, when he popped the question. “She wouldn’t give me an answer,” Joe said. Sarah poured out to Joe her concerns – the stress she was under; how she thought he’d wanted to break up with her; how dating could take years; and how an engagement could take years more. Joe threatened to take the ring back. But he also did something wise and loving. He let Sarah have her space. But after two weeks of wait-
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Ten years of marriage have brought a family to Sarah and Joe Mumm. Their sons are Mitchell (leŌ) and Vincent. Both say they want to be farmers. ing, he could wait no more. Joe proposed, a second time, Oct. 10, 2005, after Sarah nished her rst milking in the rented barn. “Everything just fell into place,” Sarah said. “So I said, ‘Yes, I believe we should get married.” But their engagement came with one strong string attached. Said Joe, “She made sure I knew that if I was marrying her, I was also marrying her 60 cows.” Wedding bells rang for Joe Mumm and Sarah Herges Oct. 14, 2006. A month earlier, Sarah’s lease on the Platteville place expired, so her cattle were
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moved to the couple’s present farm. Now, a little more than 10 years later, Sarah and Joe own 73 tillable acres, cash rent approximately 300 more, and grow alfalfa, corn, soybeans and wheat. Joe stopped working at Majestic View in 2012. The Mumms continue to improve their Vinrose (a blend of their two middle names) Holsteins. The herd is close to cracking the 25,000-pound mark for milk, on twice-a-day milking. The milk’s fat test is at 4.0 percent, with the protein at 3.0, and the SCC at 150,000. Sarah sells an occasional dairy animal locally. To bring
in more money, Joe and Sarah work off the farm. They also market feeder calves and some of their crops. Ten years have also brought Sarah and Joe their own family. Vincent, 7, and Mitchell, 5. “They’re making us nervous. They say they want to grow up and be farmers,” Sarah said, smiling. Joe and Sarah split the farm work. She handles the morning milking, while Joe is in the barn many evenings with her. Sarah also tends the calves and handles the bookwork. Joe’s duties include hauling manure, mixing feed, tillage, planting and harvesting. It makes for busy days, so busy that sometimes it’s a chore just to make time for each other. “Joe does come and nd me every morning to give me a big hug and kiss,” Sarah said. “We didn’t do that before we had kids. But now we’ve found that if you don’t put it in your day, then you just get so dang busy.” When it comes to goals, Joe said they would one day like to own a farm. Sarah added that her main goal is to run a protable business. “I’ve watched a number of people start farming and it did not work out for them,” Sarah said. “I was the one who intentionally wanted to farm, but I’ll be the rst to admit that I would have never made a go of it without Joe by my side. I feel pretty darn lucky that I can wake up every day doing what I love with someone I love.”
Looking for scholarships? Minnesota Milk is awarding 10 $1,000 scholarships to students conƟnuing their educaƟon within the dairy industry. The applicant’s family must be a current member of Minnesota Milk. ApplicaƟons are due June 1. To learn more, visit MnMilk.org.
Dairy Day at the Capitol February 1
Meet Two of our 2016 Scholarship Winners! More than 60 dairy stakeholders – including more than 50 dairy farmers – were at more than 65 meeƟngs with legislators throughout the day.
Join us at our Įnal Dairy Farm Management Workshop.
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Cabela’s, Owatonna, sponsored in cooperaƟon with Midwest Dairy and Minnesota Dairy IniƟaƟves · 9:30-10 a.m. RegistraƟon · 10 a.m. Forage Planning for the Whole Year – Pam Uhlenkamp, Farm Business Management · 11:30 a.m. Midwest Dairy Update – Karen Kasper · 12 noon Lunch · 12:30 p.m. Minnesota Milk Update · 12:45 p.m. Dairy MarkeƟng – Jason Vavra, AMPI
Emily Annexstad, St. Pater, parents: Rolf & Jean Annexstad. Emily is a freshman in animal science/ ag communicaƟon and markeƟng at the University of Minnesota Twin CiƟes. She has been acƟve in 4-H and FFA, dairy judging, dairy quiz bowl and showing caƩle. She earned her State FFA Degree and was a state 4-H Dairy Showcase award winner. Emily was in NaƟonal Honor Society, soccer, track, speech, band and choir, along with the Lutheran Youth AssociaƟon. She belongs to the Minnesota Junior Holstein AssociaƟon and is a Nicollet County Dairy Princess. Blake Berning, St. Michael, parents: Paul and Stacy
Berning. Blake is a sophomore in agriculture economics at North Dakota State University, where he belongs to Saddle and Sirloin Club. He has shown dairy, swine and rabbits in 4-H and has been a Wright County 4-H ambassador and camp counselor. He also played baseball and hockey, and served on the state oĸcer team for Business Professionals of America.
Register at MnMilk.org.
(763) 355-9697 | mmpa@mnmilk.org | MnMilk.org Minnesota Milk was established in 1977 as a grassroots organization for Minnesota’s dairy industry. Our focus is in three areas: Government Policy (taking timely action to support and/or oppose issues impacting our members); Education (providing programs that further the professional goals for our members); and Membership (creating more ways for our members to prosper).
NAFTA renegotiation could be good for dairy Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017
The dairy industry is one part of agriculture that may open up the dairy market better.” benet from a renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement. National Milk Producers Federa- Practicing bold President Donald Trump has been in ofce for tion Senior Vice President of Communications Chris Galen said dairy farmers want to ada matter of weeks and major agriculture Ag Insider issues, like trade and regulatory reform, dress Canada’s domestic pricing policy. are being addressed. Combest, Sell and “It’s designed to cut off exports from Associates founding partner Tom Sell the United States That’s something that said Trump campaigned as a bold canneeds to be on the table as NAFTA gets didate with bold promises and he hasn’t reassessed. We want to make certain we backed down a bit. Sell sees agriculture can export to both Canada and Mexico, as a unique part of the economy and there the focus is less Mexico as opposed to the is reason for anxiety about trade. “There relationship with Canada, which needs is signicant price taxing that can come to be looked at.” Galen said they are infrom trade barriers. We want open marterested in the potential bilateral trade kets in U.S. agriculture. We want access agreements. “I think there are still opporto worldwide markets. We want to have tunities out there. It’s just going to be a By Don Wick a level playing eld. This possibility of different dynamic in Washington D.C. in going backwards when it comes to trade the next few years.” Columnist liberalization is a real reason for concern. That said, nothing real has happened yet.” US-Mexico trade emphasized at dairy forum Speaking at the International Dairy Foods Association forum in Florida, former agriculture secretary Milk production continues to increase With more favorable dairy prices, milk producTom Vilsack said the dairy industry can overcome the current political spat between the United States and tion is rising. USDA World Ag Outlook Board Chair Mexico. The relationship between the two countries Seth Meyer said there are several factors for the inis signicant because 40 percent of U.S. dairy exports crease in production. “Good returns, larger cow numgo to Mexico. Vilsack took over February 1 as the bers and a little more milk per cow. That’s also suppresident and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council. ported by better returns, too.” Meyer said dairy prices in 2017 should be higher with USDA pegging the all milk price up 11 percent at $18 per hundredweight. A new standard for trade deals House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway said the abandonment of the Trans-Pacic More milk Partnership wasn’t a complete loss. In Conaway’s According to USDA, December milk output was view, there is now a oor as to what a good trade deal up 2.4 percent from one year earlier. Production per looks like for agriculture. “We’ll be able to measure cow is also rising, reaching levels not seen since this these bilateral agreements against what was there on series of reports began in 2003. In South Dakota, milk TPP to see how much better we’re going to be. I think production went up 4.3 percent. Minnesota milk prowe will be better as a result of Mr. Trump’s negotia- duction increased just over 1 percent and the amount tions in production agriculture.” Conaway believes of milk produced in Wisconsin rose nearly 2 percent. agriculture could benet from a fresh approach to NAFTA. “With respect to Canada, we would love to
Dairy replacement numbers decline The U.S. cattle herd is at a seven-year high. According to the semi-annual cattle inventory report, the supply of cattle and calves rose 2 percent in 2016, reaching 93.5 million head. That’s the third straight year of expansion. The report indicates more cows and heifers were retained in the fourth quarter. Surprisingly, dairy heifer replacements declined. “I think there were some expectations that given the current increases in the cow inventory; expectations of higher milk prices and improved returns in 2017, there might be more of a willingness to expand the dairy herd than what this report is showing,” said Shayle Shagum, USDA livestock analyst. Bill would enforce dairy labeling standards A bill has been introduced in the U.S. House that would prevent so-called ‘soy milk’ or ‘almond milk’ from using those traditional dairy terms. The Food and Drug Administration has regulations that denes milk as a product of cow. A similar bill was introduced in the Senate two weeks ago. The National Milk Producers Federation is praising this action, saying plant-based drinks are misbranded. Accelerated Genetics names new president/CEO Accelerated Genetics has named Janet Keller as its new president and chief executive ofcer. Keller was with the company from 2001 to 2010 as the vice president of communications. Most recently, Keller was the communications and public relations manager for World Dairy Expo. Keller and her husband also own and operate a Holstein dairy farm. Von Ruden re-elected Westby dairy farmer Darin Von Ruden has been re-elected as president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union. Craig Myhre of Osseo will serve another term as vice president. Chris Holman of Custer was elected secretary and Ed Gorell of Osseo is the new treasurer. Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 9
ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8 Partnering on a new dairy plant Glanbia, Dairy Farmers of America, Michigan Milk Producers Association and Foremost Farms are proposing to build a joint-venture facility to produce cheese and whey in Michigan. Glanbia will own 50 percent of the joint venture and will oversee all parts of the business. DFA, Michigan Milk Producers Association and Foremost Farms will own the other 50 percent and supply the milk for the plant. If the project goes as planned, the new facility will be commissioned in late 2019. WI cow sets milk production record A 4-year-old Holstein from EverGreen-View Farms in Waldo, Wis., has set a new national record for milk production. The cow produced nearly 77,500 pounds of milk with 1,992 pounds of fat and 2,055 pounds of protein in a 365-day lactation.
Trivia challenge In 1890, Stephen Babcock created a simple test to measure the butterfat content in milk. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, what dual-purpose cattle breed originated in the 19th century from crossbreeding Simmental imported from Switzerland? 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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CLASSIFIED Doesn’t Always Mean Top Secret!
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Why do you test with DHIA? We are able to use the DairyComp program which seems to be the universal language in the dairy industry.
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Calf/Heifer Seminar Fri., February 17, 2017 Noon lunch - Meeting to follow
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017
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KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Steph and Josh Dahl, holding their son, Bricker, talk and make plans for the rest of the day while walking through the calf barn to check on the animals.
Dahls meet online, nd love By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
RUSHFORD, Minn. – Before they met each other, Josh and Steph Dahl knew it would take a special someone to be their signicant other. “It’s hard to nd someone who understands that you can’t pick up and go and have every weekend off or even the evenings,” Josh said about dating and being a farmer. They each took their relationship search online and the click of a mouse turned into a click in their personalities. The Dahls met online at farmersonly. com in 2010, which eventually led to a marriage celebration in December 2013. The couple now farms together with Josh’s parents on their 150-cow farm, Dead End Dairy, near Rushford, Minn. Before nding Steph, Josh’s lifestyle on the farm didn’t leave much time for dating. It was hard to meet
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Steph and Josh Dahl, holding their son, Bricker, check on a calf together on their dairy near Rushford, Minn.
someone when he was devoted to the care of his animals and land. “Everyone else [in my family] thought I wouldn’t get married and be like the other bachelors here on the farm,” Josh said referencing his grandma’s brothers, who each were bachelors. “There haven’t been kids in this house since my grandma grew up.” But Josh’s sisters wanted a different outcome for him. They helped him take pictures to set up an online dating prole. At the same time, Steph was also looking online for a companion after losing her rst husband in a farming accident. The two owned a business together, but operated a hobby farm near Pine City, Minn. “I swore I would never date or get married again, but I was lonely. I had this big huge house and all these animals, and I missed having someone to talk to,” Steph said. Growing up, Steph spent a lot of time at her grandparents’ farms, which grew her interest in the lifestyle. “I’ve wanted to live on a farm my whole life. I knew I wanted someone who either lived on a farm or loved animals,” Steph said about why she chose a dating website for farmers. When they found each other online, they started messaging each other and then talking on the phone. Josh didn’t know if the four-hour travel time between them would work for a relationship. He had a farm to run. “I thought she’s cute and she seems really cool, but that’s far away,” he said. Steph had the same hesitation. “It was safe,” she said. “We could talk, but we didn’t have to meet if it didn’t work out.” But they decided to meet. They went on their rst date to a Twins baseball game in Minneapolis. “We were both really nervous,” Steph said. “But it went well and we talked on the phone the whole way home. I was so excited I missed my exit.” The two would talk every day and about a month later, Steph made the trek down to Josh’s dairy. Josh had some help preparing for the visit from his sister and her daughters. “They came and helped me get the house cleaned and the yard mowed to make it look somewhat presentable,” Josh said with a laugh. “I was happy Steph didn’t see the yard and turn around and go back home.” Steph said having his family there made it more comfortable. “It broke the ice and made it easier,” Steph said. “It was a good rst visit. I got to feed babies, help in the barn and milk cows. I was in heaven.” Turn to DAHLS | Page 11
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 11
ConƟnued from DAHLS | Page 10
YOUR Annual Dairy Checkoff Meeting is Coming Up!
Date
Time
2/14/17 11:30 a.m. KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Steph and Josh Dahl along with their three kids (from leŌ), Cashton, Jaxie and Bricker, milk 150 cows with Josh’s family on their farm, Dead End Dairy, near Rushford, Minn. The couple now farms together aŌer meeƟng online. Steph started visiting every couple weeks before it turned into an every weekend routine. Steph, who worked as a para at the school, would get done with work on Friday, pack her bag and drive four hours to spend time with Josh on the farm. “I would always drive home late Sunday night. I would stay as long as I could because I never wanted to leave,” she said. Their time together consisted mostly of farm chores – riding in tractors or the combine, feeding calves and milking cows. “We never went anywhere,” Steph said. Josh admired Steph’s kindness.
“We try to appreciate every day because you don’t know when your last could be.” STEPH DAHL, DAIRY PRODUCER
“She’s very considerate of others, like how she sends birthday cards to all our nieces and nephews. And she understands how everything can go around here,” he said. Steph liked how Josh worked around the farm. “He’s so patient and soft spoken. I love how he loves what he does and the animals,” she said. By 2011, Steph and Josh knew they wanted to keep their relationship going so Steph moved to Rushford. By March 2012, they were engaged. Shortly after, Josh’s sister approached the couple about being a surrogate mother for them. “I can’t have kids because I have lupus and had to have chemo treatments to get my lupus under control. Between the two of those things there is no way I could carry a baby without risking my own life or the child’s. I told him that
on our rst date and we were OK with that,” Steph said. But they realized this was a chance to grow their family and took the offer. They welcomed twins, Cashton and Jaxie, in May 2013. That December, Josh and Steph got married in a small ceremony on a portion of their land they bought together that overlooks a valley and the rest of the farm and other elds around it. Their décor included a Christmas tree with lights in the back of their truck. “We didn’t tell anyone. We bundled up with the kids, got married and went to see the [La Crosse] Rotary lights afterward,” Steph said. “Neither of us wanted a big wedding. We’re not fancy or into that stuff, and that chunk of land is so special to us and just so pretty.” They celebrate their anniversary by going to the Rotary lights as a family, which now includes 1-year-old Bricker, who also had a surrogate mother. Throughout the rest of the year, the Dahls enjoy spending time together as a family on the farm. “The kids don’t go to daycare. I can pop in the house whenever I want to see them and they can ride with me outside,” Josh said. Steph feeds calves nearly every day together with Josh’s sister and brings the kids to the barn to help with milking and other chores when the weather allows. It’s these little things the Dahls enjoy the most. “We try to appreciate every day because you don’t know when your last could be,” Steph said. “To be lucky enough to nd another amazing man that I love more than I ever thought I could and be a mom on top of that and be on a farm – it doesn’t get much better than that.” They’re also thankful they both looked online to meet their special someone. “For us to even meet out of all the people out there is amazing,” Steph said. “We just clicked.”
Locations
District Director
Extended Program
The Oaks, Willmar
Tom Walsh
Armed Forces Reserve Community Center, Cambridge, MN
Kathy Skiba
2/24/17 11:30 a.m.
Lewiston Silo School, Lewiston
Rita Young
3/2/17
10:00 a.m.
Cabela’s, Owatonna
Karen Kasper
3/6/17
Noon
Stewartville Legion Stewartville
Chris Sukalski
3/7/17
10:00 a.m.
McIntosh Community Center, McIntosh
Dan Grunhovd
Yes 3
3/9/17
11:00 a.m.
Pizza Ranch Slayton
Dave Schwartz
Yes 4
3/11/17
Noon
Tobies Big Kettle Room, Hinckley
Peter Ripka
American Legion Millville
Jim Dose
Good Times, Caledonia
Carolyn Freese
2/15/17
Noon
3/13/17 7:30 p.m. 4/1/17
7:30 p.m.
Yes 1
Yes 2
ADDITIONAL COUNTY ADA LOCAL MEETINGS
3/16/17 7:00 p.m.
Branding Iron, Preston
Carolyn Freese
EXTENDED PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS 1. Guest Speaker: Kindra Carlson, MMPA Director 2. Forage Planning for the Whole Year; Pam Uhlenkamp Preparing for the Next $12 Milk; Jason Vavra 3. Robotic Dairy-Finance and Returns; Jim Salfer Dairy Precision Technologies; Dr. Brad Heins DHIA Annual Meeting Feed Directive Disaster Preparedness Composting Alternatives; Minnesota Board of Animal Health Dr. Randy Lindeman, State Veterinarian and Chad Carlson, Agriculture Advisor 4. County ADA Leadership Meeting
Producers may attend the meeting closest to them. At some locations, County ADA business may be conducted so please contact your county leadership to learn more.
MidwestDairy.com
Also, visit MidwestDairy.com or call 1-877-577-0741 for more meeting locations and dates!
Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017
A closer look by Jennifer Coyne
Industry news addressed with help from your neighbors
Holstein steers lose battle at market
Reports show growing margin between beef, dairy prices CALLAWAY, Minn. – Two weeks ago, Mike Schouviller and his brother, John, brought 36 Holstein steers to the local sales barn. As the Schouvillers sat down in the arena, waiting for bidding to begin, an unsettling feeling washed over them. “We overheard buyers not bidding on Holstein cattle because of the price,” Mike Schouviller said. “It’s scary to think what might happen to the Holstein steer market.” The Schouvillers and their families milk 115 cows near Callaway, Minn., and raise all of their youngstock – selling steers at market weight. Historically, Holsteins have brought in less per hundredweight (cwt.) for lower carcass quality and lower dressing percentages compared to their beef counterparts. “The most valuable cuts along the carcass include ribeye and loin items, and the major muscles in these cuts tend to have a narrower, concave shape in Holsteins,” said a spokesperson for
DAIRY STAR FILE PHOTO
As of Feb. 6, Holstein steer prices were more than $30 less than their beef counterparts. Recent changes in the industry have contributed to the lower market values.
the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA). “This is less appealing to end users and creates a discount for Holstein beef cuts.” However, over the last six months, the price spread between beef and Holstein steers has signicantly widened upwards of $12 per cwt. By December 2016, the spread expanded to as much as $30 per cwt., according to data col-
lected by USDA Market News. On Feb. 6, the markets at Central Livestock Association in Zumbrota, Minn., ranged from $115 to $119.75 per cwt. for fed beef steers and $63 to $81 per cwt. for fed Holsteins. “A greater supply of Holstein calves has led to lower prices for fed Holsteins,” said the USDA. “Also, declines in Holstein calves destined
for special fed veal production have increased the supply of Holsteins that were put on feed for the beef market.” The most notable reason for the change in market prices is due to recent changes in the packing industry. This change resulted in many slaughterhouses reducing or stopping the harvest of Holsteins. “In particular, one beef packer anTurn to STEERS | Page 13
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 13
ConƟnued from STEERS | Page 12
nounced in mid-2016 that it would cease buying and slaughtering Holsteins, which played a factor in the recent decline in prices for Holstein feeder cattle and nished cattle,” said the USDA. Don Huntington, with Central Livestock Association in Zumbrota, agreed. “That’s hurting the market and caused feeder cattle to drop like a rock,” said the eld man. With such a wide margin and the inability to control the market, sales barns and dairy producers, alike, are taking the hit. “We’re working through what we have until Holsteins get kicked back into the market,” said Mitch Barthel, Perham Stockyards in Perham, Minn. “We’re always looking for new outlets – making phone calls to individual buyers and packing houses.
“We’re always looking for new outlets – making phone calls to individual buyers and packing houses. But where the market is, there’s not a lot of options.” MITCH BARTHEL, PERHAM STOCKYARDS
But where the market is, there’s not a lot of options.” In the Upper Midwest, only a small handful of packers will accept Holstein meat, including JBS Packerland in Green Bay, Wis. “More people are making their cattle bigger to make more dollars at the cheaper price,” Huntington said. “But there’s even fewer [packers] that will take anything greater than 1,650 pounds.” While the specic reason for the discontinued processing of Holsteins is unknown, Tyson Foods provided this statement: “We continue to harvest Holstein cattle from existing long-term supply agreements. Meanwhile, customer demand continues to drive the direction of our procurement needs.”
Although prices deter producers to raise their steers to market weight, the cattle provide additional income for the farm – making current markets even more frustrating. For 20-some years, John Van Doorn and his family have raised their Holstein bull calves to a feeder weight of 600 pounds on their dairy near Tony, Wis. The Van Doorns previously only raised Guernseys and Jerseys, but delved into the Holstein market when bull calves were selling at a low price. “Fat steer prices have always been pretty good, but now they’re not very good. When we started, we could get $2.58 per cwt., now it’s at $0.77,” said Van Doorn, who frequently sells on the Zumbrota auction. “That’s a lot less money and now it’s gotten really ugly.” Schouviller raises steers to efciently use the feed refusals from his dairy herd. “There’s always a little waste from dairy cows. We clean that up with the steers,” Schouviller said. “They also pay a lot of bills when we’re making money. That extra income is nice.” While the markets have plummeted, producers have held on with a slight up-tick in milk prices. “Everything in farming [is unpleasant] … cull cows are down, feeders are down,” Van Doorn said. “Now, the $2 more per cwt., in milk is making up for the lost income.” Schouviller agreed. “We’ve been selling fat steers for 10 years or so,” Schouviller said. “If we get hit with $13 milk, that’s a double whammy on both ends, and insurance won’t cover it. If prices keep dropping, we should just milk more and not raise calves.” Time will only tell how this will impact dairy producers in the long run, but many are hopeful this is a short downturn in the market cycle. “Really, there’s nothing we can do but wait for the market to recover,” Huntington said. “There’s going to be a demand for them again.” Van Doorn agreed. “There’s always people that want [Holsteins]. Things will turn around when you think there’s no hope,” he said. “Things will straighten out.”
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From Our Side Of The Fence
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 15
How does having a dairy make you a better couple?
Frank and Julie Grehl Hitchcock, S.D. Beadle County 100 cows
Marie and Jay Noska Browerville, Minn. Todd County 46 cows
How long have you been married? We have been married 31 years this Valentine’s Day.
How long have you been married? 41 years of wedded bliss.
How did you and your spouse meet? We met at college. It was my rst day on campus, and he opened the door for me. It was love at rst sight for both of us. How does having a dairy make you a better couple? Having a dairy makes us a better couple because we are stronger together and have always been a team. Being able to recognize each of our strong points has helped in working together. The dairy is multi-faceted; there is always a place to nd your expertise. Many hands make light work. How do you nd time for each other? We nd time for each other in simple everyday activities. We use parts runs to eat out together. We like spending time together and talking about improvements and future plans. We also pray together. What advice would you give other couples? The advice I would give other couples is to love what you do and do what you love. Working with my best friend every day is great. Sometimes plan-A doesn’t work, and we have to move to plan B or C. Be exible. Each day is a gift. Enjoy it and enjoy being together. If you and your spouse could go anywhere for Valentine’s Day, where would it be? If we could go anywhere for Valentine’s Day, we would go to Hawaii. The warm sun and sand would feel great in the middle of a long, cold, snowy South Dakota winter. Tell us about your farm. Our farm consists of Frank and I, and our boys, Nick and Nathan. Our daughter, Katelyn, a past dairy princess, also helps when she is not working as a registered nurse. Our two oldest daughters live off the farm. We farm 2,500 acres consisting of corn, soybeans, oats and alfalfa. Rick and Ann Stocker Jordan, Minn. Scott County 90 cows How long have you been married? We’ll be celebrating our 30th anniversary in July. How did you and your spouse meet? A mutual friend introduced us to each other. How does having a dairy make you a better couple? We work together daily, which gives us a chance to discuss all the things going on, both on the farm and in our family. We rely on each other to always be there. How do you nd time for each other? Besides milking together twice a day, we try to have date night a couple times a month, even if it’s grocery shopping. What advice would you give other couples? Communication is the key. We like to nd a bale a straw, where no one can bother us. We discuss things going on at the farm, things going on with our kids, and with our extended family. If you and your spouse could go anywhere for Valentine’s Day, where would you go and why? We don’t have a special place that we like to go, but we love it when our children can join us for a night out. We enjoy spending time with our family, even though it’s getting harder to get everybody together. Tell us about your farm. Rick was born and raised on the family farm. His father passed away when Rick was 15, so he’s been milking for 38 years. Ann joined the operation in 1987, when we got married. We have raised four children on the farm. They all have off-the-farm jobs, but are willing to help out whenever they can. We milk twice a day in a stanchion barn that we rotate two groups through. We raise our replacement heifers and nish our dairy steers. Our farm is 300 acres, where we raise corn, alfalfa, barley and soybeans.
How did you and your spouse meet? I met Marie in school in Browerville. We dated on and off through high school, and then it went downhill from there. How does having a dairy make you a better couple? Talking things out together and making decisions together. A dairy farm is a great place to nd hiding places. How do you nd time for each other? My favorite time is when we take a coffee break in the milkroom during morning chores. This gives us a chance to catch our breath and talk. Sometimes, it’s just nice to steal away for a few hours and eat meals together. What advice would you give other couples? Talk things out and have a sense of humor about things. To the men, I would say learn how to say, “Yes, dear.” If you and your spouse could go anywhere for Valentine’s Day, where would you go and why? Going to a cabin up north would be ideal. It would be nice to go where it is nice and peaceful. Tell us about your farm. We bought the farm 32 years ago from Marie’s parents. We milk 46 cows and feed out Holstein steers. We crop farm 200 acres, which are planted with corn, alfalfa, soybeans and a few weeds. I also sell seed for Legend Seeds. We have four grown kids – Joshua, Jason, Justin and Sarah – and seven grandkids. Marie and Larry Hendrickson Blanchardville, Wis. Green County 60 cows How long have you been married? We have been married 14 years in July and have never had a ght. How did you and your spouse meet? Marie worked for the local veterinarian, and I was one of his clients, so we knew each other for years. Then, certain circumstances brought us together. A conrmed bachelor, I was no more. How does having a dairy make you a better couple? It boils down to our love of animals. The miracle of each new born calf is a wonder. The joy of working side by side when time allows builds our relationship. My wife has a full-time job off the farm, so time can be limited. How do you nd time for each other? On the weekend, we try to get off the farm for awhile, otherwise we are together for the evening chores. That’s our time to discuss the day’s happenings and future plans. What advice would you give other couples? Never go to bed mad. Cherish each day because life is too short. Don’t sweat the small stuff. If you and your spouse could go anywhere for Valentine’s Day, where would it be? We really aren’t ones to travel. We love our farm. The perfect day is when we can spend time with our grandchildren and share life on the farm with them. Tell us about your farm. Our farm is 120 acres, mostly hay ground along with our dairy cattle and calves. We have had 40 to 60 Red and White and Black and White registered Holsteins. We are in the process of selling our herd. At present, we have 15 cows left. It is that time in our life to retire due to health reasons. We have horses, donkeys, chickens, cats, bunnies and two dogs – Gus, a Golden Retriever, and Stella, a beagle. As our granddaughter said, she doesn’t have to go to a petting zoo. She just goes to Grandpa and Grandma’s. Turn to FENCE | Page 16
Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017
ConƟnued from FENCE | Page 15 Daryl and Maggie Krohnfeldt Alexandria, Minn. Douglas County 55 cows How long have you been married? 41 years How did you and your spouse meet? At my brother and her sister’s wedding, I was the bestman and she was a bridesmaid. We started dating ve months later. We communicated back and forth via letters, and then I called her and we went out for a date. How does having a dairy make you a better couple? Working together and sharing the joys and sorrows of life on the dairy farm. How do you nd time for each other? Summer time with the dairy and the farm work, free time is very limited. The winter time slows down, somewhat. In between morning and evening chores, you have more free time. We like to go to town and have dinner or just relax and watch TV. What advice would you give other couples? The rural life on the dairy is a nice place to raise a family. Communicate with each other and share each other’s joys and sorrows. If you and your spouse could go anywhere for Valentine’s Day, where would you go and why? Somewhere south to get a break from the cold weather, ice and snow. We would go listen to a country music concert by Luke Bryan. Tell us about your farm. We are a family dairy farm of 55 Jersey cows and farm approximately 225 acres. We raise corn and alfalfa, and wheat or oats for nurse crops on alfalfa. We have a grown son that helps on weekends and takes time off from his job to help the farm in the busy season. He is interested in coming back to the farm, so we are going to be transitioning the farm to him. Stewart and Emma Bartz Downing, Wis. Dunn County 50 cows How long have you been married? Four and a half years. How did you and your spouse meet? We met at a mutual friend’s Memorial Day cookout. When another friend introduced herself to Emma and asked if she was my girlfriend, her look of horror and violent head shaking made me feel less than condent about initiating a conversation with her, but I guess it all worked out in the end. How does having a dairy make you a better couple? I think it denitely underlines the importance of communication. We’d be lying if we said we had everything gured out, but with myself spending the evenings milking and Emma working in town all day our time together is denitely limited. When we do get a chance to spend time together it makes us appreciate that opportunity more. How do you nd time for each other? That was a big hurdle when we rst got married. Growing up my parents both worked on the farm so they got to eat three meals together and spend down time with each other, so each day was treated pretty much the same. Now that we’ve taken over the farm, I try to get as much done during the weekdays as possible so that on weekends when Emma isn’t working we try to do just the basic chores, like feeding and milking, and then spend the rest of the day together, with the exception of planting and harvest time. What advice would you give other couples? Prioritize. Keeping the farm running is denitely important, but you need to make time for each other. The world will keep turning if you wait a day to dust the pipeline or wash your tractor instead of spending time with your signicant other. Sorry fellas, but running to town for parts doesn’t always count as date night. It may be the only time to get together in the spring, but once crops are in you’d better have a day to give her. The largest farm or highest herd average doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t have someone to share it with. If you and your spouse could go anywhere for Valentine’s Day, where would you go and why? Probably somewhere that isn’t farm related. The farm has had its fair share of attention in our love story; we had our wedding reception on the farm and with a rst-calf heifer requiring assistance calving, so all our family and friends got a rsthand look at what pulling a calf in a tuxedo looks like. The day after we got married we took off to attend a herd dispersal in southern Wisconsin. On Valentine’s Day 2015, we spent the day classifying cows. I’m sure Emma would prefer chocolates to washing cows at 5:00 a.m. again. Tell us about your farm. We milk primarily registered Holsteins, with production ranging between 85 to 95 pounds, depending on the time of year. Emma is also employed at WESTconsin Credit Union. We purchased the cows from my parents in 2015 and rent the barn from them. We crop approximately 200 acres alongside 200 acres that my father farms. We raise corn, alfalfa-grass mixtures, soybeans, oats and rye.
Graham Giese and Erica Lundberg Osseo, Wis. Trempealeau County 100 cows How long have you been married? Graham hasn’t asked me yet, but we’ve been together for three years. How did you and your spouse meet? Graham owns his own custom farming business, Tablerock Farms LLC, and he came to Bert-Mar to haul snaplage. He had gotten out of the tractor and set his lunch box on the tractor. As soon as he jumped out, our hired hand jumped in and took off down the road. His lunch box rode all the way to the highway until it fell off. I was heading into town to grab lunch for the crew and asked Dad if that guy who lost his lunch would want any. I brought him lunch, and we ended up sitting on the gator talking cows while the guy in the chopper waited for Graham. After that, I rode in the tractor with Graham for a while and the rest is history. How does having a dairy make you a better couple? It takes a lot of patience and teamwork. As a farming couple, we have to work through a lot of things that most couples will never encounter. Being able to farm with each other is rewarding because nothing is better than getting to work with the person you love. How do you nd time for each other? Our time spent together involves farming activities. A date for us is being able to milk cows together, time in the tractor, combine or semi. In the winter, we are blessed to have relief milkers which allow us to have time off to visit other dairies, go to cattle auctions or look at equipment. What advice would you give other couples? To always be patient and understanding. With so much going on, sometimes we don’t know how much stress the other person is dealing with, and the smallest thing could either make the other person’s day or push them right over the edge. Also, you need to make time for the other person and take time for yourselves as a couple, even if it’s just to go out to dinner. If you and your spouse could go anywhere for Valentine’s Day, where would you go? To look at cows or farm equipment and be able to enjoy spending the whole day together. Nothing is better than doing what you love with the one you love the most. Tell us about your farm. Our situation is unique; we farm together at Bert-Mar, but Graham also has his business and family farm as well. At Bert-Mar, we milk 100 registered Holsteins in a tiestall barn and farm 600 acres. Graham has taken on more responsibilities including scraping and bedding of the animals and a majority of the eld work including tillage, planting, hay cutting and the harvesting for the farm. Graham’s business involves planting, hay cutting, hauling haylage and silage with his three silage trucks, combining, and some over the road trucking in the winter when things are slow. Graham also works hand-in-hand with his dad, Micheal Giese, at Tablerock Holsteins in Alma Center, Wis. Graham has taken over the majority of the crop rotation decisions as well as what varieties of seed they will plant. Graham also takes care of the rest of the eld work from planting to harvest.
Richard and Margaret Reiman Princeton, Minn. Mille Lacs County 50 cows, Jerseys and Holsteins How long have you been married? 41 years. We were married in 1975. How did you and your spouse meet? Rich was a DHIA supervisor for my aunt and uncle, and occasionally did chores for them. My aunt thought we should meet and she brought him to my family’s house to visit. But I had other ideas and left early. We kept meeting at DHIA meetings, county fair tractor pulls and church. She was persistent. On our rst date, we went to the reworks in Pease, Minn., on July 4. Later, we climbed the 60-foot Harvestore to see more reworks in the area. How does having a dairy make you a better couple? We have worked together well and experienced a lot of ups and downs as have everyone else. Dairy is in our blood and it is a real passion for us. What advice would you give other couples? Please stay away from using the words always, never and should have. Since planned events don’t always work out on a dairy farm, if an opportunity arises, go for it don’t overthink it. If you and your spouse could go anywhere for Valentine’s Day, where would you go and why? It would be to southern Minnesota to spend time with our sons, daughter-in-law and 6-month-old grandson. Tell us about your farm. We live on a traditional 320-acre dairy farm, where we raise all our own feed and rotationally graze as long as possible. We are a thirdgeneration farm transitioning to a fourth generation with our daughter and son-in law.
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 17
Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017
Top Performers
Milking 3X boosts production for Holtegaards’ herd Blue Horizons Farm Roger and Nathan Holtegaard Rochester, Minn. Olmsted County 530 cows What is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? Our current herd average is 31,016 pounds of milk with 1,182 pounds of fat and 927 pounds of protein.
How many times a day do you milk? If you don’t milk 3X a day, have you tried it in the past? We have been milking our herd three times a day for three years. Before that, we noticed the cows had a lot of milk, and we thought it would be healthier for them to have an extra milking. Plus, an extra milking would boost production, which would also boost our income.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
The father-son duo of Roger and Nathan Holtegaard own and manage their 530-cow dairy, Blue Horizons Farm, near Rochester, Minn. Their herd currently has a rolling herd average of 31,016 pounds of milk with 1,182 pounds of fat and 927 pounds of protein.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Cows are milked in the Holtegaards’ double-10 parallel parlor they rebuilt in 2013.
Do you use BST? If so, what is your protocol? Yes, we start our cows on BST at about 6065 days in milk and give it every 14 days. They receive it until about two weeks before dry off.
switched to sand bedding in 2008, and in 2015, we built a new freestall barn. In one of the barns, we have a separate Describe your housing and group for dry cows that has a milking facility. Our milking bedded pack. First lactation herd is housed in three freestall cows are housed in the older barns with sand bedding. We barns while the older cows Turn to BLUE HORIZON | Page 20 Do you contract your milk? Has it been successful for you? No, we’ve never tried it.
SINCE 2003
COMFORT BUILT TO LAST. • Hock protection • Clean & dry, low SCC • Reduces maintenance on equipment • Less labor • 10-year limited warranty “What I like about waterbeds is they are close as we’ve seen to our sand stalls, and I mean as close to sand on day one or two after Älling, in terms of comfort. What is better is the waterbeds are consistent day in and day out, with none of the maintenance. If I miss bedding the barn, the stalls are still comfortable. Right now my percow average is higher and my cell count is roughly the same as when we had sand bedding. It would be hard to convince me that I would get better production or lower count with sand than I’m getting right now. I walk into a barn and I see all of my cows laying and I see cows chewing her cud, and I know we’ve accomplished what we set out to do – and with waterbeds in the barn.”
- Verhasselt Farms, Kaukauna, WI 1,642 DCCW ISOs • 1,023 DCCW Originals
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Contact a DCC Waterbeds dealer near you: Dairy Services, Inc. - Stratford, WI Fuller’s Milker Center Inc. - Lancaster, WI Field’s - Mount Horab, WI Eastern Iowa Dairy Systems - Epworth, IA Scharine Group - Whitewater, WI Livestock Systems - Charles City, IA K&R Equipment - Fountain, MN
Komro Sales & Service - Durand, WI Midwest Livestock Systems - Pine Island, MN & Sioux Falls, SD Dairyland Equipment - Plainview, MN Joel Ross - Lonsdale, MN United Development LLC- Brookings, SD Preston Dairy - Sparta, WI Leedstone - Melrose, MN & Glencoe, MN
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 19
“We love it in the maternity pen!” — Alan Mesman
MESMAN FARMS, MT. VERNON, WASHINGTON Alan (Anita), Ben (Chelsy) and Samantha Mesman Robotic Organic Dairy, 110 cows, SCC 150,000 “We have been using Udder Comfort™ for 8 years and just love it in our maternity pen!” says 4th generation dairyman Alan Mesman, pictured above with wife Anita during the 2016 WODPA Conference. Alan and his son Ben and daughter Samantha operate Mesman Farms, a 110-cow robotic organic dairy near Mt. Vernon, Washington. “As an original user, we did one of the first DHI comparisons 8 years ago, coating udders of high-count cows. We were surprised when our SCCs fell by 40,000. We then transitioned to using Udder Comfort routinely after calving to manage udder edema and milk quality.” With robotic milking in place 3 years, the Mesmans continue to make sure fresh cows get Udder Comfort. “We use it in the maternity pen for 4 milkings to remove edema and soothe irritation, especially on the new heifers.
“I like seeing positive change in working with the cows and watching the progress of our Holstein/Jersey herd. Udder Comfort plays a big part, helping fresh cows reach their potential.”
Quality Udders Make Quality Milk
Keep the milk in the system 1.888.773.7153 1.613.652.9086 uddercomfort.com Call to locate a distributor near you. 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, February 11, 2017
ConƟnued from BLUE HORIZON | Page 18 are in the new barn. Cows are milked in a double-10 parallel parlor with rapid exit. We redid the parlor in 2013.
able with sand. We had another adjustment to cow comfort when we built our new barn. We had brisket boards put in, but realized they were not in the right spot. We eventually moved them to give the cows more room in the stalls. Technically they’re not needed, but the brisket boards help save on sand. We built the barn with the possibility of building a sand lane, which we are looking at for the future. The third factor is making quality feed. We have our own equipment so we’re able to harvest our feed. We also have a self-propelled chopper, which makes putting up silage a lot easier, and all haylage and corn silage is stored in a pile. A fourth factor is having quality help. We have eight full-time employees.
What is the composition of your ration? What has been one of your most recent changes that has been successful for you? The milking herd receives a ration that includes 55 pounds of BMR corn silage, 33.3 pounds of haylage, 8.5 pounds of Delac whey, 4 pounds of cottonseed, 12.4 pounds of mineral mix, 11 pounds of snaplage and 11 pounds of dry shelled corn. We’ve been using the snaplage and the dry corn the last few years. We think it’s helped with herd health and components. We work closely with our nutritionist, Todd Windhorst. Through the years you’ve been farming, what change has created the biggest jump in your herd average? When we switched to three-time-aday milking, our cows each jumped up about 10 pounds of milk per day. What is your herd health program? Our milking herd gets vaccinations of Scour Guard, J-5, Bovishield and SRP. The hoof trimmer comes once a month. We trim the dry cows so we don’t disrupt the milking herd. What does your dry cow and transition program consist of? Our dry cows are split into
Cows at Blue Horizons Farm are housed in sand-bedded freestall barns. two groups – far off and prefresh. Cows are dried off for 45 to 60 days and are put into the prefresh group three weeks before calving. They all receive the same ration consisting of corn silage, winter rye and a mineral mix. After they’ve had a calf, they go right into their appropriate pens in the milking herd. What role does genetics play in your production level and what is your breeding program? We use an ovsynch
program with double lutalyse and tail chalking. Bulls are chosen based on dollar value. Sexed semen is used on the heifers for their rst breeding and calving ease is taken into consideration. What type of improvements would you like to make that would increase your rolling herd average even higher? Having a post-fresh group for the cows before they are put in with the rest of the milking herd would help the cows
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
make a better transition. What would you say are the three most important factors for you that helped you attain your current herd average? The rst has been switching to three-time-a-day milking. The second is cow comfort, which we have seen increase since we started using sand bedding. When we put in sand bedding, we didn’t see an immediate jump in production, but it slowly went up. The cows seemed more comfort-
Tell us about your farm. Roger’s parents bought the 240acre farm in 1949. In 1972, Roger joined the operation, and Nathan joined in 2007. At that time, we also bought a neighboring farm where we now feed our heifers and steers. It allowed us to make more room for animals and make all of them more comfortable. When Nathan came home, we milked 180 cows and slowly worked up to our current herd size. We also run 1,100 acres of owned and rented land. We raise all our own replacements and feed out our steers.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 21
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ARTICULATED 4WD TRACTORS JD 8760, 1990, 4375 hrs., #135332 .............................................$45,500 JD 9400, 1998, 8346 hrs., #134904 .............................................$59,900 JD 9400, 1996, 6173 hrs., #134367 .............................................$79,000 JD 9520, 2006, 3109 hrs., #135259 .......................................... $139,000 JD 9620, 2006, 4700 hrs., #134870 .......................................... $148,000 JD 9630, 2008, 3004 hrs., #135019 .......................................... $169,000 JD 9430, 2011, 2227 hrs., #134950 .......................................... $189,500 JD 9630, 2011, 1925 hrs., #134865 .......................................... $204,000 JD 9560R, 2013, 2226 hrs., #127914 .......................................... $235,000 JD 9560R, 2012, 1681 hrs., #133796......................................... $249,000 JD 9620R, 2015, 455 hrs., #125913 .......................................... $399,000 FIELD CULTIVATORS JD 985, 1995, #130971 .................$18,000 Case TIGER MATE II, #129749 .....$25,000 JD 2210, #135359...........................$32,000 JD 2210, 2006, #119500 ..............$37,900 JD 2210, 2007, #102810 ..............$37,900 JD 2210, 2005, #120515 ..............$39,500 JD 2210, 2009, #131140 ..............$44,900 Case IH 200, 2011, #129150 .......$55,000 Great Plains Discovator VII, #134563 .............................................$17,500 JD 2310, 2011, #108698 ..............$46,900 JD 2310, 2008, #124769 ..............$50,000 LARGE SQUARE BALERS JD L330, 2015, #135164 ............ $109,000 JD L330, 2016, #125537 ............ $125,900 MOWER CONDITIONERS JD 635, 2008, #126498 .................$15,900 JD 946, 2005, #130363 .................$17,500 JD 835, 2008, #131315 .................$18,500 NH H7150, 2011, #122976 ..........$19,900 JD 635, 2013, #134300 .................$21,900 JD 946, 2009, #132018 .................$23,500 JD 835, 2012, #130580 .................$24,000 NH H7150, 2012, #126620 ..........$24,500 JD 946, 2011, #126500 .................$25,500 JD 830, 2015, #134944 .................$25,900 JD 835, 2015, #133943 .................$26,500 JD 956, 2011, #126054 .................$27,900 JD 956, 2013, #121134 .................$28,900 JD 946, 2014, #126629 .................$30,900 JD 946, 2014, #126997 .................$32,000 PLANTERS JD 1750, 1998, #123390 ..............$20,000 JD 1750, 2001, #127462 ..............$20,500 JD 1780, 1997, #127222 ..............$28,500 JD 1750, 2013, #131524 ..............$36,500 JD 1760, 2005, #134967 ..............$39,700 JD 1780, 2001, #134553 ..............$42,500 JD 1770, 2004, #120099 ..............$42,900 JD DB44, 2008, #131589 ..............$58,500 JD 1790 CCS, 2004, #124998 ......$61,900 JD 1770NT, 2006, #135018 .........$64,000 JD 1770NT, 2008, #106973 .........$65,900 JD 1790 CCS, 2004,#125700 .......$67,900 JD 1790 CCS, 2007, #118810 ......$67,900 JD 1770NT, 2010, #120512 .........$71,500
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JD 1770, 2011, #132629 ..............$72,500 JD 1770NT, 2010, #131019 .........$75,000 JD 1770NT, 2010, #123272 .........$77,500 JD 1770NT, 2010, #134770 .........$78,732 JD 1770NT, 2012, #117386 .........$89,500 JD 1770NT, 2014, #120447 .........$89,500 JD DB44, 2005, #134620 ..............$89,900 JD DB44, 2007, #127876 ..............$93,900 JD 1770NT CCS, 2012, #135066 .......................................... $105,900 JD 1770NT CCS, 2013, #125129 .......................................... $115,000 JD 1770NT, 2014,#134722........ $127,330 JD DB66, 2009, #101972 ........... $149,000 JD DB44, 2015, #132329 ........... $169,000 JD 7300, 1997, #126928 ..............$16,000 JD 1720, 2006, #120108 ..............$35,000 JD 24R22, #127252 ........................$39,000 ROUND BALERS JD 568, 2007, #131030 .................$17,500 JD 457, 2005, #134613 .................$17,900 JD 582 Silage Special, 2006, #132056 .............................................$18,500 JD 458, 2009, #131244 .................$18,900 JD 568, 2007, #131763 .................$18,900 JD 458 Silage Special, 2010, #132415 .............................................$19,500 NH BR7090, 2008, #123046 ........$21,900 NH BR7090, 2012, #133944 ........$22,900 CIH RB564, 2008, #129522 ..........$23,000 JD 568, 2007, #122377 .................$25,900 JD 468 Silage Special, 2012, #134462 .............................................$26,000 JD 569, 2013, #135012 .................$26,900 JD 568, 2008, #119918 .................$30,000 JD 468 Silage Special, 2011, #126398 .............................................$30,900 JD 469, 2013, #131787 .................$30,900 JD 468 Silage Special, 2012, #132115 .............................................$31,900 JD 459 Silage Special, 2013, #134718 .............................................$32,500 JD 568, 2011, #126221 .................$32,900 JD 569, 2014, #135360 .................$37,000 JD 569, 2013, #126055 .................$38,900 JD 569, 2014, #124210 .................$38,900 JD 569, 2015, #134021 .................$40,500 JD 569 SILAGE SPECIAL, 2015, #134962 .............................................$44,500 TRACTORS International 5488, 1982, 8140 hrs., #129314 .............................................$24,500 JD 4440, 1981, 9095 hrs., #123224 .............................................$26,900 JD 4255, 1991, 11822 hrs., #133470 .............................................$27,900 JD 7520, 2007, 13300 hrs., #134769 .............................................$34,900 JD 4955, 1989, 8190 hrs., #133760 .............................................$52,900 JD 4560, 1993, 4640 hrs., #135362 .............................................$56,000 JD 7420, 2007, 5301 hrs., #134042 .............................................$58,900 JD 6430, 2008, 3072 hrs., #125897 .............................................$64,500 JD 7420, 2007, 4776 hrs., #134043 .............................................$64,900 JD 6430, 2010, 696 hrs., #128336 .............................................$72,500
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JD 6430, 2008, 1346 hrs., #132066 .............................................$79,500 6 JD 8100, 1994, 3510 hrs., #134258 .............................................$81,900 6 CIH 145 PUMA, 2013, 755 hrs., #134447 .............................................$84,500 11 JD 7920, 2003, 4910, #134912 .............................................$94,900 6 CIH Magnum 180, 2010, 1227 hrs., #131001......................................... $103,500 8 JD 7630, 2007, 3650 hrs., #131106 .......................................... $105,000 8 JD 8220, 2002, 5469 hrs., #127863 .......................................... $108,500 4 JD 7830, 2008, 3289 hrs., #135361 .......................................... $114,500 9 JD 6150R, 2013, 698 hrs., #127915 .......................................... $119,000 4 JD 8220, 2004, 1601 hrs., #132349 .......................................... $122,000 9 JD 6145R, 2015, 268 hrs., #120191 .......................................... $122,900 11 JD 8330, 2006, 3975 hrs., #121999 .......................................... $124,900 1 JD 6155R, 2015, 179 hrs., #124983 .......................................... $129,500 1 JD 7200R, 2012, 729 hrs., #135070 .......................................... $129,900 4 JD 7830, 2011, 3778 hrs., #110189 .......................................... $134,000 4 JD 7215R, 2013, 1150 hrs., #133909 .......................................... $142,000 8 JD 6175R, 2015, 650 hrs., #135147 .......................................... $148,000 8 JD 7210R, 2015, 1250 hrs., #134394 .......................................... $153,900 3 JD 8235R, 2013, 1636 hrs., #127894 .......................................... $159,000 2 CIH Puma 230 CVT, 2012, 760 hrs., #121468 .......................................... $159,000 8 JD 7210R, 2015, 651 hrs., #134395 .......................................... $161,900 1 JD 7215R, 2013, 301 hrs., #117213 .......................................... $162,500 8 JD 7210R, 2015, 837 hrs., #134396 .......................................... $164,900 1 JD 7230R, 2015, 446 hrs., #126922 .......................................... $171,500 3 JD 8245R, 2014, 429 hrs., #107406 .......................................... $172,900 5 JD 8260R, 2013, 1527 hrs., #125130 .......................................... $179,000 1 JD 8320R, 2010, 2499 hrs., #117098 .......................................... $185,000 4 JD 8245R, 2015, 494 hrs., #135325 .......................................... $185,500 1 JD 7230R, 2014, 447 hrs., #126805 .......................................... $193,000 2 JD 7230R, 2015, 88 hrs., #134308 .......................................... $197,500 2 JD 7230R, 2015, 96 hrs., #134309 .......................................... $205,000 3 JD 8335R, 2013, 2029 hrs., #127896 .......................................... $219,000 8 JD 8295R, 2015, 911 hrs., #134373 .......................................... $224,900 2 JD 8285R, 2011, 1345 hrs., #118552 .......................................... $226,900 7 JD 8320R, 2014, 2084 hrs., #127013 .......................................... $227,500
JD 5085M, 2012, $ 85 hp., 1610 hrs., #125293
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JD 8270R, 2015, 100 hrs., #134459 .......................................... $239,000 JD 8270R, 2015, 70 hrs., #125647 .......................................... $250,000 NH TL100A, 2004, 4335 hrs., #134908 .............................................$17,900 JD 2950, 1984, 10321 hrs., #134614 .............................................$24,500 JD 6400, 1997, 12549 hrs., #134717 .............................................$29,700 JD 6400, 1994, 7825 hrs., #129836 .............................................$34,900 JD 5075M, 2013, 100 hrs., #125138 .............................................$38,000 JD 5101E, 2010, 880 hrs., #132064 .............................................$38,500 JD 6130D, 2011, 4100 hrs., #134834 .............................................$44,900 JD 5085M, 2012, 1610 hrs., #125293 .............................................$47,995 Kubota M100GX, 2014, 450 hrs., #131537 .............................................$49,000 JD 5085E, 2016, 241 hrs., #124729 .............................................$51,900 JD 5100E, 2016, 99 hrs., #124826 .............................................$54,900 JD 6140D, 2013, 378 hrs., #131138 .............................................$62,500 JD 5100M, 2015, 295 hrs., #118463 .............................................$62,900 JD 6105E, 2016, 292 hrs., #124868 .............................................$63,900 JD 5115M, 2012, 611 hrs., #129621 .............................................$66,500 JD 6120E, 2016, 267 hrs., #124871 .............................................$67,900 JD 6140D, 2014, 15 hrs., #133561............................................$68,900 JD 6130D, 2015, 223 hrs., #123740 .............................................$69,500 JD 6105M, 2014, 320 hrs., #132099 .............................................$71,000 JD 6135E, 2015, 298 hrs., #124885 .............................................$71,900 JD 6120E, 2016, 125 hrs., #124883 .............................................$73,900 JD 6135E, 2015, 1 hr., #124880 ..$76,900 JD 6125M, 2013, 359 hrs., #123591 .............................................$86,900 JD 6125M, 2013, 631 hrs., #126547 .............................................$91,000 JD 6105R, 2013, 414 hrs., #135169 .............................................$91,500 JD 6105R, 2014, 106 hrs., #127952 .............................................$99,000 JD 6125R, 2014, 479 hrs., #128687 .............................................$99,000 MF 6616, 2014, 898 hrs., #127776 .............................................$99,500 JD 6125R, 2013, 500 hrs., #134131 .......................................... $103,000 JD 6110R, 2015, 104 hrs., #119898 .......................................... $105,900 JD 6125R, 2014, 225 hrs., #127948 .......................................... $106,000 JD 6110R, 2016, 95 hrs., #133619 .......................................... $112,000 JD 6120R, 2015, 132 hrs., #124875 .......................................... $118,900
JD 6140D, 2013, $ 140 hp., 378 hrs., #131138
62,500
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017
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What’s my checkoff doing for me?
When confronted with change we tend to ask, “What’s in it for me?” That’s not to suggest that most of us are selsh. It’s simply a fact that the rst lter we use to assess change in our environment is personal. It’s especially true when we’re asked to participate in some sort of change. In 2017, as a dairy industry we have been tasked with signicant change, from the new version of the FARM program, consumer product demands, weather, new leadership in our CEO at Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB), and even milk price. The list is endless, but change is not what troubles most of us, because change is By Kevin Walleser situational. Our challenge is not WMMB Board the change itself, but rather to Member, District 21 validate the journey. When I rst ran for the District 21 seat for the WMMB, I wanted to know what all dairy farmers what to know – “What are you doing with my checkoff?” I wanted to know more about what was being done with my investment. And what better way to have my questions answered and help others understand than to be active on the board? At the rst few meetings as a new board member, I was taken aback by how much our checkoff is accomplishing on not only a state level, but also on a national level. My “aha moment” and what really excites me to talk about is the work we are doing on a national level with Wisconsin cheese. We have seen a change in consumer trends. Our checkoff works to establish
Th There are countless l stories i off our checkoff efforts generating excitement, creating awareness, and ultimately educating consumers...
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partnerships, inuence the marketplace, and strives for a volume impact on our milk. This impact is really driven by our checkoff efforts in the both retail and foodservice markets. Did you know we have eight regional marketing managers across the country to ensure our Wisconsin cheese is available and identiable in the deli or the dairy case in all 50 states? Or, that our checkoff efforts have expanded the experience of an all-time Wisconsin traditional dairy fare of cheese curds? Just this last year, Wisconsin fried cheese curds had surpassed french fries sales at A&W restaurants nationwide. Even McDonald’s offered Wisconsin fried curds on their menu for a limited time in their 300 locations in Wisconsin. There are countless stories of our checkoff efforts generating excitement, creating awareness, and ultimately educating consumers about our great Wisconsin dairy products. There is something to be said about branding Wisconsin dairy products with our Wisconsin cheese and Wisconsin Dairy logos. No matter the dairy product, WMMB is working to strengthen our industry and highlight not just our dairy products but the people, places and products that make Wisconsin America’s Dairyland. Wisconsin is the melting pot for all types of dairy operations, and my district of Vernon and Crawford Counties is no different. As a dairy farmer we may differ in the number and types of cows we milk, even in how we farm, but we are all on this journey together. This journey will be lled with new challenges and questions, but above it all, remember our checkoff is a signicant resource for helping us educate and communicate within our industry and with consumers. It’s my hope as we look forward to 2017, each of us strive to be a champion for the Wisconsin dairy industry and be part of the change in some way.
Fullling my need to know what’s happening in the world Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 23
I can’t help myself, but I like to look at Facebook and Pinterest to see what is happening in the world throughout the day. I look when I am milking, and again when I eat breakfast. Before bed, I check them one more time. I think I am addicted. Last night on Facebook, I noticed it was Tim Conway’s birthday. He is now 78 years old. I had to watch the videos they had selected to put on the post with Carol Burnett and the crew of her show. I had a good laugh and can remember some of the “Dorf” skits Tim Conway did when I was young. The comedy was fresh and exciting, because you couldn’t believe all the stuff Dorf could do. Television was different then. I could come home from school and watch “Happy Days” and “Lavern and Shirley” as a daily routine. My favorite comedy shows included; “I Love Lucy,” “Sonny and Cher,” By Tina Hinchley Farmer & Columnist “Donny and Marie,” “Hee Haw,” and of course, “The Carol Burnett Show.” Some of the skits were so hilarious that the actors had a hard time keeping a straight face. The shows provided good fun, clean jokes and time spent together as a family after eating dinner. Dinner together rarely happens at our house. Unless for a holiday or a special breakfast after milking, we all eat on our own time. Anything I cook that will be kept as leftovers needs to have a sticky note with a date, or the meal will be lost in the refrigerator. I don’t like to eat on the couch, so I can eat in the kitchen and watch whatever my husband, Duane, is watching in the other room. He likes to eat in his chair, and ips from station to station on every commercial. My preferred genres are drama, educational and documentary. Duane’s are western, agriculture and the daily news from Washington, D.C. He will ip channels and see how many different takes are given to the events happening involving President Trump. Duane can be occupied for hours as they keep running the same footage and discussing it with other people. Or, just maybe he isn’t watching at all and is sleeping. That happens a lot with us when we nally sit down; we just melt away into a foggy sleep thinking we are watching whatever is on only to get up with a kink in the neck wondering why we didn’t just get into the shower and go to bed. What I don’t want to think about, and will not waste a second watching, is reality TV. This type of program isn’t for us. We don’t care about “The Kardashians,” “The Bachelor” or who is dancing with who. I have never been interested in those types of shows even when it was Dynasty and Dallas and everyone wanted to know who killed J.R. If I need something to stimulate my brain, I like to watch educational science programs or check what is new on Pinterest. Do it yourself projects where people are building tree houses, making unbelievable cakes, or designing and sewing dresses in two days’ time are inspirational and make me want to create. Not that I have the time or skill to actually do these things, but it doesn’t cause me to feel
stressed or disappointed. These people are real to me. They are creative and seem genuine, in my opinion. After a long day of work, I want to relax and feed my brain and body with stuff that matters and makes me feel good. A good meal and my phone can usually fulll that need. Facebook and Pinterest fuel my interests and if I don’t like it, I can just swipe it away with my nger. If I do like it, I might be up watching Dorf way past my bed time. Tina Hinchley, her husband, Duane, and their daughters, Anna and Catherine, milk 120 registered Holsteins and farm 2,500 acres of crops near Cambridge, Wis. They have been hosting farm tours for over 18 years.
Iowa’s Dairy Center, Northeast Iowa Community College receives Sustainability Award Winneshiek County Development Incorporated has awarded Iowa’s Dairy Center and Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) with the annual Sustainability Award. This award is presented to any business or organization that has gone above and beyond in employing good sustainability practices. The award was jointly presented to the organizations on Jan. 23 to recognize the conservation efforts implemented by the college and the Iowa’s Dairy Center over the last several years. NICC and Iowa’s Dairy Center has become a beacon of both urban and rural conservation practices through multiple projects initiated in partnership with area organizations, including the Winneshiek Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), Iowa Living Roadways and Rockwell Collins grants. The partnership with SWCD enabled NICC and Iowa’s Dairy Center to incorporate multiple sustainable practices through the Turkey River Watershed Nutrient Reduction Demonstration Project and the Urban Demonstration Conservation project. The recent Urban Conservation Project initiative addressed storm water runoff issues and consequent nutrient loss issues created by nearly four acres of dairy farm, livestock buildings and feed storage areas at the Iowa’s Dairy Center. The project improved storm water control practices to lessen the impact of water runoff. Improvements included a water and sediment basin, inltration trench, permeable paver parking lot and a 900-square-foot rain garden to capture and manage water runoff. These practices have led to reducing overall runoff by nearly 30 percent at the Dairy Center. In addition, Iowa’s Dairy Center serves as a best practice model of sustainable agriculture that utilizes 100 percent corn, 100 percent no-till and 100 percent cover crop strategies to reduce the operation’s environmental footprint and minimize soil erosion and pollution into waterways. Other projects on the campus and farm grounds include the creation of water retention ponds, bioswale plantings, waterway upgrades, reconstruction of the campus pond and planting a 1.2 acre shelter belt on the south side of the Dairy Center. Grants through Iowa Living Roadways and Rockwell Collins enable the NICC campus to plant trees, native grasses and owers to improve and sustain campus grounds. These demonstration projects have played a vital role in the Dairy Center’s and the College’s sustainability goals.
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Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017
Location: CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL 531 Morse Street, Norwood Young America
Monday, February 20, 2017
A seminar and trade show for dairy producers.
$10/person $5/Students (with ID) Ticket price includes lunch, refreshments and program notes. Cash or check only. For more information, contact Colleen Carlson at 952-466-5306 or check the website at z.umn.edu/expo2017
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
9:00 am Registration - Trade Show Open 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. 10:15 am Early Bird Drawing - Chanhassen Dinner Theatre Tickets 10:30 am
SESSION A
SESSION B
SESSION C
Small Giants: Strategies for Small Farm Survival
25 Years and Counting: Building on the Past for a Bright Future
Communication: The Key to Labor Management
Dr. Jeffrey Bewley, Extension Dairy Systems Specialist, University of Kentucky
Jim Dickrell, Editor, Dairy Herd Management
Betty Berning Extension Educator, Agriculture Business Management, University of Minnesota
11:30 am
Special Presentation: Carver County Dairy Expo 25th Anniversary – Auditorium
11:45 am
Keynote Session: Feeding America, Feeding the World
12:45 pm
ENJOY LUNCH AND THE TRADE SHOW
2:15 pm
Phil Plourd, Dairy Economist, Blimling and Associates – Auditorium
SESSION D
SESSION E
SESSION F
The Effect of Hay Rake Type on Ash Content in Hay
Using Precision Technology to Improve your Farm
Escuela de Mastitis** Science of Mastitis
Abby Neu, Extension Educator, University of Minnesota
Dr. Jeffrey Bewley, Extension Dairy Systems Specialist, University of Kentucky
Jorge Delgado Bilingual Trainer – Dairy Specialist Elanco Animal Health ** Please note this entire session will be presented in Spanish.
3:15 pm Door Prize Drawings, Ladies Basket and $250 Cash! In case of inclement weather, please call the Farm Information Line (800) 232-9077. For other Dairy Expo information, please call Carver County Extension (952) 466-5300.
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I come from a small dot on the map. I live in an area where everyone knows you by name, sales at the grocery store are more exciting than Black Friday and the grand opening of Walmart called for an appearance by the high school marching band (yes – that really happened). It’s a little slice of heaven that everyone talks about leaving, but ultimately is where they decide to raise their family. A place like this might not be for everyone, but it certainly is for me. Last year around this time, a new community center opened its doors in our town – and no, the marching band didn’t make an appearance this time. But, expectedly, the town went nuts. There was a big event for the community to take tours of the new, beautiful facility. The local county fair queens greeted you at the door, staff members walked you through the different amenities and photographers were right and left snapping shots of all the place had to offer. By Cassie Olson Just the other night, I was walking into the community center for an evening work out. As I was getting Staff Writer out of the car, I heard my name from across the parking lot. I turned around to nd four people waving to me that I hadn’t seen since high school. I stopped and talked to the group for a little while before I walked inside. As I was tying my shoes, another individual came up and said hi. She asked me about my job, if I was keeping up with photography and how I liked living back in my hometown. We stopped and talked for a couple minutes before she walked out the door and I jumped on the treadmill. Lastly, as I was leaving the building a while later, the woman at the counter called me over, asked me how my workout was and wished me a good night. As I was getting into my car, I stopped and smiled. This is the quintessential example of life in a small town. People care and take the time to tell you so. Sometimes it might seem nosy, but more often than not, it’s a community of genuine people. Everyone has a big heart and a pleasant smile. The smallest of accomplishments are front page news in the local paper and big events like the county fair or the opening of a new business nearly shut down the rest of town. It’s funny to look back and think of when I was younger. There was a time when I, too, couldn’t wait to get out of this place. I went off to school for four years in the big, scary Twin Cities, and I found that that sense of community was a little bit harder to nd. While I found that community in the friendships I made and the faculty I interacted with, I missed the little things that make living in a small town so special. It’s a town where you count down the days until the Friday night sh fry. It’s a town where farmers gather at the co-op gas station for a cup of coffee and gossip after morning chores. It’s the town that, while you have to drive 45 minutes to get to a mall, going shopping every couple months is a full-day event. The only trafc jam we know of is 20 cars driving behind a tractor and the only sold-out concert we really care about is the local cover band singing on a Saturday night. It might be a small dot on a map. It might be a place where everyone knows everything about everybody. It might only be the place on I-94 that some people occasionally stop for gas or a bite to eat. But, to me, it’s home.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 25
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017
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USDA offers targeted farm loan funding The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds producers that FSA offers targeted farm ownership and farm operating loans to assist underserved applicants as well as beginning farmers and ranchers. USDA denes underserved applicants as a group whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic or gender prejudice because of their identity as members of the group without regard to their individual qualities. For farm loan program purposes, targeted FSA News & Notes underserved groups are women, African Americans, American Indians and Alaskan Natives, Hispanics, Asians and Pacic Islanders. Underserved or beginning farmers and ranchers who cannot obtain commercial credit from a bank can apply for either FSA direct loans or guaranteed loans. Direct loans are made to applicants by FSA. Guaranteed loans are made by lending institutions who arrange for FSA to guarantee the loan. FSA can guarantee up to 95 percent of the loss of principal and interest on a loan. The FSA guarantee allows lenders to make By Ryan Brunn agricultural credit available to producers who do not Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. meet the lender’s normal underwriting criteria. The direct and guaranteed loan program provides for two types of loans: farm ownership and farm operating. In addition to customary farm operating and ownership loans, FSA offers microloans through the direct loan program. The focus of a microloan is on the nancing need of small, beginning farmer, niche and non-traditional farm operations. Microloans are available for both ownership and operating nance needs. To learn more about microloans, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/microloans. To qualify as a beginning producer, the individual or entity must meet the eligibility requirements outlined for direct or guaranteed loans. Additionally, individuals and all entity members must have operated a farm for less than 10 years. Applicants must materially or substantially participate in the operation. For more information on FSA’s farm loan programs and targeted underserved and beginning farmer guidelines, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/farmloans. Direct loans FSA offers direct farm ownership and direct farm operating loans to producers who want to establish, maintain or strengthen their farm or ranch. FSA loan ofcers process, approve and service direct loans. Direct farm operating loans can be used to purchase livestock and feed, farm equipment, fuel, farm chemicals, insurance and other costs including family living expenses. Operating loans can also be used to nance minor improvements or repairs to buildings and to renance some farm-related debts, excluding real estate. Direct farm ownership loans can be used to purchase farmland, enlarge an existing farm, construct and repair buildings, and to make farm improvements. The maximum loan amount for both direct farm ownership and operating loans is $300,000 and a down payment is not required. Repayment terms vary depending on the type of loan, collateral and the producer’s ability to repay the loan. Operating loans are normally repaid within seven years and farm ownership loans are not to exceed 40 years. Please contact your FSA ofce for more information or to apply for a direct farm ownership or operating loan. 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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Three words to describe farm transition
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 27
The Transition Pen
By John & Laura Rosenhammer Father/Daughter Farming Duo Excitement, fear and hope; these are three words that seem to be welling up in my mind when I actually, seriously think about transitioning. Excitement: that could eventually mean more time to work on my honey-do and bucket lists. Fear: the things we cannot control, such as weather, xed costs and disease. Hope: the efforts and hard work of the past and present will meet the needs and goals of the future. These three words realistically describe how I felt when I, myself, began dairy farming – except on the other side of the fence. In your early 20s, you have only yourself to worry about and support. Now, in my 50s, I have a wife, ve children, future in-laws and grandchildren, sure to come. The trick is to carefully address all involved so that they show respect, and feel respected, as our transition process progresses. Last week, we were fortunate to have our loan
weaknesses. Next, there would be open discussion among the group in order to understand and listen to everybody’s thoughts. Never assume what the others are thinking. If you break the word ‘assume’ down, it makes an “[...] of u and me.” They also stressed that transition takes time, in the form of years. It took many years to get to the point you are now, and the test of time will prove worthwhile if the interested party is in it for the long haul. Never pass on a farm to your children quickly with the hopes that it will encourage them to stay on. Sweat, equity and a savings account for our daughter, Laura, were also discussed. A savings account would be a bonus value that would be built up and earned over time. An example would be gifting her a pre-set number of cows for meeting goals and exceeding expectations. Examples include: achieving particular pregnancy rates, somatic cell counts and minimizing death loss. Sometimes maintaining good numbers, rather than always trying to maximize those numbers, results in less pressure and achieves worker satisfaction.
There are enough challenges and uncertainties out there that I do not want to put unnecessary pressures of achieving the “gold medal” onto my daughter, as well. When I see the “wow” and sincere smiles on her face after a pleasing pregnancy check, the birth of another live and healthy calf, or nursing a sick cow successfully back to health, I know that her heart is in the right place for taking over the dairy with the right intentions. To summarize, the consultants provided many ideas, options, do’s and don’ts concerning the lengthy process. Finally, they asked if what they had said had made sense to my family and helped to better our situation. To this I replied, “This is the easy part. I have four other children and a brother to also ll in the pieces of the puzzle with.” Laura Rosenhammer farms with her father, John, and uncle, Greg, on Roseview Dairy near Sleepy Eye, Minn. They milk 200 Holsteins and run 580 acres of cropland.
P R O V IN G Y E T A G A IN M A N’S A BI L I T Y T O
A D A P T T O A N Y E N V IR O NME N T.
I your early In l 20 20s, you h have only yourself to worry about and support. Now, in my 50s, I have a wife, five children, future in-laws and grandchildren, sure to come. ofcer, along with two consultants who specialize in transition planning, meet with our families. All were very sincere, caring and professional, but also very open-minded. They recognized that each situation has differing goals and priorities. Communication is the theme they emphasized the most. Their rst idea was to get all involved in the transition to write down their personal goals, fears, strengths and
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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Betty Berning bberning@umn.edu 320-203-6104
Avoiding slips, trips, splits
Rafael Bisinotto rbisinot@umn.edu 612-625-3130 Hugh Chester-Jones chest001@umn.edu (507) 835-3622
Farms can be dangerous places on foot, especially when it’s winter and there is snow and ice. Although we can’t always prevent all incidents, here are a few tips to help you and your cows avoid slips, trips and splits. When choosing proper winter footwear, it is important to have a boot with a good grip pattern, adequate cushioning and water resistance. Worn out footwear not only can cause joint and back pain, but can be a huge player when it comes to slippery surfaces whether it be snow, ice or mud. If it is icy, you may want to invest in a pair of ice cleats for your boots. Another key item to look for in a boot is good ankle support. If you do slip or trip, a boot with good ankle support can help lessen the chance of an ankle sprain or more serious injuries. By Brenda Miller If possible, have a bag of lime near doorU of M Extension ways or a pile of sand available. Spreading lime or sand will help provide traction on icy or even just wet surfaces. If you are unsure if a surface is going to be slippery or not, slow down, bend your knees a little and shufe your feet instead of walking normally. Your center of gravity will be lower and your feet will slide instead of slipping. However, the best way to avoid icy slips is to try to prevent the ice from forming in the rst place. If you have metal roofs, you can install snow slides or guards to help prevent snow from shooting off the roof and piling in front of doorways where it tends to thaw and freeze. Also, make sure the land is graded away from buildings and outdoor waterers. Also, be sure to check waterers on a regular basis for leaks and freeze ups. It is especially important to move animals in a calm and slow manner when conditions are unfavorable. If you have spread sand/lime on an icy or wet surface and are ready to move the animals, open the gate and let them go at their own pace. Give yourself extra time and patience to get cows where they need to go. Most parlor oors are wet from water, milk, teat dip and cow excrements and can get slippery in a hurry. Parlor mats serve numerous purposes. They are perforated to let liquids ow through them, anti-fatigue to help ease back and leg pain, light weight, slip-resistant, and they come in different colors. Also, if there is milk dripped, spilled or dumped anywhere in the parlor or milkhouse the milk fat/protein will create a lmy and slippery surface if not properly cleaned. Replace mats when the slip-resistant bumps are no longer doing their job. Regular scraping of pen and alley walkways will help with overall cleanliness and better footing for both humans and bovines. Cows need safe surfaces to walk on, not only just to move around, but to show heats as well. Do not forget about dry cow and heifer pens; they need regular scraping, too. In addition, proper grooving of concrete goes a long way. In especially high trafc areas such as walkways, holding areas and return lanes, a diamond pattern groove can help reduce slipping. When grooving, be sure the surface is not too rough as you do not want it to be abrasive to the cows’ hooves. After a few years of wear and
Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu (612) 624-5391 Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu (320) 589-1711 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu (612) 625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu (320) 732-4435 Kota Minegishi kota@umn.edu 612-624-7455 Randy Pepin pepin019@umn.edu (320) 333-1369 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu (320) 203-6093 M. Scott Wells mswells@umn.edu 612-625-3747 Emily Wilmes krek0033@umn.edu (320) 255-6169
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It is important to have a pair of winter farm boots with a good grip paƩern to help prevent slips, trips and splits. In icy condiƟons you can add a pair of ice cleats to help with tracƟon. tear, concrete will most likely need to be re-grooved to maintain effectiveness. Clean up and store all tools, milking equipment and machinery after use. There is nothing more frustrating than needing a screwdriver or pliers only to realize you can’t nd it because you or someone else did not put it away after using it the last time. Teach your children early in life to do the same with outside toys and any tools or equipment they use. Tears will be shed if a toy, bicycle, tool or ATV is backed into or ran over because it was not put away in the proper location. It is also no fun to trip over these items or lose them in the mud or snow. These tips can be used for all seasons of the year as the weather is always changing. The winter cold will (hopefully) soon be over and the spring thaw (or mud season) will come. Slow down, be aware of your surroundings and stay safe out there.
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Management practices for pre-weaned calves in group housing
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 29
In recent years, the Midwest has seen an increase in interest by producers in adopting group housing systems for pre-weaned dairy calves. Options for milk delivery systems for group housed calves include computerized feeders, mob (hand) feeding of fresh milk or free choice acidied milk. Group housing systems offer benets including increased exibility of labor (though not necessarily labor savings), ease of delivery of milk, and allowing calves more opportunity to exercise and socialize. However, producers should be aware that commingling pre-weaned calves in groups will increase the opportunity for disease transmission, thereby increasing the risk for illness and mortality. Calves, like human infants, have functional but immature immune systems which are not prepared to fend off infectious diseases. Disease can be avoided or limited if we minimize exposure to infectious agents while increasing immune resistance so calves can prevent and/or quickly By Sandra Godden recover from an infection. So why is disease risk increased in group housed pre-weaned calves as compared to calves U of M Extension housed individually (e.g. hutches)? Put simply, because we are breaking a basic rule of biosecurity; by putting calves in groups we are allowing direct contact between calves. If even one calf in the group is ill and shedding an infectious agent, depending on the nature of the pathogen, this can now be transmitted to every other calf through nose-to-nose contact, aerosol transmission or through contact with a contaminated environment or surfaces (e.g. contaminated bedding, waterers or a shared nipple). Producers interested in adopting group housing systems should weigh the potential advantages and disadvantages before making the decision on whether or not these systems are right for the dairy. This will include consideration of goals and priorities for the calf rearing program. Producers already using group housing systems should implement management strategies designed to mitigate disease risk. The following will discuss best management practices when using group housing systems for pre-weaned dairy calves. Some are universal, meaning they apply to any kind of housing system, while others are specic to group housing situations. Colostrum management – A good colostrum management program is the rst cornerstone of any successful youngstock program. This can be monitored through periodic evaluation of serum total protein concentrations in 1- to 7-dayold calves. Producers can visit with their herd veterinarian about setting up a monitoring program. Consistency and cleanliness of the milk diet – Whether feeding milk replacer or whole milk, the consistency and cleanliness of this diet is important to the calves. • Consistency and level of total solids (TS) in milk can be estimated and monitored using a brix refractometer. Goal: TS between 12.5 and 13.5 percent, never exceeding 15 percent. No more than a 1 percent uctuation in TS should occur from meal to meal. • Cleanliness of milk or milk replacer can be monitored by doing periodic cultures of milk. Goal: Total plate count less than 20,000 cfu/mL. Note that some computerized feeding systems may not self-clean well, so ongoing monitoring of the cleaning and sanitation procedures, cleanliness of the milk and frequent replacement of the feeding hoses is recommended. • Milk temperature should be between 95 and 105 degrees F when delivered to calves. Daily milk allowance – A high plane of nutrition supports growth as well as a strong immune system. Producers are encouraged to feed at least 20 percent of the weight of the calf (approximately 8 liters per day for a Holstein calf) of a high-quality milk replacer or whole milk. If using a computerized feeder, meal allowances should be more than or equal to 2 liters per meal and the daily milk allowance should be more than or equal to 8 liters per day. Do not use a long
delay in the ramp up period to reach this peak milk allowance, as this is associated with increased disease risk. A reasonable goal is to be offering calves the peak daily allowance by 5 to 7 days of age. A majority of studies indicate producers will be paid back for this increased investment in milk allowance through healthier calves, improved growth and improved milk production in the adult cow. Keep group sizes small – Studies show increased disease rates when calves are housed in large groups (greater than seven to eight calves per group) as compared to calves housed in small groups or individually housed. If producers want to capture the benets of socialization while minimizing disease risk, pair housing (two calves per pen) might be an option to consider. Stocking density – It is recommended there be at least 40 square feet per calf. Pen dynamics – Use an all-in all-out system for assembling groups of calves, then emptying and cleaning/sanitizing the pen after the group is weaned. If this is not possible, keep the distribution of ages as narrow as possible, with no more than a one-week difference in ages among all calves in the group. Delay introduction to the group until 12-14 days of age – Studies report benets to backgrounding the calf in an individual pen for 12 to 14 days prior to introduction to the group. If introduced at an older age, the calf is quicker to catch on to the new feeding system and will be more able to compete with group mates. One study also reported reduced respiratory disease in calves introduced after 12 days of age. Furthermore, by backgrounding calves you will, by default, reduce your group size and stocking density, which will be a benet to all. Ventilation – Excellent air quality is a must for any housing system, both to reduce pathogen burden and to remove moisture. Bedding management – Clean, dry and comfortable are the hallmarks of a good bedding program. Slatted oor systems (or no bedding) are discouraged for calves as this can predispose to chilling, is uncomfortable, and can lead to permanent joint injuries, infection and lameness. Daily examination of calves for early detection, diagnosis and treatment of disease – Computerized feeding systems are designed to assist producers in nding suspected sick calves by using software algorithms that monitor for changes in feeding behaviors such as daily milk intake or drinking speed. However, research suggests these algorithms are not always sensitive and may miss detecting sick calves. As such, while the computer may be an aid, do not rely solely on the computer. It is important for a trained person to evaluate calves daily.
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Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017
SAVE YOUR BEDDING Silver Star Bedders rs cut up your dding or feeding bales for better bedding Round or square bales • Corn stubble • Soybean stubble • Straw • Baleage Universal skidsteer • Dry hay hookup
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TILLAGE/FIELD CULTIVATORS CIH 4800 Field Cultivator, 24.5,’ w/3 row coil tine .................$6,800 JD 235 Duracushion 22’ Disc w/Remlinger 3-Row Coil Tine...$4,200 Great Plains 30’ Turbo Till Rolling Basket and Reel, 2010 .....$32,000 Wilrich 657 11 Shank Chisel/ Ripper Combo, 2014 ..............$27,800 Wilrich 657 11 Shank Chisel/ Ripper Combo, 2013, used 1 season .....................................................................$25,000 Wilrich 657 11 Shank Chisel/ Ripper Combo, 2012, 2 Bar Coil & Basket .............................................................$30,700 ROW CROP, DRILLS & SPRAYERS Brillion 12’ Packer 12P-10 ..................................................... $5,700 Hardi TR 1000 60’ Boom Flush And Rinse, triplet nozzle bodys .............................................................. $7,500 Hardi Navigator 4000 2013 90’ Boom,120” axle,ISO ........... $40,000 Hardi Navigator 4000 80’ Boom 120” Axle, ‘09, 1200 gal, foam................................................................................... $27,000 White 8202 12 Row 30” Wing Fold Planter, 2001, with 4,900 acres ................................................................ $32,000
GRAIN CARTS & WAGONS Unverferth 5000 Grain Cart w/24.5-32 tires & lights, green ..$12,800 EZ-Trail 220 Seed Wagon, tarp and auger ...............................$3,700 SKID STEERS Demco 750 Gravity Box with fenders, 2012 ..........................$15,000 Mustang 1900R, 2014, 2435 hrs, cab, heat, rear weight ......$24,000 H&S 18’ 7+4 Front And Rear Unload Box, 4 wheel gear, NHL225, 2700 hrs, cab, heat/AC. 2 speed ................................... Call no roof ..................................................................................$9,900 HAY & FORAGE, STALK CHOPPERS Case IH RB455, 806 bales, 2016, silage baler with cutter .... $37,000 NH Roll-Belt 460 Silage Round Baler w/cutter, 1,500 bales . $37,000 NH 1431 13’ Discbine, 2006 ................................................ $14,300 Hesston 8200 SP Swather 12’ Header 1932 Hrs .................. $14,900 MF Hesston 2150 Baler, 3X3, tandem, app., scale, roller chute, 2012............................................................... $74,000 Hesston 4790 Baler, 3X4, 24,300 Bales .............................. $41,000 Hesston 1150 12’ Pull Type Haybine ...................................... $2,200 Hesston 4600 Small Square Baler............................................... Call H&S X10/13 15 wheel rake .......................................................... Call IH 600 Blower, nice shape...................................................... $2,700 Krone Swadro 881 Rake 2-point Hitch 540 Pto.................... $14,000 Ag Way BF 5000 3Pt Hitch Bale Feeder Like New................... $6,600 MC 180 15’ Shredder/Stalk Chopper, 2015, in good shape ...$12,000
MANURE SPREADERS Meyer’s 2425 Box Spreader, top beater, 16.5X16.1 tires, very nice .............................................................................$13,500 GRAIN EQUIPMENT Good selection of used augers ..................................................... Call MISCELLANEOUS Bush Hog SQ84T 7’ Rotary Mower, offset...............................$2,500 Bush Hog SQ84T 7’ Rotary Mower .........................................$1,600 Bush Hog HMG8 8’ 3 pt disc mower, Sold New In 2014, Consigned .............................................................................$5,200 1,000 Gal Fuel Tank & Trailer w/gas engine fuel pump ............$2,800 Grouser 6-Way 96” Dirt Blade with skid steer mount..............$2,900 JD 60” Mower Deck for 4200 JD tractor .................................$1,350 EZ-Trail 12’ Fert Auger ............................................................... $750 3-Point Snowblower 7’ w/hydraulic chute, manual deflector . $1,100
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Dad was on vacation Brazil, San Diego, where it was warm. Gone for 20 days, So Peter, Stacy and I ran the farm. The ice was anticipated No school that day. Boys took advantage, Lots of sledding and outdoor play. By nightfall it was scary, The ice so very thick. The chances of falling were high, And you were going down quick!
By Jacqui Davison Columnist Ice ready to claim your hind end Painful if you aren’t a kid! At long last came the snow. Oh, glorious snow! Boys got a true snow day, The perfect kind you know. Just warm enough to pack And make a giant snowman, Sam Hynek, Ira, Henry and Melanie, All worked together on their snow plan.
Ashes made our pathway to the van As we ushered out ve little boys. All mad because they couldn’t sled, Instead cooped in the feed alley with toys. The past week has been calm, No big storms to report. Feeding calves was an adventure Consistently cold, just as we expect In balance and will. Happy boys still have a frozen fort. Holding on to the panels, Hoping the wagon didn’t slide down the So crazy our weather hill. But just part of our life, As farmers we must toil A farmhouse sleepover Through snow, ice, sorrow and strife. Five boys, three dogs, two girls, and a cat. Jacqui and her family milk 700 cows Boys thought it was a treat, and run 1,200 acres of crops in the northWe were glad to be safe where we were eastern corner of Vernon County, Wis. at. Her boys, Ira (10), Dane (8), and Henry (3) help her on the farm while her husFrom ice came the mud, band, Keith, works on a grain farm. If Warmed up balmy and bright. she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the New ruts in the driveway, kitchen, trailing after little boys, or sharPiles of muddy sand from icy fright. ing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized Puddles were deceiving, chaos-and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored. Because under them hid
Dairy foundation receives $2,000 grant
The Northeast Iowa Community Based Dairy Foundation received a $2,000 Working Here Fund grant to install educational graphics developed through a Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA) grant. The grant is provided through Farm Credit Services of America’s (FCSAmerica) Working Here Fund. The grant funds received will be used to produce and install educational signage throughout the Dairy Center’s nutrition room and Hall of Breeds area. These areas are crucial for the Iowa Dairy Story program, which targets third through fth grade children, and offers them an interactive nutritional experience about the value of dairy products in a healthy diet and takes them on a journey of how milk is produced. “Providing the general public and youth with easy to understand information about the dairy food group and dairy cows helps to further our mission of connecting with consumers,” said Megan Kregel, Northeast Iowa Community Based Dairy Foundation Coordinator. “At FCSAmerica, we value the opportunity to support the future of agriculture,” said Julie Hoodjer, vice president of retail operations at FCSAmerica’s Decorah ofce. The Northeast Iowa Community Based Dairy Foundation is one of 53 organizations to receive a Working Here Fund grant in the fourth quarter of 2016. FCSAmerica awarded $81,140 during the latest grant cycle ending Dec. 31, 2016.
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What should you know?
It’s been about 18 months since Dairy Star rst started “A closer look,” which has been found in the rst section of nearly every issue. This feature was originally created for you – our readers. Its intent was to break down complicated topics and trends in the industry and get to the core of what you need to know to be a better producer. We have been able to accomplish this task twice each month with the help of industry professionals and dairy producers, alike. Admittedly, and unfortunately so, 2016 was a good year to develop this feature. We covered topics that ranged from FARM 3.0 to international trade deals to the milk market and even land prices. We’ve delved into breeding techniques, facility structures and bedding choices, among many more. In this issue, we broadened our horizons to a sector that greatly affects many dairy producers, but is often on By Jennifer Coyne Staff Writer the back burner of the farm operations – the beef industry. I had the opportunity to speak with the USDA, area sales barn owners and eld representatives, as well as producers who routinely visit the sales barns with their feeder calves or market-weight Holstein steers, about the plummeting Holstein prices in the beef market. It’s devastating to hear the vast price differences and assumptions for those discrepancies. I was frustrated as I learned more, and thought of the frustration my dairying friends are going through – perhaps hardly breaking even with their investments at the sales. There are options, of course. Sexed semen might become more popular to wait out this stagnant period. Then, what about the growing population of cull cows that are sure to be a result of the breeding practice? Crossbreeding the lower percentile of the herd to Angus could result in a better price at market. But then, is the beef-cross worth the sacrice in milk production if replacement heifers are needed rather than market cattle? Feeding to a greater nishing weight is also an option, but a costly one. Just as we’ve seen with low milk and grain prices, dairymen and women carry on. You’re resilient and passionate for your work, knowing the hard times can’t last forever. There’s always hope. I gained a wealth of knowledge throughout this particular assignment and am still left with questions that would lead into topics for another issue. Through this feature and with every article composed, I have learned a little bit about a lot. With each planning meeting for the next issue, I get giddy thinking about the possibilities and the chance to expand my horizons that much further. But what I learn needs to benet you, too. As the year gets underway, many topics and trends will be sure to arise and need to be dissected – ranging from animal care, employee management, building design, nutrition, hoof health and much, much more. So what should you know? Please tell us which topics you’d be interested in reading more about, and I’ll take a closer look.
“I didn’t even think we had stray voltage!” Roger Lange milks 100 head on his family dairy at Crofton, Nebraska. Until recently he was often forced to sell his fresh heifers because they wouldn t let down their milk. “We called Stray Voltage Consulting, and Jerry found the problem within half an hour.” Roger said. “I was very impressed with Jerry. He’s a former REA guy, so he understands both the farmer and the electric company. Being able to work with both sides is a key component to his success.” “I haven’t had a single problem with our fresh heifers since Jerry corrected our stray voltage problem. I would highly recommend Stray Voltage Consulting to anyone who thinks they might have stray voltage!”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 31
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Those Holstein bull calves Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017
Three-and-a-half years ago, I wrote a column that were bred A.I. to Angus. about using sexed Holstein semen on virgin heifWe stayed on that program for two-and-aers, and Angus semen on select older cows to in- half years and sold 1,200 Angus cross calves for crease the bottom line at our dairy. The thought double the price of the Holstein bulls. Last year, process behind it was we slowed down breeding having our young heifAngus because we were The elephant l h that h jjumped d ers with the best genetics Th in planning stages of a calve with an easier calv- into the barn now is the 600-cow expansion and ing Holstein heifer calf knew we needed more to adequately supply our dismal price Holstein bull replacements. Along with replacement needs. The calves are bringing. that, feed costs to raise young cows in the herd those replacements have were bred to good nondropped dramatically, so sexed Holstein sires to extra replacements are not supply additional heifers and some Holstein bull a burden. calves for which we had a regular buyer. The older The elephant that jumped into the barn now is cows were bred rst service to Holstein and after the dismal price Holstein bull calves are bringing.
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During the recent holidays, I gave 25 bull calves to several of our long-term employees. Yes, free, but hopefully those employees can make a little on them, and we will consider it a job perk. One of those employees brought two groups of Making Cents of Dairy calves to a large special Holstein feeder auction last Friday and received $75 per head for 40-day-old calves, and $150 per head for 60-day-old calves. So much for a job perk. I have two local buyers who actually pay us for bull calves, but each can only take 20 By Dave Vander Kooi calves and then they Columnist are full for seven to eight weeks. We need one more buyer to ll the gap, and hopefully one who buys year around. Where and why did the Holstein market crash so badly? Truth and rumors abound. The answer lies somewhere between or in all of the following. Adequate supply of beef, pork and chicken, so let’s take it out on those dairy guys. Walmart telling beef suppliers that when they say they want Angus, they mean Angus, not an animal with a little black on it. A processing plant quit butchering Holsteins. The stars fell out of alignment with the cow that jumped over the moon, and the list goes on and on. For some real numbers, I turned to my son-inlaw, Aaron, who feeds both Angus and Holstein feeders. Based on his numbers for calves being placed now and sold in 14-16 months, it costs $1,237 to nish a Holstein-Angus cross versus $1,290 to nish a pure Holstein. Neither include the cost of the baby calf. The main cost difference is in the additional time to nish the Holstein to the same weight of 1,450 pounds. All his costs include calf rearing, yardage, vet, trucking, death loss and feed. The fat Angus selling at $1.03 less shrink yields $1,403. Well, $1,403 less $1,237 equals $166 left to pay for the baby calf and/or prot. The fat Holstein selling at $0.91 less shrink yields $1,199. Well, $1,199 less the $1,290 to raise the animal leaves a $91 loss to pay for the calf and/or … a loss. The optimist in me says this Holstein bull thing will turn around soon, but numbers don’t lie, and the numbers are ugly. Sure, spring will come and there are always people looking to put a few calves on their acreage grass. But the bottom line is the calf price is always determined from the fat animal price minus the cost of raising that animal. I think it is time to rethink our breeding program to maximize the number of Holstein heifers we need for replacements, breed the rest of the herd to beef bulls and severely limit the number of Holstein bulls born. Vander Kooi operates a 1,200-cow, 3,000 acre farm with his son, Joe, and daughter-in-law, Rita, near Worthington, Minn. Send him feedback at davevkooi@icloud.com.
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Forget owers and chocolates and jewelry. I got the best Valentine’s Day gift ever – even if it was by accident and it arrived a little early. It all started nine months ago on May 10, 2016. “Do you think maybe there were a few things going on that day?” Glen asked cheekily, looking back. I don’t remember exactly what was on our to-do list, probably eldwork and planting. But, I do remember standing in the barn ofce with Glen, talking about the heifers which were caught in the headlocks for Dairy Good Life work that morning. “Your Milking Shorthorn heifer needs to be preg checked,” Glen said. Most of our pregnancy checks are done via blood samples, so we simply needed to collect a vial of blood from Dallas to bring to the lab. “And Wonder is in heat,” Glen said. Wonder is a stylish Holstein heifer out of our W family. She carries a polled gene, so Glen selected a red-and-white polled bull for her rst service, but she didn’t settle. Glen decided to try the same bull again for her second service. Later that day, when Glen and I stopped to disBy Sadie Frericks cuss the day’s progress, he made a confession. Columnist “I made a mistake,” he said. He went on to explain that when he pulled the thawed straw of semen out of the thaw unit, he double checked the straw before loading it into the gun. But the straw wasn’t the Holstein bull he had in mind – it was one of the Milking Shorthorn sires we had in the tank. “I think I still had Milking Shorthorns on my mind after talking about Dallas,” Glen said. You’ve heard of distracted driving; well, this is what I’d call distracted breeding. Instead of discarding the Milking Shorthorn straw and thawing a Holstein, Glen put the Milking Shorthorn in Wonder. I know some dairy farmers would have chalked it up as a loss and thawed another straw. I think it is proof of how much Glen really loves me – or he’s just that frugal. Upon hearing his admission, I jumped for joy. “Maybe she won’t settle,” Glen said, half hoping. But Wonder did settle. And I jumped for joy again when we got the pregnancy report 30 days later. We already had several roan calves out of the Milking Shorthorn bull that Glen accidentally thawed, so I knew there was a really good chance Wonder’s calf would be blue roan. The prospect almost made me cry. My last blue roan, Glory, passed away unexpectedly in April of 2015, leaving me heartbroken. She passed so quickly, I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye. She was, undoubtedly, my favorite cow. For eight years, she was my reminder of and connection back to the beautiful blue roans I grew up with. Some of Glory’s descendants are red roan, but I knew deep down she was my last blue roan. We decided several years ago that we were done crossbreeding. The Jersey crosses would all be bred continuously to Jersey; the Milking Shorthorn crosses would all be bred to Milking Shorthorn. All Holsteins would be bred to Holstein – no new crosses. Without a Holstein x Milking Shorthorn mating, it would be next to impossible for another blue roan to be born on our farm. But miracles do happen. Sometimes in the form of accidents. “Please let it be a heifer,” I cheered every time I saw Wonder’s mating in our record system. Then, Wonder showed up on the heifers to calve list with a due date of February 14, 2017 and my excitement tripled. It would be hard to top a Valentine’s Day blue roan heifer calf. When Wonder started showing signs of calving early, my hopes intensied. An early calf was more likely to be a heifer. All of my hoping and cheering paid off. On February 2, Wonder delivered a beautiful little blue roan heifer calf. I was so ecstatic I could hardly sleep that night. I’m still excited. Wonder herself calved in looking just as stylish as she did as a heifer. This little blue roan calf could turn out to be pretty spectacular. All because of a wonderful whoops. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 75 cows near Melrose, Minn. They have three children – Dan, 10, Monika, 7, and Daphne, 4. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 33
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You are not a cow Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017
On a beautiful late September afternoon, I walked creased dry matter intake. Everyone knows that dry Evaporation cannot occur in 100 percent humidity. into a freestall barn for my weekly reproductive visit. matter intake goes up with milk production. The top Often, cooling systems provide too little water to acAll of the fans were running and there cow of yours that gives over 200 pounds tually get the cow wet. For maximum effectiveness, was a substantial breeze inside. After the Veterinary Wisdom of milk a day is producing a lot of heat. cows should be wet to the skin not just to the hair rst few examinations, the feedline cow Since cows across the country produce, surface. A rule of thumb is that each sprinkler nozzle soakers came on. My assistant that day on average, about 0.7 pounds more milk should produce one gallon of water for each on cycle. was the herdsman, and he was wearing a per day each year than the year before, Many systems also fail to produce sufcient air speed warm hoodie pulled over his head. Soon they need to eat more than the year be- to allow for evaporation. Remember that cooling althe breeding technician came by, and I fore, and thus your herd gets hotter every most entirely occurs during the evaporation stage, not saw she was wearing a jacket over her year. Your cows were not nearly as hot the wetting stage. You might also think turning the fans off once it regular clothes. You might think running 10 years ago as they were last summer. In all those fans and soakers on a day where addition, your 200-pound cow is housed feels cool in the barn is ne. You are wrong because one has to wear a jacket inside makes in a barn full of cows that are all, on aver- you are not a cow. Remember that cows produce exno sense and wastes a lot of money. You age, producing more milk than last year, cess heat even on cool days. When the temperature in might think that because you are not a and they are all producing more heat, on the barn drops, your cows may still be hot and may By Jim Bennett cow. Humans and cows are mostly alike, average, so given the same cooling sys- stay hot until sometime early the next morning, even but one way we are different is how hot tem and same outside temperature, your on cool nights. In most cases, fans are used to cool Columnist we feel and how we cool ourselves on barn may be hotter than last year. All of cows not to cool barns. The moment the barn temwarm days. This can create problems for our cows this may be hard to believe because you do not feel perature drops to the point where the thermostat turns because we humans evaluate the environment by how hotter every year, and your house is not hotter every off the fans is when cow cooling slows dramatically, since now the only way they we feel rather than how they feel. Most of the time, year. But remember, you are have to cool themselves is not a cow. this means cows will be too hot. Before f llong, cows will ill need d through conductive heat You probably notice B The 2001 version of Nutritional Requirements of loss to the environment. Dairy Cattle says metabolizable energy (ME) of the increasing the air speed to be cooled and the time to Thus, fans need to stay on diet of a dairy cow is converted to milk production in your barn makes it feel long into the night following with 64 percent efciency. If we assume the remain- cooler. You sweat on hot think is now. der of the energy of the digested diet is converted to days and increasing air a hot day. Otherwise, cows heat, we can calculate just how much excess heat a speed can increase evaporamay not be fully cooled uncow generates. Of course, there are a whole variety tion of sweat, making you feel cool. But you are not til the next morning when the air temperature begins of interactions that can occur to affect just how ef- a cow. A big Holstein cow only sweats about as much to increase again. Sometimes cows never get comcient a given cow is on any given day, but the fact as an average sized man, which means evaporation pletely cooled before they start to heat up again. On a cold winter or spring day in the Upper Midremains that as dry matter intake goes up, excess heat of sweat plays a much smaller role in cooling, and production goes up, too. By using a back of the enve- increasing air speed much beyond 5 mph makes little west, perhaps the last thing you are thinking about is lope style calculation, and factoring in a few educated difference to the cow. To effectively cool cows, there cooling your cows, but remember, you are not a cow. guesses, your cow producing 100 pounds of milk is is only so much one can do with air movement, and Before long, cows will need to be cooled and the time likely generating about 1,550 watts of excess energy thus we must gure out a way to increase evaporative to think is now. Jim Bennett is a dairy veterinarian at Northern every 24 hours. One might think of this as putting a cooling of the cow. This means water: Water applied 1,500-watt milk house heater under a coat and wear- rapidly in volumes large enough to get the cow wet. Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center in Plaining it all day long. This would seem crazy to you, but This also means air movement: 2-5 mph of air move- view, Minn. He and his wife, Pam, have four children. ment around the cow to remove the layer of humid- Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@gmail.com with then, you are not a cow. Remember, heat production goes up with in- ity around her and allow more evaporation to occur. comments or questions.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 35
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BRITTANY OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Missy and Jon Kuhn, pictured with children Liz, Travis and Baili, milk 24 Jerseys near Wilson, Wis. The Kuhns met in 2011, built a new barn in 2012 and got married in 2014.
By Brittany Olson
brittany.o@dairystar.com
WILSON, Wis. – It might come as a surprise to learn a couple like Jon and Missy Kuhn, who t together seamlessly, have not been together all their lives. The couple, who celebrated two years of marriage this New Year’s Eve, milk 24 registered Jerseys at Springeld Jerseys in a barn they built themselves just a few miles west of Wilson, Wis. “We met on a dating website in November of 2011, and we’d both been divorced,” Missy said. “Jon was in the process of building the barn that year.” While neither husband nor wife had grown up on a farm, Jon raised bull calves and had a custom baling business before dairying in a rented barn near Boyceville, Wis. “I wanted to farm, but I didn’t have any money, so it took a while,” Jon said. It wasn’t until after they met that the farming bug bit Missy, too. “I grew up in town,” Missy said, laughing.
After the milk price crash of 2009, Jon sold the cows, but wanted to get back into milking as fast as he could. Much to their surprise, Jon and Missy only lived three miles apart at the time they met and began dating. After their rst date, there wasn’t a day they didn’t spend together. “She became my best friend right away,” Jon said. “One thing kind of led to another.”
“She became my best friend right away. One thing kind of led to another.” JON KUHN, DAIRY PRODUCER
Missy and her four kids – Jordan, 23, Derek, 21, Logan, 19, and Briana, 18 – began to meld their lives with Jon and his three children – Liz, 11, Travis, 8, and Baili, 6. “We wanted to spend as much time with each other as we could and blend our families together,” Missy said. Jon knew Missy was the woman for him by watching her with all the kids. “She’s a great mother, and she’s a good cook,” he said. “She’d always Turn to KUHNS | Page 37
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Liz Kuhn plays with her cow, Clover, during chores. Jon and Missy’s four children, who are sƟll at home, are acƟvely involved on the farm.
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017
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What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I have enjoyed building the farm up. We made a lot of changes and improvements over the years. To see the beneďƒžts of those changes is rewarding. How do you stay connected to others in the industry? Being a part of the FFA alumni and my children’s involvement in FFA has kept us connected. We are also members of the Clark County Holstein Breeders. During the summer, having kids in 4H and FFA has allowed us to see a lot of people at county fairs and shows. In your opinion, what’s the importance of women in today’s dairy industry and how have you see that change over the years? Women have become more involved in the day-to-day planning and workings on a farm. More than ever before, women are running the farms and are involved in the daily maintenance. It used to be only men did certain jobs on the farm, but that doesn’t matter anymore. Women can and do more jobs than ever before. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? I would invite any one of the ďƒžrst ladies. Many of them do not know or understand farming. They need to spend time on a dairy farm to see how things work. Agriculture has received a bad reputation because of organizations like PETA and others. It would be nice to show them how we care for the health and balance in the life of a cow. What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? In 1997, my husband took me on a surprise Caribbean cruise for Christmas. We went the week after Christmas, and he had lined up my vacation time and everything at work for me. What are some words you like to live by? Be honest and sincere. You can’t go wrong in life when you are truthful.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 37
ConĆ&#x;nued from KUHNS | Page 35 encourage me and give me the boost I needed when times were tough.â€? Missy also noticed Jon’s parenting abilities right away. “I’d watch him with the kids, and he’s such a good dad,â€? Missy said. “He’s got a great work ethic, and he’s so good with the cows. He’s a cowman ďƒžrst and foremost.â€? While the couple built their love story, they also built their 20-cow tiestall barn, which was ďƒžnished in 2012, around the time Jon asked Missy to be his bride. Of course, she said yes. “We knew we wanted to get into farming and build our farm together,â€? Missy said. “We waited a couple of years to get married, though.â€? While the couple discussed their goals for the farm, one thing became clear. “We basically looked at each other and said, ‘Jerseys,’â€? Missy said. A group of 20 cows arrived from a farm near Shafer, Minn., in February of 2013, and four of those original cows are still milking at over 10 years old. The cattle are bedded with sawdust on mattresses in their stalls, and eat a diet consisting of baleage with some corn silage and soybean meal. “We own 30 acres, which is mostly pasture, and rent an additional 70 for soybeans, corn and hay ground,â€? Jon said. On Dec. 31, 2014, Jon and Missy exchanged vows in the
BRITTANY OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Missy Kuhn enjoys being around her herd of Jerseys. barn with their beloved cows alongside them, a symbol of the life they’d worked in tandem to create. Procuring registered cattle and breeding for type was an easy decision; sires being used in the herd right now include Valentino, Colton and Fireman. However, Jon and Missy have different breeding philosophies.
“We both breed for type, but Jon likes to use one sire for most of a group of heifers for uniform cattle. Of course, if that bull is already in a heifer’s pedigree, we won’t use him. I like to look at a cow and decide what traits need to be corrected before I mate her to a particular sire,� Missy said. Despite their varying approaches to breeding cattle,
their young dairy herd is showing promise in the show ring. Faye, a 2-year-old, is sired by Verbatim Response, a son of 2006 World Dairy Expo Supreme Champion Huronia Centurion Veronica, Excellent-97. “We took Faye to the St. Croix County Fair, and state Jersey show in Madison and the Minnesota State Fair this
summer, where she took second place in the milking yearling class with Chris Van Dyk of West-Croix Genetics on the halter,â€? Missy said. Faye made the trip to Madison for World Dairy Expo, where she placed 15th out of 32 total cows in the milking yearling class. “We were happy just to place that well for our ďƒžrst time,â€? Missy said. “It was an incredible experience.â€? During chore time, Missy, and at least one or two of their kids, can be found in the barn alongside Jon. Jon milks, while Missy and the kids feed cows, heifers and calves along with any other chores. “We keep our calves on whole milk until they’re 4 months old, and they grow like crazy,â€? Missy said. Within the next couple of years, the Kuhns plan to double their herd size and build a small freestall barn for the cows while still milking in the tiestall barn. A strong run of heifer calves is pushing the drive to consider expansion. “If we have seven to 10 heifer calves in a year, we’re doing good. This year we had over 20, including a set of twins right before Christmas,â€? Jon said. As with everything else they’ve done in their four years of farming and marriage, Jon and Missy will go about it the way they always have – building together from the ground up.
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Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017
R E T BET ITY L A U Q Y CU T EVER
Chris Britton DuPont Pioneer Account Manager
MORE HARVEST FLEXIBILITY
Stephen Hawk Grower
DECREASED LIGNIN
EXCELLENT SEEDING ESTABLISHMENT
Pioneer.com/HarvXtra HarvXtra® is a registered trademark of Forage Genetics International, LLC. HarvXtra® alfalfa with Roundup Ready® technology is enabled with technology from The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. Roundup Ready® is a registered trademark used under license from Monsanto Company. Do not export Pioneer ® brand alfalfa seed or crops containing Genuity® Roundup Ready® technology, including hay or hay products, to China pending import approval. In addition, due to the unique cropping practices, do not plant this product in Imperial County, California. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Alfalfa with the Genuity® Roundup Ready® technology provides crop safety for over-the-top applications of labeled glyphosate herbicides when applied according to label directions. Glyphosate agricultural herbicides will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. ACCIDENTAL APPLICATION OF INCOMPATIBLE HERBICIDES TO THIS VARIETY COULD RESULT IN TOTAL CROP LOSS. Pioneer ® brand products are provided subject to the terms and conditions of purchase which are part of the labeling and purchase documents. ® TM SM , , Trademarks and service marks of DuPont, Pioneer or their respective owners. © 2017 PHII. DUPPFO17005_VAR1_021117_DS
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Page 39
sponsored by
Dan Walther Rolling Prairie Farms Garnavillo, Iowa Clayton County 250 registered Guernseys How did you get into farming? I grew up on a dairy farm. Ann and I got married in 1974, started our own herd and have grown from there. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? I am optimistic. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? Sustainability, growing crops, developing cow families and raising our family in a dairy setting. What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Enjoy the If you could add one thing to little things. your farm regardless of price, What has been the best pur- what would it be? More convechase you’ve ever made on nient hay storage. your farm? A TMR mixer which we bought in the early ‘90s.
How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? We love having a group over to ride JD Gators in our woodlands.
If you could have a celebrity help you with chores for a day who would it be? The Green Bay Packers receiver, Jordy Nelson. He appreciates agriculture.
What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? Having our family involved in the operation. What are your plans for your dairy in the next ve years? Continue to build a sustainable operation. What is your favorite thing to do on the farm? I enjoy mowing hay. What is your favorite dairy product? All are great, but it’s hard to beat vanilla ice cream. What is your favorite tool? Air tools in the heated shop.
Star Blends is a full service feed manufacturing facility. We provide custom complete feeds, supplements and minerals. We utilize modern technology to produce your needed products on demand with the highest quality feeds at the best cost. We also offer a wide selection of commodities, ingredients and additives. We are focused on dairy, efficiently delivering to farms in Western Wisconsin. Give us a call, we’d be happy to discuss our commodities or custom products and services with you and your nutritionist.
1919 Riley Road Sparta, WI 54656 | 800.462.4125
Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 11, 2017
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Protect Your Cows, Even in the Worst Winter Weather Derma Septº and Derma-Koteº
You unconditionally care for your herd all year long. As temperatures drop, caring for your cows’ teats is more important than ever. Choose DermaSept® or Derma-Kote® winter teat dips from GEA to heal, protect and condition your cows’ teats while killing mastitis-causing bacteria on contact. Winter weather is right around the corner. Contact your GEA dealer today to develop a winter teat health program for your herd.
Call us for more information: Advanced Dairy Solutions Richland Center, WI 608-647-4488 • 800-772-4770 Centre Dairy Equipment Sauk Centre, MN 320-352-5762 • 800-342-2697 Eastern Iowa Dairy Systems Epworth, IA • 563-876-3087 Fitzgerald, Inc. Elkader, IA • 563-245-2560
Fuller's Milker Center, Inc. Lancaster, WI • 800-887-4634 www.fullersmilkercenter.com Hobert Sales Inc. Cokato, MN • 320-286-6284 Leedstone Melrose, MN 320-256-3303 • 800-996-3303 Glencoe, MN 320-864-5575 • 877-864-5575 www.leedstone.com
Midwest Livestock Systems Menomonie, WI • 715-235-5144 Owen, WI 715-229-4740 Pine Island, MN • 800-233-8937 Sioux Falls, SD • 800-705-1447 Beatrice, NE • 800-742-5748 Monroe Westfalia Surge Monroe, Wisconsin 608-325-2772 jcraigo@tds.net
Preston Dairy Equipment, Inc. Sparta, Wisconsin 608-269-3830 • 888-863-0227 www.prestonde.com Sioux Dairy Equipment, Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-5608 • 800-962-4346 Colton, SD Service 800-944-1217 Edgerton, MN Chemical Sales 507-920-8626