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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 20, No. 5
April 28, 2018
Their turn to upgrade
Glennas build freestall barn, install retrot parlor By Andrea Borgerding andrea.b@dairystar.com
AMERY, Wis. – For 10 years, Randy and Char Glenna have wanted to upgrade their facilities. Instead, they could only watch as fellow farmers continued to improve dairy facilities to make their cows more comfortable and productive. “It was frustrating for us because we had so many roadblocks,” Randy said. This year, it was Glennas’ turn. They are almost two months into milking their herd of 84 cows in a single-8 retrot parlor and housing the herd in a new 68- by 176foot tunnel-ventilated, 105-stall freestall barn. “Now I get excited about getting out in the barn to work every day and see the cows healthier and doing better,” Randy
Turn to GLENNAS | Page 6
A new look, name, strategy
WMMB becomes Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
MADISON, Wis. – A new look, name and strategy has emerged for marketing dairy products in Wisconsin. Earlier in April, the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board changed its name to Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. In addition to the name change, the organization has a new logo along with a renewed focus to market Wisconsin cheese across the country. “The reason we wanted to change our name is so when consumers see our name, they understand who is behind the work – dairy farm families,”
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Char and Randy Glenna stand in their new single-8 retrot parlor on their farm near Amery, Wis. The Glennas milk 84 cows. They also built a new 105-stall freestall barn.
said Patrick Geoghegan, senior vice president of marketing and industry relations for Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. “We are an organization of dairy farmers and we wanted dairy farmers to be prominent in the name. Consumers have a high level of trust of dairy farmers.” The name Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board was not receiving the type of response the organization felt it needed. “When we ask people what Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board is, sometimes we get blank stares,” Geoghegan said. “They’re really not sure what it is. They think it’s a regulatory organization or it sets the price for milk, which both are inaccurate.” Now, the organization feels the name can help engage consumers in conversations about what is happening on the farm. Turn to FARMERS | Page 5
Shovers’ century-old barn burns
Dairy herd saved before ames destroy facility By Andrea Borgerding andrea.b@dairystar.com
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Larry and Nancy Shover’s dairy barn near Delhi, Iowa, burned on April 10. The barn was a total loss and one cow perished in the re.
DELHI, Iowa – It’s something every dairy farmer knows can happen but hopes it never does. For Iowa dairy farmers Larry and Nancy Shover the possibility of experiencing a barn re unfortunately became reality. The Shovers suffered a barn re on their farm near Delhi, Iowa, around 10 p.m. on April 10. A re originating in a shop burned the 56by 96-foot insulated structure while also spreading to the adjacent 67-cow tiestall barn where the dairy herd was housed. Turn to SHOVERS | Page 11