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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 21, No. 6
Farmers reassured with coopera�ve ini�a�ve
Base program provides certainty in ever-changing market By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
LAKE CITY, Minn. – More than two years ago, Land O’Lakes Inc. cooperative members received letters informing them of a base program that would soon be implemented across the Upper Midwest. While the initiative was met with mixed emotions, it has served member owners well through the tumultuous dairy markets. “I know what I’m getting … there’s consistency all the time,” Wayne Peters said. “It’s no longer a rollercoaster ride with milk prices, which is reassuring to know what’s been implemented is working.” Peters and his wife, Josie, milk 145 cows near Lake City, Minn. The family has been with Land O’Lakes since Peters’ family rst began milking cows. So far this year, Peters has received an average $3.41 per hundredweight premium on top of Class III prices. While his pay price has been inuenced by quality milk and high components, Peters also credits the base program for his consistent prot margins. “Our prices don’t match what our neighbors or other farmers are getting, and in some cases we’re receiving $2 per cwt. more than what other creameries can offer,” Peters said. The cooperative’s base program has a rich history in other parts of the United States but became an apparent need in the Upper Midwest when demand for dairy products was not keeping up with supply. “We’re a marketplaceback cooperative, and we have Turn to BASE | Page 5
May 11, 2019
“To watch a calf grow and become a cow … as a mother, that’s fulfilling.” – Hope Klaphake
Klaphake embraces role as mother, farmer By Jennifer Coyne & Mark Klaphake Staff Writers
MELROSE, Minn. – Hope Klaphake’s days begin at 5:15 a.m. as she and her husband, Nick, head out to the milking barn with coffee mugs in hand. Klaphake’s days end once the sun has set and her children are tucked in bed. As a mother of three and co-owner of a dairy farm, Klaphake’s days are overowing, yet she cannot imagine her life any other way. “Between doing stuff on the farm and in the house, and nding a balance between taking care of the cows and the children, I love it,” Klaphake said. “I love being here every day.” Klaphake and her husband milk 77 Turn to KLAPHAKE | Page 7 JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
The Klaphake family – (front, from le�) Peyton, Reece and Hope holding Mason; (back) Nick – gather around their kitchen table May 6 at their home near Melrose, Minn. Hope enjoys her role on the farm, being both a mother and a farmer.
Plan B: Farmers assess forage options following severe winter kill By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
BRITTANY OLSON/DAIRY STAR
An alfalfa plant is one of few plants that survived in Marv Prestrud’s elds near Prairie Farm, Wis. Many alfalfa plants across Wisconsin suffered severe winter kill.
PRAIRIE FARM, Wis. – Farmers in western Wisconsin made a grim discovery as they evaluated their alfalfa elds this spring. Many are left with nothing as their stands succumbed to winter kill following an unusual winter season. Now, they hurriedly make plans to salvage what is left and ensure quality forages are available in the rations. “We checked the elds as early as we could and knew a lot of the alfalfa was gone,” Marv Prestrud said. “There were a lot of elds we thought would be OK, but then we pulled the roots and they were brown and mushy. The plants won’t live. … We lost all of it.” Prestrud and his son, Chad, will have to interseed new alfalfa on their 150 acres in Dunn County near Prairie Farm, Wis. The dairymen will also have to increase the amount of corn silage used in the ration of the 500-cow herd. In Dunn County alone, reports are showing up to 75% of alfalfa plants are irrefutably damaged, according to the Turn to WINTER KILL | Page 6
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 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 Amos Denman (Southern WI) 563-608-6477 • amos.d@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute ďƒžnal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters. The views and opinions expressed by Dairy Star columnists and writers are not necessarily those of the Dairy Star LLC.
The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Dairy Star, LLC, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sauk Centre, MN and additional mailing ofďƒžces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
North America dealers. A glance at what’s inside
Dairy Proďƒžle brought to you by your
We have seen producers kick it into high gear with the warm weather and the ďƒželds ready for planting. This also includes all the dairy farming women who are moms, too. With Mother’s Day May 12, we wanted to highlight two moms who also work hard on their dairy farm. Hope Klaphake embraces her life as dairy farmer and mom on her family’s 77cow organic dairy near Melrose, Minn. Klaphake talks about how she balances doing chores while also getting kids to school and other activities. Despite the hectic schedule, Klaphake loves the lifestyle and having her family surrounding her while going about her By Mark Klaphake work. Read about her story on the pages 1 and 7 in ďƒžrst section. Despite Jane and Becky Remiger not growing up on farms, they have taken on their farm Editor duties with zeal on their 140-cow dairy near Wood Lake, Minn. The mother-in-law/daughter-in-law duo talk Helplines about working together as a family and what new traditions they have created that are different from how they grew up. Read their – Minnesota Farm & Rural Helpline, story on page 10 in ďƒžrst section. May is also a busy time for farm tours. On May 2, Crimson 833-600-2670 x1 Ridge Dairy hosted 300 fourth graders from 11 Dodge County – Rural Mental Health Counselor schools to learn about agriculture during the 40th annual Farm (MN), 320-266-2390 City Day. Jim and Shelly Grosenick were happy to welcome all – Iowa Concern Hotline, 800-447-1985 the youth and their teachers to the dairy. Read about the day on – Avera Farmer’s Stress Hotline (SD), 800-691-4336 pages 23, 25 in ďƒžrst section. The last month has been a busy one for Mark Berg. After a – Farm Center Helpline (WI), 800video he posted on Facebook about the state of the dairy economy 273-8255 went viral, he has done numerous interviews with local and – National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, national media outlets. We also talked to Berg and his parents, 800-273-8255 Tom and Penny, who milk 200 cows near Pine Island, Minn. Turn – Farm Aid Hotline, 800-327-6243 to page 3 in second section to read about the impact the video has made.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Columnists Ag Insider
Pages 8-9 First Section
Value it
Page 27 First Section
Prairie Farm
Ramblings from the Ridge
Plan B: Farmers assess forage options following severe winter kill
Page 30 First Section
Hillsdale
Melrose
Cashton
Third Section: Pages 4 - 5
First Section: Pages 38-39
First Section: Pages 15 - 16
Kids Corner: The Roske Family
Weihrouches host Jackson County event
From Our Side of the Fence
First Section: Pages 1, 6
Veterinary Wisdom
Bayeld
Douglas
Page 31 First Section
Iron
n
Ashland Sawyer
W as
Burnett
hb
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Making Cents of Dairy
Page 32 First Section
Polk
Come Full Circle
Price
Madison
Legislators answer dairy producer questions at Capitol
Rusk
Barron
First Section: Pages 12 - 13
Taylor St. Croix
The “Mielke” Market Weekly
Pages 10 - 11 Second Section
Viroqua
Johnson, Linehan exhibit top cow at Wisconsin Spring Spectular Jersey Show
Pierce
Pepin Buffalo
Second Section: Pages 26 - 27
Country Cooking
Dunn
Page 29 Second Section
Chippewa
Marathon Clark
Eau Claire Trempealeau
Page 33 First Section
Wood
Lebanon
Jackson
Farm City Day gives kids up-close experience
Adams
La Crosse Monroe
First Section: Pages 23, 25
Juneau Vernon
ford
Richland
Sauk
Craw
Iowa
Zone 2
Gays Mills
Rileys host Crawford County Dairy Breakfast
Fond Du Lac Columbia
Dane
Grant Lafayette
Green
Dodge
J
on
rs
e eff
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First Section: Pages 34 - 35
Janesville
Crafty cows in limelight at dairy breakfast
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
First Section: Page 28
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ConƟnued from BASE | Page 1 to align our product with the market,” Pete Kappelman said. “We can’t take more milk than what we can protably process.” Kappelman is the senior vice president of member and government relations at Land O’Lakes. Kappelman’s children also dairy farm near Manitowoc, Wis. The program was introduced in the Upper Midwest in 2015 and went into affect soon thereafter. “Farmers expand at varying rates, and, traditionally, conversations about those expansions never took place, and we would have milk showing up at our door,” Kappelman said. “This program is more or less a formal conversation to talk about every farm’s business plan.” A base for each farm was established with production history and takes into consideration any plans for expansion. Additionally, each milk shed also has a base. Every year, member-owners work through their business goals with the
“Our priority is to be in a positive position to maximize the value of milk and earnings per hundredweight for our owners.” PETE KAPPELMAN, LAND O’LAKES
cooperative and make necessary adjustments to their allocated base. “It gives an idea where we’re at as a farm and where we want to be,” Peters said. “As a young farmer, I want to put up more facilities and have more cows when the time is right. I haven’t expanded because of the market, but Land O’Lakes has kept an opened mind and acknowledged my goals.” Kappelman agreed. “The industry will continue to have fewer producers with more cows. Those numbers can grow, but traditionally that growth has been haphazard,” he said. “We started these conversations because we want to know what’s happening on the farms. Our priority is to be in a positive position to maximize the value of milk and earnings per hundredweight for our owners.” Outside of any planned growth, the cooperative allows for a 1% increase in
Before
production from each dairy under the base program. “We never canceled out anyone’s plans for expansion because we didn’t want to put them in that awkward position,” Kappelman said. “We’ll take every drop of milk that is produced, but we have to plan for it.” For Peters, he and his family has found other ways to increase production without increasing herd size substantially. “We are able to increase production by feed quality and genetics. Six years ago, we changed our breeding philosophy to focus on components and it makes a difference as we strive to improve our farm,” Peters said. “Also, if we’ve requested more to our base, it hasn’t been much, but we’ve got it because our milk shed base has increased.” Additionally, Peters has beneted from the program when his herd saw a bout of Salmonella. He was able to le a grievance. “I didn’t lose my base pounds of milk, which was really helpful,” Peters said. “If I lost the base, then I’d be asking how and when could I request it back.” Given the operating climate dairy farmers have experienced the last ve years, there was rst hesitation about the purpose of the base program. In watching the program unfold in the current markets, trust has been renewed between the organization and its member owners, Kappelman said. “We have family farmers under a lot of stress, and we want to be as big of a partner with them going forward as we can,” he said. “More than anything, we’re creating certainty and allowing our farmers to plan for the future, knowing our partnership ensures protable growth.” As the industry continues evolving, Peters’ greatest concern is accommodating the potential of up and coming dairy farmers. “There are a lot of young farmers doing a good job managing cows, and as farmers get better at what we’re doing, we’re becoming more efcient,” Peters said. “If the program stays in place, it will have to be ne-tuned to address this.” The cooperative continues evaluating the base program and its place in the industry as it garners the attention of other organizations.
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ConƟnue from WINTER KILL | Page 1
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Most of an alfalfa eld is damaged because of winter kill on Marv Prestrud’s farm near Prairie Farm, Wis. Prestrud has already changed his raƟon for his 500cow dairy to account for the alfalfa loss. University of Wisconsin Extension. While a small percentage of the killed or injured plants are due to management of the elds, most is because of weather events beginning in December and lasting until the last snowstorm in April. The winter season began mildly with December rains coating relatively uncovered ground. Then, the ground thawed a bit before it rained again in January and was followed by a quick freeze. As winter set in, a blanket of snow and ice was atop of alfalfa elds. “Those stands affected in the rst stage of winter were a lot of older stands,” Luke Daninger said. “We’ve walked elds and those without enough stubble that weren’t able to send carbohydrates down to the roots for winter are hurting more than others.” Daninger is a senior crop advisor with Ag Partners Cooperative. He works with farmers in southeast Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Alfalfa elds were not spared after the deep freeze of January. A spring snowstorm, which arrived about three weeks ago, came after much of the established snowfall melted. Not only were the grounds bare, but temperatures also dropped to 24 degrees Fahrenheit, Daninger said. “If elds were stressed from the rst force, this second one took a lot of stands out,” he said. “In the last two weeks, elds are dead that were greening up a month ago. In some cases, we’ve gone backwards and plans are changing.” Both Minnesota and Wisconsin farmers experienced winter kill, but elds in the Badger State were arguably impacted more because of the lighter soils. In the 48 years Prestrud has dairy farmed, this is the biggest loss he has experienced with his forage crop. When Prestrud noticed how vast the winter kill damage was, he immediately cut back on haylage in the ration. The Prestruds are going to interseed alfalfa into last year’s new seeding and plan to harvest more corn silage this coming fall. “Our hay supply is already really tight,” Prestrud said. “We’re going to increase the corn silage in the ration and by mid-summer hopefully have a new crop of alfalfa on hand from the interseeding.” The Prestruds considered planting Italian ryegrass, oats or peas, but realized those commodities will be in tight supply given the conditions other farmers are also working through. By purchasing more protein and supplementing corn silage for energy, the Prestruds will manage without much alfalfa crop. For Jeremy Anderson, planting no-till Italian ryegrass is the solution for his 50 acres damaged from winterkill. Anderson and his family – dad, Den-
nis; wife, Dulcie; and daughters, Roslind, 18, and Riley, 17 – milk 180 cows and run about 250 acres of alfalfa near Hager City, Wis. “Last year, we fertilized good and took fourth cutting early, and had plenty of regrowth,” Anderson said. “The only elds that were pretty bad were in their fourth year and we were already debating if we should keep them. We have some of the better looking hay … 3 miles north of here there’s no hay. It’s all dead.” If time allows this planting season, Marvin Prestrud Anderson would like to reseed alfalfa and Dairy farmer plant barley as a cover crop to harvest at the boot stage for a feed supplement. The family has 220 bales of haylage remaining and recently purchased 10 large square bales of grass hay that will be used for heifers. “Our feed inventory is good, and we have a little extra because we don’t have as many cows as we had last year,” Anderson said. This is the second time Anderson can remember going through a detrimental bout of winter kill. However, in 2013, his elds fared worse with only 20 acres surviving. “We lost everything,” Anderson said. “We had to buy hay, and planted and fed oats and barley, but we did get milk out of the cows.” As Anderson and Prestrud go ahead with a plan B on their alfalfa elds, they are already looking forward to better times. “I dread this time of year,” Anderson said. “We try to plan and it can be tough. We just hope we get the best alfalfa we can every year.” Prestrud agreed. “It will be hard to recapture the loss this year, but if we get a good stand established we’ll be ne,” he said. There are many options to consider when farmers decide what the best course of action may be for their alfalfa stands. Triticale and Italian ryegrass mixes are often used as emergency forages, as well as sorghum-sudangrass. If forage inventory is aplenty, farmers may want to consider seeding down new crop or ip the eld entirely. “Some options are cheaper up front, but then more costly in the long run, and vice-versa,” Daninger said. “It’s important to work through the scenarios with your nutritionist and agronomist. Every farm is different and we need to make a plan tailored to the farm.”
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 7
ConƟnued from KLAPHAKE | Page 1 cows with their three children – Reece, 9, Peyton, 7, and Mason, 4 – on their organic dairy farm near Melrose, Minn. For the past 12 years, Klaphake has taken pride in milking the herd morning and evening, and also overseeing the care of the family’s youngstock. Previously, Klaphake worked in a nursing home. “Nick had 25 cows at the time and I would chat with him while he milked,” Klaphake said. “One day, I asked if I could milk, and now I’m out here every day, all day.” While Klaphake and her husband begin milking together, Klaphake retreats to the house around 7 a.m. to help get the children ready for the day. After they are picked up by the school bus, Klaphake helps nish chores before she and her husband return to the house for breakfast together. “In the morning, we talk about what needs to all get done for the day,” Klaphake said. By 4:30 p.m., the children return home and the family starts evening chores. When Klaphake nishes milking, she gets dinner started, and soon after the family winds down for the night. “Farm life is repetitive, but it’s my life,” Klaphake said. “When I can sit down on the couch at the end of the day, I feel good. We accomplished all we wanted to get done that day. And, if we didn’t, tomorrow is another day.” As Klaphake’s children have grown, she has taught them responsibility on the farm. Both the older girls feed calves in the evenings during the school year, and also in the mornings during the summer. They also help their mother bed the animals with clean, dry straw.
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Reece and Hope Klaphake feed heifer calves grain and hay May 6 on the family’s organic dairy farm near Melrose, Minn. Hope prides herself in teaching her children responsibility and work ethic as they help care for the farm animals. “The best part of my job is watching our kids mature and being able to teach them the meaning of work,” Klaphake said. Providing the children with responsibilities has also taught them good morals and to help one another. Klaphake is often in the milking barn when her daughters feed the calves milk. “Reece has taught Peyton what to do and they help each other out. As they’ve gotten older, things have gone smoother, and I know the calves are taken care of,” Klaphake said. “Sometimes I’ll hear them bicker, but they know they have to gure it out on their own.”
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Likewise, Klaphake enjoys watching her son begin to understand farming by watching herself and her husband. “Mason is always asking a million questions and that’s really neat,” Klaphake said. Klaphake will also help with eldwork, and mostly enjoys raking and baling hay. However, her favorite responsibility on the farm is tending to the calves and heifers, and then watching her daughters pick up on certain characteristics of what makes an animal not feel well and need extra attention. “To watch a calf grow and become a cow … as a mother, that’s fullling,”
Klaphake said. When Klaphake devoted her life to the farm, she dove in headrst. She and her husband married a couple years later and then started a family shortly thereafter. Klaphake’s ability to both be involved on the farm and raise children is in part due to the support system the family is surrounded by. Klaphake’s parents, Bruce Trotten and Jonel Walz, and her in-laws, Neal and Karen Klaphake, have always been available to watch the children or offer advice and guidance. “We’re pretty lucky with family,” Klaphake said. “My parents were saviors when they would come and watch the kids when they were younger so I could be outside on the farm.” On Sundays the family tries to get away for a short cabin stay at Klaphake’s in-laws. Both farming and parenthood are hectic careers, and Klaphake strives for easy communication between her and her spouse to keep their working relationship and marriage strong. “Balancing house chores, the barn and cows can be stressful; it’s a lot of work,” Klaphake said. “We talk to each other a lot and make time for date nights off the farm.” Whether its chore time and the children are helping or they are watching hay being made, Klaphake values every day she is able to spend being both a mother and a dairy farmer. “I never imagined 15 years ago that I’d be here today, but it’s become second nature to me,” Klaphake said. “With all of life’s ups and downs, I thank God I’m here.”
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Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
Perdue sees DMC as an improvement over MPP Beginning June 17, enrollment begins for the Trade event, Mulhern said the Section 232 tariffs on Dairy Margin Coverage program at county Farm steel and aluminum nullify the beneďƒžts of USMCA. Service Agency ofďƒžces. “While the MPP program “We’ve got to get these retaliatory tariffs lifted to get got maligned and dairy didn’t fare quite as well in USMCA passed,â€? Mulhern said. “We are a very, very the 2014 program as people would have productive; very, very efďƒžcient industry; hoped, this (DMC) is a great program, we need to ďƒžnd markets for the products Ag Insider certainly in the 250-300 cow range,â€? said we’re producing and that will be our Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. “I salvation.â€? would encourage all dairy producers to pay attention, it will be really good.â€? No consensus on USMCA During a meeting with Democratic Online tool available leaders, President Donald Trump urged Dairy farmers wanting to learn the lawmakers to ratify the U.S.-Mexicomore about the Dairy Margin Coverage Canada Agreement. After the White program and how it ďƒžts into their business House meeting, Senate Minority Leader plan can now evaluate different coverage Charles Schumer said the trade deal levels using a web-based tool. The new needs more protection for labor and the DMC decision tool assists producers environment. By Don Wick in calculating total premiums costs and Columnist administrative fees. This program was US-China trade negotiations at critical developed by the USDA and University point of Wisconsin. Trade talks between the United States and China have taken place in Beijing and Washington, D.C. MPP repayment options in recent weeks. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Dairy farmers who had coverage under the old Mnuchin is optimistic a deal could be reached within Margin Protection Program are eligible to get back a month. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is some of those premiums. Farm Service Agency also optimistic about that timeframe. “It’s sooner Administrator Richard Fordyce said there are a rather than later for us because you’ve heard the couple options available to dairy farmers. “There’s an cries about the challenges out there in ag country; ability for them to get a cash repayment from those it’s real.â€? Perdue said. “Farmers have a lot of faith premiums that they paid in at a level of 50% or if they and optimism, but, they’re really hurting.â€? Chinese want to take the dollars that they paid in premiums President Xi Jinping may visit the White House in under the old program and apply them to premiums in June and there is speculation that a new trade deal the new program, they’ll get 75% value of the dollars could be signed during the visit. paid as a credit for the premium.â€? Eligible dairy farmers will receive a letter from FSA, outlining their Dairy Innovation Hub Bill introduced options. A bill has been introduced in the Wisconsin legislature to establish a Dairy Innovation Hub at UWSupport for USMCA Madison, UW-Platteville and UW-River Falls. The National Milk Producers Federation CEO Jim proposal earmarks nearly $8 million for the project. Mulhern is urging action on the U.S.-Mexico- If approved, each campus would be able to determine Canada Agreement. During a Farmers for Free how to best use the money. The goal is to improve
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land and water resources, human health and nutrition, animal health and welfare and farm businesses. The Dairy Innovation Hub concept came out of the Dairy Task Force 2.0 effort. Labeling debate continues The Food and Drug Administration received thousands of public comments about the labeling of plant-based beverages with dairy terms, like soy milk or almond milk. The Plant-Based Foods Association reviewed the public comments and found 76% oppose labeling restrictions. National Milk Producers Federation Senior Vice President Chris Galen said the comment period was to determine if consumers understand the nutritional difference between milk and the plant-based products. In addition to the FDA, bills have been introduced in Congress to prevent the alternative products to be labeled with dairy terminology. Farm stress survey Financial issues, farm/business problems and the fear of losing the farm are just a few factors impacting farmer mental health. That is according to a national poll sponsored by the American Farm Bureau Federation. The survey said two in ďƒžve rural adults think stress and mental health have become more of a problem in rural communities in the past ďƒžve years. Nearly half of the rural adults surveyed are personally experiencing more mental health challenges than one year ago. There is also a stigma attached to mental health and a need to overcome it. USDA outlines production costs Many farmers and ranchers were operating in the red this past year. According to a new USDA report on production costs, fertilizer was the biggest operating cost for Northern Great Plains corn farmers last year totaling nearly $94 per acre. For wheat farmers, fertilizer was also the biggest operating cost at $27 per Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 9
ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8 acre. Seed was the most expensive line item for soybean farmers at nearly $57 per acre. For cow-calf operations, feed was the biggest cost; $514 per cow per year. The feed bill was also the biggest cost for dairy farmers in the Heartland region, at $9.46 per hundredweight.
Management Incorporated. Hardin will be tasked with leading the dairy checkoff’s environmental sustainability strategy. Hardin previously served as vice president of external affairs and chief sustainability ofcer for Corteva Agriscience.
ABA sees increase in ag lending According to the American Bankers Association’s annual farm bank performance report, U.S. farm banks increased agricultural lending by more than 5% in 2018. The farm loans totaled $108 billion. More than 94% of farm banks were protable last year. Asset quality remained healthy and the number of non-performing loans was at a fraction of 1%.
Trivia challenge Approximately 3 billion pizzas are sold each year in the United States. That answers our last trivia question. What is the most popular day for pizza consumption each year? 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.
Hardin moves to DMI Former USDA Deputy Secretary Krista Hardin is the new Executive Vice President for Global Environmental Strategy at Dairy
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Where have all the farmers gone? Where have all the farmers gone? This is a play on an old song of “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” by Pete Seeger. The decline in farm families affects all aspects of life, from the farm families in the village parish, the local pub, the creamery and the small town ball team. The farmers still farming are aging and nobody is there to take over. Is bigger better? I am not sure it is. The bigger you are, the less personality the cow has; all she is a number. I am a retired herdsman after 20 plus years of dairy. When I started milking in 1991, there were 44 dairy farms in my township. I counted last fall. There are 13 left. The land does not change. Most of the elds are the same size. The rows are always the same. The swaths of hay and grain are consistent also. Are we striving to be better, or are we striving to survive the bank? I believe modern agriculture is designed to shrink rural life and turn the personalities into conforming numbers. We do not have the character who drove through the straw stack. We do not have the character that milked 45 cows at noon and took the afternoon off to watch the kids play ball despite work that should be done. We do not have the character that lives life to its full. Farming now is just survival.
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Dairy Star Newspaper welcomes letters to the editor. Every letter for publication must be 500 words or less, contain the author’s signature, address and telephone number. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and brevity. Letters can be mailed to Dairy Star, Letter to Editor, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378 or e-mail: mark.k@dairystar.com.
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
Farm moms trade town living for rural roots
Remiger women embrace life on dairy By Danna Sabolik
danna.s@dairystar.com
WOOD LAKE, Minn. – Jane and Becky Remiger are found in the parlor most mornings, milking together. Neither woman grew up on a farm, but was introduced to dairy through their husbands and has embraced life on the farm. Jane and Steve Remiger farm with their son, Patrick, and his wife, Becky. They milk 140 cows and run 800 acres near Wood Lake, Minn. They also have a beef nishing business with males born on the farm and purchased. Jane grew up a preacher’s daughter, but was exposed to farm life in her younger years. “I grew up in a farming community, so I understood the lifestyle,” Jane said. “We would walk bean elds and de-tassel corn.” She met Steve before she went to college and they were married soon after. They raised two children on the farm. “It’s a unique way to raise your children,” Jane said. “The kids are always with you. From sitting in an infant carrier to helping you carry small feed pails as toddlers, they’re just always with you.” Becky also did not grow up on a farm, but has embraced the life as a wife and mother. She grew up JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR the daughter of two teachers in Plainview, Minn. She Jane (leŌ) and Becky Remiger dairy farm with their husbands near Wood Lake, Minn. Neither woman grew and Patrick met at North Dakota State University in up on a farm, but have embraced life on the farm. an agricultural engineering class. Becky milks with her mother-in-law and feeds the calves while also working part time at Lakeview’s early childhood program. Tate, 10 and Shelby, 7. They are grateful they can ex“She always made a real homemade birthday The women enjoy working with each other. perience the farm while growing up. cake on our birthdays,” Becky said. “She used a form “I started milking more this winter when we lost “Growing up a town kid, it’s different being out pan and would decorate with Strawberry Shortcake or our full-time help,” Becky said. “It’s been an adjust- on the farm,” Becky said. “I always wanted to be a Winnie the Pooh, so I try to do that for my kids.” ment to be in the barn more as it makes the day a little farm kid, so raising my kids out here is great.” The kids see their Grandma Jane almost everylonger. I’d like the farm to still be here for my kids, so The kids have 4-H projects and other responsi- day, and have a great bond with her. The family plants I do what I have to do.” a big garden at Steve and Jane’s place, which the kids bilities on the farm. Jane also enjoys working with her daughter-in“They denitely have a lot more responsibility are very involved in. law. “They help with the weeding and harvest and than their peers do,” Becky said. “We don’t get to “I’m just impressed, we both are not early morngo on vacations like I did maintenance all summer long,” Becky said. “That is a ing people, but Becky has growing up, but they also great experience and memory for them to have.” stepped up to help during Becky also enjoys gardening with Jane and has have a lot of other opporthese down times while gettunities that I didn’t have learned how to can. They start tomatoes and peppers ting three kids off to school in the greenhouse and then harvest and can a lot of the growing up.” and getting her chores done For Mother’s Day, produce they grow together. before work,” Jane said. As a seasoned farm mom, Jane’s advice to other the family likes to do someBECKY REMIGER, DAIRY FARMER “The plus side is that you moms was to let the kids run the farm how they like. thing special for the day. can catch up on all the go“When the kids came back to farm with us, there “When the kids were ings on.” younger we would have a steak fry at home or go to were some things they wanted to do differently, and Becky is thankful for her in-laws, and recognizes the park and spend the day there,” Jane said. “We try you just have to keep your comments to yourself the sacrice they make on the farm every day. to do something fun. This year, if the weather is nice I sometimes,” Jane said. “It’s a hard life. We hope we “In this market, it’s hard,” Becky said. “Every- suspect the men will be in the eld.” can get through the current industry downturn, bething Steve and Jane do on the farm is for us and now Mother’s Day can be tough for Becky; she lost cause we love it. And the grandkids love it, too. There our kids.” her mom a few years ago to dementia. To honor her is denitely a future desire for hard-working dairy Patrick and Becky have three kids – Cole, 12, memory, she tries to keep traditions alive. farmers.”
“I’d like the farm to still be here for my kids, so I do what I have to do. ”
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Good news on the horizon for industry Bozic said milk production is down, milk prices recovering By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
ROCHESTER, Minn. – At a time when dairy producers are struggling, Marin Bozic said he could deliver good news about the economy of the industry – global milk production is slowing and prices are recovering. Bozic, assistant professor in the department of applied economics at the University of Minnesota, presented “Economic Realities of the Dairy Industry in 2019� at the Upper Midwest Dairy Industry Association and the Iowa Association for Food Protection spring meeting April 17 in Rochester, Minn. The U.S. dairy herd has been decreasing the last few months, Bozic said. Milk futures are in the $16 range into 2020. “Prices will be better and that’s good news, but we also need to be aware of what’s going on in our countryside,� Bozic said. Over the last four years, net return on farms after labor and management has either been $0 to a loss of $0.03 per hundredweight. “It’s no wonder we’re seeing a lot of exits,� Bozic said. In Minnesota, 10% of dairy farms hung up the milkers in 2018 while in Wisconsin that number stood at 8%. The national average is around 7%, Bozic said. While Bozic predicts the number of involuntary exits to slow as milk price strengthens, he also sees a second wave of herd dispersals coming. “As cattle prices recover, some
“The higher [percentage] of U.S. milk production is now made by dairies that are not last generation.� MARIN BOZIC, UNIVERSITY OF MN
people who were able to wait and not exit but were thinking about it will sell because the cattle are their retirement,� Bozic said. “I think we will still see elevated exit rates in 2019 and perhaps 2020.� This is not a new story for the industry. Bozic said every decade, the average farm size doubles, production increases and the number of dairy farms shrinks. The farm size category that is growing the fastest in the United States is farms up to 2,000 cows, Bozic said. Farms with up to 200 cows peaked in 1997, farms up to 500 cows peaked in 2000 and farms up to 1,000 cows peaked in 2005. “We have to recognize now that
large farms are agribusinesses. They’re not just large farms. We’ve moved beyond just family ownership,â€? Bozic said. With the change in farm sizes comes a change to the industry’s cycle, Bozic said. “The higher [percentage] of U.S. milk production is now made by dairies that are not last generation,â€? he said. During the 1990s and 2000s, the industry could rely on dairy retirements to balance the supply with the demand. “When you have a higher [percentage] of milk produced by dairies that consider themselves businesses that don’t have a critical issue of family transition ‌ with a more corporate structure, then the only way they exit is involuntary. Otherwise they will be here. All of this together means if we have to balance the supply and demand, more of it may have to come from involuntary exits than has been in decades past,â€? Bozic said. Nine out of 10 dairy farms have less than 200 cows, but they contribute less than a quarter of the U.S. milk, Bozic said. More than half of the milk supply is from dairies that have over 1,000 cows. “We are seeing consolidation and that consolidation is growing. It’s not just a U.S. phenomenon,â€? Bozic said. This has meant exit rates at a pace the industry has not seen since 1986, the year of the federal herd buyout program, Bozic said. These exits have been driving the increase in the block to barrel cheese spread, which has been increasing since 2017. U.S. population growth is also slowing. “The bottom line is our cows are getting better at a faster rate than we are making babies or taking new immigrants in the United States,â€? Bozic said. It leaves two choices – increase domestic consumption or export more. “If neither works, then you have to send cows to McDonald’s,â€? Bozic said. In the political realm, Bozic thinks the president and the country’s leadership is shifting its U.S. foreign policy strategy. Bozic has predictions of how this will impact dairy. He believes the United States Mexico Canada Agreement will go through this year and free trade will resume. In 2020, Bozic predicts free trade will happen with Japan and Great Britain. He also predicts 2020 to potentially bring free trade with China for a short period of time, until after the elections. So, what can producers do? Bozic said they should enroll in the Dairy Margin Coverage. “This is too big of an opportunity to pass. This will be extremely good for producers to increase their income. I think DMC is going to be a game changer,â€? Bozic said. Although it might have a few unintended consequences such as putting more pressure on mid-sized farms between 300 cows and 2,500 cows, Bozic said. Bozic also mentioned the Dairy Revenue Protection program as an available source for producers. “Over 10% of the U.S. milk is now protected by DRP ‌ and it’s growing by 1-2 billion pounds every week. About 4,000 producers are participating,â€? Bozic said.
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 11
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
Legislators answer dairy producer questions at Capitol
Transportation, exports, hemp, broadband focus of rst annual event By Stacey Smart Contributing Writer
MADISON, Wis. – Dairy farmers attending the rst ever Dairy Day at the Capitol April 10 in Madison, Wis., had the opportunity to ask questions of state legislators during a special panel discussion led by John Holevoet, director of government affairs for the Dairy Business Association. Panelists included Representative Gary Tauchen, Senator Jerry Petrowski, Senator Jeff Smith and Representative Dave Considine. Considine, a former dairy goat farmer and retired school teacher from Baraboo, Wis., is the Assembly Committee on Agriculture ranking minority member. Smith, a hobby farmer from Eau Claire, Wis., is the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Revenue and Financial Institutions ranking minority member. Petrowski, a dairy farmer for eight years who also grew ginseng and raised steers, chairs the transportation committee. Tauchen, the As-
sembly Committee on Agriculture chairman, has farmed all his life and runs a 1,200-cow, 2,500-acre operation with his brothers in Shawano County and was one of the founding board members of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin. Helping low-commodity prices The panel agreed the most important actions to take are to look at coming up with new product ideas for dairy, exporting cheese to Asia, encouraging diversication in areas such as industrial hemp, nding opportunities to sell Wisconsin cheese out of state, continuing investment in research that will pay dividends to Wisconsin agriculture and increasing usage of milk focusing on places such as schools and prisons. “Ten years ago, there was no marketplace for hemp, but that’s changing,” Considine said. “We have 700 processing centers applying through the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection this year, which is a sev-
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Dairy farmer and cheesemaker Tom Crave, of Crave Brothers Farm, engages with panelists about current pressing maƩers in the industry at Dairy Day at the Capitol April 10 in Madison, Wis. Crave milks 1,500 cows in Waterloo, Wis., en-fold increase. Localized production facilities will ignite small-business growth in our rural communities again, which is not only exciting, but it’s a good thing for farmers, too.” Although panelists recognized there are no quick xes or silver bullets to pull the industry out of its current state,
trade was cited as a big part of the long-term answer as they placed urgency on taking advantage of export opportunities. Lawmakers are also evaluating ideas to implement from the Dairy Task Force 2.0, which was started by former governor, Scott Walker, to identify both short-term and long-term solutions to help the
dairy industry. “Agriculture is such an important part of our economy in Wisconsin,” Petrowski said. “We need to focus on whatever we can do to help with the sustained run of low prices.” Turn to CAPITOL | Page 13
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Con�nued from CAPITOL | Page 12 More revenue to repair rural roads “Acquiring more money for transportation requires legislator votes, and I think we’re all in agreement that we need more money for transportation,” Petrowski said. “Transportation funding is carrying close to $5 billion in debt. The answer is we need to not only decrease our debt, but we also need to increase local road aids.” Currently, small towns receive a small stipend to offset costs. The amount has increased over the years, but Petrowski said it is still not enough to get rural roads xed. Ensuring roads are properly maintained according to schedule can more than double the lifespan of a 30-year road, he said. But, he said some townships do not even have enough money for maintenance, which means they will not have money to reconstruct. “The more money you invest in transportation, the more money you get,” Petrowski said. “That is why bigger cities like Milwaukee receive more money. A huge increase in transportation aids is probably what we need. Long-term sustainability and viability in the transportation fund is critical to making this happen. Lifting caps on local government and allowing them to make decisions that are best for their towns would also be benecial.” When looking for ways to improve transportation, Petrowski said he put together a small panel of senators and came up with three pages of ideas. For example, shifting sales tax for auto and auto-related parts into transportation was one idea the group came up with to raise revenue. Attracting, retaining young people on farm and in agribusiness “When it comes to farm succession, we have evidence that we’ve lost a lot of farms because the transition plan is not made far enough in advance,” Considine said. “I discovered I was in that boat with my own farm. I know of young people who wanted to farm but couldn’t because no plan was in place for them to do so. We need to get people out to farmers and offer them this kind of assistance. It needs to be worked out so families don’t ght over money. Giving young people the opportunity to farm is critical to the industry’s future.” Providing driver licensing for non-citizens who work on Wisconsin’s dairy farms was also mentioned
“When it comes to farm succession, we have evidence that we’ve lost a lot of farms because the transition plan is not made far enough in advance.”
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Rep. Gary Tauchen, (from le�) Sen. Jerry Petrowski, Sen. Jeff Smith, Rep. Dave Considine and director of government affairs for the DBA, John Holevoet, talk with Wisconsin dairy farmers about issues cri�cal to the dairy industry during Dairy Day at the Capitol April 10 in Madison, Wis.
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as another important initiative for sustaining the industry’s workforce. “Having a driver’s card would not give undocumented employees the right to vote,” Smith said. “This issue is not about voting. Rather, it helps us know who’s here and that they’re going to be safe on the road.” Members of the panel also commented on the value of a well-trained workforce, highlighting the sophistication of today’s technical schools and the excellent training they provide as being helpful to farms and other businesses in the dairy industry. “The apprenticeship program is another great tool for the industry,” Tauchen said. “We have had quite a few apprenticeships that have come to our farm and worked for several months, and we want to continue improving and expanding this program.” Reliable broadband access was another area identied as needing improvement. It was noted that businesses in rural areas have had trouble adding things as basic as security cameras because of broadband issues. Viewed as much more than an avenue for gaining information online or sending emails, the legislators perceive broadband as the means for automating businesses and farms. “The next generation of farmers can’t do anything unless they have broadband access,” Smith said.
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Page 14 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 15
From Our Side Of The Fence How does double cropping benefit your dairy?
Dave Stelter Wood Lake, Minn. Yellow Medicine County 300 cows How long have you been double cropping? I began double cropping in 2007 by planting triticale in the spring. In 2012, I started planting rye in the fall on the ground where we had chopped corn for silage. Why did you decide to start double cropping? I wanted to increase the number of acres of forage harvested from our limited land base. I saw it as a way to boost the value of our land and make better use of the nutrients from the manure that we had applied. What crops do you plant and when do you plant them? In the spring, I will plant a blend of triticale and ďƒželd peas. After I chop that off, I will follow it with BMR forage sorghum. If I have an old stand of alfalfa, I will take off the ďƒžrst cutting and then interseed it with Italian ryegrass or a forage sorghum. I will plant rye in the fall after corn silage chopping. Why do you choose those crops for double cropping? Our choices are somewhat limited by how far north we live. I make my choices based on the time of the year and if the crop is adapted for cool season or warm season. Rye is good to plant in the fall because it can survive our harsh winters. I think there is a sugar in sorghum that drives feed intakes. How do you feel double cropping beneďƒžts your farm? It adds value to our land by producing additional feed for our lactating cows and our youngstock. I think double cropping helps cut down on weeds in general. We have had a lot fewer problems with water hemp since we started double cropping. And always having something growing on the land has helped reduce soil erosion. What is a lesson you have learned about double cropping? You have to know the labels on the herbicides you use. Generally speaking, the sooner you can do something, the better. It’s imperative that you chop a small grain crop for silage when it’s in the boot stage. And planting a crop sooner gives it a better chance to get a good start. Tell us about your farm. Our 300 Holsteins are milked three times a day and have a rolling herd average of 29,500 pounds of milk. We farm 720 acres but harvest about 1,400 acres because of double cropping. My father, Dennis, is 86 years old and still helps out with calf care. Our youngest daughter, Sadie, is a sophomore at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall where she has been the starting point guard for the past two years. Sadie is majoring in agronomy and ag business and comes out to the farm to help whenever she can. We got rid of our last hogs 1.5 years ago so we could fully concentrate on the dairy.
Mark Hernke Cannon Falls, Minn. Goodhue County 700 cows How long have you been double cropping? We have been double cropping six years. Why did you decide to start double cropping? We were having problems with erosion. Cover crops were becoming more popular, and we had read about them being successful so we decided to try it. It was also a way for us to get more feed for our heifers. What crops do you plant, and when do you plant them? We plant winter rye after we chop corn silage. The following late spring or early summer, we harvest the winter rye and then no till soybeans in so we are able to get three crops in two years. Why do you choose those crops for double cropping? The ďƒžrst two years we used winter wheat, but we were having a problem with it overwintering. We switched to winter rye for the last four years. It’s hardier for the Minnesota winters. We keep the seed in our shed so we get it planted within 24-48 hours after chopping because the ground is still soft and moist. We like to be as close as we can behind the chopper. How do you feel double cropping beneďƒžts your farm? We now have less erosion and better soil health from all the roots that stay in the ground to help build soil structure. We are also able to make more forage for our cattle on fewer acres. What is a lesson you have learned about double cropping? The type of crop we plant was a lesson because we realized we needed something hardy for Minnesota winters. We also learned how good it is for the soil. After the ďƒžrst year, we dug it up and that soil was like a garden. There were nice sized particles and the roots growing helped loosen and condition the soil. We also learned that timing is important. The sooner it gets into the ground the better. Having 3-5 inches of growth helps over the winter and gets it up faster in the spring. Tell us about your farm. I farm with my brother, Dave, and cousin, Rahn. In addition to our cows, we have 2,000 acres where we plant corn, soybeans, alfalfa, peas, sweet corn and cover crops. We are the third generation on the dairy. We love the area and the community.
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Steve Moll Freeport, Minn. Stearns County 90 cows How long have you been double cropping? We ďƒžrst began in 2013, so six years. Why did you decide to start double cropping? We wanted to increase our feed inventory and improve soil fertility. A guy at the local elevator told us about it, and after talking about it for a bit, we thought it would work well. What crops do you plant, and when do you plant them? We plant winter rye in the beginning of October, and then chop it in the spring at the leaf stage for cow feed or in the boot stage for heifer feed. Then, in the ďƒžrst week of June, we replant those ďƒželds with BMR forage sorghum in 30-inch rows. We’ll chop it like corn silage in the fall. We keep that rotation going as needed. Other times, we’ve used winter rye and corn silage. After we chop corn, we apply liquid manure and then the rye. The sorghum buys us a couple more weeks for planting. Why do you choose those crops for double cropping? Winter rye is some of the best feed for the cows because it’s high in digestibility. We can blend it with haylage, and it’s cheap to grow. We choose sorghum because of the tonnage. I get about 15-20 tons on sand. It’s a good quality forage with the BMR trait, and we get 90-100 pounds of milk with it. I can get good feed that costs me $17 per acre to plant. Both rye and sorghum are good feeds and reasonably priced. How do you feel double cropping beneďƒžts your farm? I haven’t had to go to a hay sale since we started, and I used to purchase three to ďƒžve semi-loads. We’re able to increase milk production by planting highly digestible forages. Also, it seems we’re getting better yields because of improved soil fertility. The longer we do it, the more we see it pay off. What is a lesson you have learned about double cropping? Make sure to have your equipment ready because springtime comes quickly. If you get in late, it doesn’t work. You have to be willing to start spring ďƒželdwork early. Tell us about your farm. I farm with my dad, Steven Sr., my wife, Jackie, and our two kids, Morgan and Payton. We raise our replacements. We run 350 acres of land and double crop about 60-80 acres of that most years.
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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15
Brady Voth Goodhue, Minn. Goodhue County 650 cows How long have you been double cropping? Four years. Why did you decide to start double cropping? We decided to start double cropping because it is a good source of feed for heifers and having the cover crop is benecial to the soil. What crops do you plant and when do you plant them? We plant winter rye after we chop our silage corn in the fall. We then harvest the rye mid to late May, spray and kill it and then plant alfalfa. Why do you choose those crops for double cropping? We chose rye because it really tons up well, it’s a very hardy plant and grows well in this area. How do you feel double cropping benets your farm? Double cropping benets our farm because it helps with erosion, gives us an opportunity to haul manure after the rye, and we usually plant oats with our alfalfa, so we get two big crops of feed along with a cutting of just alfalfa. What is a lesson you have learned about double cropping? We have learned the sooner you plant rye in the fall the better erosion control and the sooner you can harvest it in the spring to get the next crop in. Tell us about your farm. I farm with my parents. The farm has been in our family since 1877. We milk in a double-12 parallel parlor. Most of our cows are housed in a 6-row freestall barn with sand bedding. We run 650 acres of land consisting of silage corn, alfalfa and rye.
Ralph Petersheim Viroqua, Wis. Vernon County 80 cows How long have you been double cropping? I’ve been double cropping for 40 years. Why did you decide to start double cropping? I was raised in southeast Pennsylvania. The farm we rented was in the Chesapeake Bay watershed area, so we had to use cover crops. We soon realized that those cover crops could be turned into high quality forage for our dairy. What crops do you plant and when do you plant them? We have used rye, triticale and barley. We also use a lot of BMR sorghum, sudan and forage sorghum. We plant summer annuals in early June and cereal grains starting late August, and have planted as late as Thanksgiving. Why do you choose those crops for double cropping? High yields of high quality forage. Because of the quality of these forages, we use less alfalfa every year. I am actually considering not using any alfalfa in our dairy ration beginning in 2020. How do you feel double cropping benets your farm? I want to always have something growing in my soil. I feel with continual root growth we have healthier soil. Also we don’t use as much herbicide and use no pesticides. It is also a huge benet to have highly digestible, high sugar forages. What is a lesson you have learned about double cropping? My dad always said that if you plant short season varieties early they will yield with longer season varieties, and I have found that to be true. That in turn allows you to get cereal grains established earlier in the fall. We plant an 87-day grain corn that consistently yields over 200 bushels per acre. I have also learned that the summer annuals, with their higher sugar content, are better for soil microbials, thus enhancing soil heal th. Tell us about your farm. My wife, Sheila, and I own 456 acres and rent about 100 more. We have three of our six children involved part time on our farm and we milk and show registered Holsteins. We sell cows, service age bulls, and market 400 to 500 big squares of hay a year. 2019 is our 24th year of farming in Wisconsin, and we feel blessed to be here.
Jack Herricks Cashton, Wis. Monroe County 600 cows How long have you been double cropping? We have been double cropping for around 10 years. Why did you decide to start double cropping? We need to dedicate 50-60 acres for summer manure spreading. There will be one or more cuttings of hay harvested from these acres. This ground becomes nutrient rich and we were drilling rye into it by early to mid-September to get a root system and cover established before the end of the growing season. We need a substantial amount of low to medium quality forage for heifers raised in a freestall barn. One of those years when things didn’t go according to plan because of excessive rainfall this rye was still intact at the end of May. It was huge and we decided to harvest it for ryelage. Now we plan on doing it every year. What crops do you plant and when do you plant them? Early on we would plant corn after rye for silage. Now we plant corn after rye for grain. Why do you choose those crops for double cropping? This works better for us because the corn silage after rye would never be in sync with the rest of the silage corn and it would necessitate two heats of corn silage harvest. The corn grain after rye is high moisture, but stores well in a bunker. How do you feel double cropping benets your farm? Providing additional forage to feed our herd and keeping roots growing in the soil. What is a lesson you have learned about double cropping? Be exible. Have fertile soil and cut the rye earlier rather than later if you think the corn may be moisture challenged. We always plant the corn the same day the rye is harvested. No-til, of course. Tell us about your farm. Our farm has provided for my family for over a century. Dairy has always been the economic driver. Today, my wife and I are the senior generation along with our son and daughter and their spouses and two nephews.
PeterMark Hendrickson Menahga, Minn. Wadena County 80 cows How long have you been double cropping? We started in 2013. Why did you decide to start double cropping? We were forced to when the Army worms ate a bunch of corn crop. It was an emergency crop at rst, but then there was a silver lining. We planted sorghum and other crops to get a little feed. We liked these alternative crops, so in 2014 we planted more. They’re cheap and make good cow feed. We know we get more tonnage on less acres than a rotation between alfalfa and corn silage. What crops do you plant, and when do you do plant them? We plant triticale and peas in the spring. Then, we harvest that crop and spread manure before planting sorghum sudangrass or millet in June or July. Then, I’ll plant winter rye or triticale in the fall. Why do you choose those crops for double cropping? Triticale and peas are cool season crops, so they grow well this time of year. In the summer, small grains don’t like the hot and dry weather. You have to determine what crops to use with what kind of weather you deal with. How do you feel double cropping benets your farm? We’re getting more tonnage at a lesser cost than the old fashion way of farming. It’s a tangible you can see with the feed costs. We also know soil health is better. You’re always farming, and there are no breaks like there is when you’re planting corn and before you harvest it. Double cropping gives you more options, too. We can spread manure throughout the summer and not only in the spring. What is a lesson you have learned about double cropping? You never know until you try it. We once tried sudangrass with hay underneath it. We planted at smaller rates than normal. It looked crazy, but made a heck of a hay eld. Tell us about your farm. My wife, Lynn, and I have four children – Ryan, Sarah, Bradley and Jill. They all contribute on the farm. Ryan graduated and is back working with me. We farm 325 acres and close to half of that is double cropped. The other half is hay and corn.
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Top Performers
Barn upgrade helps Gibbses boost production Nathan and Bridget Gibbs Rollingstone, Minn. Winona County 184 cows Tell us about your farm. We milk 165 Holsteins and Jerseys, and raise all our youngstock. We farm 550 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa. What is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? Our Holsteins are at 30,245 pounds of milk
with 1,222 pounds of fat and 870 protein. Our Jerseys are averaging 22,148 pounds of milk with 1,111 pounds of fat and 717 pounds of protein. Combined, the herd is averaging 29,055 pounds of milk with 1,205 pounds of fat and 848 pounds of protein. How many times a day do you milk? If you do not milk 3X a day, have you tried it in the past? We milk three times a day at 2:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Nathan and Bridget Gibbs have a rolling herd average of 29,055 pounds of milk with 1,205 pounds of fat and 848 pounds of protein for their mixed Holstein and Jersey cow herd of 184 head on their dairy near Rollingstone, Minn.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
A double-8 parallel parlor is used to milk the Gibbses’ herd on the dairy they bought in 2013.
and 6:30 p.m. In the past, we tried milking every 10 hours. That was miserable because it was the two of us doing all the work. Now we have two employees who do most of the milking along with other
chores. Do you contract your milk? Has it been successful for you? We do not contract our milk. We tried it for a short time in the past, but we didn’t
follow it closely enough. We feel it’s only a valuable tool if you do it all the time and watch it regularly. Turn to GIBBS | Page 20
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 19
Bongards’ Creameries
Has been a quality market for MN dairy farmers for over 100 years. MN producers provide one of the country’s most distinctive brands of cheese that is still made using the same Old World craftsmanship and has been combined with cutting-edge technology to produce cheese that delivers unforgettable taste with unparalleled quality. MN Dairy farmers and Bongards, quality that stands the test of time. We offer a competitive base price, premiums, and the best Àeld representatives in the industry. 13200 Co. Rd. 51 Bongards, MN 55368 (952) 466-5521 Fax (952) 466-5556 110 3rd Ave. NE Perham, MN 56573 (218) 346-4680 Fax (218) 346-4684
Pleased to be a
“
For our show cows and fresh cows, we love Udder Comfort. -Matt Boop, Heart & Soul Holsteins
Millmont, Pennsylvania (below) as Ms Andis Goldwyn Astra-ET was named Grand Champion of the Junior Holstein Show at the New York Spring Carousel in Syracuse. Matt also had the Reserve Champion of the Junior Show and Champion Bred-and-Owned with his Heart & Soul GoldChip Rosanne-TW
Does your milking equipment need maintenance? We service all dairy equipment! Give us a call to schedule a visit. 1010 Hoeschler Dr. • Sparta, WI 54656
DAIRY EQUIPMENT INC. Celebrating over 40 Years in Business
Congratulations to organizers and participants on a great show!
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Udder Comfort gets results-exceeding our expectations since we started using it over a decade ago. It’s the key for getting udders soft and pliable.
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Avonlea Genetics Brighton, Ontario (below) with Avonlea Premier Chocolate Chip-ET-EX94 Grand Champion Jersey 2019 NY Spring Carousel HM Champ 2018 World Dairy Expo
(Above) Underground Bccas Blair-Red, exhibited by Jonathan and Alicia /DPE RI 2DNÀ HOG &RUQHUV 'DLU\ %DWDYLD 1< EHLQJ SUHVHQWHG ZLWK WKH %HVW 8GGHU $ZDUG VSRQVRUHG E\ 8GGHU &RPIRUW 7KLV VHQLRU \HDU ROG ZDV *UDQG &KDPSLRQ RI WKH 1RUWKHDVW 6SULQJ 1DWLRQDO +ROVWHLQ 6KRZ DQG WKH 5HG :KLWH 6KRZ LQ 6\UDFXVH
7RS SKRWR &KDPSLRQ OLQHXS LQ WKH 1RUWKHDVW 6SULQJ 1DWLRQDO +ROVWHLQ 6KRZ O U *UDQG &KDPSLRQ +ROVWHLQ 8QGHUJURXQG %FFDV %ODLU 5HG VKRZQ E\ 2DNÀ HOG &RUQHUV 5HVHUYH &KDPSLRQ +ROVWHLQ &XUU 9DOH $EVROXWH $GRUHG 5HG (7 H[KLELWHG E\ &HGDU /DQH )DUP &DOLIRQ 1HZ -HUVH\ DQG +RQRUDEOH 0HQWLRQ +ROVWHLQ 9DOH 2 6NHQH *ROGZ\Q .DUPLOOD (7 DOVR H[KLELWHG E\ 2DNÀ HOG &RUQHUV Photos by Randy Blodgett We are amazed by our customers of all production sizes and management styles around the world. We are glad to be part of the journey and the joy, the competition and camaraderie, the independence and collaboration, pulling together through ups and downs. We’re proud to be part of this great dairy community with a common love for the amazing dairy cow. Her comfort is our passion! #WeLoveCows #ComfortMatters #OnlyTheBestWillDo
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For external application to udder only, after milking, as an essential component of udder management. Wash and dry teats before milking. Follow us on Facebook @UdderComfort
Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
ConƟnued from GIBBS | Page 18 you protable. The rst is good cow health. We like to get fresh cows off to a good start. The second is high milk quality, which means always watching and striving for a better somatic cell count and PI count. The third is striving to be as efcient as possible. We try to do this by having the max number of cows per full time employee, using down time to its maximum and using less equipment over more acres.
Describe your housing and milking facility. Cows are housed in a four-row barn. We have two groups. Group one is made up of our second lactation and older cows. They have gel mats bedded with sawdust. Group two has our 2 year olds and the Jerseys. This group has waterbeds, bedded with sawdust. The herd is milked in a double-8 parallel parlor. What is your herd health program? Herd health is done every other week. Bovashield Gold is given around 30 days fresh. J-Vac is given three times a year and at dry off. Entervine-D is given 10 days before dry off. At dry-off, cows get J-Vac and Scour guard 4KC. What does your dry cow and transition program consist of? Dry cows and heifers are housed in our old milk cow barn 2 miles from the dairy. Close-up cows are moved to the main dairy 10 days before calving. Once the close-up cows are at the dairy, they get the same TMR as the rest of the milking cows. What is the composition of your ration? What has been one of your most recent changes that has been successful for you? We feed corn silage, haylage, earlage, cottonseed and a protein mineral mix. We have recently
MINNESOTA A & C Farm Service, Inc. (TMR Mixer Dealer) Paynesville, MN Fluegge’s Ag, Inc. Mora, MN Gorter’s Clay & Dairy Equip. Pipestone, MN
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Cows in the older lactaƟon group rest on gel mats bedded with sawdust on the Gibbses’ dairy near Rollingstone, Minn. added Harvextra alfalfa to increase the digestibility of our haylage.
from 46 inches to 49 inches. We also made the stalls longer to increase lunge space.
Through the years you have been farming, what change has created the biggest jump in your herd average? In 2013, we purchased a neighbor’s barn and parlor that was built in 1997. Our old freestall barn was built in the ‘60s. It was dark and the stalls were not as big as we would have liked. Our current barn is open and bright. For the older cows, we widened the stalls
What role does genetics play in your production level, and what is your breeding program? We have been 100% A.I. for the last 16 years. Cows are mated and updated quarterly. We choose bulls for milk, fat and protein, and are positive on all other traits. Cows are bred using activity monitors and checked by the vet at 33 days bred. Hard breeders and low net merit
Call or see your local dealer for complete details!
Hammell Equipment Inc. ChatÀeld, MN Eitzen, MN Harmony, MN Rushford, MN Midwest Machinery Co. (Full Line) Glencoe, MN Glenwood, MN Howard Lake, MN Princeton, MN
Midwest Machinery Co. (Forage Boxes Only) Alexandria, MN Sauk Centre, MN Werner Implement Co., Inc. Vermillion, MN Wingert Sales & Service Plainview, MN
cows are bred to beef. What type of improvements would you like to make that would increase your rolling herd average even higher? We are in the process of a genetic audit to sort our top cows to use elite bulls. Lower end cows will be bred to Angus. Adding more fans to the barn to keep cows cool in the heat. Improving our transition area for the close up cows. List three management strategies that have kept
WISCONSIN Johnson Tractor, Inc. Janesville, WI Price Equipment Sales, Inc. Bloomington, WI Ruf’s Farm Service Inc. Darlington, WI
Tractor Central Arcadia, WI Cameron, WI Chippewa Falls, WI Durand, WI Granton, WI Menomonie, WI Mondovi, WI Sheldon, WI West Salem, WI Westby, WI
What would you say are the three most important factors for you that helped you attain your current herd average? 1. Good employees. We look for longevity in our employees and try to treat them well. One of our employees has been with us six years while the other has been working here two years. 2. Our activity and rumination system. We have been able to catch sick cows earlier. They will drop in rumination before they drop in milk or give any other physical signs. It has also helped get our animals pregnant. We can see heats overnight or others we would have missed by only watching. It also frees time up for as since we don’t have to have someone watching for heat or training someone to do it. It also means fewer shots. 3. Attention to detail. Keeping up with the details helps with overall health, which helps our bottom line.
IOWA Engel Agri Sales Sac City, IA SOUTH DAKOTA Pfeifer Implement Co. Sioux Falls, SD Puthhoff Repair Sales & Service, Inc. Salem, SD
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 21
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ARTICULATED 4WD TRACTORS 2 Case IH STX440, 2001, Power Shift, Duals, 5949 hrs., #156666 ...................................................................................... $89,500 17 JD 9370R, 2015, Power Shift, Duals, Guidance-ready, 968 hrs., #154699 .................................................................................... $219,500 7 JD 9470R, 2016, Power Shift, Duals, Guidance-ready, Heavy Duty Gudgeon, 847 hrs., #158093................................... $259,500 6 JD 9570R, 2017, Power Shift, Duals, 750 hrs., #150670............ $355,900 1 JD 9410R, 2014, Power Shift, Duals, 1561 hrs., #146677.......... $219,500 15 JD 9520R, 2015, Power Shift, Duals, PTO, Guidance-ready, Heavy Duty Gudgeon, 922 hrs., #158096................................... $289,500 14 JD 9630, 2009, Power Shift, Triples, Guidance-ready, 3918 hrs., #151999 .................................................................................... $154,900 14 Ford 9680, 1995, Duals, 5385 hrs., #158661 .............................. $36,000 MOWER CONDITIONERS 4 JD 835, 2014, #152233 ............................................................... $24,200 4 JD 946, 2008, #150133 ............................................................... $14,430 10 JD 630, 2014, #153621 .............................................................. $20,900 10 JD 820, 1994, #150306 ..................................................................$4,750 17 New Holland H7460, 2013, #144344 ....................................... $21,900 7 JD 535, 2005, #139187 ............................................................... $14,000 12 JD 630, 2015, #156597 ............................................................... $21,900 5 JD 946, 2014, #157889 ............................................................... $23,900 PULL-TYPE SPRAYERS 4 Hardi NAVIGATOR 4000, 2010, #158476 .................................. $17,900 2 Hardi RANGER 2000, 2014, #155294 ........................................ $20,500 10 Redball 580, 2006, #151074 ..................................................... $18,900 10 Blum 750, 1979 ............................................................................... CALL 1 Fast 9613, 2016, #157612 ......................................................... $29,900 15 Wil-Rich Blumha, #148336 .........................................................$5,500 15 Top Air TA1200, 2008, #155358 ................................................ $16,650 9 Fast 9518, #158292 ................................................................... $25,900 5 Hardi Commander 1200, 2002, #150043 ................................ $14,900 RAKES 7 Frontier WR1212C, 2015, #157757 .......................................... $13,000 5 H&S AR2112, 2018, #152083 .......................................................$6,900 ROUND BALERS 4 Gehl 1465, Pickup: Regular, Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, #150085 ........................................................................................$5,100 2 New Holland BR7090, 2010, Pickup: Mega Wide, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 8254 Bale Count, #155760 .................... $22,000 2 JD 458 Silage Special, 2011, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, 13444 Bale Count, #157883 ..................................................................................... $22,900 10 New Holland BR780, 2004, Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 3000 Bale Count, #152119..............................................................$9,900 10 Massey Ferguson 2846A, 2012, 1390 Bale Count, #155473..... $24,900 7 JD 535, 1989, Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #151310 .........................................................................................$8,325 7 JD 569, 2014, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #157756 .................................. $34,500 7 JD 854 Silage Special, 2016, 250 Bale Count, #156233 ............ $47,900
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6 JD 569, 2017, Pickup: Mega Wide, Surface Wrap Only, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 6050 Bale Count, #143801 ........................ $38,000 6 JD 460M, 2018, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, 4500 Bale Count, #152787 ...................................................................................... $35,500 6 JD 468, 2012, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, 9500 Bale Count, #153396 .............. $28,900 6 JD 854 Silage Special, 2016, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, Precut Knives, 6000 Bale Count, #151149........................................................... $31,300 6 JD 854 Silage Special, 2014, Pickup: Mega Wide, Surface Wrap Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, Precut Knives, 7250 Bale Count, #151186 ...................................................................................... $29,500 6 JD 560M, 2018, 6018 Bale Count, #155709 ................................ $42,500 12 JD 568, 2010, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 5422 Bale Count, #149676 .................... $25,500 12 JD 330, 1986, Pickup: Regular, Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, #158328 ..............................................................................$2,500 9 JD 468, 2009, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, 19500 Bale Count, #158356 ..... $15,500 11 JD 535, 1992, Twine Only, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #151750 .........................................................................................$7,200 11 JD 535, 1990, Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #151751 .........................................................................................$6,500 8 JD 854 Silage Special, 2013, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, Precut Knives, 9600 Bale Count, #151147........................................................... $25,500 8 JD 569 Premium, 2014, Surface Wrap Only, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 12000 Bale Count, #148146 ...................... $26,900 14 JD 569, 2013, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 10900 Bale Count, #153558 ..... $26,500 14 JD 535, 1993, Pickup: Regular, Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #155784.......................................................$4,520 SELF-PROPELLED SPRAYERS 10 AgChem 1074, 2009, Boom Width: 100-Foot, Tank: Stainless, 3650 hrs., #158291 ............................................................................................ CALL 10 JD 4920, 2004, 4600 hrs., #157917 ............................................ $69,500 16 Case IH 4430, 2013, Boom Leveling, Tank: Stainless, Tire Width: Narrow, Guidance-ready, 2655 hrs., #154198 ......................................... $209,500 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, 101 hrs., #155379 .......................................... $340,200 TRACK TRACTORS 4 JD 9520RX, 2016, Track Size: 36-inch, 1193 hrs., #143518 ....... $369,000 17 JD 9520T, 2002, 6337 hrs., #155678........................................... $79,500 17 Case IH Steiger 600 Quadtrac, 2013, 2581 hrs., #155242 ..... $239,500 17 JD 9530T, 2008, Track Size: 760mm/30-inch, Guidance-ready, 3782 hrs., #154119.................................................................... $149,500 7 JD 9570RT, 2015, Track Size: 760mm/30-inch, PTO, Rear 3-Point Hitch, Guidance-ready, Hydraulic Pump: Big, 874 hrs., #144568 ......... $329,500 7 JD 8360RT, 2012, Track Size: 400mm/16-inch, PTO, 1657 hrs., #148436 .................................................................................... $219,500 7 Challenger MT855C, 2009, Track Size: 760mm/30-inch,
3266 hrs., #146086.................................................................... $176,900 6 Case IH QUAD 500, 2011, 2950 hrs., #155272 ......................... $189,000 1 JD 9620RX, 2017, Track Size: 36-inch, 483 hrs., #150671 ......... $459,500 1 JD 8345RT, 2015, Track Size: 760mm/30-inch, PTO, Rear 3-Point Hitch, Guidance-ready, Hydraulic Pump: Big, 830 hrs., #154561 ......... $249,900 15 JD 8310RT, 2013, 1444 hrs., #155283 ...................................... $202,900 16 JD 9570RX, 2017, Track Size: 36-inch, 380 hrs., #150666 ......... $439,500 16 JD 8370RT, 2018, Track Size: 625mm/25-inch, Rear 3-Point Hitch, Guidance-ready, Hydraulic Pump: Big, 434 hrs., #153841 ......... $319,000 5 JD 9510RT, 2014, Track Size: 36-inch, 1526 hrs., #142684........ $239,500 14 JD 9560RT, 2014, Track Size: 760mm/30-inch, Guidance-ready, Hydraulic Pump: Big, 3082 hrs., #153333 .................................. $213,000 14 JD 9630T, 2010, Track Size: 760mm/30-inch, Guidance-ready, 3400 hrs., #158487.................................................................... $159,000 14 JD 9620RX, 2018, 202 hrs., #155383........................................ $469,000 14 JD 8320RT, 2018, 19 hrs., #155376 .......................................... $299,500 3 JD 8370RT, 2015, Track Size: 450mm/18-inch, PTO, Rear 3-Point Hitch, Guidance-ready, Hydraulic Pump: Big, 804 hrs., #152168 ......... $279,500 3 JD 9560RT, 2014, Track Size: 36-inch, Guidance-ready, 1992 hrs., #153954 .................................................................................... $239,000 WINDROWERS 4 JD 2320, 1981, Platform Size: 12, Conditioner: Rubber/Urethane, ............ #150888 .........................................................................................$4,900 10 Claas 1400, 2012, Head: Hay Head, Platform Size: 50, Conditioner: Impeller, 2045 hrs., #157916................................... $93,500 6 JD W235, 2014, Conditioner: Steel, 653 hrs., #135622 ............. $129,500 6 JD W260, 2016, Conditioner: Rubber/Urethane, 591 hrs., #140978 .................................................................................... $149,500 6 JD 994, 2005, Conditioner: Steel, #145340 ................................. $13,500
STEEL DEALS
COMBINE PLATFORM 7 JD 635F, 2006, #140683 ............................................................. $11,900 ROW CROP TRACTORS 4 JD 6145R, 2016, 145 hp, 231 hrs., #142472 ............................. $114,500 16 JD 6175R, 2017, 175 hp.,182 hrs., #145241 ............................. $128,000 17 JD 6175R, 2017, 175 hp., 419 hrs., #144524 ............................ $139,000 10 JD 7200R, 2012, 200 hp., 2780 hrs., #154425 .......................... $110,000 11 JD 7210R, 2015, 210 hp., 790 hrs., #141370 ............................ $134,900 16 JD 7210R, 2015, 210 hp., 814 hrs., #141371 ............................ $134,900 10 JD 8245R, 2016, 245 hp., 676 hrs., #144535 ............................ $184,900 SELF-PROPELLED FORAGE HARVESTER HEADS: ROTARY 6 JD 688, 2011, #140930 ............................................................... $23,500 6 JD 710, 2007, #115310 ............................................................... $33,000 6 JD 770, 2011, #138381 ............................................................... $29,700 6 JD 7300, 2003, 5093 hrs., 3640 cu. hrs., #140932....................... $68,000 6 Claas JAGUAR 890, 2002, 2749 hrs., 2290 cu. hrs., #133756 ..... $96,000 TRACK TRACTORS 4 JD 9520RX, 2016, 520 hp., 1193 hrs., #143518 ........................ $369,000
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JD 7200R, 2012, $ 2780 hrs., #154425
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JD 6175R, 2017, $ 182 hrs., #145241
189,000
CIH QT500, 2011, $ 2950 hrs., #155272
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JD 6145R, 2016, $ 231 hrs., #142472
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
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DPA makes whole milk powder purchase
Dairy Pricing Association, Inc., a Capper-Volstead cooperative in Taylor, Wis., has completed its rst purchase of whole milk powder for distribution to humanitarian causes overseas while simultaneously removing milk from a saturated market to boost farmgate milk prices. “We are excited to bring this high-quality full-fat American dairy product to people in dire need of nutritional assistance outside of the United States,” said DPA President Tom Olson. “We decided on utilizing whole milk powder for donation to Christian Aid Ministries (CAM) because it removes milk from the market in its entirety, and therefore we are not just providing an outlet for the nonfat byproduct of butter manufacturing.” On April 15, DPA secured 41,887 pounds of 28.5 percent milkfat powder manufactured by Michigan Milk Producers Association in Ovid, Mich. The whole milk powder is destined to be distributed through Christian Aid Ministries to those in need in Haiti, Liberia, and Nicaragua. A group of DPA’s dairy producer members are currently contributing to the co-op with a $0.15/cwt milk check assignment, and those monies are specically earmarked to secure more whole milk powder for distribution. DPA is also circulating a petition asking USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to amend the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983 to let any dairy producer voluntary divert $0.02/cwt. from their existing dairy checkoff funds to support DPA’s efforts to purchase more dairy products to feed families in need while stabilizing dairy markets. For more information about Dairy Pricing Association and further updates, visit their website at dairypricing.org, call (715) 284-2590, or follow them on Facebook.
Dairy Farmers of WI Board election under way
TSR
PARLOR
www.delaval.com
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
is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2019 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296. www.delaval.com
Dairy farmers in eight Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB) d/b/a/ Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin districts have until May 24 to vote for candidates for eight open seats in the current election. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) mailed ballots to eligible dairy producers in the affected districts this week. The following candidates, listed by district, are certied as eligible: District 3: Lincoln, Oneida, Price and Taylor counties. Nominee – Mark Leder – Gleason District 6: Chippewa and Eau Claire counties. Nominees – Jaclyn Backhaus, Boyd, and Douglas Danielson, Cadott District 9: Shawano and Waupaca counties. Nominees – Donald Robaidek, Pulaski, and Jeff Strassburg, Wittenberg District 12: Portage, Waushara and Wood counties. Nominees – Ken Heiman, Marsheld, and Steve Pankratz, Marsheld District 15: Adams, Juneau and Monroe counties. Nominee – Mary Cook, Wilton District 18: Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Washington and Waukesha counties. Nominee – Dean Strauss, Sheboygan Falls District 21: Crawford and Vernon counties. Nominees – Gail Klinkner, Viroqua, Kevin Wallaser, Desoto, and Danika Wehling, Westby District 24: Dane and Jefferson counties. Nominees – Virgil Haag, Mount Horeb, and Tina Hinchley, Cambridge Eligible producers who have not received a ballot by May 10 can request a ballot by contacting Debbie Gegare, Market Orders program coordinator, at 608-224-5116 or Debbie.gegare@wisconsin.gov. Completed ballots must be signed and sent to WI DATCP, Marketing Order Program, P.O. Box 8911, Madison, WI 53708-8911. The ballots must be postmarked on or before May 25. Unsigned ballots will not be counted. To view candidate biographies and for more information on the DFW election, visit www.wisconsindairy.org/ elections. Elected producers will serve three-year terms starting July 1, 2019. DATCP administers elections for Wisconsin commodity marketing boards. To learn more about the market order boards, visit https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/About_Us/MarketingBoards.aspx.
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 23
Farm City Day gives kids up-close experience Event provides students with taste of dairying By Stacey Smart Contributing Writer
LEBANON, Wis. – Crimson Ridge Dairy in Lebanon, Wis., was buzzing with activity on May 2 when 300 fourth
graders from 11 Dodge County schools came to tour the farm and learn about agriculture. Sponsored by the Dodge County Farm Bureau, the 40th annual Farm City Day put students face-to-face with cows, calves,
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Veterinary technician Kathleen Hafemeister shares cow facts and animal health informaƟon in the freestall barn during Farm City Day May 2 at Crimson Dairy Ridge in Lebanon, Wis.
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Farm City Day hosts Jim and Shelly Grosenick with their son, Tucker, milk 250 cows near Lebanon, Wis. Not pictured is their daughter, Maddy.
heifers, chickens, bunnies, lambs and more. The event provides an interactive, hands-on learning opportunity that features stations set up throughout the farm to educate area youth about different aspects of dairy farming and agriculture. “Kids love to learn about agriculture,” said Megan Love, a teacher from John Hustis Elementary School in Hustisford, Wis. “A lot of my students grow up around farms so it’s cool for them to understand what goes on there.” Farm City Day took place from 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. with kids arriving all morning in overlapping shifts. Held on
a different farm every year, the event places agriculture in reach of a generation that often has little farm exposure, helping them gain an appreciation for and understanding of dairy farming. Not only is Farm City Day the rst time that many of these kids step foot on a dairy farm, but it is also the rst time for some of the teachers, as well, including Love, who visited her rst farm last year at the event. “I found it very interesting,” Love said. “I was surprised how much milk each cow produces every day and how the milk gets to the bulk tank.” Crimson Ridge Dairy is owned by fourth-genera-
tion farmers, Jim and Shelly Grosenick. “I want kids to know how a farm works and not be afraid to ask questions,” Shelly said. “This farm has been in our family for 131 years, and I like to share the farm and our heritage with others. Establishing a personal connection from farmer to consumer is important to me. We need that personal link in order for dairy product consumption to go up.” Students visited the milking parlor and milk house to learn about the milking process and how milk gets from the cow to Turn to FARM CITY | Page 25
Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 25
ConƟnued from FARM CITY | Page 23 the store. The Grosenicks ship their milk to Dairy Farmers of America and said it is used to make all kinds of products from cheese and ice cream to uid milk and cream cheese. Veterinary technician Kathleen Hafemeister discussed cow facts and animal health, while Dodge County’s 2019 Honey Queen Holley Schwartz spoke about honey and beekeeping. Ellen Bohn, Shelly’s mother and program assistant for Dodge County, manned the farmers’ market station to talk about the products Shelly grows and sells. The kids also learned about farm safety, dairy products, nutrition and crops, and had the chance to enjoy cottage cheese mixed with fruit, milk, cheese sticks and yogurt at the snack station. The Grosenicks milk 250 cows
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Maddy Grosenick hangs out with calves on her family’s farm, Crimson Ridge Dairy, near Lebanon, Wis. The dairy hosts school tours for students to learn about agriculture.
twice a day in a double-8 parlor and farm 400 acres, placing an emphasis on double cropping. They also experiment with non-traditional crops, for example, planting less corn and more sorghum. In addition, Shelly has a large garden and cans jams, jellies, salsa and pickles that she sells along with fresh fruits and vegetables at area farmers’ markets under the name Crimson Kitchen and Gardens. She also uses these ventures as an opportunity to promote dairy products. “Many foods are interconnected, and I’m a big believer in linking food and connecting different aspects of what we grow and produce,” Shelly said. “I like to give people a true food experience.” The Grosenicks’ two children, Maddy, 6 and Tucker, 4, are actively involved in the farm and raise their own chicks. Maddy also grows owers and Tucker grows vegetables to sell at the farmers’ market. “We come full circle here,” Shelly said. “From cows to crops to fruit and more, our philosophy is, ‘Waste not, want not.’ We focus on creative efciency in all areas to maximize sustainability and decrease wasted resources while ideally riding out the changing tides of the dairy economy.” Shelly’s former teacher, Gregg Birkholz, from Trinity-St. Luke’s Lutheran School in Watertown, Wis., has been coming to Farm City Day for years. “I want to give kids an appreciation for how hard people work to give us the food we eat,” Birkholz said. “It’s good for them to know what it takes for a gallon of milk to get to their refrigerator. It’s also interesting to learn about everything beyond dairy that’s tied into agriculture – from bees to goats to maple syrup.” Children could also participate in the “Name a Calf” contest. Students were in-
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A student pets a calf during Dodge County’s 40th annual Farm City Day May 2 at Crimson Ridge Dairy in Lebanon, Wis. Three hundred fourth graders from 11 Dodge County schools came to tour the farm and learn about agriculture. vited to write their name idea on a slip of paper to be entered into the special drawing. The winning name was FeFe – a suggestion that came from Mountain Top Christian Academy in Horicon, Wis. Other names entered into the drawing included Buttercup, Ruby, Mufn, Charger, Mozzarella and Pickle. According to many of the students, the calf station was their favorite part of Farm City Day. The bunnies were also a hit. Greg Obermiller, of St. John’s Lutheran School in Lomira, Wis., said, “So much of Wisconsin history is based on agriculture and dairy, and I love for the kids to have the knowledge that Farm City Day provides. I enjoy giving students an opportunity to ask questions of
people qualied to answer.” Retired dairy farmer, Daniel Guenterberg, hosted Farm City Day in the mid-1980s and has been volunteering at the event on and off ever since. Guenterberg is one of the directors of the Dodge County Farm Bureau and said the format of the event has changed little over the years, instead, it is today’s farm technology and automation that is different from years past. “Promoting the farm is more important than ever before,” Guenterberg said. “I like to talk to young people. If you can tear them away from their electronics, you can teach them a lot. It’s nice to see them interact with the presenters and build a lasting connection to the farm.”
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
USDA extends deadline to certify crop production for payments The United States Department of Agriculture extended the deadline to May 17 from May 1 for agricultural producers to certify 2018 crop production for payments through the Market Facilitation Program FSA News & Notes which helps producers who have been signicantly affected by foreign tariffs, resulting in the loss of traditional exports. USDA’s Farm Service Agency extended the deadline because heavy rainfall and snowfall have delayed harvests in many parts of By Ryan Brunn the country, preventing Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. producers from certifying acres. Payments will be issued only if eligible producers certify before the updated May 17 deadline. The MFP provides payments to producers of corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, wheat, dairy, hogs, fresh sweet cherries and shelled almonds. FSA will issue payments based on the producer’s certied total production of the MFP commodity multiplied by the MFP rate for that specic commodity. Producers can certify production by contacting their FSA ofce or through http://www.farmers. gov. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue launched the trade mitigation program to assist farmers suffering from damage because of unjustied trade retaliation by foreign nations. FSA implemented MFP in September 2018 as a relief strategy to protect agricultural producers while the administration works on free, fair and reciprocal trade deals to open more markets to help American farmers compete globally. To date, more than $8.3 billion has been paid to nearly 600,000 applicants. The MFP is established under the statutory authority of the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act and is administered by FSA. For more information, contact your FSA ofce or visit http://www.farmers.gov/MFP. 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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keys live that would be a great destination for some sportsmen and women to hunt and ďƒžsh? There are many people looking for a rural spot to hunt or even just to run their dogs. This could be a possibility for you to think about. Do you have empty buildings that would be able to store someone’s camper or boat in the off season? Would your barn work to be converted to have weddings or parties? What do you have that has value? This could be just a little more income. As farmers, we are unique. We have things, stuff and opportunities that urban folks don’t. Use this to your beneďƒžt and value it. Others do and will pay for the chance to experience what you have to offer. Tina Hinchley, her husband, Duane, and their daughters, Anna and Catherine, milk 240 registered Holsteins with robots. They also farm 2,300 acres of crops near Cambridge, Wisconsin. They have been hosting farm tours for over 20 years.
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Every once in a while, I am honored to be invited to be on a farmer panel to share what we do at our farm through agri-tourism. The last week in April, I was a part of Making More From Milk, a multi-day experience offered by Global Cow and Global Dairy Outreach. This event included visits to processors and retailers, marketing seminars, and concluded with a step-by-step cheese making opportunity. I was part of an afternoon panel of farmers that included Bryan Voegeli and Carrie Xander, who discussed how their milk from their Brown Swiss herd was used to make Yodelay Yogurt. Anna By Tina Hinchley Lankmark spoke of how Farmer & Columnist she and Anna Thomas Bates, began making cheese from sheep milk. John and Kim Koepke told of how they began to have cheese made from their milk. Everyone of these farmers were giving details of all that goes into making a quality product and the marketing that goes into getting it to the consumers. The early mornings to go to the Farmer’s Markets, giving out samples at grocery stores, and just pounding the pavement to keep the dairy products on the shelves for people to purchase and add more money to their income on the farm. They all are making more from their milk, and have invested a lot of time and money to become successful with their delicious dairy products. They all said it is hard work, but very satisfying to sell something to others that means a lot personally to them. They all have their heart in it and are very passionate about their endeavors. I don’t make cheese or yogurt, and I don’t go to the farmer’s markets or hand out samples at the grocery stores. What I sell is the farm experience. Farm tours add income for our family. We also sell a few other little things that help us earn a few extra dollars during this very ďƒžnancially stressful time. We sell goat milk soap. Since I have to milk the few goats we own at times, I freeze the milk and make soap when I have time. It has to cure to make sure the pH is at a safe level because the process is using lye. It is very easy and people will spend money on items that are handmade. Jams, Jelly, pickles and honey are also items people purchase while at our farm. Do you have extra vegetables from your garden? Or surplus fruit from your trees or bushes? We all know many zucchinis and tomatoes can come from a few plants. Extra eggs? You don’t have to go to the farmer’s market if you have enough trafďƒžc in front of your farm. Set up a table and put out a sign. A few years ago, we started skinning and tanning our sheep hides when they were processed. We also skinned a couple of calves too. Making something good from a bad situation, seemed to lesson the loss. Hides can sell as a whole product, but also with some creativity, they can be made in to purses, belts and key chains. Calf hides are a unique product that bring value and some added cash. It is important to look around your farm, what do you have that others would be willing to pay you something for. Do you have a stream with ďƒžshing opportunities, a wooded area, where the deer and tur-
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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
Crafty cows in limelight at dairy breakfast
Contest helps promote Rock County annual event By Stacey Smart Contributing Writer
JANESVILLE, Wis. – Wisconsin’s busy dairy breakfast season is just around the corner. That means Rock County’s creative folk are pulling out their paint brushes and art supplies to work on creating a cow like no other for the annual Crafty Cow Contest. Artists of all ages and skill levels go all out painting, costuming or whimsically transforming plywood cow cut-outs into eye-catching works of art. Some are painted with country or farm scenes while others are more educational in nature. Some cows look lifelike; some are more cartoonlike. But one thing is for sure, the creations are some of the savviest around. The Crafty Cow Contest – a product of a Rock County Dairy Promotion Council brainstorming session – began in 2013 as another means of promoting the annual breakfast on the farm. The herd of wooden cows parades around the farm that hosts Rock County’s dairy breakfast each year. “The contest has become a popular part of the break-
fast and given a boost to attendance,” said Sandy Larson of Larson Acres in Evansville, Wis. Larson is in charge of the contest which is promoted through Facebook and press releases in local newspapers. The number of entries is limited to 25 on a rst-come, rst-serve basis. The pre-cut, wooden cow cutouts are available one to two months in advance of the breakfast and can be purchased at a rate of $25 for individuals and $50 for businesses. Larson said the cutout template used to change year to year but has now remained the same for several years. From individuals to families, groups and businesses, the contest attracts an impressive mixture of fresh talent every year along with a couple of returning artists. Art teachers and students, 4-H clubs, banks and feed stores are among the participants. Few entries are created by farmers themselves. “Someone from the host family usually does one too,” Larson said. “It serves as a keepsake of the day.” Cut from a sheet of plywood, every cow is identical in shape but unique in design – each one a colorful master-
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Rock County’s annual dairy breakfast features wooden cow cutouts that are painted, costumed or transformed into works of art as part of the CraŌy Cow Contest. The contest began in 2013 as another means for promoƟng the breakfast. piece and tribute to one of Wisconsin’s most recognizable animals. Materials of all kinds adorn the cows – from owers to collars, hats, baskets and more. “Anything goes,” Larson said. “We’ve seen mosaics, three-dimensional designs – you name it. Cows are also often named according to their theme.”
whimsical ones, like a Disneythemed cow, for example,” Larson said. “Therefore, the most artistic cows are not guaranteed to win.” Cash prizes are awarded to rst, second and third place. The three winning cows are then presented at the Rock County Fair in the Ag Business Council tent. Larson has also been able to keep a few
“The contest has become a popular part of the breakfast and given a boost to attendance.” SANDY LARSON, DAIRY FARMER
Winners of the contest are decided on by breakfast attendees. People can vote for their favorite by placing a ticket in the milk jug sitting next to the cow they like best. Some cows look like they were painted by professional artists; however, the ones that seem like clear winners do not always come out on top. “Kids tend to vote for
of the cows, which she uses as educational tools on her family’s farm when giving tours or hosting school groups. When the breakfast is over, contestants can take their cow home with them to display during dairy month. Now in its 43rd year, the Rock County Dairy Breakfast will be held Saturday, June 8 at Den-Bar Dairy, owned by Den-
nis and Barbara Kersten. The 195-acre farm, located at 4522 W. Mineral Point Rd., Janesville, is home to 60 milk cows. Due to last year’s uncooperative weather, the Kerstens decided to host the dairy breakfast for the second year in a row. Held from 6:30-11 a.m., the morning on the farm includes an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, kids’ interactive learning area, petting zoo, music, crafters, dairy recipes, farm tours, tractor wagon rides, kids’ games and of course, the Crafty Cow Contest. Tickets are $6 for adults and $2 for children 10 and under. About 100 farmers volunteer to help at the breakfast that draws a crowd of anywhere from 4,000 to 5,000 people. “The Crafty Cow Contest is an activity that adds something colorful and fun to the breakfast and is a nice way to draw people in,” Larson said. “It’s really fun to see all of the cows on display.”
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
The winners of previous contests include – (from leŌ) rst place winner in 2013, rst place winner in 2018, second place winner in 2018 and second place winner in 2015. ArƟsts of all ages and skill levels can parƟcipate in the CraŌy Cow Contest. Breakfast aƩendees vote for their favorite cows, and cash prizes are awarded to rst through third place.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 29
Shade, heat stress in dairy cattle Spring sunshine is often a welcome sight especially after a cold, snowy winter and spring oods. The sun brings the light and warmth we need for plants to grow so we can shed the dark and dreariness of winter. However, sunshine in hot weather can add an extra heat load on heat stressed cows that do not have shade. The consequences of heat stress on lactating dairy cows is well documented and includes reduced milk production and pregnancy rates and increased lameness, days open and death rates. Heat stressed dry cows have shorter gestation periods, calves with lower birth weights and lower milk production. Heifer calves from heat stressed cows also produce less milk after growing up and freshening. Cows attempt to manage heat stress by reducing their dry matter intake, increasing respiration rates and sweating By Kevin Janni more. Animal care givers know they can help cows manUniversity of MN age heat stress by providing shade, plenty of fresh drinking water, increasing air velocities past the cows and providing cooling with misters or sprinklers. This article is focused on the importance of shade for lactating and dry cows. High producing cows generate more metabolic heat than lower producing cows. A cow producing 85 pounds of milk per day produces 13% more body heat (4,600 BTU/hour) than a cow producing 70 pounds per day (4,100 BTU/ hour). A cow producing 100 pounds of milk per day produces 26% more body heat (5,150 BTU/hour) than a cow producing 70 pounds per day (4,100 BTU/ hour). The amount of solar energy we get varies hourly as the sun rises and sets each day. On average, Minnesota gets between 167 and 188 BTU per hour per square foot. The peak can be as much as 317 BTU/hour per square foot. The amount of solar energy a cow standing in the sun can absorb depends on the time of day and her orientation in relation to the sun. A cow can easily absorb 1,600 to 3,700 BTU/hour. A cow can almost double her heat load by standing in the sun which makes heat stress likely in warm and hot weather. Shade, which can dramatically reduce the solar load, is usually the rst recommended practice to implement when dealing with heat stress. A chamber study done almost 10 years ago monitored individual cows in chambers where the average temperature-humidity index values (THI) were around 79.6 and the air velocity was 2.2 mph. A THI of 80 was at the line between mild-moderate heat stress and moderate-severe heat stress. The researchers created hot and humid conditions with an air temperature of 84 degrees and 69% relative humidity. They created hot and dry conditions with air at 95 degrees and 23% relative humidity. Without a solar load (under shade)
the cows had respiration rates around 72 breaths per minute (bpm) when the conditions were hot and humid. Respiration rates were 96 bpm when conditions were hot and dry. When cows were given a solar heat load of 174 BTU/ hour per square foot, which is common in Minnesota, their respiration rates increased. The cows in hot and humid conditions with the solar load had an average respiration rate of 114 bpm, and the cows in hot and dry conditions had average respiration rates of 107 bpm. Respiration rates above 85 bpm are considered at the moderate-severe heat stress level. Severe stress is at respiration rates of 120 bpm and above. Individual cows respiration rates varied but all increased when the solar load was added. Results from a lactating cow thermoregulation model that estimates a cow’s respiration rates are shown in Table 1. Higher producing cows have higher respiration rates which indicate they are more susceptible to heat stress. Adding a solar load causes large increases in respiration rates ranging from 14 to 29 bpm. Higher producing cows will have larger increases in respiration rates. The results also show that providing more air velocity past the cows can reduce respiration rates by 10 to 28 bpm which can help reduce heat stress. Solar heat load is an important contributing factor to heat stress in dairy cows. Shade can help reduce the solar heat load and remains one of the rst recommendations to help lactating cows and dry cows manage their heat load in hot weather. Well ventilated barns and pole sheds are good options for providing shade. There are numerous shade structure options available from building suppliers. When providing shade, it is important to provide plenty of shade for all of the animals at the same time without crowding, 20 to 40 square feet per animal is recommended.
Milk production
85 pounds per day
100 pounds per day
Air velocity (mph)
No solar load
Solar load
No solar load
Solar load
6
53
72
62
85
3
12
58
48
84
62
69
56
98
70
Table 1. Modeled lactating cow respiration rates (breaths per minute) for a 1,320-pound cow at two milk production levels (85 pounds per day or 100 pounds per day) and three air velocities (3, 6 or 12 mph) when THI is 75. Solar load was either 0 or 158 BTU/hour per square feet.
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Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
Trees and their secrets As I walk outside on the sunny days of late, I pause to take notice of the budding trees. They fascinate me. The speed at which their buds pop, emerge to become bitsy leaves, and then owers that perfume the entire yard – it is a thing of wonder. It’s as if you could park a chair and watch the entire process happen right before your eyes. The invitations are sent out to the bees of the area, and they come in droves to sing to the sweet-smelling crabapples, the Wolf Rivers, and Prickly Ash trees. The buzzing is so strong it sounds like they could lift the tree up and take it to their hive with them. The different shades of leaves color the yard – the deep magenta of the red maple, the light green of her maple cousins, the dark green of the lilac, and the perfect tree green of the apple trees. The variety in leaf sizes and shapes lends them to sciencebased conversations in the difference of tree species. Standing sentry in the yard is my old friend, the
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training skills. She has welcomed steaming pies and cold ice cream delivered to the table after a long hot morning of work, as the men rest for a moment, thankful for her refreshing shade. She has stood strong through decades of strong summer storms. She has swung toddlers in their swings, been a backdrop for a Ramblings from the Ridge blanket and books for an afternoon siesta. She is an umbrella of leaves when the raindrops begin to fall on a humid summer day. She’s also a friend to the birds and dogs, with branches offering the ideal perch for hummingbirds to take a break between sips of nectar and a cool By Jacqui Davison spot for pups to nap on Columnist the ground at her roots. Trees help us mark time. The passing of seasons revolves around the budding of leaves, the act of pollination, the changing of the leaf colors, and for most trees, their stark nakedness against the winter landscape. We use them to note the growth of ages and heights, of ourselves and our children. We have pictures taken with them for all of life’s monumental moments – birthdays, rst communions, proms, graduations, engagements, weddings, pregnancies, and births – as life’s cycles continue. We plant trees to help us mourn a death and celebrate life and, speaking from experience, sometimes those are one in the same. We give them as wedding gifts, tokens of remembrance, or as we rejoice the beginning of a new stage in our lives. This way, life continues long after we are gone, anchoring a rm connection to the future. I have a lilac tree given in honor of my mom in my yard. I can’t pass by to hang out my laundry without thinking of her and her love of all things green and growing. It pains me when I see the arms of an outstretched secret keeper trimmed to nothing but a pole. No way to shelter themselves, or animals, from the wind, rain. My logical side understands that those branches were getting dangerously close to a power line, but my emotional side weeps. I’ve been to known to air my sadness over the cutting of a landmark tree in town to my children; lamenting over the loss of shade to the children that played under it, or the mere sad sight of it as we drive. I recently read the wonderful, heartwarming book wishtree by Katherine Applegate. I admit, it makes one think about trees in an even more human manner. Written from the perspective of an oak tree named Red, it gives insight to how a tree may view the things coming and going around them, for hundreds of years. Red has wisdom, and though he should only share it with the animal, he breaks the rule and speaks to two children one night. Lessons of love are taught as you turn the pages: ‘It is a great gift to love who you are.’ ‘Nature is not always pretty, or fair, or kind. But sometimes surprises happen. And Samar, every spring night, reminded me there is beauty in stillness and grace in acceptance.’ Applegate’s words are a terric read-aloud for any age of child, encouraging us to appreciate the gifts our trees give and nd lessons of acceptance within their branches. Take a break from the busyness of spring planting. Perhaps pack a picnic lunch, then, instead of making another round with the planter around that island thicket of trees and brush in the middle of the eld, stop the tractor and get out. Sit on the ground, listen to the birds that chatter around you, embrace the abundance of life, and listen. Maybe, if you are quiet enough, the tree will tell you tales of another farmer, or another family, that years ago sat in that very same spot. Perhaps they too were praying for a good crop, for a healthy family, for the tree itself to grow fast enough to have the perfect swinging branch. Trees have witnessed it all. Jacqui and her family milk 800 cows and run 1,200 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wis. Her children, Ira (12), Dane (10), Henry (5) and Cora (toddler), help her on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones, or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos – and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 31
A fresh pen
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I had the opportunity to ll in for an absent herdsman lled out a surgery report and emailed it to the farm, sense. Our practice’s veterinarians like to get into the and perform his daily fresh pen examinations. The the herdsman, my ofce and the other veterinarians in fresh pen on a semi-regular basis to understand what rst thing I did was to print a report of fresh cows with our practice. Following this, I emailed my fresh pen is typically done, to offer help in rening practices low milk production. Next, I walked over to the fresh report to everyone as well, recorded treatment notes and protocols, to help train farm workers, to offer pen and walked in front of the locked up the whiteboard in the hospital and left suggestions on how to improve processes involved to Veterinary Wisdom on reduce the various risks and to assess outcomes of the cows. I quickly looked at each animal’s a note in the ofce. alertness, hydration and amount of feed As you can see, there were a lot of fresh pen work. The School of Veterinary Medicine steps in the process. There were also at the University of Wisconsin has created a document in front. As all good cow people know, it is pretty easy for trained eyes to pick out steps that others on the farm performed that is great for evaluating what is happening in the animals that do not appear to be feeling that I did not necessarily see. There are a fresh pen. It includes everything from the design of good. As I walked, I also looked at my list variety of risks here, too. First, there is a the work ow, design of the pen, to specic diagnoses so I would be sure to spend a little more risk of missing a sick animal. This is not a and treatments, and to results and outcome. This time looking at the animals that were big deal if she is mildly ill but could be if tool and others that may be available to your farm’s low producers. Then I looked at the rear there is something serious. Second, there veterinarian can help him or her to rene your fresh ends while noting udder ll, rumen ll, is a risk of treating an animal that really pen processes to hopefully help your farm be more uterine discharges and feces. Armed with needs no treatment. The risk here is the productive, protable and safe in the future. It may my recorded observations, I performed cost of the treatment, the time it takes to also be valuable for farm owners or managers who do By Jim Bennett physical examinations on a few animals. treat, the safety of the employee and the not typically work in the fresh pen to step in and work Columnist I developed treatment plans for each cow, and the potential negative effects with the staff on a regular basis. Managers can learn and relayed them to J, one of the farm of the treatment on the cow. Third, these the same kind of things the veterinarian might, and workers who would be administering the treatments. I sort of risks apply to the cows needing treatment, too. they also can show employees they understand how had diagnosed left displaced abomasum on two cows We typically assume that needed treatments have complicated and sometimes difcult daily tasks may be. today, and I asked J to move them to the hospital so I only good effects, but in Nobody is perfect could surgically correct the displacements later. Next, reality almost any treatment and no fresh pen routine I examined a couple of other cows that were not in the has a potential negatives, N Nobody b d iis perfect f and d no is perfect. Mistakes will fresh pen because J had told me they needed attention. as well. There is also the happen on every dairy. One was a cow that was on antibiotic treatment for risk of giving wrong or fresh pen routine is perfect. pneumonia and the other had clinical mastitis. I inappropriate treatments. Mistakes will happen on every However, with careful risk analysis, proper monitoring, recommended treatment plans for both. Then I went Fourth, there are risks to all training, oversight and the to the hospital pen and moved one of the surgical the animals that are locked dairy. right tools, hopefully the candidates into the chute. up. Perhaps they need to lie mistakes will not have large It was easy for me to get the cows restrained. down or get a drink. Maybe And, because they have a simple home-built chute the examination techniques result in decreased dry consequences and everything will ow smoothly. that allowed me to remove one or more berglass rods matter intake. Fifth, there are risks of adulterating Getting in there once in a while to look things over on the right side, I could easily and safely perform the milk and meat if strict withholding requirements are can be helpful. Bennett is one of four dairy veterinarians at surgeries by myself even though one of the cows was not met. clearly not happy about what I was doing. I treated This is complicated even when done on a farm Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center in both cows with antibiotics after surgery but had to like this one where things are organized, people are Plainview, Minn. He also consults on dairy farms in change the treatment plan on one because I discovered trained and the proper equipment is in place. Yet the other states. He and his wife, Pam, have four children. some complications once she was opened up. Next, I post fresh period is critical for most dairy cows, so Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@gmail.com with lled out the hospital record for both cows; then, I doing the best we can to get them through makes comments or questions.
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Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
Baby calves and bacteria When I was a young dairy farmer, I always thought role. To his credit, he gave us as long as we needed to the three hardest parts of dairying were getting cows nd a new grower. He and his wife along with a few pregnant, controlling mastitis and raising healthy employees did fairly well raising our calves, mostly baby calves. Getting cows pregnant has become in hutches. They also raised calves for several other easier with ovsynch protocol, tail chalk and cows dairies in the area. During the severe winter of 2017moving more in a freestall 18, we ooded them with environment verses a tiestall way too many heifer calves. I’m not convinced i d anyone h has All the work burned them facility. Controlling mastitis I’ has improved greatly it all figured out when it comes out. As soon as I heard their with dry cow teat sealant plan to cut back, I started therapy, auto takeoffs in the to raising healthy calves, looking at other options parlor, and three-time-a-day because I knew it was milking. I’m not convinced especially in large numbers. something I didn’t want to anyone has it all gured out manage. when it comes to raising The rst and last people healthy calves, especially in large numbers. About 16 I talked to were Seth and Kaia, because they were months ago, our baby calf raiser told us he was cutting already raising our calves from 8 weeks to 12 months back and wanted us to nd someone else to ll the of age. They were denitely interested, so off we went
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late last winter to tour calf barns and facilities. We knew hutches were the gold standard, but also knew we didn’t want to go that route because of calf raiser burnout. The good part was they needed to build baby calf barns from scratch, and they could Making Cents of Dairy build them the way they wanted as long as they had a calf raising contract from us to obtain nancing. The one stipulation I wanted in the contract was that only calves from our dairy would be raised there. We worked it out so the Angus cross calves born at our dairy By Dave Vander Kooi and sold at day one to Columnist my daughter, Kia, and her husband, Aaron, would also be started at Seth and Kaia’s. When Seth and I talk on the phone we have to refer to his Kaia, and my Kia, to keep the Ks straight. Fast forward to November 2018: the calf barns are built, and we start lling them with calves. The barns are straw bedded, naturally curtain vented cold barns. Each pen is set up for nine calves in group housing with nine headlocks with bottle feeders, an exterior dry feed bunk, and heated automatic waterer in back serving two pens. We ll a pen almost daily, so we use removable individual crates in that new pen for the rst ve days of their lives. The rst ll in the pens went fairly well, but then scours and pneumonia hit. Seth and Kaia had also built a separate milk house type building next to the two calf barns. It contains a boiler for hot water, pasteurizer, stainless milk replacer mixing tanks, a bathroom, and large roll up doors for vehicles. They made every effort to do things right and yet things were not going well. Kaia started running pre and post bacteria counts on the colostrum going through the pasteurizer. Both were coming back higher than we liked. We went back to the dairy and started changing hoses, inations, and other things on the fresh cow bucket milkers. We also changed the wash routine for that equipment as colostrum is very hard to remove from rubber and even stainless steel. We power washed the calf receiving pens at the dairy, and alternate them every other day. In between we clean out the straw, disinfect with a special citrus bleach, and put fresh barn lime down on the oor. After all this and a few changes to some valves on their mixing vat, the bacteria counts dropped dramatically, and the calves are doing a lot better. Seth also installed the fresh air tubes in the barns now which should help with the 30day pneumonia issue. Another crazy thing we learned running the bacteria tests on the colostrum was how fast bacteria multiplies in warm milk. Our veterinarian said bacteria doubles every 20 minutes in warm milk. Now we put the colostrum immediately in a freezer, because before when we placed 10 gallons in a refrigerator, it warmed up the whole refrigerator for a few hours. We hardly lost any calves, but we had way too much stress, and drug costs were out of line. All of us involved have the same goal to raise strong healthy calves with no antibiotics. I think we are getting there. I just wish there was a cookie cutter formula to raise baby calves. Vander Kooi operates a 1,800-cow, 4,500 acre farm with his son, Joe, and daughter-in-law, Rita, near Worthington, Minn. Send him feedback at davevkooi@ icloud.com. Follow him on Instagram, @davevanderkooi.
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Find value in thinking about opportunities
At rst I thought I would write my column about struggles versus opportunities. My idea was something along the lines of a person should take advantage of opportunities to expand horizons, go outside of their comfort zone and learn new things when chances come along. Even when there are roadblocks and struggles, seize the day and go for it. This type of advice is certainly put out there a Come Full Dairy Circle lot during graduation speeches and when people are thinking about what is next in their life. I decided to delve a bit further into the topic, however, when our son, Leif, was home over the weekend. We started talking about the concept of opportunity cost in a conversation about the microeconomics course he is nishing up this semester in college. I asked if he knew how to dene it and he readily came up with a good denition. It is a relative cost. The opportunity cost of choosing one possibility is the value of the possibility you gave up. So what you sacrice, not what you choose, is the opportunity cost. By Jean Annexstad I started thinking about all kinds of examples in Columnist farming and life where the opportunity cost concept is valuable for making decisions. I realize that an economist’s idea is to include cost analysis and actual numbers with the concept. But I tend to think in words more than numbers. In my own little world of calfraising, for example, switching calves off their bottles and onto buckets sooner yields more time and less work for me. I don’t really think about labor saved in terms of payment for my work. However, an opportunity cost in doing this might mean that a calf will get sick, and I’ll have to switch her back to a bottle or that some of the calves will be very vocal in protest to being switched to buckets at too young of an age. Then I’ll have to listen to a lot of calf noise during feeding. That, to me, is the opportunity cost of this scenario: are those two annoyance costs actually worth the saved time in having calves drink from buckets sooner? Yes, usually. Maybe another all-too-common example on typical dairy farms makes this concept clearer. We have too many heifers to replace the cows in our herd that are culled, and we cannot obtain a price for excess springing heifers that is higher than what it costs to raise them. An opportunity cost is to breed a percentage of the herd to beef bulls so that we can sell the young offspring at a premium to buyers who will raise them for beef. We save the expense of raising heifers we likely will not need. The opportunity cost is not having the larger group of heifers in case disease or some other tragedy would leave us without an adequate number of replacements. Is the tradeoff worth it? Since we have committed to using beef semen to breed the lower genomic portion of our herd, we hope so. It has been many years since we have needed all of the replacement heifers we are raising. What about opportunity costs in other life decisions? Our three college students have made choices for how to spend their summers using the concept, perhaps without actually thinking about it. Matthias chose to apply for an agronomy internship to gain important technical knowledge and skills outside of his main area of study, and he will also gain income. The timing didn’t allow for a study abroad trip this summer, so that is an opportunity cost. Leif chose to spend a part of the summer doing a study abroad opportunity in Norway. He will gain a new experience in a different county, college credits and will spend a fair amount on the trip cost. For the rest of his summer, he will work on our farm and make money. He will need to nd an internship next summer, so maybe that is his opportunity cost. Emily will do the same study abroad experience and then have an internship at Dairy Marketing Inc. in Rosemount, IL. She will gain new experiences and contacts in her eld and make money at the internship. She will spend money going to Norway, but gain an international experience. She said she will miss helping to train and show cows, so that is her opportunity cost. So you can see that thinking about opportunity cost in detail can be vital to making good decisions in life and in farming. It has value in the discussion and examination of the details in choices that we make. Maybe the clearest benets are that it takes some of the emotion out of the toughest decisions and can help negate second guessing. Jean dairy farms with her husband, Rolf, and brother-in-law, Mike, and children Emily, Matthias and Leif. They farm near St. Peter, in Norseland, where she is still trying to t in with the Norwegians and Swedes. They milk 200 cows and farm 650 acres. She can be reached at jeanannexstad@gmail.com.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 33
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
Dairy promotion a family tradition
Rileys to host Crawford County Dairy Breakfast By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
GAYS MILLS, Wis. – A longtime family tradition of promoting the dairy industry led Jody and Paulette Riley and their adult children, Justin and Kaitlyn, to volunteer to serve as the hosts for this year’s annual Crawford County Dairy Breakfast June 1. “We’ve always recognized the importance of educating consumers about the dedication of farmers and processers to provide a safe, wholesome and secure food supply for families,” Paulette said. “Events such as the Crawford County Dairy Breakfast can help people of all ages and backgrounds understand how food travels from our farm gates to their plates.” Hosting the dairy breakfast has been something the Rileys have been considering doing for several years. “There was always hesitation about moving the event away from Prairie du Chien, (Wis.), the county’s largest city,” Jody said. “However, after our daughter Kaitlyn was selected as Alice in Dairyland last year, we knew that the breakfast would be held on her nal weekend as Alice. It seemed like a unique send-off to have her nal event take place where her story rst began.” The Crawford County Dairy Turn to RILEYS | Page 35
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The Rileys – (from leŌ) Kaitlyn, Jody, PauleƩe and JusƟn – are looking forward to sharing their farm and sharing their dairy story with the public during the Crawford County Dairy Breakfast June 1 in Gays Mills, Wis. The event will be Kaitlyn’s nal event ending her year serving as Alice in Dairyland.
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The Riley family milks 70 head of registered Jerseys on their dairy farm near Gays Mills, Wis. One herd favorite is Riley Jamaica Marsha VG-86 who is sƟll an acƟvely producing member of the herd at 9 years old. Breakfast has drawn crowds of nearly 2,500 people in the past, and the Rileys are working hard to prepare their farm for the onslaught of guests. “We’ve been doing a lot to enhance the cosmetics of the farm, things we typically don’t have time for,” Jody said. “We used the breakfast as an excuse for a new machine shed.” Like all farmers in western Wisconsin, the weather is creating challenges for the Rileys not only in their daily chore routine and in terms of crops but also the preparation work for the breakfast. “We have an excellent group of committee members, family and friends that are helping us prepare for the breakfast,” Paulette said. “Everything from coordinating shuttles to nding tables or to coming out and helping at the breakfast.” In addition to an all-you-can eat pancake breakfast, visitors to the farm can enjoy entertainment, games and
“We hope people will recognize how hard we work for each gallon of milk, wheel of cheese or avor of yogurt that they can simply pick up at a grocery store.” JODY RILEY, DAIRY FARMER
door prizes during their time at the breakfast as well as the chance to view the Jersey cows. The Rileys milk 70 registered Jerseys on their 200-acre farm near Gays Mills, Wis., which they purchased in 1995. The herd is milked and housed in a tiestall barn and is fed a TMR that consists of hay, corn, corn silage and a protein mix. The cows go out to pasture as weather permits. Jody and Paulette run the farm, and both Justin and Kaitlyn help when their work schedules allow. As long-time Jersey breeders, the Rileys have worked to build their herd and are now proud to say the entire
herd is home-bred carrying their prex. One of the current herd favorites is Riley Jamaica Marsha VG-86. Marsha has captured production awards at their parish show and has been named supreme champion at the Crawford County Fair. She is still in the herd at 9 years of age and has many daughters and granddaughters. Another current herd favorite is Riley Austin Raeanne, a 7 year old that is still being shown and producing well for the Rileys. An all-time favorite cow of the Riley family was TM Julian Alexis EX92 who was purchased by Justin when she was a calf. Alexis has garnered showring titles, including being named the reserve grand champion at the 2008 World Dairy Expo Junior Show. Her sister, TM Hallmark Autumn EX-93, was the all-time highest producing cow in the herd for total fat, protein and milk. When making mating decisions, the Rileys focus on using purebred Jersey bulls and have begun using the A2A2 milk gene as a selection tool when choosing sires to use in their herd. They also try to use bulls positive for DPR. They also try to use bulls that have Jersey udder indexes over 20 points. Working to promote agriculture and the dairy industry has been a family activity for the Rileys, and they are looking forward to the opportunity to share the story of dairy with the public. “We are fortunate to have so many choices in the grocery stores, but those who do not understand the nutritional differences between dairy products and dairy alternatives may be overwhelmed or misled by clever marketing strategies,” Paulette said. “Dairy is a healthy, sustainable option for families, and, by sharing our farm, we want to help them feel condent in that purchasing decision.” The Rileys hope people will get a personal sense of what being a dairy farmer entails. “We hope people will recognize how hard we work for each gallon of milk, wheel of cheese or avor of yogurt that they can simply pick up at a grocery store,” Jody said. “We want them to notice the care we give our animals; that we work in sunshine, snow and rain to keep them happy and healthy. Often times they receive better nutrition and healthcare than we do.”
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Family: Married to Dave Zumbach. We have four kids: Karl, 8, Will, 6, Anna, 5, and Neal, 3. Tell us about your farm. I farm with my parents, David and Donna Kunde, and two younger brothers, Michael and Daniel, at Kunde Jersey Farm. We milk 280 registered Jerseys, raise our heifers and breeding bulls, and feed out our steers. We farm several hundred acres of corn, hay, beans and rye. I help with my husband’s family farm where we feed out over 1,000 Holstein steers annually and run 1,000 acres of crop ground. What is the busiest time of day for you? From 4 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. is a rat race. I feel like I am on the clock. The kids get home from school at 4 p.m. Waking Neal up from a nap, getting others to change clothes, grab homework, not get distracted and jump in the truck to get to the farm is the toughest battle of my day. Then, getting them back in the truck at the farm to head home and not having them run in four directions instead of the house, then supper, showers and bed. When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I enjoy baking, making pies, designing notecards, gardening, canning, entering a local recipe contest, volunteering through 4-H, singing at church and running. This winter, I sewed quilt tops for our
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church. We met each Thursday to nish quilts for Lutheran World Relief, totaling over 100 this year. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. When I was 4, I had frequently gone to the pasture with my dad, mom and uncle to get cows and sometimes calves that were born. One day, they were chopping hay, and I saw a cow had calved, so I thought I’d go get it. I didn’t recognize the warning signs she was showing me (pawing at the ground and snorting at me). As I got closer, she took off running after me. I got part way up the hill when she caught me, knocked me down and pawed my cheeks before returning to her calf. Learned that protective lesson early on. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? Denitely the people. I have been blessed to be part of many activities through the Jersey breed and dairy industry. The support, knowledge, kindness and love shown throughout those things is incredible. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? Mainly through some Facebook groups and breed association meetings. Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? The late Anne Perchard, of Jersey Island, and Christy Ratliff, of Kansas, have inspired me most. I met Anne in 1999, and she ran her own farm. She faced challenges in her life, but she was purely special, kind and gracious. Her service to the Jersey cow around the world will continue to live on. I admire Christy’s determination and condence. She was named AJCA Master Breeder this past year. What she has been able to accomplish in the show ring and beyond to this point is impressive. She knows what she’s looking for, and she will work to get it. On top of that, she’s a great person and someone to learn from. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? Candace Owens. Her knowledge and conviction is incredibly inspiring. I’d like to share what we do on our farm daily with her and chat about her work. What is the best vacation you have ever taken? My husband and I went to Rome for our honeymoon. We had to reschedule it because a month before we were to leave, we were shocked to nd out he had kidney cancer. It was enclosed in the kidney, so once they removed it and he recovered for a few months we were able to go. What are some words you like to live by? “It is well with my soul,” and “My cup runneth over.”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 37
Inquire to save a life
Bruni leads suicide prevention training
By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
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mitting suicide. A less direct approach would be to open up a conversation to ask them if they have been unhappy lately, enough to think about ending their life or giving up. The most important thing is to not shame the person. Another myth is that confronting a suicidal person will make them angry and increase the risk of them committing suicide, which Bruni said is false. “You can’t plant the idea of suicide in someone’s mind,â€? Bruni said. “Don’t be afraid to ask them if they are contemplating suicide. Talking about it normalizes their feelings and helps lessen their anxiety. Ask, ask, ask. If you can’t ask, then ďƒžnd someone who can.â€? Bruni urges people not to wait to ask someone if they are thinking about suicide. “If you’re in doubt, don’t wait,â€? she said. “If the person is reluctant to talk, be persistent. Talk to the person alone in private and allow them to talk freely while you listen. Remember that how you ask the question is less important than the fact that you ask it.â€? Many people believe only an expert can prevent a suicide. But, talking to people who may be suicidal can help prevent the suicide from occurring. “You need to take every sign seriously,â€? Bruni said. “Some signs are very direct like someone coming right and saying they are going to kill themselves. Others are very indirect such as a person saying you won’t have to worry about them much longer.â€? Some signs speciďƒžc to farmers are lowered standards, neglecting cattle and repairs needed. Persuading someone to get help in order to stay alive and listening to their problems by giving them your full attention is important. “Remember that suicide is not the problem they are dealing with, it is what they view as a solution to a perceived insolvable problem,â€? Bruni said. “Do not rush to judgement; just try to offer hope in any form.â€? Part of the persuasion phase of QPR is asking the person if they will let you get them help. That ďƒ&#x;ows into referring. Suicidal people often believe they cannot be helped, and sometimes the best referral is to take someone who is suicidal directly to someone who can help them. Get a commitment from them to accept help, and then make arrangements for help. Bruni said almost all efforts to persuade someone to live instead of attempt suicide will be met with agreement and relief. “Never forget, your willingness to listen and to help someone can rekindle hope and make all the difference in that person’s life,â€? Bruni said.
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DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Sauk County Public Health Nurse Jody Bruni leads a QuesĆ&#x;on, Persuade, Refer suicide prevenĆ&#x;on training session April 23 in Loganville, Wis. The training was geared speciďƒžcally towards farmers dealing with depression and contemplaĆ&#x;ng suicide.
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LOGANVILLE, Wis. – Asking a question can often times save a life, according to Jody Bruni, a public health nurse in the Sauk County Health Department. Bruni spoke at a Question, Persuade, Refer suicide prevention training session geared towards helping those struggling with thoughts of suicide in the agricultural community April 23 in Loganville, Wis. “QPR is not counseling or a form of treatment,â€? Bruni said. “This is you being able to offer hope to someone. If you know your resources, you can provide positive action for somebody.â€? Depression and suicide are becoming a big issue in the dairy industry community as more and more farmers are struggling with the continued low milk prices and increasing input costs. Bad weather makes growing and harvesting crops difďƒžcult if not impossible. “For farmers, facing foreclosure or losing your farm is a big one,â€? Bruni said. “Not only have you lost the farm for your family, you think about all the family history and the future generations. You feel like there is so many people you’ve let down.â€? Debunking myths about suicide is a ďƒžrst step in helping people become more comfortable about having a discussion about suicide. “We need to talk about it and take the stigma away,â€? Bruni said. “If I had ďƒžve minutes to talk to you about suicide prevention, I’d talk to you about connecting, empathy and talking about it.â€? According to Bruni, connecting with a person and showing empathy towards what they are feeling, as opposed to showing sympathy, is one of the ďƒžrst steps towards helping someone struggling with thoughts of suicide. “Empathy and sympathy are very different,â€? Bruni said. “Empathy fuels a connection, while sympathy drives a disconnect.â€? Bruni said empathy means staying away from judgement while recognizing emotions in others and communicating that recognition. “We often times try to ďƒžnd a silver lining,â€? Bruni said. “We want to make things better. ‌ You can’t take their pain from them, but you can hear them.â€? One common myth about suicide is that no one can stop it, but, according to Bruni, that is not the case. “The fact is that if people in a crisis get the help they need, they will probably never be suicidal again,â€? Bruni said. Those living in rural areas often face a lack of access to healthcare. According to Bruni, many farmers in Wisconsin would qualify for healthcare access through the Badgercare program. However, many times farmers are either unaware the program exists or are unwilling to accept the help. And, many family doctors lack the training or the resources they need to properly address mental health issues. “I went to nursing school in the 1990s, and you were either trained in health or you were trained in psychiatric work,â€? Bruni said. “The mind and the body were separated. Now they’ve learned how both are connected.â€? In questioning someone suspected of having suicidal thoughts, Bruni said you can be direct, asking the person outright if they are thinking about com-
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Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019
Keeping dairy in the breakfast
Weihrouchs host Jackson County event By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
MELROSE, Wis. – Youth and enthusiasm for the dairy industry is what prompted Jason and Shelby Weihrouch to add hosting the Jackson County Dairy Breakfast June 1 to the growing list of big events in their lives in the past year. “There was a scheduling conict for the original host farm, and, if no one else could host it, the breakfast would have been held at the fairgrounds,” Jason said. “It’s just not a dairy breakfast if it’s not held on a farm.” Jason and Shelby were married last November and are now milking about 40 cows on Jason’s family’s Melrose, Wis., farm. Before Shelby joined the operation, Jason’s herd consisted of primarily Brown Swiss with a couple of Holsteins. Shelby brought with her ve Holstein cows and ve Holstein heifers, adding Mahoney-East Holsteins to the Eachibon Swiss herd. DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR The herd has a rolling herd average Shelby and Jason Weihrouch review herd records on their 40-cow dairy in Melrose, Wis. The Weihrouches are looking of 18,200 pounds of milk, and their forward to hosƟ ng the Jackson County Dairy Breakfast June 1. current bulk tank average is 60 pounds of milk per cow with 4.3% fat and 3.4% Turn to WEIHROUCHES | Page 39
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Page 39
ConƟnued from WEIHROUCHES | Page 38 protein tests. While production is important to both Jason and Shelby for paying the bills, they enjoy breeding and working with high-type cattle and participate in type-trait classication programs for both breeds. Their Holstein herd was scored in March, and the Brown Swiss herd will see the classier in June. The herd is fed a ration based on dry hay, silage, grain, protein and top dress for the high-end cows. “We just want to make a better cow,” Jason said of their breeding philosophy. Jason handles the mating decisions
EX92. Jason and Shelby like exhibiting their cattle at local, state and national shows. They met at World Dairy Expo when Jason worked for the group of exhibitors that Shelby had her cattle stalled with. The Weihrouches are looking forward to welcoming the public and fellow dairy farmers to their farm next month which draws a crowd of around 1,700 people. This year marks the 38th year the event has been held in the county. In addition to a breakfast of pancakes, sausage, cheese, yogurt, milk and cranberry juice, the event will feature an artisan ag and farmers market tent along with wagon rides, games for kids, a scavenger hunt, tractor displays and others. The dairy judging contest will be making a SHELBY WEIHROUCH, DAIRY FARMER return to the dairy breakfast for event attendees to try on the Brown Swiss, and Shelby makes their hand at dairy cattle evaluation. the decisions for the Holstein segment Getting ready to welcome hundreds of the herd. of people to the farm can be challenging, Both tend to focus on udder traits and the Weihrouches said the weather in their mating decisions. Jason places this year is adding to the challenge. a lot of emphasis on body depth and “It’s making it hard to get stuff width throughout especially rump done outside,” Jason said. “You can width. Shelby uses high-type Holstein clean around the barn in any weather, bulls, but insists they must be positive but there’s only so much you can do for milk. They use bulls from a wide- outside in the rain.” cross section of A.I. organizations. As is typical of most western Current herd favorites include Wisconsin farms this spring, the Eachibon Bliss C Beulah EX-92 as a 5 Weihrouches are dealing with plenty year old. Beulah has been a cover girl of mud and are praying for some dry, on the New Generation Genetics sire sunny days to let Jason get his planting catalog. The favorite Holstein is also a done amidst the breakfast preparations. 5 year old, Mahoney Atwood Adeline “The dairy promotion committee is
“I’d like people to leave with a positive connection to our farm and the dairy industry.”
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going to be helping get things ready,” Shelby said, noting that soon they will be deciding the location for the tent as well as making decisions about the logistics of where all of the events will be staged around the farm. According to Jason, if the weather is nice, the plan is to park cars at a neighboring farm and have wagonrides to the Weihrouch’s farm. If it rains in the days leading up to the dairy breakfast, vehicles will be parked at the nearby Melrose-Mindoro High School and guests will be bussed to the farm. “They’ll make a decision and announce it on the radio and their Facebook page that week,” Jason said.
They are looking forward to sharing their farm with the public. “We want people to see that being a small farm is OK,” Jason said. “The dairy industry is challenging right now, and pretty much everyone knows that.” Shelby is looking forward to hosting the breakfast as a way to educate the public, debunking some of the myths that plague the dairy industry. “I’d like people to leave with a positive connection to our farm and the dairy industry,” Shelby said. “We need to educate more about dairy products especially with the false-labeling issues these days.”
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