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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 21, No. 5
April 27, 2019
Tiestall barn adopts parlor style milking Plymouth farmer’s design makes chore easier on knees By Stacey Smart Contributing Writer
PLYMOUTH, Wis. – When the physical demands of milking in a tiestall barn became too much for Bob Huibregtse of Plymouth, Wis., he invented a new way to milk cows in a traditional facility. “My knees were getting bad, and I knew I had to do something different if I wanted to continue milking cows,” Huibregtse said. Huibregtse had no desire to build a parlor, and, with houses encroaching on the farm from nearly all sides, expansion was not an option for this family farm located on the outskirts of town. To alleviate his aches and pains, Huibregtse introduced
the concept of parlor style milking into a tiestall barn he built in 2008. The stalls are raised approximately 20 inches off the ground in the 58-stall barn, bringing cows up to a higher position that requires minimal bending and no squatting. The pipeline is located above the cows at the rear, and a cable is strung near the pipeline on which to hang the milking units. Cows’ teats are cleaned from the back, and the milkers are attached from behind. Huibregtse’s idea made it possible for him to keep milking cows on a daily basis. Without the new design, which Turn to HUIBREGTSES | Page 7
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Alex Huibregtse a�aches the milking machine from behind at his family’s dairy farm near Plymouth, Wis. The Huibregtses remodeled their �estall barn to allow for parlor style milking.
Hedging milk: The Dairy Day at the Capitol brings farmers face to face with government risk of futures to
capture protability
By Stacey Smart Contributing Writer
By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin’s rst-ever “Dairy Day at the Capitol” was held April 10 in Madison, Wis. Hosted by the Dairy Business Association (DBA), the event provided dairy farmers with an opportunity to meet and interact with state lawmakers about issues critical to the dairy industry. In attendance were 40 DBA members, including 26 dairy farmers who came from all parts of the state. The day began with a meet and greet by Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) secretary, Brad Pfaff, and Governor Tony Evers, who both Turn to DAIRY DAY | Page 6
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Dairy farmer Paul Fetzer (le�) speaks with Chad Zuleger, associate director of government affairs for DBA, and Cody Wieser, of Wieser Concrete, about dairy industry hot bu�ons during Dairy Day at the Capitol April 10 in Madison, Wis.
WILLMAR, Minn. – Selling milk is a volatile business, but dairy farmers have the means to try to create a more stable market. “As dairy farmers, we have to capitalize on opportunity when we can and diversify to protect risk and make a prot,” Kindra Carlson said. For 19 years, Carlson and her family have sold as much as 75% of their milk using futures and options contracts. The Carlsons also lock in feed prices for their dairy farm near Willmar, Minn. Contracting milk products on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange rst became a risk management strategy in the late 1990s. As the industry evolved and continues doing so, farmers have placed a greater emphasis on this avenue of selling dairy commodities. If the farm produces 200,000 pounds of milk a month or more, they may enter into a contract with a broker to trade on the CME. These parameters are Turn to CONTRACTING | Page 5