Win Prizes During
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DAIRY ST T R’s
SALUTE TO DA RY
DAIRY ST R
SEE PAGE 18 OF THE SECOND SECTION FOR MORE INFOMATION
Volume 21, No. 10
“All dairy, all the time”™
July 13, 2019
Daluge Farm aims to educate
Sisters diversify through farm tours, camps By Stacey Smart Contributing Writer
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Sisters Erin Grawe (le�) and Megan Daluge farm with their father, Peter Daluge, in Janesville, Wis. The sisters offer farm tours and camps to diversify their 140-cow dairy.
JANESVILLE, Wis. – Sisters and best friends, Erin Grawe and Megan Daluge, want to make sure their farm remains in the family and an operating dairy for years to come. These young farmers, whose greatest passion is dairying, farm side by side along with their father, Peter Daluge, on their family’s farm in Janesville, Wis. Daluge Farm has been in the Daluge family for 120 years. To help ensure the future of their farm for the next generation, the sisters began offering farm tours, eld trips and farm camps to provide additional income on the dairy while also serving as an avenue for educating the public about the dairy industry. “We need to diversify our market in order to keep this farm going,” said Erin, who mentioned that low milk prices served as motivation for branching into
tourism. “But, this is also a great way to educate consumers and spread positive messages about dairy farming. Teaching people about where their food comes from is more important than ever.” Erin and Megan are fth-generation dairy farmers who provide the bulk of the labor on the dairy, milking 140 registered Holsteins on the 170-acre farm. Erin and Megan, who have been milking cows since they were 8 years old, milk morning and night in a double-6 herringbone parlor and handle other farm chores while Peter takes care of feeding and bookkeeping; however, the sisters are learning these tasks from Peter so they can eventually take over all facets of the farm. In addition to running the dairy, the energetic pair is now hosting private tours for families and offering eld trips for school groups of all ages. The 1.5-hour tour taps into the ve senses, allowing guests to see, hear, smell, taste and feel the aspects of the farm. Focused on cow comfort, Erin and Turn to DALUGE | Page 7
A move towards full automation
Reins install feeding system in path towards one-person-run farm By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
LANESBORO, Minn. – The Reins are on the path to their farm being fully automated. “I built this so I can run (the farm) myself, and if it doesn’t, we better x it,” Ben Rein said. Rein and his family – wife, Amber, and their children, Steven, 21, Jaime, 18, Nora, 16, Kim, 14, and Rachel, 10 – installed a Lely Vector automatic feeding system six months ago for their 150 cows on their farm near Lanesboro, Minn. The Reins use two robots to milk their herd and have plans to install an automatic calf feeder later this year. On June 23, a group from the Second International Precision Dairy Farming Conference toured the dairy. “Labor is the main part of it,” Rein KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR said about why they are moving toward The Reins – (from le� ) Kim, Amber and Ben – milk 150 cows with two robots on automation. To accommodate the new feeding their dairy near Lanesboro, Minn. The Reins recently hosted a tour June 23 for system, the Reins built two silos along a�endees at the Second Interna�onal Precision Dairy Farming Conference to show the milking and feeding automa�on on farm.
with two bulk bins. Each contains an ingredient of the milking cows’ ration: haylage and corn silage in each of the silos, and ne ground corn with fat in one bin with protein and mineral mix in the other bin. A long conveyer and portable mixing unit are housed in a building attached to the silos and bins, which is called the kitchen. Every hour, the mixing unit drives into the freestall barn to push up feed. Using a laser, it measures the height of the feed. Rein programmed the system to mix a ration if the feed is lower than 3 inches. The mixing unit will drive back to the kitchen, mix a batch of feed and return to the barn to unload the batch. The feeding system will feed 12 1,000-pound batches per day. With this newest use of automation, the Reins’ herd increased in components with butterfat up to 3.8% from 3.6% and protein jumping to 3.3% from 3.1%. Rein attributes the increase to consistent feeding. Refusals have also gone down nearly 25%. “It’s a big thing,” Rein said. “Now I scrape the bunk every two weeks and get one small skidloader bucket from each side. Before I was getting 1-2 Turn to REINS | Page 5
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Amanda Thooft 320-352-6303 amanda.t@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Andrea Borgerding - Associate Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Krista Kuzma - Assistant Editor (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048 cowlady@centurylink.net Danielle Nauman (608) 487-1101 danielle.n@dairystar.com Danna Sabolik - Staff Writer (320) 352-6303 • danna.s@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Advertising Sales Main Ofce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Jeff Weyer (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-8505 (cell) jeff.w@dairystar.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofce) 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 Hoeer (Eastern Iowa) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Amos Denman (Southern WI) 563-608-6477 • amos.d@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute nal 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 ofces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
North America dealers. A glance at what’s inside
Dairy Prole brought to you by your
It is evident dairy farmers across Dairy Star’s coverage area strive to produce high quality milk. In this issue, we caught up with some of those farmers. Roger and Laura Primus milk 46 cows in Stearns County near Sauk Centre, Minn. They were recently recognized by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture for the lowest somatic cell count in the state – 42,000 in 2018. Read about how they care for their cows on pages 23 and 25 in rst section. Other farmers provided their own advice for maintaining low SCC in the Our Side of the Fence feature found on pages 15-16 in rst section. Take a look at their responses to learn how dairy farmers of all sizes keep their cows dry, clean and healthy. For many, a low SCC adds a premium to the milk check. But milk quality is not the only way to gain additional income on the farm. Sisters Megan Daluge and Erin Grawe offer farm tours, eld trips and farm camps on their family’s farm, Daluge Farm, near Janesville, Wis. The diversity the sisters have created helps ensure the farm will remain for the next generation. Read more about the sisters’ creative enterprises on pages 1 and 7 in rst section. This year has been challenging, no doubt. On June 28 and July 5, the Kyllos and Schimeks watched as their farmland was damaged from heavy rainfall that inundated their already saturated elds in southern Minnesota. To see photos of the ooding and how the two families coped with the excess water, turn to page 11 in rst section. In this issue, we also caught up with two dairywomen who cherish the industry despite its challenges. Betty Hesse, 80, has milked dairy cows most of her life, and currently milks 142 cows with her two sons, Donald and Mark Hesse, on their farm near Cologne, Minn. Her story can be found on pages 2-3 in third section. Also in third section is a story about Krista Quam’s journey to becoming a dairy farmer. After her parents sold the cows, Krista made it a priority to ll the barn again and now milks 60 cows near Kenyon, Minn. Read about Quam’s young dairy career on pages 7-8. Green County recently celebrated the 64th year of the Green County Dairy Queen Program with Kaleigh Dallman and Samantha McGuire crowned as queen and princess June 23. Turn to pages 37-38 in rst section to learn more about the advocacy program’s rich history in Wisconsin’s Green County. Lastly, we are halfway through our Summer Salute to Dairy campaign. Our winners of the June 22 contest are listed on page 18 in second section. To participate in our next part of the promotion, tell us about your favorite animal on the farm. The deadline for submissions is July 22. Details can be found on page 18 in second section.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Columnists Ag Insider
Pages 8-9 First Section
The whirlwind of June Page 27 First Section
Rice Lake
Gilman
First Section: Pages 12 - 13
Second Section: Pages 8 - 9
Wille named Wisconsin FFA Star Farmer
Ramblings from the Ridge
Crop and Weather Reports
Page 30 First Section
Eau Claire
Guernsey enthusiasts gather for convention
Veterinary Wisdom
Bayeld
Douglas
Page 31 First Section
Second Section: Page 21
Iron Ashland
Burnett
W as
Polk
Barron
Page 32 First Section
Come Full Circle
Page 33 First Section
hb
ur
n
Making Cents of Dairy
Sawyer
Price
Rusk Taylor
Thompson following in her grandpa’s footsteps
The “Mielke” Market Weekly
First Section: Page 28
Pages 10 - 11 Second Section
St. Croix Pierce
Dunn
Pepin Buffalo
Country Cooking
Page 29 Second Section
Chippewa
Hillsboro
Marathon
From Our Side of the Fence
Clark
Eau Claire Trempealeau
Janesville
First Section: Pages 15 - 16
Wood Jackson Adams
La Crosse Monroe
Juneau Vernon
Platteville
PDPW tours explore quality, contamination issues
ford
Richland
Sauk
Craw
Second Section: Pages 6 - 7
Iowa
Fond Du Lac Columbia
Dane
J
Lafayette
Green
Rock
Browntown
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
n
so
er eff
Grant
Zone 2
Dodge
Green County Dairy Queen program in 64th year
Janesville
Daluge Farm aims to educate First Section: Pages 1, 7
First Section: Pages 37 - 38
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Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 5
ConƟinued from REINS | Page 1
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Tour aƩendees watch as the automaƟc feeding system dumps a batch of fresh feed in the freestall barn on the Reins’ dairy near Lanesboro, Minn. buckets per day.” Rein thinks this can be attributed to one aspect. “There is fresh feed in front of the cows all the time, which helps keep the feed depth down,” he said. Although milk production dropped from 85 to 75 pounds per cow per day, Rein expects production to climb to its previous rank. He thinks the decrease is because of the housing change last year. When the Reins decided to install the feeding system, they tore down their housing for the milking herd – a hoop barn with a compost bedded pack. The cows ate from a bunk outside. “The heat was hard on the cows in the summer,” Rein said. “The hoop barn was too hot. They would stand out by the bunk. We needed something better.” The Reins built a sand bedded freestall barn. This allowed for the use of the automatic feeding system and also lowered the herd’s somatic cell count, which at one point reached 600,000. “The robots didn’t clean good enough for a compost barn,” Rein said. Before putting in the robots – the rst one in 2014 and the second in 2015 – Rein said the SCC stayed at about 200,000. But, Rein had trouble once the robots were installed. Once the cows started using the new freestall barn,
their SCC started to lower and is now down to 150,000. “Sand is really good,” Rein said. “The cows aren’t standing as much, and they’re laying down a lot more.” Rein has cut bedding cost by using sand from his own bluff. The automatic feeding system also saves the Reins up to $1,500 per month in fuel savings because they no longer have to run a tractor. And, Rein said he has not seen an increase in his electricity bill. The biggest advantages to the automation is having less labor, Rein said. The new feeding system only requires about 15 minutes of attention every week. Prior to the feeding system, Rein’s father had the responsibility of mixing and feeding the ration for the milking herd, a job that took three hours each day. “My dad is 71 so he’s soon not going to be able to do it anymore,” Rein said. Hiring people outside the family did not work. “They would last about four to eight weeks and then they just wouldn’t show up,” Rein said. “I just decided to put all my resources into this [automation].” To do the job of the milking and feeding robots, Rein estimates he would have had to hire two people, which
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Turn to REINS | Page 6
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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
ConƟinued from REINS | Page 5
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Tour aƩendees watch as the automaƟc feed system gets silage from one of the silos at the Reins’ dairy farm near Lanesboro, Minn.
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would be an expense of about $100,000 each year. “That more than pays for the vector and the [milking] robots in a few years,” Rein said. Now that the Reins have gotten into the routine of using the automatic feeding system, they plan to install a chopper box that will be able to add dry hay and cottonseed to the mix. They also plan to build two more silos for earlage and more corn silage. Eventually, the
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Reins would like the system to feed their dry cows and youngstock. Later this year, the Reins will also be adding an automatic calf feeder. Amber feeds all the young calves on milk. “We’re trying to automate this as much as possible to make it as efcient as possible,” Rein said. Step by step, the Reins hope their farm will be as automated as possible.
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Combining activity and rumination monitoring, the Allflex Heatime system gathers real-time and actionable data about individual cows, groups, and the whole herd without disturbing their daily routines. A dairy producer can find sick cows before clinical signs appear, breed off of natural heats, and leave the rest of the cows alone to produce more milk. “We found the happy medium between increased milk production and limiting stress. Since installing our Allflex Heatime system, our timed artificial insemination has dropped by 90%, we have a 24% pregnancy rate, and 32,000-pound herd average. Allflex and Fuller’s Milker Center provide excellent installation, training, and support with our system.” Jerry Volenec, Mike Spink
Hardscrabble Dairy Montfort, WI
Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 7
ConƟnued from DALUGE | Page 1 Megan make a point of informing visitors about everything farmers do to care for their cows and ensure a healthy and safe environment. “We tell them about all of the things we put in to get a quality product,” Megan said. “Like noting that we bed our cows with sand and keep them cool with fans and a sprinkler system. We also explain how a hoof trimmer comes once a month to give pedicures, and that we apply y spray just like they might do for their dog or cat.” The sisters strive to give consumers an up-close farm experience that is informative, educational and fun. “We specialize in making quality dairy products and want to educate people about milk’s nutritional value and its importance in their diet,” Megan said. “We want to provide an opportunity for families to create special memories on the farm while helping them understand and appreciate where their food comes from.” For the rst time this summer, the farm will host farm camp for kids ages 6 to 12. A new concept to the area, farm camp is a hands-on experience designed to give campers an in-depth look at day-to-day life on a dairy farm while teaching a variety of farm-related skills. Camp goers will learn how to feed, lead and bathe a calf; make dairy products like ice cream, butter and grilled cheese sandwiches; plant vegetables in the garden;
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Megan Daluge feeds a calf that will likely be featured at the farm camp this summer on her family’s farm near Janesville, Wis. Daluge and her sister, Erin Grawe, are diversifying as a way to ensure their farm’s future for generaƟons to come. create farm arts and crafts, and still have free time to play kick ball and other activities. Building relationships with students and their families is an integral part of making this program a success; therefore, the week-long camp culminates with a family day in which parents are invited to join their children for a pizza lunch, ice cream social and obstacle course. Farm camp is limited to 12 kids per session and will be held Aug. 5-9 and Aug. 19-23 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. “There’s really nothing
like it around here,” Megan said. “The feedback we’re getting about camp through social media has been great. People are really excited about it.” Targeting millennials, Megan and Erin promote their tours and camps primarily through social media outlets, such as Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. “We both love working with children so the tours and camps are a perfect t for our farm,” said Erin, who became a mom a couple months ago to daughter, Gwendolyn.
Tours and camps are only the beginning of Megan’s and Erin’s plans to diversify. These hardworking sisters dream of bottling their own milk and opening a dairy store in which to sell milk from their farm and produce from local farms. They would also like to host special family-oriented events yearround. Ideas include weekends centered around seasons and holidays like a fall festival weekend to sell pumpkins or a Christmas event featuring milk and cookies, and Christmas tree sales. “The farm comes rst,
therefore, all of our events and activities must be focused around the fact this is a working dairy farm,” Megan said. “That’s our brand, and we don’t ever want to lose sight of that.” These dairywomen also teach youth about agriculture and dairy in their roles as Rock County Agriculture Ambassadors. The sisters visit as many as 45 schools each year, bringing their agricultural and dairy farming knowledge into the classroom. “We really enjoy it and have made lots of connections,” Erin said. “And, now we’re applying what we teach at school on our farm tours and camps.” These farm-loving ladies enjoy sharing their passion for agriculture and dairy farming with as many people as possible and are looking forward to hosting next year’s Rock County dairy breakfast. “Whether it’s on our farm or in the schools, if someone walks away with one new piece of dairy or agricultural information, we feel like we made an impact,” Erin said. Despite facing challenging years, keeping the farm in the Daluge family is a top priority for Erin and Megan. “You could easily get down in the dumps, but we try to stay positive and optimistic,” Megan said. “We put a lot of time and energy into doing what we love. This is our livelihood, and we’re here to stay.”
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Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
Trade talks resume
U.S. and Chinese trade ofcials will return to the ed planting indemnity. RMA Administrator Martin bargaining table. After a meeting with Chinese Presi- Barbre said the adjustments are only made for 2019. dent Xi Jinping during the G-20 Summit, President The agency is evaluating the prudence of a permanent Donald Trump sounded very optimistic. “We had adjustment moving forward. a very, very good meeting with China; Ag Insider I would say probably even better than Consumers face misconceptions about expected.” In a news brieng, Trump food said China agreed to purchase a tremenConsumers may not be getting acdous amount of U.S. farm commodities. curate information about what they eat. Trump also praised U.S. farmers as patriDr. Nina Shapiro, who has written a ots. During the overseas trip, Trump also book about medical myths and exaggertweeted about a Farm Journal survey that ated health claims, cites the hype over said he has a 74 percent approval rating alternative milk beverages. “Plant-based from farmers. beverages, such as soy milk or almond milk, are touted as healthier and better for McKinney: Ag must be part of EUyou. In reality, they have a lot of added U.S. trade negotiations sugars and added avoring. One of the If agriculture is not included, the myths out there is that these alternative By Don Wick United States and European Union will milk products are better for you and that not be able to reach a trade agreement. is not the case.” Shapiro said consumers Columnist USDA Undersecretary Ted McKinney are inundated with false health claims, made that point during his visit to Brusespecially through social media and online stories. sels. Europe wants a trade deal with the United States, but is refusing to discuss increased market access for An expanded label U.S. farm products. Aureomycin is now labeled for bacterial pneumonia control in dairy replacement heifers. A veterinary Dairy exports decline feed directive is required to feed rations with this ZoAccording to USDA, U.S. dairy exports in May etis feed additive. Aureomycin has a zero-day withwere at 425 million pounds, down 60 million pounds drawal period. from one year ago. Total cheese exports increased 7 million pounds. Butter exports declined nearly 4 mil- Two co-ops work together in China lion pounds. The total exports of nonfat dry milk and Land O’Lakes and the Dutch cooperative, Royal skim milk powder dropped 14 million pounds and dry Agrirm Group, are partnering on a joint venture in whey exports declined 20.5 million pounds. China. The new company is called Agrilakes and will be based initially at Agrirm’s current manufacturing USDA moves up cover crop haying and grazing plant in Tianjin. The joint venture will focus on the date dairy nutrition sector for China’s expanding dairy inUSDA’s Risk Management Agency has moved dustry. up the date for farmers and ranchers to start haying and grazing cover crops on prevented plant acres to Meyer to leave World Ag Outlook Board Sept. 1. The adjustment was made due to this year’s World Agricultural Outlook Board Chair Seth late planting season and forage shortages, with the Meyer is leaving his post effective July 13. Prior previous date for grazing and haying being Nov. 1. to becoming chair of the World Ag Outlook Board Producers who use cover crops for silage, haylage or in 2014, Meyer worked in the USDA’s Ofce of the baling will remain eligible for their full 2019 prevent- Chief Economist. Meyer will return to the faculty of
the University of Missouri’s Department of Agricultural Economics. USDA Chief Economist Rob Johansson named Mark Jekanowski as the acting Ag Outlook Board Chair. WI man now leads Holstein USA Corey Geiger, of Mukwonago, Wis., was elected president of Holstein Association USA. Geiger is the managing editor of Hoard’s Dairyman and remains active in his family’s farm, Ran-Rose Holsteins, in Reedsville, Wis. Jersey association honors WI dairy farmers Wilfred, Walter and Roger Owens, of Owens Farms at Frederic,Wis., were presented the American Jersey Cattle Association Master Breeder Award. Brent Young from Dallas,Wis., received the Young Jersey Breeder Award. WI Farm Bureau Young Farmer Award nalists named The Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer and Agriculturist Program announced the nalists for its 2019 Achievement Award and Excellence in Ag Award competitions. This year’s achievement award nalists include Josh and Ashley Claussen, Brown County; Brian Douglas, Dunn County; and Travis and Krista Klinkner, Vernon County. The Excellence in Ag Award nalists are Stephanie Abts, Manitowoc County; Ben Huber, Green County; Natasha Paris, Green Lake County; and Tiffany Schneider, Calumet County. The awards will be presented at the Farm Bureau annual meeting in December. Trivia challenge More ice cream is sold on Sunday than any other day of the week. That answers our last trivia question. What is the most popular ice cream topping in the world? We’ll have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.
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Dairy Task Force 2.0 adopts nal report The Wisconsin Dairy Task Force 2.0 voted unanimously to adopt their nal report at a meeting in Madison on Friday, June 21, 2019. This report includes the 51 recommendations approved by the group at previous meetings. “I am pleased to accept the nal report of the Dairy Task Force 2.0 as their recommendations for the longterm success of Wisconsin’s dairy industry,” said Governor Tony Evers. “While the group’s work has completed, it is now time for all of us to consider how these recommendations could be implemented to maintain Wisconsin’s world leadership in dairy.” The Dairy Task Force 2.0 Chair Dr. Mark Stephenson compiled the 51-page report. In addition to the recommendations, the report provides information about milk production, milk price volatility, and changing farm structure across the country. “For nearly a year, Dairy Task Force 2.0 members have come together to roll up their sleeves and nd consensus on recommendations,” added Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Secretary-designee Brad Pfaff. “We at DATCP are already nding ways to implement these recommendations. Our state’s dairy farmers are facing a triple whammy of low prices, uncertain international trade
markets, and wet weather. Enacting policies that assist them in both the short and long term is of paramount importance.” After more than 45 in-person meetings and teleconferences, the nal report concludes the work of the Dairy Task Force 2.0. Recommendations highlight the need for additional investments in research, increased innovation, expanded market development, and strengthened connections across the industry. “Our universities can play a role in helping Wisconsin’s critical dairy industry innovate and identify opportunities to succeed in an especially challenging environment,” said University of Wisconsin System President Dr. Ray Cross. “Dairy Task Force 2.0 was diligent in its work, and we are hopeful that the recommendations can improve the lives and work of farmers throughout our state.” DATCP and UW System established the Dairy Task Force 2.0 in June 2018 to enable stakeholders to come together to make recommendations on actions needed to maintain a viable and protable dairy industry in our state. The 31 members of the Dairy Task Force 2.0 included farmers, processors, and representatives of allied organizations. To access the Dairy Task Force 2.0 nal report, visit dairytaskforce.wi.gov.
Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 9
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
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Alex Ode is the Ōh-generaƟon to be a part of his family’s dairy, Royalwood Farms, near Brandon, S.D. Ode has a full-Ɵme job at Bel Brands, in Brookings, S.D., while also helping on the family dairy. By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
Editor’s note: In this series, “Dairying in tough times,” Dairy Star is catching up with dairy farmers who began milking cows in the last ve years. These farmers are sharing how they have been able to weather the market conditions and why they see promise in today’s changing industry. BRANDON, S.D. – Alex Ode wants to be a fulltime dairy farmer. While the timing to become a part of his family’s operation has not allowed the transition, he builds sweat equity with plans to one day join his father and uncle. “Money is tight and the farm can’t take on a whole other family; that’s too much of a burden,” Ode said. “Yes, I’ll come back, but when the timing is right.” Ode works on his family’s 360-cow registered Holstein farm, Royalwood Farms, in Brandon, S.D. He also has a full-time job at Bel Brands processing facility in Brookings, S.D. In a two-week stretch, Ode works 12-hour shifts for seven days at the processing plant – the rst week on Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday; the following week on Wednesday and Thursday. Ode then works on his family’s dairy the other seven days he is available. “Honestly, it’s the best of both worlds,” Ode said. “I have a full-time job off the farm with a full salary and benets, and I’m available to work on the farm.” The fth-generation dairyman does not take a salary – or any form of pay – at the farm. “The money stays on the farm and that makes it easier for the dairy to cash ow. I’m an extra set of hands to help when things get busy,” said Ode, who has been a part of the farm in this capacity since September 2013. Ode’s dad and uncle, Gregg and Doug, own Royalwood Farms with Ode’s grandfather, Robert, still involved on a regular basis. The farm also employs ve individuals. The cows are housed in a six-row sand-bedded freestall barn and milked in a double-8 parlor. The Odes raise all of the replacements as well as bull calves to 500 pounds. They run 750 acres of corn and alfalfa that is custom planted and harvested. “Because I’m not on the farm every day, I don’t have daily tasks,” Ode said. “I’m the jack of all trades.” Ode oversees a lot of equipment repairs and general maintenance on the farm. He also helps get the cows sorted for vet checks on Fridays. While not a partner on paper, Ode still provides input when large decisions are being made for the dairy. “We always have those important conversations as a family,” Ode said. As Ode builds equity in the farm – having purchased 12 springing heifers in the summer of 2010 which has grown to 35 animals within the herd – and works to-
wards ownership, the dairy is able to focus on weathering the poorer markets. “There’s never been any conversation about my involvement; it’s accepted and appreciated,” Ode said. “There are a lot of people who already need to draw a salary from the farm, so I put in a little old sweat equity and don’t take any money off the dairy. That’s how it gets passed on.” The family works together to see where they may be able to cut their cost of production or improve animal health to facilitate a better milk yield. “I have a fresh set of eyes that try stay up on industry trends and technologies more than my dad and uncle,” Ode said. “As a group, we look if any idea is viable for our situation, because even though we are a larger farm, we’re still smaller than the state average.” Ode keeps in close contact with the farm’s nutritionist. They talk about ways to eliminate expenses without sacricing production, particularly butterfat and protein content. While Ode toys with dry cow and heifer rations, he is strict in not touching the milk cow ration. “That’s one area we don’t skimp on,” he said. To keep feed costs under control, Ode and his family have locked in the price for protein when it hit a low. The Odes also strive for a low somatic cell count to receive premiums on their milk check. “Last July, milk prices were down, the summer heat hit and we had a bit of stray voltage,” Ode said. “Those were major compounding issues we had to correct.” Once the family worked with their electricity company, SCC returned to a low level and reproduction vastly improved. “It was such a big change, I wonder if we weren’t dealing with minute stray voltage for a very long time,” Ode said. Ode graduated from South Dakota State University with studies in dairy production and manufacturing and business specialization in 2010. With the markets of 2009 still weighing heavily on Ode’s family’s dairy, he did not return immediately. “I was itching to get into dairy,” Ode said. “But, we were nancially strapped, and I couldn’t go home because the farm couldn’t pay for me.” Rather, Ode found an internship where he gained experience on other dairy farms and then secured a job in the processing business. In taking jobs off the farm, Ode has found ways to remain involved on the family dairy without being a nancial burden. Now, the young farmer frequents his alma mater, sharing that same message with other aspiring dairy farmers. “I was born and raised on the dairy and there’s no question I want to do it. I love it,” Ode said. “Right now, I am making a sacrice of not working full time on the farm, but it’s for the betterment and long-term viability of the farm.”
Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 11
Heavy rain causes ďƒ&#x;ash ďƒ&#x;ooding on already saturated ďƒželds
Kyllos’, Schimeks’ farms under water By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
BYRON, Minn. – Paul and Susan Kyllo are used to a few acres of their farm being ďƒ&#x;ooded during the spring thaw season, but recent rain events inundated their lower ďƒželds with water. “The ground just got so saturated,â€? Paul said. “The water came up and went down the fastest it ever has.â€? Excessive rainfall throughout the spring and early summer, including two rain events June 28 and July 5, caused ďƒ&#x;ooding on several Olmsted and Dodge county farms. The Kyllos milk 95 cows on their dairy situated along the middle branch of the Zumbro River near Byron, Minn. During the early morning hours of June 28, the area received nearly 8 inches of rain in a ďƒžve-hour span. Flash ďƒ&#x;ood warnings spread throughout the communities as rain pummeled already saturated ďƒželds. “I slept through the whole storm,â€? Susan said. “When I woke up and went outside, I heard a noise ‌ like a roaring sound.â€? That noise was water gushing through the lower portions of the family’s pasture and ďƒželds. “The intensity and depth was the worst we’ve ever seen,â€? Susan said. Nearly 40 acres of their land – 30 acres of pasture and 10 acres of corn – had over 10 feet of water. The water came as close as 20 feet of the building site. Since the Kyllos keep their cattle outside year round, the family has faced
“All the farmers are already under so much stress with prices and everything, and then this happens ...� LAURA SCHIMEK, DAIRY FARMER
challenges this spring with ďƒžnding dry places for the cattle. “I didn’t even realize it was suppose to rain over night,â€? Paul said. “We had contemplated putting the cows in the lower pasture.â€? Thankfully, the Kyllos chose higher ground and escaped having to round
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Paul and Susan Kyllo stand in front of a corn ďƒželd that ďƒ&#x;ooded this summer due to excessive rainfall on their 95-cow dairy near Byron, Minn. up cattle ďƒ&#x;owing down the river, which happened to a nearby neighbor. Along with farmland underwater, the Kyllos also dealt with water over the road to their feed bags. Pine-Shelter Farms also dealt with ďƒ&#x;ooded ďƒželds and roads in nearby Pine Island, Minn. “It was pretty spotty, but our farm got well over 4 inches Friday morning after it had rained all day Thursday,â€? said Laura Schimek, who with her family milks 600 cows on their dairy. Two water channels pass through Pine-Shelter Farms – one is the middle branch of the Zumbro River while the other is a small spring-fed creek. Schimek described how the creek turned into what she called a raging river, which caused the road to her brother, Eric’s, house to ďƒ&#x;ood. “It was emergency mode at the farm, and he couldn’t get to us because the water was 2 feet over his road,â€? she said. The river runs through the dairy’s dry cow pasture, which ďƒ&#x;ooded almost up to the fence. “We had cows we had to move,â€? Schimek said. “They were right up against the gate and couldn’t go anywhere. Half were on one side and half were on the other.â€? Along with making sure the cattle were OK, Schimek’s biggest dilemma was trying to get employees to and
from the farm for milking. “We basically met them at Kwik Trip and escorted them back to the farm according to what bridge was open at the time,� Schimek said. After the water receded, Schimek said the farm lost 50 acres of grass hay and 75 acres of corn located on both sides of the middle branch of the Zumbro River. There was also debris left in
the ďƒželds. Schimek said this is the worst ďƒ&#x;ooding she has seen on her family’s dairy. “All the farmers are already under so much stress with prices and everything, and then this happens and you’re already months late getting crops in or out of the ďƒželd,â€? Schimek said. “It’s been a crazy year.â€?
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Water recedes in a corn ďƒželd on June 28 on Paul and Susan Kyllo’s 95-cow dairy farm near Byron, Minn.
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
A dream written in the stars
A young dairyman sets sights on future By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
RICE LAKE, Wis. – A seed that was sown in a 9-year-old boy’s life grew into a passion, leading Collin Wille to the top spot on the podium at the Wisconsin State FFA Convention as this year’s Star Farmer. “Initially, I was surprised,” Wille said of when he heard his name read off as the recipient of the honor at the Wisconsin State FFA Convention June 13 in Madison, Wis. “That was followed by satisfaction that my hard work was recognized.” Wille, 19, is the son of Jeff and Debbie Wille and a member of the Rice Lake FFA Chapter. This fall, he will be entering his second year in the dairy science program at Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar, Iowa. Wille was raised on his family’s 75cow registered Holstein farm in Rice Lake, Wis., and plans to return to the farm following graduation. Wille is the fourth generation to operate the family farm, and his father was the rst generation to bring purebred cows to the herd, laying the foundation for Image Point Holsteins. “We’re both still learning that aspect,” Wille said. “My dad didn’t grow up having a bunch of Excellent show cows. It’s fun to work together toward a common goal. Sometimes we jar heads,
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Collin Wille operates Image Point Holsteins with his parents, Jeff and Debbie Wille, near Rice Lake, Wis. Wille is a member of the Rice Lake FFA Chapter and was named Wisconsin’s Star Farmer at the Wisconsin FFA Conven�on June 13 in Madison, Wis. but we have a lot of the same ideas.” Wille’s registered Holstein herd began when he received his rst calf for Christmas at the age of 9. A second calf followed the next year, and she is still a part of Wille’s herd. Wille has been building his herd primarily off of those two cow families
for the past 10 years. Today, he owns 13 head, nine of which are members of the family’s milking herd. All are homebred with the exception of two animals Wille has purchased. Wille is developing a philosophy for breeding cows he likes to work with and look at.
“I try to focus on longevity,” Wille said. “I want to breed cows that are going to breed back regularly for multiple lactations.” Wille tries to breed cows with sound functional type that can be highTurn to WILLE | Page 13
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 13
ConƟnued from WILLE| Page 12
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“I met a lot of different people in FFA than just people involved in dairy activities,” Wille said. “FFA is a more diverse group with kids from other areas of agriculture involved.” While he has his sights rmly set on a future in the dairy industry, Wille acknowledges the industry is not like is used to be. “It’s been different the past few years,” Wille said. “But, I think things are starting to turn a corner. Personally, I think that those dairy farmers that have made it this far are doing something right.” Wille believes the key to maintaining a strong family farm might rest in nding a niche market, which is something he is contemplating for the future. “If I’m fortunate enough to come back someday and do this full time, and eventually own everything that would be about all I could ask for,” Wille said. “I still get the desire to be with the cows, and I love being here. No matter what, I’ll always have registered Holsteins.”
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him learn what kinds of cows he appreciates and strives to breed. With his judging team, Wille experienced a great deal of success and competed at the state 4-H contest seven times and earned a trip to participate in the All-American 4-H Dairy Judging Contest in Harrisburg, Pa., where his team placed second. Wille has been involved in the Barron County Junior Holstein Association and has served as the president of that group. He has also participated in dairy bowl contests and was selected for the Wisconsin Junior Holstein Trip Award, which afforded him the opportunity to tour several herds in the state. Wille credits his FFA advisor Pete Kolpack with opening him up to new experiences that helped him earn the top spot on the podium. During his high school FFA career, Wille served as chapter co-president and chapter vice-president. He also took part in speaking and parliamentary procedure contests which helped him hone his communication and speaking skills.
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scoring individuals. “We like classication scores,” Wille said. “But, we don’t want to be just type or just production.” Udders are rst and foremost for Wille, and he tries to breed cows that have well-attached udders held well above their hocks. Feet and legs are important, as well, and play an important role in longevity in Wille’s eyes. “It doesn’t matter what type of facility you have, cows need to be comfortable on their feet and legs if they are going to last,” Wille said. Despite the fact that Wille has been making his own mating decisions for less than 10 years, he has already made changes to his priorities. “When I was younger, I was more into stature than I am now,” Wille said. “I still like stature, but now I focus on making sure the udders, legs and strength are all there.” Wille has participated on the Barron County dairy judging team for 10 years, which he said has helped
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Sample calculation: 3,000,000 x 95 percent = 2,850,000/100 = 28,500 cwt. x 0.150 premium fee = $4,275
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 15
From Our Side Of The Fence What do you attribute your low SCC to?
Joe Wuethrich Brownton, Minn. McLeod County 15 cows Describe your farm. I milk in a single-4 ďƒ&#x;at barn parlor in a retro-ďƒžtted tiestall barn. The cows are housed in a freestall barn that we made out of a livestock shed. We use ďƒžne pine shavings. We bed once a week. What was your average somatic cell count in 2018? 80,000. Why is it important for you to have a low somatic cell count? Premiums are a huge bonus, but the biggest reason is it means you have healthy and happy cows. What are the three biggest factors you attribute your low somatic cell count to? Keeping the cows clean is huge. Keeping cows’ stress down with ventilation and spraying for ďƒ&#x;ies several times a week and comfortable spots to lay. Not pushing cows with feed or feeding for immunity. What type of analysis do you use to monitor milk quality? I watch my temperature monitors, and I pre-strip to check quarters. I also watch my SCC alarms. Have you ever had times when your SCC got higher than you like? What did you do to bring it back down? I have had some high counts when it is wet. I scrape the alleys more and put lime down to dry things out. I dry cows up early because they are usually the cause. Less milk usually means they will be a little higher count. What are some strategies you use to control SCC during the wet and hot times of the year? The biggest thing is to keep the cows dry and comfortable with extra fans and bedding. Add hydrolac to get water intake up to keep the cows cool. The less stress the cows have in the daily routine the better, especially when we have had this type of weather.
Andy (left) and Bob Cremers; not pictured is Ann Cremers St. Anthony, Minn. Stearns County 62 cows Describe your farm. Our farm has been in the Cremers family since 1877. We grow alfalfa, corn and oat on about 300 acres, some of it rented from neighbors. The cows are housed in a tiestall barn using chopped straw for bedding. What was your average somatic cell count in 2018? Our average SCC for 2018 was 84,000. Our average bacteria count for the last three years has been 3,000. Why is it important for you to have a low somatic cell count? We get a premium from the milk plant for low SCC. It’s nice to know we are producing a quality product for consumers. What are the three biggest factors you attribute your low somatic cell count to? Keeping the cows clean, dry and comfortable is most important. Putting lime behind the cows helps keep them dry. We have our vacuum and milking equipment checked monthly. The same people do the milking using the same routine, including pre and post dipping. What type of analysis do you use to monitor milk quality? Our milk plant gives us a weekly printout showing SCC, bacteria and other information. Have you ever had times when your SCC got higher than you like? What did you do to bring it back down? Yes. If we suspect a certain cow, we will have her tested and then treat her. What are some strategies you use to control SCC during the wet and hot times of the year? We have three large exhaust fans on the south end of the barn which run all the time. We also have quite a few circulating fans and a large ďƒ&#x;oor fan that we turn on when it’s hot and humid. That keeps the air moving which keeps it cooler and drier.
Kevin L. Braulick New Ulm, Minn. Brown County 40 cows Describe your farm. My brother, Scott, and I milk in a tiestall barn bedded with chopped oat straw. Our Dad, Melvin Jr., and Scott’s son, Spencer, also help us by assisting with tasks throughout the day. What was your average somatic cell count in 2018? 69,000. Why is it important for you to have a low somatic cell count? Our No. 1 goals are cow health and producing a product that we can be proud of. We do not put anything in the milk tank that we would not consume ourselves. What are the three biggest factors you attribute your low somatic cell count to? It’s hard to name only three. Unical: We spread it twice a day in the morning and again at night. Cleanliness: We do our best to make sure everything is clean; scraping manure and wet spots, making sure the teats are clean and dry before attaching units, and making sure the units are being washed properly. Nutrition: Making sure the diet is appropriate for the cow, that it is good quality and that they are getting what they need. What type of analysis do you use to monitor milk quality? We forestrip four squirts of milk from each teat to visually check the color and to check for clots. If anything looks a little off, I CMT them. I also monitor Bongards Patron Dashboard closely to watch for any big increases in the SCC. Have you ever had times when your SCC got higher than you like? What did you do to bring it back down? Yes. Haven’t we all? I normally have a good idea which cow has the higher SCC. I CMT all suspect quarters ďƒžrst, and, if I do not ďƒžnd it, I start CMTing all of the cows. High quarters go into the quarter milker, and then the cow is treated on an individual basis. What are some strategies you use to control SCC during the wet and hot times of the year? We try to keep the cows clean, as cool as possible and keep the ďƒ&#x;ies under control.
Avery Hatďƒželd Hillsboro, Wis. Richland County 320 cows Describe your farm. We have a double-12 parallel parlor and sand bedded freestalls. Our milking routine is to wipe, dip, wipe and attach unit. What was your average somatic cell count in 2018? Our average SCC was 92,000. Why is it important for you to have a low somatic cell count? Having a low somatic cell count is important because it means more milk per cow, and selling a clean product is rewarding. What are the three biggest factors you attribute your low somatic cell count to? All of our milkers are following the same milking procedure to help ensure a consistent environment for the cows. Daily bulk tank SCC checks are sent to my phone so I can check if we have any possible ďƒ&#x;are ups. Monthly DHIA tests are used so I can see the high SCC cows and use that milk to feed calves. What type of analysis do you use to monitor milk quality? We use the daily bulk tank tests and the monthly DHIA test sheets. Have you ever had times when your SCC got higher than you like? What did you do to bring it back down? Yes. I start checking cows that have had history of high SCC. We treat them with sulfur and Today. What are some strategies you use to control SCC during the wet and hot times of the year? We don’t have any particular strategies for controlling SCC during hot and wet weather. A guy can go crazy trying to keep SCC at a certain level during the summer months. Sometimes it will go up to about 150,000 during really hot weather, and then in the cooler months it will go back down to about 70,000 to 80,000. We’ve had a few days it’s been in the 50,000 range. Turn to OUR SIDE | Page 16
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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15
Steve Temperli Elkton, S.D. Brookings County 1,750 cows Describe your farm. My parents, Ernst and Ursula, and I moved to South Dakota from Canada in 2003. We built Crosswind Jerseys and began milking in 2004. We started with 650 head and have grown the operation to its present size. We are in the process of building a new tunnel ventilated freestall barn that will house an additional 350 head. Our free stalls are bedded with sand. Some of our barns are naturally ventilated and some are tunnel ventilated. What was your average somatic cell count in 2018? Our SCC averaged about 90,000 in 2018. It never went above 100,000 the whole year. Why is it important for you to have a low somatic cell count? It’s a sign of good udder health. A low SCC means healthier cows, better milk production and lower treatment costs. Our milk processor, Valley Queen Cheese Factory, pays us a bonus of $.50 per hundredweight for keeping our SCC below 125,000. What are the three biggest factors you attribute your low somatic cell count to? There are three simple things any dairy farmer can do to attain a low SCC. They include making sure the stalls always have adequate levels of clean, dry bedding, using a good quality teat dip, and making sure you maintain good milking parlor protocols. It’s important that our employees don’t stray from our milking protocols. We use TV cameras to review milking parlor activities. What type of analysis do you use to monitor milk quality? We keep track of the number of clinical mastitis cases and watch the bulk tank SCC. If we see a spike, it raises red ags, and we immediately take action to nd and correct the cause. Have you ever had times when your SCC got higher than you like? What did you do to bring it back down? Yes. The rst thing we did was to check the pulsators and the teat dip, but then we found the inations were past due to be changed. We installed new inations and the SCC went down immediately. We have also learned if an employee isn’t doing a good job in the milking parlor, it will show up in our SCC. One bad employee can make big trouble. What are some strategies you use to control SCC during the wet and hot times of the year? We don’t really do much different; our strategies remain the same year-round. The main difference during the hot weather is we have to fog our barns to control the ies.
Kieand Holsteins LLC Gary and Linda Kieffer, and Chad and Kendra Kieffer Utica, Minn. Winona County 350 cows Describe your farm. We have a robotic milking free ow barn design that is natural ventilated with fans and sprinklers. Cows are housed in sand freestalls that are bedded twice each week. We scrape manure alleys three times each day and groom stalls three times a day. Dry cows are housed on sand freestalls with fans. What was your average somatic cell count in 2018? 68,000. Why is it important for you to have a low somatic cell count? Most importantly, to have a healthy herd with strong immune systems. Secondly, to provide a high quality dairy product leaving the dairy. Lastly, to maximize premiums to attempt to be protable. What are the three biggest factors you attribute your low somatic cell count to? Attention to small details – excellent employees, early detection of mastitis, conductivity, CMT paddle, on-farm culturing, plowing stalls and periodically using lime. Use of mastitis vaccines – Kleb vaccine based on days carrying calf and E. coli vaccine in May/June. Many years of strategically culling chronic and high SCC families. What type of analysis do you use to monitor milk quality? We DHIA test quarterly test conductivity daily with sensor technology. We also use a CMT paddle and on-farm tri-plate culturing. Have you ever had times when your SCC got higher than you like? What did you do to bring it back down? Yes. Attention to details. What are some strategies you use to control SCC during the wet and hot times of the year? We administer an E. coli vaccine in May/June before humidity starts and plow out the back of the freestalls and replace it with lime. In the summer, we use a 1% chlorhexidine gluconate/Iodine combination post dip. We always rst look at daily conductivity report then at CMT affected quarters followed by sample and culture affected quarter. The last thing we do is only treat the animal if the culture is positive or the cow is clinically sick.
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Youngren Dairy Farms Inc. Dean, Michael and Trevin Youngren Pennock, Minn. Kandiyohi County 450 cows Describe your farm. We have a robotic facility with cross ventilation and sand bedding. We raise all our feed and heifers. What was your average somatic cell count in 2018? 90,000. Why is it important for you to have a low somatic cell count? Cow health, better milk quality and production. We do get a small premium in our milk price. What are the three biggest factors you attribute your low somatic cell count to? Our facility. Manure management and sand bedding have contributed to the herd’s low SCC. Also, our dry and fresh cow protocol have helped. At dry off, cows receive a dry off treatment and teat sealant. We singe udders at dry off as well as fresh. The udders on the milking herd are singed every 4-6 weeks. We give J-5 vaccine every three months to the entire milking herd. The robotic prepping consistency and constant monitoring for cow health and milk quality issues has contributed to our herd’s low somatic cell count. What type of analysis do you use to monitor milk quality? The herd is checked daily for SCC. We also get weekly bulk tank cultures provided by First District Association, our milk cooperative. All fresh cows are checked for high SCC at day three of freshening. Have you ever had times when your SCC got higher than you like? What did you do to bring it back down? High SCC has not been an issue in the newer barn. But if so, we check equipment and review protocols. It does help the cows are milked more often with robotic milkers. We have fewer cases we have to treat. What are some strategies you use to control SCC during the wet and hot times of the year? We follow the same protocols we have in place all year. If we have a are up, we review protocols and check equipment.
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Travis and Angela Scherping Freeport, Minn. Stearns County 62 cows Describe your farm. We operate an organic dairy. All cattle 6 months and older are housed outside. Our dairy cows are rotationally grazed throughout the growing season on alfalfa/grass pasture. Replacement heifers 6 months and older are also on pasture. In the winter, cattle are provided wind breaks and straw packs. Straw is added to these packs on an as needed basis due to weather conditions. What was your average somatic cell count in 2018? 83,000. Why is it important for you to have a low somatic cell count? A low somatic cell count is important because it lets us know we have a healthy herd and are producing quality milk. What are the three biggest factors you attribute your low somatic cell count to? The three biggest factors that attribute to our low somatic cell count are pasture, maintenance and testing. Pasture promotes healthy animals. The cows get fresh air, exercise, rest and quality feed. The cows are less stressed as well. If a cow has chronically high SCC, she is culled. We also make sure to pre and post dip the cow before and after milking. This ensures the teats are staying clean and healthy. It also closes up the teat end after milking to prevent bacteria, manure and dirt from getting into the udder. Monthly testing, tank testing and daily testing helps to nd and isolate cows that would contribute to a high SCC. After monthly testing, we ag any cow that is above 200 and treat her. The highest test cows are pulled and milked for the calves. This monitoring helps us nd the chronically high SCC cows and the cows that look healthy but have an increased SCC. What type of analysis do you use to monitor milk quality? We do monthly somatic cell testing along with daily testing if needed. We visually watch our cows to ensure they are healthy. Have you ever had times when your SCC got higher than you like? What did you do to bring it back down? There are times when the SCC jumps higher than we would like, but we try to catch it as soon as possible. We pull tank samples and that helps us know if there is an issue. If we do see an increased SCC, individual cows are tested to isolate which cows are causing the somatic cell count to rise. Those cows are treated with an aloe vera juice and water mixture, Belladonna and aspirin. Depending on the somatic cell count of an individual cow, she might also be milked in the pail for the calves. What are some strategies you use to control SCC during the wet and hot times of the year? Since we rotational graze, we notice the SCC will increase if the cows bunch on hot days. In order to stop this, the cattle are provided with smaller paddocks more frequently throughout the day. This keeps the cattle moving and stops them from bunching, which causes ies and stress to the cows. During the wet times, we try to get them on sacrice pasture ground or woods, which provides shelter and a clean place to lay.
Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 17
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
Top Performers
Kleins increase production with sand bedding, 3X milking Kleins Cow Palace, LLC The Klein family – Lois and Dean Klein; Eric and Chassidy Klein Lake City, Minn. Wabasha County 700 cows
How many times a day do you milk? If you don’t milk 3X a day, have you tried it in the past? We milk three times a day at 4 a.m., noon and 8 p.m. We have been milking three times a day since 2007.
What is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? Our rolling herd average is 29,400 pounds of milk with 1,148 pounds of fat and 918 pounds of protein.
Do you contract your milk? Has it been successful for you? We tried contracting once in the past, and it wasn’t Turn to KLEINS | Page 20
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Cows at Kleins Cow Palace rest on sand bedding, which the Kleins started using three years ago.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
The Klein family – (from leŌ) Dean, Lois, Chassidy holding Grayson, and Eric holding Hailey – milks 700 cows on their dairy near Lake City, Minn. The herd has a rolling herd average of 29,400 pounds of milk with 1,148 pounds of fat and 918 pounds of protein.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 19
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“We wouldn’t want to be without it!” — Roger and Jeff agree
ROGER AND TERESA ALDINGER, (left) WINONA, MINN. — 70 cows, RHA 27,000, SCC 80-110,000 JEFF AND JOANNE HACKBARTH, HOUSTON, MINN. — 50 cows, RHA 20,000, SCC 150,000 “We wouldn’t want to be without it. We love Udder Comfort™,” say Minnesota dairymen Roger Aldinger of Winona and Jeff Hackbarth of Houston. They have both been using Udder Comfort for 8 years. “It really softens udders and heads-off potential problems in fresh cows. This sets them up for a better lactation,” says Jeff. He checks fresh cows with his Mas-D-Tec® hand-held milk conductivity meter 3 days after calving. “If I see readings of 4 or 5 or higher, then I apply Udder Comfort after each milking for a few more days.” “Our need for antibiotics is almost zero, and we save money and milk, with less worry,” says Roger about his routine. “I use Udder Comfort on fresh cows 2x/day for 5 to 7 days to get swelling out of the udders. They calm down and take off in quality and performance,” adds Roger. He starts every lactation with Udder Comfort.
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
ConƟnued from KLEINS | Page 18
a good t for us. However, we do participate in the Dairy Revenue Protection program and the Dairy Margin Coverage program Describe your housing and milking facility. Our parlor is a double-10 parallel we built 15 years ago. Cows are housed in sand bedded freestall barns. The milking herd is in a combined 4-row and 6-row freestall barn. The dry cows are in a separate 3-row freestall barn. We have a mechanical sand separator we installed last November. Long term, it will be good for the soil and more protable than buying and trucking in sand. What is your herd health program? Herd check is every other Tuesday. We ultrasound
cows to check for pregnancy at 32 days bred, and then recheck a second time to conrm. We vaccinate twice with JVac and also use ScourGuard 4KC and Virashield. The animals are also wormed once a year in the fall. What does your dry cow and transition program consist of? We selectively dry treat cows. If a cow has a somatic cell count over 200,000 based on the DHIA sheet, we use a Tomorrow tube. Cows are given a dry period of about 55 days. At dry off, cows are given Scourguard and JVac along with ViraShield one week later. They are given JVac again when they are in the prefresh pen. Close up cows are moved into the main freestall barn about 12 days before calving,
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
A Holstein calf and a Holstein-Angus crossbred calf stand side by side in pens in the calf barn at the Kleins’ farm. The Kleins breed 85% of their herd to Angus or Limousin.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
The high-producing group at Kleins Cow Palace eats a raƟon that includes corn silage, haylage, high moisture corn, Novameal, and a protein and mineral mix. while close up heifers are moved there about 21 days before calving. We have one ration for the dry cows so we’re not concerned about bringing them up any sooner. We follow just-in-time calving so close up animals are kept in the stalls until we see labor starting. Then, we move them to the maternity pen. We have done this for about six years. It helps conserve bedding and keeps the cows cleaner. After calving, the animals stay in the fresh pen for about two to three weeks and are watched closely. What is the composition of your ration? What has been one of your most recent
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and kept butterfat consistent. It doesn’t dip as much as it used to in the summer.
changes that has been successful for you? We have three rations. The high group is fed a ration with corn silage, haylage, high moisture corn, Novameal, and a protein and mineral mix. The ration is just over 50% forage with twothirds being corn silage and one-third haylage. The low production group receives a ration with less protein and more corn silage while the rst lactation/fresh group receives more protein. Novameal has been the most recent change to the ration. It is a byproduct from dried distillers. We added it about 1.5 years ago to replace the corn gluten, and so far it has helped increase components
Through the years you’ve been farming, what change has created the biggest jump in your herd average? Going to sand three years ago helped a lot; it took about a full lactation for each cow before we started to see the full potential. Each cow increased about 2,000 pounds of milk each lactation. Switching to 3X milking in 2007 also increased the production – about 8 pounds per cow. Turn to KLEINS | Page 22
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 21
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224,900
JD S680, 2014, $ 1839 hrs., 1248 Sep Hrs., #147716
7 JD S680, 2012, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Duals, Yield Monitor, 2267 hrs., 1529 Sep Hrs., #152167 ............................................................. $149,500 7 JD S660, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, Yield Monitor, 986 hrs., 769 Sep Hrs., #155826 ................................................ $230,500 7 JD S670, 2013, 2WD, Duals, 1456 hrs., 998 Sep Hrs., #145812 . $189,500 7 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, Yield Monitor, 385 hrs., 268 Sep Hrs., #159539 ................................................ $421,900 7 JD 6620, 1981, 4500 hrs., 4500 Sep Hrs., #156979 ........................$8,500 7 JD 9400, 1989, 6762 hrs., 4175 Sep Hrs., #156978 ..................... $18,995 7 JD 9600, 1990, 6778 hrs., 4605 Sep Hrs., #155273 ..................... $29,500 6 JD S670, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 1897 hrs., 1260 Sep Hrs., #153514 .................................................................................... $192,900 6 JD S660, 2014, PRWD, Duals, 670 hrs., 381 Sep Hrs., #142203 . $239,500 6 JD 9600, 1996, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 4989 hrs., 3341 Sep Hrs., #151078 ...................................................................................... $24,000 1 JD 9770 STS, 2011, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 1283 hrs., 903 Sep Hrs., #143429 ............................................................... $165,900 15 JD S670, 2016, 2WD, Duals, 361 hrs., 265 Sep Hrs., #144309 ... $294,000 15 JD S690, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, 1733 hrs., 1156 Sep Hrs., #144335 ............................................................. $219,500 15 JD S670, 2017, PRWD, Duals, 970 hrs., 624 Sep Hrs., #146347 . $294,500 15 JD S680, 2016, PRWD, Duals, 1167 hrs., 816 Sep Hrs., #148149 $279,500 15 JD S680, 2016, PRWD, Duals, 986 hrs., 718 Sep Hrs.,#148150 .. $294,000 15 JD S680, 2016, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, Yield Monitor, 1325 hrs., 989 Sep Hrs., #157714 .............................................. $246,750 15 JD S780, 2018, PRWD, Singles, Yield Monitor, 326 hrs., 241 Sep Hrs., #157785 ............................................................... $430,000 15 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, Yield Monitor, 1701 hrs., 1341 Sep Hrs., #156460 ............................................ $205,500 15 JD S660, 2014, 1047 hrs., #155345 .......................................... $189,500 15 JD 9660 STS, 2005, 3435 hrs., 2551 Sep Hrs., #155302 .............. $56,750 9 JD S670, 2017, PRWD, Duals, 426 hrs., 262 Sep Hrs., #142208 . $359,500 16 JD S680, 2015, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Chopper, Yield Monitor, 1723 hrs., 1235 Sep Hrs., #144329 ............................................ $224,900 16 JD S680, 2015, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Chopper, 1235 hrs., 859 Sep Hrs., #144326 ................................................................................... $259,500 16 JD S680, 2015, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, Yield Monitor, 1769 hrs., 1133 Sep Hrs., #144328 ............................................ $239,500 16 JD S690, 2014, PRWD, Duals, 1442 hrs., 982 Sep Hrs., #144333 $234,900 16 JD S670, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 1332 hrs., 979 Sep Hrs., #151692 ..................................................................................... $209500 16 JD S670, 2017, 2WD, Duals, 256 hrs., 186 Sep Hrs., #146346 .......349500 16 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Spreader, Yield Monitor, 346 hrs., 235 Sep Hrs., #157910 ................................................ $425,000 16 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Spreader, Yield Monitor, 400 hrs., 283 Sep Hrs., #157911 ................................................ $420,000 16 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Spreader, 2420 hrs., 1781 Sep Hrs., #159509 ............................................................. $187,400 16 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Active Yield, 337 hrs., 279 Sep Hrs., #154461 ............................................................... $425,000 16 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Spreader, Yield Monitor, Active Yield, 400 hrs., 327 Sep Hrs., #154560............................. $425,250 5 JD S660, 2013, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 1230 hrs., 811 Sep Hrs., #151693 .................................................................................... $199,500 5 JD S680, 2017, PRWD, Duals, 898 hrs., 580 Sep Hrs., #146345 . $329,500 5 JD S680, 2014, PRWD, Duals, 1839 hrs., 1248 Sep Hrs., #147716 .................................................................................... $209,500 5 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, Yield Monitor, 1796 hrs., 1212 Sep Hrs., #158103 ............................................ $219,500 5 JD S680, 2013, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, 1680 hrs., 1187 Sep Hrs., #154421 ............................................................. $224,900 11 JD S670, 2014, PRWD, Duals, 1755 hrs., 1218 Sep Hrs., #144313 .................................................................................... $189,500 11 JD S670, 2017, 2WD, Duals, 770 hrs., 496 Sep Hrs., #146349 ... $299,500 8 JD 9770 STS, 2008, PRWD, Duals, 2570 hrs., 1508 Sep Hrs., #146342 .................................................................................... $114,900 8 JD S670, 2016, 2WD, Duals, 524 hrs., 372 Sep Hrs., #148148 ... $279,500
209,500
JD S690, 2014, 1733 hrs.,1156 Sep $ Hrs., #144335
8 JD S670, 2014, 1646 hrs., 1265 Sep Hrs., #155388 .................. $210,000 8 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 336 hrs., 259 Sep Hrs., #153997 .................................................................................... $439,500 14 JD S670, 2014, PRWD, Duals, Chopper, 963 hrs., 435 Sep Hrs., #144312 ................................................................................... $239,500 14 JD S690, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 1892 hrs., 1422 Sep Hrs., #153332 .................................................................................... $194,000 14 JD S680, 2012, PRWD, Singles, 1677 hrs., 1278 Sep Hrs., #145287............ $167,900 14 JD 9770 STS, 2009, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Spreader, 2355 hrs., #159895 ................................................................................... $106,000 14 JD 9750 STS, 2000, 7685 hrs., 5021 Sep Hrs., #155851 .............. $39,500 14 JD S770, 2018, 244 hrs., 190 Sep Hrs., #155380 ....................... $389,500 3 JD 9870 STS, 2008, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Yield Monitor, 2662 hrs., 1842 Sep Hrs., #143756 ............................................ $117,900 3 JD S660, 2013, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Duals, 1254 hrs., 882 Sep Hrs., #141412 .................................................................................... $179,500 3 JD S680, 2013, PRWD, Duals, 1303 hrs., 967 Sep Hrs., #140845 $224,900 3 JD S690, 2014, PRWD, Duals, 1732 hrs., 1303 Sep Hrs., #145222 .................................................................................... $224,900 3 JD 9670 STS, 2009, 1884 hrs., 1405 Sep Hrs., #154636 ............ $149,500 3 JD S680, 2017, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, 725 hrs., 515 Sep Hrs., #153999 .................................................................................... $360,000 3 JD S680, 2012, Corn/Bean, PRWD, Duals, Yield Monitor, 2300 hrs., 1680 Sep Hrs., #154637............................................ $184,000 ROUND BALERS 4 Gehl 1465, Twine Only, #150085 ..................................................$5,100 4 JD 854, 2010, Mega Wide, Twine and Surface Wrap, 11,400 bales, #159849 ...................................................................................... $20,900 2 Case IH RBX561, 2002, Twine and Surface Wrap, 9000 Bales, #160144 .... $9,900 10 New Holland BR780, 2004, Twine, 3000 bales, #152119 ............$9,900 10 Massey Ferguson 2846A, 2012, 1390 bales, #155473 ............. $24,900 7 JD 535, 1989, Twine and Surface Wrap, #151310 ...........................$8325 7 JD 569, 2014, Mega Wide, Twine and Surface Wrap, 6800 bales, #157756 ...................................................................................... $345,00 7 JD 854 Silage Special, 2016, Mega Wide, 250 bales, #156233 . $42,900 6 JD 854 Silage Special, 2016, Mega Wide, Twine and Surface Wrap, 6000 bales, #151149 ................................................................... $31,300 6 JD 854 Silage Special, 2014, Mega Wide, 7250 bales, #151186$29,500 6 JD 560M, 2018, 6018 bales, #155709 ......................................... $39,500 12 New Holland BR7060, 2009, Mega Wide, Twine, 2755 bales, #159902 ...................................................................................... $17,900 9 JD 468, 2009, Mega Wide, Twine and Surface Wrap, 19500 bales, #158356 ...................................................................................... $15,500 11 JD 535, 1990, Twine, #151751 ........................................................$6500 11 JD 375, 1989, Twine, #159901 ........................................................$6400 8 JD 466, 1997, Mega Tooth, Twine and Surface Wrap, 16,500 bales ............ #160171...............................................................................................$10900 14 JD 569, 2013, Mega Wide, Twine and Surface Wrap, 10,900 bales, #153558...............................................................................................$26500 14 JD 559, 2015, Mega Wide, Twine and Surface Wrap, 2730 bales, #158977 $31350 14 JD 535, 1993, Twine, #155784 ........................................................$4520 SELF-PROPELLED SPRAYERS 4 AgChem 1074, 2009, 100-Foot boom, 3650 hrs., #158291.......$56,900 10 John Deere 4920, 2004, 4600 hrs., #157917............................$69,500 16 Case IH 4430, 2013, 2655 hrs., #154198 .................................$179,500 8 John Deere R4038, 2018, 120-Foot boom, 20 in spacing, 495 hrs., #150887 ...............................................$329,500 14 John Deere R4038, 2017, 508 hrs., #143961 .........................$319,500 14 Melroe 220, 1985, 60-Foot boom, 20 in spacing, 1233 hrs., #160062........................................................................ $8,450 14 Melroe 218, 1988, 60-Foot boom, 20 in spacing, 924 hrs., #160063 ......................................................................................$10,900
219,500
JD S780, 2018, $ 337 hrs., 279 Sep Hrs., #154461
425,000
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
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ConƟnued from KLEINS | Page 20
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KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Novameal is a byproduct from dried disƟllers and comes in pellet form. Adding Novameal is the most recent change the Kleins have made to the raƟon.
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What role does genetics play in your production level, and what is your breeding program? We try to pick top bulls, but since we only use sexed semen it somewhat limits our options. We look for bulls with high fat and protein, good daughter pregnancy rate and one that will produce a moderately-framed cow. Our genetic potential has increased exponentially lately because of our use of beef semen. The last few years we have used an ovsynch program which has helped the herd achieve a higher conception rate. It also saves us time since we don’t have to watch for heats. An activity system for our heifers also helps. Our cows have a pregnancy rate of 32%. The majority of the cows – about 85% – are bred using beef semen. The heifers (for the rst three services) and high genetic cows (ranked based on net merit) are bred using sexed semen. We use nine straws of sexed semen each week. That is the number of breedings we determined we needed to have the exact number of replacements we need. We breed all heifers rst. If there are any units left, we breed the highest genetic cows that week. Any other cows that need to be bred that week are bred to an Angus or Limousin. What type of improvements would you like to make that would increase your rolling herd average even higher? Having an activity monitoring system on the cows would get cows bred sooner and move cows closer to peak, and decrease the number of late lactation cows. Looking at haylage and corn silage varieties that have better traits would also help.
TSR
PARLOR
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WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bob’s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201 Ederer Dairy Supply Plain, WI 608-546-3713 Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Waunakee, WI 608-849-5043
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List three management strategies that have kept you protable and explain. We do a lot of things ourselves which cuts expenses. We raise our youngstock and crops, and try to do many tasks ourselves. Diversication also helps spread out risk. We have a herd of beef cows, raise our steers and crossbred calves for beef, and cash crops including canning peas. Our breeding program has also made us focus on the best genetic animal for our farm and reduced the number of animals we are feeding by only have the number of replacements needed. Tell us about your farm. We are second- and third-generation farmers. Dean and Lois farm together with their son and daughter-in-law, Eric and Chassidy, along with their two children, Hailey, 2, and Grayson, 11 months. We run 1,600 acres of owned and rented land where we grow corn, alfalfa, oat, canning pea and cover crop. Occasionally we grow soybean, although we did not this year. We have been using cover crops the last three years, which has helped give us additional heifer feed and provided other benets to the land, such as less soil erosion and more organic matter.
Target Your Customers! Advertise Online at www.dairystar.com If you would like to advertise, call 320-352-6303 for more information.
Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 23
Primus couple ranks No. 1 for milk quality
Consistency, cleanliness key for Minnesota dairy farmers By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
SAUK CENTRE, Minn. – Dairy farmers Roger and Laura Primus have spent their 33-year career maintaining superior milk quality within their herd on their farm near Sauk Centre, Minn.; and this year, they were recognized as the state’s top dairy herd for milk quality by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. “This is what we do. … We strive to take care of the cows because they take care of us,” Laura said. The Primuses’ 46-cow herd was recognized for an average somatic cell count of 42,000 in 2018; the No. 1 dairy herd ranked amongst 135 other Minnesota farmers, all of which had a SCC under 100,000. For the last 30 years of their dairying career, the Primuses have maintained a SCC under 100,000. They were immediately on MDA’s list for superior milk quality when the state began tracking SCC in 2003 and have not waivered their efforts. “Honestly, I never thought we’d have a run this long,” Laura said. “This is the last and biggest goal we wanted to
achieve in our dairy career.” Roger and Laura keep a consistent routine in the barn, which they said helps maintain SCC. The cows are housed in a tiestall barn, where they lay on mattresses. Each mattress is bedded with oat or wheat straw and then coated with a lime powder to keep moisture at bay. “We put a lot of lime down and that helps keep the cows dry and clean,” Roger said. When it is time to milk the cows, Roger and Laura follow a routine they established early on in their career. Laura prepares the cows for milking, and Roger puts on and takes off the milking units. Each cow is washed with a towel using Surge Liquatone, an udder wash, diluted in warm water. “Instead of a pre-dip, we use this wash that works really well at killing any bacteria,” Laura said. “Our route guy recommended it many years ago, and we’ve used it ever since. It’s highly concentrated, so it just takes a little bit to work.” After the cows are cleaned, Roger strips each teat and does
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Roger and Laura Primus – pictured with their grandson, Levi Middendorf, 11 – milk 46 cows in Stearns County near Sauk Centre, Minn. The Primuses were recognized for an average somaƟc cell count of 42,000 in 2018 by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. a preliminary check of the milk. He does the same when the cows are completed milking. “I know the cows,” Roger said. “When I strip them, I know if there is a problem. If the milk looks suspicious or [the cow is] not feeling well, I can then take care of the problem right away.” Roger uses a California Mastitis Test to detect mastitis.
“I’ve done enough CMT paddle tests over the years to have a good reading on what the results mean,” Roger said. When the cows are done milking, Laura applies a postdip to the teats. The Primuses use two dips, alternating every couple of days. “We like to keep the bugs on their toes,” Laura said. Roger researches ways to improve herd health – reading
industry magazines and taking suggested practices to implement on his farm. “If there’s a will, there’s a way to have a good herd,” Roger said. Roger and Laura are the only ones who milk the cows regularly. While being in the barn both morning and night provides little exibility off the Turn to PRIMUSES | Page 25
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Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 25
ConƟnued from PRIMUSES | Page 23 farm, it has been advantageous for the Primuses’ herd health. “For us, we have our routine down pat, and it creates more worry for us if someone else is doing the milking,” Roger said. The Primuses’ grandchildren, Lyndsey, 14, and Levi, 11, Middendorf, of Osakis, Minn., help with farm chores during the summer months. Consistency and cleanliness at Roger and Laura’s farm is reected in the many honors the couple has received while dairy farming. In their 33 years, they have received 44 awards from their creameries for milk quality. The couple sells milk to Osakis Creamery. Their milk is then shipped to Bongards Creameries. “With a lower SCC, I think our yield is better,” Roger said. “And, we know it consistently tastes good.” The Primuses have always maintained a quality milk supply but have never been named the best herd in the state. When Laura saw their name at the top of the MDA list, she was proud. “It’s all a matter of pride,” Laura said. “We’re nally No. 1, and that’s something we were able to do before we close the barn doors for the last time.” A low SCC also adds a premium to the milk check. The creamery offers a $0.70 premium per hundredweight of milk each month, Laura said. “This is proof a small farm can still make money,” she said. “We’ve done alright and have no regrets. Even without the premium, it’s the satisfaction that we’re producing a decent product.”
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Levi Middendorf sprinkles lime on the maƩresses of his grandparents’ Ɵestall barn at their farm near Sauk Centre, Minn. The Primuses use lime to keep the stalls dry and clean. Maintaining a high milk quality has not always been an easy venture for the Primuses, especially when hot and humid weather hits in the late summer months. When Roger and Laura see the cows react to the weather, they immediately address the situation with treatment. Their suspicions of a spike in SCC are later conrmed in their creamery’s weekly report.
“We usually have things taken care of and numbers are back to normal by the time we see the report,” Roger said. Laura agreed. “Our cows aren’t perfect,” she said. “By milking ourselves, we can nd any problem cow and react faster.” Despite the trials of dairy farming and the challenges of maintaining a low SCC, it is a part of dairying the Primuses believe in. “We’ve always dairy farmed with the philosophy of doing good,” Roger said. “We milk cows and do the best we can, and that’s what every farmer does.”
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Laura Primus shows the awards she and her husband, Roger, have received for maintaining a low somaƟc cell count on their dairy farm near Sauk Centre, Minn. In 33 years of milking cows, the Primuses have received 44 awards from their creameries for milk quality.
Minnesota dairy farms honored for superior cow care The Minnesota Department of Agriculture received late submissions for the top herds for somatic cell count list and were inadvertently omitted from the list previously published in the June 22 Dairy Star. The dairy farms are being recognized for superior herd management skills by achieving an average SCC of under 100,000. Below are the omitted dairy farms: Producer Name John Willenbring Steve and Estelle Martin Ryan Grifn Herdering Farms, Inc Deer-Brook Farms, Inc Roger Mathews Duane Burke Enchanted Dairy, LLP Schroeder Brothers LLC Birch Point Farms - Peshon’s Brandon Stommes Kevin Hanson Reiland Farms Cottonwood Dairy Gar-Lin Dairy LLC John or Mary Trout Wolf Creek Dairy New Heights Dairy-Foley Larry and Nancy Greden Stephen or Cheryl Wiechman Maren Holst
County Stearns Pine Marshall Stearns Winona Olmsted Otter Tail Morrison Houston Winona Stearns Polk Mower Yellow Medicine Olmsted Wadena Rice Benton Winona Stearns Wabasha
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
Nominations open for county committee elections The United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency encourages all farmers, ranchers and FSA program participants to take part in their local county committee election nomination process. Nominations are open now through Aug. 1. FSA News & Notes FSA’s county committees are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA and allow grassroots input and local administration of federal farm programs. Committees are comprised of elected agricultural producers responsible for the fair and equitable By Ryan Brunn administration of FSA farm programs in their counties. Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. Committee members are accountable to the Secretary of Agriculture. If elected, members become part of a local decision making and farm program delivery process. A county committee is composed of three to 11 elected members from local administrative areas. Each member serves a three-year term. One-third of the seats on these committees are open for election each year. County committees may have an appointed advisor to further represent the local interests of underserved farmers and ranchers. Underserved producers are beginning, women and other minority farmers and ranchers and landowners and/or operators who have limited resources. All nomination forms for the 2019 election must be postmarked or received in the USDA service center by Aug. 1. For more information on FSA county committee elections and appointments, refer to the FSA fact sheet available online at http://www.fsa. usda.gov/elections. 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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The whirlwind of June There have been so many events we have attended in June. I cannot help but feel there are a few things in common that have made them all successful: family, friends and great weather. With ve Saturdays in June, there were plenty of good times to be had by all. The dairy breakfasts, graduation parties, my son’s wedding and our open house at our farm were blessed with beautiful weather. Weather that was so perfect that we seemed to forget the rain that ooded the elds the days before. The sun shining and bright colors of everything from owers to snow covered mountains and lush green elds of corn and alfalfa seemed to By Tina Hinchley all the worries out of Farmer & Columnist pull the pictures taken. The Dane County Dairy Breakfast was hosted by the Klahn family in Brooklyn, Wis. With the backdrop of beautiful grain bins with an American ag ying, guests were greeted with big smiles, a delicious breakfast and a chance to learn about how a farm works to get the feed for cows, grain for ethanol and food for the table. We enjoyed visiting with old friends and meeting new ones while we painted cow spots on children’s faces and promoted our farm for the 2020 Dane County Dairy Breakfast. We had many farm tours in June, but it was scheduled around the dates so we could leave the farm and celebrate with our friends’ graduates and families. Any gathering to enjoy each other’s company is special. We look forward to attending. Near the end of the month, we packed our bags and headed to Washington to be a part of our son’s wedding. My mother, who is in a wheelchair, my sister, our daughter Catherine, and daughter Anna with her boyfriend, Kevin, shared a condo in the Mount Rainier National Park. The White River rushed by the deck with elk crossing in the distance. Moss covered trees and hiking paths invited us to see the natural beauty that is the great Northwest. The wedding venue was held at Crystal Mountain Ski Chalet. We took the gondola to the top of the mountain and looked at Mount Rainier which was peeking out of the clouds with snow covered peaks. Breath taking. Even with a cool breeze, the sun warmed us with the spectacular view. The wedding was beyond anything we could have ever imagined. It was the perfect event to have before our open barn that was on the last Saturday of June. Recharged and revitalized, we pulled together to get our farm set for the biggest open house we have ever hosted.
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The late and sleepless nights that go with the preparation of these types of events could not change the outcome of what the day would be remembered for. The planning and organizing, and the tireless attention to every detail were worth it. We are thankful for the volunteers, family members and friends who went through the endless to-do lists and the last minute runs to the store to grab that one item that made a difference. The early morning roosters crowing led the way for a great day June 29 with the right combination of sunshine and warmth. Everything was beautiful. The open house put our farm on display. The new barn with the milking system was the highlight, but the rest of the barn was too with its slatted oor, ventilation, lighting, waterbed mattresses and the cows. There was food, music and people everywhere. What a great turn out.
Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 27
People came from near and far. Neighbors came who watched the building go up and waited for the day to peek inside. Farmers came to see and learn about the new technology that is available to help make their lives a little easier. As the day wound down, and the cars and trucks pulled away, we all knew it was the best we could do. It was gratifying to know we shared our farm with so many. We are thankful to be able to meet new friends, spend time with others who embrace our passion for farming and love the lives we all live. What a wonderful day. Tina Hinchley, her husband, Duane, and their daughters, Anna and Catherine, milk 240 registered Holsteins with robots. They also farm 2,300 acres of crops near Cambridge, Wisconsin. They have been hosting farm tours for over 20 years.
Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
Thompson follows in her grandpa’s footsteps
Second-generation farmer in it for the long haul By Stacey Smart Contributing Writer
JANESVILLE, Wis. – Amanda Thompson knew she was destined to be a dairy farmer from a young age – like her grandfather. From the moment she could walk, Thompson became his shadow, following her grandpa around the farm and learning the ropes beside him. Thompson is a secondgeneration farmer, who in 2007 took over her grandparents’ farm in Janesville, Wis. Farming skipped a generation in her family, as neither her mother or uncle chose to farm. But, being a dairy farmer was in Thompson’s blood from day one. “I was born to farm,” said Thompson, who now runs the dairy farm primarily by herself. “Farming is in my heart. It’s what I love to do.” Her grandparents, Herb and Beverly Renner, purchased the farm in the early 1970s. When Thompson took over, she started with two cows and bought her grandpa’s heifers as they calved in. Thompson now milks 83 cows twice a day in the farm’s original tiestall barn. She enjoys milking in the 56-stall barn comprised of 46 tie stalls and 10 stanchions, as she likes the personal contact and ability to interact with her animals. When the weather is nice, Thompson’s cows spend their days and nights on pasture. “I believe in small family farms like this one,” Thompson said. “They’re what built America.” Her herd is a mix of Holsteins and Milking Shorthorns, but Thompson also experiments with crossbreeds and has Normandy and Shorthorn crosses, Simmental-Holstein crosses, Montbéliarde crosses, Lineback
crosses, a Charolais-Holstein cross, a Red and White Holstein-Angus cross and Fleckvieh cattle. Thompson said her Shorthorns are good producers, and some are milking more than 100 pounds per day. A true animal lover, Thompson’s farm is also home to more than 80 chickens, a turkey, several ducks, rabbits and two rescue horses. Thompson sells eggs and also sells beef upon request. Although her grandpa and grandma are 82 and 79 years old, respectively, they still farm the crops of the 210-acre dairy under the name Prairie View Farm. “If it wasn’t for what my grandparents built, I wouldn’t be here,” Thompson said. “I know I have big shoes to ll.” The 32-year-old dairy farmer has adopted many of her grandfather’s old-school ways, which prove economical during tough times. One of her secrets to success is the farm’s calf barn setup, which houses calves from birth through approximately 8 months of age. The space was previously a drive-up hay mow that Thompson’s grandparents transformed into a calf barn in the late 1970s. Although more than 40 years old, the versatile facility functions well for Thompson who said it is a great place to raise calves. The barn contains 16 4- by 4-feet individual box stalls for calves on milk replacer, ve group pens for weaned animals and a calving pen at one end big enough for two cows. The wooden box pens feature a vertical sliding door and an open top. Calves eat and drink through a square cutout in the front. The size and orientation of the stalls do not allow for any contact between the animals, helping to prevent the spread of illness. Calves are weaned at 1
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Amanda Thompson poses with one of her favorite cows, Blizzard, on her 83-cow dairy in Janesville, Wis. Thompson took over the farm from her grandparents in 2007. month old and then moved to one of the group pens. Thompson has the exibility to adjust pen sizes depending on present needs and create easy movement between pens as calves age. All calves are bedded with chopped beanstalks, which Thompson said keeps her calves clean and dry. “Calves stay healthy in this environment which reduces my costs,” Thompson said. “Healthier animals mean less vet bills.” At 8 months of age, calves are transferred to another heifer facility on the farm until they reach 15 months at which point breeding-age heifers are grouped with milk cows. “This is the way my grandpa always did it, and my philosophy is if it’s not broke don’t x it,” Thompson said. Thompson focuses on animal comfort, nutrition, keeping feet healthy and doing what is best for her animals overall to ensure they milk well. Thompson also samples her feed every time she gets a new crop so she can ration it appropriately. “To cut costs, I buy only the
things I need, nothing extra,” Thompson said. “I also practice harder culling than I did in the past. For example, I’ve increased my minimum production requirements by 10 pounds. Now I let go of cows not hitting the 40-pound mark, as well as cows that don’t breed back after four tries.” Passing on her love and knowledge of dairy farming to the next generation is important to Thompson. An FFA alumni who has served as a secretary and vice president, Thompson is an avid supporter of 4-H and FFA. She opens her farm to kids for judging and also allows youth to show her animals at the Walworth and Boone county fairs. “As a kid, I was really into showing cattle, so I love helping young people learn this skill and succeed in the show ring,” Thompson said. Thompson still shows at the Walworth County Fair in the open show. In 2018, one of her 4-year-old Milking Shorthorns was grand champion of the youth show and reserve champion of the open division.
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Being in the barn and spending time with her animals is one of the things Thompson treasures most in life. She admits dairy farming is not always easy, but there is nothing else she would rather do. Thompson gladly takes the good with the bad because to her there is no better occupation. And, Thompson can already see that her 3-year-old daughter, Ellie, is following in her footsteps. “She has developed a special love for the farm,” Thompson said. “I see a lot of me in her in the way she showers animals with affection and prefers the barn over any place else.” Thompson plans to farm forever and is not about to let anything stand in the way of her dream, including the fact that she has asthma which can make some days on the farm more challenging than usual. “I’ve been a ghter my whole life,” Thompson said. “And, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep this family farm going and make my grandparents proud.”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 29
Air velocity, production level impact heat stress Heat stress costs you money. Numerous research studies have reported that heat stressed lactating cows have reduced dry matter intake, milk production and pregnancy rates, and increased lameness, disease incidence, days open and death rates. Heat stressed late gestation cows have shorter gestation periods, calves with lower birth weights, reduced milk production and impaired immune function. And, heifer calves from heat stressed cows produce less milk for the ďƒžrst 30 weeks of lactation after freshening. The temperature-humidity index (THI) is commonly used to indicate the amount of heat stress cows are experiencing. High producing cows start to have milk yield losses of 1 pound of milk per day once minimum THI is 65 or above and respiration rates are above 60 breaths per minute (bpm). The amount of milk loss increases as the level and number of By Kevin Janni hours of heat stress increase. Many cows can recover if they University of MN can have several hours a day without heat stress. There are other factors beyond THI that affect heat stress. A previous Dairy Star article covered sunshine and solar heat gain. This article is about the impact of air velocity and level of milk production on heat stress. This material is based on a spreadsheet model that describes how cows exchange heat by respiration, sweating, convection and radiant exchange. One of the model outputs is the typical expected respiration rate. Actual cow respiration rates will vary. Table 1 shows respiration for cows producing 66, 88 or 110 pounds of milk per day (lb./day) when the air dry-bulb temperature is 86 degrees and the dew-point temperature is 59. At these temperatures, the relative humidity is 40% and the THI is 77. Heat stress would be expected. Table 1 shows how respiration rates increase as milk production increases from 66 lbs./day to 110 lbs./day for the temperature conditions used. Higher respiration rates indicate greater heat stress. Declines in milk production are expected when respiration rates are above 60 bpm for several hours each day. Overall respiration rates in Table 1 range from 47 to 94 bpm. Little milk production loss would be expected when respiration rates are below 60 bpm. For the conditions used in the model, a cow producing 66 lbs./day would have little reduction in milk production. A cow producing 88 lbs./day would have a reduction in milk production at the lower air speeds. A cow producing 110 lbs./day would be expected to have a reduction in milk production across all of the air speeds modeled. This shows that the high producing cow is more stressed. She probably will reduce dry matter intake to lower her metabolic heat production to make it easier for her to balance her heat gains and losses. One common method to help cows manage heat stress is to install mixing fans to increase the air velocity past the cows. The model results are based on a standing cow so more surface area is exposed to the air. The respiration rates in the columns in Table 1 indicate the cooling beneďƒžt achieved at different air velocities.
Cows producing 66 lbs./day have respiration rates reduced from 58 bpm to 47 bpm as the air velocity increases from 1.3 mph to 12 mph (114 to 1,056 feet per minute (fpm)). They would have less heat stress, but it would not be expected to have much impact on milk production. Cows producing 88 lbs./day have respiration rates reduced from 72 to 56 bpm with increased air velocity. They would be expected to have some milk production loss at the lower air velocities. Cows producing 110 lbs./day have their heat stress reduced as the air velocity increases, but they would be expected to have a reduction in milk production across all of the air velocities used. The model does not calculate the amount of milk production reduction. Table 1 also illustrates the law of diminishing returns as air velocity increases. The reduction in respiration rate gets smaller at the higher air velocities (i.e., 9 and 12 mph). Getting the air velocity past the cows up to 6 mph has more of an impact on respiration rates than getting the air velocity from 6 mph to 12 mph. The increased air velocity helps the cows with their cooling, but doubling the air velocity at the higher velocities, which takes more and bigger fans and more energy, does not get you twice the cooling effect. Observing and recording respiration rates is a good way to see how much heat stress your cows are feeling. Respiration rates will vary from cow to cow because of differences in production and other factors. However, respiration rates can be observed and recorded to see how well your ventilating system and any cooling practices you are using are doing to help your cows manage heat stress.
Table 1. Modeled lactating cow respiration rates (breaths per minute) for 1,320-pound cows at three milk production levels (66, 88 or 110 pounds milk per day) and ďƒžve air velocities (1.3, 3, 6, 9 or 12 mph) when THI was 77, dry-bulb temperature was 86 degrees, dew-point temperature was 59 and relative humidity was 40%. Daily milk production 66 lbs./day 88 lbs./day 110 lbs./day
Air velocity mph 1.3 3 6 9 12
fpm 114 264 528 792 1,056
58 55 51 48 47
Respiration rates (bpm) 72 94 66 86 61 76 58 69 56 66
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Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
Boredom
The beginnings of this poem came to me one night in the shower after a particularly long day of listening to the “I’m bored” mantra over and over. It is a grating phrase to me, and I often wish I could ask my mom what she said to us when we said it in great repetition to her over summer break. I’m certain that this phrase ranks among the top 10 of most frustrating for parents. My lists of the things they could do never meet their expectations. I tell them that farm kids have no excuse for boredom; there is work and play around every corner. There is a chicken coop to clean, lawn to mow, weeds to whack, and of course, the ever popular option – play with your sister. There are days when my suggestions of water ghts and slip-n-slide are even met with a pout, because there ‘aren’t enough kids to be fun’ due to activities and naptimes. Perhaps this week I’ll just respond with nonsensical things they could do, “You could y to the moon on a chicken’s back, slip-n-slide on Mars, lasso an os-
trich and teach it to ride.” I’ll let you know if this tactic works, because I feel my summer grip on sanity be tested a bit every time I hear those words.
“Did you nish your list of work?” “I’m certain I can nd you more.” Ramblings from the Ridge
“I’m bored,” Child whimpersAs mom rolls her eyes Here it comes againThose words I despise.
“I’m bored,” Uttered in frustration When a project goes awry “Take a deep breath” “Think positive, and try.”
“I’m bored,” Now said with a whine“We never do anything fun,” “Do you need a job?” “I don’t want one!”
“I’m bored!” Shouted after a brotherly ght “No one wants to play with me.” “Did you try to ask nicely?” “Perhaps you should let him be?”
“I’m bored,” First words said As they burst through the door-
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“I’m bored,” Said with a long sigh As he slumps on the couch “Maybe you need a nap?” “Then you wouldn’t be such a grouch.” “I’m bored.” Muttered as they yawn “Time for bed, the day is done” “Tomorrow is time for more to do” “Go to sleep my dear little one” Jacqui and her family milk 800 cows and run 1,200 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wis. Her children, Ira (12), Dane (10), Henry (5) and Cora (toddler), help her on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones, or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos – and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.
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Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Brewers join partnership
Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin is teaming up with the Milwaukee Brewers all season long to build trust in dairy farmers, dairy products and dairy farming practices. The partnership highlights the importance of Wisconsin’s signature industry for consumers and honors Wisconsin dairy farmers, including an August 11th Farmers Appreciation Day and pre-game tailgate. Throughout the season, the Brewers will show the “I’m a Wisconsin Dairy Farmer” documentary series on the scoreboard during the game and on over 400 instadium TVs in addition to Brewers.com. Pre-game ceremonies will honor six hardworking Wisconsin dairy farm families. Fans can also hear dairy messages through the Brewers Radio Network and Bob Uecker’s salute to farmers. A special video series between the Brewers Grounds Crew and the Elbe Family of Golden E Dairy celebrates the positive associations people have with dairy farmers. The series highlights environmental stewardship, innovation, animal care and the importance of family, while displaying the parallels between America’s Dairyland and America’s favorite pastime. Consumers will see these videos in stadium and on social media throughout the season. “This season the Milwaukee Brewers are proud to partner with the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin,” said Jason Hartlund, chief revenue ofcer for Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club. “Through our partnership, we are able to highlight the great work that dairy farmers are doing throughout the state and their importance to their local communities. We are excited to welcome and honor all farmers, including dairy farmers, to Miller Park on Sunday, August 11th for Farmers Appreciation Day.” As a key economic engine of the state, the dairy industry contributes $43.4 billion annually to Wisconsin’s economy, generates tens of thousands of jobs and supports a variety of allied industries – as well as communities – throughout the region. Wisconsin Dairy Farmers are welcome to join Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin at the game on Sunday, August 11th for Farmers Appreciation Day copresented with Kwik Trip. Visit WisconsinDairy.org/dairyfarmer to complete your account details and receive more information about reserving your spot for the Wisconsin dairy farmer tailgate. Availability is rst-come, rst-serve.
Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 31
Are Minnesota’s cows moving? The short answer is yes. Minnesota loses a small number of cows each year, but mostly cows move from one farm to another. Examining the United States Department of Agriculture’s recent dairy census versus 2012 and 2017 data shows this. The current dairy census uses data from 2017. In Figure 1, the rst 10 counties, from Stearns to Swift, were the top 10 counties, by number of cows, from top to bottom, in the most recent census. The last counties all were listed at least once in the top 10 Veterinary Wisdom three counties in 2007 or 2012 but were not in the top 10 in 2017. The most recent census did not list cow numbers for Stevens County; however, the table shows the 2012 data for that county. Total Minnesota cow numbers are at the top of the list. The 10 year percentage change column is the total change for the 10 years from 2007 to 2017. Minnesota lost 1,951 cows, or 0.4%, in the 10 year period, but Otter Tail County lost 6,971 cows or almost 33%. Swift County gained 8,104 cows or 179%. Winona County lost 5,337 cows, or 18.2%, while Kandiyohi County gained 7,751 cows or 118%. Counties with By Jim Bennett signicant gains now have much larger herd sizes than counties that have lost cows. Columnist Figure 2 shows the average dairy herd size by county in Minnesota for each of the three dairy census years and the percentage change over 10 years. Overall, in Minnesota, herd size grew by 41% over 10 years, but Kandiyohi, Swift and Nicollet herd sizes grew by 225%, 300% and 162%, respectively. It is clear that growth in county cow numbers and average herd sizes is largely because of a few very large farms in some counties. Thus, the answer is yes, cows are moving around within the state, and that is changing the Minnesota dairy landscape. Figure 1: Top Minnesota counties by number of cows 5 year 5 year 2007 change 2012 change Minnesota 459,752 0.8% 463,312 -1.2% Stearns 68,677 2.5% 70,407 -5.5% Morrison 24,657 14.3% 28,173 -1.3% Winona 29,369 -2.9% 28,515 -15.7% Stevens 17,925 19.5% 21,428 0% Wabasha 20,110 2.5% 20,614 -1.7% Goodhue 19,320 -9.7% 17,450 5.3% Todd 16,300 -1.4% 16,521 -12.2% Ottertail 21,312 -21.7% 16,689 -14% Kandiyohi 6,581 0.4% 6,606 117% Swift 4,474 -34.4% 2,935 325.5% Fillmore 10,837 14% 12,359 -11.3% Nicollet 6,961 62.1% 11,281 2.5% Benton 12,593 -11% 11,204 -7.1%
2017 457,801 66,524 27,805 24,032 21,428* 20,257 18,382 14,498 14,341 14,332 12,488 10,963 11,566 10,404
10 year change -0.4% -3.1% 12.8% -18.2% 18.5% 0.7% -4.9% -11.1% -32.7% 117.8% 179.1% 1.2% 66.2% -17.4%
Figure 2: Top Minnesota counties cows per farm 2007 2012 2017 10 year change Minnesota 89 98 126 41% Stearns 83 88 107 28% Morrison 85 90 130 53% Winona 117 139 150 28% Stevens 1,494 2,679 2,125 42% Wabasha 103 131 152 48% Goodhue 102 114 136 33% Todd 63 53 65 4% Ottertail 72 65 74 3% Kandiyohi 80 82 261 225% Swift 136 95 543 300% Fillmore 76 85 88 16% Nicollet 116 251 304 162% Benton 84 86 121 44% Bennett is one of four dairy veterinarians at Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center in Plainview, Minn. He also consults on dairy farms in other states. He and his wife, Pam, have four children. Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@ gmail.com with comments or questions.
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Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
Bib overalls Ten years ago, I bought my ďƒžrst pair of bib overalls – hickory striped, also known as railroad bibs as part of a Halloween outďƒžt I wanted to wear when my grandkids came trick or treating. I wore them for that one night and not again, thinking they were horribly uncomfortable. They hung in my work room closet for the next nine years as I wore through countless pairs of Carhartt work jeans. The work jeans are the baggy style with the hammer loop and vice grip pocket. The hammer loop is especially useful every morning to hang my teat dipper on when milking fresh cows. The jeans would wear thin quickly from the daily washing and drying and in 8-10 months would rip a hole in the buttocks area. At that point, I was not allowed to wear them, not even to the dairy in the dark early mornings. The biggest issue with the jeans started a few years ago. No matter how tight I cinched my belt, I
could not keep them from working downhill. I am sure Carhartt changed the design and caused the problem because I have maintained my funnel ďƒžgure for many years. I guess I was in style with my low riding jeans if I was walking around the Mall of America. This past winter, I got so fed up with pulling up my jeans constantly that I rewashed the striped bibs and tried them on. They still ďƒžt great, but I felt so out of character wearing them. Then the light bulb went on in my head. I will buy a blue denim pair of bibs, wear a hoodie sweatshirt over them, and nobody will ever notice I am wearing bibs. That worked great until Deb took one look at me and said, “Your jeans look funny.â€? Nobody else noticed at all through the remainder of the winter and the long cold spring. All of the sudden, the hot weather hit, and my fashion secret was exposed for all to see. My granddaughters giggled, my daughters shook their heads,
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and my employees asked how old I was. The ladies at the bank and the farm store gave me second looks and smiled while they quickly looked back down at their computer screens. I have come to the conclusion there are two types of farmers that wear bib overalls. Making Cents of Dairy First are those unmarried guys who have worn them since their mom ran them through the wringer wash machine, and second are married guys like me who have enough self-conďƒždence to wear them despite what our wives say. Bib overalls should be open to some modern By Dave Vander Kooi day updates however. Columnist First, they should make the front chest pockets 1 inch longer so we could snap them shut over our cell phone. This pocket is an excellent place for a phone, but in my occupation I am afraid it could fall out while inspecting a manure ďƒ&#x;ume or gutter. The second update manufacturers should make is replacing all the metal fasteners with heavy duty plastic clips. This would eliminate the terrible noise chatter when they are tumbling in the clothes dryer. I suppose the manufacturers think if we are backwards enough to wear bibs, we still dry everything on a clothesline. One hot, humid morning earlier this week, when I went to milk the fresh cows, I thought it is too hot to wear jeans or bibs. So, I put on an old pair of jean shorts, T-shirt and muck boots. When I arrived at the dairy, my assistant, Eddie, said there was a cow locked in the headlocks that I better check for a calf. I grabbed a couple arm sleeves and put my arm in the cow. Instantly the cow blew out 5 gallons of urine and ďƒ&#x;uids right inside my boots. I had been thinking about making my oldest pair of bibs into bib shorts, but now I have abandoned that idea completely. The cow had twin Angus cross calves in case you are wondering. A few days ago, I was wearing my bibs when Rita’s dad, Tom Albrecht, stopped by to help us run the ďƒželd cultivator. Tom took one look at me and proceeded to tell his bib story. Apparently when he was growing up, most farmers wore denim bibs for farm work. However, when there was an important social event like a school program or Christmas party, those same farmers dressed up by wearing their hickory striped railroad bibs with a dress collar shirt underneath and a tie tucked inside the bib front. It is a good thing I have not gotten my railroad bibs full of grease from farm work. They are ready to party. Vander Kooi operates a 1,800-cow, 4,500 acre farm with his son, Joe, and daughter-in-law, Rita, near Worthington, Minn. Send him feedback at davevkooi@ icloud.com. Follow him on Instagram, @davevanderkooi.
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It’s almost show time My favorite thing to do on a warm summer day is to go to a youth dairy show. There is nothing better than being ringside, watching the clean, sleek, carefully prepared animals parading around the ring led by enthusiastic 4-H, FFA or other youth. A photo of me at about age 5 has me posing by my siblings’ heifers at a dairy day show in Stillwater, Minn. Maybe that is when the show bug bit me. I know I could not wait to start working with my own calf and go to my rst show as a youngster in 4-H. Growing up, we were only allowed to show our registered Ayrshires at the county fair, a local dairy day and the state fair for 4-H, if we won a trip. It was a big deal in Washington County where I grew up because Come Full Dairy Circle the quality of the animals was high. I sometimes had to settle for a clothing or foods trip instead of the coveted dairy trip. That was disappointing as I always aspired to be in the dairy cattle barn. In the Annexstad family, cattle showing was not a tradition, but taking livestock and many other projects to the county fair certainly was. My husband and his brothers showed pigs, which were their summer 4-H/FFA projects. Dog showing was a specialty of my sister-in-law’s, and her German Shepherd received many baths and countless hours of obedience training. By Jean Annexstad Much has been written about the life lessons learned by working with and showing livestock, and I Columnist agree with most of it. The experience sets you on a path of responsibility, tolerance, perseverance and gratitude. When our children started in 4-H, our dairy-showing neighbors encouraged us to join them in the cattle barn with calves. Those memories of the rst shows are priceless. We have photos of our boys at about 4 feet tall lined up with their friends and their calves. This year, they will be rounding out their 4-H careers with their last show. Emily, with her white shorts and little pink boots in photos from her rst show, has already been done for two years. This year, she will miss our fair as her internship is too far away. It will be bittersweet watching the boys show with their friends this year. Rolf’s family has embraced the showing routine. The kids are responsible for feeding and care of all of the heifers in the summer. The heifers that are being trained, fed grass hay and kept especially clean have their own pen. Four of these heifers are leased by other 4-H youth. These kids come many times throughout the summer to lead, wash and work with their animals. The boys mentor these youth in training, showing techniques and general knowledge about their animals and our farm. The kids who lease get to see the daily workings of a typical dairy farm and learn skills through working with the calves. My role now is mostly to coordinate the schedule and take a few photos of the kids working together. When it is closer to the fair, the boys will start retrieving the show gear from the old barn’s hay mow. That consists of feed buckets, water lines and drinking cups, garbage cans to haul TMR in for the milking cows and more. The show box will be cleaned off and reorganized. Halters will be saddle soaped and inventoried. After many years, we probably have enough of each size for the heifers and cows that we are taking. The county fair is about one month away. Leading up to it is always an intense time with washing, clipping and preparing the cattle barn at the fair. Last will come the hauling of the gear, bedding, feed, hay and cattle to the fair. The best part is being with the friends we have made in the cow barn. The competition in our small show is friendly and fun. The time spent hanging out in the barn at the fair is a summer highlight – a time to slow down for a few days and visit with friends as they wander through the fair barns. Showing cattle takes support. We could not make it without the family friends who help us on show day. When Mike and our employees are nished with morning chores, they will be watching, socializing and maybe holding on to cattle for the state fair lineup. Of course, all of the show ring helpers and photographers are appreciated. My mother-in-law makes a huge show day lunch of baked buns for sandwiches and her trade-mark chocolate chip cookies. Milk is served. There are shakes from the Nicollet County ADA after the show for everyone. In years to come, these will be our priceless memories. They are the best parts of the summer for our family. Jean dairy farms with her husband, Rolf, and brother-in-law, Mike, and children Emily, Matthias and Leif. They farm near St. Peter, in Norseland, where she is still trying to t in with the Norwegians and Swedes. They milk 200 cows and farm 650 acres. She can be reached at jeanannexstad@gmail.com.
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
Thoennes fatally injured in bull attack
A family’s tragic loss
By Danna Sabolik
danna.s@dairystar.com
PARKERS PRAIRIE, Minn. – There is an eerie feeling accompanying the stillness on the Thoennes family farm. For the rst time in 50 years, the barn is sitting empty. “It just doesn’t seem right,” Charles Thoennes said. “The fans in the barn are off, there are no cows making noise; it’s just too quiet.” Charles sold his family’s dairy herd in June after Craig Thoennes his son, Craig, was found dead in the cow yard – having suffered fatal injuries from the 1,900-pound herd bull. The attack happened June 14 on the Thoenneses’ 65-cow farm in Douglas County near Parkers Prairie, Minn. Charles and Craig worked in partnership, with Charles owning the farm site and Craig owning the cattle and managing an additional 25 head of youngstock. Heartbroken, Charles recounted the day he found out his son had passed. He received a call from the Urbank Coop Creamery, of Urbank, Minn., at 11 a.m. June 15. The milk truck driver was concerned when he stopped at the dairy and saw the bulk tank was much lower than expected and the cows were bellowing.
DANNA SABOLIK/DAIRY STAR
The Thoennes brothers – (from leŌ) Gerald, Charles and Marvin gather at the family farm site July 1 near Parkers Prairie, Minn. The brothers sold the dairy herd aŌer Charles’ son, Craig, was killed in a bull aƩack June 14. Charles’ brothers, Marvin and Gerald, were at the creamery at the time of the call, and went to the farm at the request of the milk truck driver. They discovered Craig lying near the barn, covered in blood and the herd bull roaming free. “[Marvin and Gerald] called 911,” Charles said. “We didn’t nd out until a couple of days later, but [Craig] had laid there the whole night. The cows hadn’t been milked Friday evening or Saturday morning.”
Marvin was at the farm earlier in the day June 14. He helped Craig seed his alfalfa and left around 5:45 p.m. “It had to have happened between then and 7 p.m. because he never milked,” Marvin said. “We think he was trying to chase a cow out to be bred because he had gates out, but I bet he turned his back and that was when the bull attacked.” The ofcial autopsy stated Craig died of blunt force injuries to the chest, caused by a farm animal accident. In a state of overwhelming shock,
the Thoennes family worked together to complete the chores Craig left unnished. They fed the animals and milked the cows for a day and a half, and by the morning of June 17, the cows were at the sale barn in Perham, Minn. “It’s so weird,” Charles said. “I don’t think this barn has ever been empty since 1965.” Charles grew up a quarter mile down the road from the farm site. He remem-
Turn to THOENNES | Page 35
Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 35
ConƟnued from THOENNES | Page 34
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The Thoenneses’ barn sits empty July 1 on their farm near Parkers Prairie, Minn. Charles Thoennes sold the cows following the death of his son, Craig, June 14. bered attending the barn party when the barn was rst built. In 1987, there was an auction where Charles purchased one cow so the barn did not sit empty. He farmed there until 2001, when Craig joined in a two-third, one-third partnership. The father and son continued that working partnership until 2008 when Craig purchased the entire herd from his father. “I still worked with him everyday,” Charles said. “We did it all together until 2010 when I got a job with a manufacturing company in Alexandria [, Minn].” Craig was known for his dedication to the farm. He would often be in the barn until midnight or moving irrigators after dark. He enjoyed farming and had no intentions of selling out. At the time of the accident, Charles owned the farm. He was in the process of creating a purchase agreement with his son. “I had asked [Craig] in April why he wanted to do this; there’s no money in it,” Charles said. “But, he was adamant and said the cattle aren’t worth anything now, so it wouldn’t be worth it to sell either.” Along with the known nancial struggles of dairy farming, Craig would have been in for a surprise this fall when he discovered his heifers were open, said Charles. “The bull wasn’t even doing his job,” he said. “Only 15 cows were bred out of an 80-head herd.” Marvin said the family encouraged Craig to sell the bull. “He was just plain mean,” Marvin said. Unfortunately, the bull was new to Craig’s operation. “I had never had a herd bull,” Charles
said. “I think he was trying to save money with some of the heifers, so he got a bull last spring.” Charles was overwhelmed with the support of his friends and neighbors in helping clean up the farm or recalling Craig’s life. “We had enough help to farm all of Leaf Valley Township,” he said. “If I didn’t see them at the wake or funeral, they sent a card. I really can’t recall anybody who hasn’t shown up or sent a card.” Even as a young boy, Craig wanted to farm. “That’s all he wanted to do and that’s what he died doing,” Charles said. “It still doesn’t feel real. But you just move on, you don’t have a choice. The rst week I was too busy to think about it, but when I saw him in the cofn on Thursday, it really hit home.” Craig was known for his passion to dairy and kindness towards people. He was close with his nieces, Payton and Faith Thoennes, and made annual trips with them to Minnesota Twins games or the Valleyfair. He was also involved in the local re department for 12 years until he could no longer attend meetings due to his busy schedule as a dairy farmer. Craig enjoyed snow sports, competing in snowmobile races throughout the state with his best friend, Brent Bitzan, said Charles. “Every weekend they would go racing and he loved that,” Charles said. “He also enjoyed snowboarding at Andes Tower Hills. He will be missed by everyone who knew him.” In the wake of the tragic loss of Craig, the Thoennes family lives to celebrate the life of a beloved son and dairyman.
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Lisa Zeinstra Holland, Minn. Pipestone County 800 cows Family: My husband, Mike, and I have four daughters. Amanda and her husband, Scott O’Neil, have two children, Sophia, 9, and Parker, 6. They live in Brandon, S.D. Ashley and her husband, Justin Hoheisel, live on the farm and have three children, Kolton, 5, and twins Lincoln and Everly, 18 months. Briana and her boyfriend, Michael Wallin, live in Sioux Falls, S.D., and have a son, Grayson, 1 month. Michaela is engaged to marry Holden Surat in August 2020. They plan to live in Marshall, Minn. Tell us about your farm. Mike’s grandfather was a dairyman, so we are the third generation of our family to dairy farm. Mike’s parents, Bernard and Marie, started milking cows on this farm in the 1960s. Ashley and Justin have become partners in our operation, so they are the fourth generation. We hope their kids will someday become the fth generation. What is the busiest time of day for you? All day, every day is busy. Each day is different, but mornings are usually the busiest. There are calf chores that need to get done and newborn calves that need to be fed colostrum and given special care. When you get a spare moment, what do you do? What I enjoy most is simply spending time with our grandkids or going to their ballgames. I like to meet
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some of my friends in town for an exercise class. I also enjoy gardening. Our oldest granddaughter will be showing cattle for 4-H for the rst time this summer, so we are pretty excited about that. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. It’s always memorable when our grandkids come and interact with the baby calves. They will sometimes bring along a few of their friends and will tell them how much they love visiting the farm and seeing the calves. I never get tired of witnessing the birth of a new calf. It’s always a miracle. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? Being our own bosses and having the freedom to choose what to do. We are blessed to be able to do things that others will never experience. We have enjoyed raising our kids on this farm. It taught them the value of hard work and a strong sense of responsibility. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? Mike and I attend dairy meetings. I also stay connected via Facebook and the internet. We have hosted farm visits, and that has given us the opportunity to make new friends and reconnect with old ones. We also met a lot of interesting new people when we were involved in a crossbreeding trial. Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? Mike’s mother, Marie, has been an inspiration for me. She raised kids, milked cows and made meals for everyone. She has a kind spirit and is cheerful and patient. I appreciate those traits in Mike and in our children. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? I would invite Carrie Underwood to tour our farm. She has an inspiring story and doesn’t get caught up in all the glamor. We love her music and her songs. I would enjoy having her and showing her how our dairy farm operates. What is the best vacation you have ever taken? A few years ago, we went on a couples’ vacation to Costa Rica with three other couples. It was in the wintertime, so we were able to get a break from the cold and snow. Costa Rica seemed like paradise. It was so warm and relaxing. While we were there, we learned about the culture and the people. What are some words you like to live by? There is a sign on our wall that says, “Faith, family and friends.” I read that sign every day and try to live by it.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 37
Young women ďƒžt for advocacy role
PHOTO SUBMITTED
2018 Green County Dairy Queen Brenna Meier (from leĹŒ) crowns Kaleigh Dallman as her successor as the 2019 Green County Dairy Queen, while Emily Makos crowns Samantha McGuire as the 2019 Green County Dairy Princess. Dallman and McGuire were selected from the group of community dairy queens June 23.
Green County Dairy Queen program in 64th year By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
BROWNTOWN, Wis. – For the past 64 years, the hills of Wisconsin’s Green County have been home to a tradition deeply rooted in both community and the agricultural industry that dominate the county’s landscape. The Green County Dairy Queen program is administered by the Green County Ag Chest and each year ďƒželds a team of young women who work to promote agriculture throughout the county. The Green County Dairy Queen and Princess serve as the ofďƒžcial hostesses for the Green County Ag Chest, an organization that focuses on promoting the products and resources of Green County. The group was organized in 1958 when the Green County Dairy Promotion Committee and the Green County Agricultural Foundation merged. The Dairy Queen contest predates the Ag Chest, with the ďƒžrst queens being selected in 1955, with Doris Olson selected as the ďƒžrst-ever Green County Dairy Queen. The role of the a Green County Dairy Princess was added to the contest in 1967. The Ag Chest also facilitates the Breakfast on the Farm, the Dairy Days celebration, as well as promoting Green County tourism, sponsoring 4-H and FFA trips, and providing scholarships to the youth of Green County. “We are the only program like this in the state of Wisconsin,â€? said Rae Reeson, chairperson of the county queen program. “The girls spend the year being advocates for agriculture in the county and state. They are the face of the Ag Chest and Green County.â€? Each year, every community in the county names a dairy queen and those girls compete to serve as the Green County Dairy Queen and Princess. Candidates must be going into their sophomore, junior or
senior years of high school and be a member of the community they would like to represent. Although having a background in agriculture is no longer a speciďƒžc requirement of the program, many candidates do come from farming backgrounds, but others are simply interested in learning and promoting agriculture in Green County. Participants in the program are required to attend meetings of the Ag Chest, provide reports for local and county newspapers and radio, visit classrooms in their communities to promote agriculture and volunteer for community functions in addition to other activities. The program works closely with the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin to obtain promotion pieces and also assists with activities in the Madison, Wis., area. Kaleigh Dallman, the Brooklyn Dairy Queen, was selected as the Green County Dairy Queen. Samantha McGuire, the Brodhead Dairy Queen, was named the Green County Dairy Princess. They will be joined in promoting the dairy industry by Albany Dairy Queen Emileigh Dallman, Argyle Dairy Queen Megan Granberg, Belleville Dairy Queen Carol Rankin, Browntown Dairy Queen Aleta Broge, Juda Dairy Queen Miah Roth, Monroe Dairy Queen Crystal Meighan, Monticello Dairy Queen Rylee Disch and New Glarus Dairy Queen Riley Keehn. Countless hours are logged by the queens during the year in the program, but they are rewarded with beneďƒžts on a personal level, including bettering their public speaking skills and conďƒždence, poise and professionalism. Besides the sincerity and message of the program, the longevity of the program has made it a tradition in many families, with some boasting multiple generations of dairy queens. “We’ve been doing this program long enough that we have mothers and even grandmothers bringing their daughters back to run,â€? Reeson said. One three-generation queen family is that of former Juda Dairy Turn to GREEN COUNTY | Page 37
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Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019
ConƟnued from GREEN COUNTY | Page 37
Queen Lisa Behnke, who served as the 1979-80 Green County Dairy Queen. Her mother, Joyce Hoesly, was the Dairy Queen from 1957-58 as were her daughters Morgan in 2009-10 and Taylor in 2012-13. “The experiences I had as the Green County Dairy Queen helped me grow as a person,” Behnke said of how she beneted from her time as a queen. “I had the chance to build a network of friends and gain mentors in the agricultural industry. Those have proven to be priceless throughout my life and career.” Behnke continues to be involved, serving as the chairperson for the New Glarus Dairy Queen, because she feels the program lls a valuable role in terms of promoting the dairy industry and agricultural products in Green County by connecting with consumers. “We need to maintain trust,” Behnke said. “Most people are honestly curious about things they don’t understand. Those people are a pleasure to meet and engage in an exchange of information.” Kelsey Cramer, of Juda, Wis., spent one year as the Green County Dairy Queen from 2014-15; an expe-
“I would love to see this program expand to every county in the state.” RAE REESON, CHAIRPERSON OF GREEN COUNTY DAIRY QUEEN PROGRAM
PHOTO SUBMITTED
A group of community dairy queens – (from leŌ) New Glarus Dairy Queen Riley Keehn; Belleville Dairy Queen Carol Rankin; Argyle Dairy Queen Megan Granberg; Monroe Dairy Queen Crystal Meighan; Green County Dairy Princess Samantha McGuire; Green County Dairy Queen Kaleigh Dallman; Browntown Dairy Queen Aleta Broge; MonƟcello Dairy Queen Rylee Disch; Albany Dairy Queen Emileigh Dallman; and Juda Dairy Queen Miah Roth – gather for a photo June 23.
rience she said has beneted her and led her to pursue a degree in speech pathology. “I came to realize how that voice is a powerful thing,” Cramer said. “I learned to really value the ability to communicate and wanted to help people of all ages be able to develop that.” Cramer chose to pursue the title because she has a love for promot-
ing the dairy industry, and she saw the positive experience her sister had serving as the Juda Dairy Queen before her. “I’ve taken away so many life skills from my time as a Dairy Queen,” Cramer said. “I really learned how to have those important conversations to help bridge the gap between producer and consumer.” Reeson feels the program is a
wonderful way to promote the dairy industry, and feels the structure could work in other communities, too. “I would love to see this program expand to every county in the state,” Reeson said. “These young ladies are putting forth a grass roots effort, working to educate children and families of the importance dairy products play nutritionally, as well as in our economy.”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 13, 2019 • Page 39
with the Calkins of Blue Earth, Minn.
Bob and Lori Calkins family Chain O Lakes Holsteins Blue Earth, Minn. Martin County 250 cows
What advice would you give to other dairy farmers? Stay positive. Try to be optimistic. Pay attention to the cows, and they will tell you what they need. What has been the best purchase you have ever made on your farm? The large fans in the special needs barn. It is a nice place for cows. Right now we have smaller fans in the freestall barn, but it would be nice to get the large ones. The calves are also housed in a hoop barn which keeps them more insulated and has lights to see what you are doing. It helps to get out of the weather.
How did you get into farming? I (Bob) am a fth generation dairy farmer who was raised on the farm. It’s one of those things I always wanted to do as a child. When I met my wife, Lori, who grew up in northwest Iowa, it reassured my decision. She worked for a vet clinic for a while, and then we went on our own, and she helped me out a lot. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry over the next year? It has to be better than it has been. As dairy farmers, we need to stay positive even though there is a lot of catching up to do. It’s really hard to think about all the long hours that go into this work. But, we need to stay positive and think about all of the good things we chose this career path for. What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? On Chain O Lakes Holsteins, we take good care of our cows. A few years ago, we redid the electrical system at the dairy and made it a three-phase, 480V Delta System which makes us isolated from the grid. Meaning, we are not tied to the power company or neighbors like most systems. What is a management practice you changed in the past year that has beneted you? We continually change. This year, one thing we did was plant Enogen corn for silage corn. This corn was invented for its use in ethanol, but
KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR
Bob and Lori Calkins and their children – (from leŌ) Abby and Daniel – milk 250 cows in MarƟn County near Blue Earth, Minn. it also has an enzyme that makes it highly digestible in both beef and dairy cattle. What cost-saving steps have you implemented during the low milk price? We try not to cut costs on important things. If they work, we stick with them. As well as watching everything a lot closer, one thing we do is cull faster if cows aren’t keeping up. It’s easier to cull when they are below average in the herd. We use the equipment longer than it should and take care of it better so it lasts a long time. How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? We provide a friendly working environment. We talk to and see them almost every day, give them a competitive
wage, supply them with beef a couple times a year, and make a neat and clean working environment. Often times, they bring their kids to hang out, and they make chalk drawings on the sidewalk. Tell us about a skill that you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. I can x things. Most of the time it is out of necessity, but with little to no neighbors, we need to make sure everything keeps going. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? I love being outdoors and with the cows. I enjoy a challenge but with the dairy industry right now, a little less would be nice.
What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? We have a goal to get 100% registered cattle and a bull in A.I. But with the industry changing so much, we are lucky to have a smooth running operation. I’m also proud to raise a family on the farm. What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? Honestly, to catch up. With the weather and help availability, it’s hard. We also might update equipment in the coming years. How do you and your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? We spend a lot of time outdoors from shing to deer hunting every fall. We also bought the East Chain Activity Center which used to be the school and rent it out for meetings, weddings or special events. The school has two gyms, so we like to play ball when we can.
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