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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 20, No. 12
Retaliatory tariffs cause tension in dairy market Government aid may offer temporary relief By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
International trade is an essential part of the U.S. dairy market with the equivalent of one day’s worth of milk production each week sold as exported products. So when retaliatory tariffs from Mexico and China went into effect throughout the months of June and July, the markets quickly responded. Last month, Class III milk price dropped more than $1 per hundredweight (cwt.) from $15.57 per cwt. May 31 to $14.20 July 6, after Mexico implemented the most recent bout of tariffs against U.S. products, including dairy.
Turn to TARIFFS | Page 5
August 11, 2018
A do-it-themselves attitude
Family labor, management strategies help Kaspers progress By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
MEDFORD, Minn. – The Kasper family has focused on doing the work themselves and coming up with creative management solutions to help their farm progress and stay protable. The Kaspers showed these strategies and this progression during a University of Minnesota Extension Successful Dairy Systems Field Day on Aug. 1 at their 235-cow dairy, Kashome Holsteins, near Medford, Minn. The farm includes three generations: Darwin and Barb are the patriarch and matriarch of the family. Their son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Turn to KASPERS | Page 6
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Sco� Kasper talks with par�cipants of the University of Minnesota Extension Successful Dairy Systems Field Day Aug. 1 about the ra�on on his 235-cow dairy near Medford, Minn.
Midwest leads in MPP payments Minnesota, Wisconsin issued $50 million as of July By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Adam Fellbaum combines oats for his family’s dairy farm Aug. 7 near Swanville, Minn. Fellbaum’s dad, Steve, and brothers, Luke and Kennard, milk 86 cows.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Dairy farmers who elected for $8 coverage in the government-funded Margin Protection Program for Dairy recently received their June payments for the 2018 year, marking the halfway point for the revised program. Of the total $155,264,926 indemnity payments processed, Minnesota and Wisconsin dairy farmers claimed $51,879,429, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s most recent report published July 11. Wisconsin received the largest amount of payments across all states with $36,794,124; Minnesota was third with $15,085,305. Iowa and South Dakota also received payments in the amount of $6,961,101 and $1,104,395, respectively.
Turn to MPP | Page 6
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018
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 Ron Johnson (608) 874-4243 ron.j@dairystar.com Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048 cowlady@centurylink.net Danielle Nauman (715) 245-6848 danielle.n@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 Lori Menke (Southern WI) 563-608-6477 • lori.m@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.
From the editorial team
Dairy Prole brought to you by your
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We know the depressed dairy market has not been easy for dairy farmers and can be downright discouraging to be in the industry at this time; however, during these tough times, we still see people who are trying to do and be the good in the world. One example is a dairywoman, Kristi Tveten, who is getting more dairy products into food shelves. (See photo and story in second section, pages 8-9.) Despite feeling the pinch of the low price on her family’s dairy, Tveten is encouraged to help those who may be low on food at certain times. Plus, she knows it could help the dairy community move some of its product. It’s a win-win for all parties involved. Oftentimes, food shelves, especially those in smaller towns, don’t get many dairy products as donations. It can be hard because they may not have the ability to take in much dairy because of cooling space or expiration date worries; but if regular donations are established, it could be a major blessing to families who need those staple items in their refrigerator. A recent online campaign boost efforts of bringing milk to food shelves. The 10-gallon challenge encourages people to buy one gallon of milk and pick up nine more to take to their local food shelf. We wonder what the impact of all these efforts would be if even a few people in each community stepped up to help. Imagine what would happen if small (or even large) companies decided to join? One person’s effort to help can snowball into something larger. All of it makes a difference. Despite these hard times, let’s look for people still trying to be and do good. Even if you can’t help nancially, maybe there are other ways to help, too. Talents are needed beyond the checkbook to help others. – The Dairy Star Editorial Team
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Dairy Star • Saturday, July 28, 2018 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Columnists Ag Insider
Pennington
Dear County Agent Guy
Becker
Clay
Page 30 First Section
n nso
McCook Minnehaha
Hutchinson
First Section: Pages 15 - 16
Rock
Nobles
Carver Scott
Sibley
Dakota
Redwood Brown
Nicollet
Rice
First Section: Pages 1, 6-7
Goodhue Wabasha
Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted Jackson
Martin
Faribault
Freeborn
Turner
Bon Yankton Homme
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:
What are the most important things you have learned that helps preserve your silage?
Murray
Hennepin
Medford
Family labor, resourceful management strategies help Kaspers’ dairy progress
Winona
Fillimore
Mower
Houston
Lincoln Clay
Union
Lyon
Osceola Dickinson Emmet
Sioux
O’Brien
Clay
Kossuth
Palo Alto
Winnebago
Worth
Hancock
Cerro Gordo
Mitchell
Floyd
Howard
C
aw
as
k hic
Bremer
Plymouth
Black Hawk
Zone 1
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
Allamakee
Charles Mix
Moody
Wright
McLeod
Renville
Anoka
Winneshiek
Douglas
Lake
Lyon
Meeker
Second Section: Pages 3 - 4
Ha
Da
vis
on
Sa
nb or
Miner
Brookings
Kandiyohi
Yellow Medicine Lincoln
n
Kingsbury
Deuel
Sherburne
Isanti
go
Page 29 Second Section
Hamlin
Mille Lacs
Benton
Stearns
Chippewa
Lac Qui Parle
Codington
Clark
Page 32 First Section
Country Cooking
Swift
Bloomington
Inaugural forum gives people in dairy supply chain opportunity to learn, engage
Pine Morrison
Pope
First Section: Page 12
Carlton
Crow Wing
Douglas
Stevens
Grant
Come Full Circle
Pages 10 -11 Second Section
Big Sto Stone
Roberts
Day
Aitkin
isa
Page 32 First Section
The “Mielke” Market Weekly
Wilkin
Third Section: Pages 8 - 9
Cass
Todd Grant
rse
Dairy tour focused on biosecurity, proper animal handling methods Marshall
St. Paul
Wills carry on state fair tradition with all breeds
Ch
Making Cents of Dairy
Baltic
Pipestone
Page 31 First Section
Otter Tail
Tra ve
Veterinary Wisdom
en
nom
Mah
sey
Norman
Third Section: Page 12
First Section: Pages 10 - 11
Itasca
Washington
Polk
Kanabec
50 years and 350 shows: judge ‘enjoys talking cows and teaching kids’
Laveaus named Carlton County Farm Family of the Year
St. Louis
Red Lake
r
Garden City
Wrenshall
Koochiching
eu
Page 27 First Section
Beltrami
Hubbard
The Transition Pen
Lake of the Woods
Marshall
Second Section: Pages 6 - 7
Second Section: Pages 20 - 21
Su
FSA News & Notes
Roseau
Lee shares what current, future consumers want
Vinkemeiers named Carver County Farm Family of the Year
First Section: Pages 18, 20
Ra m
Kittson
Third Section: Pages 3 - 4
Bloomington
Norwood Young America
Top Performers: The Molls
Le
Second Section: Pages 16, 18 - 19
Freeport
Vetsches convert tiestall into parlor
Third Section: Pages 16 - 17
Page 25 First Section
Page 26 First Section
Browerville
Kids at the county fair
A day in the life of Steve Combs
Wadena
On the Road with Princess Kay
Menahga
New London
Clearwater
Pages 8-9 First Section
Fayette
an
an
ch
Bu
Tveten trying to get more dairy into food shelves
Clayton
are
law
De
Linn
Melvin
Lewiston
Second Section: Pages 8 - 9 Dubuque
Jones
Jackson
Ames
Iowa State creamery set for fall debut
From our Side of the Fence: The Pausmas
Second Section: Page 24
First Section: Pages 15 - 16
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018 • Page 5
ConƟnued from TARIFFS | Page 1 “There were signals prices were recovering, then came the announcement of tariffs on dairy and the market reacted negatively,” said Mark Stephenson. “This all came at a bad time, being in our fourth consecutive year of low milk prices.” Stephenson is the director of dairy policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Throughout the summer, retaliatory tariffs have become commonplace since the United States placed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada and Mexico at the beginning of June, and then on nearly $34 billion worth of imports from China in July. “Trade is critical, and these retaliatory tariffs are very harmful to farmers and manufacturers of made-in-America foods,” Chris Galen said. “We want to see the pursuit of new trade deals, not the disruption of our existing markets.” Galen is the senior vice president of communications at National Milk Producers Federation. In years past, each country’s relationship with the United States in trade agreements has been critical. The U.S. tariffs and subsequent retaliatory duties have caused tension between the countries and created an uneasy feeling about the future standing with these nations. “The most recent trade data was published in May, and showed record high [dairy] exports,” Stephenson said. “The markets overreacted to the initial impact of these trade discussions, but it’s going to take a few months to fully know how the bottom line is going to be affected.” For many years, Mexico has been the United States’ No. 1 cheese market, importing $400 million worth of product last year, according to the International Dairy Foods Association. An additional benet to this relationship was the duty-free export of products under the North American Free Trade Agreement. “Mexico is far and away our most important export market, and a key piece of our advantage there has been our duty-free supplier status,” Galen said. With steel and aluminum tariffs enacted June 1, Mexico placed 10 to 15 percent duties on most U.S. cheese imports June 5. A month later, the retaliatory tariffs increased to 20 to 25 percent. Canada took similar actions July 1, enacting 10 percent tariffs on yogurt, pizza and quiche. Historically, there were no duties on pizza and quiche and up to 730,000 pounds of yogurt entering Canada. Yogurt surpassing that amount was charged a 237.5 percent tariff. China’s additional 25 percent tariff on cheese, milk powder, whey and other dairy products are also having a severe impact on the U.S. dairy market. The Asian country is the United States’ third largest export market, purchasing more than $576 million worth of
dairy products last year, according to IDFA. “China is second only to Mexico in importance to our dairy industry,” Galen said. “The 25 percent surcharge now being levied by China on U.S. dairy products makes our exports considerably more expensive than those from other suppliers.” Over the last two months, futures prices have changed drastically as a result of trade talks with the latest forecast around $14.80 per cwt. “Markets have begun to rm up again, but they’re not gaining,” Stephenson said. “These tariffs are directly affecting farmers in the Upper Midwest who are producing those products.” Galen agreed. “For the rst time in years, this fall was looking promising to restore dairy farmer margins,” Galen said. “However, that’s now evaporated. We’re at the point where we’re likely to see a loss of dairy producer income totaling $1.8 billion over the last six months of this year as a result of those shifts.” The federal government realizes this concern and announced a $12 billion assistance package for all farmers and processors affected by the trade wars July 24. The relief will be available Labor Day, according to a report published by the United States Department of Agriculture. While little is known about how the funds will be distributed, there is a three-pronged approach the USDA may take by issuing direct payments, purchasing commodities that would have otherwise been used in the export market, and developing additional foreign markets. If the entirety of the aid program put towards dairy, about $1.6 billion, were to be issued as direct payments, Stephenson estimates farmers would receive $0.70 per cwt., based on 2018 milk production. The purpose of purchasing commodities would be to raise the all milk price. “They’ve done this before, where products are purchased and given to food pantries and schools,” Stephenson said. “This will take longer to happen, but the distribution is noncompetitive with commercial sales.” The nal tier would create a long-term benet of developing new export customers. “We have a pretty mature domestic market base, so the only way to grow individual sales signicantly is to nd new trade partners,” Stephenson said. While the USDA program is promising some relief from the trade wars and welcomed by dairy organizations, many feel it may not be enough. “Farmers are concerned all the work that has been done to develop trade relationships is at risk,” Stephenson said. “They don’t want to lose it.” As NAFTA and other trade talks ensue, the U.S. dairy industry sits on edge waiting for a diplomatic solution on international trade.
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ConƟnued from KASPERS | Page 1
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KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Dawn Kasper explains features of the family’s double-8 parallel parlor on their dairy near Medford, Minn. Dawn, joined the farm in the 1980s. Now Scott and Dawn’s sons, Derrick and Patrick, have become a part of the enterprise in recent years. Patrick’s wife, Trina, works off the farm. Darwin is the main milker and is in charge of reproduction with Derrick following in his footsteps to slowly take over the role. Scott is the troubleshooter who does repairs along with managing crops. Patrick also works with crops and does the majority of the feeding. Dawn, who also has an off-thefarm job, lls in for anyone who needs to take time off or when help is needed when the family is busy in the eld. Barb is the groundsperson, making sure
the farm looks nice. The Kaspers do the majority of their own eldwork, only hiring truck drivers for the silage harvest or custom operators for baling and lagoon pumping. “We probably have more money in equipment than many other farms our size, but we also have mechanics,” Scott said. The Kaspers service all their equipment and make their own custom machinery. For example, their silage trucks were originally cement trucks they purchased on an auction and converted in Turn to KASPERS | Page 7
ConƟnued from MPP | Page 1 “We signed up in April, knowing the payments would cover the premiums we paid in,” Dean Marshik said. “Now, we’ve pretty much been in the black with the program.” Marshik, who milks 130 cows near Pierz, Minn., has been enrolled in the program since its inception. He rst elected for coverage at $6.50, and has since maintained the minimum level needed to participate in the program. Like many farmers, Marshik reconsidered his coverage in 2018 when the program was restructured. Under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, three drastic changes to MPP-Dairy were authorized. First, Tier 1 volume increased from 4 million pounds of production history to 5 million pounds. Then, indemnity calculations were calculated monthly rather than based on the previously established two-month average. The most notable change was the cost of Tier 1 premiums were signicantly reduced. With $8 coverage, farmers paid a premium of 14.2 cents per hundredweight, compared to the former 47.5 cents per cwt. “Choosing $8 was the best choice for our investment. … It was cheap enough to be justiable,” said George Bakeberg, who enrolled in March. “Our rst payment in April paid for the whole year’s premium.” Bakeberg and his family milk 220 cows near Waverly, Minn. The Bakebergs and Marshiks are two of 21,274 dairy operations that enrolled in MPP-Dairy for 2018. “That number is not nal and we do expect it to change,” said Wayne Maloney, USDA Farm Service Agency. In restructuring the program, FSA approved the coverage retroactive to cover all months in the 2018 calendar year. This allowed farmers who joined the program later to benet, as well. The nal day to enroll was June 8. Since the rst of the year, margins have been mostly favorable for farmers who elected for $8 coverage. While January’s margin was $8.11 and did not trigger payments, subsequent
months have, according to the USDA. In February, the margin value was noted at $6.88; $6.76 in March; $6.61 in April; $6.78 in May, and $7.36 in June. “We did receive payments for June’s milk, but it will be close in July,” Marshik said. Bakeberg agreed. “They payments are shrinking,” he said. “Our rst was $1.40 per cwt., and our last one was $0.63 per cwt.” As of Aug. 3, forecasted futures indicate possible payments yet in July and August before margins reach levels comparable to historic values, according to Dairy Markets and Policy. This projection is in line with earlier projections. In April, the then-current margins and forecasts indicated payments would be issued from February through July, and likely August, for dairy farmers who elected for $8 coverage. MPP-Dairy has been a suitable program for dairy operations enrolled in Tier 1. However, it still remains a band-aid for a larger issue in the dairy industry. “The payments help a lot, but it’s not a long-term cure,” said Bakeberg, who has beneted from the program in maximizing his Tier 1 coverage. Marshik agreed, mentioning the indemnity payments have made paying farm bills easier. “It’s better than what it was,” he said. “But it still doesn’t make for a better milk price.” A need for a more permanent subsidy program is growing as the end of the 2018 MPP-Dairy looms in the coming months with the end of the current farm bill. Revisions to the program are proposed in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, which is being reviewed in conference by the House and Senate. If this farm bill is not signed into law by September, the industry is most likely to return to the Agriculture Act of 1949 with price support. “Only time will tell,” Bakeberg said. “I’d really like to farm without being subsidized by the government.”
Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018 • Page 7
ConƟnued from KASPERS | Page 6 their shop. Even their TMR is the work of their mechanical skills. “It looks like junk from the outside, … but the inside is all brand new,” Scott said. “We would rather spend $10,000 to redo a TMR mixer than spend $40,000 for a brand new one.” Every once in a while the Kaspers will purchase a new item, including an automatic feed pusher they bought ve years ago. “It’s one of the greatest hired men on the farm,” Barb said. The machine runs every hour and has helped get more cows to the bunk to eat more often, they said. Also, milk production has increased by ve pounds. “We don’t have to have a skidloader to do the job, and we don’t have to have someone manning it,” Scott said. Doing their own vet work has also saved them extra dollars. Cows are pregnancy checked through a blood test rather than having the veterinarian visit. They also take care of vaccinating their herd and treating many sick cases themselves. “The vet will come to do a DA (displaced abomasum) if we want to keep the cow, otherwise we do pretty much everything ourselves,” Darwin said. “With the cost of a vet now, you reconsider each case whether to ship the cow or keep her.” Having an efcient layout of their farm and barns also helps. “It all ows so it’s not a lot of extra labor,” Dawn said. “If
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
The Kasper family – (from leŌ) Darwin, Barb, ScoƩ, Dawn, Derrick, Trina and Patrick – milk 235 cows on their dairy near Medford, Minn. The Kaspers hosted a University of Minnesota Extension Successful Dairy Systems Field Day on Aug. 1. you’re cleaning or feeding in a pen, it’s set up so one person can do it.” In the future, the Kaspers would like to add a building or a roof over the area that connects the freestall barn to the parlor. “It usually never fails that it’s pouring rain when you’re switching cows,” Dawn said. Building a freestall barn in 1995 and converting their tiestall barn to a double-8 parallel parlor with a holding pen and vet room the following year has been one of the biggest projects for the Kaspers. They encountered several challenges with the new setup. “The milk price dropped a couple years after, so we strug-
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gled for awhile,” Darwin said. Prior to building, their registered breeding program focused on size and type in order to sell bulls to A.I. and other youngstock. They also traveled to shows to display their animals. “We had bred for big cattle, which was a challenge trying to bring them into the parlor,” Barb said. “They were sometimes too big.” Although their animals are still registered, the Kaspers no longer sell breeding stock or participate in the show ring. “We had to get out of that with the new setup,” Barb said. They also experienced early snowfalls while trying to nish the building and transi-
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tioned the herd to the new barn in the winter. “The cows were used to the warm area and then we had to put them out in the cold freestall barn,” Scott said. “It was a challenge. If we made it through that, it’s probably why we’re here today.” A more recent project has been their 3.5-million-gallon manure lagoon they installed last year. “We used to have to haul manure after every crop of hay,” Darwin said. “We never got the quality of hay we wanted because of it. This will be very benecial to the crops.” For heifer cattle brushes, they bought used street sweeper brushes from cities that
were otherwise going to throw the brushes in the dump. They purchased smaller fans for their freestall barn, and laminated feed ration sheets on the mixer and at feeding stations eliminates the need to carry a sheet of paper or memorize the mix. Filters and other items are bought on sale one time each year, and whiteboards are used to keep reminders for records. “White boards are our friend,” Dawn said. “We have them everywhere.” The Kaspers feed a onegroup TMR. Their nutritionist, Jon Wilcox, said having corn silage and haylage stored in bunkers and building a commodity shed has been wise. “That was a great decision,” Wilcox said. “There’s been an evolution to a higher corn silage diet.” However, one bunker for all four crops of haylage can be a challenge when they have to pull back the cover for each crop, exposing the already stored forage to the elements. It also does not give them the exibility to feed lower quality haylage to heifers. The commodity shed allows them to order larger batches of commodities, which in turn reduces the price and helps their bottom line. Overall, the Kaspers try to make improvements where they can and as efciently as they are able. “There are still changes we would do on this farm,” Scott said. “The low milk price has held us back. But a lot of things have changed on the farm, even year to year.”
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©2018 AGCO Corporation. AGCO Parts,Massey Ferguson and Challenger are worldwide brands of AGCO Corporation. Challenger, Cat and Caterpillar are trademarks of Caterpillar Inc. and are used under license by AGCO. AGCO, AGCO Parts and Massey Ferguson are trademarks of AGCO. All rights reserved.
Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018
Milk price trapped in current range
The dairy markets are doing well to hold steady said farmers need a solid business IQ. Kohl said right now, according to Ag Resource Company there is reason for optimism in agriculture. “Farm Economist Dan Basse. “We believe as we head into assets are a whole lot cheaper, particularly for used the latter part of summer and start to see equipment, than they were during the super-cycle,” Kohl said. “I’m optimistic milk production increasing for seasonal Ag Insider for the people who are good managers. reasons, we should see dairy production Pretty everybody could make money increase and prices still come down. with $8 corn, beans in the teens and There’s no bullish outlook as we see $30 milk. Now it is the good managers it at the moment unless we can solve and tough times bring out those good some of these trade issues that are managers.” surrounding the dairy industry,” Basse said. Basse said the goal is to open up A level of certainty the China market, but that could take Dairy farmers are seeing payments time. “We all got to be patient and hope from the revamped Margin Protection the Trump administration has a plan for Program, which gives them hope for this going forward, but we kind of see By Don Wick an updated risk management program dairy trapped in a $12.50 to $16 market in the farm bill. Associated Milk through the end of the year,” he said. Columnist Producers Incorporated Vice-President of Public Affairs Sarah Schmidt said dairy farmers Upward trend in dairy exports U.S. exports of nonfat dry milk, skim milk are not looking for a hand-out. “It is about calming powder, dry whey and whey protein concentrate the volatile waters out there as price swings increased signicantly in the March-May time dairy farmers are having to contend with makes period. These products represent 80 percent of the planning like throwing darts,” she said. “If we milk solids exported during the rst ve months have a program that allows dairy farmers to ensure of the year, pushing U.S. dairy exports to all-time a margin, specically being the milk price minus highs. Trade retaliation from Mexico and China established feed costs, that really does provide a began in June and is expected to inuence that level of certainty.” Schmidt hopes September is a pace when the export numbers are updated. In a productive month for the farm bill. joint report from Dairy Management Inc., and the National Milk Producers Federation, the domestic Lee-Booker amendment rejected inventory of dairy products was already trending Utah Senator Mike Lee and New Jersey Senator higher before the trade war began. Cory Booker offered an amendment that would have prevented the Food and Drug Administration Business IQ from enforcing standards of identity for dairy With very tight margins, Virginia Tech products and other foods. That effort was rejected professor emeritus David Kohl is urging farmers in the full Senate. Plant-based beverages often use to be proactive, not reactive. Speaking at Bell the term milk on their labels, which is a point of Bank events in Fergus Falls and Moorhead, Kohl contention for the dairy industry. National Milk
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Producers Federation President and CEO Jim Mulhern issued a statement, saying this vote sends a message for food marketers. EU demands geographic indicators The European Union remains committed to its practice of protecting geographic indicators for foods like parmesan and asiago. This issue creates heartburn for the U.S. dairy industry and there is hope the trade talks between the United States and Europe would bring this issue to the table. The National Milk Producers Federation, U.S. Dairy Export Council and International Dairy Foods Association sent a joint letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to highlight the importance of this issue. Europe prevents imports of many dairy products based on geographic indicators and the U.S. dairy groups called that one of the most detrimental actions against free commerce. Land O’Lakes second quarter prots rise Land O’Lakes reported quarterly net sales of $4.2 billion, an increase from last year’s second quarter sales of $3.7 billion. Net earnings are $67.2 million in the second quarter, a decrease from last year’s $113 million. CEO Beth Ford said the cooperative is positioned to make steady progress despite the headwinds in the agriculture economy. There’s growth in Land O’Lakes crop protection volumes, but year-to-date earnings in crop inputs declined from late plantings. Dairy food earnings are higher with an improved product mix in the branded butter portfolio. Animal nutrition business earnings were at compared with last year.
Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018 • Page 9
ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8
Aasness accepts new role At the end of the month, Minnesota AgriGrowth Executive Director Perry Aasness is moving on to a new opportunity. Aasness will join Compeer Financial as its vice president of legislative affairs. The Fergus Falls native said AgriGrowth is an advocate for Minnesota’s agriculture and food interests. “We’re so blessed in Minnesota to have the large Fortune 500 companies that create hundreds and thousands of jobs, but they’re here because we have a strong production ag base,” he said. “Minnesota is so unique because we have the best of both worlds; we’ve got the strong food/agribusiness companies and production agriculture base. Representing their interests with AgriGrowth has been a real honor.” Aasness has been at AgriGrowth for ve years. Former Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Gene Hugoson has been named the interim executive director.
MN 4-H director retires Minnesota State 4-H Director Dorothy Freeman has announced her retirement. Freeman has been in this role for the past 15 years. University of Minnesota Extension Center for Youth Development Assistant Dean Jennifer Skuza has been named the interim director. Trivia challenge California leads the nation in alfalfa production. That answers our last trivia question. For this week, how much butter does the average American consume each year on a per-capita basis? 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.
“The milk pregnancy test and MUN tests have been useful in our breeding program.” Why is testing with DHIA important to your dairy? It can be very useful to see trends and make management decisions. How long have you been testing with DHIA? We’ve been testing with DHIA for almost 4 years. What are some of the DHIA tests you use? Which ones do you Ànd most useful? Our reports are mainly the somatic cell, MUN, and milk pregnancy tests. The milk pregnancy test and MUN tests have been useful in our breeding program and have brought us up to a 34% pregnancy rate and help us identify any possible issues right away. Why is testing with DHIA important to your dairy? We started testing with DHIA to see how many pounds of milk our cows produced. With milk prices so low, getting the milk pounds of every cow helps us adjust our feeding for each cow to cut costs as well as help determine what animals should be culled. Tell us about your farm. I farm with my wife and 4 children. We farm 150 acres and we milk mainly Jersey cows, but have one of every breed on the farm. We’ve been milking cows since 2006.
Alan Klejeski Sturgeon Lake, MN • 30 cows Minnesota Dairy Herd Improvement Association 307 Brighton Avenue South Buffalo, MN 55313 1.800.827.3442 www.mndhia.org
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018 Oslin Lumber Company
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The next issue of the Dairy Star is published Aug. 25th. Advertising and news deadline is Friday, Aug.18th
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Versatile 485 2009, Nice ........................................................... $148,000 $128,900 Versatile 936 1988 12sp. 4Hdy. 3pt. Consignment ................................... $30,000 MF 4608 2013 Cab, MFWD, Loader ............................................ $39,000 $36,900 H McCormick CX105 2007 Cab MFWD 2500 Hours ................................... $33,900 H McCormick CX110 w/Loader ....................................................................... $39,900 H John Deere 9630T, 2010 ......................................................... $159,000 $149,000 H John Deere 8130 MFWD, 2006, 3500 Hours .......................................... $102,000 H Versatile 350 2013, Low Hours ............................................................................ Call J J J
Hay and Forage
JD 3950 Forage Harvester Hay Pickup ........................................... $5,900 $2,900 L H&S 12 Wheel Rake DF12 HC ....................................................................... $6,500 L H&S 10 Wheel Rake ........................................................................................ $2,900 H NH BR 7090 Round Baler 4600 Bales ......................................................... $28,500 H H&S Bifold Rake 8 Wheel ............................................................................... $2,250 H New Holland 460 Baler with Cutter ............................................................ $31,800 J New Idea 5407 Mower .......................................................................................... Call Several new MF/Heston and Vermeer Mower/Conditioners ............................. Call Several new MF and Vermeer Disc Mowers .......................................................... Call Several new Vermeer and H&S Rakes .................................................................... Call H Vermeer 604 SuperM ................................................................................... $29,900 H H&S V-8 Rake ................................................................................................... $3,500 H Valmetal Tub Grinder ....................................................................................... $9,900 H Heston 4750 Big Square Baler ...................................................................... $21,900 H Case IH 8560 Big Square Baler ..................................................................... $18,900 H
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CIH RMX 370 ................................................................................................... $28,900 L CIH RMX 370 28ft. ...........................................................................$31,900 $23,500 J JD 215 16ft. ....................................................................................................... $3,250 H Salford 4124 24ft. .......................................................................................... $46,000 J
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Kuhn Knight 8141 .......................................................................... $37,000 $34,900 H Kuhn Knight 8118 ............................................................................ $12,900 $8,900 H Kuhn Knight 8118 ............................................................................. $12,000 $8,000 H Kuhn Knight 8150 ...........................................................................$36,000 $32,900 H Kuhn Knight 8150 ...........................................................................$36,900 $32,900 J Meyers 390 .......................................................................................... $9,000 $6,500 L H&S HY Push 550 .............................................................................$14,900 $13,500 L NI 3739 ................................................................................................. $8,900 $8,490 H
Doreen and Duane Laveau milk 60 cows near Wrenshall, Minn. The Laveaus are this year’s Carlton County Farm Family of the Year.
Family named Carlton County Farm Family of the Year By Abby Hopp Staff Intern
WRENSHALL, Minn. – With only ve farms remaining in Carlton County, dairy farming is a rare site. But for Duane and Doreen Laveau, they nd value in the occupation, milking cows for their children’s future. For the past 24 years, the Laveaus and their son, Paul, have developed a 60-cow herd near Wrenshall, Minn., emphasizing dairy promotion throughout their community. Duane and Doreen’s daughters, Tristin and Erin, daughter-in-law Sheila and their four grandchildren, also are active on the farm when they are able. The Laveaus commitment to the industry, both on and off the farm, make them the recipients of the 2018 Carlton County Farm Family of the Year. “I am honored and humbled to receive this award,” Duane said. Duane purchased the farm site in June 1994. While the dairyman grew up on a farm his brother still operates today, he was looking to begin his own dairying venture. “I knew I wasn’t going to get rich farming, but I wanted to raise kids here,” Duane said.
TMR
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Skid Loaders
Gehl CTL175 #4054 .............................................................................$24,900 J Gehl 5240E #1078 2286 hours ...........................................................$22,400 H Gehl 4240 #4053 4389 hours ............................................................... $9,900 H Gehl 5240 #3784 1249 hours .............................................................$24,900 L Gehl R135 #3952 3464 hours .............................................................$15,800 L Gehl 6640 #1071 2800 hours .............................................................$17,500 L Bobcat S550 #1057 ..............................................................................$24,900 L Bobcat S850 #1052 1300 hours .........................................................$37,500 L Bobcat S850 #1058 450 hours ...........................................................$43,900 L Bobcat S300 #1073 2950 hours .........................................................$24,500 L Bobcat S650 #4030 3400 hours .........................................................$23,500 L Bobcat S650 #3526 ..............................................................................$42,500 L Bobcat S590 #1815 1324 hours .........................................................$30,900 L Bobcat T590 #1975 ...............................................................................$32,900 H
H = Hamburg | J = Judson | L = Lafayette
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ABBY HOPP/DAIRY STAR
Duane and Doreen Laveau’s granddaughter, Mia, spends Ɵme with her calf, Strawberry, at the dairy farm.
Dairy farming allows the Laveaus a chance to interact with their family in a way not often seen with other occupations. “I have a lot of fun with the grandkids,” Duane said. “I would be lost without them. Half the time they get off the school bus [at the farm].” While on the farm, grandchildren Carson and Mia mix milk replacer and ll sawdust carts. “Grandma and Grandpa love their cows and take good care of them,” Mia said. “The cows are their grandkids, too.” Mia hopes to be a dairy farmer someday. “When people ask her if she wants to be a doctor, Mia responds, ‘Will I have time off to do noon chores?’” Doreen said. “She wants to be a farmer someday.”
“I knew I wasn’t going to get rich farming, but I wanted to raise the kids here.” DUANE LAVEAU, DAIRY FARMER
Mia agreed. “I save my dollars to put in a savings to buy farm supplies,” Mia said. “I just like the cows.” Mia’s interest in dairy cows most likely came from her grandparents, who nd peace in the task of milking. While Duane works on the farm, Doreen splits her time between the barn and a school bus. For 19 years, Doreen has helped Duane milk in the morning and evenings, and drive bus during the day. “I spend all day dealing with kids, parents and teachers [as a bus driver],” Doreen said. “It is nice to come home to the cows and my husband. It is peaceful.” The Laveaus are best known for their commitment to the industry. As the only remaining dairy farmers in the county, Duane and his brother, Peter, have endless opportunities to promote dairy, including showing together at the Carlton County Fair. “We are the only dairy showmen in Carlton County,” Duane said. “The biggest reason we show is to go and promote the dairy industry.” Alongside showing, Laveaus have also looked towards new and exciting promotional opportunities. Recently, they began hosting the Carlson County Dairy Association Breakfast on the Farm. “I know how much inuence you can have on young kids” Duane said. “If we can show them that Turn to LAVEAUS | Page 11
Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018 • Page 11
ConƟnue from LAVEAUS | Page 10
NEW EASYFIX flexible Free Stall designs now available. PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Laveau family – (front, from leŌ) Arya Eastvold, Duane, Doreen and Mia; (back, from leŌ) Carson, Sheila and Paul Laveau holding Charlee Eastvold, Peter and Erin Allen – are shown together on Duane and Doreen’s farm near Wrenshall, Minn. Not pictured are TrisƟn and Luke Eastvold. milk comes from a cow, they will know for the rest of their life where milk comes from.” With the help of sponsorship from Carlton County Dairy Association and assistance from the Minnesota Farmers Union, family and friends, the Laveau family has hosted the event for two consecutive years and plan to do it again in the future. During the event, attendees can participate in milking demonstrations, hayrides and educational booths, among other events. The family also invites other farmers in the community, including organic vegetable farmers, bee farmers and maple syrup farmers. “I want to draw the public to see what a modern farm is like,” Duane said. “I like to show the community how we take care of our animals every single day.” With more than 1,000 people in attendance, the family plans to continue hosting the event, despite all the work. “You have sore feet by the end of
the day, but in the end, it was a perfect day and people were impressed,” Doreen said. Dairy farming is not an easy task, especially in an area not surrounded by the industry’s infrastructure. “It’s a struggle to milk out here,” Doreen said. Duane agreed. “We have not made money in four years,” he said. Driving hours for parts and feed or waiting hours for a veterinarian is just a few of the many obstacles the Laveau family nds in milking in Carlton County. However, they are eternal optimists. “Some days it’s hard to look at dairy farming positively, but then you see [the kids and grandkids],” Doreen said. “Whatever we do affects them.” Duane agreed. “I don’t need to be rich,” Duane said. “I like to work. At the end of the day I like looking back and seeing what I have accomplished.”
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
I do not miss the cows
I left dairying four years ago on Oct. 1 after being involved with agriculture for almost 25 years of my life. I do not miss the cows. I do not miss the injuries, however, the injuries are with me for good. My dairy career was good in the most part. I understood the industry was shrinking to the point of get big or get out. The folks getting bigger forget they still milk 40 cows at the end of the day. What I do not like about dairy is that everyone is to the point of no return. Some of the farmers I encounter never got to the big stage, some hate being that size and others just give up. My dairy career had some fun moments in them. Seeing cows do the impossible was the best part. Seeing a cow milk north of 175 pounds in a day. Seeing a cow get pregnant at 135 pounds a day brought a smile to my face. I left agriculture to discern a vocation to the priesthood. I am still discerning after a pastoral year and much growing up in the time afterwards. I know life is rich, and most of the time we are too poor to pursue the desire of the heart. I will never trash agriculture, but reforms are denitely needed. Reforms in work, in having help and in a general life overall. Will I ever return to agriculture? I very much doubt it will happen. I don’t like what I see out there. Life in the kitchen has given me things milking cows has not. It is nice to have insurance to go to the doctor. It is nice to have an IRA for retirement and life insurance for my burial. Farming is a hard life. I know. I have done it. Not all farmers miss the cows. I am one of those who is glad the barn is over and empty. Bob Suszka, Grand Forks, N.D.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Dairy Star Newspaper welcomes letters to the editor. Every letter for publication must be 500 words or less, contain the author’s signature, address and telephone number. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and brevity. Letters can be mailed to Dairy Star, Letter to Editor, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378 or e-mail: mark.k@dairystar.com.
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018
A complete showcase Wills carry on state fair tradition with all breeds By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
ST. PAUL, Minn. – One of the long-standing traditions at the Minnesota State Fair is the showcase herd, which, throughout the years, has given each breed an opportunity to be featured in the dairy barn for all 12 days of the fair. This year, the tradition will continue, but with a twist. Chuck Will and his wife, Sue, are coordinating a string of 16 animals from all seven dairy breeds for the showcase, Aug. 23 through Sept. 3 at the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul, Minn. “I know it’s quite the job, but it’s something I thought I should do,” Will said. “The cow business is a pretty important, major part of my life. This is one way to stay involved and see friends at the fair.” The Wills dispersed their herd of registered Holsteins last October at their farm, Willolea Holsteins, near Underwood, Minn. However, they have remained active in the dairy industry with more than 50 head of cattle co-owned throughout the United States. Will also manages a cattle auction enterprise and helps reads dairy cattle pedigrees for sales across the country. Will is planning to bring four Holsteins and Red and White Holsteins to the state fair. Elinor Opitz, of Maple Lake, Minn., is providing Ayrshires;
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
A few of Elinor Opitz’s animals, like Sugar (pictured), will represent the Ayrshire breed in this year’s showcase herd at the Minnesota State Fair Aug. 23 through Sept. 3 in St. Paul, Minn. Opitz dairy farms near Maple Lake, Minn. Manannah-Valley, of Manannah Valley, Minn., and Empty Pockets, of Grove City, Minn., are providing Milking Shorthorns; Kim and Katie Olson, of Atwater, Minn., are providing Guernseys and Jerseys; and CoJo Dairy is providing a Brown Swiss animal. “I don’t have milk cows at my farm anymore, so I’m thankful the cows are able to come from other people,” Will said. Historically, the Minnesota Purebred Dairy Cattle Association (PDCA)
has worked with the Minnesota State Fair to coordinate the showcase to represent one dairy cattle breed each year. Milking Shorthorns were supposed to be represented at this year’s state fair. However, being a part of the showcase herd can be a large responsibility for one family. In hopes of easing the burden of this state fair must-see, the state fair board proposed having an all-breed showcase. “A string of 16 cows out of a dairy
barn can be half the herd or 1 percent,” said Schmitz, PDCA board member. “With multiple families providing cattle, it isn’t as much to ask out of one family to provide two or three cattle.” Will agreed. “The state fair was wondering if it was a possibility to do an all-breed showcase,” he said. “We’re giving them what they want.” As nal preparations are being Turn to SHOWCASE | Page 13
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ConƟnued from SHOWCASE | Page 12 made to the string and determining which animals will be present at the state fair, Will is also helping coordinate other logistics for spending 12 days in the city. Before the fair, Will has to nd enough feed for the animals, people to tend to the animals and housing for those helping. “It’s quite an undertaking, but we’re giving it a shot. I’m hoping we can get through it without any major problems,” said Will, who plans to involve his grandchildren in this experience. Throughout the state fair, Will and his family and friends will be surrounded by fairgoers unfamiliar with the dairy industry. Will wants to use this opportunity as a chance to educate the public about dairy farming. “Everyone used to be connected to the farm,” Will said. “Now, they think milk comes from the store, and they don’t realize the cows and the hard work it takes. The state fair is going to be a good place to talk with people and answer their questions.” Schmitz agreed. “This year, there will be more questions [about why the string is different],
but hopefully it will also be more educational,” he said. Although the showcase is directed towards consumers, Will is hoping this year can also be about all the dairy cattle breeders present at the fair. “There are so many breeders in the barn, and I hope they feel satised their breed is represented,” Will said. When Will is not busy overseeing the showcase herd, he plans to enjoy the Great Minnesota Get-Together as a fairgoer. “Ever since I was a kid in 4-H, I’ve looked forward to the state fair,” Will said. “I’m looking forward to walking around the hog and horse barns, and taking a trip through the midway.” After the state fair is complete, the fair board and PDCA will evaluate the effectiveness of an all-breed showcase herd. “There are less and less farmers able to do [the showcase],” Schmitz said. “I’m not worried it won’t go well, but we’ll have to see how this year goes to best plan for next year.” Regardless of the future of the showcase herd, this year will certainly make for a memorable state fair for the Wills, their family and friends.
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From Our Side Of The Fence Tell us about your corn silage harvest process.
Mark Fehn St. Michael, Minn. Wright County 85 cows
Jeremy Mayer Monroe, Wis. Green County 50 cows
Mike Beltz Lake City, Minn. Wabasha County 85 cows
Doug Stangl Pierz, Minn. Morrison County 52 cows
What corn variety did you plant this year? How many acres? We plant 300 acres of corn; 240 of Pioneer and 60 of DeKalb.
What corn variety did you plant this year? How many acres? Dairyland HiDF-3808. We planted 60 acres this year.
What corn variety did you plant this year? How many acres? I planted a Pioneer triple stack Round up Ready 108-day variety. I planted all 100 tillable acres in corn.
What corn variety did you plant this year? How many acres? I planted LG5470RR, which is a 98-day corn variety. This year, I planted 160 acres of corn.
What percentage of your corn is dedicated to corn silage? About 75 percent is for corn silage. The rest is for shelled corn.
What percent of your corn is dedicated to corn silage? 20 percent.
When do you plan to start chopping? I think we’ll get started around the rst of September. How does this year’s anticipated harvest schedule compare to previous years? Early in September is usually when we get after corn silage. Tell us about your corn silage harvest process. Last year we had a guy with a self-propelled chopper open the eld, and I think we will do it again this year. Otherwise, we chop with a tworow chopper that we have. My dad, Ken, chops and my son, Alex, hauls the loads. We ll three silos and two bags. We don’t use any inoculants. What are the most important things you have learned that helps preserve your silage? We really try to put our silage up at the right moisture. Tell us about the most unique corn silage harvest you ever experienced. I remember 1986 most vividly. We couldn’t move anywhere in the elds. Across the road we had an IH 1066 on the chopper and on the front of that we had an IH 1468. We tried to split the eld and got half way in and buried both tractors, the chopper and the box. We ended up waiting and opening the elds with combines, but by then the silage was so dry. It was a bad year. Tell us about your farm. Alex and I own most of the farm. We are buying it from my parents, Ken and Barb. We milk 85 cows in a stanchion barn. We also farm 950 acres and plant corn, soybeans and alfalfa.
What percentage of your corn is dedicated to corn silage? One-third of our corn. When do you plan to start chopping? Sept. 15. How does this year’s anticipated harvest schedule compare to previous years? It’s on par for the ve-year average. But, a lot earlier than last year. Tell us about your corn silage harvest process. We hire a custom operator with a self-propelled chopper that pulls our wagons. We can usually complete harvest with two or three people. We’ll be storing our corn silage differently this year. We rebuilt a used silo this summer to store our corn silage. Previously, it was stored in silage bags. As far as inoculant, the rst half the silage will be treated with Vita Plus CropN-Rich® Buchneri 100; the second half will be treated with Vita Plus Crop-NRich® 500. What are the most important things you have learned that helps preserve your silage? It doesn’t matter if you have a dedicated bag pad, storage losses will be inevitable. Corn silage is too valuable of a feed to allow birds, wildlife and feedout losses to waste. Tell us about the most unique corn silage harvest you ever experienced. In 2012, during the drought year, we chopped our bottom corn for silage. Everyone thought we were crazy for chopping beautiful, high-yielding bottom corn. But, we didn’t have toxin issues and were able to buy clean elevator corn to feed our herd. Tell us about your farm. We milk 50 registered Brown Swiss and Holsteins. Cows are milked in our 1900 two-story dairy barn and housed in a bedded pack barn built in 2012. In addition to corn, we also grow alfalfa, soybeans and oats on 240 acres. I’m the fourth generation on this farm.
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How does this year’s anticipated harvest schedule compare to previous years? I think this year will be earlier. Last year, we didn’t get started with corn silage until the rst part of October. Even though it was a late start, it turned out to be a good crop. I usually get four bags, but last year I got ve. Tell us about your corn silage harvest process. I use Juers Farms as my custom operator. They have a John Deere self-propelled chopper with a processor. It is stored in 10- by 250-foot bags, and I use an inoculant. We can usually get the harvest done in 1.5 days. What are the most important things you have learned that helps preserve your silage? Inoculants have helped. In the past when I didn’t use them, I would sometimes see mold. Now I don’t see mold. Moisture level is also critical. I like to see it harvested in the mid to high 60s. It lls the bag better. When it drops below the 60 mark, I start seeing more sorting in the bunk. Tell us about the most unique corn silage harvest you ever experienced. I think it was 2013 when we didn’t start chopping until mid October. It was too dry and had already froze. We were having trouble with it. The silage was poor quality that year. Last year, we
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How does this year’s anticipated harvest schedule compare to previous years? Everything seems to be on schedule. I’m usually done with corn silage by Sept. 15-16. Tell us about your corn silage harvest process. I chop the crop with a John Deere 3955 and use a kernel processor. My wife, Brenda, helps me; and our son, Justin, is also able to help for a day. We use a liquid preservative and store the silage in an upright silo. What are the most important things you have learned that helps preserve your silage? I use a Kemin product, which is a liquid preservative, to enhance fermentation. I’ve used everything under the sun, but this seems to do the best job. I’ve used it for the past three or four years. Tell us about the most unique corn silage harvest you ever experienced. Last year it was so wet. It was a disaster area. With our friends’ help, we split open the elds using their propelled chopper. Then, we tried to get as much done as we could before it got too wet again. Tell us about your farm. Brenda and I milk 52 cows and feed out our dairy steers. I raise 160 acres of corn, 100 acres of soybeans, 50 acres of alfalfa and 10 acres of low grass hay. We stay too busy and are paid too little. Turn to OUR SIDE | Page 16
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When do you plan to start chopping? Hopefully, I’ll get started around Sept. 12.
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When do you plan to start chopping? I usually plan for later because of the custom harvest schedule. I am guessing it will be around the third week of September, although that could change depending on how the rest of the month goes.
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What percentage of your corn is dedicated to corn silage? We plan to chop 60 of those acres for silage corn. Sometimes it’s more than that. It depends on the year.
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ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15
Rick Pausma with daughter Stephanie Melvin, Iowa Osceola County 160 cows What corn variety did you plant this year? How many acres? I planted P0574 on the corn ground and P0306 on the terminated alfalfa eld for a total of 200 acres. What percentage of your corn is dedicated to corn silage? We usually chop about 60-70 percent of our acres for silage. When do you plan to start chopping? I would expect to be chopping by the rst week of September. How does this year’s anticipated harvest schedule compare to previous years? This year appears to be about a week ahead of last year. Tell us about your corn silage harvest process. We hire a custom harvesting crew to come in with chopper, trucks and packing tractors. Inoculant is applied at the chopper. In the past, we have lled a bunker silo as well put a pile on an asphalt pad. This year we have removed one wall of the silo and connected the two pads with concrete and will be having one larger pile. The pile is covered with an oxygen barrier layer, and a black and white layer of plastic. Tire sidewalls are used to hold the plastic in place. What are the most important things you have learned that helps preserve your silage? Packing density and sealing the pile as soon as possible. We also use a silage facer every day to keep the face of the pile fresh. Tell us about the most unique corn silage harvest you ever experienced. Generally, we’ve had neighbors, our children and friends of our children over to help put the tarp on the silage and throw the tires on top. We then give everyone a check and have an enjoyable visit with pizza, beverages and ice cream treats. It’s a great feeling to get it done. Tell us about your farm. My wife, Elaine, and I started dairying in 1991. We have four children: Ben, 25, is a computer programmer; Stephanie, 23, works with us but is seeking a position with her recent degree in bio-medical engineering; Samantha, 20, is working on a dairy in Australia, and Sophia, 11, helps with calves and other chores. We milk two times a day in a double-8 herringbone parlor. Cows are housed in sand-bedded free stalls. We raise our heifers and sell the bulls within a few days of birth.
Roger Read Austin, Minn. Mower County 120 cows
Adam Husfeldt Glencoe, Minn. Sibley County 80 cows
What corn variety did you plant this year? How many acres? We planted Channel and Pioneer; all of it is conventional. We have 120 acres of corn.
What corn variety did you plant this year? How many acres? We plant Mycogen BMR corn silage and have 55 acres of this variety.
What percentage of your corn is dedicated to corn silage? About 60 to 70 percent. When do you plan to start chopping? Ideally, the suggestion is to start chopping 45 days after tasseling, but we will also watch the milkline and go off that. Sometimes it’s hard to tell when all this will happen, but this year I am guessing the second week of September. The corn tasseled about the third week in July. How does this year’s anticipated harvest schedule compare to previous years? We planted late because we had a wet spring so at rst I thought we would be way behind on everything in the eld; however, the heat in the last month has moved everything along quickly. I’m guessing we’ll be chopping within a normal timeframe in comparison to past years. Tell us about your corn silage harvest process. The harvest includes me, my son, Greg, and a hired person, Dustin. If I’m not running the chopper, Greg will drive it. We have a Gehl 1285 pull type three-row chopper with a processor. Whoever is not in the chopper will drive wagons. Dustin is usually unloading. We store it in 9- by 250-foot bags. We end up with four to ve bags and ll one per day. We have always used inoculants, but this year we are not going to use it to try to save money. We didn’t use any inoculant on our hay, either. We had tried not using inoculants in two bags of corn silage last year and did OK without it. What are the most important things you have learned that helps preserve your silage? It’s important to get it stored at the right moisture and correct length of cut. We also make sure to check the processor a few times during the chopping process to make sure it is working properly. Tell us about the most unique corn silage harvest you ever experienced. Last year, we had a eld of winter triticale we harvested the third week of June. We planted corn after it. In the fall, we nished everything else, but at the end of October we started chopping the corn that grew on that triticale eld. It felt weird to have the rest of the elds empty, but to be chopping corn that late. It worked out well, and we might plant triticale again in the future. It gives us a window for manure hauling in June. Tell us about your farm. I farm together with my wife, Lori, along with our son and daughter-in-law, Greg and Heather, who each also have an off-the-farm job. Greg has a custom hay baling, corn stalk baling and combining business. We have one full-time and one part-time employee. We plant 320 acres. Our herd is nearly all registered Brown Swiss. I am a director on the National Brown Swiss Association board. We lease 4-H animals. This year nine kids will show 25 of our animals at their county fair.
What percentage of your corn is dedicated to corn silage? About 1/3 of our corn acres are dedicated to corn silage this year. When do you plan to start chopping? My best guess is we’ll be chopping middle of September. We’ll pull some samples from the eld to get a better idea of plant moisture in late August, and target our start date from this. How does this year’s anticipated harvest schedule compare to previous years? I’d say this year will be comparable to most years assuming mother nature cooperates better than last year. Tell us about your corn silage harvest process. We chop our own silage with a three-row pull type New Holland chopper. The chopping equipment is owned with our neighbor; therefore we work together during harvest. We also have some great neighbors who enjoy helping out and part-time employees who like to ll in hauling loads as well. Our corn silage is stored in 10-foot bags, and we apply liquid inoculants on the chopper. What are the most important things you have learned that helps preserve your silage? We’ve found moisture is the most important. Using an inoculant and the pressure on the bagger are also important. Tell us about the most unique corn silage harvest you ever experienced. Trying to chop when the ground is so wet and everything is mud. Not fun. Tell us about your farm. We continue to live to ght another day. What else can we do? I got into this industry because I have an unexplainable love and passion for cows. I like to see baby calves born, grow and develop into great cows. I enjoy the daily challenges dairy farming presents me, even though they often can be stressful. I love the smell of fresh cut hay. Perhaps what I love most about dairy farming is the lifestyle it offers my family and me, as well as the lessons and morals it helps instill in children. We didn’t get into this business to get rich with money; we did it for the wealth of good things that come with it. While the pulse of the dairy industry today is faint at best, I hope reading this helps remind us all why we do what we do. I can only pray better times are on the horizon.
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018
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Quality forages, cow comfort drive production at Molls’ dairy Steven Jr. and Jackie Moll Freeport, Minn. Stearns County 95 cows What is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? Milk is at 29,247 pounds, butterfat 1,148 and protein 965. How many times a day do you milk? We milk twice per day. Do you contract your milk? Has it been successful for you? We have never contracted
our milk. Describe your housing and milking facility. We milk in an 89-stall tiestall barn and bed with straw. What is your herd health program? We do herd health every other week. What does your dry cow and transition program consist of? We have one dry cow group. Cows are dried off at 60 days and heifers are introduced
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Jackie and Steven Jr. Moll, pictured with their children – (from leŌ) Payton and Morgan – have a rolling herd average of 29,247 pounds on their 95-cow dairy near Freeport, Minn.
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The cows are housed in large stalls with an ample supply of straw. The Molls aƩribute cow comfort as an important factor in their rolling herd average.
at about 30 days before calving. They are fed TMR consisting of custom protein mix, grass hay, corn silage and forage sorghum. What is the composition of
your ration? What has been one of your most recent changes that has been successful for you? We are feeding 15 pounds dry corn, 11 pounds custom protein mix, 58 pounds
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JENKINS SKID STEER ATTACHMENTS Grapple buckets, bale spears, rock buckets etc.
FARMERS CO-OP CREAMERY
WE OFFER
Corn Drying & Corn Storage
Weigh Scales
YOUR ONESTOP SHOP CO-OP!
MEETING YOUR ANIMAL FEED NEEDS & MORE! FORES T ON, MN • 320-294-57 11 • M-F 8-5PM • S AT 8-NOON WWW.FORES TONCREAMERY.COM
Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018 • Page 19
Reddy Ag Service & Ross Soil Service Knowlegeable Professionals for each unique operation • Mineral and Protein Mixes • Nutrition and Management Services • Robot herd consulting and pellets
THE NO COMPROMISE FABRIC STRUCTURE DAIRY, MACHINERY & HAY STORAGE
Commercial Agri Buildings
• In-house Grain Merchandiser to locate and price bulk commodities WE ALSO SELL REPLACEMENT TARPS!
Single and Truss Arch available from 20’-120’ wide Flo-Coat® Galvanized Steel Tubing Supplied by Allied Tube & Conduit Heaviest gauge steel in the industry Pre-engineered truss buildings
NELSON’S AGRI STRUCTURES
Dean Nelson • Central and Northern Minnesota • Grove City, MN • 320-857-2633, Cell 320-699-3297
RIVERSIDE HOOP BARNS, INC.
US Hwy. 75 At IA/MN Stateline • Steen, MN • 507-392-2870 • Fred A. Tilstra & Sons
LANGE CONSTRUCTION & CONCRETE
Dan Hentrich 608-642-7334
Mark Brown 608-330-1331
Sam Enloe 608-778-8589
Dan Welch 608-426-1819
www.reddyagservice.com
Duke Lange • Swanville, MN • 320-290-0859
LAKESIDE HOOP STRUCTURES, LLC
Eastern Minnesota and Wisconsin • Harris, MN • 651-248-6302 • Craig Moline
ASK US ABOUT GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR HAY STORAGE
“First 7 days after calving... faster milk response.” — Mike Wolfe
OVALTOP HOLSTEINS, The Wolfe Family, RICHFIELD SPRINGS, NEW YORK 2018 Robert “Whitey” McKown Master Breeder, NY Century Farm, NY Dairy of Distinction and NY Super Milk Award. Bred 170 EX, 427 VG. Milking 90 Holsteins 26,519M, SCC 160,000, BAA 110.3 The Wolfe family has been recognized as Premier Breeder and Exhibitor at the New York State Fair, New York Spring Red and White Show, New York International Spring Holstein Show and Pennsylvania All-American Red and White Shows. Shown (L to R) are: Doug, Mike, Howard, and Ginny Wolfe with 5-generation EX, 94-point, homebred 7-yr-old Ovaltop Gibson Naomi.
“We use Udder Comfort™ every day, from the beginning, changing from the lotion to the yellow spray for convenience,” says 5th generation dairyman Mike Wolfe. He and his brother Doug and parents Howard and Ginny operate Ovaltop Holsteins, Richfield Springs, New York, milking 90 Holsteins making 26,519 pounds of high quality milk. Selected 2018 McKown Master Breeder by the Klussendorf Memorial Assn., the Wolfe family will be recognized at the 52nd World Dairy Expo. They have bred over 170 EX and 427 VG, with 28 consecutive Progressive Breeder of Registry awards in New York, one Gold Medal sire, 8 GMD dams and 11 dams of merit. Their goal is “to make the best better, to watch a calf grow up and become an excellent cow.” Udder Comfort is part of that process, says Mike, “We stay with Udder Comfort. It definitely works best. We spray all fresh udders after each milking for the first 7 days after calving. This routine is one of the things that helped us reduce our herd SCC. We see fresh udders that are softer with faster milk response.”
Quality Udders Make Quality Milk
Keep the milk in the system 1.888.773.7153 1.613.652.9086 uddercomfort.com Call to locate a distributor near you. For external application to the udder only after milking, as an essential component of udder management. Always wash and dry teats thoroughly before milking.
Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018
ConƟnued from MOLLS | Page 18 silage to our ration and noticed a few extra pounds of milk. Through the years you’ve been farming, what change has created the biggest jump in your herd average? Going from a standard ovsynch to
double ovsynch program and lowering our voluntary waiting period. Getting more cows pregnant earlier in lactation and lowering days in milk has made it much easier for us to achieve high production.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
The Molls’ barn has eight 48-inch fans pulling air through the barn, which is important to keeping the cows cool. What role does genetics play in your production level and what is your breeding program? Genetics play a huge role in our production. Cows are mated yearly with ABS which has helped balance production with longevity. For our breeding program, we start the cows at 30-45 days on double ovsynch. Our heifers are started at 60 days on double ovsynch.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Steven Moll Jr. stands near a corn eld on his dairy farm near Freeport, Minn. The Molls use a dual-purpose corn hybrid for silage.
What type of improvements would you like to make that would increase your rolling herd average even higher? The only improvement we would like to make at this time
would be to replace the cow mats in the barn. What would you say are the three most important factors for you that helped you attain your current herd average? Quality forage. We work hard at getting the most out of our feed. Hay is cut at 28 days or sooner unless Mother Nature throws a wrench into our plans. Then, it becomes heifer feed. Corn silage is harvested around 68 percent moisture and processed. We use a dual-purpose corn hybrid for silage and have never tried BMR. Cow comfort. We have large stalls and bed
with plenty of straw daily. Eight large fans keep the cows cool in the summer. Having a nutritionist that understands our goals. Tell us about your farm. In 2011, Jackie and I bought the cows and equipment from Steve’s parents, Steven Sr. and Barbara Moll. In 2017, we started to purchase the farm site. We run 260 acres. We are the second generation on this farm. Steve’s dad still helps on the farm daily and our children – Morgan, 9, and Payton, 6 – are starting to get more involved with daily chores.
Save the Date! Nature’s Best Field Day will be held
August 16 at 9:00 a.m.!
LOCATION: 2279 Ibex Ave., Doon, Iowa.
Directions: From Hwy 75 & 260th Ave, 2 miles east to Hickory Ave, 2 north to 240th, 1 mile east to Ibex, then 1.5 north on west side. From Hull, 5 north on Hickory Ave to stop sign, then 2 miles north to 240th St., then 1 mile east to Ibex Ave and 1.5 miles north on west side.
OUR PRESENTERS WILL INCLUDE: Rick Bednarek, NRCS Iowa State Soil Scientist Steve Gruhn, founder of Freedom Fertilizer Mike Henderson, NRCS Rain Simulator Rick Tamm, Byron Seed District Manager Mike Terpstra, Miller Hybrids Zach Wright, Nature’s Best Microbiologist Ben Samuelson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Don’t miss this opportunity to speak with industry professionals and find out what’s working, where things are headed, and what to look for in the future. The weather is looking great and we are excited to share the plot data with you!
Dinner and supper will be provided.
COME EARLY AND STAY FOR THE SOCIAL HOUR!
www.advanceddairy.com
Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018 • Page 21
LEASE OPTIONS ON STEEL DEAL COMBINES AVAILABLE See our complete inventory with pictures and descriptions at:
www.mmcjd.com
Visit one of our 17 locations in Central Minnesota! (1) = GLENCOE
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320-864-5571 4561 Hwy. 212
(2) = HOWARD LAKE 320-543-2170 5845 Keats Ave. SW
(3) = STEWART 320-562-2630 78412 Co. Rd. 20
(5) = GLENWOOD 320-634-5151 1710 N. Franklin
(6) = SAUK CENTRE 320-352-6511 1140 Centre St.
(7) = ALEXANDRIA 320-763-4220 5005 Co. Rd. 82 SE
(8) = PAYNESVILLE 320-243-7474 725 Lake Ave. S.
(9) = PRINCETON
763-389-3453 3708 Baptist Church Rd.
(10) = LITTLE FALLS 320-632-5469 16069 Hwy. 27 E.
(11) = WADENA 218-631-2311 62505 US Hwy. 10
(12) = AITKIN 218-927-2140 1120 2nd St. NW
(13) = BAXTER 218-829-5356 7045 Foley Rd.
(14) = ELBOW LAKE 218-685-4438 110 2nd St. NE
(15) = MORRIS 320-589-2011 23604 State Hwy. 9
(16) = BENSON 320-843-2610 380 Atlantic Ave.
(17) = MADISON 320-598-7575 516 1st St. E
COMPACT LOADERS 6 JD 304K, 2015, Cab w/ AC, 1.4 yd Bucket, 405/70R20, 408 hrs., #137480 ..................................................................................$64,900 6 JD 324K, 2016, 3 Spool, 405/70R20, Ride Control, 667 hrs., #143799 ..................................................................................$89,000 COMPACT TRACK LOADERS 10 JD 323D, 2013, Cab Enclosure, A/C, Foot Controls, Air Ride Seat, 2 Speed, Narrow Rubber Tracks, 76” Bucket, Reversing Fan, 904 hrs., #145718 ..................................................................................$34,900 8 JD 323E, 2017, Cab Enclosure, A/C, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Aux Hydraulics, 2 Speed, Self-Leveling, Narrow Rubber Tracks, 76” Bucket, Reversing Fan, 325 hrs., #140018 ..........................$51,900 14 JD 333E, 2015, Cab Enclosure, A/C, 2 Speed, Wide Track, 902 hrs., #144217 ..................................................................................$57,500 4 JD 333G, 2016, Cab Enclosure, A/C, Air Ride Seat, Hi-Flo, Ride Control, 2 Speed, Self-Leveling, Reversing Fan, 490 hrs., #143346 ........$71,900 13 JD 333G, 2016 ....Cab Enclosure, A/C, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Hi-Flo, Ride Control, 2 Speed, Self-Leveling, Wide Track, Reversing Fan, 470 hrs., #142414 ....................................................................$71,900 13 JD 333G, 2017, Cab Enclosure, A/C, Air Ride Seat, Hi-Flo, Ride Control, 2 Speed, Self-Leveling, Wide Track, Reversing Fan, 514 hrs., #150494 ..................................................................................$68,999 5 Bobcat T770, 2014, Cab Enclosure, A/C, Foot Controls, 2 Speed, Rubber Tracks, 1416 hrs., #148520...........................................$47,500 MOWER CONDITIONERS 7 JD 535, 2005, #139187 ...........................................................$14,000 12 JD 635, 2012, #150448 ...........................................................$18,500 10 JD 820, 1994, #150306 .............................................................$4,750 4 JD 946, 2008, #150133 ...........................................................$14,800 7 Massey Ferguson 1372, 2013, #141262...............................$19,900 10 NH 1475, 2002, #150695..........................................................$5,000 6 Case DCX-131, 2004, #150458 .................................................$7,500 10 NH H7450, 2012, #150023 .....................................................$22,500 17 NH H7460, 2013, #144344 .....................................................$23,900 RIPPERS 17 JD 510, 1996, #144444 ............................................................$7,900 9 JD 512, 2000, #141499 ...........................................................$13,875 9 JD 512, 2000, #142729 ...........................................................$11,500 14 JD 512, 2013, #150305 ...........................................................$37,500 1 Case IH 870, 2013, #146717 ..................................................$56,900 7 Case IH 875, 2014, #143832 ..................................................$76,900 15 Case IH 875, 2014, #143764 ..................................................$57,500 4 JD 2700, 2006, #130972 .........................................................$14,900 7 JD 2700, 2001, #150715 .........................................................$13,900 6 JD 2700, 2003, #143912 .........................................................$15,400 1 JD 2700, 2004, #140687 .........................................................$15,900 17 JD 2720, 2013, #144468 .........................................................$39,500 17 JD 2720, 2013, #144469 .........................................................$40,000 14 JD 2720, 2014, #144467 .........................................................$51,900 4 JD 2730, 2016, #143847 .........................................................$64,900 11 JD 2730, 2015, #143523 .........................................................$87,000 14 JD 2730, 2017, #145237 .........................................................$97,000 8 Kuhn 4855, 2015, #138368....................................................$49,900
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JD S660, 2012, $ 1900 hrs., #133738
209,500
$
4 Wil-Rich 6600, #149195 ..........................................................$3,955 8 Case IH 730C, 2011, #135148 ................................................$21,900 5 Wil-Rich V957DDR, 2005, #143841.......................................$15,500 ROUND BALERS 11 JD 430, 1984, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, #140203 ...........$5,900 12 JD 435, 1995, Twine and Surface Wrap, Width of Bale: 4 Feet #150628 ....................................................................................$6,595 10 JD 467, 2001, Pickup: Mega Wide, Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, #150711 ..................................$8,500 14 JD 467, 2005, Pickup: Regular, Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, #144341 ................................................$12,900 10 JD 567, 2004, Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #150394 ................................................$17,000 14 JD 567, 2006, Pickup: Mega Tooth, Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #149896 ..............................$17,200 10 JD 568, 2010, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #150484 ..............................$19,800 12 JD 568, 2010, Pickup: Mega Wide, Twine, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #149676 ................................................$25,500 6 JD 569, 2017, Pickup: Mega Wide, Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #143801 ................................................$38,000 8 JD 569, 2014, Pickup: Mega Wide, Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #148334 ................................................$35,500 4 Gehl 1465, Pickup: Regular, Twine, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet #150085 ....................................................................................$5,100 4 Massey Ferguson 2946, 2015, Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, #143367 ................................................$29,700 10 Claas 380 Variant, 2011, Surface Wrap, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, #140005 ................................................$19,800 8 JD 569 Premium, 2014, Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #148146 ................................................$26,900 8 JD 569 Silage Special, 2016, Pickup: Mega Wide, Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet,# 148333..............................$40,900 12 NH BR7060, 2011, Twine Only, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, #150548 ..................................................................................$16,900 11 NH BR7060, 2008, Twine, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet #143774 ..................................................................................$15,000 5 NH BR7080, 2008, Twine, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet #140282 ..................................................................................$12,900 10 NH BR7090, 2008, Twine, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #150694........$8,500 9 NH BR7090, 2008, Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #143259 ................................................$19,900 8 NH BR780, 2005, Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #140575 ................................................$17,500 WINDROWERS 6 JD 994, 2005, Conditioner: Steel, #145340 .............................$16,500 11 JD 4995, 2008, Head: Hay Head, Platform Size: 16, Conditioner: Impeller, 2064 hrs., #150123 ...............................$64,900 6 JD W235, 2014, Conditioner: Steel, 653 hrs., #135622 ........ $134,900 6 JD W235, 2014, 924 hrs., #140754 ...................................... $119,500 5 JD W235, 2014, Conditioner: Rubber/Urethane, 604 hrs., #134973 ............................................................................... $128,900 6 JD W260, 2014, Conditioner: Rubber/Urethane, 581 hrs., #140978 ............................................................................... $156,900
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JD 4720, 2006, 90’ boom, 20” spacing, 1673 hrs., #130054
JD S670, 2015, $ 1325 hrs., #144307
Over 1200 items with pictures updated daily • Go to www.mmcjd.com
(4) = ST. CLOUD 320-252-2010 1035 35th Ave. NE
79,500
$
JD 9620T, 2005, 6191 hrs., #145278
STEEL DEALS
ARTICULATED 4WD TRACTOR 7 NH T9020, 2009, 335 hp., 2905 hrs., #142873 .......................$115,000 COMBINES 6 JD S550, 2012, 1130 hrs., 720 sep., #134811 .........................$135,000 6 JD S660, 2012, 1901 hrs., 1457 sep., #133738 ..................... $137,500 16 JD S670, 2016, 245 hrs., 128 sep., #144317 ......................... $269,500 2 JD S670, 2015, 935 hrs., 655 sep., #144305 ......................... $191,000 10 JD S670, 2015, 982 hrs., 675 sep., #144320 ......................... $190,000 16 JD S670, 2015, 1329 hrs., 731 sep., #144307 ....................... $209,500 4 JD S670, 2014, 1500 hrs., 873 sep., #144306 ....................... $168,500 15 JD S670, 2013, 1224 hrs., 864 sep., #144316 ....................... $180,000 10 JD 9770 STS, 2010, 2642 hrs., 1901 sep., #135046 .................$98,500 16 JD 9770 STS, 2009, 2327 hrs., 1690 sep., #144244 .................$98,700 14 JD 9770 STS, 2008, 2783 hrs., 1924 sep., #144242 .................$95,000 CORN AND ROW CROP HEADERS 14 JD 612C, 2010, #144255 .........................................................$39,500 6 JD 893, 1998, #133187 ...........................................................$13,900 DISKS 1 Krause 8200, 2013, #131061.................................................$24,000 11 Summers 9K4727, 2015, #129015........................................$65,000 3 Case IH 370, 2014, #137899 ..................................................$29,500 GRAIN CART 3 Brent 1594, 2011, #125547 ...................................................$52,900 RIPPERS 17 JD 2720, 2013, #144468 .........................................................$39,500 8 Case IH 730C, 2011, #135148 ................................................$21,900 ROW CROP TRACTORS 14 JD 6155R, 2016, 155 hp., 193 hrs., #144519........................ $122,000 16 JD 6155R, 2016, 155 hp., 225 hrs., #144517........................ $128,000 9 JD 6175R, 2017, 175 hp., 104 hrs., #134664........................ $147,000 SELF-PROPELLED FORAGE HARVESTER HEADS: ROTARY 6 JD 688, 2011, #140930 ...........................................................$23,500 6 JD 710, 2007, #115310 ...........................................................$33,000 SELF-PROPELLED FORAGE HARVESTERS 4 JD 5730, 1986, 4980 hrs., 4980 cu. hrs., #124367 ...................$25,000 6 JD 6710, 1993, 2116 hrs., #144011.........................................$37,000 6 JD 7300, 2003, 5093 hrs., 3640 cu. hrs., #140932 ...................$68,000 6 JD 7400, 2004, 4289 hrs., 2918 cu. hrs., #122051 ...................$99,000 4 JD 7450, 2009, 2523 hrs., 1748 cu. hrs., #145572 ................ $147,000 6 Claas 900, 2005, 3826 hrs., 3088 cu. hrs., #140408 ............. $145,000 SELF-PROPELLED SPRAYER 2 JD 4720, 2006, 1673 hrs., #130054...................................... $109,000 TRACK TRACTORS 16 JD 9560RT, 2014, 560 hp., 1009 hrs., #144560 .................... $249,500 7 JD 9620T, 2005, 500 hp., 6191 hrs., #145278 .........................$79,500 UTILITY TRACTORS 12 JD 6110M, 2017, 110 hp., 109 hrs., #134622..........................$83,900
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JD S550, 2012, $ 1130 hrs., #134811
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JD S670, 2013, $ 1224 hrs., #144316
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JD 9770 STS, 2008, $ 2783 hrs., #144242
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018
Auger Flighting for Ag or Industry Feeder Wagons Mixer Wagons Augers Grain/Transfer Fertilizer Salt Spreaders Food Handling
Underground Boring Mining Sludge Removal Anchors
Construction Snow Blowers Post Hole Digging Material Separators Elevators
Custom Sizes as Well as Annual Production Quantities
www.flightmfg.com 1-800-579-9978
Midwest Grooving We’re groovin’ for your cows’ safety
Barn alleys, freestalls, barn yards, holding areas specializing in diamond patter and diagonal grooves
M G
DAVE VANDEN BOSCH
Owner/Operator Kaukauna, WI
920-450-7246
midwestgrooving.com midwestgrooving@gmail.com
DeLaval AcidiShine Outshines all others ™
Reduce time and expenses with a revolutionary new acid sanitizer that helps you enhance food safety, animal welfare, work efficiency and farm profitability.
Your partners in dairy production We offer a complete range of products to our customers. We service what we sell to help keep your farm in top shape. Our goal is to make you more profitable and more efficient through innovative equipment, aftermarket solutions, scheduled maintenance and 24 hour emergency services.
www.delaval.com
Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: IOWA Kramer Bros. Monticello, IA 319-465-5931 Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290 United-Suckow Dairy Supply West Union, IA 563-422-5355 Postville, IA 563-864-7417
WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bob’s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201 Ederer Dairy Supply Plain, WI 608-546-3713 Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Waunakee, WI 608-849-5043
Mondovi Dairy Systems Inc. Mondovi, WI 715-926-5777 West Salem, WI 608-769-2113 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470 MINNESOTA & SOUTH DAKOTA D&D Ag Supply Pennock, MN 320-599-4466
East Central Dairy Supply Mora, MN 320-679-1029 Genex Farm Systems Melrose, MN 320-256-3276 Watertown, MN 605-886-7401 Sioux Falls, SD 800-284-0015 S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Professional Dairy Systems Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2018 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296. www.delaval.com
Today’s land values tell a tale of two markets Buyers of agricultural land are wondering if now is a good time to make a purchase, while at the same point in the market, sellers are asking if they should sell. Are land values still trending down or have they bottomed and higher prices are on the horizon? Individual landowners and investors are both scratching their heads as to the current land market and where it might go. It is as if there are two land markets: one that says it is a good time to sell and one that indicates that it is time to invest in land. The underlying strength in values of good quality farm and ranch land is supported by a number of factors. Number one is the fact that there is currently less land for sale on the market than normal. For example, in 2017 in Iowa, approximately two-thirds of one percent of ag land sold in the open market, which is less than the average 1 percent that sells per year. Even though the Iowa land market was slow last year, Farmers National Company sold 20 percent of the land in the state that was sold through a brokerage rm. Another factor supporting current prices for good quality land is that there is adequate buying interest at this time. The overall agricultural sector remains in a relatively good nancial position with a low debt-toasset ratio. This fact, combined with past prots, allows some farmers and ranchers to be in the market to purchase land that enhances their operations. Also, the fact that neighboring farms do not come up for sale very often increases buying interest when a tract does come up for sale. This is evident in the success Farmers National Company has had in Michigan selling a large group of farms that have been off the market for some time. In addition to these factors supporting current values, land is a long-term investment and there are reasons supporting land prices in the decades to come. One is the expectation that there will continue to be an increasing demand for food and ber due to world population growth and the improvement in personal incomes around the globe. Even with the recent increase in tillable land around the world and increasing crop yields, growth in grain demand is projected to stretch production to its fullest. The other side of the land market indicates that it is appropriate to sell during this time period. For one, agricultural land values remain historically strong even though they have dropped from the highs of several years ago. For those who have owned ag land for a period of more than a decade or for those who have recently inherited land, today’s values far exceed those of the past. The decision for those contemplating a sale of the farm or ranch is whether to sell now and capture what still is a very good price or hold for a later sale. Currently there is not a lot of good quality ag land for sale on the market. If additional land comes up for sale, one question is how much can the market absorb without turning prices lower. The expectation in the land market is that there will be some additional sales of land going into the winter in order to shore up nancial conditions of some farmers. Therefore, at what point will an additional amount of land for sale in an area move prices down? With the continuation of lower farm incomes, operators will have less cash available to make capital purchases such as land. As farmers and ranchers typically buy 80 to 95 percent of the land that comes up for sale in an area, any slowdown of their purchasing will lessen the bidding for land that comes up for sale. The concern in the market is at what point does the expectation for some additional land coming up for sale meet with the potential for less operator demand to lower land prices? Several other outside factors may inuence the land market going forward. Rising interest rates, although slow, will have an effect on those land buyers nancing their purchase and for those comparing alternative investments. In addition, rising yields on government bonds may indicate increased return expectations from ag land as the two have some correlation. At this time, there are good reasons to support the tale of two land markets with one saying it is a good time to sell and one indicating it is time to invest. Besides the previously mentioned factors on both sides, there are the wild cards of weather, crop yields, energy prices, government policies, and world events that can override the current status of the land market. The next several years will decide the direction for the land prices. Submitted by Farmers National Company
Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018 • Page 23
65th Princess Kay of the Milky Way AUG. 22, 2018 • 8 P.M. CORONATION OF 65TH PRINCESS KAY MINNESOTA STATE FAIR BAND SHELL • FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Who will be the next Princess Kay?
Princess Kay of the Milky Way is the official goodwill ambassador for Minnesota’s dairy industry. Throughout her yearlong reign, she participates in numerous public appearances, promotional events and media interviews. Twelve county dairy princesses are vying for the title of Princess Kay after
being selected as finalists during a statewide competition held in May. They will be judged on their communication skills, general knowledge of the dairy industry, personality and enthusiasm for dairy promotion. One young woman will receive the coveted Princess Kay title and begin her immediate duties on opening day of the
fair by having her likeness carved in a 90-pound block of butter. The other candidates will also have their likenesses carved in butter during the remaining days of the fair. The Princess Kay contest is funded by dairy farmers through the dairy checkoff, to help increase demand for dairy.
Emily Annexstad 64th Princess Kay of the Milky Way
Meet the candidates
Amy Broll, 21 Chaska, Carver County
Blaize Dankers, 19 Plainview, Wabasha County
Katherine Gathje, 19 Richmond, Meeker County
Laura Grimm, 20
Daughter of Dan and Kathie Broll. Amy will start her junior year at Winona State University this fall where she is studying cell and molecular biology. She hopes to become a dentist after graduating from dental school. Her hobbies include being outdoors where she hikes, canoes, kayaks and spends time with friends.
Daughter of Travis and Annette Reimers. She is an employee of Scotch Prairie Farms. Blaize will be a sophomore this fall at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls where she studies agriculture business and dairy science. She is active in her campus dairy club and enjoys coaching volleyball, fishing, kayaking, writing, showing and judging dairy cattle.
Daughter of Scott and Denise Gathje. Katherine will be a sophomore at the University of Minnesota this fall studying agricultural communication and marketing. Her hobbies include baking, showing dairy cattle, speaking Spanish and spending time with family.
Daughter of Joel and Barb Grimm. Laura will be a senior this fall at Minnesota State University Moorhead with a major in English and Mass Communications. She loves to travel, read, write, work with animals and make new memories.
Megan Hollermann, 20 Burtrum, Todd County
Korissa Lindquist, 20 Kerkhoven, Kandiyohi County
Calissa Lubben, 19 Edgerton, Rock County
Ashley Maus, 19 Freeport, Stearns County
Daughter of Shawn and Debbie Hollermann. Megan recently graduated from Ridgewater College with a degree in dairy management and is employed on her family farm. She is a 4-H volunteer, a Ridgewater agriculture ambassador, serves on the Morrison County fair board and was involved with professional agriculture student (PAS) organization.
Daughter of Rod and Naomi Lindquist. She will be a junior this fall at the University of North Dakota where she studies airport management. She enjoys being active with mission trips through her church, flying planes, spending time outdoors, reading and playing piano.
Daughter of Cal and Char Lubben. She studies dairy production at South Dakota State University where she will be a sophomore this fall. She hopes to one day own a hobby farm and be a dairy consultant. Calissa enjoys being outdoors where she can bike, run and hike.
Daughter of Darrel and Lisa Maus. Ashley will be a sophomore this fall at South Dakota State University where she studies dairy production and dairy manufacturing. She enjoys volunteering, swing dancing, showing cattle and spending time with friends.
Melendy Miller, 20 Plainview, Wabasha County
Julia Mullenbach, 18 Rose Creek, Mower County
Rebekka Paskewitz, 20 Browerville, Todd County
Catherine Thompson, 19
Plainview, Olmsted County
Daughter of Stacy and Julie Miller. Melendy will be a junior this fall at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls where she studies dairy science. After graduation, she plans to go back to the family farm. Melendy enjoys gardening, hiking, reading and raising bull calves with her sister during the summer.
Daughter of Al and Lynette Mullenbach. Julia studies dairy science at Iowa State University where she will be a sophomore this fall. She has a passion for dancing and volunteers as a dance coach to youth and high school dance teams. She is active in her campus dairy science club as well as the Minnesota and National Brown Swiss Associations.
Daughter of Alan and Vicki Paskewitz. She is an employee at Thunder Valley Farms. Rebekka will be a junior this fall at South Dakota State University where she studies agricultural education. After graduation, she plans to become an agricultural educator. Rebekka enjoys graphic design, public speaking, raising beef cattle and road trips.
Daughter of Donny and Holly Thompson. Catherine, commonly known as Katie, attends the University of Minnesota where she will be a sophomore this fall studying agricultural communication and marketing. She is active in Minnesota Junior Holstein Association and the Gopher Dairy Club. Catherine enjoys showing dairy cattle and spending time with friends.
Waconia, Carver County
Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018 • Page 25
Princess Kay for a year, dairy advocate forever How do you measure a miles, attended 80 appearances, year? In a parody of the song visited almost 30 counties and “Seasons of Love” from the talked to over 1,500 school Broadway musical “Rent,” my children. No two events have year as the 64th Princess Kay been the same, but at each of the Milky Way might sound event I have had the honor of a little like this: representing the “ S i x hard-working, On the Road with thousand four humble and Princess Kay hundred and three compass i o n at e miles. Eighty dairy farmers who appearances have inspired me throughout throughout my Minnesota. Six life. All of the thousand four classroom visits, hundred and media interviews, three miles. How dairy days, do you measure, parades, county measure a year? fairs, Fuel Up to In counties? Play 60 events, In crowns? In presentations, By Emily Annexstad pictures? In camps and other Kay of the appearances have glasses of milk? 64th Princess Milky Way In cow hats, in added up to one miles, in events, amazing year. in interviews? Six thousand My favorite month of the four hundred and three miles. entire year is here. For most How do you measure a year in people, August might mean a life?” uncomfortably hot weather, It seems like just yesterday the end of summer, two-a-day I was writing my rst Dairy Star sports practices or the start of article, still in a daze from the the school year. August has excitement of coronation and always been about the fair. the state fair. Now my journey Growing up on a dairy farm, as Princess Kay is coming to my family didn’t go on many an end. In a few weeks, I will vacations. But, we did make be crowning the 65th Princess it to the Minnesota State Fair Kay of the Milky Way. While almost every year. it will be bittersweet to pass on The fair is no doubt a the crown, I am excited for the special place to me, but it is also next young woman who will a place enjoyed by thousands have the opportunity to serve and thousands of people every Minnesota’s dairy community. year. For the past 64 years, I have traveled over 6,000 Princess Kay has been a part
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Princess Kay Emily Annexstad talks with children during Farm Camp July 17 at Meadowbrook Dairy near Sartell, Minn. of that. After spending 12 days at the state fair as Princess Kay, I can truthfully tell you that walking into the Dairy Building, through the Moo Booth or past the All You Can Drink Milk Stand gets people excited about dairy. The feeling, memories and values that the Princess Kay of the Milky Way program stirs up not only in the dairy community, but in thousands of fairgoers, is incredible. The tradition of Princess Kay of the Milky Way, started and supported by
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Minnesota’s dairy farmers, is one of the very best parts of the fair. While I may be hanging up my sash and retiring my crown after Aug. 22, I will never stop sharing my dairy story. From the 4-year-old who shared some not so glamorous facts about dairy farming to her preschool class, to serving Minnesota’s dairy community as Princess Kay, I have never hesitated to speak on behalf of dairy. Now, I have another chapter to add to my dairy
story. Thank you, Minnesota’s dairy farmers, for the hard work you put in on your farm each and every day. It has truly been an honor to represent you. I have enjoyed having the opportunity to meet many of you throughout my time as Princess Kay. Your time is incredibly valuable, and I am grateful for all who have taken the time to share their own dairy stories. For the last time as the 64th Princess Kay of the Milky Way, thank you. It has been a great year. Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Emily Annexstad, serves as the Minnesota dairy community’s goodwill ambassador. Throughout the year, Princess Kay helps people understand the dedication of dairy farmers to wholesome and nutritious food, and the way milk is produced. Princess Kay does many school presentations, represents dairy farmers at the Fuel Up To Play 60 events that are held in conjunction with the Minnesota Vikings, and is very active during June Dairy Month sharing the importance of dairy farming and dairy foods. Emily and her family own and operate a dairy farm in St. Peter, Minnesota. She is a sophomore at the University of Minnesota studying animal science and agricultural communications and marketing. She enjoys reading, playing and watching sports, and showing cattle.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018 • Page 27
Dreaming of a parlor at the fair The Transition Pen
By Laura & John Rosenhammer Father/Daughter Farming Duo The year was 2006. It was around the third week of June. Laura was about 13, Mary, 10 and Rebecca, 8. Very early in the morning we found ourselves headed to Owatonna for a state show not knowing where we were going. Laura had registered a few of our animals so we could attend, compete and, most of all, learn. Going down the old Highway 14, jumping on Interstate 35W and exiting safely seemed like a milestone. Finally, we found the fairgrounds. I was overwhelmed by the number of cattle trailers, the number of barns full of animals and the number of quality cows. I was in Heaven, because I love to see beautiful cows and visit with owners about sires and matings that are working so well. I even remember seeing Pine Shelter Cheyenne, the champion at Expo. This was quite a leap from our local county fair, but gave me ideas and goals to aim for in the future. I realized very quickly that our animals were over matched, but I wanted to bring an idea or two home that could help us in the future. Patty, I and the girls were in awe of the detailed, precision clipping of most exhibitors. I wondered why the animals stood so well getting their make-up on. This was our rst introduction to a clipping chute. I took measurements immediately, found a few ideas I liked and then made a few modications. As soon as I got home, I bought some metal, spent a few hours in the shop and made our own clipping chute for a fraction of the price. The amazing result is how well and easy it works. And, we have never gone to a show without it since. One of my main concerns taking cows was how were they going to get milked? At our county fair, there was a portable milking pump that needed a bucket and a prayer. One sunny day, I approached Mary Catherine about the idea of obtaining her milking equipment. I respectfully asked if any children were coming back, and she quickly said that would never happen. I entertained the idea of donating it to the fair. Now, I have a milk pump, a glass receiver jar, washing equipment and some pipeline. I am not short on help because several young dairy members helped install the pipeline. One thing I was very short on was money to pay an electrician, repair the milk pump and purchase lumber and tin for our milk room. Ask and you shall receive. We have all heard these words, and they became a reality at our 2007 Twilight meeting. We asked our local auctioneer, Rich Reiner, to help us raise money for the parlor project. We chose a service auction where two hours of service would be auctioned off for all of our 4-H dairy members. The need for money was explained and the 15 members averaged well over $100 to bring in a total of $1,700. I will never forget as Rich winked at me when we reached our goal. He donated his services and the generosity of the bidders that night was a moment I will never forget.
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Now, we have money and help, but time is running short. We chose our milk house to resemble a hip roofed red barn. Every time there was a need for something, someone new came along to help contribute to the project. I wanted many 4-H kids, including my own kids, to help with the process. Some spent time with me tinning. Others cut out a 4-H clover and painted it. One artistic family drew a cat and chickens in the hay barn windows. I was short on pipeline and a neighbor donated that for us. Another neighbor donated stanchions to secure the cows. The local DeLaval dealer donated 10 feet of glass pipeline so viewers could watch milk ow to the receiver jar. A fair board member gave us his old house windows so people could view the inside of our milk room. A horse member donated the wash vat. Finally, an afternoon was set aside where three of my aunts came to paint the inside of the room so it was ready for inspection.
Another lasting memory was pouring the cement for the door and drain, and hearing the news of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse. Many unforgettable moments went into that parlor and many people had a hand in making it a reality. Anybody who knows me knows I love milking cows at the fair, and at our peak, our county had up to 23 cows that needed to be milked. Our fair begins on Wednesday, and I am always tickled when I have to have milk picked up on Friday because the tank is full. That dream parlor is lled with many memories from the past, and only God knows how many more in the future. John Rosenhammer farms with his daughter, Laura Scholtz, and brother, Greg, on Roseview Dairy near Sleepy Eye, Minn. They milk 200 Holsteins and run 580 acres of cropland.
Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018
Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130 Hugh Chester-Jones chest001@umn.edu 507-835-3622 Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391 Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177 Joleen Hadrich jhadrich@umn.edu 612-626-5620 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu 612-625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435 Kota Minegishi kota@umn.edu 612-624-7455 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093 M. Scott Wells mswells@umn.edu 612-625-3747 Emily Wilmes krek0033@umn.edu 320-255-6169
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Avert disaster with a cost-effective mastitis screening program During difcult economic times, dairy producers look for ways to cut costs. Money spent on mastitis screening or diagnostic tests may be one area that comes under scrutiny, particularly if current bulk tank SCC is OK. If so, it is imperative to consider the purpose of testing and the risks of cutting back. The ultimate purpose of mastitis screening is to avert disaster, in the form of a mastitis outbreak. Most would agree an outbreak of contagious mastitis (caused by Staph aureus, Mycoplasma spp., Strep agalactiae, and maybe Prototheca spp.) is a serious problem that can result in signicant losses due to decreased milk production, diagnosis and treatment costs, culling and death. However, an outbreak of environmental mastitis can be just as dire if left By Erin Royster unchecked. U of M Extension A good screening program will alert you that a problem is present before it has time to grow into a disaster. There are multiple types of screening tests and ways to combine them into a screening program to protect your farm. A bulk tank SCC (BTSCC) can be a good herd-level indicator of how things are going, but may not be the most sensitive alarm system to alert you of potential problems, particularly in a large herd. For example, in a 100-cow herd, one or two cows infected with Staph aureus can have a big impact on BTSCC. When BTSCC jumps, that is your cue to look for infected cows. But in a 3,000-cow herd, it takes more than a few infected cows to drastically increase BTSCC, and the change will likely be slower, meaning you will have more infected cows to deal with by the time you realize you have a problem. Bulk tank culture tells you if specic pathogens, or pathogen groups are present in the bulk tank milk. For Mycoplasma spp. and Strep agalactiae, even a low count of those bacteria in the milk means you most likely have cows infected with those pathogens. For Staph aureus, a low count in bulk tank milk could be from bacteria on teat skin, but in moderate or high numbers means you have cows infected with Staph aureus. However, bulk tank culture is not a perfect alarm system either. The larger the herd, the less likely you are to be able to nd a pathogen that is shed in low numbers, or from only a small number of infected cows. Bulk milk samples should be collected for three to ve days in a row, frozen and then shipped for testing. Additionally, bulk tank cultures can be performed monthly or at least quarterly. The more often you test, the more likely you are to nd something. The second approach in large herds is to decrease the number of cows in each bulk milk sample by string sampling. Individual cow culture can be used a few different ways, depending on what tests are offered at the lab. The University of Minnesota Laboratory for Udder Health offers both diagnostic
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cultures and screening cultures. Diagnostic cultures tell you exactly what organisms are present in a sample from an individual quarter. This is most useful for cows with clinical mastitis or high SCC when you want to know exactly what is causing the infection, for treatment or culling decisions, or to focus prevention efforts. Screening cultures cost less and only tell you if a contagious pathogen is present in a quarter or composite sample. This test may be done on cows with clinical mastitis, high SCC cows, fresh cows or some other group that is either high risk or convenient for sampling. Individual cow screening is more sensitive (better at nding pathogens) than bulk tank screening, but is costly and labor intensive. PCR is a newer test that can be used on bulk milk or individual cow samples. While culture detects living, viable organisms grown on a culture plate, PCR detects DNA (genetic material). This makes interpretation of the results challenging, particularly for environmental bacteria, as a small amount of DNA will result in a positive test. However, PCR is a good tool to detect contagious pathogens. Because of the cost relative to culture, laboratory PCR is not typically used as a routine screening tool for individual cows. The one exception where PCR has a signicant advantage over culture is in the detection of Mycoplasma spp. It takes ve to 10 days to culture Mycoplasma spp. because it grows slowly, but a PCR test takes a few hours. There is a PCR test kit for on-farm use which may be a good option for some farms. Each farm has a different set of risk factors that should dictate how aggressive the screening program should be. The higher the risk of a contagious mastitis outbreak, the more aggressive the screening program should be. The main risk factors to consider include introducing purchased cows without testing for contagious pathogens; commingling with youngstock from other herds; contact with animals from other herds, such as at county fairs; adult animals and youngstock housed under the same roof or shared airow; no antibiotic treatment for clinical mastitis; no antibiotic dry cow therapy, and not using an effective, germicidal teat dip. There are other risk factors as well, such as herd level stress and immunity that can make cows more or less susceptible to new infections. The most aggressive screening program would combine bulk tank surveillance with culture (or PCR) of individual fresh cows, cows with clinical mastitis and/or cows with high SCC. The least aggressive screening program would be monthly or quarterly bulk tank screening or screening cultures of individual cows. The selection of which individual cows to test depends on the herd, but the most common strategy is fresh cows and/or cows with clinical mastitis. Talk to your veterinarian if you do not have a screening program in place or if you want to review your program to make sure it is the most cost-effective strategy.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018 • Page 29
Has the formula for dairy farm prot changed? We are in for a bumpy ride in milk prices for the remainder of 2018. This will be the fourth year in a row milk prices have not allowed most farms to make enough money to reinvest and provide for a reasonable return. It has been especially challenging since the middle of 2017. Looking at farm nancial records over the past 25 years, the most recent three years show a slightly different pattern for milk production by prot cohort than previous years (Figure 1). From 2001 to 2005, cows in the highest prot cohort produced over 1,900 pounds of milk more than the 20 to 40 percent prot cohort. The difference from 2015 to 2017 was only about 450 pounds. I compared milk production of several other ve-year periods going back to 1993, and the difference between the highest prot and the 20 to 40 percent By Jim Salfer cohort groups was between 1,600 and 2,000 pounds per cow. U of M Extension Historically, for every higher prot cohort, there was a linear increase in milk sold per cow. Does this mean milk production per cow has become less important to protability? Will this trend continue? The lowest prot cohort produced considerably less milk in both sets of years. This is consistent across all years going back to 1993. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues in the future. I believe the message is not that high milk production is not important (we can debate what that means), but rather that high milk production is maybe becoming the ante to play the game. On the other hand, maybe during periods of lower protability, focusing on cost control is more important than focusing all your efforts on achieving the highest milk production. If you look closer at the records (not shown), some interesting trends emerge. These include: - In every year, higher prot cohorts have a lower cost of production per hundredweight and often per cow. - There is no clear herd size advantage or disadvantage across the top four prot cohorts. - Each higher prot cohort produces higher value milk. This could be because of higher components, lower somatic cell count or other reasons such as lower hauling. - Each higher prot cohort has higher gross margin per cow. This is mostly driven by higher milk income per cow ($4,186 for the 20 to 40 percent, rising to $4,450 for the high prot group) and $174 per cow lower net replacement cost (cull cow value minus cost to bring in replacements) from the 20 to 40 percent vs. the high prot group. - Each higher prot cohort has lower direct costs. Direct costs are $480 lower for the high prot cohort compared to the 20 to 40 percent cohort group. About half ($245) of this is because of lower feed cost per cow. A couple of reasons may be less feed shrink and better forage quality. - Overhead costs by cohort are more random and do not follow a linear trend. Why might the rules have changed? Farmers have been rapid to adopt technologies that increase productivity per cow. Here are some practices that have been adopted to improve productivity and protability over the decades: - 1960s and ‘70s: Hard work, silo unloaders, gutter cleaners and connement housing. - 1980s: Forage quality. - 1990s: Milk quality. - 2000s: Comfortable stalls and heat abatement. - 2010s: Reproductive technologies. What will be the focus of protable farms in the future? I believe farms that excel at labor efciency and business acumen are likely to be the high prot farms of the future. Family cost of living and hired labor costs are rising rapidly, and there is no reason to believe this will change in the near future. This can be accomplished by: - Focusing on capital investments that improve cow productivity and labor efciency. Use partial budgets and cash ows for these new investments.
- Developing a well-trained, engaged and organized work force with written protocols (family or hired). - Designing facilities that facilitate easy cow handling with minimal labor. - Designing feed centers that facilitate labor efcient mixing and delivery of feed. - Partnering or sharing equipment to spread the cost over more acres and cows. - Focusing on production systems that promote labor efciency and take advantage of the farm’s natural resource base and manager’s skills. These might include sensors, robots or grazing. Many of these choices require balancing a larger capital investment with improved labor efciency. This information shows milk production may not be as important as in the past for protability. However, every farmer needs to develop a strategy for his or her farm to improve protability. Figure 1. Milk sold from 2001 to 2005 and from 2015 to 2017 by prot cohort1
Finbin, University of Minnesota
1
Farmland leasing, land values workshops offered in NE Iowa More than half of Iowa farmland is rented. In some Iowa locations, as much as 70 percent of the land is farmed by farmers who don’t own the land. In Northeast Iowa, the result is many conversations and negotiations between farmland owners and producer-tenants to determine what makes sense for farmland leases and cash rental rates – both xed rent and exible arrangements. Strong landlord/tenant relationships are important for the long-term viability of Iowa’s farming communities. These are just a few reasons why Iowa State University Extension and Outreach offers workshops designed to answer questions that land owners and tenants have about farmland leasing and land values. These workshops will be held across northeast Iowa counties starting August 6
through August 21. Melissa O’Rourke, ISU Extension Farm & Agribusiness Management Specialist will present a wide range of topics related to farmland values and leasing. Workshop attendees will receive a comprehensive workbook packed with information about land values, leasing and different types of farm lease arrangements. A registration fee of $20 per person is charged to cover costs and includes a 100-page workbook. Pre-registration is preferred by calling the local County Extension ofce hosting the meeting. Walkins may attend for a $25 fee at the door. Locations, dates and more information about this and other farmland leasing meetings in Iowa can be found at ISU Extension’s Ag Decision Maker website: www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm
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Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018
Wine country
Farmstead wineries are popping up all over extracurricular scientic experimentation. I enlisted the countryside nowadays, like toadstools after a the assistance of my two younger brothers and, summertime rainstorm. If it were not for our beastly after scrounging around in our kitchen, was able to winters, a person could almost believe we live in assemble a rudimentary winemaking kit: a large California wine country. empty glass soda bottle, a I am actually quite can of frozen grape juice familiar with the art of I was an early concentrate (purple), some l bl bloomer, h having i winemaking. I was an early sugar and a packet of dry bloomer, having brewed brewed my first batch of vino yeast. And a balloon. You my rst batch of vino the the summer when I was 12. cannot make wine without a summer when I was 12. balloon. In science class, I had We hauled our winelearned about an innocuous making materials up to the microbe called yeast. This fungi was the driving haymow where, in the secret sanctuary of the of straw force behind the fermentation process and was, by bales, we poured the thawed grape juice into the soda extension, responsible for such things as hangovers bottle. There was some debate as to how much sugar and many of the funnier scenes in the movie “Animal should be added. It was decided if a little was good, House.” then a lot had to be better. We added the purloined I decided to test this process with some yeast, shook the bottle and capped it with the balloon.
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We checked on the progress of the pop bottle every day. As the yeast performed its mysterious alchemy, the balloon grew to an alarming size. The bottle soon looked as though it had sprouted a blue latex basketball. My brothers wanted to conduct a taste Dear County Agent Guy test almost immediately, but I said no, that we would guzzle no wine before it was time. I told them that we would have to let it age quite a while, perhaps as long as a week. Some days later, we sat on a straw bale as the three of us unballooned our very rst bottle By Jerry Nelson of wine. A fragrance Columnist reminiscent of bread dough wafted into our nostrils. I allowed my youngest brother the honor of the rst swig. It is hard to describe the bitter-sweetness of that magical moment. The sweet part was watching my brother’s expression as he took a long pull on the bottle and immediately spat the concoction back out. He said it tasted like something a guy would use to strip the rust off a plowshare. I swore off of wine from then on. That is, until some years ago when our family journeyed out to the West Coast to visit my wife’s aunt and uncle. Doris and Jim Granatten lived in the midst of wine country and it was they who suggested we go with them on a wine-tasting tour. It turned out to be one of the better parts of our vacation. We had spent the previous several days in Los Angles, doing the Disneyland thing and rubbernecking at the tall buildings and battling the trafc jams, all while dealing with our two tired and whiny preteen sons. It was a pleasant change when we retreated to the (relativity) sparsely populated hinterlands where the sky was blue instead of yellowish-brown and we no longer had to chew the air in order to breathe. Central California has innumerable wineries, many of which are situated at the roadside like overpriced lemonade stands. As you might imagine, wine-tasting tours are an extremely popular activity, albeit one that requires the services of a designated driver. The sommelier at the rst winery we visited schooled me in the ne art of evaluating wine. “You must take your time and swirl, sniff and sip,” she said. “Don’t just gulp it down and say ‘Wow. That’ll put hair on your chest.’ And gargling before swallowing is a denite no-no. After we had stopped at about half a dozen wineries and had sampled two or three wines at each, I was starting to get the hang of things. It was actually quite pleasurable to stroll through all of those Old World-style buildings and savor the balmy Mediterranean climate and talk about how this wine has a leathery bouquet or how that one has an oaken texture. It was enough to make me feel tanned and sophisticated, unlike the pallid and clueless tourist from the Northland that I was. It was wonderful. But something seemed vaguely amiss. “Say,” I nally asked an employee at one of the vineyards, “I need something to sit on. You wouldn’t have a straw bale handy, would you?” Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, S.D. He and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry currently works full time for the Dairy Star as a staff writer/ad salesman. Feel free to E-mail him at: jerry.n@ dairystar.com.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018 • Page 31
The slow fan
While I was waiting for cows to return to a pen about every aspect of your operation from animal and presenting it in a simple way. For most farms, today, a fellow came into the pen with a belt and a health to crops to employee management. this is probably the best way to record events. In ladder. Once you have decided on which KPIs to our veterinary practice we keep a spreadsheet for “Broken belt on a fan?” I said. monitor, the next step is dening the monitoring our farms on regular herd visits. We update the “Just one running slow,” he said. “The system. That means there has to be a way to notice spreadsheet when we are on the farm and send it belt stretches and then it slips and the fan runs the problem, but then also to record the problem back to the producer and any other interested parties slow.” This is a top-notch dairy, so it Veterinary Wisdom in such a way that the particular KPI identied by the farmer. There are about 40 KPIs on is unsurprising they have a system to can be monitored easily. For example, there, but one can look over the entire sheet in a few replace fan belts when fans get slow. incidence of calf pneumonia might be minutes to nd those slow fans. In fact, they have systems in place all an important KPI for your farm, but The next step is to develop standards or goals. over the farm to x other slow fan-like you cannot monitor it unless individual To get standards and goals we need to know what problems, and that is one of the reasons cases are somehow counted over is possible. Some standards are easily available. they are so top notch. time, which usually involves writing For example, the Dairy Calf and Heifer Association Every dairy has slow fans. How something down or entering data into Gold Standards list KPIs for calf pneumonia and do the best ones x these problems? a computer. In the feedlot industry, scours, survival rates, growth rates and reproductive The answer is that they have systems. producers may choose different drugs performance. Other standards are hard to nd. It isn’t just that someone happened to treat pneumonia because they have Your veterinarian is often a source for health and to notice a slow fan. And, someone data that show lower relapse rates for production targets; your nutritionist for production happened to tell someone else. And, some drugs used in their feedlots. On targets, and your nancial advisor is a source for By Jim Bennett someone happened to have a belt in dairy farms, calf pneumonia often is nancial targets. Top farms do not use their cadre Columnist inventory. And, someone just happened not properly recorded. On those farms, of consultants to do technical work, but instead to have time that day that the fan got the opportunity to examine treatment use their expertise to examine farm performance xed. Success is seldom determined by chance or response or otherwise change prevention or against standards and goals and then help develop luck. treatment practices may be lost. action plans The rst thing needed to x problems is a After dening what to measure and how to Many readers may nd all of the above to be detection system. For example, perhaps adult record it, one needs a simple system to get the obvious. If you feel so, then great work. However, cow death rate is a slow fan on your dairy. How data in a format where it this is not the case on every farm do you know this? Well, rst you must have a way is easy to examine results. or on every non-farm business to count deaths. Not counting means you are not Farms often create weekly E may be one of the reasons Every d dairy i h has slow l ffans. and noticing them. Maybe you have too many heifers or monthly summary why so many businesses fail. In in inventory because your heifer pregnancy rate reports. These may be How do the best ones fix addition, almost any business is only 20 percent, but if you do not know what as simple as a form that these problems? can improve their methods to your heifer pregnancy rate is, you are not noticing has a few things written x slow fans. Successful dairy the problem. These examples may sound silly, but in boxes every week, or businessmen and women know in my experience not knowing the farm’s annual it might be a spreadsheet that luck is for winning the death rate or the heifer pregnancy rate is not all that on the computer in the ofce that has 50 different lottery, not for xing problems. uncommon today. Part of dening the detection things recorded every day or every week. The Jim Bennett is a dairy veterinarian at Northern system for problems is identifying which problems point is to make reports easy so you do not have Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center in to look for. We might call those key performance to plow through a stack of papers or data every Plainview, Minn. He and his wife, Pam, have four indicators, or KPIs. Dening the KPIs is not always time you need to evaluate a slow fan on your dairy. children. Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@ easy, but it is important. KPIs can be developed for Fortunately, computers are great for compiling data gmail.com with comments or questions.
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Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018
Good neighbor policy
I serve on our county’s planning and generally wants to be a livestock friendly county, zoning board, which approves or denies new or so many decisions are based on two things. If you expanding livestock facilities. We also make move from the city into the country, be prepared decisions on major dirt moving projects and to have some wonderful smells at times, and if business development outside the city limits of you do not like that move back to the city, and the respective towns in our our rules will give you a county. Many decisions smell-free zone around To me iit means going i the h are quite easy if all the T that city. setbacks are met with extra mile to keep neighbors Every approval of regard to the site plan of new facilities, livestock the facility. For example, happy. or commercial, comes a new 2,400-head pork with a condition called nishing facility must be a a good neighbor policy. half mile from the nearest non-involved residence Other conditions are things like dead animal or a mile from the nearest city limit. containment or controlling weeds on the site. But Many times variances are requested. Some the good neighbor policy is a real gray area. The variances are granted and some are not, depending permit comes with the condition that the applicant on a variety of circumstances. Our county must adhere to the good neighbor policy. I have
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never seen a description of that policy. To me it means going the extra mile to keep neighbors happy. I know I have failed in that many times. Some items that should be considered in the policy would be help with snow removal. Making Cents of Dairy Dairies have bigger equipment than most rural dwellers. Use it and do it for free with a smile. When you see the neighbor’s tree laying across their driveway, bring the payloader and move it. When someone needs a telehandler to By Dave Vander Kooi put shingles on their house, let them borrow Columnist it, but do not volunteer to help shingle. Let kids use a calf or two or three to bring to the county fair. I could go on and on, but by now you get the idea. While serving on the board, we once had an applicant who told us he did not care what his neighbors thought, and he expected his township to clear his road by 4 a.m. so the feed truck could get in early. This information was veried by several neighbors and township ofcials speaking against the application. The application passed by a vote of 5-2. I voted against it because I felt he had violated the good neighbor policy with his previous barn. We as a board did not adequately do our homework before the meeting, and all of us realize that going forward we need to do more pre-meeting site inspections. When I look back at my own life and being a good neighbor I can say I did OK in most of those things mentioned above. Where I have totally failed is when it comes to visiting neighbors who are down or ghting some terrible disease like cancer. My dad would not be proud of me. He was the best at visiting the sick and people down on their luck. I have a cell phone with a zillion numbers in it, but I use it to make happy calls and business calls. I need to use it more to call those who are hurting. Even when I do not know what to say, just say something nice. My closest neighbor is ghting for his life right now. We were good friends for a long time, but then we had a few minor disagreements over water. We are good friends once again. Never let a quarter mile of drainage tile keep you from being a good friend and neighbor. Vander Kooi operates a 1,800-cow, 4,500 acre farm with his son, Joe, and daughter-inlaw, Rita, near Worthington, Minn. Send him feedback at davevkooi@icloud.com. Follow him on Instagram, @davevanderkooi.
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For quite a while now, I have been a writer who does not write, except for countless thoughts that never make it to the page. I do my best thinking when going about the day-to-day tasks of caring for 25-35 calves, cooking or doing endless yard work. Prior to being full time on our family’s dairy farm, I had written for various publications as an agricultural journalist. I Come Full Dairy Circle started as staff writer with Dairy Herd Management in 1984, then wrote for Holstein World and did freelance writing for other newsletters and magazines. Since that has been a few years ago, I am excited for this opportunity to write once again about topics I hope will be of interest to others who are readers and thinkers about all things dairy. I have been thinking about dairy for nearly 40 years. When I attended the National 4-H Dairy Conference in Madison, Wis., as a senior in high school surrounded by other dairy kids I found my passion for this industry. I had been involved in 4-H and FFA, junior breed associations, By Jean Annexstad showing and judging dairy, but that trip made it click that dairy was what I truly loved. Columnist After college at the University of Minnesota and a degree in agriculture journalism, some other jobs and several years away from dairy farming, my husband, Rolf, and I joined his family’s dairy operation in 1992 near St. Peter, Minn. We farmed with his parents, Carl and Lois, and his brothers, Mike and Eric. The dairy is now managed by Mike, Rolf and I, with Eric doing custom cropping for the dairy. We milk 200 Holsteins and farm 650 acres of alfalfa, corn, peas and sometimes small grain or soybeans. Our children are Emily, 20, Matthias and Leif, both 18. All three will be attending the University of Minnesota this fall. Mike, Rolf and I will be busy doing all of the chores. However, we will be less busy attending sporting events and other activities. It will be a big transition for our family. Emily serves as 64th Princess Kay of the Milky Way. She has been detailing her many and varied activities in a monthly Dairy Star column. Our sons have been busy graduating from high school, lling out scholarships, choosing a college, going to orientation and the list goes on. All of these great things going on for our family have yielded reection on my past and our children’s future in the industry. I cannot help but realize how many people in the dairy industry have mentored me and now mentor my children. There are many examples when I stop to ponder all who have inuenced me. There is the 4-H leader who encouraged me to ll out records, try out for the judging team and drove us to Junior Holstein Winter Campouts. There is the chaperone of the dairy conference trip who is now an agricultural lender at our bank. There are people I have reconnected with at fairs and shows I have attended this summer as I have gone with Emily to some of her Princess Kay events or at Holstein shows when helping the boys with the lunch stand. It is easy for any dairy farmer to stay home and work (and of course, it is often necessary), but if you can steal away even for a few hours to sit on the bleachers at a show, attend a farm tour or stroll through a county fair, it is so worth it to chat with an old friend or to make a new one. Mentors for my children are family, neighbors and friends. Others are FFA advisors/4-H staff/leaders who encourage and guide them through contests, events and conventions. So too are coaches and teachers, and now college professors, advisors and others. Each dairy group has supportive individuals who reach out and give good advice. Mentoring others is fullling. You can reach out to younger dairy farmers who look for guidance. We lease dairy animals for 4-H members to show and help them connect with our industry. I appreciate the people who have been good friends and advisors to me and to my family. You all have them in your life, too. Do not forget to thank them and to take time to reconnect. The dairy circle is a strong and resilient one. It is lled with people who care, want to see others succeed and want to simply do the best job possible every day with our cows, land and people we work with. Jean dairy farms with her husband, Rolf, and brother-in-law, Mike, and children, Emily, Matthias and Leif. They farm near St. Peter, Minn., 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.
Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018 • Page 33
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018
PRINCESS KAY FINALIST
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Dankers nds passion in dairy industry By Abby Hopp Staff Intern
PLAINVEW, Minn. – Having not grown up on a dairy farm, 19-year-old Blaize Dankers’ path to the Princess Kay of the Milky Way program is different than her peers. “I didn’t have to be a dairy princess, I chose to,” said Dankers, who is a nalist for Princess Kay of the Milky Way from Wabasha County. While the daughter of Annette and Travis Reimers lives in Plainview, Minn., with her three younger siblings, Dankers is employed by the Yotter family of Scotch Prairie Dairy near Lake City, Minn. “The farm is a great atmosphere and I have learned a lot,” Dankers said. “They are a great support system and a second home.” As calf manager, Dankers feeds calves twice a day, beds and vaccinates the youngstock, and keeps up with farm records. “It’s nice to be able to come back this summer,” said Dankers, a student at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. “I will always remember the twin calves struggling in winter time. I sat out for hours trying to get them to eat. Coming to the farm the next morning to see they were in a better state was pretty cool. They are still on the farm today.” Dankers’ rst glimpse of the dairy industry came from her grandfather.
“My grandpa used to farm, and I have heard many stories of when he farmed,” Dankers said. “I wanted to experience it and stay involved for him. He passed away three years ago, and I want to hold out that family tradition.” At 9 years old, Dankers joined 4-H and began showing with her great uncle Wayne. “If I wouldn’t have showed that calf, I wouldn’t be here today,” Dankers said. “A few years later, I started showing with the Thompson family. They have supported me and helped me even when I don’t know the answers.” Dankers continues to show with the Thompson family and develops her interest in dairy through 4-H and FFA. She has also worked at Bluff View Dairy. “She has so much knowledge and passion for the dairy industry,” Annette said. “She has so much potential.” When Dankers graduates from college with degrees in dairy science and agriculture business, she hopes to work with dairy cattle genetics. But rst, she is relishing in the opportunity to promote dairy as a county dairy princess and Princess Kay nalist. “I have been to the Princess Kay coronation for as long as I can remember,” Dankers said. “When my 4-H coordinator and friends encouraged me to be a princess, I ran and thought I’d give it a shot.” The support others have shown Dankers have made this summer a memorable one. “Even if I don’t get Princess Kay, my whole life has changed because of it,” Dankers said. “I like all of it. I like
ABBY HOPP/DAIRY STAR
Blaize Dankers is a Princess Kay nalist represenƟng Wabasha County. Dankers is the daughter of AnneƩe and Travis Reimers, of Plainview, Minn. talking to kids and sharing what dairy means to them. They grow up with that and take that with them always.” Dankers has also found joy in making connections with other nalists. “We can combine our talents to represent what farmers do and what the cows do,” Dankers said. “Farmers have so much passion behind everything they do, they just can’t always be there to share that themselves.” The young dairy enthusiast hopes to share dairy’s story everywhere she goes. “I am OK with taking a day or two off to share my story and talk with peo-
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018 • Page 35
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Mullenbach likes talking to people as dairy princess, PK nalist By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
ROSE CREEK, Minn. – As the Minnesota State Fair approaches, Julia Mullenbach is getting excited for the time she will spend promoting dairy at the Great Minnesota Get Together. The 19-year-old daughter of Al and Lynette Mullenbach is representing Mower County as one of the 12 Princess Kay of the Milky Way nalists who will be vying for crown. Whether she is named Princess Kay or not, Mullenbach is looking forward to talking to fairgoers during the 12 days. “I’m excited to mingle with the public,” she said about being at the state fair. “I have the opportunity to share my dairy stories and the opportunity for radio and TV promotions, which I haven’t done before.” Mullenbach said her dairy story is different than other dairy princesses. Her mom grew up on a dairy farm and was involved in dairy activities, including wearing the crown as a Mower County Dairy Princess. However, her grandparents sold the cows in the mid 1990s, but continued to raise steers and dairy heifers. “I always went to the farm to see the animals, but it wasn’t a dairy,” Mullenbach. “And I didn’t live on the farm, so I didn’t have that immediate connection to the farm all the time.” Whenever their family visited the county fair, Mullenbach begged her mom to see the cows and calves. She started pleading with her parents to allow her to show a dairy animal. In sixth grade, her parents gave in. Mullenbach and her younger brother started leasing 4-H dairy animals from Roger and Lori Read, who live down the road from their grandparents and milk 120 cows. Since then, Mullenbach has spent nearly every day of her summers either at the Reads’ dairy or at her grandparents’ farm. “The Reads have become like family to me,” she said. She spends her time working with show animals and also started working for the Reads as a calf feeder. She has also encouraged others to become involved in the 4-H dairy project. This year, the Read family will lease animals to nine 4-H members who will show nearly 25 animals at the county fair.
“As the oldest, I love being able to help the younger kids just starting out and seeing their interest in dairy grow,” Mullenbach said. It also led Mullenbach to the crown. “That is what made me love dairy and want to be a princess,” she said. Not growing up on a dairy farm has given Mullenbach a different perspective, she said. “I am able to give condence and trust in the dairy foods in the grocery store aisles. I’m not just giving [dairy product] facts because I’m the one producing them. I’m also the one consuming them,” said Mullenbach, who will be a sophomore at Iowa State University where she is studying dairy science and agriculture business. Although Mullenbach said dairy is only one aspect of agriculture for Mower County, it is still an important part of the area. “… The families are still working hard to make that connection with consumers and always working to make sure there is a wholesome dairy food in the grocery store aisle,” she said. “I think it’s important for people to understand [dairy farming] is still happening in the area.” Throughout the summer, Mullenbach has been going to and planning dairy princess events. These have included riding in parades, serving ice cream at local dinners, handing out samples at grocery stores and visiting classrooms. “I think it’s important for consumers to know the people involved in the dairy community are incredibly passionate about what they’re doing. That’s why they can put their trust in [dairy] foods and the care these animals are given,” Mullenbach said as one of the main messages she likes to share as a dairy princess. When at events, Mullenbach said most people are curious about what happens on a farm. “They just want to get more information,” she said. “They want to be more informed and more aware.” If crowned Princess Kay, Mullenbach sees herself sharing this message and answering questions on a larger scale. “I would want to reach all four corners of the state and make as many appearances as I could,” she said. She would also share her love for her favorite dairy product, whole milk. “I have it with every meal,” she said. “It’s a natural, nutrient-rich product. I love it.” Overall, Mullenbach is looking forward to her time at the state fair and talking to people, whether or not she wears the crown as Princess Kay.
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018
Women In Dairy Cathy Balzer Owatonna, Minn. Steele County 120 cows Family: My husband, Rick, and I will be celebrating 38 years of marriage in September. We have four grown sons who are all married. Brandon is 34 and has an IBA dairy supply route. He and his wife, Bailey, have three daughters. Scott is 33 and is married to Kayle. He farms with us. Ross is 31 and is an electrician. He and his wife, Bethany, along with their two daughters live, in Foley, Minn. Reid is 27 and works for Lely USA and is married to Eva. They have a foster child. Tell us about your farm. We are in our third year of our new robot barn. We milk 120 cows with two Lely robots. We raise all our heifer calves and raise our bull calves to sell as steers. We run 500 acres of land: 50 acres of oats, 105 acres of alfalfa, 100 acres of soybeans and 245 acres of corn. What’s the busiest time of day for you? Mornings, especially in the summer. Calves are fed rst thing in the morning then it’s watering the owers, weeding the garden, picking rocks in the eld before they are planted, mowing lawn, bookwork, cooking up something to eat, babysitting the grandkids and a whole multitude of things that come up. When you get a spare moment what do you do? I like to go out for lunch with my dairy farmer friend, Anne, and go shopping. I also love to read, sew and garden. I like to can pickles, salsa and tomato soup every summer. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. I grew up in town and never touched a cow until I started dating my husband. We used to raise pigs (along with our dairy herd) long ago, and one day my husband convinced me to help with pulling piglets out of a sow that was having trouble. I needed a lot of encouragement, but soon there I was up to my armpit in a sow, and I lived to tell the story. Since then I have had to do many things I never thought I could.
What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I have enjoyed working on the farm with my husband and sons. Rick and I had our best discussions in the tiestall barn we used to milk in before the robots. All the boys had chores to do when they were growing up. They have grown up into responsible adults and all have a good work ethic. There was no shortage of fun along with all the work. The grandkids love to help feed calves and climb around in the straw bales like their fathers did, and it’s a special day when a new litter of kittens is found in the calf barn. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? We like to attend extension meetings. It’s always good to see fellow farmers. We have hosted three breakfasts on the farm and one supper. We also like to read articles in the farm magazines that seem to be in the mail box every day. Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? Rick. He is always optimistic and patient when showing me how to do something I have not done before. When we talked about building a new barn with robots, I was not on board with it at rst but it seems like everything fell into place. Now I am so glad we took that step. I could not have helped much longer in our old barn because my hips, knees and feet were starting to protest rather loudly. What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? The best vacation we took was to Hawaii about four years ago. I nd history interesting, and the day we went to Pearl Harbor was moving. I could have spent all day there. We also ran into Dairy Star’s Krista Kuzma and her husband on their honeymoon. We were sitting in a diner eating ice cream when they walked in. What are the odds?
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Catherine Thompson is an integral part of her family’s dairy near Plainview, Minn. She is a Princess Kay of the Milky Way ďƒžnalist, who represents Olmsted County.
Thompson has chance to fulďƒžll dream By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
PLAINVIEW, Minn. – In second grade, Catherine Thompson became inspired by Princess Kay of the Milky Way when the crown-wearing dairy advocate made an appearance at Thompson’s elementary school. “I thought, ‘This girl is cool, knows her stuff, and loves dairy and telling people about it,’â€? Thompson said. “I said I wanted to do that some day.â€? Now Thompson has the chance to fulďƒžll that dream and claim the title. The 19-yearold daughter of Donny and Holly Thompson, who represents Olmsted County, is one of the 12 Princess Kay of the Way ďƒžnalists, and will compete for the crown on Aug. 22, the night before the opening of the Minnesota State Fair. “It’s a goal [to be Princess Kay], but it’s more of an opportunity. It’s a competition between me and the other 11 ďƒžnalists, but I don’t think of them as rivals. One of us could have this super cool year ahead of us with the opportunity to tell others about dairy,â€? said Thompson, who will be a sophomore at the University of Minnesota where she studies agricultural communications and marketing with an animal science minor. As a dairy princess, and potentially as Princess Kay, Thompson wants others to know farmers care and are compassionate for their animals. “It’s super important that even though many farms have a great amount of employees, that doesn’t mean the family isn’t connected to it,â€? Thompson said. ‌ “Farmers still care about their animals, and they make sure their workers care just as much about their animals.â€? Thompson works with her family to take care of their 170-cow herd of Holsteins – both black and white, and red and white – on their farm, Little Valley Dairy near Plainview, Minn. “We’re super hands on with the animals because we don’t have [hired] help,â€? Thompson said. Chores are a team effort done by Thompson, her parents and two siblings, Nick, 21, and Clara, 15. “I’ve seen pictures of me in the parlor in a baby swing,â€? Thompson said. “I’ve been there from day one. I’ve always been around cows.â€? She slowly took on tasks as she could. At the age of 13, Thompson took over full responsibility for animals newborn to 5 months of age. “When I was in high school, everyone pitched in where they could so we could all get away for our extracurricular activities,â€? Thompson said. Plus, she and her siblings started the day with chores before school and had to complete their tasks in the evening around sporting events. “They don’t feed themselves,â€? Thomp-
son said about the animals. “You really have to be accountable.â€? The work and accountability has been something Thompson has embraced and come to love. “I put my work into it, and I get to see the result of it,â€? Thompson said. “You give that calf her ďƒžrst vaccine and ďƒžrst feeding of colostrum, and it’s your job to make sure she will grow into the happy and healthy cow she will be someday.â€? Interacting with the animals is one of Thompson’s favorite aspects of being on the farm. “I love their personalities,â€? she said. “Every calf is different.â€? Plus, Thompson sees differences between the two types of Holsteins on their dairy. She calls red and white Holsteins sassy, while black and whites are sweethearts. “Red and whites have a special place in my heart,â€? Thompson said. “They’re my favorite. They’re my show animals, so we incorporate more red into the herd all the time.â€? While wearing a dairy princess crown, Thompson wants to share her farm experiences with others. “I want to spread my passion about why I love doing what I love and what it is I do on our farm,â€? she said. Many people have not met a dairy farmer or been to a dairy farm, she said. “Some people get this impression it’s all technology with no farmers and not hands on with the animals,â€? she said. Thompson wants to share the real story of dairy. So far this summer, Thompson had events to do just that, especially when making appearances in Rochester, a town of over 100,000 people. “It’s deďƒžnitely a lot of diversity,â€? said Thompson, referencing whether people knew about dairy or not. Grocery store visits have allowed Thompson to spark good conversation with others. She also taught nearly 300 schoolaged children about dairy during the Olmsted County Farm Bureau’s fun with a farmer three-day event. “The younger kids asked really cute questions, but I also really liked the older groups,â€? she said. “They asked really good questions, and I think they learned a lot.â€? During the state fair, Thompson is looking forward to interacting with fairgoers. “When I exhibited my 4-H dairy project [in the past], I always enjoyed when someone wanted to stop and pet the animals,â€? she said. “That was my opportunity to talk to them about dairy. Most have never seen cows before or might not know much about them.â€? It is all part of the promoting spark Princess Kay ignited in Thompson when she saw her promoting for the ďƒžrst time in second grade. “Now I realize how large of a role it is to be Princess Kay,â€? Thompson said. “I’m excited that I have a shot to serve Minnesota dairy farmers. This is something I’ve thought about for years.â€?
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Corey Hodorff Eden, Wis. Fond du Lac County 1,150 cows How did you get into farming? I was born and raised into it and have been working with my family on our farm, Second Look Holsteins, LLC. my whole life. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? My concerns include low milk prices and the number of family farms exiting the industry. I’m hoping to see this trend turn around. What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? We switched from DairyComp to BoviSync three years ago which allows us and our employees to access real time data on electronic devices. We are also using GPS in our tractors to save on gas and seed costs. What cost-saving steps have you implemented during the low milk price? We talked with our suppliers to re-evaluate prices on all products we use and lock in a lot of our feed inputs. We also continue to make efciencies with labor on the farm. How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? Training is very important for us to ensure our employees possess the skills they need to excel at their job. To achieve this, we work with a consultant who assists with bilingual training and employee development. We value open conversations with them about what they need and our expectations. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. I work with our consultants, especially the nutritionist and veterinarian, to see what we can do better. I also like seeing what works for other farmers and
thinking about how we could use different ideas on our farm.
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What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? In the next year, we’d like What do you enjoy most about to maintain efciencies to help dairy farming? Working with control costs. Five years from now, the cows and with my kids on a What has been your biggest ac- we want to position our farm to daily basis to instill in them the complishment while dairy farm- bring the next generation into the work ethic I have learned over ing? Keeping family interested family business. the years. To me, this is a unique and involved in our operation. thing that dairy farmers get to do. From having our kids show inter- How do you or your family like est in coming back to the farm to to spend time when you are not What advice would you give oth- having my brother, Clint, join us doing chores? We enjoy going to er dairy farmers? Stay positive again three years ago, keeping the local, state and national shows, and help each other out. Be there family and the next generation in- where we exhibit our cattle as a to support each other when you volved is important to us. Also, family. Our girls also participate can. breeding the Junior All-American in sports, and we like to attend Red and White Fall Calf a few those events. What has been the best purchase years ago was big for our farm. you’ve ever made on your farm? The double-16 parallel parlor that
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 11, 2018
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