LOOK INSIDE FOR OUR CALF & HEIFER SPECIAL EDITION!
DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 21, No. 3
Legacy Farms nd help from area prison Relationship benets both parties with labor, employment By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
SHELL LAKE, Wis. – Labor has become a growing concern for dairy farmers across the Upper Midwest. For one dairy in northwest Wisconsin, they have found a solution that addresses their workforce woes while also providing an opportunity for those they hire. Since October 2017,
March 23, 2019
“This is their chance to start over.” – Dan Coates
Legacy Farms has worked with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Gordon Correctional Facility to source a reliable group of individuals to help on the dairy in Washburn County near Shell Lake, Wis. “It’s a benet for us and a benet for them,” said Dan Coates of the relationship between the dairy and the state penitentiary. Coates is the farm’s operations manager and works with the correctional center to coordinate when prisoners will BRITTANY OLSON/DAIRY STAR help at the dairy. Every week, a small group Dan Coates is Legacy Farms’ operaƟons manager in Shell Lake, Wis. Coates works with the area correcƟonal center to coordinate when prisoners will help at the 1,050-cow dairy. Turn to LEGACY | Page 5
More barns collapse under weight of snow
Northern farmers scramble to repair structures By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
HAWLEY, Minn. – After the blizzard that struck southern Minnesota with devastation, dairy farmers across the state were on edge as another snowstorm brewed March 9-10. Unfortunately, the combination of wet snow and strong winds proved to be too much for animal housing facilities across the northern half of Minnesota. “There was a lot of thick, heavy snow and winds Saturday afternoon and evening,” Brian Waldner said. “The snow piled up on the south side of the barn and it was too much for the roof to hold.” Waldner is the herdsman at Blumenfeld Holsteins in Clay County near Hawley, Minn. On the early morning of March 10, 80 feet of roof collapsed over the 450-cow dairy’s freestall barn. The wreckage displaced one pen of cows and shut down two of eight milking robots. “The alarm caller went off at 3 a.m., PHOTO SUBMITTED signaling there was no power in the barn,” InsulaƟon, Ɵn and wood from the roof of a freestall barn cov- Waldner said. “I thought that was strange beer the center aisle at Koehler Dairy in New York Mills, Minn. cause there was power in the house.” The roof of Roy and Rhonda Koehler’s barn caved in over the Turn to BARNS | Page 7 400-cow dairy herd March 12.
Dairy Day at Capitol inuences legislaƟon Disaster relief funds available By Danna Sabolik
danna.s@dairystar.com
ST. PAUL, Minn. – More than 60 dairy farmers converged at the Minnesota State Capitol to let their voices be heard during Minnesota Milk Producer Association’s annual Dairy Day at the Capitol March 13 in St. Paul, Minn. “I think it’s extremely important to do this,” Kevin Buss said. “I want [my daughter] to be able to farm in the future and that will not be feasible if we let things continue how they are.” Kevin has attended the event in the past, but brought along his daughter, Kelsey, this year. Together, Kevin and Kelsey milk 120 cows near Hutchinson, Minn. Throughout the day, farmer participants spoke with legislators about the challenges they face in the dairy industry. It was also an opportunity to ask for support in the upcoming legislative session. Such conversation helped conrm the need for nancial assistance following this winter’s bout of snowstorms. Following Dairy Day at the Capitol, a bill passed to expand a disaster recovery loan program to aid farmers on March 14. The legislation was approved 127-0 in the House and 60-0 in the Senate. Turn to CAPITOL | Page 6
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofďƒžce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Amanda Thooft 320-352-6303 amanda.t@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Andrea Borgerding - Associate Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Krista Kuzma - Assistant Editor (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048 cowlady@centurylink.net Danielle Nauman (608) 487-1101 danielle.n@dairystar.com Danna Sabolik - Staff Writer (320) 352-6303 • danna.s@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Advertising Sales Main Ofďƒžce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Jeff Weyer (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-8505 (cell) jeff.w@dairystar.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofďƒžce) 320-248-3196 (cell) Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 fax: 507-634-4413 laura.s@dairystar.com Jerry Nelson (SW MN, NW Iowa, South Dakota) 605-690-6260 jerry.n@dairystar.com Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Amanda Hoeďƒ&#x;er (Eastern Iowa) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Lori Menke (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.
A glance at what’s inside This issue we have a special section about raising calves and heifers. We highlight both dairy producers who grow their own replacements and people who raise them for dairy producers. Read about how one farm switched to group housing for young calves along with how the University of Minnesota Southern Research and Outreach Center raises calves for two farms while also using them for research at its site in Waseca, Minn. In this issue’s “From our side of the fenceâ€? feature, By Mark Klaphake we talk with dairy farmers about their hiring process. Editor Many dairy farms of varying sizes have to ďƒžgure out how to ďƒžnd qualiďƒžed and reliable employees. Read on pages 15-16 in ďƒžrst section about how a few dairies across our coverage area go about the process. The United States Department of Agriculture recently announced January insurance payments of $1.51 for the Dairy Margin Coverage program. This value provides dairy farmers with a net indemnity of $1.40 for the $9.50 coverage level. On pages 13 and 26 in ďƒžrst section, the program is further reviewed with examples of how to calculate possible payments for 2019. In our “Dairying in tough timesâ€? feature, Kyle and Sara Mathison describe how they have withstood the turmoil of the poor milk prices these last ďƒžve years. Namely, when the Mathisons put up a new freestall barn and milking parlor, they ďƒžnanced the project in anticipation for low milk prices. Turn to page 10 in ďƒžrst section to read about other ways the couple has trimmed expenses on their 100-cow dairy farm in Cumberland, Wis. We have put a fun new twist on one of our popular features, “Kids corner.â€? We are reaching out to people who have been in this feature several years ago to see where they are now. This time, we talked to Sam Hopfer from Lake Henry, Minn. Check out his story on page 10 in third section. Although the snow is now melting, the Friese family was able to use it for recreation before it left. They collect vintage snowmobiles to use in an annual event held in their hometown of Wanamingo, Minn. Read on pages 37-38 in ďƒžrst section about this dairy family’s winter hobby.
Favorite quotes from this issue:
“If you’re a young guy and want to dairy farm, this is the time to do it.� – U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson (Page
23, First Section)
“We have a fairly progressive banker. He’s OK with stu as long as it makes sense.â€? - Gerben
ten Hoeve (Pages 4-6, Second Section)
By the Numbers of annual precipitation in 55: Inches Old Hutton, Kendal, Cumbria, England. (Pages 14-16, Second Section)
1.8:
Percent of veterinarians exclusively working in large animal practices. (Page 12, First Section)
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Columnists Ag Insider
Pages 8-9 First Section
Sauders plan for future on dairy First Section: Page 25
nso n
Moody
McCook Minnehaha
Wright
McLeod
Renville
Yellow Medicine
Hennepin Carver Scott
Sibley
Lyon
Murray
Rock
Nobles
Anoka
Redwood Brown
Nicollet
First Section: Page 23
Dakota
Rice
Goodhue Wabasha
Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted Jackson
Martin
Faribault
Freeborn
Fillimore
Mower
Elgin
Winona
Rott, Hahn share experiences as heifer raisers
Houston
Second Section: Page 8
Hutchinson
Turner
Bon Yankton Homme
Lincoln Clay
Union
Lyon
Osceola Dickinson Emmet
Sioux
O’Brien
Clay
Palo Alto
Kossuth
Winnebago
Worth
Hancock
Cerro Gordo
Mitchell
Floyd
Howard
aw
as
ick
Ch
Bremer
Plymouth
Black Hawk
Zone 1
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
Allamakee
Charles Mix
Lake
Meeker
Isanti
Winneshiek
Douglas
Miner
Brookings
Kandiyohi
Red Wing
Congressional members take time for farmers
Ha
Da
vis
on
Sa
nb o
rn
Kingsbury
Deuel
Lincoln
Hamlin
Pipestone
Pages 10 - 11 Second Section
Sherburne
Chippewa
Lac Qui Parle
Codington
Clark
Benton
Stearns
Pope
Swift
Mille Lacs
Morrison
go
Big Sto Stone
Grant
The “Mielke” Market Weekly
Pine
Douglas
Stevens
First Section: Page 36
isa
Roberts
Day
Carlton
Crow Wing
sey
Third Section: Pages Marshall4, 6
Page 33 First Section
Grant
Women in Dairy: Molly Matthees
Aitkin
Todd
rse
Kohl relishes role as 63rd South Dakota Dairy Princess
Goodhue
Cass
Ch
Dairy Good Life
Kranzburg
Tra ve
Page 32 First Section
Otter Tail
Wilkin
Page 31 First Section
Just Thinking Out Loud
Becker
Clay
r
Something to Ruminate On
en
nom
Mah
First Section: Pages 37 - 38
Washington
Norman
Itasca
Kanabec
Polk
First Section: Pages 1, 7
Friese family uses snowmobile collection for annual event
St. Louis
Red Lake
More barns collapse under weight of snow
First Section: Pages 1, 6
Wanamingo
Koochiching
Hubbard
Page 30 First Section
Beltrami
Pennington
Hawley
Dairy Day at Capitol leads to legislation
Lake of the Woods
Marshall
Page 27 First Section
Dear County Agent Guy
Roseau
eu
The Transition Pen
First Section: Page 34
St. Paul
Minnesota dairy kids excel at winter sports
Ra m
Kittson
Third Section: Page 10
Su
First Section: Page 11
Hutchinson
Hopfer’s childhood dream comes true
Le
Dairy is a worldly competition
Lake Henry
Wadena
Page 26 First Section
Sauk Centre
Willmar
Clearwater
FSA News & Notes
Fayette
an
ch
Bu
an
Growing demand in waning populations First Section: Page 12
are
law
De
Linn
Brookings
Maquoketa
Clayton Dubuque
Jones
Dairy Prole: Joe Heinrich
First Section: Page 39
Jackson
Waverly
ten Hoeve family nds automated milking better system for cows, people Second Section: Pages 3 - 5
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Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
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ConƟnued from LEGACY | Page 1 of prisoners are transported to the farm to work four 12-hour shifts. During this time, they milk the 1,050-cow herd in the dairy’s double-16 parallel parlor, move cattle, clean the barn and help with the upkeep of equipment. The inmates work in groups of up to ve alongside full-time employees and supervisors of Legacy Farms. “The prison brings them here and picks them up,” Coates said. “They also provide meals during the shift. We are responsible for having supervisors at the facility at all times so if anything were to happen, it’s taken care of.” At the farm, the prisoners are able to work in almost any capacity. However, for security purposes, Legacy Farms’ ofce and three other locations are not accessible. “Because of the rules, they aren’t allowed in certain places, like where medications are kept,” Coates said. “We did put in a security camera system, but that was not just for them. We use it mostly for training purposes.” Prisoners may also not work directly with any minors at the dairy, said Coates. “They have guidelines from the prison they have to follow,” Coates said. “They are required to be very respectful. They don’t have an option of not. It’s been a good working experience.” Prior to anyone being employed by the dairy, they must undergo four hours of farm orientation followed by a minimum of 48 hours of second-person training where they work with one of the dairy’s full-time employees. “Some of them will catch on right away; some it takes a bit longer,” Coates said. “Some of them come and go pretty quickly because they don’t want to milk cows, but most of them like the work.” Those who are employed on the farm
are a part of the prison’s release program. They are nishing out the remainder of their sentences – regardless of the crime – and have been approved for work release. The income they receive from the 40-hour workweek is used to pay restitution, their housing, and portions of the transportation and food costs of the correctional center. The state of Wisconsin also takes a percentage of the paycheck to help the system balance the budget. “The plus side of this is they get an income,” Coates said. “Some of that money goes into a savings account so when they are released, they have money to start over with instead of trying to start over with nothing.” In the short time Coates has used inmates as a source for labor, he has been pleased with their work ethic and determination to complete the job well. While there are monetary incentives to meet Legacy Farms’ expectations, Coates believes their job performance is the result of something greater. “I think we’ve helped them understand a different industry a lot don’t have experience in,” Coates said. “They get a new look at agriculture or dairy, and I think we probably give them a good source of education and learning.” The correctional facility works with regional businesses – from as far north as Superior, Wis., to as south as Shell Lake, Wis. – to nd job opportunities for their prisoners. “I think it’s a good idea what the prison is doing,” Coates said. “We’re just one of quite a few places they can choose from and are working for. They like working for us because of the hours and the money. … We supply more hours
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RepresentaƟve ScoƩ Newman visits with Minnesota Dairy IniƟaƟve director Alison Rickeman and dairy farmer Kevin Buss at Dairy Day at the Capitol on March 13 in St. Paul, Minn. Dairy farmers spent the day meeƟng with legislators about the state of dairy economics and voiced their concerns for the future. This bill, sponsored by Rep. Jeanne Poppe and Sen. Michael Goggin, allows the Rural Finance Authority to declare market emergencies, freeing up funds for disaster recovery program to farmers suffering weather-related losses not covered by insurance. “The next day, the legislature actually unanimously passed an ag disaster loan bill we mentioned to help the many dairy and other farms dealing with snow collapses,” said MMPA president Dave Buck about the group’s efforts at Dairy Day at the Capitol. The amendment now allows funds to be used for damages from the weight of snow, sleet or ice, in addition to the already stated high winds, hail, tornado or ood. It is also noted that aid can be administered from a market disaster or emergency as determined by the authority. Governor Tim Walz signed this bill into law on March 18, allowing the Rural Finance Authority to declare a disaster due to excessive snowfall, and assist farms without sufcient insurance through a zero interest loan. As many as 100 farms have suffered from building damage due to the heavy, wet snow this winter. “We need to thank our farmers,” Poppe said. “They continue to … work every single day. ... [This is] a way to allow them to continue to be resilient.” The bill is retroactive to Jan. 1. “I thought it was good,” said Kelsey of the work she saw at the dairy event. “It was nice to talk to people who can make a difference and share our perspective as farmers.” This year may have been the most imperative time to participate in the annual event, as three crucial bills were
discussed and will be up for debate this coming quarter. The three-point plan that responds to the crisis facing dairy farmers includes tax conformity, dairy margin insurance rebates and conservation assistance. If passed, the tax conformity bill will provide dairy farmers with long-term tax relief when they sell to cooperatives. A proposal introducing dairy margin insurance rebates creates state rebates for eligible dairy farmers enrolled in the federal dairy margin coverage program. Essentially, the state would be responsible for the premium on these programs, saving eligible dairy farmers crucial dollars. Conservation assistance would be an incentive for farmers to practice good stewardship as dened by the commissioner of agriculture. The plan has three tiers of conservation payments with larger payouts in favor of smaller dairy producers. In the last year, Minnesota lost 10.2 percent of its dairy farms; these three bills would provide the industry with much-needed relief. “Legislators were very receptive to our three priorities,” Buck said. The day concluded with more than 50 meetings with legislators along with conversation with Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Thom Peterson and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. “We made an impact,” said Lucas Sjostrom, executive director of MMPA. “Despite the rough winter, dairy families from across the state came to advocate for all Minnesota dairy farms.” Legislative action following Dairy Day at the Capitol is evidence of the difference a visit to the Capitol can make.
ConƟnued from LEGACY | Page 5 than most jobs.” Legacy Farms was rst considered a place of employment ve years ago. However, at the time, the dairy was expanding and did not have the number of supervisors needed to meet the prison’s guidelines. “Just over a year ago, labor was tight again,” Coates said. “We nished our expansion and had more supervisors in charge. We decided to contact [the prison] for help.” After an assessment of the farm, the working relationship was formed and has served both parties well. At Legacy Farms, the individuals from the prison make up about onethird of the workforce. The remaining employees are either Hispanics or local laborers, Coates said. “Overall, they’ve been a really dependable labor source,” said Coates of the inmates. Once prisoners reach the end
of their sentence, they no longer are employed by Legacy Farms. When these individuals leave Coates’ farm, he is pleased in knowing the opportunity they were given while milking cows. “This is their chance to start over,” Coates said. “It gets them off on a good foot, rather than starting with no job history or no money and going back to their old lifestyle. And, if they ever wanted or needed a job, they could go to any dairy and start milking cows.” Coates has remained in contact with a few of his former employees, serving as a recommendation as they apply for jobs elsewhere. “I’ve had a couple come back and say, hey thanks,” Coates said. “I’ve had almost all of them leave with a thank you – thanks for the opportunity, thanks for the job.” For Coates, he too is grateful for how this unique relationship has addressed a labor shortage at Legacy Farms.
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019 • Page 7
ConƟnued from BARNS | Page 1 The herdsman met another co-worker at the dairy. They both received the alarm notication. As the two looked over the system in the maintenance room, the cows bellowed inside the barn. “It was odd the cows were making so much noise,” Waldner. “They’re usually pretty quiet. That’s when I opened the barn door and saw the roof had fallen in.” In shock, Waldner quickly called people in the community to help clean up the debris and move cows to safety. Right away, they cleaned the remaining snow off the roof and overcrowded pens with the displaced animals. “Once we got the debris out of the way, there must’ve been 3 feet of snow that came down from the roof,” Waldner said. “We didn’t think it was that much, but with the strong wind on top, it was just enough for that corner of the barn.” By 7 a.m. March 10, the roads were cleared for travel and enough people were on hand to relocate nearly 100 cows from the milking herd. In total, two pens of cows were removed from the barn and housed at the neighboring farm, BGR Dairy, near Lake Park, Minn. “We are so thankful they had space,” Waldner said of his neighbors. “Those cows will be milked in a parlor for a while, so we’ll have to retrain them when they come home.”
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The roof on a freestall barn is almost enƟrely caved in at Koehler Dairy near New York Mills, Minn. The accident happened March 12 aŌer a storm the previous weekend brought heavy, wet snow. Blumenfeld Holsteins lost 17 animals in the accident, including superior genetic animals that were a part of the dairy’s aggressive breeding program. However, no one was hurt. “We have to count our blessings,” Waldner said. “If the barn fell another rafter to the west, it would’ve hit the robot room. If it went another rafter to the east, it would’ve severed all of the milk pipes. And, everyone’s OK.” Roy Koehler is also grateful the damage to his barn spared the lives of his family and employees. “This is not the end of the world,” Koehler said. “We’ve gone through a lot worse. And,
we got a better outcome than what could have been.” Koehler milks 400 cows with his wife, Rhonda, and sons, Matt and Justin, in Otter Tail County near New York Mills, Minn. The Koehlers lost the majority of one side of their freestall barn roof on the evening of March 12 – two days following the spring storm. “We had no idea it was going to happen,” Koehler said. “We watched the barn on Monday and didn’t see anything to worry about.” By late afternoon the following day, the snow piled along the roof and caused it to cave onto the barn’s center aisle and stalls. What Koehler
originally thought to be about 1.5 feet of snow atop the roof was closer to 3.5 feet of accumulated snow. Six cows were lost at Koehler Dairy, but thankfully no one was injured. “… It dropped right in front of an employee as he was getting out of a skidsteer,” Koehler said. “Only an hour before that, we were sorting the last group of cows in there for the hoof trimmer.” Soon after the collapse, more than 100 people arrived to help clear the barn fragments, including insulation, and make a pathway for the cattle to reach the parlor. Koehler’s minister, who grew up on a farm, helped for ve
hours. The family re-organized the pens, overcrowding some, so that all animals were safe. They spent the following two days only milking twice daily and clearing the pens where the roof fell in. By March 14, the cows returned to their normal pens and the milking schedule returned to three times a day. “We were able to keep everything here,” Koehler said. “We worked with a carpenter to brace the stalls up, and now those pens have a little more natural lighting.” Both Koehler and Waldner are planning to be entirely operational soon. Koehler is working with a contractor and electrician to make repairs to the freestall barn. “Luckily, insurance will cover it because it’s only half a barn, and we’ve always made sure to have enough insurance to cover all of our barns,” Koehler said. After the debris was cleaned up at Blumenfeld Holsteins, a construction crew began work. Rafters were replaced and steel went up within a week of the storm. Less than two years ago the dairy installed milking robots, and Waldner hopes they will all be functional again within the next month. “Things were going very well for us,” Waldner said. “The best thing we can do is work hard to get back to normal as soon as we can.”
Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
Dairy labeling bill returns to Capitol Hill
The Dairy Pride Act has been introduced in Indemnity payments for livestock losses Congress, calling on the FDA to stop the mislabeling Minnesota Farm Service Agency State Executive of non-dairy beverages as milk. Wisconsin Senator Director Joe Martin said the hardest hit area from Tammy Baldwin is one of the co-sponsors of the the recent heavy snow is southeastern Minnesota, but bill. National Milk Producers Federation the northern and west central parts of the Ag Insider Senior Vice President of Communications state are also being impacted. Martin said Alan Bjerga said the timing of this animal losses are most critical to report bill comes as the FDA is going through to your county FSA ofďƒžce. “We do have a leadership change. “I think it is an the Livestock Indemnity Program. If you effective way to show the agency that lose animals, we need you to report that there is sentiment out there for the FDA within 30 days. We can compensate you to take a stronger stand against these for 75 percent of the market value for purveyors of fake milk,â€? Bjerga said. those lost animals. For structure losses, call your insurance provider ďƒžrst and DMC payments triggered then call the FSA. We do have some loan USDA reports Dairy Margin options available, if needed,â€? Martin Coverage payments were triggered in said. January. The details of this program, By Don Wick which replaces the Margin Protection Legislature addresses snow damage Columnist Program, have not been announced. The Minnesota Senate has January income over feed cost margins unanimously approved a zero interest totaled $7.99 per hundredweight, which will result disaster loan program for farmers. The Rural Finance in a payment to participating dairy farmers. Signup Authority’s Disaster Loan Recovery Program is being for the Dairy Margin Coverage program will begin in expanded to help farmers whose buildings were mid-June. damaged by heavy snow. A similar bill is being heard in the House. Small things add up There is an abundance of data available through More milk the Farm Business Management program. What January milk production in the 23 major dairy management practices separate the top third of states totaled 17.5 billion pounds, up 1.3 percent from farmers compared to the bottom third? AgCentric the previous year. In Minnesota, dairy cow numbers director Keith Olander says there is no magic bullet. declined 5,000 head, but milk production increased “It is the little things; a lot of little things add up,â€? said 1.6 percent. South Dakota’s dairy herd rose by 4,000 Olander. “How do we cut ďƒžve percent here, add two head and milk output increased more than 6 percent. percent there? To be able to do that with diligence and Wisconsin milk production increased nearly 3 percent. not be scared to look at your operation to determine if there is something I should or should not be doing.â€? USMCA may soon head to Congress AgCentric Farm Business Management will release President Donald Trump indicates he will the 2018 farm ďƒžnancials in April. Surveys have soon send the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement to determined the farm business management program Congress. “We’ll be submitting [it] to Congress has an average value of $12,000 per year for its very shortly and that’s a great deal for the United farmer-students. States,â€? Trump said. Once Congress receives the trade agreement, it starts a 90-day window for lawmakers
to approve or reject it. Ten years ago when the U.S. was negotiating a trade deal with Colombia, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi won a rule change that turned off that 90-day clock. That is a possibility again with the new divided Congress.
United States, EU differ over trade During meetings in Washington, D.C., European Union trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said any trade deal with the United States will not include agriculture. That seems to be a non-starter for the United States, who wants more agricultural access to the European market. USDA to address stafďƒžng shortage USDA is in the process of implementing the new farm bill, but there is a shortage of local FSA employees to help farmers. USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Bill Northey told National Farmers Union members the Agriculture Department is working to address the stafďƒžng shortage at the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Risk Management Agency and Farm Service Agency. “Our ceiling is the same place we had three years ago. We want to get back to that,â€? Northey said. “We’re in the process of hiring. We have about 400 hires coming in the next 30 to 60 days for NRCS and FSA. We’ve also streamlined our hiring process to speed that up a bit.â€? USDA narrows list for ERS-NIFA relocation As USDA considers the relocation of the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture out of the Beltway, the list of cities still under consideration has been cut from 136 to 67. Three sites in Minnesota are still being evaluated including Falcon Heights, Minneapolis and Shakopee. Alfalfa research projects funded The U.S. Alfalfa Farmer Research Initiative has awarded its latest round of funding. The projects approved include a look at plant population and stem counts which is being conducted at the University Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
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ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8 of Minnesota. The alfalfa checkoff program that funds this research began in 2017. Milk Cooler Grants awarded The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has awarded more than $50,000 in grant funds to 30 schools and early education programs to increase the availability of milk. The rst round of Milk Cooler Grants was awarded under the Agricultural Growth Research and Innovation Program. A second round of funding is available through April 4. The schools use the grants to add milk coolers to their nutrition programs. Fritsches inducted into MLBA Hall of Fame The Minnesota Livestock Breeders Association Hall of Fame has four new inductees. The honorees include New Ulm Guernsey breeders Paul and Melanie Fritsche. Pierz cattle producer Dar Giess and Minnesota State Fair livestock manager Mark Goodrich were also honored. Dairy and livestock farmer Walter Schultz of Lester Prairie, who passed away in 2003, was also inducted posthumously.
MFU hires lobbyist Stu Lourey is the new Government Relations Director for the Minnesota Farmers Union. Lourey was raised on a farm near Kerrick, Minn. and is a MFU member. Lourey replaces former director Thom Petersen, who is serving as Minnesota’s Agriculture Commissioner. Trivia challenge Gruyere is the Swiss cheese known as a good melting cheese and used in fondue. That answers our last trivia question. What was USDA Under Secretary Bill Northey’s job before moving to the Agriculture Department? 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.
CORRECTION
In the article, “DMC vs. DRP: What is the best decision?” in the March 8 edition of Dairy Star, it was incorrectly stated the net gains of Dairy Margin Coverage as yearly values. With the example given, the potential net gains should be noted as monthly values. Dairy Star regrets the error.
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
DAIRYING IN TOUGH TIMES
Mathisons entered dairy industry with a proactive approach By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
CUMBERLAND, Wis. – While dairy farming has not been a protable venture for Kyle and Sara Mathison, they have no regrets of entering the industry nearly one decade ago. “Kyle is the eternal optimist,” Sara said. “He still gets excited to milk cows. It’s tough, but his outlook makes things easier, and we just can’t have a bad day with that attitude.” In 2010, the Mathisons started milking 15 cows in a tiestall barn on a rented farm site. They have since grown their herd to 100 milking cows and returned to Kyle’s family’s dairy farm near Cumberland, Wis. The herd is housed in a 116-stall freestall barn and milked in a swing-10 parlor, both facilities were built in 2016. While the Mathisons could never have anticipated the extended slump in milk prices, they were cognizant of the projected markets as they made plans for the future of their dairying career. Maintaining such a mentality has helped the young couple weather the last four years. “We’ve always been conservative,” Kyle said. “… It’s all boiled down to nancials. We had to save in the good times, which is no different from somebody who has been milking cows for 30 years except we didn’t have as long of a good time.” After four years of milking cows in the rented tiestall barn, Kyle and Sara decided to invest in more progressive facilities. In 2014, they approached their lender about putting up the freestall barn and parlor. “We were building when prices were high, but when we went in for a loan, we planned for low prices,” Sara said. “That allowed us to be set up to survive the prices” Kyle agreed. “It’s tough to plan,” he said. “There’s no way we could’ve seen it staying this low this long, and no one thought it would be this bad.” While the Mathisons are burdened with a loan payment every month, they do
BRITTANY OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Kyle and Sara Mathison, and their son, Grant, milk 100 cows near Cumberland, Wis. The Mathisons began dairying in 2010 and credit their ability to survive the market turmoil by planning ahead for low milk prices. not regret the investment as it has made them more efcient dairy farmers. “Failure is not an option,” Kyle said. “We’ve made a commitment to this barn; we’re in it.” Instead, the couple seeks ways to pinch pennies in areas of the business – from labor to nutrition. The day-to-day responsibilities are those of the Mathisons and Kyle’s dad, Wayne. Both Kyle and Sara milk the herd morning and evening. Then, Wayne takes care of feeding the herd and manages reproduction of the heifer group while Kyle oversees the health of the milking herd. “In the past, we’ve hired people from time to time,” Kyle said. “Now, we don’t hire out any labor.” The second-most critical component of the Mathisons’ ability to withstand the dairy markets is the forage they provide the herd. Every year, Kyle and Sara strive to put up high-quality alfalfa. This allows the couple to do without protein supplements in the ration, and they have seen their herd health improve with the better
feedstuffs. “Our cow health is excellent,” Kyle said. “We really focus on preventative maintenance. That’s much easier and cheaper than treating.” Kyle also monitors the ration and tweaks it as needed so there are limited refusals. Lately, the Mathisons have also gone from having a DHIA supervisor present at milking to a more economical ownersampled DHIA program. While there are a handful of areas the Mathisons focused on to reduce expenses, there are also areas of the operation that were never re-evaluated given the market trends. When Kyle and Sara delved into dairy farming, they placed a large emphasis on the milking procedure. In maintaining a consistent routine, the couple has capitalized on the premium they receive for milk quality. “Because we’re doing all the milkings, we know the cows and know when something is off,” Sara said. “If we need to, we quarter milk right away. We also keep the barn and parlor clean.”
The Mathisons’ herd is comprised of mostly Holsteins with about one-third of the herd being Jerseys. The colored breed provides greater component values, said Kyle. Additionally, Kyle is always looking for ways to improve his herd through breeding. “We don’t cut any costs with reproduction,” he said. “That’s the last area we would every pull away from. Reproduction is important in the long run, so when times are good we can capitalize on our genetics.” Recently, Sara took a part-time job off the farm to provide additional income for the family. She works at a farm-to-table style restaurant in the neighboring town. “Honestly, it’s probably our only income right now,” Kyle said. Sara has also removed herself from social media, which she said has helped give her mental clarity and more time to focus on their marriage and their 5-yearold son, Grant. “We’re all facing hardships in the industry, but sometimes it helps if you don’t know everything everyone is going through,” she said. In Kyle and Sara’s short time dairy farming, they have found value in learning from others in the industry and are grateful for the relationships they have fostered. “You can learn something from all farmers and nd snippets of their farm that you can incorporate into your own,” Kyle said. Sara agreed. “No two farms are the same and there’s no standard model for how you should dairy farm,” she said. “A lot of people said we shouldn’t do the project, but we like to blaze our own trail and it’s served us well.” With the future prices showing very little improvement, the Mathisons will continue dairying with few expenses and work to pay down their debt load. In time, Kyle and Sara hope to have the nancial footing that allows their son to dairy farm if he so chooses. “It would be nice to give Grant the option of dairy farming, just as we had,” Sara said.
Congratulations
to the eight young ladies crowned Stearns County Dairy Princesses. Eight ladies (from left) Katelyn Rakotz the daughter of Gary Rakotz and Holly Rakotz of St. Anthony, Minn., Miranda Breth the daughter of Jerry and Tammy Breth of St. Anthony, Minn., Lexi Feldewerd the daughter of Karrie and Dennis Feldewerd of New Munich, Minn., Katherine Maus the daughter of Lisa and Darrel Maus of Freeport, Minn., Jessica Ohmann of the daughter of Ron and Ami Ohmann of Albany, Minn., Donna Honer the daughter of Scott and Toni Honer of Rockville, Minn., Maggie Molitor the daughter of Joe Molitor of Rockville, Minn. and Savanna Marthaler the daughter of Harold Marthaler and Denise Mikkelson of Sauk Centre, Minn. were crowned Stearns County dairy princesses March 9 at the Freeport Community Center. Honer and Maus were also scholarship recipients and Marthaler was named Miss Congeniality.
Dairy is a worldly competition Kohl suggest markets here to stay By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
WILLMAR, Minn. – Across the nation, agriculture is in its seventh year of an economic slump with the dairy sector carrying on in the fth consecutive year of downturns. “We’re in an environment of low margins and high volatility,” Dr. David Kohl said. “I want to be realistic; it’s not going to turn around. You’re going to have to get over it.” Kohl explained the dairy industry’s current situation in his Dr. David Kohls seminar, “Taking Care of Business,” during a program Ridgewater College hosted Feb. 27 in Willmar, Minn. While overproduction and domestic demand for dairy have greatly affected the milk market, domestic and international economies, consumer trends and farm real estate are also playing large roles in what the milk check looks like. “Our economy is in a transition,” Kohl said. “The long and short of it comes down to temporary trade deals, a competitive environment, [steady] land values and putting a squeeze on the prot lines.” The future of the agriculture economy weighs heavily on trade agreements between North American countries and China and the United States, as those nations make up 28 percent of the world economy with 450 million people. Ratication of the United States Mexico Canada Agreement is imperative for the United States to maintain its No. 1 and No. 3 trading partners, Canada and Mexico, respectively. Also, while China is a part of the synchronized global slowdown of economies, the Asian country is also making headway with its Belt and Road Initiative to invest in more than 150 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa. “They’re making major investments in the world because they want another source of food, ber and fuel other than North America,” Kohl said. Such trends will directly affect markets in the United States. “Behind the scenes, you’re going to be managing in an environment of temporary trade agreements,” Kohl said. “That’s why working capital and exibility on the balance sheet is important.” While some may contest the mood of the dairy industry is far worse than any previous downturn, Kohl sees similarities between today and the 1980s. However, back then the markets separated the above average production herds from those average or less than, while today the disparities are seen between above average managers and those average or less than. “We have more zeros and commas on the income statement, and that means things can get out of hand very, very quickly,” Kohl said. “Everybody tries to produce their way to protability. It’s not only production, but also marketing and nance.” Kohl suggests working with an
advisory team made up of key dairy business stakeholders, such as the farm business management instructor, nancial lender, and a crop or livestock consultant. Also, being sure to include the next generation. Throughout the nation, communities are affected by the state of the dairy industry differently. Wisconsin and Minnesota have been categorized as the top two states that are experiencing the most nancial stress from the agriculture economy, said Kohl. One of the indicators of nancial stress is farmland, which accounts for a large asset on the balance sheet. While land can be a way to work through poor times, it is also might be a risky investment. “Farmland and equity can be a great bridge over troubled economic waters because of the R word – renancing,” Kohl said. “However, if you continue to renance and take no corrective action on cash ow, you drown in your debt service. At that point, you’re basically hobby farming at a bigger level. We have some big farms hobby farming.” Not only do farmers need to be diligent in knowing how their dairy business is structured, they need to be cognizant of those who are choosing to eat dairy – more so today than ever before. “We only have so much gut space and there’s tremendous competition for gut space,” Kohl said. The everyday consumer, which drives 70 percent of the U.S. economy, is changing with millennials, Generation Z and Alphas – those born after 2008 – making more of the purchasing decisions as their older counterparts have less of an inuence in the market. “This consumer is changing,” Kohl said. “They want four things – transparency, personalization, customization and they buy for experience.” If an agriculture commodity cannot t these needs, they quickly lose an important group of consumers. While the industry continues to make strides in the marketing of dairy foods, Kohl said it has not been enough to compete in the global food market. “Half of the problem is we’re asleep at the switch,” he said. “… We’ve allowed people to let almond milk in. We had a chance to take on A2 milk and we didn’t. Sometimes we’re too much U.S. eyes. If you want to see our future, go to Australia, New Zealand, Europe and even Canada.” The demand for dairy products is not fading, but how farmers choose to meet that demand is anyone’s game. “It’s a very competitive world,” Kohl said. “There’s going to be prots out there. Not gangbuster prots, but it’s going to be a series of base hits.” Dairy farmers may overcome such adversity by closely evaluating their business structure. “It’s like being on the foul line,” Kohl said. “The coach says look beyond the rim and focus on the fundamentals. You’re going to have a view, but you’re going to have to focus on the fundamentals – production, marketing, nance and putting the business system together that is appropriate for your business.” One farm’s success will look different than another’s, but the commonality is being aware of inuencing factors, like consumer trends, the U.S. agricultural landscape and global economies.
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019 • Page 11
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
Growing demand in waning populations Universities encourage rural practice with veterinary programs By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
BROOKINGS, S.D. – While many dairy farmers are carrying out routine herd health procedures themselves, the need for food animal veterinarians is as great as ever before. “We’re moving away from the technical, day-to-day aspect, like IVing a cow, to more preventative health, yet the demand continues to increase for rural veterinarians, especially in the dairy industry,” said Dr. Corale Dorn, of Dells Veterinary Services in Dell Rapids, S.D. Dorn’s mixed Dr. Corale Dorn practice serves dairy Dells Vet Services farmers along the I-29 corridor. Last December, the American Veterinary Medical Association reported only 1.8 percent of veterinarians were in exclusively large animal practices; another 8.7 percent predominantly practiced in food animal industries. To keep up with the demand in the agricultural community, colleges are creating opportunity for students to pursue a degree that emphasizes large animals. For nearly 20 years, the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine has offered the Veterinary Food Animal Scholars Track, and recently collaborated with South Dakota State University to make plans for launching the Rural Vet-
erinary Medical Education program. Both programs are designed to streamline education for students interested in a career in food animal medicine. Since VetFAST’s inception in the early 2000s, the number of participants grows with each graduating class. By 2022, 10 of the 100-some graduates will have gone through VetFAST. Additionally, 17 percent of the class of 2022 has declared a food animal academic track. “At the time the Dr. Trevor Ames program was started, U of M there was a concern about placing rural vets, and we were looking for a mechanism that could change that,” Dr. Trevor Ames said. “It’s an important tool that serves as a visual pathway for students to get into vet school and succeed.” Ames is a professor and dean of the U of M College of Veterinary Medicine. The program is designed for rst-year undergraduate students to apply for the accelerated learning track. These students must not only reach rigorous academic standards, they must also have experience and show an interest in food animals. Once students are provisionally accepted, they may begin veterinary school immediately following their third year of undergraduate studies. This allows students to obtain both a bachelor and doctorate degree in seven years. “Typically, we have anywhere from seven to 12 students per year enrolled through the program, but we’ll always take more if we can get them,” Ames said. The program has proven successful, with students excelling in the veterinary medicine curriculum and forming careers
in food animal industries following graduation, Ames said. By 2021, a select 20 students at SDSU will have a similar opportunity to accelerate their studies and obtain a doctorate in veterinary medicine with an emphasis on large animals. Over the last ve years, SDSU and the U of M College of Veterinary Medicine have developed the Rural Veterinary Medical Education program, which allows students two Dr. Jane Christo- years of studies in SDSU’s Department pher-Hennings of Veterinary and SDSU Biomedical Sciences followed by two years at the U of M College of Veterinary Medicine. “There are other programs like this around the country that have been able to nd students who have an appreciation for rural America and experience working with livestock,” Dr. Jane ChristopherHennings said. Christopher-Hennings is the department head for SDSU’s Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences. Other notable collaborations include the University of Nebraska and Iowa State University, Utah State University and Washington State University, and University of Alaska-Fairbanks and Colorado State University. The South Dakota-Minnesota initiative is modeled after a rural physicians program in Duluth, Minn., where clinical experience in rural communities is emphasized. In years past, Dorn has mentored veterinary students. “Experience is the real teacher,” she
said. Dorn was a part of the program’s steering committee and envisions the SDSU-U of M partnership lling a void in large animal veterinary services. “It will be unique to partner with Minnesota,” Dorn said. “These students will have the opportunity to become exposed to new technologies and equipped to do a better job.” The U of M is familiar with collegiate partnerships. Its collaboration with SDSU will replace a long-time alliance with a school in the Caribbean where students would spend their fourth year doing clinicals in Minnesota. “This is a strategic replacement that uses our best resources as a land grant university,” Ames said. “We believe we can offer broad and comprehensive learning with our neighboring state. And, it’s geographically ideal to service the population.” While the program’s start-up date is more than two years away, there is already interest from undergraduate students. In a survey completed by 2017 preveterinary students at SDSU, nearly 83 percent were interested in the proposed partnership with Minnesota, said Christopher-Hennings. “As the program is established, we’re condent we’ll see additional interest,” Christopher-Hennings said. Dorn agreed. “Agriculture is growing in importance for our state and for our world,” she said. “While the way food is produced is changing, the relationship between producer and veterinarian is not.” As the future of agriculture changes, the role veterinarians play in the industry will certainly differ. However, the need for their work is ever present and these fast track academic programs will continue helping ll that void.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019 • Page 13
Guidelines to understanding new Dairy Margin Coverage
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With the U.S. Department of Agriculture reporting the ďƒžrst month of data applicable to farmer payments under the new Dairy Margin Coverage program, the National Milk Producers Federation commended USDA for helping farmers understand the scope of DMC program and offered its own example to illustrate the potential beneďƒžts of maximizing coverage under the new top margin-coverage level of $9.50 per hundredweight. The new $9.50 “marginâ€? (the difference between the price of milk and the cost of feed) threshold for the ďƒžrst 5 million pounds of a dairy farmer’s production, which replaces the old $8 per hundredweight limit under the now-lapsed Margin Protection Program, may be better tailored to expected market conditions in 2019 and future years than lesscomprehensive coverage, according to an NMPF analysis. For example: A dairy operation with an established milk-production history of 5 million pounds that elects the $9.50 coverage level for 95 percent of its production history – the new maximum level of protection under the 2018 farm bill -- would be covered for 4.75 million pounds (95 percent of 5 million, also referred to as 47,500 cwt. – a unit covering 100 pounds of milk) of annual production during 2019. Breaking it into monthly increments, farmers maximizing coverage would be eligible to receive payments at the USDA-determined monthly payout rate on 395,800 pounds (also expressed as 3,958 cwt.) each month that the margin fell below $9.50 per hundredweight. According to new USDA data, the January “marginâ€? payment will be $1.51/cwt. for farmers who select $9.50 coverage – that’s the difference between the $9.50 level selected and the actual margin of $7.99/cwt. An operation maximizing coverage on its ďƒžrst 5 million pounds for the year would thus receive a January payment of $5,977 (the 3,958 cwt. covered for the month, multiplied by the $1.51/cwt. January difference in actual margin). Meanwhile, under the premium rates set by Congress under the 2018 farm bill, the 2019 full-year premium for coverage at the $9.50 level on 95 percent of a 5-million-pound
production history in this example would be $7,125 (47,500 cwt. times $0.15/cwt. premium fee), if the operation signs up for DMC coverage just for 2019. If the operation makes a one-time election offered via the farm bill to sign up for DMC coverage this year through 2023 at the same coverage levels, it will be eligible to receive a 25 percent discount on its premiums. In that case the total premium cost for all of 2019 would be $5,344 (47,500 cwt. times the $0.1125/cwt. discounted premium fee). In other words, under maximum coverage, a dairy operation would receive back more than its full annual premium with the January payment alone, if it signs up for coverage at the discounted ďƒžve-year locked-in premium rate. If a farm signs up for this year only, it would still recoup most of its full-year premium from the January payout – with more payments likely, given prices forecast by current futures markets. Dairy Margin Coverage signup is scheduled to begin on June 17. That means payment amounts for up to the ďƒžrst ďƒžve months of the year may already be known when farmers sign up. Again, based on forecasts, it is very likely that when signup begins the beneďƒžts of $9.50 coverage will substantially outweigh the costs, given that coverage will be retroactive from January 1. “While the cash-ďƒ&#x;ow and ďƒžnancial situations are different for every dairy operation, farmers should strongly consider signing up their 2019 production at the maximum coverage level of $9.50 per hundredweight for 95 percent of their ďƒžrst ďƒžve million pounds of production history,â€? said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “The unique circumstances of already knowing what payments will be for the year’s early months, combined with the current price outlook for milk, makes it an attractive option for producers this year during a difďƒžcult time for dairy.â€? Dairy operations that elect to sign up this year for DMC coverage at the discounted premium rate will be committed to pay the same discounted premium each year through 2023. That option will be available this year only, except for new dairy operations in subsequent years.
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Page 14 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019 • Page 15
From Our Side Of The Fence What benefits or incentives do you offer employees?
Anthony and Sherry Anderson (not pictured) Stone Dairy Henning, Minn. Ottertail County 450 cows Tell us about your farm. I took over the farm in 2015. We are milking 450 cows. We have the dry cows, springers and calves up to 4 months of age on the farm. The farm operates roughly 800 acres of land for our forage needs. We have a full-time feeder, a herdsman and six barn personnel. The feeder helps with maintenance and ďƒželd work. The herdsman helps out with the calves. The barn personnel are responsible for milking, scraping, pushing feed and taking care of fresh cows. Explain your hiring process. When I am searching for employees, I ďƒžrst ask the current employees if they know of anyone looking for work. If they don’t, I make a couple of phone calls to friends and let them know I am looking for help. When I have a new applicant, we sit down in the ofďƒžce and have an interview. I ask about past work experience, what they are looking for in a workplace and explain the farm and job requirements to them. What skills or traits do you look for in good employees? Someone who is willing to work hard and willing to learn new things, and they have to be willing to work as part of a team. What beneďƒžts or incentives do you offer employees? The employees get vacation after a year of employment. I’m very ďƒ&#x;exible with the schedule if they need to take a day off for personal reasons. We offer employee housing for those who need it. We give out beef a few times a year and have a year-end bonus. I am working on a SCC bonus, which will go into place soon. What are the greatest challenges you face in hiring the right employee for your dairy? How do you overcome these challenges? Finding employees. There is so much competition in the labor force and fewer people looking for work on dairies. It is easier to take a new employee without experience and teach them what they need to know. It is all about building relationships and trust. What has been the biggest learning experience you’ve had while hiring an employee? If it is too good to be true, it’s probably not true. I have made the mistake of hiring people with lots of dairy experience and great interviewing skills. They turned out to be big problems for me and the other employees, and didn’t last long. What advice would you offer other dairy farmers seeking employees? We have all been there where we need a warm body in a position. Sometimes it is better to ďƒžll in yourself for a few milking shifts and wait for the right person than to ďƒžll it with the ďƒžrst warm body that shows up.
Mike and Steve Lax Lax Dairy Sleepy Eye, Minn. Brown County 200 cows Tell us about your farm. Our ownership and management team includes ďƒžve family members. Together, with our employees, we run a diversiďƒžed farming operation, which includes dairy, a research hog ďƒžnisher, beef, dairy beef and crops. Our farm employs ďƒžve full-time and ďƒžve part-time and seasonal employees. Our employees’ responsibilities on the farm include a broad array of tasks. Milking cows, cleaning pens, calf care, pig care and forage harvesting are among a few of these tasks. Explain your hiring process. We have used a few avenues to ďƒžnd employees. Ads in the newspaper, word of mouth, ďƒ&#x;iers around town and social media. We evaluate employees off past experiences, references provided when hiring, personality upon meeting in person, and a few other factors. What skills or traits do you look for in good employees? The biggest traits we look for in a potential hire are a willingness to learn and patience. What beneďƒžts or incentives do you offer employees? Our employees have a bonus incentive based off of work performance. A variety of work is provided to everyone. We also pay extra for holidays. What are the greatest challenges you face in hiring the right employee for your dairy? How do you overcome these challenges? Making sure everyone has enough family time. It is a continuous task ďƒžnding that balance. What has been the biggest learning experience you’ve had while hiring an employee? We all come from different backgrounds. If we put our heads together, we can really thrive. It is exciting to watch people learn, grow and ultimately excel if the proper tools are provided. What advice would you offer other dairy farmers seeking employees? Keep an open mind. Learning to speak Spanish has been very helpful for us.
Lester and Donna Banse Caledonia, Minn. Houston County 200 cows Tell us about your farm. We have been farming here since October 1976. We milk in a parlor and our cows are housed in a freestall barn. We have one full-time employee and ďƒžve part-time employees. Our full-time employee does the morning milking and helps us with chores throughout the day. Most of the part-time employees are high school students who do the evening milking. Explain your hiring process. Our fulltime employee has been with us for many years. He ďƒžrst started working for us in high school as a part-time employee. In the past, we have put ads in the local paper to ďƒžnd people, but in the last ďƒžve years, we don’t get any response from those ads. Now, our employees come to us by word of mouth or asking around. We don’t usually have enough people for an interview process. We are lucky enough just to get somebody. What skills or traits do you look for in good employees? The biggest is that they need to have a good attitude. For a full-time employee, it’s important to get along well. It would make for a really long day if you didn’t. What beneďƒžts or incentives do you offer employees? Why? We give our full-time employee a house to live in on the dairy. Other than that we don’t offer any incentives other than trying to accommodate their wishes for time off. What are the greatest challenges you face in hiring the right employee for your dairy? How do you overcome these challenges? The biggest challenge is just getting someone to come here to work. Once they get here they usually stay awhile, but it’s the initial agreement to work here that’s the problem. Most of our employees have no prior dairy experience. We haven’t really overcome that. What has been the biggest learning experience you’ve had while hiring an employee? We have learned not to hire someone over the phone and to check his or her sources to make sure they are legitimate. If not, they might leave two weeks later in handcuffs. What advice would you offer other dairy farmers seeking employees? If I were a young person who had the ďƒžnances to do it, I would put in robots. Even though they are expensive, they’ll always be there to milk the cows.
Greg Meyer Sumner, Iowa Bremer County 295 cows Tell us about your farm. We milk 295 Holstein cows in a double-8 parallel parlor twice a day. We have two full-time milkers and one full-time employee, as well as three part-time workers depending on the time of year. The full-time employee also does some of the special needs and sick cow work, along with insemination and tail chalking the cows daily. We raise all our own replacements and grow much of our feed. I do the feeding, scraping and other daily tasks. Explain your hiring process. We use word-of-mouth or talk to other dairy producers to let them know we are looking for help. I’ve also learned that if someone stops by, to take a phone number. I like references, but they don’t always happen. What skills or traits do you look for in good employees? First, I expect them to follow our milking protocol. They also need to be gentle with the cows, care for the cows, and work together as a team. We do all our herdsman work together. What beneďƒžts or incentives do you offer employees? Why? They get some scheduled time off, but that’s been more of a challenge with the way the winter has been. Vacation time in the summer is scheduled. It seems that scheduled time off is always a good thing or they get worn out. What are the greatest challenges you face in hiring the right employee for your dairy? How do you overcome these challenges? With milking twice a day, they are expected to work both shifts and sometimes cannot take the schedule. What has been the biggest learning experience you’ve had while hiring an employee? There are too many to remember. Maybe when I retire I will write a book. What advice would you offer other dairy farmers seeking employees? Treat them like you want to be treated. My head milker has been with me for nearly seven years and is a huge asset to my operation. Another is very good at ďƒžxing. We try to make it a team effort. I also have a young high school helper who is great at maintenance and Googles anything he doesn’t know.
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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15 Evan Metzger Rock Rapids, Iowa Lyon County 1,600 cows Tell us about your farm. Multi-Rose Jerseys has been 100 percent Jerseys since 1955. My brother, Dana, is the dairy herd manager; my brother, Reed, is the CEO; my brother, Brett, is in charge of crops and maintenance; and my brother, Drew, is the feed center manager. Our father, Marvin, is semiretired but still helps where he’s needed. My duties include human resource manager. We employ eight full-time milkers, one full-time calf manager and one full-time person to help outside. We also have an assistant herd manager, an assistant parlor manager and an assistant feed manager. Explain your hiring process. We nd prospective employees by asking our current employees if they know of anyone, such as a friend or a relative, who is looking for a job. We also use Facebook and place yers in local stores. We have a thorough interview process that includes going over a checklist of questions with the person. What skills or traits do you look for in good employees? We value people who show they care and are passionate about their work. Multi-Rose Jerseys provides opportunities for people who are willing to adhere to our ve core values which include humility, integrity, respect, strong work ethic and open communication. We look for experience but are willing to train the right people. What benets or incentives do you offer employees? After 60 days, we offer cost share for family health insurance along with a simple IRA with a 3 percent match. We also offer housing through a $1 per hour wage deduction. The night shift is paid a 50 cent differential, and our milkers are paid a 50 cent bonus if they follow all 10 of our parlor protocols. The lead parlor operator is paid $1 extra per hour. We do these and other things to keep quality employees and stay competitive with the local labor market. What are the greatest challenges you face in hiring the right employee for your dairy? How do you overcome these challenges? The greatest challenge is nding people to work. This was easier in the past, but the labor pool is shrinking. Through better communication, we are trying to change the culture of the people who work here. We want our employees to have a good work environment and have a good relationship with us. We get to know our employees on a personal level and learn about their families and lives. What has been the biggest learning experience you’ve had while hiring an employee? In the past, we have rehired people who quit because they thought it was better somewhere else. That has hardly ever worked out. What advice would you offer other dairy farmers seeking employees? People are the most important part of the operation. Hire good team members and everything else will follow. We have had great success with hiring people for management positions through the TN visa program. TN visa holders have a college education, are willing to learn and create a lot of value for us.
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Wolf Creek Dairy Paul and Barb Liebenstein Dundas, Minn. Rice County 450 cows Tell us about your farm. We milk about 450 cows in a 25-year-old double-8 herringbone parlor, and house our cows in a freestall barn. Our daughters, Grace and Mary, help us on the farm, especially Grace because she married our herdsman. That helps to keep him around, too. Mary is in veterinary school at the University of Minnesota and still hasn’t graduated from being a weekend calf feeder along with a few shifts of milking, too. We have six full-time employees and 14 parttime employees. The part-time people allow our full-time folks to have weekends off. Some of them work one shift a month, but it helps give everyone a break. We have three jobs on the farm: milking technicians, barn managers, and a feed and maintenance manager and his relief help. Our cropping is limited to corn silage and haylage. We have neighbors who custom farm for us, so we don’t have to pay the principle or interest payments. Explain your hiring process. We started with newspaper ads and then went online to Indeed. Occasionally, Grace will write a Facebook ad, and it usually gets a few smiles. We often say it only takes nding that one right person. Even though we have to wait for a little while and might be putting in overtime ourselves, they’re our cows and it is always worth the wait. We collect applications, check references and then arrange interviews. The interview consists of talking with us and one or two other employees. We have a consistent list of questions. The most effective question is, “Are you lucky or blessed?” The answer speaks a lot to that person’s outlook on life and whether they’d t with the rest of us. The other half of the interview is going out in the barn or into the parlor and spending time seeing what the job looks like and then being able to ask a co-worker what it’s like to work here. All of us give our input on the candidates and pick the best one for our culture and the job. What skills or traits do you look for in good employees? We can teach someone to milk cows our way, but we can’t make anyone like cows, be conscientious, show up on time or get along well with others. Those are things that come up in the interview. On the barn manager side of things, they need to be able to drive a skid loader and have all those other skills. What benets or incentives do you offer employees? Benets and wages have to be competitive since our town is only 40 miles from downtown Minneapolis. When people are saying $15 for minimum wage, we have to compete with that and pay their health insurance with no deductible and paid time off after one year. There are times when that isn’t enough, and we are blessed to have people who like to be around agriculture and animals. People who I wish we could pay more. What are the greatest challenges you face in hiring the right employee for your dairy? How do you overcome these challenges? The greatest challenges we face are the same as any small business, except ours is one that fewer people understand. We don’t know if overcome is necessarily what we call the challenge as much as hope and faith. All we need is a little hope that the right person will come along, and God takes care of the rest. I don’t know how we’d get through it all without faith. What has been the biggest learning experience you’ve had while hiring an employee? Treat others as you want to be treated. Model the right way to do things all the time and be humble, knowing we screw up, too. It keeps us from being too hard on anyone else. We still like to milk cows and be in the barn, and we think when they see us working next to them they know we care about them and the cows. Trust your gut. If an applicant seems too good to be true, they probably are. Never offer them a job the same day you interview them. It gives everyone a chance to think about what the right t is.
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
Repro Leaders
Software program helps nd cows in heat at Furseths’ dairy Furseth Farms Jim and Craig Furseth Stoughton, Wis. Dane County 190 cows What was your rate average last the last couple have averaged a pregnancy rate.
pregnancy year? Over years, we 31 percent
What is your voluntary waiting period for cows? For heifers? For cows we wait until 60 days in milk, and for
heifers we wait until 390 days old. What is your rst service conception rate? Our rst service conception rate has been at 42 percent. What is your reproduction program? Do you use a synchronization program? We try to breed as many cows as possible to a standing, natural heat. We have SCR Heatime collars on all cows that aren’t conrmed pregnant to track
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Craig Furseth (leŌ) farms with his dad, Jim, on their 190-cow dairy in Dane County near Stoughton, Wis. Over the last two years, the herd has had an average pregnancy rate of 31 percent.
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Cows not conrmed pregnant wear an SCR collar to track acƟvity and ruminaƟon. Collars go on before calving to enable early monitoring of heat cycles.
activity and rumination. About 75 percent of our breedings are off this software program. Collars go on before they calve so we are able to start monitoring heat cycles early on. If they show signs of being cystic or aren’t cycling, we are able to identify and treat
these cows quickly. For cows that don’t show signs of heat, we put them on the ovsynch program. How do you observe for heat? The SCR Heatime system does all the observing for us.
How do you conrm pregnant or open cows? We do pregnancy checks every other week. Every cow 32 days past a breeding gets checked, and, if pregnant, she is then conrmed two weeks after that. Turn to FURSETH | Page 20
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019 • Page 19
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J&S DAIRY, The Worms Family, MELROSE, MINN. Nestor Gomez, herdsman 900 cows, 75 lbs/cow/day SCC 210,000 down to 178,000 Big smile when asked what he loves about his job as herdsman: “Taking care of the cows!” “We see Udder Comfort™ working and are thankful for this product. It takes the swelling away. Instead of being tight and slow to milk, the fresh udders are soft and let milk down faster for better milking,” says Nestor Gomez at J&S Dairy, owned by the Worms family near Melrose, Minnesota. Josh Worms says Nestor, the 900-cow dairy’s herdsman, has been working Udder Comfort into their fresh cow routine since bringing home samples from Central Plains Expo in 2017. “We see the biggest benefit in fresh heifers with the most edema and cows with big udders. We do spray all fresh udders with Udder Comfort 2x/day for 3 to 4 days,” Nestor explains. “We also like using this for all hospital cows. They recover faster. We used to use a regular mint, but Udder Comfort brings so much more. It’s easy to recommend this product for fresh cows: The spray is easy to use, a gallon does 35 to 40 fresh cows (all applications), and the results help them.”
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
ConƟnued from FURSETH | Page 18 What is your breeding philosophy? How do you select bulls? What traits do you focus on? Does fertility play a role in bull selection? When it comes to bulls, we try and achieve a cow that is moderate size with good feet and legs and a well-put-together udder. A few of the traits we look at are net merit, milk, combined fat/protein, daughter pregnancy rate, productive life, udder composite, and feet and leg composite. We look a little bit at the sire conception rate of the bull when selecting him but more importantly I monitor their performance on the farm with DairyComp305. If a bull isn’t getting cows pregnant, we switch him out for a different bull faster than our normal changes.
How are cows and heifers bred? Do you have a different philosophy for breeding both? In the last year we have started using more beef semen to try and better manage our heifer inventory. Our lowerend cows, being production or historically health events, get beef. All other cows get conventional semen. A small number of 2-year-olds will get a unit of sexed semen. To keep it simple, these are cows that are in the top third for net merit and have a daughter pregnancy rate and cow conception rate over 2.0. To push genetic progress and to keep it simple, our heifers are ranking off genomic samples. The top onethird gets two units of sexed semen, the middle group gets one unit and the bottom gets conventional.
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Furseth Farms is a 190-cow dairy located in Stoughton, Wis. What do you do to settle hard breeders? To settle a hard breeder, I don’t change a lot. Timing of breeding during the heat cycle is the main thing. Normally I do all the breeding in the morning. If one just came into heat, I’ll wait until later in the day to breed. STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Craig Furseth looks at the SCR HeaƟme system, which helps detect cows in heat. The soŌware program closely monitors cows’ heat cycles, and Craig uses this informaƟon to decide which cows to breed.
How many times do you try to breed a cow before you sell her? This depends on the cow. If she is above average, I might go four or ve. If she is poor, I’ll try two or three times.
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the years, we have made everything work to its best ability. Along with milking cows, we have a large cash crop operation. We grow and harvest all our own forages and dry corn for the animals. To help with all the work there are six full-time family members including myself, my dad, Jim, my uncles, Jerry, Dale and Dan, and my cousin, Jay. We also hire six other fulltime employees to help with milking and calf care.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019 • Page 21
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JD 2210, 2014, 55.5 Äeld cultivator, $ #154394
AIR DRILLS AND SEEDERS 14 JD 1990, 2011, #156314................................................................. $85,860 BOX DRILLS 5 JD 455, 1999, Width: 30, Spacing: 10”, #150258............................. $18,900 11 JD 455, 2018, Configuration: Folding, Width: 30, Spacing: 7.5”, #143110 .......................................................................................... $63,900 14 JD 455, 2010, Configuration: Folding, Width: 25, Spacing: 7.5”, #156454 .......................................................................................... $29,900 FIELD CULTIVATORS 4 JD 960, 1994, 36 ft, Kind: 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #148486 .............................................................................................$7,500 10 JD 1010, 25.5 ft, Kind: 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #151724 .............................................................................................$3,495 10 JD 1010, 31 ft, #150876 ...................................................................$2,825 10 JD 960, 1994, 26 ft, #148845 ............................................................$5,500 7 JD 960, 1988, 44 ft, Standards: C-Shank, #150157 ...........................$7,215 7 JD 2210, 2013, #156232 ................................................................ $55,900 1 JD 2210, 2011, #155650 ................................................................ $29,900 1 Case IH 690, 2014, #155651 .......................................................... $18,900 1 Case IH TIGERMATE 200, 2013, 30.5 ft, Kind: 3-Section Folding, #155652 .......................................................................................... $33,000 1 JD 960, 1993, 33 ft, Kind: 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #154535 .............................................................................................$6,500 12 JD 1000, 1978, #156035 ...................................................................$3,950 15 JD 2210, 2008, 60 ft, Kind: 3-Section Folding, #146682 ................ $34,500 15 Case IH 4800, #155715 ....................................................................$5,100 16 Case IH TIGERMATE 200, 2014, 60 ft, #155901............................ $59,400 16 Case IH TIGERMATE 200, 2014, 60 ft, Kind: 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #154509 ......................................................... $59,400 16 Case IH TIGERMATE 200, 2014, 60 ft, Kind: 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #154511 ......................................................... $59,400 16 Case IH TIGERMATE 200, 2014, 60 ft, Kind: 5-Section Folding, S tandards: C-Shank, #154510 ........................................................... $59,400 16 Case IH TIGERMATE 200, 2014, 60 ft, Kind: 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #154507 ......................................................... $59,400 16 Case IH TIGRMATE 200, 2014, 60 ft, Kind: 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #154508 ......................................................... $59,400 5 JD 980, 1997, #155850.................................................................. $11,500 8 JD 2210, 2009, 53 ft, Kind: 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #154393 .......................................................................................... $48,000 8 JD 2210, 2014, 55.5 ft, Kind: 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #154394 .......................................................................................... $58,500 8 JD 2210, 2009, 50.5 ft, Kind: 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #154537 .......................................................................................... $43,500 14 JD 980, 1997, 26 ft, Kind: 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #153320 .............................................................................................$9,900 14 JD 2210, 2007, 58 ft, Kind: 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #151055 .......................................................................................... $32,900 14 JD 2210, 2012, #156912 ................................................................ $54,500 14 JD 980, 1998, #156455................................................................... $14,430 3 JD 980, 1994, 33 ft, Kind: 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #151027 .......................................................................................... $12,000 PLANTERS: DRAWN 4 JD 1775NT, 2018, 16R30, Frame: Flex Fold, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: Central Fill System, Row Command, #150736 ..................$169,000 4 JD 1760, 2013, #156200 ................................................................ $52,500
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JD 1750, 1997, #156043 ................................................................ $12,500 JD 1765, 2015, #155243 ................................................................ $54,500 White 6322, #156848 ................................................................... $18,900 Great Plains YP2425, 2007, 24R30, Frame: Flex Fold, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: Central Fill System, #152236 ... $65,000 15 JD DB66, 2008, #156439 .............................................................. $107,500 15 JD DB66, 2008, #155284 .............................................................. $139,900 9 JD DB60, 2014, #156907 .............................................................. $159,000 16 JD DB99, 2014, #156313 .............................................................. $310,000 16 JD DB66, 2008, #156834 .............................................................. $132,500 11 JD 1775NT, 2018, 16R30, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: Central Fill System, Row Command, #140328 ..................$149,500 11 JD 1750, 1999, 6R30, Frame: Rigid, Metering System: Finger Pickup, #153700 .......................................................................................... $19,800 8 Wil-Rich 24-22, 2009, 24R22, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: 1.6 Bushel, Row Command, #139224 ................................................................ $44,900 14 Kinze, 2000, #155343 .................................................................... $15,540 14 JD 1780, 1999, #155446 ................................................................ $33,500 PLANTERS: INTEGRAL 6 White 5100, #155511 ......................................................................$6,700 8 JD DR24, 2018, 24R22, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: Central Fill System, Row Command, #150773 ..................$179,500 PULL-TYPE SPRAYERS 2 Hardi RANGER 2000, 2014, #155294............................................ $20,500 10 Redball 580, 2006, #151074 ......................................................... $18,900 7 Summers ULTIMATE 120, 2012, #155256 .................................... $27,900 15 Wil-Rich Blumha, #148336 .............................................................$5,500 15 Top Air TA1200, 2008, #155358 .................................................... $16,650 5 Hardi Commander 1200, 2002, #150043 .................................... $14,900 5 Wil-Rich 500 GAL, #150604 .............................................................$6,000 3 Top Air TA2400, 2014, #156122 .................................................... $49,500 4 JD R4038, 2017, Boom Width: 120-Foot, Boom Leveling, Tank: Stainless, Nozzle Spacing: 20 in, 289 hrs., #141223 ......................................$329,500 15 JD 4940, 2014, 1763 hrs., #155452 .............................................. $199,500 16 JD 4830, 2013, Tank: Stainless, Tire Width: Mid, Hydraulic Tread Adjust, Traction Control, Nozzle Spacing: 15 in, 2400 hrs., #155970 .......... $139,000 16 Case IH 4430, 2013, Boom Leveling, Tank: Stainless, Tire Width: Narrow, Guidance-ready, 2655 hrs., #154198 ............................................. $209,500 SELF-PROPELLED SPRAYERS 8 JD R4038, 2018, Boom Width: 120-Foot, Nozzle Spacing: 20 in, 495 hrs., #150887 ....................................................................................... $339,000 14 JD R4038, 2017, Hydraulic Tread Adjust, Guidance-ready, 508 hrs., #143961 ........................................................................................ $346,500 14 JD R4038, 2018, 100 hrs., #155379.............................................. $340,200 SKID STEER LOADERS 4 JD 326E, 2016, Cab w/ AC, Foot Controls, Air Ride Seat, 2 Speed, Aux Hydraulics, 84” Bucket, Reversing Fan, 524 hrs., #153420......... $39,000 4 JD 330G, 2017, Cab w/ AC, EH Controls, Joystick, Ride Control, 2 Speed, Self-Leveling, Aux Hydraulics, 84” Bucket, Reversing Fan, 741 hrs., #152399 .......................................................................................... $49,900 4 JD 326E, 2016, Cab w/ AC, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Ride Control, 2 Speed, 72” Bucket, Reversing Fan, 335 hrs., #142477 ................................. $46,000 4 JD 316GR, 2016, 171 hrs., #156291 ............................................... $33,000 4 JD 320E, 2016, Cab w/ AC, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Joystick, Ride Control,
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Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
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Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: IOWA Kramer Bros. Monticello, IA 319-465-5931 Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290 United-Suckow Dairy Supply West Union, IA 563-422-5355 Postville, IA 563-864-7417
WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bob’s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201 Ederer Dairy Supply Plain, WI 608-546-3713 Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Waunakee, WI 608-849-5043
Mondovi Dairy Systems Inc. Mondovi, WI 715-926-5777 West Salem, WI 608-769-2113 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470 MINNESOTA & SOUTH DAKOTA D&D Ag Supply Pennock, MN 320-599-4466
East Central Dairy Supply Mora, MN 320-679-1029 Farm Systems Melrose, MN 320-256-3276 Watertown, MN 605-886-7401 Sioux Falls, SD 800-284-0015 S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Professional Dairy Systems Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
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Checkoff makes milk available to families in need March is National Nutrition Month, a time to bring awareness to the importance of developing sound eating and physical activity habits. When you consider milk is the top source of three of the four nutrients missing in most people’s diet – calcium, vitamin D and potassium – it is easy to see why milk is an important part of how the dairy community engages in National Nutrition Month conversation. It is also a By Julie Mattson time to bring awareness to the Ostrow work dairy checkoff is doing to MS, RD, FAND; ensure families in the Midwest vice president, dairy and beyond have increased experience-wellness, access to fresh milk. Midwest Dairy According to Feeding America, a network of more than 200 foodbanks across the nation, milk is the No. 1 requested item by its clients, yet milk is the least available due to it being rarely donated. Milk is also difcult to store, which further complicates the ability to make it available to families in need. Recognizing these challenges, national checkoff formed a partnership with Feeding America to problem solve solutions for how to move more milk through foodbanks for more families to have access to milk and the critical nutrition it provides. One such program is called Milk to MyPlate. Milk to MyPlate is a partnership between Feeding America food banks and local milk brands that helps provide a constant supply of fresh milk to food banks and their agency partners at an affordable price. Not only does this program maximize a food bank’s ability to provide milk to their agencies and clients, but it also drives incremental milk sales for brands. Midwest Dairy has been working within its 10-state region to overcome these challenges as well. In 2016, Midwest Dairy began awarding grants to Feeding America food banks who followed the Milk to MyPlate purchase model to distribute fresh, uid milk to their participating food pantries or food shelves. Grant recipients used the funds to purchase refrigeration equipment to properly store the milk. By the end of 2018, four food banks participated in the grant program: Greater Chicago Food Depository, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Harvesters (northeastern Kansas and north western Missouri) and Ozarks Food Harvest (Missouri). In total, these foodbanks distributed a total of 40,836 gallons of milk, which is the equivalent of 347,106 pounds, to 20 food pantries or food shelves within their distribution networks, while Midwest Dairy’s investment in the project totaled approximately $40,000. Many families who received the milk expressed gratitude and a greater sense of security. “I have two young children,” said one family member who visits Without Food for Greater Elgin, which participates within Northern Illinois Food Bank’s network. “Both my husband and I work as much as we can to provide for them, but our income is still not enough during certain times of year. I am often terried that I am not providing enough nutritious food for my kids, but because I can get fresh foods and milk here, it comforts me.” Building on the success of the refrigeration grant project, Midwest Dairy has recently awarded an additional grant to Ozarks Food Harvest for it to purchase additional refrigeration units and expand its capacity to store more milk. Also, Midwest Dairy has awarded grant funding to Second Harvest Food Bank help more families in Minnesota have access to fresh milk. As we round out National Nutrition Month, I encourage you to engage in the conversation and celebrate how your support through checkoff has helped put more milk on tables across the Midwest, while providing family members, including children, access to the critical nutrition milk delivers.
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019 • Page 23
Congressional members take time for farmers Peterson, Craig participate in listening session
Other questions revolved around how to keep agriculture sustainable for younger generations, healthcare, minority farmers, trade agreements and immigrant labor. “It’s certainly on my mind in order to create the kind of economic growth in Minnesota in the … agriculture community that you have to have the labor to do the work,” Craig said. “The worst thing in the world is to have your crops
By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
RED WING, Minn. – Farmers from all areas of agriculture were present at a listening session with U.S. Representatives Collin Peterson and Angie Craig March 15 on the Callstrom family’s 40-cow dairy farm near Red Wing, Minn. “There’s nothing more important to me than making sure our communities survive, especially our farm communities,” said Craig, freshman congresswoman representing Minnesota’s second district. “People ought to be able to make a good living and a good life where you want to live. That’s part of my commitment here.” Craig is a member of the House agriculture committee, which is under the leadership of Peterson as chairman. Peterson talked about his work to get the 2018 Farm Bill passed. “… We didn’t get everything I wanted,” Peterson said. “… But, we were able to x the dairy program, and it didn’t cost any money by the way we crafted it. One thing I’ve been worried about – it’s been so tough in dairying and things have not worked – is that people are going to give up before this thing gets put in place. I’ve been pushing to get this thing implemented.” Sign up for the Dairy Margin Coverage should be open sometime in June, Peterson said. Those enrolled will receive payments retroactive to the be-
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Dave Buck, dairy farmer and Minnesota Milk Producers AssociaƟon president, asks a quesƟon during a listening session with U.S. representaƟves Collin Peterson and Angie Craig on March 15 at a dairy near Red Wing, Minn.
ginning of the year. This program is geared towards dairy producers who milk about 220 cows and under. “This is what we need to save the small dairy farmers,” Peterson said. “That’s what I was trying to do with this bill – quit the hemorrhaging and keep the small dairy farmers on the land, and I think we’ve accomplished that. If you’re a young guy and want to dairy farm, this is the time to do it. … If the bankers have any sense they would take this program and nance you just like they do with crop farms.” Darren McKinney asked about us-
ing past production levels for the program. On his 125-cow dairy near Winthrop, Minn., McKinney has doubled milk output in the past three years. He is concerned about only receiving money for half the milk he is producing. “Whatever you can sign up, sign up,” Peterson said. “There are glitches in the program, but we were lucky to get this done. This is not a government payment. This is an insurance program. We hope you never have to use it. You’ve got to get that mentality. This is a safety net to try to keep you in business through tough times. And, 2018 was a very tough year.”
“There’s nothing more important to me than making sure our communities survive, especially our farm communities.” ANGIE CRAIG, U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
just sitting there, your apples just sitting on the tree because you don’t have anyone to pull them off.” Other attendees talked about hauling livestock and support for whole milk in schools. “These guidelines should be abolished,” Peterson said. “I’m on the bill to authorize whole milk. I tried to get it in the farm bill, and I couldn’t get it done. We got changes in school lunches. … We’re working on it.” Craig also had comments about dairy. “We need to take a long hard look at what we call milk today,” Craig said, which caused the audience to erupt into cheers.
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Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019 • Page 25
Family-focused farming
Sauders plan for future on dairy By Danna Sabolik
danna.s@dairystar.com
SAUK CENTRE, Minn. – Dairy farming is a tough environment, but while some are leaving the industry, others are getting started. For one young couple, dairy farming is what they always wanted, and with a growing family the want has only become greater. “We want to raise our family on a dairy farm,” Luke Sauder said. Sauder and his wife, Rosana, and their 2-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn, milk 55 Jersey cows in a rented tiestall barn in Stearns County near Sauk Centre, Minn. The couple has been farming for almost one year. “This was the whole plan all along, but I couldn’t just jump into it,” Sauder said. “You have to take it one step at a time.” Sauder grew up in central Wisconsin where he began helping on his uncle’s dairy farm at 14 years old. Five years ago, Sauder further pursued his interest in dairy farming. He reached out to his now father-inlaw, Paul Zimmerman, about beginning his dairying career. He suggested working for a local dairy to brush up on the day-to-day operations. He moved to Stearns County and began working as a hired hand for an organic dairy farmer.
It was during this time that Sauder met his wife. After dating for a little over a year, the couple married in August 2015. Sauder is grateful for the chance he had working for dairies and learning about cattle. “In Wisconsin, I mostly did feeding and this other farm was organic so it was also a little different,” he said. “I’m glad I have people to bounce ideas off of now.” After working alongside dairy farmers in Wisconsin and Minnesota, Sauder was ready to become a dairy farmer himself, creating a lifestyle he and his wife always wanted to provide for their family. “I learned everything from working on the dairies both here and back in Wisconsin,” Sauder said. “But, when I wanted to start my own farm I didn’t know much about cattle other than I liked them.” Sauder found a tiestall barn he could rent and then began looking for a herd. He soon realized the barn would be too small to house the Holsteins he had been looking at. “I ended up buying a herd of 66 Jersey cows,” Sauder said. “They were a seasonal herd, so when I got them in April, they were milking very heavy.” Through trial and error and advice from his nutritionist, father-in-law and landlord, Sauder gured out how to move the cows to a more balanced production cycle. The Sauders began milking at their current farm last spring but did not move to the farm site until January. Before they were commuting each day from their home 10 miles away. “I would spend an hour in the car, just driving back and forth,” Sauder said.
DANNA SABOLIK/DAIRY STAR
Rosana and Luke Sauder, and their daughter, Kaitlyn, milk 55 Jerseys near Sauk Centre, Minn. They have been dairying in a rented Ɵestall barn for 11 months. “The whole family would come over for morning milking, then go back for breakfast. Then, I would come back for the day. Later, I’d go back for supper and bring the family to the farm with me for evening milking. Then, we would all go home together.” Living on the farm site has been a benet for the family. “My day is full enough without having to drive,” Sauder said. The couple stays busy managing their dairy herd with one young child and another on the way. “It’s a lot of work here on my own especially with the current dairy environment,” Sauder said. “Rosana helps me out, and Kaitlyn will help when she can
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
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The United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency announced the January 2019 income over feed cost margin was $7.99 per hundredweight, triggering the rst payment for eligible dairy producers who purchase the appropriate level FSA News & Notes of coverage under the new Dairy Margin Coverage program. DMC, which replaces the Margin Protection Program for Dairy, is a voluntary risk management program for dairy producers that was authorized by the 2018 farm bill. DMC offers protection to dairy producBy Ryan Brunn ers when the difference beStearns Co. Exec. Dir. tween the all milk price and the average feed cost (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced that sign up for DMC will open by mid-June of this year. At the time of sign up, producers who elect a DMC coverage level between $8 and $9.50 would be eligible for a payment for January 2019. For example, a dairy operation with an established production history of 3 million pounds (30,000 cwt.) that elects the $9.50 coverage level for 50 percent of its production could potentially be eligible to receive $1,887.50 for January. Sample calculation: $9.50 - $7.99 margin = $1.51 difference. $1.51 times 50 percent of production times 2,500 cwt. (30,000 cwt./12) = $1,887.50. The calculated annual premium for coverage at $9.50 on 50 percent of a 3-million-pound production history for this example would be $2,250. Sample calculation: 3,000,000 times 50 percent = 1,500,000/100 = 15,000 cwt. times 0.150 premium fee = $2,250. Operations making a one-time election to participate in DMC through 2023 are eligible to receive a 25 percent discount on their premium for the existing margin coverage rates. Additional details about DMC and other FSA farm bill program changes can be found at http:// www.farmers.gov/farmbill. Farm Service Agency is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Visit the Farm Service Agency Web site at: www.fsa.usda.gov/ for necessary application forms and updates on USDA programs.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019 • Page 27
Nothing lasts forever The Transition Pen
By John Rosenhammer & Laura Scholtz Father/Daughter Farming Duo Despite a winter from hell, there are signs of hope. With record amounts of snow, ridiculous drifts and continuous sub-zero temperatures, Earth is beginning to reappear. I forgot what thawing temperatures felt like. The reappearance of unnished projects, broken gates and other debris under melting snow banks remind me that very little time was spent in the shop doing repairs. The melting snow has resulted in runoff, creating little rivers unique to each and every farm. Frozen in the morning and endless mud in the afternoons has been the norm and will continue to be for a while. The sub-zero temperatures that started in January have nally conceded to the calendar and given up at least for a while. All things, whether good or bad, do come to an end. “The Transition Pen,” which Laura and I have had the privilege to write, is also coming to an end. Whether it was good or bad, or likely somewhere in between, it has been an honor to communicate our story to our fellow dairy people. When Laura came home to join our operation three years ago, it was a dream come true for a father. Having raised our family on a dairy farm with a positive approach towards our occupation and lifestyle has resulted in four of our ve children wanting to return to the farm in some capacity. Laura loved the cows and was always so good in working with them. She improved her skills at Garlin Dairy and after two years was anxious to bring back new ideas to help improve our dairy. The bounce in her step was obvious. Creating protocols, lists, groups and vaccinations were her top priorities, and she was as serious as she was precise. Age of rst calving dropped nearly three months. Pregnancy rate improved nearly 10 points. Calf mortality dropped to the lowest numbers in years. Dr. Jeff Diettrich, our vet, said our herd had the highest percent of cows pregnant that he has ever worked with. Laura did very well with the things she could control and with a very positive attitude. She taught me new treatments, new ideas and was always conscious of return on investment. One of the best ideas she brought back was rolling a downed cow onto a skid steer bucket and moving the animal to where it had the best chance of recovery. Thankfully, our painful hip lifter rarely ever gets used anymore. Things we could not control were milk price. With nearly ve years of depressing prices, Laura looked at that as a way to challenge her marketing skills learned in college. She wanted to contract more than we did, but she could only suggest an option, not make the actual call. Another goal of Laura’s was to always work in a positive environment and be surrounded by positive people. Treating others with respect, encouragement and appreciation has been important to her. Simple words like please, thank you,
I F A
and I am sorry go a long way in dening a person. I realize the downed economy and harsh winter contribute towards negative attitudes, but a kind word every now and then can be the difference between a good or bad day. Adding the economic challenges, new baby Morgan into her life, and other circumstances that she could not change or control, Laura has decided to try a new path in life. On one hand, I am sad she is not working beside me, but on the other I am happy for her that she can put her college degree to another use and not have to work as hard as I had to raise a family. There will be hard days ahead at her new job, but at least she will not go asleep at night wondering what might have been. In the end, I want her to be happy and be able to devote time to her family and never regret what might have been. For all of my life, I have known what I will be doing a year from now; how-
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Turn to TRANSITION PEN | Page 29
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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130 Hugh Chester-Jones chest001@umn.edu 507-835-3622 Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391 Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177 Joleen Hadrich jhadrich@umn.edu 612-626-5620 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu 612-625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435 Kota Minegishi kota@umn.edu 612-624-7455 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093 M. Scott Wells mswells@umn.edu 612-625-3747 Emily Wilmes krek0033@umn.edu 320-255-6169
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Why we need dairy welfare programs There seems to be more and more scrutiny by the public on how dairy producers operate their business and take care of their animals. The current tough economic times do not make this any easier. I admire the commitment and persistence of our dairy farmers. I am praying and crossing my ngers for better milk prices ahead. However, market demands have made animal welfare audits and assessments a necessity in our dairy industry. At the Dairy Cattle Welfare Symposium last year, Cassandra Tucker (UC-Davis) provided an By Marcia Endres overview of welfare programs in the United States. Some of the points she made are U of M summarized in this article along with my additional comments. There are three major categories of animal welfare programs: educational, assessment and audit programs. A small number of programs target niche markets where the farms participating receive a certication label. The largest dairy welfare assessment program is the National Milk Producers Federation’s FARM Animal Care – 98 percent of the U.S. milk supply comes from participating farms. The goals of all dairy welfare programs are to reduce risk, improve animal welfare on farms, and demonstrate commitment by dairy farmers and their employees to animal care to customers and consumers. It is detrimental to a brand if an animal abuse video from one of their member farms goes viral. Ideally, routine on-farm welfare assessments prevent this from happening by identifying problematic issues in a more proactive manner and implementing a corrective plan. Animal welfare programs include animal-based, protocolbased and facility-based measures. Animal-based measures include injury, locomotion, cleanliness and body condition scores, in addition to broken tails and animal handling. Protocol-based measures include herd health plans, cow care agreements, veterinary-client-patient relationship and euthanasia protocols. Facility-based measures include water and feed access, heat abatement, protection from the elements and stocking density. The auditor or assessor spends many hours on each farm during the day of visit, observing animals and facilities along with verication of protocols. Direct observation and interviews are used to verify agreement between protocols and what is seen on the farm.
Animal-based measures are less prescriptive, and can tell us more about the animal’s environment over weeks and months rather than what is happening the day of the evaluation. For example, the presence of a large number of cows with broken tails indicates rough animal handling. Prevalence of hock lesions provides a direct animal assessment of the quality of stall surfaces. Body condition scores are an indicator of feeding management. However, there are some limitations, such as the time it takes to collect these measures and being able to observe a representative sample of animals. Protocols provide written documentation as evidence of the farm’s commitment to welfare. As an example, cow care agreements are required by most programs. Employees are trained on low stress animal handling and sign an agreement that they will not mistreat animals, will report animal abuse and understand their job will be terminated if they commit animal abuse. Employee training for their specic job protocols is expected and needs to be documented. Protocols need to be implemented and not be left at the ofce. Facility observations help assessors and auditors complete the process. Facility observations identify welfare aspects that cannot be measured directly on the animals because of the time of visit. For example, heat stress cannot be seen on a visit during mild weather. Most dairy farms in the United States will meet most welfare program guidelines or requirements, but there is an understanding from customers that it is a process of continuous improvement. Guidelines are based on what is found on the top percentile farms and represent a goal to be achieved over time. The largest dairy welfare program – FARM Animal Care – evaluates farms at least once every three years, as long as a corrective action plan has not been required, which triggers a more frequent evaluation schedule by the second party evaluators. The FARM Animal Care Program demonstrates that dairy producers are committed to taking excellent care of their animals and producing safe, wholesome milk. The program standards are revised every three years by industry experts – farmers, animal scientists, veterinarians and co-op staff – who rely on the latest dairy welfare research. The revision process is ongoing for Version 4.0 which will be implemented beginning January 2020. The public comment period for recommended standards opened Feb. 25 and will close March 31. Visit https://www.nationaldairyfarm.com/ animal-care-open-comments to provide input.
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Making a plan for a farm transition By Colleen Carlson
University of Minnesota
Growing up on a dairy farm, Merri Post was happy milking cows. When she married her dairy farmer husband, Bill, she gained new knowledge and understanding of the business side of dairy farming. Now Bill and Merri are part of a sandwich generation between Bill’s parents and their own two children and their spouses. Bill and Merri are nishing up taking over from Bill’s parents and preparing to bring their two children and their spouses into the operation. The Posts have grown their herd to 140 Red & White Holsteins milked by two Lely robotic milking systems. Merri worked as a coordinator for the Minnesota Dairy Initiatives in southwest Minnesota for 14 years. Today, she farms full time and serves as the state board chair for MDI. Recently, she earned certication as a Farm Transition Specialist with the International Farm Transfer Network. Merri has worked with other coordinators in the MDI program to help them become successful in working with farm families to pass on the farm. She shared her story in her presentation, “Farm Transition is Not for Sissies,” at the 2019 Carver County Dairy Expo on Feb. 18. Building good communication skills, focusing on the farm business goals and dening the role each family member plays can help build mutual respect for each other and improve the process. “Unhealthy relationships lled with old jealousies, criticism and disagreements hinder the process,” Post said. She suggests setting up a regular business meeting schedule that includes an agenda and a way to take and share meeting notes. Plan to treat each other respectfully, share expectations and understand that the heirs need to be valued and heard. “Don’t expect to come out of farm transition meetings being right and happy, aim for a satisfactory result you can accept,” Post said. First, the parents and owners need to decide what they want their legacy to be. This is a crucial step as they decide what their life will look like during the transition and after the eventual transfer of the property. What type of cash ow will they need in retirement, and how will their days be lled when they won’t have the responsibility of nances, repairs and daily chores they were accustomed to for 40 or 50 years? Doing nothing is an option. If it is an option, it needs to be listed. The parents and heirs need to answer what the consequences are of doing nothing. Many times, treating all the heirs equally will not sustain the farm business. Can the farm business support the cash demands of the farm transition? How much of the farm business needs to contribute to the parents and how much to the farming heirs’ family living expenses? Will there be anything left for the non-farm heirs and what would satisfy them? “This is where good communication skills and planning help to generate solutions rather than to relive problems,” Post said. “How do you start the farm transfer conversation in your family?” Recognize that you need to have the right people on the bus. Some resources and people to involve are extension educators, technical college instructors, tax specialists, CPAs, ag lenders and attorneys. Decide if you want an expert or consultant versus a coordinator or facilitator to help in the decision-making process. Identify trusted advisors to help facilitate the strategic planning and implement the process of farm transfer. Farm transition does not happen in a short period of time; it is a journey.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019 • Page 29
ConƟnued from TRANSITION PEN | Page 27 positive note I leave with is that Lau- thought were out of reach. I have overra and I are much closer now than we come many unexpected challenges, and were three years ago, and for that I will I have no regrets. Most importantly, I be ever grateful. Amen. have become a better person, learning John Rosenhammer farms with his to put people rst and nurture relationbrother, Greg, on Roseview Dairy near ships, especially with my parents and Sleepy Eye, Minn. They milk 200 Hol- siblings. steins and run 580 acres of cropland. God granted me the serenity to accept what I cannot change, and now the By Laura Scholtz courage to change what I can. I am beGod generously gave me many ginning a career off the farm, working abilities. I can analyze problems and with farmers to service their nancing come up with solutions, multi-task, and crop insurance needs, and I think come up with ideas, and know my way it will be a good t for me. I am foraround both the barn and the kitchen. ever grateful to everyone who offered Yet, as I read to Morgan, “Oh, the me support and encouragement while I Places You’ll Go,” by Dr. Seuss, he per- worked on the farm. fectly describes how I have been feel“God has perfect timing, and it’s ing the past year. highly possible that by not being where “I’m sorry to say so, but, sadly it’s you thought you should be, you will true that bang-ups and hang-ups can end up exactly where you’re meant to happen to you. … And when you’re go,” Rachel Hollis said. in a slump, you’re not much fun. UnLaura Scholtz farms with her faslumping yourself is not easily done.” ther, John Rosenhammer, and uncle, I have given my family’s dairy Greg, on Roseview Dairy near Sleepy farm my best efforts, but I am unable to Eye, Minn. They milk 200 Holsteins establish the peace and happiness I de- and run 580 acres of cropland. sire. I have accomplished many goals I
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Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
Splendid mozzarella
I was planting corn one Saturday afternoon some years ago – struggling to keep my rows straight while surďƒžng the FM airwaves – when I stumbled upon a program called “The Splendid Table.â€? The show’s hosts displayed a fantabulous knack for describing vittles. They can make a plain old saltine cracker sound like a gourmet feast. I soon became addicted to the program and would begin to salivate when the weekly airtime for “The Splendid Tableâ€? approached. “The Splendid Tableâ€? introduced me to the term terroir. This snooty-sounding word refers to the effects the environment has on food’s ďƒ&#x;avors, and not just how your PB&J sandwich tastes after you accidentally drop it in the dirt. Some say our overabundant food supply has resulted in a decrease in the quality of our chow. Much of the craftsmanship which formerly went into our
eats has been lost. Many of our food-buying decisions are based on shelf life or ease of preparation. Nuance is often traded for convenience. One day our youngest son, who was a preteen at the time, asked what happens to the milk our herd of Holsteins produced. I replied that it was trucked to a factory where it was turned into mozzarella. He asked how, exactly, this was accomplished, and I was embarrassed to say I did not know. I had seen how the milk was pumped into one end of the plant, whose pipe-choked interior resembled that of the Death Star. Some sort of magic takes place and – ta-da – cheese comes out the other end. We decided to embark on a journey of discovery. I scoured the internet for enlightenment about the ďƒžne art of cheesemaking and soon became awash in an ocean of information. There were recipes for the in-home manufacture of cheese, yogurt, ice cream,
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everything dairy – except manure. I eventually located a simple-looking recipe for mozzarella. On a rainy summer Saturday afternoon, our two sons and I launched ourselves into the cheesemaking business. As we warmed some milk (which I Dear County Agent Guy had requisitioned from our bulk tank) on the stove, I explained how, according to “The Splendid Table,â€? this would not be true mozzarella. The genuine article, I had learned, is made from – you guessed it – water buffalo milk. I told our sons that even if we owned a By Jerry Nelson water buffalo there was Columnist no way I could hold my head underwater long enough to milk the thing. Plain old cow’s milk would have to do. As the rennet worked its mysterious alchemy and the curds parted ways with the whey, I imagined how the terroir of our homemade cheese might be described on “The Splendid Table.â€? This buttery, nutty mozzarella was handcrafted from fresh milk collected from a herd of Holsteins, a breed that originated in the northern regions of Holland. The day on which the milk was collected was sunny and mild, with a barometric pressure of 30.02. The cows had enjoyed a cuisine of corn silage, alfalfa hay and yellow dent corn, all of which were homegrown. The corn was planted May 5. Worrisome dry weather at planting was followed by timely rains and the corn reached maturity in excellent condition. At mid-September, the corn plants were lovingly minced by a John Deere silage chopper that had been accessorized with a kernel processor. The silage was stacked on an earthen pad, packed and allowed to ferment naturally. Including this tangy and aromatic delicacy in the cows’ bill of fare intensiďƒžed the butterfat content of their milk and gave the mozzarella light notes of cornďƒ&#x;akes. The alfalfa the cows noshed upon was of the second cutting and was gently harvested in the early bud stage by a John Deere 800 swather. The delectable legumes were allowed to air dry before they were deftly rolled into large round bales by the renowned hay-meister, Monsieur Larry “Ziggyâ€? Ziegler. Prior to being served to the cows, the alfalfa was delicately shredded by Monsieur Ziggy’s 200 horsepower tub grinder. Adding this ambrosial perennial to the cows’ daily feast enhanced the milk’s protein content and gave the resulting cheese subtle nuances of sunshine and John Deere farm equipment.â€? By carefully following the downloaded recipe, we were able to produce about a pound of splendid mozzarella. We were extremely proud of our achievement and could hardly wait for my wife to sample it when she got home. The moment of truth ďƒžnally arrived. My wife took a nibble of our farm-fresh homemade mozzarella and chewed thoughtfully. Our sons and I waited with bated breath. Would man triumph over factory? “That’s pretty good,â€? pronounced my wife. “It tastes just like the cheese we buy at the store.â€? Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, S.D. He and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry currently works full time for the Dairy Star as a staff writer/ad salesman. Feel free to E-mail him at: jerry.n@ dairystar.com.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019 • Page 31
Are your cows eating a consistent ration? Cows love consistency. This age-old adage rings true today more than ever. Dairies often focus on rigid routines in the milking parlor, but this same expectation of consistency is often neglected on the front end of the cow. What time is your rst load of feed dispensed on your dairy? If that answer starts with the words “it depends,” you may want to Something to Ruminate On revisit your procedure. There are always unforeseen circumstances such as equipment breakdown. The past several months has tested our ability to work through adverse weather conditions. Be proactive and have a contingency plan to deal with the time delay this may cause. Well-managed dairies can have feeding start times consistently within 10 to 15 minutes from one day to the next. If you have multiple feeders on your dairy, make sure their routines are consistent to one another. Dairies that feed to groups in the parlor may see some variation as milking times uctuate. It is important that your total mixed ration mixer By Barry Visser is level during the lling process. When it is not, Nutritionist ingredients tend to migrate to the lowest part of the mixer and often result in uneven distribution at feed out. I can share a few examples where a back-up tractor was hooked to the TMR mixer and the drawbar was at different elevations. In most cases, this attachment height can be readjusted. A more common cause for improper mixer positions is unlevel ground. The solution may be as simple as relocating the mixer to a more level location. Sometimes a more permanent x is necessary, requiring you to build up the surface with con- Th The consistency i off the h crete. Ingredients should be ration in front of the cow is added in the middle of the paramount to cow health and mixer or loaded evenly across the mixer. This is especially performance. critical with liquid ingredients. Several dairies have implemented a distribution bar with multiple drop points into the mixer. Ingredient loading order can vary depending on which ingredients are included in your ration. Concentrates and lower-inclusion ingredients are generally added earlier in the mixing process to optimize their mixing. Forages are normally added last. The exception would be the addition of baleage and unprocessed dry hay or straw.
The physical form and particle size of the forages going into the TMR mixer wagon also impacts the amount of time a load needs to be mixed. Costs associated with preprocessing hay or straw are often alleviated with a reduction in mixing time. The decision when to engage the PTO and at what speed is also important to achieve a consistent mix. The Penn State Shaker Box is a valuable tool to assess mixing time. Undermixing will show considerable variation from the beginning to the end of the load. Overmixing often results in reduction of forage particle sizes. In both cases, cow health can be compromised. Overlling your TMR mixer can result in signicant variation. It is impossible to get a consistent mix when feed is bubbling over the side of your mixer, not to mention the dollars lost in shrink caused by overlling. Mixer maintenance is essential to achieving consistent mixing. Worn out knives, kicker plates or augers can all cause tremendous variation to the TMR mix. Load cell integrity should be monitored and calibrated routinely. The consistency of the ration in front of the cow is paramount to cow health and performance. Work with your feed team to ensure the best possibility for success. Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.
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Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
Most valuable asset
I am so thankful the calendar says it is spring. I am watching the snow drifts outside my kitchen window cry uncle to the warming rays of the sun. It feels as if a heavy burden is being lifted. The sun is brighter, our smiles are wider and our steps are lighter until we slip on a water covered patch of clear ice. It is almost fun watching the weather forecast again as we keep an eye out for the day we can ditch our winter coats. The weather gal does not seem to appreciate our temperature swings. She was apologizing for still being below freezing at night. We are giving thanks for the warmer days and cold nights for two reasons. The drop below the freezing point at night will generate a slower melt down and not such a rapid spring ood. The best reason is because the temperature swings are perfect for a big maple syrup season. Al cleared the snow away from his maple trees, and the buckets and pouches are hanging from the taps to
capture the sweet sap. He built a huge snow pile to protect the boiling crew from cold northerly winds as they stoke the res to boil off the water and collect the sweet syrup. This is a sure sign spring is on the way. The other day, Austin asked me a puzzling question. “What is the most important asset on the farm?” Off the top of my head, I could rattle off nancial resources, cattle, us, land, skid steer or cordless power tools. But knowing Austin, I knew it was a much deeper question and one he already had the answer to. He did not provide any explanation, only a three-word answer. An open mind. Wow. My mind started to race around his words to see how it t in scenarios. All problems could be solved with an open mind. It did not matter if it was a nancial problem or a reproductive problem. Having an open mind provides an opportunity to see old
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problems in a new light to nd better solutions. Austin’s words are few, but profound. At times, he is wise beyond his years. This reminds me Just Thinking Out Loud of an example between knowledge, wisdom and philosophy. Knowledge knows a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. Philosophy is wondering if that means ketchup is a smoothie. Just something else to think about. One way to spend a Minnesota winter day is By Natalie Schmitt catch an educational class to help expand your mind. Columnist We caught one on transitions the other day. Mark and I attended one about eight years ago in the same room at the technical college. The room was packed with a presenter stationed between two large video screens explaining tax laws and business structure options. This year there was only one screen and a third of the room was in use. Either everyone gured it out the last time or there are fewer people exploring their options of how to protect their assets and plan for the future. It seems like yesterday when we were sitting next to Ralph at these meetings trying to gure out how to move from one generation to the next. I look over at Austin and wonder what he is thinking? As words such as trusts, probate, inheritance taxes and nursing home care are thrown around, I notice his eyes start to glaze over as he tries to keep up with this new vocabulary. Is this a path he wants to follow? My mind starts to wander and wonder as I zone in and out of the presentation. I wonder if there will be farms with less than 100 cows in the future. When we started out, the general rule of thumb was that it took 30-50 cows per family unit to make a go of it. Not to get rich but to cover expenses, live comfortably and still have a little left over to put away for down the road. We milked 100 cows for three family units when we started out, covering us, Al and the parents. What is that magic number today? It seems experts and nancial advisors are pushing for a larger number of cattle to cover a larger debt and higher production costs. During the banking crisis 10 years ago, the catch phrase was too big to fail. The government decided some banks were too big to let go under and bailed them out. In the last 10 years, we have seen seismic growth in the size of the family dairy farms. I wonder, have some farms grown too big to fail? Or, are they too big to pass on? I understand our children are not going to farm like us. They cannot. Farming today is different than it was when we started 30 years ago. It is also different than when Ralph started farming 70 years ago. But, we all made the changes necessary for the times to keep moving forward. I still cannot help but wonder, are we too small to pass on? Change is coming. We do not know what shape or direction, but as long as we keep an open mind to the possibilities we will be using our most valuable asset to make the best decision possible. Natalie, Mark and his brother Al, farm together near Rice, Minn. They milk 100 registered Holsteins under the RALMA prex. Their four children are grown up and all involved in agriculture with hopes of someone returning to the farm. For questions or comments, please e-mail Natalie at mnschmitt@jetup.net
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019 • Page 33
Legislation for farmers I was standing in a crowded elevator at the Minnesota State Capitol last week when a man made eye contact with me and asked, “Where’s your dairy farm?â€? For a second, I wondered if I should know this man and how he knew I was a farmer. Then I remembered I had a button that said, “I’m a Dairy Farmer,â€? pinned to my cardigan. The buttons were part of Minnesota Milk’s Dairy Day at the Capitol. “My dairy farm is near Melrose,â€? I told the man. “How many cows do you milk?â€? he asked. “We milk 90 cows,â€? I replied. Dairy Good Life “So, you’re still small,â€? he commented. While I was thinking of an appropriate response to his statement, he asked his next question: “How can we help you?â€? I was speechless for a moment. After all, it is not very often a stranger offers to help a farmer. Then, I quickly replied with the request we had been sharing with legislators all day: “There are two bills in the House and Senate that would provide direct one-time ďƒžnancial support to dairy farmers. Passing them would send a strong message that dairy farming is important to Minnesota.â€? As quickly as the conversation started, it ended. By Sadie Frericks The elevator doors opened, the man and his colleague Columnist stepped off. For all the times I have been part of an agricultural advocacy training or discussion about having an elevator speech, this was the ďƒžrst time I have ever used one. Sometimes you really do only have 20 seconds to share your message. I have no idea who the man was or what his role in Minnesota governance is, but the short exchange ďƒžlled me with a burst of hope. Clearly, there are folks in St. Paul who are concerned about dairy farmers, and perhaps this man would become an advocate for our bills. At the very least, he was now aware of them. The more who know and understand, the more who vote in our favor. Several bills have been introduced this session that could impact dairy farmers, but during Dairy Day at the Capitol most of our focus was on two. The ďƒžrst bill, introduced in the House by Representative Jeanne Poppe and in the Senate by Senator Torrey Westrom (HF 1418/SF 1698), would create a state rebate for dairy farmers enrolled in the federal farm bill’s Dairy Margin Coverage Program. The second bill, introduced in the House by Representative Jeanne Poppe and in the Senate by Senator Michael Goggin (HF 1419/SF 1699), would provide a ďƒžnancial reward for dairy farmers who are enrolled in conservation programs. Both bills hope to prevent further loss of dairy farms in Minnesota by providing much-needed ďƒžnancial assistance for dairy farmers. Both bills also need widespread support in the House and Senate. If you have not already, now is the time to contact your senator and representative and ask for their support. Make a phone call, send an email, or write a letter. It might seem like your phone calls and emails get lost in the crowd, but believe me, they matter. One of my internships in college was in the Minnesota Senate. One of my jobs during that internship was handling correspondence from my senator’s constituents. While it is true that senators and representatives do not read every piece of mail or listen to every voice message, their staff keeps a tally of contacts in favor of or against active legislation. In other words, your call or email gets counted and legislators use those numbers when deciding how to vote. So, even if you are sending a simple, generic form letter, it counts. If you really want your senator or representative to see your contact, include some details about your farm and how the proposed legislation would affect you. As an intern, we sorted through letters/emails and forwarded the most interesting ones to our senator to read. Legislators often play a role in educating and convincing their fellow legislators; they use constituents’ stories to do so. Of course, times have changed since my internship. Now, you can also send your legislator a message through Facebook or Twitter. I can only imagine what the interns’ contact spreadsheets look like now. Seriously, though, if you use social media, you should be connected with your elected ofďƒžcials. Social media is also a good way to thank them publicly for their support. Whether it is an elevator speech or an email, the best form of communication is the one that works best for you. So, pick a method and contact your senator and representative. There has never been a more important time for our state to support dairy farmers. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minn. They have three children – Dan, 11, Monika, 8, and Daphne, 5. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
Minnesota dairy kids excel at winter sports By Danna Sabolik
danna.s@dairystar.com
Several Minnesota dairy farm kids were involved in winter sporting events this past season. Of those, a handful had successful seasons. Wrestling Senior Christian Kurth, of Hutchison, Minn., nished third in the 182-pound weight class at the Individual Class AA Minnesota State Wrestling tournament March 2. Representing Section 2AA and the Hutchison Tigers, Kurth looked forward to the wrestling meet. He said his success in sports was inuenced by his upbringing on the dairy farm, where his parents, Michael and Kacie, milk 85 registered Holsteins. “The farm was the rst place I learned hard work,” Kurth said. “It also helped me realize you get out what you put in, and it’s the same with my sports.” Kurth also plays football, something he plans to continue to do after high school. He will be attending the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in the fall majoring in agriculture business. Senior Kaleb O’Reilly, son of Zach and the late Jamie O’Reilly, lives on a 300-cow dairy farm near Goodhue, Minn. O’Reilly wrestles for the Goodhue Wildcats in the 170-pound weight class. O’Reilly had a successful season with his teammates, as well as individually. He was the Section 1A champion for his weight class, and Goodhue won the section as a team. The team went on to receive second place at the Minnesota State Class A Wrestling Tournament
Christian Kurth Hutchison
Kaleb O’Reilly Goodhue
Feb. 28. Growing up on a dairy farm taught O’Reilly discipline. “You can’t do things halfway and expect to get the results you want,” O’Reilly said. “You have to put in long hours and sometimes do things you don’t want to do, just because it’s what needs to be done.” Next fall, O’Reilly will attend the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse to study bio-medical sciences. Cael Carlson is the reigning AAA 145-pound Minnesota Wrestling Champion for the second year in a row. A senior at Willmar High School, Carlson wrestles for the Cardinals. “Seeing all the hard work put in pay off ... is truly an amazing feeling,” Carlson said. He enjoys the grind of the sport and is grateful for growing up on his family’s 1,800-cow dairy farm. “The biggest things the farm has taught me are hard work and the responsibilities of life,” Carlson said. “Both of those things are the essential building blocks for a successful wrestler.” Carlson will be attending the University of Minnesota in the fall to wrestle for the Gophers. He plans to study animal science and agriculture business.
Taylor Fester Blaine Fischer Cael Carlson Kailey Banse Atwater-CosmosBelgrade-BrootenWillmar Caledonia Grove City Elrosa Taylor Fester, son of Codey and losophies. Duane Fester, of Grove City, Minn., “Growing up on a dairy farm has was the 170-pound individual champi- made me a stronger wrestler and helps on of Section 4AA and qualied for the me work harder to achieve my goals,” state tournament. As a sophomore, Fes- Fischer said. ter wrestles for the Atwater-CosmosPlacing third at the state tournaGrove City Falcons. ment in 2019 is on Fischer’s list of most Fester mostly enjoys the competi- memorable experiences in wrestling. tiveness of wrestling. Growing up on a dairy farm has Girls basketball Sophomore Kailey Banse is a fortaught Fester how to manage his time and work hard. Through showing cattle, ward on the Caledonia Warriors bashe has also learned that success takes ketball team. This year, the Warriors placed second at the Minnesota State time and to stick with things. “It’s exciting to be a part of a suc- Class A Girls Basketball Tournament cessful team,” Fester said. “It has al- March 16. “It’s an incredible feeling to be part lowed me to participate in many tourof such an amazing team that worked so naments and travel.” He owns six cows of his own on his hard to get here,” Banse said. “Knowing that all of the hard work everyone grandfather’s 1,000-cow dairy. Freshman Blaine Fischer, of El- has put in paid off is a great feeling.” Banse’s parents, Michael and Krisrosa, Minn., represented the Section 5A 120-pound weight class at the state in- tine, operate a 150-cow dairy farm near Eitzen, Minn. dividual wrestling tournament. “Growing up on a dairy farm gave He wrestles for the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Jaguars, and has made the me a strong work ethic along with reall-state and all-conference teams two sponsibility because the animals deyears in a row. Fischer enjoys being in pend on you to keep them healthy,” she a sport where one can be successful as a said. Banse is proud to be on a successteam and an individual. Growing up on his parent’s, Boyd ful team and excited to see what her and Annette Fischer’s, 55-cow dairy athletic future holds. farm has impacted his wrestling phi-
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019 • Page 35
Famo Feeds named 2018 Feed Facility of the Year By Carol Moorman Staff Writer
FREEPORT, Minn. – According to co-owners John and Tom Beste, Famo Feeds is all about the people and the process. It’s two of many reasons Famo Feeds in Freeport, Minn., was named the 2018 Feed Facility of the Year by the American Feed Industry Association and Feedstuffs. The company was recognized in February during the International Production and Processing Expo Feb. 13 in Atlanta, Ga. “It’s an honor,” Tom said. The award recognizes overall excellence in feed manufacturing operations, from the company’s commitment to safety, quality and regulatory compliance to employee development to overall operating efciencies. “Famo Feeds was selected as our winner because they do a fantastic job of serving the needs of their customers, while investing in a new plant and continuing to spend money on improvements,” said Gary Huddleston, AFIA’s director of feed manufacturing and regulatory affairs. “Famo Feeds is a family-owned business, the rst ever to win this award, and I think that shows in how they treat their customers.” And at Famo Feeds it starts and ends with the people and the process. Kurt Marthaler, one of close to 40 people employed at the feed company, knows the feed process from the bottom up. As a teenager, Marthaler started by sweeping oors at the plant in St. Joseph, Minn. From there, Marthaler worked his way up, from bagging and mixing feed to driving a local bulk feed delivery truck and driving a semi. “One day they called me in and wanted to give me an ofce job dispatching trucks,” said Marthaler, who is from Avon, Minn. Today, along with plant operation responsibilities, he dispatches ve semis in the Upper Midwest – two straight trucks and local route trucks. Marthaler said many of the employees are long-time employees. That is the case with Kelly Hinnenkamp. “They treat you like family,” said Hinnenkamp, who has worked for the Bestes for 12 years as the information technology ofce manager. Growing up on a farm in Melrose, Minn., was a plus when she was hired. “I knew the grains and most of the ingredients we purchase, which helped quite a bit,” she said. She is one of four employees on the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Committee, who meet monthly. It is a system in which food safety is addressed through analysis and control of
biological, chemical and physical hazards from raw materials and ingredients, procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the nished product. “We have policies and procedures in place that are constantly being monitored to ensure the quality of our product,” Hinnenkamp said. It is about prevention, monitoring and documentation. “The goal is to manufacture the best quality feed we can for animals,” she said. Assisting with that process is Ron Schulte, who is in charge of the drug inventory and hand-adding ingredients, including medications to feed, ensuring the process is precise. Two or three other employees are also trained to do this. “There is a zero tolerance (for error),” said Schulte, who rst started working with feed 34 years ago. Schulte enjoys his job and takes pride in doing it right. “You have to be careful you don’t contaminate anything. It’s like a pharmacy,” he said. “I call myself the ‘Famo pharmacist.’” Schulte is also the boiler man. A smile forms on Marv Schneider’s face when he talks about his more than 18 years working at the business, including the rst three years at the Belgrade, Minn., plant, until it closed after a re. “We went from pushing weigh buggies, and we had bins and would slowly batch feed. Now it’s all done on computers,” he said. Schneider runs the mill room on a computer, watching monitors that indicate what is going on where. With the click of a computer mouse he can load trucks, batch feed and open feed bins. “In a day’s time 200 to 300 tons of feed is loaded and shipped out,” Schneider said. Schneider admits the rst couple months with the computerized system were challenging, but classes helped him learn. “Now I live and breathe it,” Schneider said. “Sometimes, it seems like I can mix feed in my sleep.” The company was also honored as one of four businesses to receive individual feed-related awards, earning an award in the commercial dry livestock feed category. The Bestes have decades of experience working in the feed business, dating back to 1979 when Al and Margie Beste purchased Famo Feeds from the Thelens. Today, John and Tom’s sons are third-generation Bestes who work for the company, which creates quality nutritional solutions for livestock and poultry, maintaining a strong forwardthinking, family-oriented approach earning the business a reputation for high quality feeds, exceptional service and great people.
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
Women In Dairy Molly Matthees Goodhue, Minn. Goodhue County 350 cows Family: My husband, Scott, and I. Tell us about your farm. Scott and I farm with his parents, Steve and Mary. They take care of the bookwork while Scott and I manage all the outside work. I started working on the farm full time when we got married in 2013. I have a degree in veterinary technology, which has helped me with herd health. We milk twice a day in a double-12 parabone parlor. We raise all our own calves and youngstock. We run about 600 acres of corn and hay. My husband and I make a good team. We both enjoy all aspects of farming. What’s the busiest time of day for you? Mornings can get hectic trying to get milking done, calves fed, cows fed, shots done as well as our herd checks. When you get a spare moment what do you do? I enjoy camping and going on ATV trips. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. It’s not really work related, but we had our wedding ceremony and reception on the farm. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? Being a part of the industry itself. My husband and I
both come from dairy farm families. We are the fth generation on his farm. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? I like to attend dairy shows and be a part of Facebook groups. Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? My dad, Mike. Growing up, he taught me how to work hard and to enjoy the little things while doing it. He has given me a lot of advice over the years. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? Oprah, because who wouldn’t want Oprah to visit.
FARM INFORMATION STATION Joe Gill • Farm Director
What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? We spent a week in the Dominican Republic at an all-inclusive resort a few years back. It was great not having to worry about a thing.
SERVING CENTRAL MINNESOTA FOR OVER 50 YEARS Catch the Dairy Star’s Mark Klaphake with Joe Gill at 6:45 a.m. the 2nd & 4th Fridays of the month on KASM!
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019 • Page 37
Riding in vintage style EASYFIX EVOLVE FEEDING SYSTEM ''We put in the EASYFIX Evolve in our addition. â€ŤÚ˜â€ŹThe Evolve is better than our old horizontal feed bar in that it does not let a boss cow clear out a section around her so more cows get to eat. It has also reduced the “FDOORXVHVâ€? that occur on the cows necks from rubbing on our old horizontal feedrail.'' - Chris Mustard
Optimizes Cow Welfare & Performance. KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
The Friese family – (from leĹŒ) David, Josh, Marshall and Becky – along with family friend, Virgil Anderson, gather around three of the snowmobiles the Frieses have in their vintage snowmobile collecĆ&#x;on. The family milks 85 cows near Wanamingo, Minn.
Friese family uses snowmobile collection for annual event By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
WANAMINGO, Minn. – More often than not, when the Friese family sets out to search for a snowmobile, they look for one of the older variety. Since 2011, the Frieses – David and Becky who farm together with their adult children, Marshall and Josh – have been participating in a vintage snowmobile show and ride hosted as a fundraiser for the local ďƒžre department in Wanamingo, Minn. The family now owns about 30 vintage snowmobiles in addition to a handful of new ones. “We just do it for fun,â€? said David, who milks 85 cows with his family on their dairy near Wanamingo, Minn. The event, held at the beginning of March, started in 2009. The Frieses joined the fun two years later. Part of the challenge of this ride is ďƒžnding the old sleds and getting them to run. “Dave is really passionate about it,â€? Becky said. “They’ll be up working on them (snowmobiles) until 1, 2 or 3 in the morning and still get up for chores. Every year, more and more people come to work on them. It’s so much
fun.â€? David agreed. “I think it’s like a cow. It’s fun to take a piece of junk and turn it into something that works,â€? he said. None of the Frieses have any formal training in mechanical work. “We learn things as we go. We learn how to get a spark when you don’t have a spark. Once you’ve done it enough, we know how to do it,â€? David said. “These things are so basic I don’t think they’ll ever not run. They’re not computerized like ones made now.â€? The Frieses look online to ďƒžnd what is needed to ďƒžx the snowmobiles. “That’s the hardest part – trying to ďƒžnd parts,â€? Becky said. They have also had a local craftsman make new windshields for the recreational rides. However, to ďƒžnd the actual sleds, the family has gone to more unconventional places, including pulling a few out of the woods, complete with bullet holes from hunters. “In high school, it was something for our boys to do for the winter,â€? Becky said. They also include friends in the process and ride together during the event. One year, the Frieses had a group of almost 25 people gather at the farm to get ready for the ride. Turn to FRIESE | Page 38
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Becky Friese sits on her snowmobile that are part of the family’s vintage collecĆ&#x;on – a 1975 ArcĆ&#x;c Cat El Tigre.
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
Women In Dairy Molly Matthees Goodhue, Minn. Goodhue County 350 cows Family: My husband, Scott, and I. Tell us about your farm. Scott and I farm with his parents, Steve and Mary. They take care of the bookwork while Scott and I manage all the outside work. I started working on the farm full time when we got married in 2013. I have a degree in veterinary technology, which has helped me with herd health. We milk twice a day in a double-12 parabone parlor. We raise all our own calves and youngstock. We run about 600 acres of corn and hay. My husband and I make a good team. We both enjoy all aspects of farming. What’s the busiest time of day for you? Mornings can get hectic trying to get milking done, calves fed, cows fed, shots done as well as our herd checks. When you get a spare moment what do you do? I enjoy camping and going on ATV trips. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. It’s not really work related, but we had our wedding ceremony and reception on the farm. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? Being a part of the industry itself. My husband and I
both come from dairy farm families. We are the fth generation on his farm. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? I like to attend dairy shows and be a part of Facebook groups. Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? My dad, Mike. Growing up, he taught me how to work hard and to enjoy the little things while doing it. He has given me a lot of advice over the years. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? Oprah, because who wouldn’t want Oprah to visit.
FARM INFORMATION STATION Joe Gill • Farm Director
What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? We spent a week in the Dominican Republic at an all-inclusive resort a few years back. It was great not having to worry about a thing.
SERVING CENTRAL MINNESOTA FOR OVER 50 YEARS Catch the Dairy Star’s Mark Klaphake with Joe Gill at 6:45 a.m. the 2nd & 4th Fridays of the month on KASM!
PO Box 160, Albany, MN • (320) 845-2184 • Fax (320) 845-2187
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What are some words you like to live by? Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today.
Dairy prole Joe Heinrich Maquoketa, Iowa Jackson County 65 cows How did you get into farming? I was the youngest of ve children. By the time I was getting done with college, they were ready to have me start coming back into the operation. What are your thoughts and concerns for the dairy industry for the next year? We are great producers, so we need to have an outlet for our products. A big one is international trade. We need to make sure the new USMCA trade deal gets approved as soon as possible. The Pacic Rim countries are a huge potential market. I hope we see progress in getting our products exported to those areas. What is the latest technology you implemented on the farm and purpose for it? About four years ago, we installed a new milking system that keeps better track of production and cow health. It automatically downloads all data after every milking, and we can keep track of it either on our computer or our smart phones. What is a management practice you changed in the past year that beneted you? With the help of my son-in-law, we went to synchronized breeding with the cows. This has made us more efcient with the time we spend breeding cows. It will also help with calf ow through the nursery. What cost-saving steps have you implemented during the low milk price? We have changed our rations to improve our components in our milk. This has allowed us to get a better price per hundredweight. How do you retain a good working relationship with your employ-
ees? Most of our labor is family, but we do hire some part-time help. With any of them, you want to make sure everyone knows what they are responsible for and let them do their work. We have been blessed with great help over the years. The best thing you can do is make sure they know they are appreciated. Tell us about a skill that you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. I don’t know if it’s a skill, but I don’t require a lot of sleep. In the dairy business, that’s a benet because we all know the hours required. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? I think it still comes
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019 • Page 39
with Joe Heinrich of Maquoketa, Iowa
back to basics. I love to work outside with the livestock. On top of that, I get to work with my family. What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Hang in there. We have a business that has gone through a challenging time. But, it will get better. Until then, take every opportunity to lock in a price for your product whenever there is a chance for some prot. What has been the best purchase you ever made on the farm? Technology for both crops and livestock. The more data we are able to capture about our farm, the more it allows us to make better management decisions.
What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? It may sound simple, but staying in business over the years. Agriculture is a challenging business, and we can all be proud to continue to be a part of it. What are your plans for your dairy farm in the next ve years? Our children have expressed interest in farming, so we are working at how to transition them into areas of the operation. How do you and your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? We enjoy relaxing evenings on the deck watching sunsets. We also enjoy motorcycle rides.
Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 23, 2019
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