Seniors! CELEBRATING OUR
See pages 12 & 13 of the Second Section for our High School Senior Feature!
DAIRY ST R
May 23, 2020
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 22, No. 6
Princess Kay nalists named in virtual event
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Josh Lingen, a dairyman from Balaton, Minnesota, uses this portable sales counter to make soŌ serve ice cream and brew cappuccinos at indoor events. The custom built counter was rst used Feb. 4, 2018, at Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Lingen has operated a soŌ serve ice cream business for the past four years.
Women to take year ahead as privilege to represent farmers By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
ST. PAUL, Minn. – In a rst-ever event of its kind, Minnesota’s dairy community gathered online to nd out who would be named the next Princess Kay of the Milky Way nalists. Mackenzie Craig was returning home from breeding cows as she listened to the broadcast on her phone. “I was on the road all day and just wanted to be done in time to hear who the nalists would be,” Craig said. “When they started to describe nalist No. 8, I thought she sounded like me. Then, when they announced my name, that was my proudest moment.” The daughter of David and Wendy, Craig, 19, of Alexandria, represents Douglas County. She is joined by Emily Benrud, 20, of Goodhue, representing Goodhue County; Brenna Connelly, 19, of Byron, representing Olmsted County; Emma Friauf, 19, of Glencoe, representing McLeod County; Taylor Jerde, 20, of Northeld, representing Dakota County; Katherine Maus, 18, of Freeport, representing Stearns County; Maggie Meyer, 20, of Grove City, representing Meeker County; Maggie Molitor, 17, of Rockville, representing Stearns County; Valerie Sauder, 20, of Pine Island, representing Dodge County; and Rebeckah Schroeder, 20, of Caledonia, representing Houston County. The 10 women will vie for the title of 67th Princess Kay of the Milky Way in August. During the Facebook video streamed live May 17, Princess Kay Amy Kyllo spoke of opportunity and the vast possibilities that are ahead for the incoming 10 nalists. “We have to see the opportunities we have and recognize the privilege we have to represent farmers,” she said. Turn to FINALISTS | Page 7
The ice cream guy
MN dairyman sells ice cream to promote dairy, connect with consumers By Jerry Nelson
jerry.n@dairystar.com
BALATON, Minn. – Most dairy farmers do as much as they can to promote and support the dairy industry. But dairyman Josh Lingen has taken dairy promotion to a higher level, one that involves connecting directly
with consumers via soft serve ice cream. It all began four years ago, when Lingen purchased a small soft serve ice cream machine. “I just felt that there was a need for ice cream at some of our local small-town festivals and county fairs,” Lingen said. “Our rst ice cream event was in a
tent on a street corner during the Balaton Fun Fest.” Lingen is a fourth-generation dairy farmer. He and his parents, Denice and Randy, milk 380 cows, many of which are housed in a robotic milking facility. “The cows are doing great,” Lingen said. “They are currently Turn to LINGEN | Page 5
Wedding plans altered by pandemic Sextons continue with ceremony, reschedule celebration for fall By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Lance and Kayla Sexton stand in the pasture for wedding pictures at Kayla’s parents’ dairy farm in Fountain, Minnesota. The couple was married May 16, but had to postpone their celebraƟon unƟl the fall because of the pandemic restricƟons.
FOUNTAIN, Minn. – Since their engagement in December 2018, Lance and Kayla Sexton had been making the perfect plans for their wedding day. They booked the church, locked in the caterer, conrmed with their photographer and decided on a DJ, amongst other decisions. “We had hopes that planting would be done and it would be before hay started so that’s why May 16, 2020, was the day we picked,” Kayla said. “It would be the perfect weekend in our mind.” Then the novel coronavirus pandemic hit, followed by the shutdown of most of the state’s businesses two months before the Turn to SEXTONS | Page 5
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020
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 Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Krista Kuzma - Editor/Wisconsin (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Andrea Borgerding - Associate Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman (608) 487-1101 danielle.n@dairystar.com Stacey Smart - Staff Writer (262) 442-6666 • stacey.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 - Joyce Frericks 320-352-6303 • joyce@dairystar.com Bob Leukam (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-1248 (cell) bob.l@star-pub.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 Julie Barnes (SE WI and Northern IL) julie.b@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Ashley Curry (Northeast WI and Upper MI) 920-539-7268 • ashley.c@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute ďƒžnal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters. The views and opinions expressed by Dairy Star columnists and writers are not necessarily those of the Dairy Star LLC.
The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Dairy Star, LLC, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sauk Centre, MN and additional mailing ofďƒžces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
A glance at the other side
Among all the stories found in our newspaper, it might be hard to believe there are more stories to read each issue. Dairy Star likes to provide local stories, which is why we have two versions of the paper. While the majority of the features are the same, there are many stories in their respective coverage areas that are different. Want to read stories in the other version of the paper? Find full editions on our website, www.dairystar.com and click on the e-edition tab under the Dairy Star header. Here are a few highlights from stories you will not ďƒžnd in this paper, but you can ďƒžnd online in zone 2. Stille develops dairy love At the urging of his mother, Jim Stille of Black Creek, Wisconsin, went to work on a farm at age 14. Because he loved it so much, Stille stayed in the industry. Five years later, he would become a herdsman at a local dairy farm, responsible for morning and evening milking, vaccinations, breeding and more. The 20-year-old has a special passion for registered Holsteins and dreams of owning a small farm someday. Supporting the mental health of farm families If a farmer has a mental health concern, are they able to get the care they need? This was the pressing question answered during the webinar, “Supporting the Mental Health of Farm Families in the North Central Regionâ€? on May 6. Help is out there, but more help is needed. A recent project examining the mental health challenges of farmers in 12 Midwest states identiďƒžed current gaps in resources. A need for more mental health providers in rural areas was seen as a major need. Farmers seeking mental health or ďƒžnancial support are encouraged to reach out to the numerous resources available such as university extension, state agencies of agriculture, farmer organizations and health care providers. Ullom serves as 2020 Wisconsin Holstein Association Princess Hannah Ullom, 20, of Bloomer, Wisconsin, is capping off her years as a junior member of the Wisconsin Holstein Association by serving as the organization’s princess. In this role, Ullom will promote the Holstein breed, the association and the dairy industry. Ullom grew up working on her family’s Maylerlane Holstein farm and has been an active member of the Wisconsin Junior Holstein Association, serving on the group’s Junior Activities Committee. Ullom said these experiences have prepared her well to take on her duties as the association’s ambassador.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Columnists Ag Insider
Pages 8-9 First Section
First Section: Pages 37 - 38
Bon Yankton Homme
Clay
Lyon
Lingen sells ice cream to help promote dairy, connect with consumers First Section: Pages 1, 6
Woodbury
Ida
Monona
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Dick
Clay
Palo Alto
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Pottawattamie Cass
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Fre
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Page
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Kanabec Worth
Mitchell Howard
Hancock Cerro Gordo
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Kossuth
Floyd
Bremer
Wright Franklin Butler
Greene Guthrie
Boone
Dallas
Story
Polk
all
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Black Hawk
M
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Jasper
Frenches start milking once a day
Houston
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Ch
Webster Hamilton Hardin Grundy
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Sac
Harrison Shelby
as
nt
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ca
Po
Crawford Carroll
Mills
Zone 1
Hubbard
O’Brien
Sioux Plymouth
Balaton
Wadena
Osceola
Fillimore
Mower
Fayette
Clayton
an
e war Dubuque
an
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Bu
Second Section: Pages 6 - 7
e
ln
co
Lin
Freeborn
Faribault
Martin
iek
Turner
Jackson
ake
Hutchinson
Nobles
West Concord
Winona
sh
Charles Mix
Rock
Wabasha
Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted
ne
Gregory
McCook Minnehaha
Murray
Goodhue
Rice
am
Tripp
H
Moody
Nicollet
Brown
All
Todd
Douglas
on
s an
Lake
Redwood
Benton
Dela
Jones
Linn
Iowa
Clinton on Cedar
s
hn
Jo
Jackson
Scott
Muscatine
Fort Atkinson
n
Mellette
Miner
Lyon
Madison Warren Marion Mahaska Keokuk
Adair
Adams Taylor
Union old
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Rin
Clarke
Lucas
Decatur Wayne
Monroe Wapello e
oos
pan
Ap
Davis
gto
Aurora
Brule
Sanborn
Brookings
W in
Lyman
Jerauld
Kingsbury
Dakota
Scott
Sibley
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Bennett
Buffalo
Beadle
Hennepin Carver
Wa s
Shannon
Hughes
Hand
McLeod
Renville
Yellow Medicine
sh iek
Jones Jackson
Fall River
Stanley
Hyde
Deuel
Hamlin
Anoka
Wright
Meeker
Washington
Sully
Lac Qui Parle
Codington
Clark
Kandiyohi
Chippewa
Isanti
we
Spink
Sherburne
ms ey
Grant
Faulk
Potter
Swift
Benton
Stearns
Pope
Ra
Day
Stevens
eu r
Dewey
Edmunds
Big Stone
First Section: Pages 34 - 35
Pine
Mille Lacs
Morrison
Douglas
Chester-Jones reects on 35 years of research
Carlton
Todd Grant
Waseca
Aitkin
Crow Wing
Po
Custer
Roberts
Marshall
McPherson Brown
Walworth
Haakon
Sargent
Otter Tail
Su
Campbell
Corson
Dickey
McIntosh
Richland
Cass
on
Pages 10 - 11 Pennington Second Section
Ransom
Emmons Sioux
Becker
Clay
Lake
Itasca
ub
Grant
Cass
Mah
Cook
go
Lawrence
Bames
LaMoure
Logan
Ziebach
The “Mielke” Meade Market Weekly
en nom
Wilkin
Stutsman
Tra ver se
Kidder
Koochiching
isa Ch
Butte
Burleigh
Morton
Page 33 First Section
Polk
Trail
Steele
Lincoln
Page 32 First Section Adams
Griggs
First Section: Pages 1, 5
St. Louis
Red Lake
Norman
Oliver
Dairy Good Life Perkins
Harding
Foster
Beltrami
Au d
Sheridan Mercer
Stark
Bowman
Wells
Third Section: Pages 2- 3
Princess Kay nalist named in virtual event
Lake of the Woods
Pennington
Grand Forks
Eddy
McLean
Roseau
Marshall
Benson Nelson
Just Thinking Out Hettinger Loud
Slope
Walsh
Ramsey
McHenry
Ward
Kittson
Pipestone
Golden Valley
Pierce
Pembina
n
Dunn 31 Page Billings First Section
Cavalier
Towner
Da vi so n
Something McKenzie to Ruminate On
Rolette
io
Page 30 Williams First Section Mountrail
Bottineau
St. Paul
Clearwater
Renville
Un
Dear County Burke Agent Guy
Sandstone
Harris recovers from attack by cow
Kemmetmueller contributes on farm after Division I schedule cut short
First Section: Pages 15 - 16
Page 26 First Section
Divide
Rogers
From Our Side of the Fence
Le
Pierz
FSA News & Notes
on
ers
f Jef
Van Buren
Crop & Weather Reports
Louisa
Henry Des
Moines
Second Section: Pages 20- 21
Lee
Zone 2 Hutchinson
Swanson siblings devote time, work to building herd First Section: Pages 23, 25
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020 • Page 5
ConƟnued from SEXTONS | Page 5 two were supposed to walk down the aisle. “It was a year and a half of planning ushed down the drain,” said Lance, who dairy farms with his parents, Vince and Sheri, and sister, Staci, near Millville. Wanting to be able to call each other husband and wife by mid-May, the couple decided to continue with the ceremony but postpone the reception to celebrate with friends in November. “We were set on the date and wanted to make it ofcial,” Kayla said. The Sextons call the May 16 date their mini wedding. “It was still a whole day process,” Kayla said. The morning consisted of Lance and his brothers going golng, one type of business allowed to continue under statewide stay-at-home order. During that time, Kayla had her hair done by Lance’s aunt and makeup done by her sister, Haely Leiding. Before the ceremony, the couple took photos at Kayla’s family’s farm, where her parents, Todd and Stacy Leiding, milk 65 cows near Fountain. Once at the church in Fountain, the Sextons were able to have up to 15 people there with them. This included the pastor, each set of parents, Kayla’s sister as the maid of honor, Lance’s brother as the best man, a relative to record the ceremony, Kayla’s aunt to play piano, two of their grandmas and a bridesmaid who took pictures. Everyone other than the couple wore masks in the church. Once the couple said, “I do,” and processed out of the church, they were greeted by well wishers. “Little did we know, my sister and his sister made a Facebook group and said if you want to support Lance and Kayla, park outside the church,” Kayla said. “We walked out of the church and there were 40 people outside honking their car horns and social distance lining up to say hi to us.” Following the ceremony, the Sextons traveled to Millville for a family supper celebration at Lance’s sister’s house. “It was a really nice day, the weather cooperated, and we liked the surprises lined up for us,” Kayla said. “It was really special to have that, especially with all the stress that entailed beforehand.” The Sextons, who met while attending the University of Minnesota, were watching the situation unfold as their wedding neared. Gov. Tim Walz declared the peacetime emergency March 13, Kayla’s birthday, and shut down the state shortly after.
“We thought we would put some plans in place in case we did have to postpone, but we wouldn’t make that call until April – a month before the wedding,” Kayla said. Lance was optimistic. “I thought we could just power through it and still have it, but then everything kept getting worse and shut down,” he said. “There ended up being no way we could do it.” With the stay-at-home order extended, businesses shut down, and with a restriction on gatherings, the Sextons made the nal decision to postpone their party. “It was a range of emotions for a while,” Kayla said. “And then we kind of accepted it. After that, we felt relief like we were doing the right thing and the best option for all of us.” After calling their vendors and nalizing a November date, Kayla said the couple felt good about being able to book again a second time. “It all worked out,” she said. Lance agreed. “Everyone worked with us really well,” he said. “They put us on the calendar right away.” But making the postponement decision and nding a second date was not the only hurdle they encountered. “We didn’t know if we could get a marriage license,” Lance said. “Everything was shut down.” After a bill passed by the governor allowing for marriage licenses to be acquired online, the Sextons looked at their options. There was only one county in the state offering marriage licenses – Washington County. Thankfully, Stillwater is a short drive from their new hometown of Plainview. So, Lance took a day to drop off the application. They did the interview and oath over a zoom call and had the license in hand exactly one week before exchanging vows. “Once we got it gured out, that it was an easy process, but leading up to that no county really knew what they were doing,” Kayla said. “We called ve different counties multiple times. I did research about it online for every county in the area. Nobody knew what was going on.” The couple was able to follow through with their May 16 wedding. Although it was not the wedding they had planned at rst, they are happy to call each other husband and wife. “We’re denitely looking forward to that bigger celebration later on,” Kayla said. “But we’re just happy to be married and nally have the day we have been looking forward to.”
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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020
ConƟnued from LINGEN | Page 1
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PHOTO SUBMITTED
Josh Lingen received a grant through Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s AGRI Value-Added Grant program to help nance the purchase of an enclosed trailer and soŌ serve ice cream making equipment. The COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench into Lingen’s plans for this year’s fesƟval season. averaging almost 90 pounds per head per day.” Word got around about Lingen’s soft serve ice cream after his initial appearance at the fest. People began to contact him about bringing his soft serve ice cream to other events. “I learned that I really enjoy the social aspect of serving ice cream,” Lingen said. “I was having a lot of fun.” It was not long before Lingen discovered that the demand for soft serve ice cream was much larger than what could be handled by one small machine. “I soon realized that I needed a trailer to house a much larger machine,” Lingen said. “We also purchased some portable soft serve units that we could rent out to people who were holding smaller events.” Lingen applied for a grant through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture AGRI Value-Added Grant program and was awarded a grant that covered 25% of the cost for purchasing an enclosed trailer, additional ice cream equipment and a pickup. “I was surprised and honored when I was awarded the grant,” Lingen said. “I had never written a grant before. I think they could sense that I have a deep passion for what I’m doing.” Lingen’s ice cream business gradually grew to a size that he could have never imagined. “Last summer, I served ice cream 60 out of 90 days,” he said. “I was at car shows, graduations, county fairs, customer appreciation days and town festivals. In total, we went through 50,000 servings of ice cream.” Over the years, the Lingen family has hosted numerous tours of their dairy farm. A soft serve ice cream machine sits in their robotic dairy barn’s break room, ready to dole out a cold treat to anyone who happens to stop by. A tip jar sits nearby. Serving ice cream has opened numerous doors for Lingen and has presented him with some unique opportunities. “One of my most memorable events was serving ice cream at the Land O’Lakes annual meeting,” Lingen said. “I dressed up in an old-fashioned striped vest and wore a big fake mustache so that I looked like an ice cream shop guy from back in the day. My outt attracted a lot of attention, and the ice cream was a hit.” Networking has been crucial to the growth of Lingen’s ice cream business. “As I met more people, I was able to book more and more events,” he said. “It’s been fun to serve ice cream at all of those events. But it’s a two-way street. I often end up donating a substantial portion of my prots back to the organization that hired me.” This year was shaping up to be the busiest one yet for Lingen. That is, until the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the nation. “I had a bunch of new events lined up,” Lingen said. “I was going to serve ice cream at the Central Plains Dairy Expo and had been invited to serve ice cream at the Minnesota Governor’s Fishing Opening.
I had about 40 high school graduation celebrations on the books. All of those things went away when the virus arrived.” The Midwest Dairy Association awarded Lingen a $3,000 grant to help boost his ice cream business. The grant was given in recognition of Lingen’s exemplary promotion of the dairy industry. “With all of my events being called off, I obviously couldn’t use the grant to operate the ice cream business,” Lingen said. “But when one opportunity is taken away, another often appears. Because of the unusual circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, I was allowed to use $2,200 of the grant to buy a milk refrigerator and donate it to the Kitchen Table Food Shelf in Marshall. I did it because I had learned that milk is often in short supply at the Food Shelf. It seemed like the best thing that I could do with the grant.” But he did not stop there. Lingen also teamed up with his friend, Bruce Iverson, to donate 700 half-gallons of milk to the Food Shelf. “Being a farmer, I’ve never had to worry about food security,” Lingen said. “But there are people in our community who aren’t sure where their next meal is coming from. I may not be making much of a prot from dairy farming, but I have resources. It’s our duty to give back to our communities and help those in need.” Giving back to the community forms the bedrock of Lingen’s ice cream business. “You have to support the people who supported you,” he said. Even though the pandemic has thrown a wrench into Lingen’s ice cream business, he remains optimistic. “I’m starting to see a few sparks of hope,” he said. “I’ve booked some high school graduations that had been put off until July. And, I hope to serve ice cream this fall at a harvest festival at one of Minnesota’s largest apple orchards.” Lingen continues to make plans for expanding his ice cream business. “I’m excited about the Instant Burger machine we just purchased,” Lingen said. “It can cook two hamburger patties in 30 seconds. There’s nothing better than a fresh, hot burger and a cold malt. We have processed some of our cull cows and our crossbred beef steers. A cull cow might fetch $500 at the sale barn. But if we can serve the animal as cooked burgers, we could bring in as much as $5,000 per head. Food is extremely personal. We have found that consumers are increasingly interested in where their food comes from and the story behind it. We are seeing more interest in food that has been produced locally.” Lingen has two major goals whenever he serves ice cream at an event. “I want to make it memorable, and I want to make it fun,” he said. “I want to make people laugh. I’ve been asked if I’m a dairy farmer or an ice cream guy. I tell them that I’m an ice cream guy who dairy farms as a hobby. I didn’t go into the ice cream business to get rich. I did it because I’m passionate about the dairy industry.”
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020 • Page 7
ConƟnued from FINALISTS | Page 1 For Craig, dairy farming has played a large role in shaping who she is becoming from growing up on a dairy farm, to working on one after her family sold their cows and now also being employed in the industry as an A.I. technician. She is hopeful her time as a nalist will help develop her legacy in the industry. “My role as a Princess Kay nalist is not dening who I am but directing me,” Craig said. “This is allowing me to go beyond the county level and promote the dairy community throughout the entire state.” The young woman is also eager to connect with the nine nalists and understand more about the dairy industry through their experiences. The group represents conventional farming, organic farming, and both those who live and work on dairy farms. “In a typical year, we have this past weekend to get to know the girls a little bit,” Craig said. “But with it having been virtual, I’m excited to meet the girls in person and learn about how they farm.” As Schroeder thinks about her newly appointed role, she is looking forward to sharing her dairy story with a larger audience. “I can’t wait to meet the other nalists and connect with more people, to really branch out,” she said. “I’m here to represent my farm and Minnesota’s dairy industry to the best of my ability.” The 20-year-old is
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The 10 nalists selected for the 67th Princess Kay of the Milky Way Ɵtle are (top, from leŌ) Emily Benrud, Brenna Connelly, Mackenzie Craig, Emma Friauf and Taylor Jerde; (boƩom, from leŌ) Katherine Maus, Maggie Meyer, Maggie Molitor, Valerie Sauder and Rebeckah Schroeder. The women were judged in a virtual contest May 16. employed full-time on her family’s 160-cow farm where she is the parlor manager. Schroeder believes her experience and knowledge she gained on the farm, as well as the skills she rened through 4-H and FFA have helped her appropriately represent dairy farmers and the products they produce. During the live video broadcast, Schroeder was the
rst to be named a nalist. For her, it was a surreal moment. “This has been a goal of mine and something I’ve worked towards since I was 12,” said Schroeder of being named a nalist. “As they start to read people’s bios, everyone thinks it’s them and then you realize it’s you. My heart just sank. I nally achieved my goal and what I worked so hard for.”
Amongst the group of nalists are two women from Stearns County, both of whom are taking this newfound role to highlight their communities’ rich dairy heritage. Maus and Molitor have grown up together in the show ring and have also served as Minnesota FFA Region III ofcers. “(Katherine) and I have done a lot together and now we
get to do this experience, too,” Molitor said. “Not only that, but it’s a great chance to shine a light on all the types of farming that makes up our county.” Molitor comes from an organic dairy farm. For Maus, she wants to highlight how tight knit the dairy community is in her county while being the largest dairy county in the state. “We’re a big county for dairy, yet we all know each other and work towards a common goal,” she said. “This whole experience will show me what the dairy community looks like outside of what I know; what it’s like across the state and meeting new people.” Maus is the second daughter in the family to be named a Princess Kay nalist. Despite following her sister, Ashley, in wanting to represent her family’s tradition of dairy farming, Maus said this is her own unique experience. “I used to compare myself to my sister a lot, but then I realized I am a whole different person,” Maus said. “My sister has her own stories she shared about dairy farming, and I have mine; they’re not the same. This is my time to be myself and that’s an amazing feeling.” No matter where these women’s desire to represent Minnesota’s dairy industry came from, the summer ahead is lled with vast opportunity to share their stories and connect with farmers and consumers alike.
AFBF report: Few farmers secure PPP loans in round one Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020
A new report from the American Farm Bureau stable farm real estate values. The bankers surveyed Federation said few farmers have been able to take were pessimistic about the economic outlook, but advantage of the Paycheck Protection Program. Of said government payments should provide signicant the $349 billion originally allocated for the program, relief to farmers again this year. it is estimated $4.37 billion, or 1.3%, was distributed to the agricultural, forestry, shing and Headwinds in agriculture Ag Insider hunting sector. According to Farm Bureau Prices are low in most sectors of Economic Analyst Megan Nelson, a selfagriculture right now. AgCountry Farm employed farmer’s participation is based Credit Services CEO Mark Knisley on net farm prots from 2019. If that said in the last two years, government farmer reports a net farm loss for 2019, payments have been helpful to get farmers they are ineligible for the loan. “It’s likely through tough times. “Along with Market that trade disruptions and other natural Facilitation Program payments, we’ve disasters have made major impacts on net been fortunate yields have bailed us out farm prots,” she said. in the past. We haven’t had the ability to have that kind of yield to market at this Changes coming for payment limits in point,” Knisley said. There may be a fair COVID-19 relief amount of prevent plant acres this year Payment limits of $125,000 per and the crop concerns may line up into By Don Wick commodity and $250,000 per entity 2021. “We’re seeing plenty of headwinds Columnist were part of the COVID-19 agricultural in agriculture right now.” assistance package from the United States Department of Agriculture. That was considered Liquidity is the key unworkable by numerous commodity groups. In a Cash ow was a problem a year ago and that has webinar organized by the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo been repeated this spring. AgriFinancial Regional Chamber, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Sales Ofcer Brian Brandt was part of a farm nancial Collin Peterson detailed a recent conference call presentation and said cash ow remains a priority. between his committee and Agriculture Secretary “Cash is king, and if you don’t have cash to pay the Sonny Perdue. Peterson said USDA will eliminate bills, you’re at someone else’s mercy,” Brandt said. those payment limits going forward. Peterson also “In regards to visiting with your lender, do it today, said the latest coronavirus relief bill “is getting out of do it yesterday; communication is key.” Diversied control” and has no bipartisan support. Services Director of Producer Services Brooks York said there are options including the Small Business Farm economy feels effects of COVID-19 Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loan. “The The initial effects of the coronavirus pandemic process was easy; it is a great way to qualify for have been felt in agriculture. The Federal Reserve $150,000 to help you out of a shortage of cash ow,” Bank of Kansas City’s quarterly report found a larger he said. York said there is a quick turnaround with this decline in farm income and loan repayment rates SBA loan program. than in recent quarters. The reduction in farm income also put modest pressure on liquidity. The survey, USDA forecasts an increase in milk production which was conducted in mid-March, cites a decline USDA is forecasting 2020 milk production at for interest rates on agricultural loans and relatively 222.4 billion pounds, up 200 million pounds from last
month. The increase is due to higher-than-expected cow numbers. For 2021, USDA expects a slightly smaller cow herd but an increase in per-cow milk output, resulting in a bump in milk production. The May supply/demand report raised cheese and whey prices from April, resulting in a higher forecast for Class III milk prices.
Walz signs ag policy bill In the nal days of the regular session, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed the omnibus ag policy bill. This legislation includes funding for the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory to prepare for foreign animal diseases like avian u and African Swine Fever. The new law also offers grants for loan origination fees to help eligible farmers when renancing their operations. Grants for a new grain bin safety program and a commitment to the farm advocate program were also included. Plant-based products offers standards for labeling The Plant-Based Foods Association has released guidelines for labeling non-dairy yogurt products, recommending terms like plant-based and dairyfree. National Milk Producers Federation Senior Vice President Clay Detlefsen said a voluntary standard “simply codies illegal behavior.” NMPF and other dairy groups want the government to prevent companies manufacturing products made from soybean, oats and other plant products from using dairy terms. Agronomist provides spring alfalfa fertilization tips It is that time of year where the 2020 forage crop is either being planted or coming to life after the winter season. WinField United alfalfa and forage specialist Jeff Jackson said farmers should not forget about spring fertilization of alfalfa coming out of dormancy. However, areas with spongy soils can wait Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020 • Page 9
ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8 with fertilizer applications until after the rst cutting. “Leaving wheel tracks could do a lot of crown damage and impact stands,” Jackson said. “If you have conditions and can apply fertilizer by all means do so. Those with unt conditions can do a split application; some after the rst cutting and again in August.” Penn retires The long-time economist J.B. Penn has retired. From 2001 to 2006, Penn was the USDA undersecretary for farm and foreign agricultural services. Penn also served as the senior staff economist for the President’s Council of Economic Advisors. For the past 14 years, Penn has been the chief economist at Deere and Company.
Trivia challenge The rst Dairy Queen restaurant opened in 1940 in Joliet, Illinois. That answers our last trivia question. For this week, how many cheeseburgers does the average American eat each week? We will have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora, and Sterling.
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020
Technology keeps farm in central location
Lenkaitis Holsteins stays rooted in busy area By Stacey Smart
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ST. CHARLES, Ill. – Andy and Sarah Lenkaitis farm in a unique area. With a subdivision across the road, it is a place where country and city collide. The nearest neighbor is a mere 330 feet away; therefore, rural solitude is something these farmers know not. Rather than ght it, Andy and Sarah embrace their location as an opportunity STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR to educate their many Andy and Sarah LenkaiƟs, with their son, Lucas, stand in their new roboƟc non-farm neighbors. facility where they milk 80 cows with two robots near St. Charles, Illinois. The couple farms in partnership with Andy’s parents, MaryEtta and the late Albert Lenkaitis, who “We wanted to improve the existing area without bought the farm in 1983. For the past 5.5 years, Andy tearing down and building everything new,” said and Sarah have managed day-to-day operations with Sarah, a Wisconsin native who grew up on a dairy the help of two hired hands. Andy also works for GEA farm near Fond du Lac. “We wanted to make the farm Farm Technologies as an AMS herd management sustainable for us and for future generations.” systems engineer. Andy and Sarah have a son, Lucas, Herds in Illinois can double in size every two who will be 2 in July. Despite their farm’s compact years as part of an expansion. An increase greater setting, the Lenkaitis family chose to build a new than that is considered a new facility and requires a facility 2.5 years ago and expand their herd at the farm be located a quarter- to half-mile away from its current site. nearest resident. Lenkaitis Holsteins is one of only three dairies “Since our neighbors are much closer than that, left in Kane County. A boom in development in the taking cow numbers to more than double our previous 1990s to early 2000s caused many farms to either size was not an option,” Andy said. “We doubled exit the business or leave the area. Milking 80 cows cows but have the same amount of labor. This was and farming 150 acres in the village of Campton accomplished through task automation and making Hills, just outside the city of St. Charles and 42 miles other things easier to do.” west of Chicago, the Lenkaitis family operates in The rst milking in the new barn occurred Jan. tight quarters in an area where land gets snatched up 29, 2018. The facility features two GEA Monobox quickly. robots, 104 freestalls, two maternity pens, a hospital “This is a tough area to keep and acquire new pen, a vet room with a chute for ushing and doing land,” Andy said. “Our biggest competition is the vet work, and show rail to wash animals indoors, as forest preserve, the open space program and business well as a herdsman ofce. There are also cow brushes developers. We had to decide; do we build here, or do to clean cows from both the side and top, a robotic we move 10-20 miles west and expand? We’re rooted feed pusher and automatic alley scrapers. The barn here, so we didn’t really want to move. My parents also includes a large observation room with viewing and sister are both next door, and we’re within 10 windows of the robots and incorporates walkways for miles of everything. We could even go to Chicago if people to get close to the cows without getting dirty. we wanted and be back in a day.” “Tours are part of our business model,” Sarah said. The Lenkaitises’ close proximity to their “We had to get creative with this location and offering neighbors was a big inuencer in the type of structure tours was a good way to make some extra money and they could build and the amount of cows they could help educate our community about agriculture.” own. Dictated by the farm’s current footprint, the new The robots have capacity for 120 cows, and facility had to t the land available and the number Andy and Sarah plan to grow their herd to 100 cows of cows allowed while also doing right by neighbors. eventually. Dominated by Red and White Holsteins, They built a state-of-the-art robotic facility – a the couple owns two-thirds of the registered herd showplace that enabled them to double cow numbers, while Andy’s parents own a third. reduce labor and offer the perfect setup for hosting “Going from a tiestall barn to a robotic barn was farm tours and events. like going from a rotary phone to a cell phone,” Andy said. “We completely skipped over a milking parlor.” The robot’s one-time attach system pre-dips, cleans, stimulates, fore strips and transitions to milking – all with the teat cups in place. Manual attachment is also an option – a feature Andy and Sarah like to use with fresh cows. The robot provides full access to the cow from the rear, making it easy to put on a unit from behind or perform other tasks in the robot stall, such as dry cow treating, while the cow is safely contained. “Labor has always been an issue,” Andy said. “That’s one of the reasons why we chose robotics. We also wanted to make the farm attractive to future employees by building a barn that would be comfortable for both people and cows.” Cow comfort is a focal point of the facility featuring rubber ooring and mattresses bedded with separated solids. The Lenkaitises recycle manure STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR into bedding by using a mechanical separator and A cow at LenkaiƟs Holsteins is milked by a GEA roller presses. Manure is collected fresh, and what is Monobox robot featuring a one-Ɵme aƩach system removed in the morning is bedded with in the evening. that pre-dips, cleans, sƟmulates, fore strips and Extra bedding material is sold to a local landscaper. transiƟons to milking all with the teat cups in place. Turn to LENKAITIS | Page 11
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020 • Page 11
ConƟnued from LENKAITIS | Page 10
WHICH BARN IS BEST FOR YOUR HERD?
Birds just love this barn. The webs in these trusses are easy nest areas for birds. They also restrict air flow which leads to poor ventilation and moisture buildup in the building.
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The barn at LenkaiƟs Holsteins includes this observaƟon room featuring viewing windows of the robots to host the many people who visit every year. The farm is located in a heavy-populated area, and tours are part of its business model. Andy and Sarah also let neighbors take some for free. They strategically placed equipment in their new building on the end of the barn opposite the houses to reduce noise for those living nearby. Last June, the Lenkaitises hosted an open house that attracted 1,000 people. They welcomed an additional thousand visitors throughout the year from schools, FFA groups and the general public including international visitors from the Ukraine and Holland, and also hosted events with Dairy Management Inc. and Midwest Dairy. “Our door is open to the public,” Sarah said. “We’re transparent and try to accommodate anyone who asks for a tour. We’re also excited about doing more events in the future.” These young farmers were
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020
Strategies for survival
Consultant, lender give tips to move through tight cash ows By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
Although the year started with optimism for the dairy markets, the optimism quickly dwindled as the novel coronavirus surged. “It has been a wild ride these last few weeks to say the least,” said Matt Lange, business consultant for Compeer Financial. Lange along with coworker and dairy lending specialist, Cassie Monger, presented “Strategies for Survival” during a webinar hosted by Minnesota Milk Producers Association May 15. “Things are changing very quickly,” Monger said. “We’ve had to make a lot of changes and adjustments to what we are doing.” Lange rst looked at Class III milk prices from the last 30 years, which showed increased volatility in recent years; however, in the last few days, milk price has hit the upper limits. “I want to remind everyone we should not be hoping Class III prices get better, and they bail us out of this downward cycle,” Lange said. “If you get nothing else out of this, you should be taking advantage of the opportunities the market prices are giving us today.” This includes risk management programs like Dairy Revenue Protection and puts and forward contracts, among other options.
“There should be no excuse, no reason we’re not utilizing those risk management tools,” Lange said. “That’s a really critical opportunity we have going forward.” When using risk management tools, Lange and Monger said it is important for a farm to rst know its cost of production. Because of the low milk price the last few months, cash ow will be tight in the coming weeks ahead through June, said Lange. And although many producers can expect DRP, Dairy Margin Coverage program and Coronavirus Food Assistance Program payments, they likely will not come until later. To help make it through the cash ow crunch, Lange suggested dairy farmers create a 13-week – or onequarter – cash ow outlook. This will help producers know the incoming and outgoing money on a short-term basis. This is important because of seasonal expenses. “With the number of producers I work with, it always seems to be a bit of a surprise or maybe an unplanned expense that seems to pop up,” Lange said. “Really, they’re planned. It’s just not our average monthly expenses.” Lange gave examples such as chemical, custom hiring, fertilizer, manure pumping, land rent and seed. “It’s nice to do this because it gives you some idea of what impact we’re going to have with those seasonal cash outows,” Lange said. “It gives us the ability to assess if we’re going to be short with our revenue coming in and by how much.”
Monger suggested constant reevaluation of cash ow and price protection. “If you’re in a position where you feel the need to preserve that cash, delaying some of those projects might be benecial,” she said. “Continue to use the budget as a roadmap. Be aware of the current market conditions.” Feed inventory should also come into play. “I think it’s important to utilize as much of that inventory forage as
“Things are changing very quickly. We’ve had to make a lot of changes and adjustments to what we are doing.” CASSIE MONGER, LENDING SPECIALIST
possible to mitigate cash outlays and purchase commodities,” Lange said. “And it’s important we assess the income over feed cost and value of our forages. If the feed you put up has been compromised, you may need to go a different direction.” Communication with vendors is a big part of all this. “I’ve always recommended to clients to be open and up front with vendors in terms of the timing of payments and payment plans,” Lange said. “In the last ve years with
mitigated margins, my recommendation is if you can only spend $3,000 against $200,000 feed payable, do it. The frequency of keeping up with payments is just as important as the dollar amount you send to those vendors.” As a lender, Monger agreed. “Communication helps to see what your options are,” she said. “Start with three months and reevaluate over time.” Options could be interest-only payments, creating a payment plan and looking into operating loans. The signicant drop in short- and long-term interest rates might help a producer. Restructuring debt might be an option, as well as consolidating loans. “All those can help preserve that cash and continue to lower interest expense over the next several years,” Lange said. However, knowing cost of production is key “It’s really an essential part of running a protable operation,” Lange said. Based on 75 dairies that totaled 70,000 cows with Compeer, Lange and Monger shared 2019 data about average cost of production. Feed cost is the biggest at $9.36 per hundredweight with labor at $3.34 cwt. Capital, which includes depreciation, interest and leases, came in at $2.79 cwt. “The real driver in capital cost increase has been from interest expense,” Lange said. Other production cost came in at Turn to SURVIVAL | Page 13
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ConĆ&#x;nued from SURVIVAL | Page 12 $1.91 cwt. “This is what I call pinching the penny,â€? Lange said. “Dairy producers have gotten really good at this.â€? Producers can try strategies to reduce this cost. Lange gave the example of bedding stalls less often. Overhead cost was $6.83 cwt. This is all other expenses. Net herd turnover cost has gone up over the past few years, said Lange. In 2014, it was under $1. Last year, it was at $1.91 cwt. Cull cow values heavily affect this category. “When we cull an animal, she leaves our balance sheet at about $1,500,â€? Lange said. “If we only get $500 for her, we have that cash, but we actually took a $1,000 hit. Every time we do that, it increased the net herd turnover cost.â€? In 2019, total cost of production came out to be $17.57 cwt. and $16.69 for energy corrected milk. The top 25% of those herds were able to lower those number to $16.37 and $15.52, respectively. Lange and Monger outlined six areas that are drivers of proďƒžtability. The ďƒžrst is somatic cell count. “It really tells us how healthy the herd is,â€? Lange said. “Cows aren’t truly proďƒžtable until we’ve covered that heifer rearing expense in ďƒžrst lactation so they almost have to get to their late second lactation, early third lactation before we start seeing true proďƒžt out of them. If we culled them before that age because of health problems, we’re taking a loss.â€? Lange said to keep removal of ďƒžrst lactation animals from the herd in the ďƒžrst 60 days in milk to 4% or less. In the second lactation, there should be
6% or less removals of cows in the ďƒžrst 60 days in milk. The second is energy corrected milk. “I can’t stress this enough,â€? Lange said. He said a good target is 6 pounds of combined fat and protein per cow per day. “It’s not necessarily the percentages that matter, it’s about the pounds,â€? Lange said. “We need to start talking in pounds and not percentages.â€? The third is death loss. “The worst animal we can lose is the ďƒžrst lactation heifer,â€? Lange said. “You’ve spent up to $1,800 to raise her.â€? Keep death loss down and heifer inventory in check. The fourth driver for proďƒžtability is net herd turnover cost. Keep this low with fewer culled animals. Pregnancy rates is the ďƒžfth driver. It is important to get cows pregnant but to keep heifer inventory in check. The ďƒžnal driver for proďƒžtability is heifer survival. “Make sure the animals that are coming in as the next generation are healthy and productive,â€? Lange said. Despite the recent depressed prices early in the year, Lange and Monger know planning can help dairies make it through. “Recognize that everyone’s individual ďƒžnancial situation is different,â€? Monger said. “There’s no one-size-ďƒžts-all scenario. We all have unique operations. And as the climate continues to evolve, it’s important to evaluate your own circumstances with advisors and lenders.â€?
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How has the pandemic affected you farm’s milk market?
Brent Ziegler Green Isle, Minnesota Sibley County 300 cows How has the pandemic affected your farm’s milk market? The decrease in milk price like everyone else. Our co-op, Bongards, has done a tremendous job making sure that all of their patrons’ milk was processed, and that we as patrons did not have to cut back on production. What adjustments have you made for on-farm protocols because of COVID-19? We have limited the number of visitors to our farm. We are also limiting the number of times that we leave the farm to get supplies. Also, we have stressed the importance of taking this seriously to our employees. Mainly for them to minimize contact with other people and to not take extra risks. How will the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program payment help your dairy with operating expenses? Being that we participate in the DMC program as well as the DRP program, we had price protection in place already. It will help to maintain working capital because we do not know how long this will last. Do you think COVID-19 has been handled properly? This one is very politically charged. If you look at it from a scientiďƒžc standpoint, we didn’t take it seriously enough early on. This made the situation worse. The shutdowns are painful economically but were necessary to ensure the safety of the entire population. I have a tremendous amount of respect for our leaders that listen to the experts in their ďƒželds and make difďƒžcult decisions based on facts and evidence and not on emotion. How has the pandemic shed light on the importance of the dairy industry and food production? It is important for consumers to not take the food supply for granted. The discussions regarding milk being dumped and animals being euthanized because of a lack of processing capacity are important to have for the long-term viability of our food supply. What changes would you make to the food supply chain? I don’t think much can be done on the dairy side. I am concerned about the amount of consolidation in the meat industry. Competition is a good thing in all industries. Tell us about your farm. My wife, Sarah, and I have two boys, Matthew, 16, and Tommy, 13. We milk about 300 cows and farm about 640 acres of corn, alfalfa and wheat. We have a tremendous team who are talented and dedicated working with us. They allow us to get away to school activities, vacations and to get involved in serving our industry in other functions. We are very thankful for them.
Gary Sutter Mount Horeb, Wisconsin Dane County 600 cows How has the pandemic affected your farm’s milk market? Prices were dropping, and we were asked to cut our production in May by 10%. But now, according to the rumor mill, we can go back to where we were. What adjustments have you made for on-farm protocols because of COVID-19? We’re kind of isolated out here so we haven’t changed much. We do screen visitors to make sure they don’t get too far into the dairy. We keep our distance, but that’s about all. We also have bulletins up for our employees explaining what to watch for with the virus and have told them not to come to work if they are sick. We keep an eye out in case we notice anyone who appears sick, but we’re very fortunate to not have had any employees come down with the virus. How will the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program payment help your dairy with operating expenses? This hit so fast. One day things were good. The next day it was bad. Our ďƒžrst milk check in April was about half of what it normally is. It’s hard to come up with that extra money quick, if at all. We applied for some programs, and fortunately, there was not a lot of paperwork involved. It gave us an inďƒ&#x;ux of cash when we needed it. Prices were dropping and bills were due, but we got cash when we needed cash without a lot of waiting. Do you think COVID-19 has been handled properly? It has been handled about as well as it could be handled. When you watch the news and read about it, you realize something like this has never hit this country before other than maybe the ďƒ&#x;u bug of 1918. If you don’t know what to do or how to do it, how do you know if you’re doing the right thing? It’s a new experience so to speak. How has the pandemic shed light on the importance of the dairy industry and food production? The people who’ve been able to get out appreciate stores having food in them. We’re an essential business. We have to work. We have to milk our cows. I would like to think that people are appreciating agriculture and farming a little more than they have in the past. What changes would you make to the food supply chain? Farmers are always striving for higher prices. We operate at less than our cost of production most of the time. I don’t know what you could do to keep our prices higher; I’m not sure how to ďƒžx that. I don’t feel I’m creative enough to come up with those types of ideas. Perhaps more widespread distribution is necessary to get products where they’re needed. If you tell American farmers to produce something because there’s a shortage, we’ll take care of that shortage for you. We can deďƒžnitely supply it.
Dan Schansberg Caledonia, Minnesota Houston County 160 cows How has the pandemic affected your farm’s milk market? We have not had to dump any milk or cut production, but the pay price sure dropped like a rock. Futures aren’t looking bad. What adjustments have you made for on-farm protocols because of COVID-19? We haven’t really made any on-farm changes. I have been doing more business with the local lumber yard and hardware store to avoid the craziness in the bigger towns. How will the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program payment help your dairy with operating expenses? Hopefully it makes up for most of the lost income of the steep drop in the May milk price. Do you think COVID-19 has been handled properly? It has been totally overblown. It has ruined the economy. It’s going to take years to get back to normal. People are so scared. How has the pandemic shed light on the importance of the dairy industry and food production? It is helping to make consumers more aware of how easy they used to have it. People are begging to realize the corruption that exists between the farm and the grocery store. People want to know where their food comes from now more than they have in decades. What changes would you make to the food supply chain? It needs to be made easier for new processing facilities to start up. Big companies are not the answer. Tell us about your farm. We milk around 160 cows. All the heifers are raised here, and we keep our bull calves to fatten out as steers. We farm a little less than 500 acres and sell around 10,000 bushels of corn per year. I farm with my dad, and we have ďƒžve parttime employees.
Tell us about your farm. We milk 600 cows and farm about 1,600 acres of corn, alfalfa, soybeans and wheat. My son, Joel, is the herdsman and pretty much runs the show on the dairy side of things. Cows are milked three times a day in a double-12 parallel parlor. We have between 10-12 employees. My wife, Cathy, worked off the farm as a registered nurse and just retired this past January. My grandfather bought this farm in 1903, and Joel is the fourth generation at Fertile Ridge Dairy. Turn to OUR SIDE | Page 16
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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020
ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15
Clare Palmquist and Dean Marshik Pierz, Minnesota Morrison County 135 cows How has the pandemic affected your farm’s milk market? We receive less per hundredweight. There is a reduced ability to lock in milk futures at a viable price. We were fortunate not to have to dump milk like other producers around the country. What adjustments have you made for on-farm protocols because of COVID-19? We have robots and have practiced biosecurity protocols since about 2011, so not much has changed in how we operate. We have family help and only one part-time college help. Our systems allow us to work fairly independently, and our breeder, feed man and vets work in our open, naturally ventilated facility. How will the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program payment help your dairy with operating expenses? The program parameters are unspecic at this time, so it’s hard to predict. Generally, any nancial assistance offered in support of agriculture will help to ease the pressure of limited cash ow. Do you think COVID-19 has been handled properly? Only time will tell. Whether the politicians are making the correct choices for us is up for debate. Doctors and scientists, without political agendas, might be better suited to be making those decisions. How has the pandemic shed light on the importance of the dairy industry and food production? We as producers have long realized the importance of agriculture to our country. Hopefully the general public has a better understanding now. If a country cannot feed its population, we all suffer. What changes would you make to the food supply chain? Less foreign ownership of processing facilities and more effective protocols to ensure better biosecurity. Tell us about your farm. We are a fth (entering sixth) generation century farm with 135 milking cows. We have 310 milking or dry cows and replacement heifers. Dean, Clare, son Daniel Maurer (taking over farm) and a part-time college student run the farm. We farm approximately 550 acres of mostly corn, alfalfa, soybeans and grass hay. We have two DeLaval robots.
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Joe Wilcox Marcus, Iowa Cherokee County 70 cows How has the pandemic affected your farm’s milk market? We have been fortunate that we haven’t had to dump any milk on our farm yet. We sell our milk through Dairy Farmers of America, and they have been transparent throughout these unprecedented times. It is sobering to see the pictures of milk being dumped down drains or into lagoons across the United States. Class III milk was trading as high as $18 in January before the bottom fell out and it dropped to near $10. But the current outlook looks a lot better than it did 30 days ago. What adjustments have you made for on-farm protocols because of COVID-19? We typically don’t get too many on-farm visitors at our dairy. Myself and my parents, Mark and Sara Wilcox, do the majority of the milking. We do have two part-time high school employees who we instructed to stay home if they felt under the weather. The on-farm visitors that we do get, such as seed salesmen and our nutritionist, have all been practicing social distancing while on the farm. It can be difcult to forego a handshake at the beginning or end of a conversation. How will the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program payment help your dairy with operating expenses? We are just now nding out more details about the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. Every little bit will help cover the costs of operating our dairy. We’ve made some alterations to our ration due to the current situation, and this program should help alleviate some of that stress. Do you think COVID-19 has been handled properly? I think we, here in Iowa, have handled it to the best of our ability. It is an unprecedented event that there isn’t a playbook for. As of May 18, there have only been six conrmed cases in our county, but most everyone I interact with has been taking social distancing very seriously for the past three months. How has the pandemic shed light on the importance of the dairy industry and food production? We absolutely take for granted the abundance of cheap fresh products available to us at our grocery stores. It has made me, personally, appreciate all the hard work that goes into producing dairy and meat products. Especially as we were recently discussing the logistics of trying to process a hog for the freezer. What changes would you make to the food supply chain? The food supply chain runs on such a razor thin margin. It doesn’t take much to interrupt the supply chains in a big way. A blip in the production like a plant re or a major shift in demand can turn the markets on their head. Of course, I’d like to see more people buying local from family farms, but I understand the logistical limitations within the dairy and meat industry. Support your local grocery stores and buy what you can that is being produced locally. Tell us about your farm. We operate a 70-cow registered Holstein dairy farm in northwest Iowa as well as raising corn and soybeans. Our farm was started in 1876, and I am the fth generation to be able to make a living working on the farm. I milk cows every morning with my mom and dad. In the evenings, my dad, myself and a hired hand do the milking. I sometimes take it for granted, but I am truly blessed to be able to spend so much time working together with family.
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Kristine Spadgenske Spadgenske Dairy Menahga, Minnesota Becker County 350 cows How has the pandemic affected your farm’s milk market? We are fortunate that our milk continues to be picked up and has not had to be dumped. Early on at the start of the pandemic, we were notied we would be a farm designated to dump if necessary. The price per hundredweight plummeted by $5 in just a matter of weeks, causing us to lose one-third of our monthly income compared to the previous month’s milk price. What adjustments have you made for on-farm protocols because of COVID-19? Basically, life on the dairy has remained pretty normal in a not-sonormal world. We have made no on-farm adjustments in relation to COVID-19. We have four full-time employees who all live within a short driving distance from the dairy. We use common sense practices which include frequent hand washing and not coming to work if sick. All deliveries and trafc on and off the farm have remained the same. How will the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program payment help your dairy with operating expenses? Spring always brings extra expenses in the form of fuel, seed and fertilizer. We are at a point where any assistance, whether in the form of grants or low interest loans, will denitely help. Our farm was able to secure funds through the PPP program. Do you think COVID-19 has been handled properly? Viruses of all kinds have been and always will be a part of our lives. With new viruses comes many unknowns and fear. In the beginning, I was supportive of the stay-at-home order to allow some time to get a better handle on what we were up against. We have learned a lot in a very short amount of time, but yes, there are still many unknowns. At this point, it is time to start opening up our economy by allowing businesses to open and allow people to make smart, common sense decisions on how to live with COVID-19. We can’t stay shut down forever. In the process of this shutdown, there are many, many businesses that will not reopen. When you lose businesses, you lose schools. And when you lose schools, you lose towns. Human life is important but so is living life. How has the pandemic shed light on the importance of the dairy industry and food production? My involvement in the dairy industry has allowed me to participate in a couple of crisis drills. All aspects of the dairy industry from farmer, to co-op, to processor, to lender, to policy, to promotion come together in a room and are presented with a crisis that you need to gure out how to navigate. You learn quickly that during a crisis all walls within the industry need to come down and everyone needs to work together for the good of the industry. In the United States, we have the safest, most affordable and easily abundant food supply that, quite seriously, we all take for granted. Because dairy is perishable and our industry relies so heavily on a supply and demand balance, this pandemic showed how quickly the process of food production from the farm to the table can become discombobulated and the devastating ramications that can have on both the producer and the consumer. What changes would you make to the food supply chain? I know our promotion organizations have done a great job bridging the gaps between processor and retail, but this pandemic showed we have more work to do in that area. When retailers were posting signs limiting sales of milk suggesting that there was a shortage, but yet many farms were dumping milk, that sent a loud and clear message that there was a disconnect. Food from farm to table means that everyone in the whole supply chain needs to work together and understand how one thing affects another. Tell us about your farm. Mark and I farm in a partnership with Mark’s twin brother, Mike. On April 1, we celebrated the 26th year anniversary of Spadgenske Dairy. We milk 350 cows, farm 1,000 acres of corn silage and hay, and raise our own replacement heifers. We have four children; Ryan (who works on the dairy full time) and his wife, Jen; Kate (who is attending Ridgewater College); Adam and Seth.
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020 • Page 17
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020
Repro Leaders
Zirbel Dairy Farms achieves 37% preg rate Zirbel Dairy Farms LLC De Pere, Wisconsin Brown County 1,000 cows milking, 230 dry cows, 800 heifers
days in milk. We start breeding the heifers at 13 months old.
What was your pregnancy rate average last year? 37%
What is your reproduction program? We use a combination of programs. All milking cows are on a synch program and are A.I. bred around 74 days in milk. If a cow is found open during herd
What is your voluntary waiting period for cows? For heifers? For cows, the voluntary waiting period is 74
What is your rst service conception rate? 55%-60%
PHOTO SUBMITTED
PHOTO SUBMITTED
A dairy-beef calf rests in straw at Zirbel Dairy Farms in De Pere, Wisconsin. A large porƟon of the herd is bred to beef.
Zirbel Dairy Farms’ reproducƟon team – (from leŌ) Dr. Freg Ballweg, veterinarian from Valley Veterinary Clinic; Kris Scheider, Zirbel Dairy Farms LLC partner; Gunner Umnus, CentralStar A.I. reproducƟve specialist; and Brandon Kruswick, CentralStar A.I. reproducƟve specialist – helped the dairy achieve a 37% pregnancy rate in 2019. The dairy milks 1,000 cows near De Pere, Wisconsin. check, she is enrolled in timed on the system are bred and around 32 days since last heat. A.I. if she qualies. We also ones that have lower activity Cows that are open are enrolled use activity monitors to help us are checked daily by trained into the timed A.I. program. with heat detection and breed A.I. personnel. those cows if needed. What is your breeding How do you conrm philosophy? How do you How do you observe for heat? pregnant or open cows? Cows select bulls? What traits do We mainly use the activity have an ultrasound weekly you focus on? Does fertility monitors for heat detections. by a licensed veterinarian. Turn to ZIRBEL | Page 20 Cows that have high activity Typically, we check cows
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020 • Page 19
Bring out the best in yorur investment
Dennis Thyen
Dealer Inquiries Welcome!
46310 164th Street Watertown, SD 57201 605.881.0647 Email: ddthyen@gmail.com
“The more we use it, the more we love it!” — Bryan Landsverk
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“We keep this in the robot rooms and spray the SCC cows exiting. We use it on fresh cows, all fresh heifers especially. “Udder edema and robots are not a good combination. Softening udders with Udder Comfort works so well. We are so glad to have this product.”
LANDSVERK DAIRY, FOSSTON, MN Bryan and Bridget Landsverk 320 cows, 6 Robots Certified Organic since 1997
Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020
ConƟnued from ZIRBEL | Page 18
play a role in bull selection? We have a smaller barn that was built in 1990 that we still use today. Those stalls are a little smaller than the other freestalls we have. So, we have a small portion of our herd that are Jerseys or Jersey crossbreds. We have been crossbreeding cows for about nine years. We select bulls based on ve categories. We focus on pounds of milk, stature, combined fat and protein, daughter pregnancy rate and sire conception rate. Since we have heifers that are custom raised in Kansas, our stature needs to be on the lower side. We have focused on DPR for the last eight years and have made huge strides. We try to be ahead of the curve instead
of behind it. So, we have very little proven sires in our herd. Sires typically are used for 3-4 months and then are changed out. If any sires do not perform well within that time frame, they are removed. Some that perform extremely well may stay for 4-6 months. How are cows and heifers bred? Do you have a different philosophy for breeding both? We are breeding to maintain and not grow our cow herd. Cows are bred according to their matings. The top 20% of our herd is bred to sexed semen, and the rest are bred to beef semen. The Jersey herd is a little different. The top 10% are bred to sexed semen, 11%30% conventional semen and Cows eat feed in a freestall barn at Zirbel Dairy Farms in De Pere, Wisconsin. then the rest to beef semen. Heifers are raised at a heifer facility in Kansas. They are bred at 13 months of age. We have recently switched to breeding all the heifers to beef to help control our heifer numbers we would like to maintain. What do you do to settle hard breeders? We keep going until it’s economically unfeasible to keep the hard breeding cows. PHOTO SUBMITTED
A cow rests aŌer having a Holstein calf at Zirbel Dairy Farms in De Pere, Wisconsin. The top 20% of the Holstein milking herd is bred to sexed semen with the remaining bred with beef semen.
How many times do you try to breed a cow before you sell her? For us, it is not about how many times we breed her, it is
Free Stalls
based on how much milk she is giving per day. Cutoff for us is 70 pounds for the Holstein herd and 50 pounds for the Jersey and crossbred herd. Is there anything you have done or changed that brought about a signicant improvement in your reproductive program? Consistency is No. 1. Having the same person give all the setup shots is very important along with making sure that person is committed to those shots and nothing else for that time frame. Cow comfort is also extremely important.
Tell us about your farm. Zirbel Dairy Farms is a multigenerational farm. The farm is owned and operated by the fourth generation of the Zirbel family along with their son, Jordan Zirbel, and daughter and son-in-law, Chelsea and Kris Scheider. Kris and Chelsea have three kids: Owen, 14, Olivia, 11, and Evelyn, 9. Each person has a management role specic to their personal interests, and those different interests keep the farm in excellent balance.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020 • Page 21
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8 JD R990R, 2019, #166685.........................................................................................$65,300 8 New Holland H7550, 2014, #167351 ..................................................................$20,500 8 JD 635, 2013, #169331 ..............................................................................................$19,900 ROW CROP TRACTORS 4 JD 7210R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, 540/1000 pto, Duals, Ldr, 836 hrs., #163862........$179,500 4 JD 8270R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, PS, 540/1000 PTO, Duals, 1041 hrs., #163842......$204,900 4 JD 6145R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 436 hrs., #147213 ............$134,900 4 JD 6175R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, Partial PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 2008 hrs., #157577 ....................................................................................................$128,000 4 JD 6145M, 2017, Cab, MFWD, Partial PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 2650 hrs., #156660 .......................................................................................................$85,000 2 JD 8245R, 2017, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 1063 hrs., #153517..............$169,500 2 JD 8345R, 2014, Cab, MFWD w/Susp IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 3324 hrs., #166449 .$18,9900 2 JD 8345R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 1000 PTO, Duals, 226 hrs., #156041 .$299,500 2 JD 6145R, 2019, Cab, MFWD, PS, 540/1000 PTO, Singles, 255 hrs., #153236 ....$139,500 2 Case IH Magnum 290, 2011, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, PS, 1000 PTO, Duals, 2850 hrs., #167254 ........................................................................................$115,900 10 JD 8245R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 249 hrs., #148226 ..$228,900 10 JD 8370R, 2015, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 1000 pto, 2100 hrs., #156835 ...........$229,500 17 JD 8100, 1995, Cab, PS, 1000 pto, 7920 hrs., #163584 ............................................$59,500 17 JD 6155R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 136 hrs., #147651......$136,900 17 JD 6175R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 73 hrs., #148777 $172,900 17 JD 8245R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, PS, 1000 pto, Duals, 206 hrs, #148229 .................$204,900 17 JD 8330, 2007, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 5598 hrs., #168270 ....... $105,000 17 JD 8320R, 2014, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, PS, 1000 pto, duals, 3289 hrs., #155355 .$149,500 7 JD 8245R, 2017, Cab, MFWD, PS, 1000 pto, Duals, 2084 hrs., #165917 ..............$158,400 7 JD 8245R, 2017, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 1089 hrs., #162058..............$199,900 7 NH T7.260 T4A, 2011, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 7700 hrs., #169557 .......................................................................................................$74,900 7 JD 4020, 2WD, Syncro, 540 pto, Loader, 3351 hrs., #168799 ...................................$13,495 6 JD 7210R, 2017, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 915 hrs., #153518........$159,500 6 JD 8295R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 816 hrs., #163758 ..$251,900 6 JD 8335R, 2012, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 2591 hrs., #167926 $174,900 6 JD 8320R, 2014, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 540/1000 pto, 2074 hrs., #167228 ...$196,400 6 JD 8285R, 2013, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 2581 hrs., #167775 $159,900 1 JD 8400R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, 1000 pto, Duals, 228 hrs., #148294 .........$314,900 1 JD 8270R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, PS, 1000 pto, Duals, 127 hrs., #148233 ...$234,900 1 JD 8370R, 2015, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 2759 hrs., #167919 $214,900 1 JD 6145R, 2019, MFWD w/Susp, PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 244 hrs., #153237 $137,900 1 JD 6145R, 2019, Cab, MFWD, PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 283 hrs., #153238......$134,900 12 JD 6155M/ 640R Loader, 2019, Cab, MFWD, Partial PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 100 hrs., #153304 ........................................................................................$134,900 15 JD 8245R, 2017, Cab, MFWD, PS, 1000 pto, Duals, 1854 hrs., #165918 ..............$163,900 15 JD 8320R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 174 hrs., #155882 ..$299,500 15 JD 6175R, 2017, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Singles, Loader, 1738 hrs., #169033 ....................................................................................................$134,900 15 JD 6155R, 2017, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 1904 hrs., #169034 ......$99,000 15 Case IH MX240, 2001, Cab, MFWD, PS, 1000 pto, Duals, 7624 hrs., #167682 ......$43,900
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320-763-4220 5005 Co. Rd. 82 SE
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15 JD 8345R, 2014, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 2139 hrs., #167776 $199,900 16 JD 8335R, 2012, Cab, MFWD w/Susp IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 3200 hrs., #165963.$159,500 16 JD 6145M, 2016, Cab, MFWD, Partial PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, Loader, 464 hrs., #166650 ......................................................................................................$112,900 16 JD 8320R, 2015, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 462 hrs., #163735 ..$262,400 16 JD 8345R, 2016, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, PS, 1000 pto, Duals, 1645 hrs., #146351.$259,000 16 JD 8400R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, 1000 pto, Duals, 235 hrs., #148295 .........$314,900 16 JD 7800, 1994, Cab, 2WD, PS, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 7028 hrs., #169438 ...............$39,400 16 JD 8370R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 724 hrs., #169242 ..$319,500 16 JD 8370R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 921 hrs., #169244 ..$319,500 16 JD 8245R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 395 hrs., #169249 ..$239,500 16 JD 8370R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 691 hrs., #169243 ..$319,500 16 JD 8370R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 740 hrs., #169241 ..$319,500 16 JD 8245R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 595 hrs., #169246 ..$239,500 16 JD 8245R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 547 hrs., #169247 ..$239,500 16 JD 8245R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Susp, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 829 hrs., #169248 ..$239,500 5 JD 8345R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 189 hrs., #165247 ......................................................................................................$319,000 5 JD 6145R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 313 hrs., #147212......$129,500 5 Allis-Chalmers 200, 1974, Cab, 2WD, Syncro, 540/1000 pto, 7000 hrs., #169651$9,500 11 JD 6145M, 2016, Cab, MFWD, Partial PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, Loader, 430 hrs., #141878 ......................................................................................................$112,900 11 JD 8345R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 411 hrs., #147199 ......................................................................................................$299,500 11 New Holland TM165, 2000, Cab, MFWD, Partial PS, 1000 pto, Duals, 4193 hrs., #169707 .......................................................................................................$34,995 11 JD 7230, 2010, Cab, MFWD, Partial PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, Loader, 1966 hrs., #168726 .......................................................................................................$69,995 8 JD 8295R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 153 hrs., #166651 ......................................................................................................$291,900 8 JD 7210R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 861 hrs., #163755........$154,900 8 JD 6175R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 148 hrs., #168137......$157,000 8 JD 7810, 2000, Cab, MFWD, PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 15044 hrs., #168906 .......$34,900 8 JD 6145M, ‘18, Cab, MFWD, Partial PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, Loader, 107 hrs., #168135 ......................................................................................................$129,900 14 JD 8345R, 2016, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT,1000 pto, Duals, 1931 hrs., #166297 ....................................................................................................$239,900 14 JD 8245R, 2017, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 1225 hrs., #162059 ....................................................................................................$212,900 14 JD 7320, 2004, Cab, MFWD, Partial PS, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 9085 hrs., #169695.$37,900 14 JD 8300, 1995, Cab, MFWD, PS, 1000 pto, Duals, 10129 hrs., #158662 ..................$49,500 14 JD 6145R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, Loader, 436 hrs., #167089 ......................................................................................................$142,900 14 JD 8360R, 2013, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 1293 hrs., #167687 ....................................................................................................$219,000 3 JD 8335R, 2011, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 5011 hrs., #165966 ....................................................................................................$139,000 3 JD 7215R, 2013, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 2782 hrs., #167434......$114,900
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Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020
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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, SD 605-886-7401 Sioux Falls, SD 800-284-0015 S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Professional Dairy Systems Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
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WASHINGTON – United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced details of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program May 19. The program will provide up to $16 billion in direct payments to deliver relief to America’s farmers and ranchers impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic. “America’s farming community is facing an unprecedented situation as our nation tackles the coronavirus,â€? Perdue said. “President Trump has authorized (the United States Department of Agriculture) to ensure our patriotic farmers, ranchers and producers are supported, and we are moving quickly to open applications to get payments out the door and into the pockets of farmers. These payments will help keep farmers aďƒ&#x;oat while market demand returns as our nation reopens and recovers. America’s farmers are resilient and will get through this challenge just like they always do with faith, hard work and determination.â€? CFAP provides vital ďƒžnancial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a 5% or greater price decline due to COVID-19 and face additional signiďƒžcant marketing costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production and disruptions to shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities. Farmers and ranchers will receive direct support, drawn from two possible funding sources. The ďƒžrst source of funding is $9.5 billion in appropriated funding provided in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Stability Act to compensate farmers for losses due to price declines that occurred between mid-January and mid-April, and provides support for specialty crops for product that had been shipped from the farm between the same time period but subsequently spoiled due to loss of marketing channels. The second funding source uses the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act to compensate producers for $6.5 billion in losses due to on-going market disruptions. For dairy, the total payment will be calculated based on a producer’s certiďƒžcation of milk production for the ďƒžrst quarter of calendar year 2020 multiplied by a national price decline during the same quarter. The second part of the payment is based on a national adjustment to each producer’s production in the ďƒžrst quarter. To ensure the availability of funding throughout the application period, producers will receive 80% of their maximum total payment upon approval of the application. The remaining portion of the payment, not to exceed the payment limit, will be paid at a later date as funds remain available. Beginning May 26, the USDA, through the Farm Service Agency, will be accepting applications from agricultural producers who have suffered losses. Documentation to support the producer’s application and certiďƒžcation may be requested. FSA has streamlined the signup process to not require an acreage report at the time of application, and a USDA farm number may not be immediately needed. Applications will be accepted through Aug. 28. Additional information and application forms can be found at http://www.farmers. gov/cfap.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020 • Page 23
Swanson siblings devote time, work to building herd By Andrea Borgerding andrea.b@dairystar.com
HUTCHINSON, Minn. – Ask each of the three Swanson sisters what they love about farming and they will agree that working with family to care for their cows is something they cherish. That dedication to cows and to each other has brought three sisters – Sierra, 22, McKenzie, 18, and Shelby, 14 – to build their own dairy herd
Sisters dedicated to dairy called Three Sisters Dairy. The dairy consists of 15 cows and 15 heifers housed on the family’s farm owned by their uncle and aunt, Mike and Kacie Kurth, near Hutchinson. “We are really proud of the little herd we have here and hope to continue to do what we are doing,” Sierra said. Although they did not grow up on the farm site, the Swanson sisters are no strangers to dairying. The three grew up doing chores on what was originally their grandpa’s, LeRoy Kurth’s, farm. Today, their uncle and aunt, Mike and Kacie Kurth, own KurthHaven Farms. Their mother, Kari
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Sierra Swanson owns a herd of caƩle with her sisters near Hutchinson, Minnesota.
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The Swanson sisters – (from leŌ) Shelby, McKenzie and Sierra – stand with three of their animals May 14 on their uncle and aunt, Mike and Kacie Kurth’s, farm near Hutchinson, Minnesota. The trio owns 30 animals. Swanson, milked cows and herd. own animals,” Sierra said. was a herdsman when their “We earned money being Younger sister McKenzie grandpa owned the farm. in the showcase and used that claims the Red and White “Me and Mom would start to reinvest back into our project Holsteins as her favorite. McKenzie is a senior milking and talk about our day and buy some animals of our during milking,” Sierra said. own,” Sierra said. “That’s how at Hutchinson High School where she is active in FFA Sierra is a recent graduate we got started in this.” from the University of All of the cows have all and serves as the chapter’s Minnesota where she earned three of the sisters’ names on secretary. She is also the a degree in animal science and them. The herd consists of secretary for the local 4-H dairy production. eight Red and White Holsteins, group as well as the treasurer Sierra and her sisters two Brown Swiss with the for the McLeod County Junior Holstein Association. After began building their herd when remainder being Holsteins. they were each gifted a calf Each sister claims a graduation, she plans to attend Minnesota West Community from their grandpa. Each one favorite breed in the herd. of them went on to show a calf Sierra received a Brown Swiss and Technical College in the at the Minnesota State Fair. as a gift when she was 3 years dental assisting program. “I enjoy working with Their participation in the 4-H old which fueled a love for the Dairy Showcase at the state breed. fair spurred the growth of their “That was the start of my Turn to SWANSON | Page 25
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Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020 • Page 25
ConƟnued from SWANSON | Page 24 family and doing everything I love with family,” McKenzie said. McKenzie’s main tasks on the dairy include milking pen and fresh cows, bedding the pens and helping with calves. She plans to continue helping the dairy when she goes to college in the fall. The show ring is where McKenzie nds her real passion for dairy. “Showing at the fair is one of my favorite things,” McKenzie said. The three sisters have gained a positive show ring reputation at local fairs where they are known as “the sisters.” The entire family, including their cousins, the Kurths, bring up to 20 animals to the county fair. Their reputation in the show ring carries into their breeding and caring for quality cattle, which is something the Swansons hope continues to grow. “We want to keep improving the quality of our herd,” Sierra said. Youngest sister Shelby has also found success in the show ring at a young age. Shelby is an eighth grader at Immanuel Lutheran School where she participates in dance, basketball and
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Shelby Swanson shows a dairy animal at a recent Minnesota State Fair. Shelby is the youngest of the three sisters that comprises Three Sisters Dairy.
softball in addition to being the reporter for the 4-H club. She is also a McLeod County Dairy Ambassador. Shelby said she enjoys working and being with the cows every day. “I help wherever I’m needed,” Shelby said. “I get to do a variety of jobs and I’m Grandpa’s right-hand man.” Shelby’s favorite cows are the Holsteins. She bought her rst Holstein, Josie, with the money she earned the rst year participating in the dairy showcase at the state fair. “I started with that one calf I bought and now she just calved with a heifer,” Shelby said. “I’m so excited.” Despite their individual preferences, the sisters agree when it comes to growing and improving their herd. When one of their cows is due, they all are present for the calving. Living ve minutes from the farm, the Swansons will check on a cow every night at 1 a.m. until she freshens. “We are all in this together so we all get up to check a cow,” McKenzie said. “It’s very exciting when we get heifer calves. Sometimes we are out here all night moving the calf and milking the cow. We are just smiling and happy our herd is growing.” Last December, the Swansons had several cows due. They had three heifers born each night Dec. 1517, 2019. “We are very proud of those winter calves,” Sierra said. “It was very cold during that time, and we all got very little sleep.” Three Sisters Dairy operates under an agreement with their uncle, who milks 85 cows. “We each have our own fund, and then we have a sister fund, too, so that if we sell one cow we can all decide what to do next,” Sierra said. The sisters’ hard work and dedication to dairying is something their mother is proud of. “I have some super kids, and I get to work with them every day,” Kari said. Kari works mornings and evenings at the dairy. During the day, she works with husband, David, at their insurance agency in Fairfax. “If I want to hang out with the kids, I need to work with the cows,” Kari said. The Swanson sisters will be at the farm every day after school and on the weekends. Their passion for dairy clearly shows through their efforts.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
McKenzie Swanson beds animals at KurthHaven Farm near Hutchinson, Minnesota.
“We want to continue to work with the family we have here and develop our herd,” Sierra said. “We are trying to breed good cow families so we can show and produce well.” Sierra plans to continue dairying on her family’s farm and hopes to have her own farm some day. She is also planning on obtaining a job within the dairy industry while continuing to grow her herd. With family dedication and three sisters’ passion for dairy, the future of Three Sisters Dairy looks promising.
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020
Acreage reporting dates As a reminder, Farm Service Agency ofces are open by phone appointments only at this time. Please call your local ofce to make an appointment, or we will work with you to complete your paperwork FSA News & Notes by mail or email. . 2020 acreage reporting dates In order to comply with FSA program eligibility requirements, all producers are encouraged to call their local FSA ofce to le an accurate crop certication report by the applicable By Ryan Brunn deadline. Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. The following acreage reporting dates are applicable for Minnesota: – July 15, perennial forage, spring-seeded crops and CRP. – Aug. 15, hemp (must provide license number). The following exceptions apply to the above acreage reporting dates: – If the crop has not been planted by the above acreage reporting date, then the acreage must be reported no later than 15 calendar days after planting is completed. – If a producer acquires additional acreage after the above acreage reporting date, then the acreage must be reported no later than 30 calendar days after purchase or acquiring the lease. Appropriate documentation must be provided to the county ofce. If a perennial forage crop is reported with the intended use of cover only, green manure, left standing or seed, then the acreage must be reported by July 15. Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program policy holders should note that the acreage reporting date for NAP. Again, with the ofces open by phone appointments only, call your local ofce to complete this task. 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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Shining a spotlight on dairy’s environmental stewardship, sustainability
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020 • Page 27
Last month, marking the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the Innovation Center for Dairy set environmental stewardship goals, supporting a vision that dairy is an environmental solution. By 2050, U.S. dairy collectively – at the eld, farm and processor level – commits to: – Become carbon neutral or better. – Optimize water use while maximizing recycling. – Improve water quality by optimizing utilization of manure and nutrients. By Suzanne Vold Our work to advance Midwest Dairy sustainability is vital, and corporate board these goals showcase dairy member farmers’ ongoing commitment to continuously improving their best practices. As a farmer representative on the Environmental Stewardship Committee, I wanted to share some background on how the goals were developed and what we can do together to reach them. The goals were thoughtfully developed by dairy farmers, scientists, cooperatives, processors, industry leaders and representatives of academia, ensuring they were impactful and achievable. During a twoyear process, we worked through multiple versions, articulating the goals and understanding why the impact was signicant. These goals are proactive and are not mandated. We as a community voluntarily set them to advance dairy’s role in building a sustainable future and remaining competitive in the global market. I believe we can achieve them and see U.S. dairy thrive. As farmers, we have always been part of the environmental solution. In fact, producing a gallon of milk in 2017 involved 30% less water, 21% less land and a 19% smaller carbon footprint than it did in 2007, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Animal Science. Our shared commitment – from farm to the table – fueled these results. Dairy farmers consider sustainability in every decision, wanting to leave nutrient-rich land along with clean water and air for the next generations. The challenge is, many people do not readily connect farming with sustainability. So, it is more important than ever to share our stories because consumers make purchase decisions based on what they believe is good for them and good for the environment, and companies with signicant buying power – domestically and globally – demand data showcasing sustainability. We know there is not a one-size-ts-all approach. We do not all have funding to make capital investments. A digester is not the right t for everyone. And that is not the expectation of these goals. But we can all commit to continuing and expanding our environmental stewardship practices. Collective efforts will achieve these goals, and that means something different for each of us. What can you do? Share your story about your current practices, from using natural fertilizer (yes, I am talking about manure) to planting cover crops to reusing water. Interact with consumers on social media or contribute a letter to the editor about your sustainability efforts. When the time is right, strike up a conversation in the dairy aisle or invite a school class to visit your farm – something you could do
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virtually right now. Let us help our communities see sustainability is a factor in all our decisions. Take a look at what your neighbors are doing. Are there other ideas you could incorporate into your practices? Consider things like more cover crops, optimized feed rations and renewable energy – small changes lead to big results. Above all, remember these goals are not intended to put undue pressure or strain on farmers. We are moving in the right direction with technology and research evolving to help get there more efciently. But to continue competing in the market, we need to publicly share these initiatives and our stories about how we are achieving them. There is still a long way to go, but by setting ambitious, attainable goals, we challenge ourselves
and prove to the world that we can do it. We are well on our way. We have been doing this sustainability work for years, – decades, really – but where we can do a little better is in sharing our stories and diligently tracking results. The U.S. dairy supply chain will work together to identify multiple pathways to collectively reach these goals. We will all play a role. The work we do now to tell our story will pay off for years and generations to come, and our co-ops, checkoff and community will be there supporting us along the way. After all, we are in this for the long haul, so let us be in it together. Suzanne Vold is a Midwest Dairy corporate board member and a dairy farmer representative on the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy Environmental Stewardship Committee.
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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020 Joe Armstrong armst225@umn.edu 612.624.3610 Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130 Hugh Chester-Jones chest001@umn.edu 507-835-3622 Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391 Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177 Joleen Hadrich jhadrich@umn.edu 612-626-5620 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711 Nathan Hulinsky huli0013@umn.edu 320-203-6104 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu 612-625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Emily Krekelberg krek0033@umn.edu 507-280-2863 Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093 Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205 M. Scott Wells mswells@umn.edu 612-625-3747
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Labor management through a global pandemic We are in uncharted territory with the novel coronavirus pandemic. We have all heard stories in the news and through friends about processing plant closures and animals being euthanized. These are all unfortunate situations that are often out of our control. Today, I want to focus on things that are within our control in this uncertain time. Farm owners and managers are leaders to their employees and to their family who they are supporting. In times of uncertainty, leaders need to be transparent, credible and accountable. I am sure most of us have received an email or heard an advertisement from a company, like a hotel chain or local By Nathan J. business, comforting us by saying they are Hulinsky there for us during this time of crisis. Have U of M Extension farm managers or small business leaders done the same for their employees and families? This may be an opportunity to spread a positive message about agricultural while being upfront about the obstacles farms and small businesses are currently facing. We all need to lead by example. Agriculture can be an example of how to respond to the pandemic while still providing essential products. Has your farm posted social distancing guidelines? Has your farm posted protocols or discipline steps in place for employees if they do not follow your posted social distancing guidelines? And do you have access to and are providing adequate personal protection equipment for your employees? Whenever possible, make sure you keep the 6-foot distance from other workers. Some good strategies to help lessen the chance of disease transmission include having non-overlapping shifts, reducing the amount of contact between employees and staggered employee breaks to decrease physical interaction between employees. Using a whiteboard to help write down the day’s tasks instead of in-person meetings decreases in-person contact. Using cell phone for calls or texts to help explain what needs to be done instead of face-to-face speaking can help keep people safe. Social distancing does not mean stopping interactions with your employees. From a safe distance, check in with those you work with and ask how they are doing. How are their families coping with our current situation? Do they have any schoolaged children home with completely different schedules from two months ago? Does their schedule need to be adjusted to accommodate this new schedule? Showing appreciation to your employees with provided meals also helps build workplace and team spirit. Simple things can help improve employee morale
and do not cost extra. Smile, wave, be personable, check-in with people, enjoy the outdoors, and thank your employees for being there. You are all essential employees in food production, and the world needs you now more than ever; let your employees know. Unemployment in the United States has surged the past month with millions applying for unemployment benets. Although high unemployment rates may not translate immediately into lling the gaps in farm labor, there may be opportunity to hire workers in the coming weeks and months. Hiring restaurants workers for farm work. It is a different part of the food preparing process. There are a lot of college students home. Has the farming sector reached out to them for employment, part time or more? I recently read a quote from Mark Cuban, a “Shark Tank” host and entrepreneur. “If you want to retain your workers, … then you’re going to have to treat them better. You’re going to have to reward them. You’re going to have to practice compassionate capitalism.” When you are hiring, it is important to emphasize the benets the employee will receive working for your farm or small business, whether that be monetary or non-monetary. This will allow you to recruit a strong employee pool and build a sense of loyalty within your business. There are programs available for farmers to help them nancially through this tough time. The University of Minnesota Extension has up-to-date information on new economic relief programs and changes to existing programs both from the federal and state level. One very relevant program is the Paycheck Protection Program through the Small Business Administration. Agricultural producers, farm businesses, ranchers and sole proprietors can apply for this program. The amount that one can borrow is 2.5 times your average monthly payroll cost. One applies through participating banks and lending institutions with pre-existing SBA relationships. The money is limited and applications for the PPP have been high. Not everyone will be able to obtain funds. There are also Economic Injury Disaster Loans and EIDL Emergency Advances. Agricultural enterprises can apply through the SBA for the EIDL and EIDL Emergency Advances. The emergency advance can be forgivable and is up to $10,000. The EIDLs are low-interest loans. Another great resource with health and safety tips is the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center. Their website is http://www.umash.umn.edu/covid-19-resources/. We will all get through this storm; things may be different, but there will always be cows to milk and elds to attend to. Hopefully, our commodity markets improve soon, and we can get back to our new normal. In the meantime, stay positive and stay healthy.
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Successful early dry off strategies
Estimates are that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the supply of milk to exceed the demand for milk by up to 10%. The hope is that this reduced domestic demand and lower exports will be temporary. As a result, in some areas of the country, processors are dumping milk. Other farmers are under milk quotas or are being asked to reduce supply. There are many options to reduce herd milk production. The ďƒžrst choice should be to cull any cows that are not performing. Carefully scrutinize cows that are milking below average and may have other issues such as an elevated somatic cell count. Another option is to dry off mid- to late-lactation cows early. This option is better than strategies that purposely decrease production across the herd. Strategies that decrease By Jim Salfer milk production in early lactation cows will decrease milk U of M Extension production for the entire lactation. However, it is important to develop a strategy for dry off and treatment of cows with long dry days to minimize the risk of transition problems when these cows calve again. One of the main goals should be to maintain cow health and ensure cows have the capacity to resume normal milk production in the subsequent lactation. Here are some ideas to consider that will increase the likelihood that this strategy is successful. – Proper dry off protocols. Management practices to reduce milk production of high producing cows at dry off will reduce the risk of dry period mastitis. Research has shown that there is an increased mastitis risk when drying off high producing cows. Rapid teat end closure after dry off reduces the likelihood of new mastitis infections. University of Guelph research showed that the level of milk production before dry off was the biggest predictor of time to teat end closure. If cows were milking less than 47 pounds at dry off, 70% of teat ends were closed within a week. However, only 43% of cows’ teats closed at all in high producing cows. – Reducing the nutrient density of rations rapidly reduces milk production in cows. This can be achieved by feeding a high forage diet and reducing corn silage and grain intake. Reducing the milking frequency can also be an option. Do this in conjunction with, not instead of, a reduced nutrient density diet. Reducing the number of milkings per day can be done without increasing mastitis risk, provided that teat ends are kept clean and dry. It is also beneďƒžcial to use teat sealants to reduce the risk of mastitis. – Feed appropriate diets. Gaining weight during the dry period increases the risk of metabolic disorders at calving. The energy requirement of dry cows is very low. House these cows in an area where they get adequate exercise and can be fed a very low energy diet. The goal is to maintain a body condition score of 2.75 to 3.25. Housing these long days dry cows with growing heifers or feeding a diet to gain weight will set them up for an unsuccessful next lactation. Work with your nutritionist to formulate diets based on dry matter intake that meets the cow’s nutritional needs while monitoring body condition score. – Provide appropriate housing. Do you have enough space to house the extra dry cows? Many dry cow pens are already at maximum capacity. One option is to create a pasture or dry lot for these cows. However, it is important this area be large enough, contain shade and be well drained. You can use portable feeders or a feed line on concrete so these cows stay clean and dry. If the lactating barn has space, consider creating a dry cow pen in that barn. – Provide adequate cooling. Nine research trials done on cooling dry cows have all shown an improvement in milk production in the subsequent lactation. Another reason to cool dry cows is that heifer calves born from cooled cows produce more milk. University of Florida research showed that under extreme heat stress, calves born from cows that were cooled during the dry period averaged 6 pounds more milk for the ďƒžrst 35 weeks of lactation after calving. Drying cows off early can be a component of a comprehensive plan to temporarily reduce milk production while maintaining cow numbers. Work with your nutritionist and veterinarian to develop dry-off and feeding strategies that do not affect the long-term health of the cows or productivity of the herd.
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The day-tripper Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020
It is difcult for a full-time dairy farmer to take vacations. Those cows have to be milked every day, and it is nearly impossible to nd a hotel whose complementary breakfast includes generous helpings of alfalfa hay. When I was a dairyman, I perfected the art of sneaking out on quick excursions between the morning and the evening milkings. In short, I became skilled in the art of day tripping. An example of this took place one summer Saturday when our youngest son, who was 14 at the time, had a friend over. Having a pair of 14-yearold boys at the house is like being cooped up with adolescent male tigers. They are always in motion, constantly testing each other with mock battles. They will begin pacing the oor the instant they become the least bit bored. “That’s enough,” I announced. “You boys are
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in Northeld, Minnesota, a few days earlier. Two of his gang members were killed during the ensuing gunght and two others were wounded, including Jesse’s brother, Frank. You cannot help but learn such historic tidbits Dear County Agent Guy when you travel. This is especially true when you visit a town that is so proud of its history that it erects numerous signs depicting a desperado and his horse vaulting across a rocky gulch. Nobody has made so much of such bad behavior except for the producers of “The Jerry By Jerry Nelson Springer Show.” Columnist The boys and I decided to walk the footpath that loops around Devil’s Gulch. It was quite pleasant except that our son and his pal had to stop on occasion, go to the edge of the rocky precipice and chuck pebbles into the abyss. The fact that there were not any guardrails did not bother them in the least, but it was certainly tough on my nerves. We eventually arrived at the infamous jumpingoff point. A footbridge has been erected across the gorge to accommodate us non-equestrian pedestrians. The boys paused halfway across the bridge to gawk at the lazy brook that owed 50 feet below. Persons downstream on Split Rock Creek probably noticed a large number of loogies oating by later that day. We must have had a pleasant afternoon because it suddenly became time to head home. The car took us back via a different route, and we were soon meandering our way through an unfamiliar small town. We motored languidly down a sleepy residential street in the oldest part of the village. My wife was driving. (She always drives. She says that my driving makes her nervous because I do not pay enough attention to the road.) I was staring blankly ahead. Her arm abruptly shot across my eld of view. “Look at that,” she exclaimed. I quickly swiveled my head to see where she was pointing. Based on the extreme urgency in her voice, I surmised that a tornado had dropped from the blue summer sky. Either that or she had spotted a red 1957 Chevrolet. I have always wanted a red ’57 Chevy. “What an adorable Victorian,” my wife gushed. “See that cute bay window and the fancy gingerbreading?” “Watch the road, Joanna Gaines,” I warned as the car slowly swerved. “You’re going to get ticketed for DUA: Driving Under the inuence of Architecture.” This led to a frank exchange of views between my wife and me regarding whether or not “House Hunters” is a fake show. Then the boys got squirrely, and we had to threaten them with several violations of the Child Welfare Act. By the time we got home, everyone was tired and crabby, and I was actually looking forward to spending some quality time with the cows. It was a very fun and fullling day trip. The only way it could have been improved would be if we had driven home in a red ’57 Chevy. Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, S.D. He and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry currently works full time for the Dairy Star as a staff writer/ad salesman. Feel free to E-mail him at: jerry.n@ dairystar.com.
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Spring frost damage to alfalfa
For much of the Midwest, a mild winter followed by an early spring gave this year’s alfalfa crop a nice boost. However, dipping temperatures in the past couple of weeks left some elds susceptible to frost damage. We cannot draw a direct line between temperatures reported by the local news outlets and the damage done to our alfalfa Something to Ruminate On elds. Temperature readings are captured by controlled weather stations generally located in areas with different conditions than most alfalfa elds. Te m p e r a t u r e s i m m e d i a t e l y surrounding an alfalfa plant can vary as well. Temperatures in the plant canopy By Barry Visser level are usually Nutritionist layered, meaning the temperature at the top of the canopy is colder than the temperature at the soil surface, which is colder than the soil in the taproot and crown area. This canopy temperature will also be higher than reported air temperatures. Soil temperatures, slope, wind and the microclimate within a eld can all have an effect. The extent of frost damage to alfalfa depends on the severity of the freezing and the results of the frost are not immediately apparent. Frozen alfalfa usually needs some time to recover before damage can be estimated. To complicate things a bit more, Dr. Stephan Barnhart, professor emeritus at Iowa State University, indicates tolerance of leaves to frost varies among varieties and individual plants and is not related to winter hardiness of the variety. In mild frost cases, leaves at the tops of the plants become wilted and discolored, but plants should completely recover. If the tip of the plant straightens, normal growth resumes. Frosts that occur at 26 degrees Fahrenheit and warmer can freeze leaf margins (resulting in white spots on leaves) but not damage stems or growing points. To assess the extent of the damage, do not only look for frozen or wilting leaves. You need to determine if the growing point was killed. This growing point (apical meristem) is where all new leaves, stems and branches initially develop on alfalfa. It is located inside the dense cluster of unfolded leaves at the top of the main stem. Because the growing point is inside a cluster of leaves, it is somewhat protected from cold injury. Exposed leaves and stems all around it can be frozen, wilted and dying while the growing point cluster survives, waiting for warm weather before continuing to grow. If the growing points in your alfalfa survived the freeze, wait for growth to begin again. If the growing point was killed, however, growth will cease on that stem. Any new growth must come from new crown shoots or from unfrosted axillary stems in the lower branches. Plants use up some of their root reserves for their initial spring growth. After growing points are frozen, these plants will then have to initiate regrowth from new crown or axillary buds. This will delay the growth and developments of the crop as well as use up more of the remaining root reserves. Healthy stands will recover more quickly. Depending on weather conditions, some rst-cut yield reduction and a delay in maturity can be anticipated. Where damage is uneven across a eld, there can be some unevenness in maturity. If possible, delay rst or second cuttings of severely affected elds to allow rebuilding of root reserves and full recovery. There is usually no benet to cutting frosted
plants, especially if growth is less than 20 inches. three to ve days after a frost. Plants will initially wilt Cutting will not enhance recovery and forage quality back. If the entire plant dies back to the ground, it is drops rapidly. Severe frost kills the growing points, dead. To survive and recover, one set of leaves must the same as cutting does. Regrowth would have to survive. Reseeding may be required if less than 15-20 come from new crown buds viable plants per square foot and may further weaken survive. the stand. Yield may be IImmediately U n f o r t u n a t e l y, di l after f emergence, extremely low with poor if your crop has been alfalfa seedlings have fair to quality. weakened by a frost, Damage to new good tolerance to cold injury. the effect may not be seedings of alfalfa is usually immediate. It may instead minimal. Immediately after come later in the season emergence, alfalfa seedlings when this stress to plant have fair to good tolerance to cold injury. Once they tissue makes it more susceptible to damage from reach the second trifoliate leaf stage, tolerance to foliar diseases, and sometimes insects, on regrowth. cold injury declines markedly. Four or more hours Work with your agronomist and continue scouting of exposure to 26 degrees can kill seedlings at this elds to determine if management strategies such as growth stage. Companion crops somewhat protect fungicides or insecticides can reduce risk. new alfalfa seedlings from frost damage. Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus. Before reseeding, assess the damage in new stands
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Making sense
Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020
How will our children and grandchildren remember these days of shutdown due to the novel coronavirus? Our grandchildren are too young and will never have a clue of life being any different. Our kids, on the other hand, have had to make adjustments. Michael and Katie are virtually working from their homes and having to stay put. Jonathon is able to go to work at the cooperative, but it is strange for him not to be able to shake hands with his farmers as a greeting or to close a deal. Austin has not seen many changes on the farm, but he is going to church in the living room in stocking feet with us every Sunday morning. I must admit, I do like listening to the sermon while I watch the birds at my new feeder outside the living room window or watch the tulips sway in the breeze. My sister-in-law is journaling her thoughts and feelings about the shutdown for her descendants to read about this historic time. It is hard to realize we are living through a moment
in history around the world. Did the survivors of the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic realize they were living through a moment in history too? What lessons will we bring through these times? I am having a hard time connecting with the severity of the situation because very little has changed for me on the farm. It does not make sense for me not to connect with friends and family when we are all healthy. We are staying away from Mark’s mom to ease her mind about catching this virus, but it is all common sense. Mark and Katie were talking the other day about the moment both Wisconsin and Minnesota would be set free. They envisioned people throwing caution to the wind, rushing to town like cows stampeding in spring to green pastures to get the rst bite of tender grass. The joy and serenity of being free played in slow motion. Or, they could end up like the rst cows in the winter that fall through the ice. A cold slap of reality that things are not really safe yet.
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I have found myself scanning through Facebook way too much these last few weeks. I am not the biggest fan of this social platform, but it does have its moments. Here are some of the better things people have shared that made me giggle and pause to Just Thinking Out Loud think. A dairy gal in southern Minnesota shared that she needs to social distance herself from the refrigerator so she can atten her curves. A college friend shared that the ofcial mascot of 2020 is a racoon. They always By Natalie Schmitt wear a mask, they Columnist compulsively wash their hands, and if you rearrange the letters in raccoon, you get corona. If you have gone through any transition or communication training classes, most have taken a personality trait test to determine if we are a lion, a beaver, an otter, a golden retriever or a combination. There are four possible outcomes of how we can come through the pandemic. Either as a monk, a hunk, a chunk or a drunk. Wearing cloth face masks really confuses me. I am not buying the thought they will keep me safe. Austin came to the barn with this story which conrms my idea. If a fart can escape between two cheeks, underwear and pair of jeans, what makes you think a cloth mask is going to keep the virus contained? It is like trying keep mosquitoes away with a chain link fence. Now try and argue with that logic without smiling. All kidding aside, I nd myself saying, “This just doesn’t make any sense.” How are some of these conclusions and possible solutions being reached? I sometimes feel like common sense has left the building. It reminds me of an article I found in my hometown paper years ago called “The Death of Common Sense.” “Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense. No one knows for sure how old he was, because his birth records were lost long ago in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered, though, for cultivating such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in and out of the rain. Why the early bird gets the worm. Life isn’t always fair; and maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by a simple sound nancial policy: Don’t spend more than you can earn. “His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher red for reprimanding an unruly student only worsened his condition. Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. “Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses, and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense nally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled some on her lap and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. “Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility, and his son, Reason. He is survived by his three step-brothers: I Know My Rights; Someone Else Is To Blame, and I’m a Victim. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.” May we use common sense as we try to gure out our actions and directions as we live through this moment in history. Natalie, Mark and his brother Al, farm together near Rice, Minn. They milk 100 registered Holsteins under the RALMA prex. Their four children are grown up and all involved in agriculture with hopes of someone returning to the farm. For questions or comments, please e-mail Natalie at mnschmitt@jetup.net.
Distractions and forts
I’ve been sitting here trying to write for 15 minutes. Since I rst sat down, the sound of someone yelling, “Mom!” has ricocheted through my ofce door once every 23 seconds. The well-thought-out ideas for this column are now scrambled in my brain. Don’t get me wrong. I love my children, and I love being a mother. But, at this moment, I could really use less summoning and more quiet concentration. I would like to tell the kids to go outside – to nd Dairy Good Life some chores to do or ride their bikes or work on their forts. But they’re doing their schoolwork. The thought I’ve had so many times since social distancing began pops into my head again: I am incredibly thankful that 90% of my work is done outside. I’m guessing my challenges pale in comparison to those parents who are trying to telework under the same roof as their children. About half of my summonses are the kids reporting the behavior of their siblings. It appears all of the rules from real school – worrying about oneself, being kind, being respectful, etc. – do not apply to school at home. By Sadie Frericks The other half of the summonses are requests for Columnist help with schoolwork. I just left my computer to help Daphne with her end-of-the-year animal report about bats. Thank heavens that by the time you read this, our school year will be over. I know school at home is going well for some families, but ours is not one of them. Now, back to writing. I’m sitting in our front yard with my laptop, knowing that if I’m out of earshot, the kids will usually sort their squabbles out themselves. But now I see two cows riding out in the pasture, and I’m trying to gure out who’s in heat. A week ago, this column was going to be about empty pastures, because we still had not let the cows out. With the lack of rainfall this spring, the grass just isn’t growing like it should. I’ve got my ngers and toes crossed for enough rain to allow the pasture to keep up with the cows. Dang distractions. What I really need is a pair of blinders and a set of earplugs. I’m quite certain this is why cubicles were invented. Back to writing, again. What I intended this column to be about – prior to the mind addling – was all of the kids’ forts. A couple weeks into social distancing, Daphne got tired of spending endless hours in her bedroom doing schoolwork. Taking a break from videos and worksheets, she commenced building a fort in our living room. Using her gymnastics bar, the couch cushions, pillows, and blankets, she made herself a pretty snazzy indoor fort. Daphne’s fort reminded me of all the forts I made as a kid with my sisters and friends with the exact same couch cushions. I wonder if my father knew when he built these couches that they would support two generations of fort building. Daphne grumbles a bit when she has to deconstruct her fort on movie night, but each reconstruction has resulted in a better design. Her enthusiasm when showing off each new fort could be bottled and sold. But she’s not satised with simply better; she wants her fort to be bigger, too. She’s asked me twice now if I can order 15 more cushions in each of two sizes. Clearly, she’s grown up in an era of order and you shall receive. Even without extra cushions, Daphne’s fort has become a popular space. Don’t tell her, – she’s a little territorial – but I’ve caught Glen napping in her fort and Dan hiding in her fort messaging his friends. Indoor fort building quickly led to outdoor fort building. Dan and his band of boy cousins have had a rather elaborate fort in our grove for several years now. The boys’ fort has walls made of everything from woven branches to pallets to old gates. Basically, most of our scrap pile ends up out in the grove, repurposed as fort building material. Monika, Daphne, and their girl cousins have been talking about building their own forts in the woods for almost as long. Last week, Daphne nally started hers. I’ve watched from the barn and the kitchen as she’s hauled this and that from the yard to the woods. A couple times now I’ve seen her ask Glen for permission to use the ax, sling it over her shoulder like a lumberjack, and tromp off into her fort. The only pitfall of Daphne’s fort is its proximity to Dan’s. We do have several acres of woods, but Daphne picked the corner of the grove closest to the house. Dan’s fort is just an arrow’s shot beyond. I think Glen saw the potential trouble in the same light I did, so he devised a remedy. He made The Great Wall between their forts with a half dozen old wrapped square bales. Monika announced she would be the Wall Keeper and Supreme Judge to maintain boundaries and settle any disputes between the fort keepers. I’m thinking I might need to start building my own little fort in the woods – a place for the Fort Historian to secretly observe and document happenings. Until then, I’m hiding in Daphne’s blanket fort, nishing this column and the rest of my computer work. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minn. They have three children – Dan, 11, Monika, 8, and Daphne, 5. Sadie also writes a blog at www. dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020
Chester-Jones reects on 35 years of research
University of Minnesota professor set to retire June 2 By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
WASECA, Minn. – Hugh Chester-Jones’ career has been a perfect blend of his interests. “I’m not directly from a farm, but my mother’s side of the family are all farmers in north Wales. I spent a lot of time on those dairy, beef and sheep farms. That tweaked my interest in agriculture, and I built upon that.” Plus, his parents had careers in education – his mom as a high school biology teacher and his dad as a college professor. “There was a certain academic base I have to live up to,” Chester-Jones said. By combining the two, Chester-Jones has spent the last 35 years researching animal nutrition as a professior for beef and dairy production at the University of Minnesota Southern Research and Outreach Center in Waseca. Chester-Jones will retire from his position June 2. “I feel I’ve contributed to the objectives of applied animal science in both dairy and dairy beef,” he said. “I’ve interacted and collaborated with a lot of colleagues, farmers and students, and I’ve really enjoyed that over the years.” Originally from the United Kingdom, Chester-Jones studied agriculture in college in England. His experience working on farms in the UK, the industry
technical service and visiting his family’s farms plus an exchange program on a Canadian dairy farm furthered his interest in the industry. In 1971, after the Canadian dairy farm experience, Chester-Jones met his wife, Ann, originally from Massachusetts. Chester-Jones came to the United States in 1975. “I came here on a visitor visa and never left,” he said. After a brief stint working on a dairy, he started studying at the University of Massachusetts, where he received a bachelor’s degree in animal science. He went on to receive a master’s degree and Ph.D. in ruminant nutrition from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University while working full time as an agricultural supervisor managing an animal science research unit. In 1985, he made the move to Waseca to join the University of Minnesota’s SROC. His overall research focus has always been nutritional management, although not always in dairy. At rst, he worked on a sow to nish research project. He followed his predecessor in maintaining the dairy-beef program, which he said is one of his most notable research projects. “That was looking at an overall system and trying to streamline that from calf to
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Hugh Chester-Jones works with a calf at the Southern Research and Outreach Center in Waseca, Minnesota. He will reƟre June 2 from his role as a professor of beef and dairy producƟon. harvest,” Chester-Jones said. “The whole network of the dairy beef industry changed in the mid ‘80s through the mid ‘90s. It’s still an important enterprise.” His beef-dairy research included approaches to continuous feeding of high energy diets using whole versus cracked or a twophase system including some forage. “It’s simple, but a lot of people thought you can’t feed
whole corn to small calves,” Chester-Jones said. “We did that and then we fed whole corn all the way through.” They also studied incorporating hay into the ration along with alternative protein and energy sources such as beet pulp. He also evaluated implant strategies. “I think the main thing is we put together a system from 2 days to 14 months to show people the
options to get good calf growth,” Chester-Jones said. The research facility had small feedlots with pens of six; however, the industry starting growing to pens of 40-100 animals. “The perception was that we really didn’t have any relevant applied information anymore,” said Chester-Jones about the dairy-beef research. That is when he started to focus more on the heifer side of the industry. At rst, he researched the genetic differences in the SROC dairy herd, which was used by many researchers and students from the University of Minnesota-Waseca when it was still open. For the last 16 years, ChesterJones and colleagues have focused on a unique partnership between the University, select area dairy farms and the industry evaluating nutritional and management aspect of calves raised from 2-5 days up to 6 months then following these through rst lactation. The studies have included milk replacer formulations and levels along with calf starter formulation and levels as well as post nursery work. “One of our goals was to evaluate economic systems such as promoting calf starter intake in the nursery phase,” Chester-Jones said. Other research and outreach projects throughout the years have included rBST, stray voltage and macro nutrient balancing
Turn to CHESTER-JONES | Page 35
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ConƟnued from CHESTER-JONES | Page 34
on dairies and grazing systems for dairy heifers among many others. “Anything related to on-farm work and applied systems was wonderful,” ChesterJones said about what he enjoyed most. He also appreciated interactions with students and liked being able to present his project to others across the country and around the world where he could see friends and meet new people. For the past 28 years, Chester-Jones has been a part of a dairy management project that involved universities from 23 states. Every ve years the project updates objectives as related to dairy. Chester-Jones is proud in being one of the main contributors for youngstock. “Those relationships have been really positive over the years,” he said. “It’s been very educational, not only learning what people are doing around the country, but every few years we’ve taken trip overseas.” These trips have included visiting dairies in the Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain. Chester-Jones has also traveled to South America to help a group trying to understand the local dairy industry. “As we’re in this global economy, it’s good to understand how everybody applies different systems,” he said. Over his career, Chester-Jones has seen
a lot of changes in the industry, including technology. “The technology has changed for the better, but we have to be careful how we use it,” he said. The size and number of dairy herds in the state has also changed from his earlier days in his position. “The question is now, ‘Who do we focus our extension information on?’” he said. “The large dairies have their own veterinarian and nutritionists.” On the dairy-beef side, packers are looking at different options and are now more interested in a crossbred steer rather than a 100% dairy animal. Despite changes and challenges that have popped up over the years, ChesterJones feels good about the work he has done and the people who have helped him along the way. After retirement, Chester-Jones will focus on resolving health issues before traveling overseas to see family and moving close to his youngest daughter’s family and visiting his oldest daughter in Utah. He has a passion for North Wales and hopes to nally learn how to speak Welsh as well as his parents did in order to honor his Welsh background.
One Waseca County Dairy Princess did not make the May 9 special edition featuring the Minnesota Dairy Princess. The princess omitted is below.
Waseca County
Parents: Joyce and Jeff Jahr Waldorf, Minnesota Tell us about yourself, the farm you live and/or work on, or your parents work on, and your future plans. This will be my 13th year showing in 4-H. I have shown dairy cattle for three years. I am also the one of the dairy superintendents for the dairy barn at county fair. This is my rst year in FFA, and it has taught me so much about what FFA is all about. My future plans are going to a two-year college for equine management. What qualities do you possess that make you a good dairy princess? I am good at communicating with people especially younger kids. I am trustworthy, condent and educated about the dairy industry. Laura Jahr, 18 What do you think is one of the most important dairy messages to share with consumers right now? Our dairy community is strong and willing to do anything to keep our livestock and dairy safe during this pandemic. Dairy farmers are also here to help people in need. What would you tell a friend who is concerned about where and how their food is produced? I would tell them that their food is being processed by big companies to make sure it is edible and safe for our bodies. Describe two ways you plan to connect with consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two ways I plan on connecting with consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic is reaching out if they are in need of help and letting them know they’re not alone. I will also be reaching out to feed stores and seeing if they need help.
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Women In Dairy
How do you stay connected with others in the industry? I stay connected by being active in the Kewaunee County Dairy Promotion, following Exchange by Dairy Girl Network on Facebook, 4-H with the kids, and by attending area meetings about land and animal care.
Stacy Jauquet Luxemburg, Wisconsin Kewaunee County 650 cows Family: My husband, Dave, and I have two kids – Blake, 13, and Stella, 8. We have been farming together for 18 years. Dave and I met at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls where we both attended college and received business degrees. Neither of us thought we would become dairy farmers. We both grew up on dairy farms, attended college and apparently needed the time away to discover that it was the life for us. Tell us about your farm. Our farm has been in the Jauquet family for over 50 years. It is home to 650 cows and 100 calves. The milk produced on our farm is processed locally and made into nutritious cheese. The cross-ventilated freestall facility was built in 2007 and consists of a double-16 parlor, sandbedded stalls, seven milk cow pens and a maternity area. The calves are raised in individual calf hutches and fed pasteurized milk until they are moved to our calf barn. Once the calves reach 5 months of age, they are raised by my father, Don Klisiewicz, in Stanley, Wisconsin. Jauquet’s Hillview Dairy also helps provide the experience of the country life to area students through multiple farm tours. Farming is truly rewarding, and we are fortunate to be able to provide our children with a solid understanding of agriculture. With the team effort of our valued employees and outside professionals, we are proud to produce this quality, safe and wholesome food. What is the busiest time of day for you? Mornings are the busiest. Dave and I have gotten really good at tag teaming to meet the needs of our family and farm. Feeding the cows, calves and kids all happens at the same time of day which requires creativity and multiple trips between farm and home. When you get a spare moment what do you do? When the weather is nice, I enjoy planting owers, mowing lawn and enjoying our yard. It makes me feel refreshed when it looks clean and neat. I love being outside, and the fresh air and sun clears my mind. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. The ah-ha moment in the milking parlor is one of my favorites. I saw it when our kids were 3 years old, and I see it during many of our student farm tours. I love it when they actually see and understand for the rst time how the milk comes from the cow, through the milk machine, down the hoses and into the pipes leading to the milk truck. It’s almost like you can visually see them connecting the dots in their head. Watching a new calf being born is also one of those little miracles when time slows down and you appreciate life and how delicate it is. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I love working with the animals and trying to tweak the little things that will make them happier and healthier. Raising our calves so they can reach their full potential in the milking herd is my No. 1 goal. We take great pride in our animals, and I love when I can take a moment to watch them and feel proud of what they have become. I also enjoy the sense of community and family among farmers. We are a group with a great sense of pride and passion for what we do and will share our successes and failures with our neighbors and peers.
Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? My mom has always been an inspiration to me. She worked hard on the farm every day and made sure family was important no matter how busy life got. She always made the time for a hug or to listen to a story even if it was while we were milking cows, baling hay, cooking supper or whatever life gave us that day. Keeping a successful farm and family balanced is hard, and I’m glad she showed me that both can coexist. I am also inspired by all my dairy ladies who can do physical labor in all weather conditions, wearing their work bibs and at the end of the day can clean up, put on a pair of heels and lipstick for a good night of fun. This is what reboots me when times are tough and busy. It is important to feel like a lady and socialize. I also continue to try and feel comfortable speaking in public, and I admire and learn from those who have that natural talent. They push me out of my comfort zone and remind me I am an important advocate for agriculture. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? Michelle Obama is the rst person who came to mind. She believes in local agriculture, children’s health and food safety. Her platform as former rst lady is powerful, and I would discuss getting whole milk back in the hands of kids in school. Kylie Jenner is also inuential on social media to a younger audience developing and forming their own opinions. I’ve read that she would like to escape to a farm and that staying grounded is something important to her. Why not show her a dairy farm? What is the best vacation you have ever taken? I welcome any time away. For me, it does not need to be far, and often times it is easier and more refreshing to take an afternoon off. Our time away is often planned around weather, employees and calving schedules. My favorite was when we took the kids on a plane for the rst time to San Diego. I remember sitting at the computer pushing the enter button on our travel conrmation. It was only two days before we would leave – spontaneous fun. What are some words you like to live by? Do things right the rst time and own it. Make it your best work no matter how big or small by going above and beyond what is expected. I also like to tell my kids before they get on the bus for school, “Make it a great day and be respectful and kind.” I think it is important to hear these words out loud. Life happens fast in the morning, and it is easy to get overwhelmed.
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Katelyn Kemmetmueller looks out the back door of the dairy barn where her dad, Jim, milks his herd near Rogers. Katelyn has been helping her dad in the barn since her soĹŒball season for the Minnesota Gophers was cancelled.
Kemmetmueller contributes on farm after Division I schedule cut short By Mark Klaphake
mark.k@dairystar.com
ROGERS, Minn. – In early March, Katelyn Kemmetmueller’s life was nearly perfect for a college senior. She was the starting third basemen for the University of Minnesota’s softball team at a tournament in Hawaii. The venue was lush and serene, the weather was warm, and she was enjoying the camaraderie of her coaches and teammates in what she thought would be her ďƒžnal year of college. On March 12, her world ďƒ&#x;ipped upside down. The tournament and the rest of the season was canceled because of COVID-19. “We were eating breakfast, and to
hear the words that your season is canceled and we’re all going to be going home and we won’t play today, that was hard and it was shocking,â€? said Kemmetmueller, the daughter of dairy farmers, Jim and Karen Kemmetmueller, who milk 55 cows near Rogers. “Your season comes to an end inevitably, and as a senior you’re looking at how many days you have left as an athlete. To have that taken away, it wasn’t at all how any of us had planned.â€? So Kemmetmueller, who is almost as fond of cows and animals as softball, made the decision to head home and work on her parents’ dairy farm while completing her spring courses online. “I wanted to go home and help my dad,â€? Kemmetmueller said. “He was sad our season was over, but I knew he’d be grateful for my help.â€? With no practices and games for the ďƒžrst time in many years, her spring schedule was awkwardly open. “I never imagined when I left my freshman year that I’d miss getting up at 5 a.m. to milk cows, but I did. Once I got to live in off-campus housing and
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ConƟnued from KEMMETMUELLER | Page 37 had a car, I’d always come home. I like spending time with my family. I like the farm,” said Kemmetmueller, who has two brothers and sisters. Her timing was nearly perfect. With the early spring, there was plenty of work to do. Normal days would have Kemmetmueller joining her dad in the barn at 5 a.m. for milking and morning chores. Between milkings, Kemmetmueller would help with a variety of chores from grinding feed, cleaning the dairy barn or cleaning out the pig barn. She was also a part of the rock-picking force. “I think what is so special is that a lot of people tell me I have a lot of work ethic. Any type of success I have, whether it’s in softball or in school, I think it all goes back to farming. I learned at a very young age that you had to work hard for the things you wanted,” Kemmetmueller said. “I remember as soon as I could walk, I was out doing farm work and getting up at 5 a.m. to milk cows, and racing home to shower before school. That was normal. I’m super grateful for the experience I’ve
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Katelyn and Jim Kemmetmueller stand in their dairy barn May 14 near Rogers, Minnesota. Kemmetmueller is a senior for the Gopher SoŌball Team. The season was shortened because of COVID-19. able to help (my dad),” Kemmetmueller said. “I’ve been able to come home on weekends. Especially in the fall, I’d come home throughout the week and randomly pop in and help. I enjoy being around the animals.” Since the spring sports season was abruptly canceled, the Division I council has approved student athletes an additional year of eligibility. Kemmetmueller plans to take advantage of the option to study human resource and management in a grad school minor. This will be in addition to her nursing degree she completed this spring.
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She also wants one more year on the diamond. “We have a lot of unnished business next year. I wasn’t quite ready to give up being a student athlete. I think we’re going to be pretty good,” Kemmetmueller said. “This whole COVID-19 thing has helped me re-evaluate why I started this. I think you start to lose sight of it when it comes to competing and championships and the stress of Division I athletics. The last few months I’ve had a lot of time to reect on why I want to play and why I love softball so much. I like the sport. I like that it’s a team sport.”
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had.” Kemmetmueller, who is a two-year starter for the Gophers, has teammates from all over the country and enjoys learning about their background. She is equally proud of telling her story of being from a dairy farm. For the past couple years, many teammates have come out for supper, and then Kemmetmueller proudly displays her dairy heritage. “It’s nice to hear their stories, but it’s really cool to share mine,” Kemmetmueller said. “And, getting to have the team come out and see a day in the life of Katie was kind of fun.” Kemmetmueller’s fondness for dairy has ltered through to her from her dad, whom she looks up to for many reasons. “I admire his work ethic and how much he supports us. It hasn’t been easy for him the last few years. It’s hard for him to get away from the farm when the cows need to be milked at 5 and 5, but he loves supporting my softball,” Kemmetmueller said. “He’s already looking at what trip he can go on next year for softball. He’s excited and supportive. I’ve spent a lot of early mornings and late nights with him.” Once eldwork was done this spring, Kemmetmueller took an off-farm job as a nanny in the Twin Cities area where she works 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and then she is back in the barn at night for milking. “Throughout these last four years, one of the big deciding PHOTO COURTESY U OF M factors of going to Katelyn Kemmetmueller is congratulated by a team- school was that I mate aŌer scoring a run during a game earlier this year. wanted to go close because I wanted to be Kemmetmueller is a senior on the team.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020 • Page 39
sponsored by have ever made on your farm? Back in the 1970s, my dad bought the only Jersey calf ever here. That $220 investment has done well for the farm. When I took over the cow management 10 years ago, I had no intention of milking many because I didn’t care for them. They have grown on me lately. They breed back quickly and are high-test, headache-free cows. The Jersey herd averages just under 90 points in score, so not much to complain about. I always tell people that the Jerseys pay the bills.
Steven van Doorn Tony, Wisconsin Rusk County 90 cows How did you get into farming? I was born into it; I’m a fourth-generation dairy farmer. I didn’t think I wanted to farm until I went on a 4-H trip to Indianhead Holsteins, plus to World Dairy Expo the same year. It opened my eyes to a different side of the industry. It denitely showed me that farming can be more than making milk; I got introduced to the genetics side of dairy farming. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? My concerns are of course the money, not only for milk but for beef as well. Also, with being a small farm, I worry about whether I’ll have a market in future. It has gotten to be a big issue in a lot of places, just not here yet. With the changes in the industry the last few years the market for good quality registered cattle has dropped signicantly, and that is a source of income this farm relies on to continue with our ET ushing program. What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? This may sound odd, but Facebook has been my best addition for the farm in last 10 years. It has helped me advertise my cow families, has introduced me to a whole new market for embryos, bulls, young cows, etc. The last few cow families I’ve purchased into were because of what I saw of them on Facebook; otherwise I wouldn’t have known about them. After I quit working sales and shows, I wasn’t seeing rsthand what daughters of bulls were looking like, and thanks to Facebook I’m able to see many pictures plus what other people’s opinions are. What is a management practice you changed in the past year that has beneted you? Going from being more production-minded to focusing more on higher fat and protein percentages and breeding cows back much earlier. I’m not getting the big records that we used
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Steve van Doorn (center) milks 90 cows on his farm in Tony, Wisconsin, and enjoys sharing that lifestyle with his nieces and nephews – (from leŌ) Brad, Ryan, Carter, Isabelle and Erica holding Parker. to, it costs less than getting the big milk from them. I have always been fonder of high-testing, long-lasting cows that breed back easily and have a good type score as well. What cost-saving steps have you implemented during the low milk price? After four years of these prices, just like most people, we’ve cut back the best we can in all areas possible. We purchase all our grains and bedding here as well as some baled hay every year, so I’m always looking to trim those costs. I’m considering going to more pasturing in the summer to cut input costs, and have also been doing some changes with the dry cow and fresh cow programs. How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? It’s all family, no hired help here. I guess I’d say I buy my nieces and nephews a lot of candy to keep them happy when they’re helping with chores. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. Fitting. I worked for farms and doing sales and shows for quite a while, and I learned a lot about presenting the cows
to either the classier, for farm tours or for shows. I was lucky to have been able to work with and for some of best in the business, which I am grateful for. That knowledge has helped me a lot through the years. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? The genetics. I love the art of breeding good quality cows that work for me. I love the thrill of watching cow families that my family has been breeding and developing for 40 to 50 years, go into the showring, make a classleading record, put sons in A.I. or go to other farms as foundation breeding stock. The best reward for a breeder is to see his genetics go into other farms and do well for their program. What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Keeping a positive attitude is hard in these times, but it helps at end of day. Keep looking for ways to improve. Never get stuck in the rut of this-is-how-we’ve-done-it-for-years thinking. No matter how well a farm is run, there’s always room to improve and change. What has been the best purchase you
What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? Having bred and owned a two-time World Dairy Expo champion, Lauren, has been my happiest and proudest time of my life. Growing up, I dreamed of showing or working with some of the top cows walking the colored shavings at Expo. To be a part of Lauren’s successful career has been a dream come true. What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? With the state of the industry, for the next year, getting the bills paid is at the top of list. In the next ve years, the hope is to update the milking cow barns. They’re in need of upkeep, plus looking to remodel one barn for special cows and heifers. I have no interest in growing in cow numbers or land, but I am always looking at ways to improve the care of the cows. Also, my niece has taken a liking to the Ayrshires so I’m sure I’ll be adding more of them in near future. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? I enjoy taking the nieces and nephews shing in the summer, deer shining in the fall, and in the spring time, we go looking for deer sheds. Sometimes in the winter we’re lucky and will nd bear dens to watch until spring. I like doing pretty much anything involving wildlife. I like taking an afternoon drive around the neighborhood, looking at the crops or heading north to the big woods to see the elk or look at the logging areas. If I’m not with the cows, I prefer being in the woods.
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 23, 2020
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